The Mason Spirit

Baseball: After 40 wins in the regular season, Mason baseball landed in first place in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), its first title since 1992. The 2009 season marked the first time in school history that the baseball team was nationally ranked.

Mason baseball landed in first place in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), its first title since 1992.

Despite two losses in the NCAA tournament, Mason baseball boasted a highly decorated team, with Mason senior outfielder Scott Krieger and junior catcher Chris Henderson named CAA Co-Players of the Year. Henderson was also named the CAA Defensive Player of the Year and head coach Bill Brown, BA Government and Political Science ’80, was named the CAA Coach of the Year.

Soccer: After capturing the CAA fall championship, the Mason men’s soccer team has its sights set on capturing the crown for the second consecutive season in 2009. The last time the Patriots strung together multiple conference championships was during the three-year span of 1984–86.

To capture its second consecutive conference championship and sixth in the history of the program, Mason will have to navigate a schedule that includes 18 regular-season matches, including seven nonconference opponents. The men’s regular season began September 19; women’s soccer began August 21

Swimming: Four Mason athletes traveled to Indianapolis this past summer to compete against the nation’s best swimmers in the 2009 ConocoPhillips USA Swimming National Championships.

Sophomores Ashley Danner and Preston Wolter, redshirt senior Eric Knight, and Mason graduate Tom Koucheravy, BS Health, Fitness, and Recreation Resources ’09, competed in the meet. Danner finished seventh in the 100-meter backstroke, and Koucheravy placed 14th in the 1,500-meter freestyle.

Wrestling: Last season, junior Cayle Byers and sophomore Mendbagana Tovuujav represented Mason at the 2009 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in St. Louis. After advancing to the quarterfinal round, Byers dropped a pair of close decisions on the second day of action. Tovuujav was named to the CAA All-Freshman Team at 174 pounds. He also was named the 2009 CAA Championships’ Most Outstanding Wrestler after capturing the 174-pound title.

For more updates on sports, go to gomason.cstv.com