It’s easy to consider 2009 a downer if you’re a Tiger fan and choose to grind your teeth over an NCAA investigation into the men’s basketball program or a dreadful season for the football team. But if you look at the university’s athletic programs with a wider lens, there’s plenty to be grateful for as you carve this year’s turkey.
- Ashley Berra
• Brooks Monaghan. The women’s soccer coach is building the kind of resume that will capture national attention . . . if it can just catch enough local eyes first. In Monaghan’s 10th season at the helm, the Tigers won their third straight Conference USA championship and reached the NCAA tournament a third consecutive year. And next season may be the year the U of M finally advances in soccer’s version of the Big Dance. Returning will be junior Ashley Berra (Conference USA’s 2009 Offensive Player of the Year), junior Kelsey Bakker (C-USA’s 2009 Defensive POY), and Vendula Strnadova (a three-time all-conference selection).
• Mike Rose Soccer Complex. On the subject of soccer, I can’t imagine a better place to watch a match than the just-the-right-size stadium off Bill Morris Parkway. It’s a shining example of what the football program needs. A stadium doesn’t necessarily have to be on campus . . . but size matters, and a lot.
