By Christi Mays
For some UMHB athletes, legacy takes on a deeper meaning as they follow a path a parent once walked not only in the classroom, but in collegiate competition. This story spotlights three Crusaders who are proudly carrying that tradition forward by competing at the same university where their parents once studied and left their marks on the fields, courts and courses.
When senior guard Hudson Johnson steps onto the floor wearing the No. 2 jersey for the Cru, he’s doing more than representing UMHB. He’s carrying forward a family legacy that spans three generations. The exercise physiology major from Salado is the son of Jared ’02 and Kathryn Johnson, and the grandson of Bobby '76 and Donna ’71 Johnson. For Hudson, returning to UMHB to finish his collegiate basketball career feels like coming home.
“My parents both played a big part in me coming here as they have both been around UMHB a long time,” Hudson said. “I'm glad I can come play for the same school my dad once played football at!”
After a successful high school basketball career, Hudson signed to play at UMHB as a freshman, but transferred to play at Howard Payne University after his first season.
“I enjoyed my time here, however, didn’t get the playing time I was hoping for,” he said. The move allowed him to grow as a player, and over two strong years at Howard Payne he was an all-conference selection both seasons.
Still, something kept pulling him back to Belton.
“I saw that Coach (Sam) Patterson got hired at UMHB and thought it would be a good opportunity to come hoop with some of my old friends,” he said. After a campus visit and seeing the program’s recent success, Hudson knew it was time to return. “I wanted to be a part of a solid team.”
His parents, of course, supported the decision.
“We really didn’t push him or try to convince him to play at UMHB. But we always believed that God had a plan for Hudson,” his dad said. “We are really excited that God led him back to Belton and to UMHB.”
Jared knows firsthand what it means to wear the Cru uniform. A wide receiver wearing No. 22, he played on UMHB’s first-ever football team from 1998 to 2001.
“Being on the first football team ever at UMHB was pretty special,” he said. “We were the first to make the playoffs in 2001. It is incredible to see how far the program has come since 1998 and know we had a hand in its foundation.”
Because the love of Cru football ran deep in the Johnson household, Hudson grew up to be very familiar with UMHB sports.
“I remember going to football games at UMHB while I was growing up, even some while UMHB was still playing at the Belton High School football stadium,” he said.
When he finally suited up for his first game as a starter this past fall against Trinity University, the moment carried special meaning for his dad.
“My first game as a Crusader was also against Trinity in 1998,” Jared said, and watching his son line up for the same opponent decades later was “really special.”
For Hudson, having his father in the stands is one of the best parts of playing close to home.
“It means a lot! He's my biggest fan and shows up to about every game whether it's home or away,” Hudson said. And his grandfather, Bobby Johnson, a 1976 UMHB alumni, rarely misses a home game, either.
“It’s very special to have him there watching as well,” Hudson said.
The senior is grateful for the chance to finish where he began. And for the Johnson family, UMHB is more than a university. It’s a legacy that Hudson is proud to continue.
Sarah Laurence didn’t grow up dreaming of running in college. In fact, she started cross country almost by accident. In seventh grade, her mom suggested she try cross country, then signed her up without telling her.
“I still remember showing up to run cross country that first day on a random Thursday,” Sarah laughed. “At first, I was thinking, ‘This is terrible.’
As her times began to improve, she decided to stick with it. Besides, quitting wasn’t an option in her family, and competitiveness ran deep, so she pushed herself. Her dedication paid off, and by her freshman year, she was a state-qualifying cross-country and track athlete.
She enjoyed success during her sophomore and junior years, but while playing basketball during her senior year, she tore her ACL and had to have surgery, which took months to rehab.
Throughout her college-hunting journey, her dad, former UMHB tennis player Mike Laurence ’03, shared with her how much he loved his time UMHB.
“There are so many opportunities that are afforded at a school like UMHB. It’s a blessing. You don’t always get that at other places,” said Mike, who added his faith grew tremendously at UMHB.
Even though she was accepted at some top schools, including the University of Texas, Sarah found herself drawn to the small, Christian environment at UMHB.
“I was kind of set on this place as soon as I saw it,” she said. After a positive conversation with the UMHB cross-country coach, she also decided she wanted to take her athleticism to the next level.
