Gene's Blog: Road was hard, but the reward is sweet

May 18, 2010

Despite so many unusual challenges with facilities, the Tommies’ 2009-2010 sports year has been a smashing success.

In MIAC competition, St. Thomas won nine regular-season and four playoff crowns. Men’s swimming and diving led the parade as it won the program’s first conference championship since 1954.

Repeat MIAC team champions in purple were volleyball, men’s basketball, baseball as well as both men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field.

Two especially unique team streaks continued –- UST’s indoor men’s track made it 26-for-26 in all-time MIAC titles, while Tommie softball made it 7-for-7 in softball playoff crowns with an amazing 21-0 all-time record.

Along with the nine championships, St. Thomas also had conference runner-up places in football, men’s golf and women’s soccer.

That balance helped it sweep the conference all-sport championships for men and women for the third year in a row.

The men’s 25-point victory over runner-up Gustavus nearly produced a record margin. In 1990-91, St. Thomas’ men built a 26.5-point winning cushion. The Gustie women had an impressive 2009-2010 year with five championships and three runner-up places, but the Tommies were able to outscore them 109.5-100.5.

St. Thomas had top-four MIAC regular-season finishes in 21 of 22 sports. The lone sport not in the top four, women’s basketball, took fifth out of 12 teams, but later won three road games in five days to capture the conference playoff title and qualify for the NCAA playoffs.

For the second year in a row, UST qualified for conference playoffs in all 11 sports that have a postseason format. Four Tommie teams -– women’s basketball, men’s hockey, baseball and softball -- won playoff championships.

Of the five MIAC men’s sports with playoff formats, four top seeds lost in the playoffs. Tommie baseball was the only men’s program to win both the conference regular-season and playoff titles, but it needed four elimination-game wins last weekend to pull that off.

Tommie baseball became just the third MIAC program to reach 30 all-time regular-season championships. Baseball joins Gustavus men’s tennis (39th) and St. John’s football (31).

Nine other MIAC programs have won 23 or more all-time championships -- Tommie men’s outdoor track (29); Tommie men’s hockey (27); St. Olaf men’s swimming (27); Tommie women’s outdoor track (26); Tommie men’s basketball (25); Gustavus women’s tennis (25); Gustavus men’s golf (25); Tommie men’s cross country (24); and Tommie women’s indoor track (23).

Directors' Cup boost

Tommie teams qualified for NCAA championships in nine of a possible 16 sports -- volleyball, men’s cross country, women’s soccer, football, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s hockey, softball and baseball. (Women’s cross country missed qualifying by one point with a tie at the regional. )

The Tommies are looking to post another top-15 finish in the Division III Directors Cup scoring, thanks in part to top-10 national finishes in football (tie fifth), plus volleyball, softball and men’s hockey (all tied for ninth), with baseball yet to be determined.

UST also will collect Cup points in women’s soccer, men’s cross country, men’s and women’s basketball, plus swimming and track and field for men and women.

Three Tommie men's teams enjoyed unusual national exposure -- football, baseball and men’s basketball were ranked in the top five in Division III.

Road-sweet-road

It’s fitting that the Tommies’ four MIAC playoff championship were secured not on campus or even in the Twin Cities, but outstate in St. Joseph, St. Peter, Mankato and Dundas.

The Tommies’ 2009-2010 team success has been especially impressive considering the obstacles many teams had to overcome. Due to construction of new on-campus athletic facilities, St. Thomas came into this school year without a home volleyball/basketball arena or indoor field house. It lost its swimming pool and weight room in December. Coaches’ offices were consolidated and spread out, and teams often trained in split shifts or at all hours of the day.

Volleyball, basketball and tennis teams competed off campus all school year. Even the home Tommie-Johnnie basketball game left campus for the first time in 56 seasons.

The swimming teams had one home meet and used three different pools to train during their season. Baseball and softball had to travel off campus to practice for seven weeks leading up to spring break.

Yet those teams still found a way. Volleyball shared the MIAC title, was NCAA region runner-up and finished 26-8. Men’s basketball won its fifth conference title in a row and finished 23-4. Women’s basketball peaked late, made the NCAA playoffs and won 20 games. Men’s swimming won an historic championship, and the women took third. The men’s and women’s tennis teams each won 11 matches and had top-four MIAC finishes. Baseball and softball each swept the conference regular-season and playoff titles, and softball hit 40 wins as was region runner-up. Track and field repeated as indoor and outdoor champions.

It's tempting to look ahead 90 days to the August opening of the Anderson Athletics and Recreation Center. But Tommie fans should pause and appreciate the accomplishments of their student-athletes and coaches over the last nine months.

The challenges made the championships that much sweeter.