1. Men’s and women’s tennis
There is always free pizza and prizes if the tennis alone won’t get you into the indoor tennis courts. But the free event has good matches and athletes to watch. Don’t like the way one match is going? Head through the courts and catch better matches on the other three indoor courts or weather permitting, outside. Plus the men’s program has been nationally ranked in the Top 50 NCAA Division I schools the past two seasons.
Jamison Metzger2. Softball
OK, the main excuse not to go is because baseball is going on in the neighboring field. But the ladies have a good program with star pitchers and hitters, including players who have gone on to be Easton All-Americans. Expect to see more homers and base running than the adjacent baseball game. Plus who doesn’t want to see a slugfest when going to a ball game?
3. Gymnastics
So why does everyone watch gymnastics during the summer Olympics and then completely forget about it the rest of the time? Gymnastics is a good spectator sport because there are different events that force you to see how long they can do flips on the skinny balance beam and the uneven bars. The BYU girls put on a good show and help you brush up on your gymnastics vocabulary just in time for London 2012. GO!
4. Men’s and women’s cross country
Both of these programs have distinguished runners who deserve more of a fan base. This past season, the men’s cross country team won the NCAA Mountain Region Championship, led by star Miles Batty, and both the men and women competed in the 2011 nationals. If the Provo Half Marathon can get crowds of people cheering on runners, then why can’t collegiate runners (that are much better) get that same crowd? GO!
The best part of all these sporting events is that there will be less of a crowd and they don’t require an All-Sports pass. Enjoy this now while it’s free because in the next five years you could be paying $50 for a tennis tournament or $20 for a softball game.
More information can be found on byucougars.com
