Adam Croft
acroft2@uwyo.edu
Over the last year Wyoming sports teams have incited varying degrees of excitement, disappointment and indifference from their fans. Throughout all of this, some instances and athletes stood out more then others. Below are the top-five moments from Wyoming sports during the past academic year:
1. Wyoming beats no.5 San Diego State
On February 11, the Wyoming men’s basketball team earned a momentous upset over the then fifth-ranked San Diego State, ending the Aztecs 20-game winning streak in front of a crazed home crowd. After the victory, Wyoming basketball was on the front page of espn.com, trending on Twitter and held the top play on Sports Center’s Top 10. Rumor has it the noise coming from the Arena Auditorium was audible from the Business Building. This was undeniably the greatest Wyoming sports moment from the past year.
2. Brett Smith declares for the NFL Draft
Regardless of whether you love or hate the fact that Brett Smith elected to leave UW for greener pastures, the quarterback did a lot for Wyoming football during his time in Laramie. Smith leaves Wyoming as the school’s all-time leader in total yards with 10,209, and made the Pokes a viable contender within the Mountain West. All Wyoming fans should be excited by the prospect of seeing him suited up on Sundays.
3. Cowgirl Volleyball Wins Seven Straight to Finish Season
In late November, Wyoming volleyball closed out their season short of an NCAA tournament berth, one of the team’s regular goals, but with a long list of reasons to look forward to next season. Under first-year head coach Chad Callihan, the Cowgirls rallied to win their final seven games of the season, proving the program is headed in the right direction.
4. Mason Finley Dominates Discus
Senior thrower Mason Finley put the Wyoming track team in the national spotlight this year, earning six (and counting) Mountain West Track and Field Male Athlete of the Week awards. His mark of 202-3 in the discus is currently sixth in the NCAA and second in Wyoming school history. The same mark also puts Finley at 30th in the world in the event. With a talent like Finley, there is a good chance he will continue to garner headlines after his time as a Cowboy is up.
5. Stroh Starts Wyoming Career Strong
Freshman wrestler Benjamin Stroh was a force to be reckoned with for the entirety of his first collegiate season. The Harlem, Mont. native went 28-8 on the season and earned five wins over nationally ranked opponents. Stroh’s efforts were enough to earn the Western Wrestling Conference’s Freshman of the Year Award. If Stroh’s freshman campaign is any indicator, he will be a bright spot for Wyoming wrestling for years to come.
