The 2009-2010 school year at UVM has been one of  mixed success. In other words, we were pretty much terrible except for a few bright spots, mainly basketball and hockey.          

Both the men’s and women’s  basketball and hockey teams saw tremendous success this season.

 Marqus Blakely and Evan Fjeld lead UVM to an NCAA tournament game against Syracuse, which was preceded by one of the most memorable games in school history in the form of the America East championship game.

The women’s basketball team had a miraculous and unforgettable season.

They dominated regular season play and earned a No. 10 seed in the NCAA tournament before completing an upset over Wisconsin in the first round.

The women’s hockey team, while not even close to being on par with the men’s team, saw improvement and the hopes for continuous development are high.

And finally, the men’s hockey team, while underachieving overall, had another season that continued to establish UVM as a premier hockey program in Division 1.

Based on this success, you would think that UVM athletics had a banner year. Three teams making Division 1 postseason tournaments is a feat that is monumentally impressive for a school like UVM.

But then there was both men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s lacrosse and the field hockey team.

The five teams combined for a dismal 10-61 record over the course of the year, with women’s and men’s soccer and field hockey contributing only one victory apiece.

To have your men’s and women’s soccer teams, the premier teams in the fall season, combine for two wins? That is something that has to be improved upon in the coming years if UVM wants to come anywhere close to being an established school of athletic success.

I suppose it could be worse. Imagine if we have a down year in which both basketball and hockey struggle.

The thought of such a situation is a daunting one for an athletic program that is hanging on to national credibility by a thin and deteriorating thread.