April 29, 2007

ABILENE, Texas - When the 2005-06 playing season ended, the buzz around campus and town was that Hardin-Simmons may have had its best athletic season ever. If that was the case, it only lasted one year.

The 2006-07 school year has seen the Cowboy and Cowgirl athletic teams become the first school in American Southwest Conference history to send all of its teams to postseason play.

HSU capped ASC postseason action with six league titles. An all-time HSU and league-high seven teams earned bids to NCAA postseason play.

Individually, HSU had the league most valuable offensive player in men's soccer, women's soccer, volleyball, football and men's basketball. The spring sports will name their MVPs this week and HSU has strong contenders for the top honors in baseball, softball, men's tennis and women's tennis.

The Cowgirl soccer team advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight. The men's soccer, football and volleyball teams all played in NCAA Championships in the fall, making HSU the only school in the nation to have all four of those teams advance to postseason action this year.

In basketball, the Cowboys advanced to the ASC Championship game and the Cowgirls went to the ASC semifinals.

HSU's spring sport teams continued the success with the men's and women's golf teams each placing fourth in the league and the baseball team advanced to the ASC postseason.

The tennis teams extended their long ASC winning streaks. The women won their seventh straight title and extended their ASC winning streak to 67 straight matches. The men won their sixth straight title and have now won 60 consecutive contests. The women claimed their third trip to the NCAA Championship and the men earned their inaugural bid to the NCAAs.

HSU's softball team won its second straight ASC title and will go to the NCAA regionals in May.