2009-2010 was one for the books

There were victories, defeats, drama and controversy. There were upsets and blowouts, some surprises and disappointments. But one thing is for sure; It was a year to remember for Missouri Southern athletics.

FOOTBALL

Bart Tatum's crew had perhaps one of the wildest seasons of any team at Southern this year. Before they even played a conference game, the Lions were decimated by season-ending injuries to two starting safeties, a pre-season All-America linebacker in Jared Brawner, and an interior defensive lineman who had earned a starting job.

"We're not the least bit satisfied or pleased with the 3-7 win-loss record," Tatum said. "We have to make significant progress in the area that counts most. But you could not have asked that football team in 2009 to give a better effort than they did."

After struggling through their first two games at Harding and Washburn, the Lions got their first win of the year in their home opener against Emporia State. From there, they dropped three straight, a homecoming heartbreaker to Nebraska-Omaha, another loss in the Miner's Bowl, and a 52-6 drumming by eventual National Champions of NCAA Division-II football, Northwest Missouri. Perhaps the highlight of the season came on the road against Missouri Western when the Lions scored 21 unanswered fourth-quarter points to steal a victory from the Griffons 35-34 after falling behind 14-34. Southern needed only 20 plays on offense to score their three touchdowns that sealed their victory.

VOLLEYBALL

The volleyball team had a disappointing season in 2009 after being picked to finish No. 8 in the South Central Region in the preseason polls. The Lions struggled in conference however and their 6-14 record in the MIAA hurt their overall mark while staying at .500 outside the conference at 7-7. A high point for the volleyball Lions however came when they had two players reach All-MIAA status. Both outside hitters, Renee Rheinecker and Jeanna Feldman, were named third team and honorable mention selections respectively.

WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY

Perhaps the most decorated team of the year at Missouri Southern, the women's cross country team had one of it's best finishes in recent years. The women swept the MIAA Conference Championships and the South Central Regional Championships on their way to a third-place finish in the NCAA Division-II National Championship. The Lions had runners finishing at the top of nearly every meet they competed in and four times their athletes were named one of the MIAA Runners of the Week. Kimi Shank was also named the Regional Athlete of the Year, while her longtime coach and mentor Patty Vavra earned the Regional Coach of the Year award.

MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY

Tom Rutledge and his squad also garnered their share of recognition last fall. Picked to finish second in the MIAA preseason polls, the men matched their counterparts in their first-place finishes at both the conference meet and Regional Championship. As is typical for Rutledge's teams, they competed with not only the best of Division-II schools, but also several Division-I programs and their athletes all season. Rutledge was also named Regional Coach of the Year for his efforts. It was his second time to receive the honor.

SOCCER

The 2009 soccer team at Missouri Southern that finished just below where they were expected to fall. Slated as the conference's seventh-rated team in the preseason, Trevor Wachsman's team finished eighth in the MIAA with a 5-15 overall record, going 3-13 in conference. For the fifth time however, Wachsman's team was given the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Team Academic Award with their team grade-point average of 3.51.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

The women's basketball team had an exciting season, which culminated in their berth in the MIAA Postseason Tournament in Kansas City. Although the Lions were bounced in the first round of the tournament, they certainly had a year to remember. Led by a record-setting campaign from Jolea Apon, they finished with an overall record of 15-13, including 10-3 on their home court.

MEN'S BASKETBALL

Robert Corn and his team managed to turn what many considered to be a shrinking window of opportunity into a 17-11 overall record and a berth of their own in the conference tournament at the end of the season. The Lions split with rivals Pittsburg State this season, beating them at home while losing on the road. It was also announced recently that Corn will be inducted into the Joplin Area Sports Hall of Fame. Corn's honor however was not the only accolade Southern achieved on the season, Skyler Bowlin was named MIAA Defensive Player of the Year

"You keep plugging away," Corn said. "Try to keep doing your job, I'm really excited about our team for next year. I really feel like we've got a good group of young men and I think the team is really fun to work with."

BASEBALL

Bryce Darnell's team finished fifth in the MIAA, clinching a berth in this week's postseason conference tournament.

"We had some definite challenges at the beginning," Darnell said. "With our schedule and maybe underperforming a little bit. But we're 23-10 in our last 33. So we're playng good baseball now and we feel pretty good about ourselves."

 After an 0-5 start to their conference slate, and 2-10 beginning to the season overall, the Lions turned it around nicely to finish right around .500 ball altogether.

SOFTBALL

The softball Lions had one of the more frustrating seasons at Missouri Southern this year.

They finished with an overall record of 19-39-1, 20 games below the .500 mark. Southern landed at ninth place in conference with its 8-12 MIAA mark.