Congratulations to ITAM's Colmillos football team for winning the Arena Football Lexfa League championship. Colmillos ITAM beat the CUM Gamos 34 to 20.

We interviewed some team members as well as head coach, Elioenai Solís Vega, regarding ITAM's victory in the Arena Football Lexfa League and their rise to first division.

Mauricio Vueltiflor Gil, linebacker, is currently a sixth semester student in Applied Mathematics who has played with the team for five seasons. On combining student and academic life, Mauricio says that before starting college, he already dreamt of playing while pursuing a degree. "I was awarded a scholarship to study at ITAM [...] I began studying and during my first semester I realized there was a team, and that was really exciting [...] Sports and studies are a good complement [...] staying healthy physically contributes to better academic performance. With each season my commitment towards the team has grown [...] I want this project to grow and I want to play a good role in the team." Winning the championship was a very pleasant experience for Mauricio, because it shows every player's effort and proof that "the project has grown stronger," he added.

Ángel Rico, fourth semester student in Economics and Finance, who has played with the team for three seasons, started as cornerback and is now linebacker. Ángel has played football since he was young and is familiar with this sport's teamwork and discipline culture: "It teaches you how to overcome adversity, to straighten your priorities, and it allows you to make a lot of friends, which I think is the best thing." The linebacker hopes that with these victories, there will be more support from both the institution and the students, and that many more students will join the team. "The doors are open for anyone. It's a time to "loosen up" [...] Come, the doors are open."

The head coach, Elionei Solís Vega, has directed the Colmillos for approximately three years. He works with another coach, Alonso Campos, who is the defensive trainer and his right-hand person. "The team has come a long way since I first came. At the beginning everything was student-led and there was not a lot of school support, but the season I arrived and we were champions the boys started to receive more support from the school and the team was institutionalized. These boys have grown, they have passed their courses and now they are doing pretty well. I have coached a lot of students. Some have graduated already, but there are a lot of incoming students who are very interested in the program. Among them are a lot who had never been on a football team; however, they are very happy, they have liked it a lot, and they have taken it in, even though it has been hard because it is a very tough sport that requires a lot of physical, mental, and tactical preparation."

To read the full interview, visit: blog.itam.mx (Spanish)