With the 2016-17 academic year on the horizon, we thought now would be a good time to look back at 2015-16 and highlight some of the amazing things accomplished by our student-athletes and coaches in a new feature we call #SUFacts.
A trio of head coaches were honored by their peers and named Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Coach of the Year during the spring semester, one of which led his team to a league title.
Jon Duncan, Men's Swimming & Diving
It wasn't just Duncan who was honored, as the conference office announced that Southwestern had earned SCAC Coaching Staff of the Year at the conclusion of the league championships, which took place in Lewisville in February.
Duncan, who just finished his fifth season at the helm, earned the top coaching honor in the conference for the second straight season. The Pirates placed second at the league championships, as the squad captured four race titles and 18 all-conference honors.
Billy Porter, Women's Tennis
Just a year removed from being named SCAC Coach of the Year on the men's side, Porter earned the prestigious honor for leading the women's team through a record-setting year.
Porter guided Southwestern to a 21-5 record in 2015-16, which marked the highest win total in program history. Additionally, the Pirates reached the conference tournament championship match for the first time. Four SU team members earned All-SCAC laurels, including Taite Drews-Jones, who was tabbed the league's newcomer of the year.
Greg Sigler, Men's Golf
It did not take long for Sigler to make an impact on the Southwestern men's golf program. In his first year as the team's skipper, Sigler led the Pirates to the SCAC title in April. A month later, the conference office announced that he had been named the league's coach of the year.
Prior to earning the honor, Sigler tutored Tyler Gammill, who became the first-ever individual conference champion in program history. Southwestern also earned a bid to the 2016 NCAA Championship, where the program finished 28th overall.
Next week we'll take a look at some of the individual student-athlete performances that stood out during the 2015-16 academic year.
– SOUTHWESTERN –