UACJ Makes History Hosting ABE 2026 Women’s National DII Basketball Championship Opening
Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico – March 20, 2026 – The Autonomous University of Ciudad Juárez (UACJ) marked a historic milestone yesterday evening by becoming the official venue for the inauguration of the Association of Student Basketball (ABE) 2026 Women’s National DII Championship. The event, held at the emblematic University Gymnasium, celebrated sports competition and reaffirmed UACJ’s commitment to comprehensive education and high-performance sports.
A National Elite Stage
The ABE League, recognized as the most prestigious university circuit in Mexico, currently integrates 113 teams from public and private institutions. This edition sees UACJ join a list of 12 sporting powerhouses, who paraded across the Juárez court in a ceremony featuring video mapping technology and a strong sense of institutional belonging.
During the protocol, Emilio Álvarez Frangié, general director of the ABE League, highlighted the relevance of this growth:
“The ABE League had a dream 13 years ago, with many of the institutions that are present here today, and that represent the search for the unification of basketball, and to do a lot for student-athletes. Because the ABE League, like the institutions present today and those that fell by the wayside, have as a reference that sport is a fundamental engine for the professional training of each of the student-athletes who participate.”
UACJ’s Commitment and a Minute of Eternity
The highlight of the night came with the message from Dr. Daniel Alberto Constandse Cortez, rector of UACJ, who, in addition to declaring the championship officially open, emphasized the social impact of hosting an event of this magnitude for the first time in the city.
“It is a very important sporting event for the University, because sport is discipline, it is effort; all of you are pursuing a career, building a life project. However, you are also in a very important discipline such as basketball.”
In a gesture that moved those present, the rector requested a minute of applause in memory of coach Ángel Alfredo González Chávez “Pompis González” (1957-2025), a pivotal figure in university basketball whose legacy hovered over the court throughout the day.
The event was attended by Dr. Daniel Alberto Constandse Cortez, rector of UACJ; Dr. Salvador David Nava Martínez, general secretary; Maestro Hugo Ricardo Durán González, president of the National Student Sports Commission of Private Institutions (CONADEIP); Emilio Álvarez Frangié, general director of the ABE League; Dr. Fausto Enrique Aguirre Escárcega, director of the Institute of Architecture, Design and Art (IADA); Maestro Gabriel Medrano Donlucas, head of the Department of Health Sciences, representing Maestro Tania Dolores Hernández García, director of the Institute of Biomedical Sciences (ICB); Dr. Alberto Urrutia de la Garza, head of the Department of Administrative Sciences, representing Dr. Jesús Meza Vega, director of the Institute of Social Sciences and Administration (ICSA); Dr. Erwin Adán Martínez Gómez, Director of the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IIT) and Dr. René Ramos Tamez, director of Sports.
Towards the National Championship
With the confirmed participation of 12 women’s teams, the tournament promises a high level of technical impact. The competition seeks to project UACJ as a benchmark of discipline and perseverance at the national level.
The event concluded with the official photograph of the delegations, marking the beginning of a season where the University Gymnasium will be the epicenter of young Mexican talent.
Qualified Teams for the Student Basketball Association (ABE)
- Autonomous University of Ciudad Juárez (UACJ)
- Anáhuac México Sur University
- Autonomous University of Coahuila (UAdeC)
- Anáhuac Querétaro University
- Anáhuac Puebla University
- National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM)
- Technological Institute of Higher Studies of the West (ITESO)
- University of Monterrey (UDEM)
- La Salle Bajío University
- University of the Valley of Mexico Lomas Verdes Campus (UVM LV)
- Madero University (UMAD)
- Technological Institute and Higher Studies of Monterrey (ITESM) Chihuahua Campus
Source: https://comunica.uacj.mx/19-03-2026/93990
