The silver lining that second-year head coach Dan Cocannouer sees in last year’s 1-10 season isn’t the overall record, but the way things finished down the stretch of his first season as coach of his alma mater.

   After watching his team lose the first six games by a combined score of 288-59, things started to turn around in the last four games.

   Although the Bulldogs only won one of those last four – a 14-13 victory over East Central, they did have a seven-point loss to Northeastern State, a 28-24 loss to Panhandle state and a 15-12 defeat to eventual LSC North champion Texas A&M-Commerce.

   “Last season we looked like a junior high team, personally,” Cocannouer said. “But we got better as the season went on. The thing is, we’ve gotten better. We learned a lot last year. We’ve got some good things taking place at Southwestern.

   “This spring was very productive for us. We brought in a few guys that will make us older. We’ve got some JUCO kids coming in and the young guys that had to play last year learned a lot. We should be a better team this year.”

   Like any team, it starts with quarterback and that is an area of concerning with the departure of Steve Day, the school’s all-time leading passer and a four-year starter.

   Many candidates will try to fill those shoes, including sophomore Houston Johnson, the only player on the roster to take a snap for the Bulldogs. Johnson will compete with the likes of Dustin Stenta and Josh Dorman and transfers Jace Johnson and Mike VanDeripe. 

   At least the Bulldogs have a little more certainty at the other skill positions, led by transfer running Isaac Tucker, a standout back at Citrus College in California. Sophomore tight end Ryan Corbin has the potential to be an all-conference performer. Corbin had 22 catches for 147 yards as a true freshman, and along showed the toughness to take a few carries at running back when called upon.

   Junior receiver Bruce Hatton isn’t the biggest player on the team, but Cocannouer says he might be the toughest.

   “He’s probably the strongest player pound for pound on our team,” Cocannouer said. “He was our offensive MVP last year.”

   Hatton was mostly a receiver for the Bulldogs, catching 43 balls for 382 yards. He also had 107 rushing yards with and led the team with 501 kickoff return yards.

   The offensive line returns junior guard Stephen Sears, a second-team All-LSC pick last year, along with tackles Kane Bryen and John Niutei.

   Defensively, linebacker Fred Leak earned first-team All-LSC honors last year, recording 96 tackles in 2009. Junior-college transfer Preston Nichols-Margain was a standout linebacker at Golden West College the last two years and should provide immediate help inside.

   Senior defensive tackle Tim Stephenson anchors what should be a rather young defensive line. The Bulldogs are hoping TCU transfer Henry Niutei, the younger brother of guard John, will help in the middle of the line.

   The secondary returns safety Shane Scott (100 tackles) and Jesse Wright. Cornerbacks Mario Long and Marvin Tribble should add depth at cornerback.

   “This year, we have high expectations,” Cocannouer said. “That’s just the way I am. I just feel like we’re going to win all of our ballgames. I don’t know how we’re going to do it; we’re just going to find a way. That’s the attitude I think we need to have.”

 

   As head coach Bo Pagliasotti enters his sixth season as head coach of the Bulldogs, the road continues to be an uphill climb since the volleyball program originated in 2005. SWOSU has suffered 10 conference losses in four his five seasons as coach, including a 3-10 LSC record last year.

   Overall, the Bulldogs limped to a 6-28 finish. And to make matters worse, seven lettermen, including four starters have departed from a team that finished last in the conference in hitting percentage, assists, kills, blocks and digs.

   Leading the way for the Bulldogs this year will be junior outside hitter Emily Walter, an honorable mention All-LSC pick. Walter also earned a spot on the All-LSC Academic team.

   Other starters returning to action include senior middle blocker Danielle Nelms and junior defensive specialist Kayla Bader.

   Southwestern is counting on newcomer defensive specialist Sladjana Simic to make an immediate impact.

 

 Women’s Soccer

   While a 4-5-1 conference record might look just below average to some, it’s proof of remarkable progress made by first-year head coach Mark Perrson and his Bulldogs program.

   The four conference wins equals the amount of league victories SWOSU posted in the previous three seasons, including a 0-10 record in 2008.

   But things changed last year, thanks to Perrson, who was named LSC Coach of the Year in leading SWOSU to an overall record of 7-10-2.

   He also got some help from midfielder Korey Hearn, who returns for her junior season after scoring nine of the team’s 22 goals in 2009. Heard, who ranked fifth in the LSC in goals scored, was an All-LSC honorable mention pick.

   Sophomore midfielder Josie Price also returns after a stellar freshman season landed her with an LSC honorable mention selection as well.

   While much progress was made last season, the Bulldogs won’t have an easy road in continuing improvement. The LSC league coaches picked SWOSU to finish ninth in 2010 among the 12 programs.

    

   Head coach John Musick enters his fifth season, looking to improve on the Bulldogs’ ninth-place LSC finish in 2009.

   SWOSU should have some experienced depth in the form of juniors Micah Mathis, Patty Murphy and Melissa Banks, along with sophomore Chelsey Dillon, the school’s top finisher in the conference meet, finishing 10^th. Dillon was an All-LSC pick last year as a freshman.