Congratulations. Any freshman reading this now has the equivalent of season tickets to all the sporting events they can handle, granted they have paid the $44 activity fee. It’s not a bad deal, especially for ramen-eating college students. Ten different sports and 14 teams will welcome anyone with a student ID to watch them play their game or match.
Freshman orientation is all about becoming acclimated to The U of M. It’s the place many freshmen will spend the next four years, or seven if professional student is their career of choice.
Let the orientation of Tiger athletics begin.
•Football
Head coach: Tommy West
Regular season record: 8-4
Fall season start: Sept. 5
It’s a good time to be a fan of the gridiron Tigers. Coming off two straight bowls, the first more successful than the last (Memphis lost to Bowling Green 52-35 in the GMAC Bowl last December), the Tigers are set to begin the 2005-06 campaign against rival Ole Miss on Labor Day. The game is on ESPN, one of three U of M games on either ESPN or ESPN2. Five other games are set to appear on College Sports Television (CSTV). Memphis also renews its intrastate rivalry with the Volunteers of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville on Nov. 12. The team should be exciting to watch as they’ll run a wide-open offense. However, the quarterback is yet to be determined. Most eyes will be on DeAngelo Williams as he races for the Heisman Trophy as the first legitimate candidate in the school’s history. Memphis opponents won’t be familar to fans this year as Tulsa, UTEP, Central Florida and Marshall have joined Conference-USA and will play Memphis in 2005. SMU and Rice are also newcomers but won’t go up against Memphis in 2005-06.
•Men’s Basketball
Head coach: John Calipari
Regular season record: 22-16
Fall season start: Early November
Last season’s tournaments did not end well for the Tigers. A heartbreaking one-point loss to Louisville on two missed free throws by freshman Darius Washington prevented an NCAA berth. In the National Invitation Tournament, Memphis was bounced out by Saint Joseph’s in the semifinals 70-58. The Tigers lose leaders and seniors Anthony Rice, Duane Irwin and Arthur Barclay but gain freshmen Antonio Anderson, Kareem Cooper, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Robert Dozier and Shawne Williams. Sophomore Andre Allen will also play for the Tigers. The team also welcomes assistant coach John Robic to replace two-year assistant Ed Schilling who decided to pursue other opportunities.
•Women’s Basketball
Head coach: Blair Savage
Regular season record: 18-16
Fall season start: Early November
The Lady Tigers reached the quarterfinals of the C-USA tournament last year but ran into 12th ranked DePaul and lost 78-55. Memphis loses Victoria Crawford, Jennifer Sullivan, Raven Rogers and Kaneshi Hart to expiring eligibility. The only starter left from last season is guard Tamika Butler. Freshmen who will join the Lady Tigers include Ashley Howard, Sherika Montgomery, Paris Leonard and Birdie Campbell. Reproducing a better-than-.500 record isn’t going to be easy for Savage.
•Men’s Soccer
Head coach: Richie Grant
Regular season record: 14-3-1
Fall season start: Aug. 20
The other kind of football team had arguably a more successful season than the American football team. Coming off their best season in school history, the Tigers are ranked the 10th most improved team in the nation. Memphis won both the regular season and tournament titles and earned a berth in the NCAA tournament. They were beaten in the first round by Ohio St. 1-0. The Tigers lost star senior Daniel Dobson who was drafted by the Kansas City Wizards of Major League Soccer. Two returning starters who may take a leadership role are Andy Metcalf and Dayton O’Brien. Metcalf led the team in goals scored (12) and O’Brien was the team’s leading assist man (14). The Tigers will also need someone to step up at goalkeeper to fill the void left by Sebastian Vecchio, C-USA Defender of the Year.
•Women’s Soccer
Head coach: Brooks Monaghan
Regular season record: 11-7
Fall season start: Aug. 19
The women’s soccer team also enjoyed one of the best seasons in school history. Tying the school record with 11 wins, the team finished the 2004-2005 season at 11-7. They exited the C-USA tournament early when they fell to UAB in the first round. However, a strong spring and a nationally ranked recruiting class could make first-round exits a thing of the past. Soccerbuzz.com ranked Monaghan’s 2005-2006 class 27th in the country. Shoko Mikami put on a spectacular performance in the spring scoring nine goals in eight games. Mikami netted a hat trick against the Japanese All Stars in February. The Lady Tigers finished the spring with a 5-1-3 mark. Although C-USA regular season champion St. Louis has moved on in the conference realignment, Rice and SMU — which both have very good soccer teams — join the conference. This most recent recruiting class is deep and talented. Freshmen to join the Lady Tigers include Arkansas Player of the Year Caroline Allen; Aika Young, a member of the Guam national team; and Chloe James, a high school All-American.
