So what happened to March? A month that flew by in record time saw a lot of great things happen for UCO's winter sports teams.
You have to start with men's basketball, which won a school-record 30 games and advanced to the Sweet 16 before losing a tough game in the finals of the South Central Regional. Coach Terry Evans did a masterful job with this team, which won a fourth straight LSC North Division title and then the LSC Tournament crown in finishing 30-4.
It's a shame the Bronchos fell a game short of making it to the Elite Eight, but what a ride they had. And what a performance by UCO and the City of Edmond in putting on the South Central Regional! Attendance was great -- capped by an overflow crowd for the finals -- and everybody who participated in the tournament had nothing but positive things to say about their experience.
And the Bronchos should be really, really good again next year. Dauntae Williams ended a masterful two-year career as the Division II Player of the Year by one organization, a well-deserved honor for one of UCO's best-ever players, but all the other main pieces from this year's club should return in 2011-12.
What can you say about the job Guy Hardaker did with the women's basketball team? An injury-racked squad that back in November figured to struggle to a winning record put together a stirring late-season run that resulted in runner-up finishes in the LSC North Division, the LSC Tournament and the South Central Regional.
UCO fought tough and nail in the regional finals before finally succumbing to Northwest Missouri and finished 22-10 in advancing to the Sweet 16 for the second time in three years.
Ashley Beckley was the lone senior for the Bronchos and all she did was put together perhaps the finest all-around season in school history to cement her spot among the best to ever put on a UCO uniform. Everybody else will be back next year -- along with a host of players who sat out with injury -- and the future indeed looks bright.
UCO didn't have quite the showing it envisioned for wrestling, with the Bronchos coming in 13th in the Division II national tounament. Freshman Cory Dauphin and sophomores Trison Graham and Kelly Henderson earned All-America honors, but Coach David James and crew figured to do more damage on the national stage with eight qualifiers.
The good thing is, all eight of those qualifiers return next year as the Bronchos didn't have one single senior in the starting lineup. There were many positives on the mat, from a 15-4 dual record to the fact that seven individuals won 29-plus matches, so things are definitely headed up.
I promise you that a 13th-place national finish is not up to the standards of UCO's powerhouse wrestling program -- which counts 15 national championships among its many highights -- and look for that to be corrected in 2011-12.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Post-season Time!
March has brought much madness to UCO as our three winter sports teams are involved in the post-season. It's an exciting time in Broncho Land right now.
Start with the men's basketball team, which is 28-3 -- that's 28 wins, 3 losses folks! -- and hosting a regional tournament this weekend at Hamilton Field House. It's only the second time UCO has ever hosted an NCAA Division II regional and the first one came way back in 1993.
Now up to No. 4 in the national rankings, the Bronchos are the top seed for this weekend's eight-team regional and is the definite favorite to win the title. UCO just doesn't look at home or not very often away. Only twice in the last 53 games has Terry Evans' teams tasted defeat at Hamilton Field House. That's quite a stat and hopefully the 23-game home winning streak gets stretched to 26 by next Tuesday.
First-round action starts Sunday, semifinals are Sunday and the championship game is Tuesday. Make your way out to Hamilton Field House and support the Bronchos in their quest for the regional championship.
But if you must leave town, take a trip to Tahlequah and support the UCO women's squad that will be playing in the regional at Northeastern State. The Bronchos open Friday and are underdogs to first-round foe Washburn, but I wouldn't consider a win to be an upset.
I think Guy Hardaker has done a remarkable job with this team. Only one senior (stud Ashley Beckley), four freshmen and a full team of injured players on the bench whose presence would have undoubtedly made this team REALLY special!
The Bronchos are 20-9, which is remarkable considering all the that has transpired the last few months. With the way UCO played in last week's LSC Tournament I wouldn't be surprised to see this team pull off a surprise or two or three in Tahlequah.
And last, by certainly not least, we have the wrestling team that is in Kearney, Neb. this weekend for the Division II national tournament. The No. 8-ranked Bronchos qualified eight individuals -- tied for the second-most -- and is looking for a higher-than-expected finish.
Talk about young teams . . . the Bronchos are just that. No seniors among the qualifiers and just one junior. Two freshmen and five sophomores make up the rest of the national tournament team.
Who knows what's in store for UCO in Kearney, but history is definitely with the Bronchos. Two previous national tournaments held here -- in 1995 and 2007 -- resulted in national championships for David James' boys. Again, the odds may be against UCO on the mat, but I would never count out those in blue singlets this weekend.
Good luck to all three teams for what could be truely a memorable weekend.
Start with the men's basketball team, which is 28-3 -- that's 28 wins, 3 losses folks! -- and hosting a regional tournament this weekend at Hamilton Field House. It's only the second time UCO has ever hosted an NCAA Division II regional and the first one came way back in 1993.
Now up to No. 4 in the national rankings, the Bronchos are the top seed for this weekend's eight-team regional and is the definite favorite to win the title. UCO just doesn't look at home or not very often away. Only twice in the last 53 games has Terry Evans' teams tasted defeat at Hamilton Field House. That's quite a stat and hopefully the 23-game home winning streak gets stretched to 26 by next Tuesday.
First-round action starts Sunday, semifinals are Sunday and the championship game is Tuesday. Make your way out to Hamilton Field House and support the Bronchos in their quest for the regional championship.
But if you must leave town, take a trip to Tahlequah and support the UCO women's squad that will be playing in the regional at Northeastern State. The Bronchos open Friday and are underdogs to first-round foe Washburn, but I wouldn't consider a win to be an upset.
I think Guy Hardaker has done a remarkable job with this team. Only one senior (stud Ashley Beckley), four freshmen and a full team of injured players on the bench whose presence would have undoubtedly made this team REALLY special!
The Bronchos are 20-9, which is remarkable considering all the that has transpired the last few months. With the way UCO played in last week's LSC Tournament I wouldn't be surprised to see this team pull off a surprise or two or three in Tahlequah.
And last, by certainly not least, we have the wrestling team that is in Kearney, Neb. this weekend for the Division II national tournament. The No. 8-ranked Bronchos qualified eight individuals -- tied for the second-most -- and is looking for a higher-than-expected finish.
Talk about young teams . . . the Bronchos are just that. No seniors among the qualifiers and just one junior. Two freshmen and five sophomores make up the rest of the national tournament team.
Who knows what's in store for UCO in Kearney, but history is definitely with the Bronchos. Two previous national tournaments held here -- in 1995 and 2007 -- resulted in national championships for David James' boys. Again, the odds may be against UCO on the mat, but I would never count out those in blue singlets this weekend.
Good luck to all three teams for what could be truely a memorable weekend.
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