Aug. 1, 2000
Waco, Texas -
The numbers tell a dramatic story of success for Baylor athletics.
In the last four years, the Bears have seen their position in the Sears Director's Cup standings improve from 125th (1997) to 65th (1998) to 39th (1999) and 43rd (2000). Baylor's No. 43 position in 1999-2000 standings was the sixth-highest ranking of any Big 12 school, trailing only Nebraska, Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Iowa State.
Additionally, Baylor was ranked sixth in the Dallas Morning News' 1999-2000 Big 12 All-Sports Award.
In the last few years, Baylor athletic teams have made great strides toward achieving excellence. During the 1999-2000 school year, Baylor won Big 12 conference championships in men's tennis and baseball. Of Baylor's 17 teams, 11 saw NCAA postseason action. Track standout Brandon Couts became the indoor national champion in the 400 meters and also ran a leg on the outdoor national champion men's 4X400 meter relay team.
Baylor student-athletes were also outstanding in the classroom. Track and cross country standout Karin Ernstrom was named to three academic all-America teams and was also Baylor's first-ever inductee into Phi Beta Kappa. Baylor regularly puts more athletes on all-academic lists than any other Big 12 school.
In spite of the recent successes enjoyed by Baylor athletics, athletic director Tom Stanton is dedicated to the development of successful athletic programs and excellent student-athletes. Within the last two years, he has hired a group of coaches committed to furthering the success of Baylor athletics, including football coach Kevin Steele, men's basketball coach Dave Bliss and Women's Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Kim Mulkey-Robertson.
Additionally, Baylor is committed to building first-class athletics facilities. Recently, the Bears christened the new Baylor Ballpark and Getterman Stadium as part of the Riverfront Athletic Complex. Luxury suites and a new press box were added at Floyd Casey Stadium, and the men's and women's basketball offices were renovated. Ground-breaking is set to begin on the first phase of the new tennis complex. Upgrades were made to the Hart-Patterson Track and Field Complex and construction of a new golf academy is planned.
Football
First-year head coach Kevin Steele's rebuilding program began with a pair of tough losses to Boston College and UNLV, but as the fall gave way to spring, optimism over a solid recruiting class and the direction of the program began to come forward.
Steele's second recruiting class had a heavy Central Texas flavor. Perhaps more importantly to the program's stability, the Bears return their entire coaching staff for the first time in 11 years.
Men's Basketball
Dave Bliss brought respect to Baylor in his first season, leading the Bears to a 14-15 record that signalled an eight-win improvement from the previous season. That improvement was one of the most dramatic in the nation in 1999-2000. Baylor also finished 4-12 in Big 12 action, tied for eighth in the league.
The Bears season was highlighted by a season sweep of nearby rival Texas A&M and a first-round Big 12 Tournament win over Nebraska.
Senior guard Tevis Stukes led Baylor by averaging 17.6 points per game and led the Big 12 in three-point field goals per contest.
Women's Basketball
Despite losing 70 percent of the scoring and rebounding from the previous season, the Lady Bears were optimistic about the 1999-2000 campaign.
However, youth and inexperience (seven of 10 the players were underclassmen) proved to be a major hurdle as the squad finished the season at 7-20 overall and 2-14 in the Big 12.
Senior guard Mandy Hayworth and sophomore forward Danielle Crockrom each averaged 12.0 points a game to lead the Lady Bears. Crockrom also was the team's top rebounder with 7.2 boards a contest.
At season's end, head coach Sonja Hogg announced her retirement from coaching to accept a position in the University's development office. Women's Basketball Hall of Famer and longtime Louisiana Tech assistant Kim Mulkey-Robertson was selected to succeed Hogg.
BASEball
The 2000 baseball season was one for the record books as the Bears racked up a 45-17 record en route to the Big 12 conference championship, their first outright league title since 1923. The 2000 season also marked the third straight year in which Baylor recorded at least 40 wins - a first in school history. The Bears, who remained in the top 25 of the national rankings for the entire season, also received a bid to their third consecutive NCAA Regional.
While the season was marked with many stellar team achievements, the Bears also enjoyed some individual accomplishments. Junior right-handed pitcher Kyle Evans threw a no-hitter against Iowa State on April 15th, the first Baylor no-no since Jerry Arnold did it in 1982. Freshman Zane Carlson, the Big 12 Freshman Pitcher of the Year and Collegiate Baseball Freshman Player of the Year, emerged as the team's closer, and set new Baylor records for career saves and saves in a season with 15. Senior righty Chad Hawkins finished the season with an 11-4 record and ranked third in the nation with a stingy 1.82 ERA. Head coach Steve Smith was named Big 12 Coach of the Year by both the coaches and the Dallas Morning News.
VOLLEYball
The Bears capped off their most impressive season in school history with a 26-9 record and a trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The team defeated Texas and Colorado for the first time ever and was ranked 20th in the nation at the end of the season.
Baylor's 26 wins tied the school record for wins in a season and the team's fifth-place Big 12 finish was their best ever. Additionally, new team records were set in kills (2,125), kills per game (16.87), attempts (5,331), hitting percentage (.250), assists (1,969), assists per game (15.63), and digs per game (19.34).
As a team, the Bears finished the season ranked 10th nationally with 19.34 digs per game. Individually, Dana Chuha led the nation with 14.70 assists per game, which is the 11th-best total in NCAA history.
