Alright class, the grades are in and I have good news for some of you. I did not grade on a curve and no one failed, but some of you didn’t make the honor roll. Have these report cards signed by your coaches and returned to me by next semester.

Football – C-

I know that having a record of 3-8 warrants a failing grade, but I will give the team the benefit of the doubt because it was the first year under coach, Marshall Sperbeck. If it were not for the many turnovers in the latter stages of games, the team would have easily won a few more games considering the defense kept them in games all season. The team did have 15 players named to the All- Big Sky Team, including three first-team selections, all of which were defensive players.

Men’s Basketball – D-

With a season record of 4-24, and a conference record of 2-14, the men’s basketball team was the bottom-dweller of the Big Sky Conference. The team lost its best player, freshman guard Vinnie McGhee after the season in which coach Jerome Jenkins got canned. Jenkins seemed to get the program on track a few seasons back when he led the team to four consecutive Big sky Conference Tournament appearances from 2002-06, but did have an overall record of 80-147 in eight seasons. I think the hiring of Brian Katz is promising for the future of the program, but I do not expect the results to come in the near future. Give it a couple of seasons to see the development set in.

Women’s Basketball – D

It was another sour year for ladies’ basketball. After going 3-27 in the 2006-07 season, the Hornets followed it up with a record of 6-22. It was an improvement of three wins, but still not even close to contending in the conference as far as a record is concerned. I do like their potential for next season though, they do have seniors Atty Boyer and Becca Reams coming back to lead a young team full of freshman and sophomores. I think head coach Dan Muscatell has the troops going in the right direction, maybe the ball will bounce the team’s way a couple more times next season.

Cross Country – B-

I am no expert here but I think that the cross country team held its own this season as the men’s team placed 15th in the West Regional while the women finished 30th. The two teams did have a win apiece in different meets. The men won the Hornet Invitational at Granite Regional Park and the women won the Bronco Invitational in Santa Clara. A win in this sport is not easy to accomplish, and I have to give it to the teams for contending with other big schools in D-I.

Men’s Golf – C-

After winning two tournaments last year as a team, the Hornets best finish this season was in the Bill Cullum Invitational in Simi Valley, Calif. when they finished sixth out of 15 schools. The team finished last in the season-ending Ping Cougar Classic in Provo, Utah and second to last in the Fresno State Lexus Classic. If anything the team digressed from what was a good season last year, so their grade suffers.

Women’s Golf – C-

Like the men, the women’s golf team failed to win any tournaments this season. After winning the Big Sky Championship last season it finished fifth out of nine schools, its’ best finish of the season. The team took second place in the Cal Poly Women’s Invitational in San Luis Obispo last season and finished ninth this season. The Hornets went backwards as far as performance in their arena this season and their grade is a direct reflection.

Women’s Gymnastics – B+

This team earned a solid grade from me with victories in five of its’ nine meets in the regular season. The team attempted to win its’ third consecutive Western Athletic Conference title but fell just short and finished fourth in a heated race for the championship. The Hornets finished with a score of 194.275 while Boise State won with a score of 194.925. The Hornets recorded their best team score at an NCAA Regional in school history (193.575) and finished sixth in the tournament. For a team that has been a ‘powerhouse’ in the WAC the past nine seasons, the Hornets fared well enough to get on the honor roll.

Men’s Soccer – D

Despite going 3-6-1 in its’ conference (4-13-2 overall), the Sac State soccer team had five players named to all-conference teams, with junior defender Adam Owens making the first-team. It was a poor year for the Hornets as far as a record is concerned, but they do have a solid nucleus of players coming back next year so they should get better. Unfortunately I am not giving grades based on potential. Like in the classroom, you get a “D” when you barely do any work. These Hornets may have worked hard in practice, but it did not come together on the field where it matters most.

Women’s Soccer – A

After posting a 4-0-3 conference record (12-4-5 overall), the Hornets beat Northern Colorado 3-0 in the Big Sky Conference Championship and had six players named to the All-Tournament Team. Katie McCoy was named the Tournament MVP after scoring two goals in the championship game. She set a single-season school record with 14 goals on the season. The Hornets’ season was over after they lost 7-0 to the top-seeded Stanford Cardinal in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. All in all, it was a good season ladies, keep up the solid play.

Softball – A

This season the Sac State softball team made its’ first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1995, but fell 0-2 during the first weekend of the regional. After finishing second in the Pacific Coast Softball Conference for the past three seasons, the Hornets took home first place honors this season after amassing a 14-6 conference record (32-19 overall). Seven members of the program earned All-Conference Honors, including coach Kathy Strahan who was named Coach of the Year and Jamie Schloredt was the unanimous choice for Player of the Year. The team also posted many season and individual career records. It was a very impressive season for the Hornets, whose hard work has paid off.

Baseball – B-

The Sac State baseball team made the WAC tournament for the third consecutive year since joining the conference back in 2006. Coach Smith led his troops to a 14-17 conference record (23-32 overall) which was sixth best in the WAC. I do not think the team’s overall record does not reflect how well they played in the season. Sac State played a tough non-conference that included a three-game series with No. 1 ranked Arizona as well as games against No. 12 ranked California and No. 19 ranked Stanford among others. The Hornets hit the ball well as a team batting .311 with 51 home runs and 331 RBI in 55 games. There were five players named to the All-WAC Team, including sophomore outfielder Tim Wheeler who took first-team accolades. The pitching did struggle at times for the Hornets, as the staff amassed a 6.27 earned run average and allowed an opponent batting average of .323.

Men’s Tennis – A-

The Hornets won the Big Sky Conference regular season title with an undefeated record of 8-0 (14-7 overall), but lost to Eastern Washington in the Big Sky Conference Championship, 4-3, after taking a 3-1 lead. Four members of the team earned All-Conference Honors including Anton Stryhas who was named the MVP. It was a solid season for the Hornets, earning an ‘A-‘ in my grade book for their accomplishments.

Women’s Tennis – A

The Sac State women’s tennis team continued its’ dominance in the Big Sky this season, winning its’ seventh consecutive conference title. The team has now won 52 consecutive matches over Big Sky opponents and coach Dima Hrynashka was named the conference’s coach of the year this season. Six players were named to the All-Conference team including Katrina Zheltova who won her second conference MVP award in a row. The Hornets’ season ended when they lost to No. 21 ranked Arizona State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. A good grade for a great team.

Track and Field – A

It was a great season for the Sac State Track and Field teams. Both the men’s and women’s teams won the Big Sky Conference Indoor Championships held back in early March. The women’s team won their first ever Big Sky Conference Outdoor Championships held in mid-May at the Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex, while the men’s team came in second, just six points behind Northern Arizona.

Women’s Volleyball – A

Behind the legendary Sac State volleyball coach Debbie Colberg, who retired this season after 32 years, these women won their sixth consecutive Big Sky Conference Tournament and made their tenth NCAA Tournament appearance in the past 11 years. In Colberg’s last season the Hornets had a overall season record of 29-8 but were eliminated by No. 1 ranked Stanford Cardinal in the second round of the NCAA Tournament after beating Minnesota in the first round. Colberg was named the Pacific Region Coach of the Year and was inducted into the American Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. She compiled a 828-292 career record (.739 winning percentage), 18 conference titles, 17 coach of the year awards and 30 winning seasons.

Andrew Eggers can be reached at [email protected].