Community Champion: Holly (Cohen) Mata to be inducted to EP Athletic HOF

One of the all-time great soccer players at UTEP will be inducted into the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame on May 8.

Holly Mata (Holly Cohen during her playing days) is UTEP’s single-season leading scorer and in 2002 was even fourth in the nation in scoring. She ranks first in UTEP history in hat tricks and second to this day in multiple goal games.

Before her time as a Miner, Mata attended Arizona State, where she ranked in the top 20 in scoring in the Pac-10 (now Pac-12) during the 1999 season.

But one of her proudest moments came as a member of the Franklin soccer team, which she helped guide to an appearance in the Final Four.

Now, all of that hard work is paying off as she will be immortalized next to other local legends.

“I was shocked for sure. Like I said, I think, you know, as an athlete, you always dream of that, dream of getting into stuff like this. So, for it to come true, it’s surreal really.”

After her soccer career, she turned to fitness and the sport of CrossFit.

And she’s had great success there while juggling being a mother of three (soon to be four).

“Making it to the CrossFit Games in 2013. I mean, it was an amazing experience,” she said. “You’re at the Home Depot Center, the soccer stadium, and there’s probably 60,000 people watching. And I’m sure everybody knows CrossFit people are crazy. So, there was crazy CrossFit fans. It was awesome.”

Mata will join the following inductees next week in a ceremony at the EPCC Administrative Services building off Viscount.

Jennifer Delgadillo – Irvin High and UTEP star golfer

Jorge Munoz – Golden Gloves national champion amateur boxer

Quincy Dow Farley – Longtime El Paso High swimming coach

Gary Pippen – Recently retired Eastwood basketball coach

Duke Keith of KLAQ Radio – Longtime play-by-play broadcaster

Bill Scott – Big 12 and Mountain West football official

Eugene “Dez” Desboine – Longtime coach at the all-black Douglass School.