Olympic Sports and C-USA

[50's PONY]

Olympic sports drive Mustangs

Swimming, soccer, golf enjoy perennial success

By ANTHONY HANSHEW - The Herald-Dispatch

HUNTINGTON -- Headlines and national recognition are rare, but SMU quietly boasts one of the nation’s most complete athletic departments.

While high-profile programs football and men’s basketball have struggled, Olympic sports for the Mustangs consistently capture conference championships and compete in NCAA tournaments. Success is both sustained and spread through both men’s and women’s programs. Consider the following:

• The women’s swimming and diving team has won nine consecutive conference titles and finished in the national Top 20 in 17 of the past 19 seasons. SMU ranked in the Top 10 in 14 of those seasons.

• Men’s soccer has won more than 77 percent of its matches and reached the NCAA tournament quarterfinals nine times in 21 seasons under coach Schellas Hyndman. The Mustangs ranked No. 1 in the nation for 14 weeks in 2001 and featured the nation’s player of the year, Luchi Gonzalez.

• SMU exited the Western Athletic Conference with eight consecutive league men’s golf championships. SMU placed eighth in last season’s NCAA tournament. Junior Will Dodson is a two-time All American and last season’s WAC individual champion.

• In nine of the past 10 years, the Mustangs have ranked in the Top 45 nationally among 310 programs in the United States Sports Academy Cup. Among private institutions, SMU has ranked among the Top 10 athletic programs nationally is seven of the past eight years.

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Continuity is the common denominator throughout SMU’s success. Mustang Olympic programs are anything but a professional springboard; Hyndman is among numerous coaches who have rooted themselves into the Dallas-based school for the long haul.

"We’ve got great coaching staffs and a lot of coaches who have been here for extended periods of time," swimming and diving coach Steve Collins said. "That helps with continuity and it helps to be a consistent team and have a chance to compete for conference title and get teams qualified for the NCAAs."

Collins twice has been honored as NCAA coach of the year during his 19-year SMU tenure. Hyndman is the second-winningest men’s soccer all-time in NCAA history.

Such success obviously can lead to a wandering professional eye, but neither Morris nor Hyndman appear interested in new pastures.

"Our Olympic sports have been outstanding; we’ve been as high as 15th (in Academy Cup standings) and it’s all due to the Olympic sports," Hyndman said. "The first reason is we have outstanding coaches. You look at the coaches we have here and like many of my colleagues, I’ve had people come talk to me but the quality of life and way they treat you -- you stay for personal reasons."

Hyndman also credited support from both athletic director Jim Copeland and president R. Gerald Turner. Facilities for the most part are above par, and numerous projects, including a natatorium upgrade, are upcoming.

Soccer facilities have been improved and the on-campus track recently was resurfaced. SMU officials kicked off a wide-ranging fund-raising project two months ago to address facility upgrades.

Most Olympic sports are more than healthy, but SMU could be hard-pressed to continue its across-the-board success in Conference USA. Men’s soccer, in particular, represents an upgrade, with C-USA ranking as high as the nation’s No. 3 conference entering this season.

Conference USA men’s soccer is receiving a huge quality boost with the additions of SMU, Tulsa and Central Florida, along with affiliate members Kentucky, South Carolina and Florida International. Each program reached last season’s NCAA tournament, and Hyndman predicts C-USA could receive four to six NCAA bids annually.

"My personal feeling is that we’ll be one of the top three conferences in the United States," Hyndman said. "It will be challenging to play these teams. You look at the conference schedule and you say, ‘Who wants to play these teams?’

"It will be a challenging conference and we’ll have outstanding RPIs because of the teams we have coming in. Potentially we’re going to have top 10, top 15 teams playing each other week in and week out."

Football and men’s basketball traditionally serve as the face of university athletic departments, but SMU has carved its niche behind the scenes. Collins, Hyndman and fellow Mustang officials look forward to measuring their programs against new conference rivals.

"I hope so," Collins said of continuing Olympic sports excellence. "Having that much national success, we want to keep that national reputation and take it to Conference USA venues. Hopefully our sports will be in a position to build at that level as well."

[Water Pony]

Flattering, but not accurate. As this Board reminds us daily, football is the only thing that matters in Texas, Dallas and SMU. As a non-revenue sports guy, I love the recognition but understand the reality.

[EastStang]

You see what killing Men's track did, it downgraded our women's team since no one thought that perhaps the throwers that we were recruiting both men and women complemented each other and now we seem to have only one distance runner who scores points in national competition. I only hope that Men's swimming gets back into the top 15 on a regular basis again. Perkins may be old and it may be passe, but its a great facility to pack your fans into and make life tough on the competition. That is if our student body ever attends swimming meets any more.

[Corso]

.... Hyndman is the second-winningest men’s soccer all-time in NCAA history.

Didn't realize that. Considering how many soccer coaches enjoy extremely long careers, that's extraordinary. Anyone know how far behind the all-time leader he is (and who leads the list?)

.... including a natatorium upgrade, are upcoming.

Really? When? I didn't realize that was underway. I know there are those (like our friend WaterPony) who want a better swimming facility, but I figured it was pretty far down the school's priority list. Hope I'm wrong.

.... Soccer facilities have been improved and the on-campus track recently was resurfaced. SMU officials kicked off a wide-ranging fund-raising project two months ago to address facility upgrades.

The soccer field was re-done in 1994 (I think) when the World Cup was player in the U.S. To the best of my knowledge, it hasn't been upgraded since. (It should be -- the field definitely needs a new draining system, and better lights. The new scoreboard a few years ago doesn't count as an "upgrade.") And when was the track re-surfaced? About the same time the field was put in? That's not recent. I don't know enough about track to know what improvements are needed there, but it almost sounds a little disingenuous to suggest that those facilities have been upgraded enough.

.... Conference USA men’s soccer is receiving a huge quality boost with the additions of SMU, Tulsa and Central Florida, along with affiliate members Kentucky, South Carolina and Florida International. Each program reached last season’s NCAA tournament, and Hyndman predicts C-USA could receive four to six NCAA bids annually.

SMU should win the men's soccer title, but they're right that the CUSA soccer season will be a tough one.

[Water Pony]

Sadly, upgrading or replacing Perkins Natatorium is not on the immediate horizon. With a significant investment, it hasn't risen up the budget ladder despite commitments from swimming alumni and friends.

With the new recreation center with its recreational pool, we missed a major opportunity to combine the needs of the Mens and Womens Swim Teams with better facilities for the student body.

I am hoping the issue is resurrected this coming year.