What a year it has been for University of Wyoming Athletics in 2016-17!  Some of the most successful seasons in recent history combined with exceptional performances in the classroom by UW student-athletes have made it a year to remember.  In addition to those successes, the excitement surrounding construction of the Mick and Susie McMurry High Altitude Performance Center and the renovation of the Arena-Auditorium are setting the stage for Wyoming Athletics to reach new heights in the future.

"Since I've been around here awhile, I have the benefit of putting seasons into historic perspective," said Kevin McKinney, Senior Associate Athletics Director for External Affairs.  "We have experienced some great seasons through the years.  I think back to 1987 when men's basketball advanced to the NCAA's Sweet 16 followed by football winning a conference championship the next fall.  But in all of my years at Wyoming, I don't believe we've experienced the depth of success across all of our programs, both athletically and academically, than we've seen over the past 10 months.  It has been a remarkable year individually and from a team standpoint."

Athletic Success      

It all began when Wyoming earned the right to host the 2016 Mountain West Football Championship Game by winning the  Mountain Division and being the highest rated team in the conference to end the regular season.  The Cowboys defeated two Top 25 teams along the way and received votes themselves in the 2016 college football polls.  The Pokes went on to post an 8-6 record and earn a bid to the 2016 San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl in only the third season under the direction of head coach Craig Bohl.  Bohl was named the Mountain West Coach of the Year.  Cowboys Brian Hill and Chase Roullier both earned All-America honors and were selected in the 2017 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons and Washington Redskins, respectively.

In the winter, Cowboy wrestling tied for 21st at the 2017 NCAA Championships in St. Louis, Mo.  Wyoming junior Bryce Meredith of Cheyenne placed fourth at 141 pounds and earned All-America honors for the second consecutive season.  Four other Cowboy wrestlers also qualified for this year's NCAA Championships.  Those four included: Drew Templeman (125 pounds), Cole Mendenhall (149), Archie Colgan (157) and Branson Ashworth (165)

A young Cowgirl basketball team captured a second-place finish in the Mountain West Conference for the 2016-17 season.  The Cowgirls began the season 8-3, including an 82-75 road win over then No. 15 ranked Colorado to conclude non-conference play.  Wyoming proceeded to win its first seven Mountain West games to build its record to 15-3.  Despite losing First Team All-Conference performer Liv Roberts to a season-ending knee injury on Feb. 15, the Cowgirls finished second in the league and earned a Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) bid, advancing to the second round.  Head Coach Joe Legerski was named the Mountain West Coach of the Year as the Cowgirls finished the season with a 22-10 record and a 13-5 MW record. 

Cowboy Basketball was led by first-year head coach Allen Edwards in the 2016-17 season.  Wyoming, with only one senior in Torrington (Wyo.) native Jason McManamen available throughout the season, ended its season on a high note by winning the 2017 College Basketball Invitational (CBI) Championship and posted a 23-15 record.

Another highlight from the winter season was the debut of two UW freshman divers who both placed at the 2017 NCAA Championships.  Cowboy Scotia Mullin placed 14th in the platform and Cowgirl Karla Contreras placed 19th in the 1-meter competition, 22nd in the 3-meter and 37th in the platform event.  Junior Maria Harutjunjan also competed in the 100 breaststroke at the 2017 NCAA Championships.  Wyoming diving coach Kyle Bogner was named the Western Athletic Conference Diving Coach of the Year for men's diving.

The spring season saw Cowgirl Tennis win a school record 18 matches, and post a perfect 10-0 home record.  Wyoming was undefeated (5-0) in conference duals to win the Mountain Division.  The Cowgirls advanced to the semifinals of the 2017 Mountain West Championships under the direction of head coach Dean Clower, who is the winningest coach in Wyoming Tennis history.

Cowboy golfer Ryan Wallen qualified for the 2017 NCAA Washington Regional, where he placed  38th.

Eleven members of the Cowboy and Cowgirl track and field team qualified for the 2017 NCAA West Preliminary in Austin, Texas, on May 25-27.  The six Cowgirls who qualified were: Megan Brunette (10,000 Meters), Jerayah Davis (100 Meters and 200 Meters), Audra DeStefano (3,000-Meter Steeplechase), Emelda Malm-Annan (Hammer Throw), Cassidy Meade (800 Meters) and Kerry White (800 Meters).  They were joined by five Cowboys: Bryce Ailshie (800 Meters), Scott Carter (Triple Jump), Jordan Charles (110-Meter Hurdles), Ricky Faure (800 Meters) and Damon Unland (Hammer Throw).  