The transition to collegiate running wasn’t easy, however. In high school, her cross-country competitions spanned two miles; in college, she faced 6Ks, which are nearly double that distance.
“When I saw the summer training schedule, I thought, ‘Man, I gotta get my mileage up! It was a very rough summer,” she laughed.
When she arrived at UMHB this fall, she brought a determination and desire for redemption after her ACL injury interrupted her senior year.
What she didn’t expect was how naturally UMHB would feel like home – just as her father predicted it would. Still recovering from her ACL surgery, Sarah spent much of her first running season rehabbing, though she was able to run at the first and last meets and helped her team earn second place in the conference.
One of the biggest things she notes about running in college, versus high school, is the difference in culture. At her small 2A school in Thrall, many teammates ran just to stay in shape and prepare for other sports.
“They just didn’t care about it a lot.” But at UMHB, the culture was just the opposite. “Everyone signed up for this and wants to be here. It was much more motivating.”
Her father’s influence and encouragement also kept her motivated, especially during all those daily 6 a.m. workouts.
“His presence and his belief in me helped me so much,” she said.
Now a pre-physical therapy major, Sarah hopes one day to help others the way her own PT helped her get back on course after her ACL surgery.
“Getting people back to their normal selves is meaningful. I want to do the same for someone else.”
Looking back now, she’s grateful she made the decision to run in college.
“My dad always told me, ‘You miss every opportunity you don’t take,’” she said. “Now I can at least say I did sports in college.”
When sophomore outfielder John Van Huis V stepped onto the baseball field at UMHB last spring, he was continuing more than his own athletic journey, he was stepping into a family legacy. His father, John “Eddie” Van Huis IV ’01, played basketball for the Cru more than two decades earlier, and met Mindy Lockwood ’02, his future wife and John’s mom. Now, their son is carving out his own place on campus, wearing No. 15 on the baseball field and majoring in business marketing with a minor in sports management.
But John’s path to UMHB was anything but straight. Growing up near the Louisiana border in Bridge City, he loved football and baseball but decided after his freshman year to dedicate himself to baseball with an ultimate goal in mind – playing Division I sports.
“I was dead set on that,” he said, and everything seemed to line up at first.
“Texas A&M-Corpus Christi was one of my top options, and they checked all the boxes for sure, until I got there, and it just didn't work out,” he said. “I had torn ligaments that I was playing on in my wrist all fall, along with a concussion that put me out for three weeks. Then came another painful setback.
“I also took a 92-miles-an-hour hit from a ball to my elbow, and I couldn't throw for another two weeks.”
With only 15 at-bats that first season, he faced a tough choice: redshirt or transfer. He didn’t want to sit out another season, and by winter break, the transfer portal offered a fresh start.
UMHB quickly rose to the top of his list. The campus felt right, the coaching staff impressed him and the baseball program was gaining attention. There was also, of course, the family connection.
“Both my parents went here, and it's where they wanted me to come all along. So, I think that was just God's way of bringing me back here where I should be,” he said.
Upon visiting that December, he instantly knew UMHB was the place he wanted to go, and within a day had canceled his visit to another school.
“I decided that I liked UMHB. I fell in love with the campus and the coaching staff, and it's been nothing but great so far.”
The transition wasn’t easy, though. After wrist surgery that same month, his recovery stretched longer than expected, keeping him benched for the first half of the spring season. Working his way back while adjusting to a new team with some “very talented upperclassmen” became a defining learning moment.
“You don't think about the talent that's here at D3 level until you see it,” he said. “There are really good athletes here. Overall, we're building a culture of winning, and it's coming to life.”
His parents remain some of his biggest supporters, making the four-and-a-half-hour drive to Belton to see his games every chance they get. And when the grueling reality of daily practice, traveling to 60 games each season and keeping up with his coursework starts to weigh on him, John remembers the sage advice his dad and his coaches always say: “You can't play if you don't have the grades.”
Now fully planted in his second season, John feels confident he’s exactly where he belongs. He’s found close friendships, a campus where “everyone knows each other” and a baseball culture that fits him to a tee.
“I think it's a perfect fit.”
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