The first semester is almost over and athletics on the Hilltop are ending as well. Using the highly sophisticated Bellaver Sports Grading Average SMU athletics have earned a 3.6 BSGA out of a possible five. Here’s are how the Mustangs squads have faired.
Men’s Football – D+
Went 3-9 with wins coming against sub-par teams. Bright spots included rushing attack, two-game win streak at end of season and late season offensive outburst. Looking ahead to the 2003 season is a must.
Men’s Golf – B
Picked up positive momentum with two first place finishes in last three events. Ended the fall season with first-place finish. The upperclassman led the way with the ‘Stang rookies holding their own.
Women’s Soccer – A-
Silenced all of the critics with yet another bid to the national tournament. The ladies brought another WAC title to the Hilltop. A hard-fought battle against Texas A&M in the second round of the NCAA tournament earns them the respect they deserve.
Women’s Golf – C
Squad full of veteran players couldn’t break the top five in any of the events this fall. Older players should help pick up the slack in the second half of the season. Only a few strokes away from top five finishes in any of the matches.
Men’s Soccer – A
Young squad finishes with a record of 16-3-3. Making the Sweet 16 is starting to become the norm. Seniors finish stellar careers in Mustang uniforms. Shoot-out loss was disappointment to all, but leaves plenty of room for improvement next year.
Women’s Volleyball – C-
Never really got things going in the right direction. The women managed to put together one three-match win streak during the season. Finishing with a record of 12-17 means there is work to be done in the off season.
Women’s Swimming – A
The team is filled with some of the nation’s finest. SMU has won five of the meets early in the season and shows no signs of letting up. Many of the Ponies even represent the U.S.A. in international competiton.
Men’s and Women’s Cross Country – B+/B-
The men dominated the WAC finishing in first place and moved on to finish 21 at the NCAA championships. The women finished with a one-two punch in the WAC tournament and ended up fifth overall.
Men’s Swimming – B
Have won three meets this season along with top-place finishes in two other events. The men have competed against some stiff competition and have had a number of swimmers step up and place. A relatively young team will only get better with age.
