By Connor Gray, Senior Reporter
Throughout my time at Northwestern, I have always thought we could be better in sports. I want us to be successful, and when I see our programs, I want us to compete. But sometimes, it’s hard to get excited when we struggle.
Fortunately, what I have seen from most of our athletic programs is that about every sport has improved from where it was four years ago.
When I got here in the fall of 2018, all I heard about was how our teams weren’t good top to bottom.
At the time, I would’ve said that assertion was right, but as I watched some of our teams play and saw how competitive we were, I saw great progress.
The volleyball team had great success under former coach Fred Aubuchon, but I believe it is even better with new head coach Jon Bingesser bringing together a solid group of women who have started the year off with a bang.
Volleyball throughout my time has always been good and our strongest program.
In my opinion, the best turnaround for our athletics has been soccer.
Soccer struggled for a long time as a program, and when I got here, it wasn’t good, especially because the program went through three head coaches from 2017 to 2019.
In 2020, coach Alex Piekarski’s arrival changed everything. After the COVID year, the team captured its first winning season in a long time. The team this year looks just as good as last year in terms of talent, and I look forward to seeing them play again at home.
Baseball wasn’t bad, but the team wasn’t where it wanted to be. The talent was there, but the team needed some kinks ironed out. In 2021, the team had its best season since 2012. The team finished as one of the best in the GAC, which I was happy with as a baseball fan.
Coach Ryan Bowen has been a great coach for this program and has made Northwestern a competitor in baseball, and I hope he and his players continue to have success. I look forward to watching them again in the spring.
Basketball has been a good attraction here on campus, especially with the last season the men had and the women having their best season since coach Tasha Diesselhorst took over.
I was used to the men’s team struggling in my first few years, but I’m glad the team has been moving in the right direction.
I’m looking forward to what first-year head coach Robbie Harman and his team can produce this year, as last year’s men’s team put up its best season since 2010. With a good amount of players returning this year, I know we can still be successful.
The women’s team will be interesting. We’ll see how the team will adjust without Bailey Brown or Scout Frame, who were huge contributors.
Under Diesselhorst, the team has improved its record and has a new assistant coach, Kinsey Neiderer, who played under Diesselhorst last season. So, it will be a season to keep an eye on for sure.
These programs have put in work over the course of the time I’ve been here, and each has improved.
It’s great seeing that we are competing with the best of the conference.