The Year In Review

April 27, 2009

With a likely sixth place finish in softball, our Sun Belt Conference athletic year is almost over. Of the 16 sports that we compete in there was not a single first. Most of our finishes, however, were middle of the pack or better. Here's how we finished:

Second

Women's Soccer

Women's Outdoor Track

Third

Men's Golf

Women's Swimming & Diving

Men's Cross Country (Tie)

Fourth

Women's Cross Country

Men's Outdoor Track

Men's Basketball

Women's Tennis

Fifth

Men's Indoor Track

Women's Indoor Track

Sixth

Softball

Seventh

Women's Golf

Eighth

Football

Eleventh

Women's Basketball

Twelfth

Women's Volleyball

Of the last four, two are from first year coaches. The women's golf coach formenly coached at Stanford and should turn that program around. Women's basketball coach Shanice Stephens has recruited well but IMO should have done more with the talent that she inherited.

Second year football coach Todd Dodge has been cussed and discussed ad infinitum. He simply has to make a significant turnaroud this coming season or risk being fired. Maybe I'm overly optimistic but I somehow believe that he will.

I don't understand how or why villeyball has stooped that low. Cassie Headrick has been around for eight years with a couple of 20 win seasons but also some mediocre ones. This past season was far less than mediocre. The only thing that saved her from the cellar was a terrible ULM team.

Athletics, in general, are showing improvement at North Texas. I believe that's mostly because of the improved pedigrees of the new coaches. Tennis has already made a great turnaround as has men's golf and I believe that women's golf and basketball will soon follow. The track and field programs have several NCAA qualifiers. Women's swimming and diving has progressed to the third best team in the league under Joe Dykstra. Even softball's accomplishment of moving up to sixth place in a tough conference is enlightening.

Coaches Hedlund, Jones and to some extent, Headrick, have already had great improvement in their programs. Now if we can just get football and women's basketball included....

Edited April 27, 2009 by GrayEagleOne

GrandGreen · April 27, 2009

Outdoor track season is not over and both teams should do well. However, I am not sure they have the depth to win. I guess it has to do with the limited scholarships but there just seems to be too many events that they have no presence in. The very bad showing in the distance events has greatly hindered them the last two years. Volleyball was a mystery last year. Softball has a chance to break even this year, but the lost of their best player to injury has slowed down their progress. Their total destruction by ULL this weekend shows how far they still have to go. Great strides made by swimming and tennis under new coaches. Both golf teams have first year coaches this year and I hope that bodes well for the future.

In the last three years there are new head coaches in w. golf, m. golf, softball, w. basketball, football, tennis, and swimming. Swimming and tennis have certainly substantially improved. Softball seems to be slowly improving. Men's golf finished well with a 3th place Belt finish for a first year coach who inherited a team that was 8th last year and 5th the year before. First year coaches in w basketball and w golf had rough first years. No need to comment on the football situation.

Among the experienced coaches, the soccer program continues to excel and the men's basketball team has three straight 20 wins seasons and should be ready for a couple of big years. The track teams generally continue to be in the top third of the conference but in my opinion should have better records. The only sport other than football were the head coach may be in trouble if anyone cares enough, is volleyball. Headrick had a winning record in 2007 but has losing records in three of the last four years with a diaster at 6-22 last year. I don't know what the story was, but NT did not have any players but freshmen from the 2007 team return to play last year.

KRAM1 · April 27, 2009

If only UNT had Men's soccer...then we'd have a 1st place team for sure. I guess the women's soccer team will have to carry the water for now. Leave it to soccer to uphold the hinor of UNT's athletic program!

bstnsportsfan3 · April 27, 2009

If only UNT had Men's soccer...then we'd have a 1st place team for sure. I guess the women's soccer team will have to carry the water for now. Leave it to soccer to uphold the hinor of UNT's athletic program!

says the man who wore a UNT baseball shirt to the GMG bowl!

KRAM1 · April 27, 2009

says the man who wore a UNT baseball shirt to the GMG bowl!

I was wondering how long it would take someone to pick up on that and mention same! I thought it was pretty funny, but guess not that many people at the game picked up on it. hey, I tried! :clapping: