* Well, in assistant SID Kevin Conway's estimation.
Just before the end of 2010, I decided to make a list of the top 10 moments of the year in Panther Athletics. Well, these are one man's humble opinion of the top moments. No voting. No debate. Just me and my memories of the year. Click through and you can see some of the highlights of the year that was.
First, some disclaimers: I generally favor my sports. Sorry... it's just how I roll. Championships are great, but this is not a list of championships. Those are great, but other moments may be better. Lastly, I don't let losing ruin a great moment (my sports career was filled with losing, so I don't let it bother me).
-conway
10. November 27 - Marquette 75, Men's Basketball 72
I know it’s a loss. But, I went to UWM (Class of 2003), so seeing a game against Marquette that was that close, and with that atmosphere, was amazing.
9. September 1 – Men's Soccer 4, Marquette 2
This is not a trend. The Panthers took back the Milwaukee Cup with a thrilling 4-2 win over the Golden Eagles at Valley Fields. It was a great start to the season.
8. December 4 – Lindsay Laur’s 1,000th Point
The sports I cover tend to carry a bit more wait with me, but 1,000 career points is a remarkable achievement. Lindsay Laur joined the club against Northern Iowa and is working her way up the career scoring and rebounding charts. She has a unique skill set in the annals of UWM basketball, put fully on display against Wright State on New Year's Eve when she had 26 points, 17 rebounds and 6 three-pointers.
7. October 1 – Texas 4, Women's Soccer 3 (OT)
In my experience in Texas, whether or not everything is better... I cannot say. But, this was a Texas-sized score in an exciting shootout with the Longhorns. The Panthers jumped out to a 1-0 lead, but scored goals to tie the game at 2-2 and 3-3 (in the 85th minute) before UT prevailed in overtime. Sarah Hagen had two goals and assisted on the third to tie the Horizon League and UWM record for career goals.
6. February 27 – Men’s Swimming & Diving wins Horizon League Championship
Despite not winning an individual title during the meet, the Panthers led from the second day on and claimed their first Horizon League Championship since 2000. See the celebration here.
5-4. February 28 and May 2 – Milwaukee wins all four Track & Field league titles
Only three teams has one program won all four men's/women's/indoor/outdoor Horizon League Championships. Those teams:
2001 Milwaukee Panthers
2007 Milwaukee Panthers
2010 Milwaukee Panthers (1, 2, 3, 4).
3. May 30 – Baseball wins Horizon League Championship
A gutsy pitching performance highlighted the Panthers' 4-2 win over No. 1 seed Wright State in the second league title game. Milwaukee fell to the Raiders earlier in the tournament, but knocked off WSU in back-to-back games to claim the championship. After throwing 150 pitches three days earlier, Chad Pierce returned to give up just two runs in six innings. The offense was on board with 14 runs against Wright State in the first championship game and four in the second.
2. November 7 - Women's Soccer 5, Butler 0
How do you exact revenge from a team that ended your league-record 22-game league winning streak and 37-game home league unbeaten streak during the regular season? Beat them 5-0 in the Horizon League Championship game on their home field. The Panthers did that. They won their third-straight league tournament crown with a road rout and advance to the NCAA Tournament for the 8th time.
NOTE: The previous time UWM was not a No. 1 seed in the league tournament was 2008. That year, Milwaukee beat Wright State in the semifinals and routed the top seed on its home field... then it was 6-2 at Loyola. I love it when a plan comes together.
1. October 8 – Women's Soccer 5, Valparaiso 0
There were a number of factors that made this my number one choice:
• First game played on Engelmann Field this season after the first 12 games were played anywhere but Engelmann. All told, the Panthers were on the road for nine of those games. The field turned out great.
• 683 people packed into Engelmann Field on a Friday night makes for a great atmosphere regardless of the game.
• The women's team was participating in another successful Pink Out weekend to benefit breast cancer.
• Sarah Hagen entered the game needing one goal to become the Horizon league and Milwaukee's all-time leading goal scorer. She didn't disappoint, getting the first of two goals in the 20th minute (lots of coverage at that link).
I conceded earlier where my biases lie, but it was a good game and an electrifying atmosphere. I thought it was the top moment of the year, but then again I'm partial to soccer, night games and Engelmann Field. Great things happen when those things come together.
