Well, we’re here at the end of another academic year. A lot has happened, from NCAA tournaments, national recognition, the first male dancer the UP athletics department has a lot to remember.
Here’s my breakdown of some of the biggest moments from this year.
Cross Country
The men’s and women’s cross country teams competed in and finished third overall at the WCC championships in the fall.
Men’s Soccer
The men’s soccer team made it to the quarterfinals of the NCAA National tournament. They also finished their season undefeated at home as well as bringing home the highest win total since 1995. In addition to the most wins, they scored the most goals for UP since that 1995 year. They ended the season with a record of 15-3-3.
Men’s Basketball
The men’s basketball team made it to the second round of the WCC tournament before falling to BYU. This year they finished their season 14-19 overall with a winning home record of 10-7. They also took on some of the best teams during the Phil Knight Invitational, beating Villanova and competing against UNC and Michigan (both nationally ranked teams).
Women’s Basketball
The women’s basketball team finished their best season in 26 years, they won the WCC tournament for the second time in four years (third overall) and were finally able to compete in the NCAA tournament after being unable to compete in 2020 due to COVID-19. They made it to the first round of the playoffs before falling to no. 5 Oklahoma. This was their sixth time qualifying for the tournament.
Some quick stats:
They finished the season 23-9 overall, making it their best record since the 1996-97 season. Their 15 conference wins is the most in program history.
They finished second in the WCC, their highest regular season finish in the conference since the 1996-97 season.
Alex Fowler had a record-breaking season. She became the all-time leading DI scorer for the pilots with 2,132 points. (She is one of only two Pilots to reach 2,000 career points.) This makes her the fourth all-time in the WCC in career points.
Fowler also became the all-time leading rebounder at the DI level with 882 rebounds.
Fowler was the only player in the nation to average at least 17.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, three assists and 1.5 steals from the court.
Rowing
The rowing team saw the construction of their new boathouse on the Willamette river. The team has also consistently finished in the top three for the majority of their races this spring.
They will compete in the WCC Championships in May.
Women’s Soccer
From the start the women’s soccer team was set to have a great season. They started off unbeaten in their first seven games, making it the best start to the season since 2010 (that season started 10-0). On top of that, they had six shutouts in their first seven games. They made it to the NCAA playoffs and netted their first win since 2013 against Arizona State.
In the second round they took on No. 1 seed Alabama where they fell 1-2, but finished their best season since 2013. Overall, they tallied 12-5-4 with an at home record of 9-0-03.
Club Teams
UPRoar Ultimate Frisbee
For the second year in a row the ultimate frisbee team is competing in nationals. They finished their regular season play No. 1 overall in the Northwest.
UP Women’s Club Lacrosse
The club lacrosse team hosted regionals and competed for a spot in the national tournament. They beat PSU and made it to the finals against Montana State, despite a loss there they earned a spot in the national tournament.
Author’s note: A few teams are still competing in their respective conferences so I didn’t include them in the regular list.
Baseball
Currently the team sits at 21-17 overall, and they hope to compete in the WCC championships on May 25-28.
Tennis
Overall the men’s tennis team is at 11-9 and their WCC tournament is on April 27-29.
The women’s team is 10-8 and will compete at the same WCC tournament as the men’s side.
Beach Volleyball
The team is currently 5-15 and will compete in the WCC tournament on April 28-29.
Wilder Isom is the sports editor at The Beacon. She can be reached at isomw24@up.edu.