SOFtball
The Bears' softball squad enjoyed their finest season ever in the Big 12 finishing in seventh place with a 7-11 conference record and 27-30 mark overall.
Junior centerfielder Naomi Fitzgerald became the program's first double All-American when she was earned National Fastpitch Coaches Association third-team honors and was named first-team GTE Academic All-American. In addition she was named first-team all-region, academic all-district, first-team All-Big 12, first-team academic All-Big 12 and team MVP. Her .411 batting average ranked 2nd in the Big 12 and 23rd in the nation among NCAA Division I players.
In early June, Head Coach Paula Young stepped down as the program's skipper to accept an administrative position within the athletic department.
SOCCER
The Baylor soccer team, headed by first-year coach Nick Cowell, finished the 1999 season with a trip to its second consecutive NCAA tournament and finished the season with a mark of 14-7-1 overall and 6-3-1 in the Big 12. Senior Courtney Saunders continued to rack up the honors. She was named to the all-Big 12 first team for the third consecutive season and was selected to the NSCAA all-Central Region for the third year. She finished her career as Baylor's all-time scoring and point leader. Senior Nikki Hales was an all-Big 12 second team pick and an NSCAA all-Central Region third-team selection.
Junior all-American goalkeeper Dawn Greathouse continued her successful reign in goal. A year after undergoing successful knee surgery, Greathouse returned to rack up 108 saves and tally 32 goals against. She was named to the all-Big 12 second team and was an all-Central Region second-team selection. A strong group of underclassmen, lead by all-Big 12 third team selection Tamura Crawley gave fans a glimpse of the future. A defender, Crawley was the only freshmen to be named first team All-Big 12.
TRACK AND FIELD
The Baylor track and field teams added to their already growing number of national titles as the men's 4x400 meter relay team won the outdoor championship in Durham, N.C. Brandon Couts claimed his first individual national championship during the indoor season when he clocked a 45.79 in the 400 meters. Overall, 14 athletes claimed All-America honors during the 2000 season. Karin Ernstrom was outstanding on the track and in the classroom. She was named to two academic all-America teams and was the first Baylor athlete inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. Athletically, Ernstrom placed 8th in the 5,000 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
In Big 12 Conference action, Couts won four league titles, taking first in the indoor 400 meters and the outdoor 200 meters. He was also part of the 4x400 meter relay teams that swept the indoor and outdoor titles. Bayano Kamani grabbed the outdoor 400 meter intermediate hurdles title, his second in two years. For the women, Barbara Petrahn won the outdoor 400 meters and helped anchor the women's 4x400 meter relay to a second-place finish during both seasons.
CROSS COUNTRY
The 1999 season saw the Bears' Karin Ernstrom finish 22nd at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. The women's team finished third at the regional meet while the men's team finished in 12th place. In the Big 12 meet, Ernstrom led the Bears to a fifth-place while freshman Ferenc Beskesi placed 19th to pace the Bears' men's team in the conference meet.
Ernstrom continued her success in the classroom, earning initiation into the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa and being named to the GTE/CoSIDA academic all-America team.
MEN'S TENNIS
The Baylor men's tennis team continued to build its reputation as one of the elite programs in the country as the Bears ranked among the top ten teams in the nation, won the first Big 12 title for any men's sport at Baylor and made their third-straight NCAA appearance.
The Bears, led by seniors Johann Jooste, David Hodge, and Pawel Gajdzik, notched yet another first as Baylor hosted the first two rounds of the NCAA Championships. Baylor beat Marist in the first round and Mississippi State in the second round to advance to the NCAA Round of 16 in Athens, Ga., for the second year in a row.
Hodge and Mark Williams teamed to form the eighth-ranked doubles team in the nation and earn all-America honors, while Zoltan Papp took Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors after joining the team in January.
WOMEN'S TENNIS
The Baylor women's tennis team enjoyed a successful season, including a second-place finish in the Big 12 conference and a trip to the NCAA championships. The Bears defeated Indiana in the first round, but fell to conference rival Texas in round two. Individually, Jahnavi Parekh advanced to the round of 16 at the NCAA championships and earned all-America recognition.
Parekh and Katja Kovac led the team to ranking of 19th by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. Both finished the season with the highest rankings in the Big 12. Parekh finished the year ranked 21st nationally, while Kovac was ranked 73rd.
MEN'S GOLF
The Baylor men's golf team capped off an outstanding season with its third straight NCAA championships bid under head coach Tim Hobby. Led by Aaron Pellegrom and Jimmy Walker, the Bears finished the season ranked 36th by MasterCard Collegiate rankings.
During the season, Baylor won three tournaments, including the El Diablo, the UTSA Invitational, and the Southwest Texas Classic.
Baylor earned a sixth-place finish at the Big 12 tournament. Walker earned an 11th-place finish at the tournament. Pellegrom and Walker were both named to the all-Big 12 team chosen by the league's coaches.
WOMEN'S GOLF
The Baylor women's golf team enjoyed an outstanding season in which they earned a bid to the NCAA championships in Tempe, Ariz. - the first in the history of the program.
The Bears finished the season ranked 36th by MasterCard Collegiate and placed seventh at the Big 12 tournament. Head coach Sylvia Ferdon was named the Big 12 Coach of the Year.
