Teeing off the 2015-16 Maverick Club season, the UT Arlington athletic department held the inaugural Maverick Open at Texas Star Golf Course on Thursday.

The record-breaking event featured 136 participants, six groups of UTA's athletic teams and VIP's scattered throughout the course. Competitors included Arlington Mayor Jeff Williams, former UTA President James Spaniolo, UTA coaches and student-athletes from the golf team.

"We wanted to make it to where it is a golf tournament for the whole department, not just golf," UT Arlington athletics director Jim Baker said. "It is to raise money for the whole department for Maverick Club. Everything that we are trying to do is to get involvement from the department and the community."

Prior to teams teeing off, Baker joined UTA golf in announcing the establishment of the Nancy Baker Memorial Women's Golf Scholarship.

"We felt today would be a good day to announce it and get other people to give to it," Jim Baker said. "It is something that Nancy loved in her short time here at UTA. It is in her memory and love of education and for golf. It made sense to do it and it has been an emotional day, but a joy that her memory will be here forever."

Baker said that he was already receiving notifications from friends and family throughout the tournament of donations to the award.

Participants were greeted around the course by UTA's various athletic teams who offered different challenges. The basketball teams gave an opportunity to move their ball up to the 150-yard marker with a made free throw, softball allowing teams to pitch into a strike zone to get a better drive, track and field challenging players with trivia, tennis playing a best-ball contest and baseball improving shots by hitting their way to the green.

Kris Wood, assistant AD for annual giving & athletic alumni relations, announced that the tournament raised more than $50,000, a new high in the 15-year tradition of the tournament after being rebranded from the Chip-N-Classic.

"It is a great golf tournament and fundraiser for all of UT Arlington athletics," Wood said. "We rebranded it in part because it is a new direction for our golf team and for the tournament. It is a great event."

Wood added that he received compliments from the field of entrants about their interactions with the athletic teams around Texas Star.

"That is what it is all about," Wood said. "We are here for the student-athletes and we want them to have the best facilities, the best education and the best time while they are here at UT Arlington while they are Mavericks."