For the first time since 2007, Wyoming track and field had both a Cowgirl and a Cowboy advance to the NCAA National Championships.  DeStefano finished 12th in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase at the NCAA West Prelims in Austin to qualify for the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore.  She will be joined by Cowboy Carter, who finished in seventh place in the men's triple jump at the NCAA West Prelims.  The 2017 NCAA Track and Field Championships are scheduled for June 7-10 at Hayward Field in Eugene. 

Numerous individuals enjoyed record-setting seasons in 2016-17.  Hill became the greatest running back in school history, setting Wyoming's single-season (1,860 yards) and career (4,287 yards) rushing records in 2016.  McManamen ended his college basketball career as Wyoming's all-time leading three-point shooter (210 career threes), and senior volleyball student-athlete Laura Beach ended her career as Wyoming's career leader in hitting percentage (.372).

Not only were there great successes athletically, but there were also numerous accomplishments academically.  For the second consecutive year University of Wyoming Athletics had 60 student-athletes earn Mountain West Conference Academic All-Conference honors during the fall semester.  The 60 UW student-athletes tied for the most Cowboys and Cowgirls to earn Academic All-MW in a fall semester.  It marked the second consecutive fall semester that UW had 60 individuals earn the honor.

Seven Cowboy and Cowgirl teams earned all-time high Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores in the most recent data released by the NCAA in May 2017.  Men's basketball (955), women's basketball (987), football (964), men's golf (1,000), men's swimming and diving (987), women's tennis (1,000) and women's track and field (991) all recorded all-time high four-year rates for their programs.  The most recent multi-year scores were based on a four-year period from the 2012-13 through the 2015-16 academic years.

 

All of the University of Wyoming's athletics teams once again far exceeded the 930 minimum four-year average benchmark set by the NCAA to qualify for postseason competition.  All of UW's athletics teams earned a multi-year APR score of 955 or higher.

Wyoming men's golf and women's tennis teams were recognized by the NCAA for ranking in the Top 10 percent of their respective sports' APR scores.  Both Cowboy Golf and Cowgirl Tennis posted perfect four-year scores of 1,000.  It was the fifth consecutive year that men's golf posted a perfect score and the third straight year that women's tennis achieved a perfect mark.

A total of 60 Cowboy and Cowgirl student-athletes graduated during UW's spring graduation ceremonies.  The combined cumulative grade-point average for the 60 graduates entering the 2017 spring semester was 3.17. The spring student-athlete graduates earned their degrees in 27 different majors.  They joined a group of 20 UW student-athletes who graduated in December of 2016 for a total of 80 graduates this past academic year.

As Wyoming fans witnessed throughout this past year, two program-elevating facility projects are under construction in UW Athletics.  The $44 million Mick and Susie McMurry High Altitude Performance Center (HAPC) will be one of the premier athletic facilities in the nation.

The High Altitude Performance Center will add 71,000 square feet of new space and will expand the current Curtis and Marian Rochelle Athletics Center to over 118,000 square feet.

The HAPC ground-breaking was held on the same day the Wyoming Cowboy football team defeated No. 13 ranked Boise State on the way to Wyoming's 2016 Mountain West Conference Mountain Division title.

Marian Rochelle and her family donated $3 million as a leadership gift to kick off the project, and the combined gifts of Marian Rochelle and her daughter April Brimmer Kunz have since grown to $4.1 million.  Soon after, with the $6 million support of the McMurry family, the project generated momentum and to date 60 gifts have been added. 

The $30-million redesign and enhancement of the Arena-Auditorium is the largest fundraising effort for Wyoming Basketball in school history.  Due to a great response from private donors and members of the Wyoming Legislature, the project became a reality.  

"The Mick and Susie McMurry High Altitude Performance Center will be completed in 2018," said Tom Burman, University of Wyoming Athletics Director.  "The state-of-the-art facility will enhance recruiting and allow UW Athletics to develop scholars and athletes.

"Phase II of the Arena renovation project will create a grand entrance to the venue, which will showcase the story of Kenny Sailors and the 1943 National Championship through an 18-foot statue of the 'Jumpshot', as well as historical references to the team and the impact of Kenny on the game of basketball.

"The facility will host the UW Athletics Hall of Fame, team store, ticket operations and upgrades to concessions, restrooms and concourse areas.  

"The entrance will also provide a hospitality area for donors and supporters that will have a sports-bar feel.  This area will be called Mickey's in honor of one of Wyoming's great leaders, Mickey McMurry.  The Arena-Auditorium renovation is due to be completed in November 2017."