Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

7/5/2010 at 12:00am

Can Arkansas’ football team reach the lofty expectations being set by Razor-back Coach Bobby Petrino in 2010?

Will this be the year John Pelphrey’s UA basketball team turns the corner and breaks a cycle of two consecutive losing seasons?

Is there any way the Razorback gymnastics team continues its streak of four consecutive NCAA championship appearances? Better yet, will they break through to a national title in 2011?

These are all questions we’ll find out the answers to in the coming days and months. Before we turn our attention there, though, let’s take a look back at the 2009-10 athletic year for the Razorbacks:

(Each sport’s rankings include record, highlight, team MVP and the UA-paid salary for each coach.)

Male Athlete of the Year

Who could have blamed UA baseball star Zack Cox if his season failed to meet expectations? Cox struggled with injuries and was a preseason projection as a first-round draft pick. Still, he hit a school-record .429 with 102 hits (also a record). It was enough for the St. Louis Cardinals to draft him No. 25 overall.

Female Athlete of the Year

Few prominent gymnastics programs wanted Casey Jo Magee out of high school. She was too small and too one-dimensional for their tastes. Think they’d love a redo now? Magee led Arkansas back to the NCAAs and established herself as an All-American in all-around, bars, beam and floor events, winning 31 individual titles.

Coach of the Year

Presumably much more is in store for Arkansas football under Coach Bobby Petrino. It’s the groundwork laid in 2009 that has raised expectations for 2010. Petrino guided the Razorbacks to an 8-5 record and their first bowl victory since 2003, setting the stage for more with player development and a high-scoring offense.

UA Sports Rankings

15. Men’s Tennis
Record: 10-14 overall, 1-10 SEC
Highlight: Defeated No. 41 South Carolina, 4-2 on March 7.
Coach, UA Base Salary: Robert Cox, N/A
MVP: Chris Nott was named second-team All-SEC. He was 17-15 overall, 22-13 in doubles.

14. Women’s Basketball
Record: 12-18 overall, 4-12 SEC
Highlight: Post player Ashlea Williams was named to the SEC’s All-Community Service team.
Coach, UA Base Salary: Tom Collen, $350,000
MVP: Senior guard Charity Ford averaged 12.3 points and 3.7 rebounds.

13. Men’s Basketball
Record: 14-18 overall, 7-9 SEC
Highlight: Briefly led the SEC West Division in the midpoint of conference play.
Coach, UA Base Salary: John Pelphrey, $750,000
MVP: Sophomore guard Rotnei Clarke averaged 15.1 points per game and served as the unofficial team spokesman during a tumultuous year.

12. Soccer
Record: 8-7-4 overall, 2-7-2 SEC
Highlight: Posted back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in school history.
Coach, UA Base Salary: Erin Aubrey, $80,000
MVP: Keeper Britni Williams posted nine shutouts in 18 starts.

11. Volleyball
Record: 13-18 overall, 7-13 SEC
Highlight: Finished with an overall team GPA above 3.0. Scored 1,000 on 2008-09 Academic Progress Rate assessment.
Coach, UA Base Salary: Robert Pulliza, $100,000
MVP: Freshman outside hitter Jasmine Norton was named All-SEC second team.

10. Softball
Record: 28-29 overall, 10-18 SEC
Highlight: Played host to the SEC Tournament at Bogle Park.
Coach, UA Base Salary: Mike Larabee, $90,000
MVP: Senior Jessica Bachkora batted .373 with 31 runs batted in. She also hit 15 home runs.

9. Swimming/Diving
Record/Highlight: Finished 34th at NCAA meet.
Coach, UA Base Salary: Jeff Poppel, $80,000
MVP: Yi-Ting Siow notched the SEC’s second-best breaststroke time, finishing fourth at the NCAA meet for a second consecutive year.

8. Men’s Cross Country/Track and Field
Record/Highlight: Cross country finished 26th at the NCAAs; fifth at NCAA indoor championships; failed to score a point at NCAA outdoor meet.
Coach, UA Base Salary: Chris Bucknam, $125,000
MVP: Dorian Ulrey was SEC Runner of the Year, won NCAA 3,000 indoor.

7. Women’s Cross Country/Track and Field
Record/Highlight: Finished 15th in outdoor and indoor NCAA meets; 3rd at NCAA South Central Regional.
Coach, UA Base Salary: Lance Harter, $103,000
MVP: Shelise Williams was an indoor All-American and SEC champ in the 400 and 4x400 relay, SEC champ in 4x400 outdoor.

6. Women’s Tennis
Record: 17-8 overall, 7-5 SEC
Highlight: Reached second round of NCAA Oklahoma Regional.
Coach, UA Base Salary: Michael Hegarty, N/A
MVP: Junior Anouk Tigu was named All-SEC, reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

5. Football
Record: 8-5, 3-5 SEC
Highlight: Won Liberty Bowl, 20-17 in OT over East Carolina.
Coach, UA Base Salary: Bobby Petrino, $1.9 million
MVP: Redshirt sophomore QB Ryan Mallett broke or tied 16 school records.

4. Women’s Golf
Record/Highlight: Finished 13th at NCAA West Regional.
Coach, UA Base Salary: Shauna Estes-Taylor, $115,000
MVP: Junior Kelli Shean had a 73.27 stroke average in 11 tournaments, with one 1st-place finish.

3. Men’s Golf
Record/Highlight: Finished 8th at NCAA Atlanta Regional.
Coach, UA Base Salary: Brad McMakin, $130,000
MVP: Senior David Lingmerth finished with a 71.41 stroke average and earned 10 Top 10 finishes in 12 tournaments.

2. Baseball
Record: 43-21 overall, 18-12 SEC
Highlight: Advanced to NCAA Super Regional against No. 1 Arizona State.
Coach, UA Base Salary: Dave Van Horn, $189,000
MVP: Sophomore third baseman Zack Cox hit school-record .429.

1. Gymnastics
Record/Highlight: Finished 10th nationally
Coach, UA Base Salary: Mark and Rene Cook, $201,686 (combined)
MVP: Casey Jo McGee, 31 individual titles in 2010.