The BYU Cougars 2017 Year In Review
By Adam Gibby
2017 was filled with ups and downs for the BYU Cougars. It included historic highs and lows and just about everything in between. Here is a complete overview of the good the bad and the ugly for 2017.
Forgettable. That is the word that probably would best sum up this year for the BYU Cougars. With the worst football season in over a generation and an embarrassing loss in the first round of the NIT, it can be easy to write off this year. However there were some highlights as well.
The good
1. Men’s Volleyball plays in the National Championship
After a rough start, the men’s volleyball team finished the season on a 23-1 run. 22 of their wins on the season came against top 15 teams. Their average margin of victory was 3-0.5, the highest margin in the nation.
2. BYU basketball sweeps the state
The 2017 basketball season has seen the Cougars go 5-0 against schools in Utah (Utah, UVU, Utah State, Weber State and Westminister). The Cougars avenged their loss to UVU, showed heart and determination against Utah State and Weber State and finally brought back the feeling of victory to Provo by beating Utah for the first time in either basketball or football since 2012. The average margin of victory for the Cougars in the in-state games was 13.6 points.
3. BYU takes down No. 1 Gonzaga on the road
The Cougars went into the “Kennel” for the third straight year and beat the Gonzaga Bulldogs. This time however it was against the undefeated No. 1 ranked team in the nation. Starting the game being down 18-4 the Cougars rallied back in the second half and took the lead. The game was sealed when Corbin Kaufusi had a put back lay-in with 19 seconds to go to put the Cougars up by four.
4. Men’s Cross Country takes third place at Nationals
Coming into the season, the Cougars were not considered a national contender for cross country. That all changed however when the Cougars beat powerhouse Oregon at the Dellinger Classic in Portland, Oregon. They continued their dominance by sweeping (going 1st-5th) in the WCC Championships. The Cougars ended their season by taking 3rd place nationally, the highest finish ever in Men’s Cross Country.
Honorable Mention: BYU Gymnastics finishes 5th place at Nationals, BYU Softball goes 46-13, Mo Langi carrying the flag out against Portland State, Women’s Volleyball goes 30-3 and makes it to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament.