The University of Texas at Arlington, often referred to UTA, is a nationally recognized university in Arlington, Texas. With a student population of nearly 25,000, it’s the third largest university of Texas.

Bed races, ‘Rubbing Hereford’s Head’ (Dr. E.H. Hereford was UT Arlington’s president from 1946 to 1958 and rubbing his sculpture’s head will give you good luck on exams) and ‘Soaping the Fountain’ (the kind of soap abuse that inevitably ends up with the fountain having to be drained and cleaned, you get the picture) are among the most notorious traditions on the campus. But the hottest and most popular of them all is ‘Oozeball’, a yearly fundraising tradition for the Student Alumni Association Sophomore Scholarship, where students play volleyball in artificial mud pits.

‘Oozeball’ was created in 1989, and our friend Tracy Nanthavongsa, editor of Treycruz.com, started photographing the event in 2007 — he’s a student there. His pictures of the 2008 edition are just in, and well, the series is definitely oozing masculine appeal and energy. Think Herndon climb and Kirkpinar Turkish oil wrestling rally combined.

Images via: Trey Cruz
Tracy Nanthavongsa photography
Tracy Nanthavongsa on MySpace