BYU Athletics: Cougar sports year in reveiw
By Shaun Gordon
With the 2017-18 season done for BYU athletics, let’s take a sport-by-sport look back at the up-and-down Cougar sports season.
The college sports season is over. We’re now in that dreary period that consists of baseball, baseball, and more baseball. Fortunately the World Cup adds a little excitement this summer.
During these down days, it’s a good time to look back on the 2017-18 college sports season for BYU.
Overall, the Cougars ended up as the No. 45 athletic program in the country based on the Learfield Director’s Cup. That’s slightly worse than where they usually land.
But it still leaves them in the top 20% of all Division 1 programs. That’s not too shabby.
Here’s the ups and the downs of Cougars sports this season.
Fall Sports
Football
Let’s get the most painful one out of the way.
BYU came into the season with 10-win expectations, but the wheels fell off quickly. Between an anemic offense, a rash of injuries, and a quarterback carousel, the Cougars never could establish any continuity.
Instead of 10 wins, BYU finished the season with just 4, and suffered a handful of embarrassing losses (Utah State, East Carolina, UMass) that made the sub-.500 season that much worse.
Cross Country
Both the Men’s and Women’s Cross Country teams enjoyed dominant seasons, particularly the men.
The men’s team won every regular-season meet, and entered the NCAA Championship as the No. 2 team in the nation. They took 3rd in that race, behind No. 1 Northern Arizona and conference rival Portland.
The women won one of their meets, and finished in the Top 3 in four others. They entered the NCAA Championship ranked No. 14, and finished the race at No. 11.
Women’s Soccer
Much like football, Women’s Soccer entered the season with high expectations, and finished with their worst season in more than a decade.
The Cougars were a preseason Top 25 team, but struggled to score consistently. They went 7-8-4, their first losing record since 2004, and snapped their conference title and postseason play streaks.
Women’s Volleyball
While Women’s Soccer struggled, Women’s Volleyball excelled. They went 28-2 during the regular season, but with a low RPI they landed the No. 13 overall seed.
The Cougars swept their way through the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, including a win over No. 24 Oregon, to advance to their sixth straight Sweet Sixteen. Their match against No. 4 Kentucky was a nail biter, but the Cougars fell to the Wildcats in five sets.