Football
The BYU Football Team's 8-5 season was a roller coaster of emotion and merry-go-round of injury replacements. Christian Stewart accounted for a loss of five yards for a sack his junior year at BYU. His senior year saw him end his career with a 138.9 passer rating and over 2,700 total yards. After the switch to Stewart at quarterback and rotating in several running backs, the BYU offense managed to pull the Cougars out of a four-game losing streak. The season ended in heartbreak and chaos after a close loss and brawl at the Miami Beach Bowl against Memphis.
Men's and Women's Basketball
Tyler Haws drives towards the hoop during a 2014-2015 game against San Francisco. Haws recently signed with a professional basketball team in Spain. (Elliott Miller)
The men's basketball team finished 25-10 in the 2014-2015 season. Tyler Haws has since secured a professional contract in Spain with the Obradoiro Clube de Amigos do Baloncesto after becoming BYU's leading scorer. The Cougars finished second in the West Coast Conference Tournament in a loss to Gonzaga University. The Cougars did put an end to GU's 41 home game winning streak a few days earlier.
The women's basketball team finished the season on top of the WCC 2014-2015 champs, but lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament to No. 3 seed Louisville in March of this year. Coach Jeff Judkins is calling this coming season's non-conference play the toughest of his 13 seasons.
Men's and Women's Soccer
Coach Chris Watkins is stepping down after the 1-8-5 2015 men's soccer season wrapped up in July. Overall, coach Watkins holds 304-103-75 over his 21 years as head coach. He will be associate head coach of the women's soccer team and the director of the BYU Soccer Academy.
The women's soccer team looks to extend their WCC dominance in the coming season. Last season, the team secured a three-peat, but lost in the NCAA tournament opener. Kickoff for the 2015 season took place Aug. 15 against Arizona.
Baseball
The baseball team finished the 2015 season with a 28-25 record. They placed third in the WCC and fourth in the Championship Tournament, bouncing back from a 2-10 start. The Cougars won the series against rival University of Utah for the seventh time in eight years. After the season, pitcher Kolton Mahoney was drafted by the New York Yankees.
Gordy Bravo bunts against University of the Pacific. Bravo will play for the Mexican National Softball Team. (Universe Photo)
Softball
The softball team finished 40-14. They lost their first game in conference play against Loyola Marymount University in the last series of the regular season. They also faced tough losses in the post season, going 1-2 with those loses coming in the form of shutouts. But the Cougars are looking forward to getting a lot of returning talent with 14 out of 18 players within the first two years of their eligibility.
Men's and Women's Volleyball
The men's volleyball team faced several shocks this year. After a dominant 13-3 start, the team dropped six in a row. They finished the regular season with a four-game winning streak going into the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Quarterfinals, but lost in a 2-3 match to USC. After the season, head coach Chris McGown resigned from his position. McGown retired with a 88-31 career record, standing at third in most wins and second in winning percentage for the program. He also led the men's team to back-to-back titles in 2013 and 2014.
The women's volleyball team dominated in the regular season and post-season. Going 30-5, the team only gave up a combined 26 sets over a season that had just over 100 sets played. They also went on 12- and 11-game winning streaks. They dominated tournament play, but lost 0-3 to Penn State in the championship game. The AVCA Coaches Poll and The NCAA Women's Volleyball RPI has the women's volleyball team ranked 11th and eighth, respectively, in the 2015 preseason.
Men's Rugby
The men's rugby team secured a three-peat (2013, 2014, 2015) at the Varsity Cup Collegiate Championship, defeating Cal-Berkley three years running. They also secured a USA Rugby National Championship in 2012 over Cal-Berkley. BYU Men's Rugby has only lost 20 games over the past 21 years, according to the team website.