•Men’s Tennis
Head coach: Paul Goebel
Regular season record: 12-10
Fall season start: Middle of September
With the loss of Alex Bucewicz, seniors James Spence and Alex Jago will have to play solid at the first and second position on the team. Spence is a good fit. He was awarded third-team all conference honors last season. Going into the C-USA tournament last year the fourth-seeded Tigers looked to make a run, but their chances were crushed by sixth-seeded South Florida 4-1. So far, this off-season Goebel has recruited Matt Brewer who was ranked fourth in the Southern Sectional. He’s only been playing in that zone for four months. Compared to last year, this year could be somewhat of a rebuilding year as the team loses five seniors. However, the possible return of Sam Withell with a healthy back will help the cause.
•Women’s Tennis
Head coach: Charlotte Peterson
Regular season record: 4-12
Fall season start: Mid to late September
On the women’s side of the tennis court, the Lady Tigers will also have to cope with the loss of their best player Marlene Dirnstorfer. Returnees Andrea Feichtinger, Brooke Cowie, Kristen Noble, Christina Wieser and Alex Tjioe will all likely move up one spot, meaning tougher competition. Newcomers Flavia Russo, Ekin Zafir and Katerina Kuznetsova will provide depth to a team that had only six players healthy late last year.
•Men’s Golf
Head coach: Grant Robbins
Event wins: 3
Fall season start: Sept. 11
Momentum going into the fall season is high and if they can keep it going, they may have as good a start as they did last year. Winning their first three tournaments of the year, Memphis seemed primed for one of its best seasons yet led by freshman phenom Keven Fortin-Simard. However, The U of M never won another and finished seventh in the C-USA Championship tournament. Team leader Allan Thomas is no longer on the team, but there are plenty to take over the role. Almost any non-freshman can step up at any tournament to carry the Tigers. Last year’s stand-out freshman was Fortin-Simard and this year’s break-out freshman could be Josh Ray. Ray qualified for the U.S. Amateur in the Lubbock, Texas division as one of the youngest to compete.
•Women’s Golf
Head coach: Jenny Bruun
Event wins: 0 (Highest finish — 3rd)
Fall season start: Late September
The Lady Tigers couldn’t put together a championship win but came close a few times. The team’s leader on the course is Junior Stacey Tate. Tate came along strong at the end of the fall season last year with second, third and fifth place finishes in the last four tournaments. The spring season was abysmal for the Lady Tigers. Out of four tournaments, the team finished 15th twice and 16th once out of 18 teams.
However, in the Southern Mississippi Invitational, Memphis finished in sixth place. The Lady Tigers placed seventh in the C-USA Championship tournament.
•Volleyball
Head coach: Carrie Yerty
Regular season record: 25-9
Fall season start: Aug. 26
Success is nothing new to The U of M volleyball team. A 29-win season is great, but the team is struggling to find that elusive NCAA tournament berth. Last year the Tigers went 30-6 and also missed the NCAA tournament. They were only the second volleyball team in C-USA history to reach the 30-win plateau. The team has lost two players who have played key roles in the success of the team the past two years. Tiara Gilkey and Heather Watts are gone and senior Fehi Tuivai and sophomore Ashley Liford will have to pick up the slack. The Tigers play in the Elma Roane Fieldhouse, which lets any fan get as close to the action as they can get without a jersey on.
•Rifle
Head coach: Butch Woolbright
Event wins: 0 (Highest finish — 2nd four times)
Fall season start: Late September
This is a sport that allows both genders to compete on the same team, and two women carry this team, Beth Tidmore and Katie Benjamin. Tidmore won the national championship in the air rifle category as well as being named a first-team All-American. Benjamin was a second-team selection.
•Track and Field
Head coach: Glenn Hays
Fall season start: Early December
Five athletes went to the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships in May without great success and the team is losing its best triple-jumpers, Lisa-Marie Hyman and Janon Busby. Both were among the five that made it to the Mideast Regional. Gary Nemeth and Daniel Kiss will also be lost to expiring eligibility. Returnees who made it to the Mideast Regional include Chen Edri, Norbert Gulyas and Brandon Winbush.
•Softball
Head coach: Windy Thees
Fall season start: Oct. 8
The UT Fall Softball Tournament in early October will be the first softball pitch thrown by Memphis. Their regular season doesn’t start until Feb. 11 and the first home pitch will be thrown Feb. 18.
•Baseball
Head coach: Daron Schoenrock
Regular season record: 13-42
Season starts in spring
The first season for new head coach Daron Schoenrock was full of growing pains. The offense and pitching couldn’t find many days to work together. The low-point of the season came against ECU’s Ricky Brooks who threw the C-USA’s first nine-inning no hitter in history. Brooks had 14 strikeouts and faced only one batter over the minimum. Much more will be known about the team after the fall instructional league.
