Auburn Athletics 2018-2019 Year in Review
While Auburn might not have had the season it wanted in football, the athletics program as a whole had many successful seasons, and has proven it is more than just a football school. Here is a look back at how every sport performed in the 2018-2019 academic year.
Baseball: 38-28 (14-16) NCAA College World Series
Butch Thompson’s club struggled through various problems in the regular season including injuries to the pitching staff, and a lack of production from the best returning hitters off of the previous season. However, Auburn got hot at just the right time, earning upset victories on the road over Georgia Tech in the regional, and defeating North Carolina in Chapel Hill in the Super Regional. The Tigers made their fifth College World Series in program history, and their first since 1999.
Men’s Basketball: 30-10 (11-7) SEC Tournament Champions, NCAA Final Four
It was a magical season for Auburn basketball under coach Bruce Pearl as Auburn had its’ best season in program history. After a disappointing regular season the Tigers ran through the SEC tournament, winning it for the second time in program history, and in the NCAA Tournament reached the Final Four for the first time in program history.
Women’s Basketball: 22-10 (9-7) NCAA Tournament Round of 64
The Tigers had a solid rebound campaign after a rough 2017-2018 season. A bevy of fresh blood in the program under head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy helped boost Auburn to its’ third NCAA Tournament appearance in four seasons.
Equestrian: 18-0 (6-0) NCEA National Champions
Auburn Equestrian continues to reign supreme as the dominant program in college equestrian. The Tigers won their third national championship in four years, and their sixth in program history with a defeat of Georgia 8-7.
Football: 8-5 (3-5) Won the Music City Bowl
The 2018 season for Auburn football was indeed disappointing as the Tigers were out of the SEC title and national title hunt just halfway through the season. Auburn never really found any momentum even after an exciting comeback win against Texas A&M. They did however finish the season the best they could, as they absolutely destroyed Purdue 63-14 in the Music City Bowl.
Men’s Golf: 1 Tournament victory, SEC Tournament Runner-Up, NCAA Championships
Men’s golf had a very productive season in 2019. The team gained notoriety through Jovan Rebula, who competed in The Masters as an amateur and was a constant top 25 team as they made the championship match in the SEC Tournament. Auburn made the NCAA Championships after finishing second in regionals, and made the cut down to 15 teams in the NCAA Tournament before falling short of the final cut down to eight match play teams.
Women’s Golf: 2 Tournament Victories, NCAA Semifinals
While women’s golf didn’t make it quite as far in the SEC Tournament as they would’ve liked, they had a great NCAA Tournament. After finishing fifth in regionals, Auburn was the last team to qualify for the quarterfinals as they finished 8th out of 24 teams in the NCAA Tournament. In the quarterfinals, Auburn was able to upset top-seeded Texas, making the semifinals where their run came to an end against Wake Forest.
Gymnastics: 8-3 (5-2) 6th SEC Tournament, NCAA Regional Final
Gymnastics had a solid season under head coach Jeff Graba who was in his ninth season at Auburn. The Tigers suffered just three losses on the year, including an understandable two to Alabama. Auburn was very competitive in the NCAA Tournament, but fell short of making the NCAA Finals.
Women’s Soccer: 12-6-2 (4-5-1) NCAA Round of 64
Karen Hoppa and her soccer club had a lot to replace heading into the 2018 season and it showed at times, but once again one of the most consistent programs at Auburn found their way back into the NCAA Tournament. Although they did not advance in the tournament they did well just to make it again after a rough start to SEC play.
Softball: 39-21 (10-14) NCAA Regional
Auburn softball was ok in 2019, but the expectations which rose sky high under Clint Myers, have yet to be lowered or met by second year head coach Mickey Dean. Still, Auburn remained a top 25 team throughout the season, and did make the regional final before falling to a top five team in Arizona.
Swimming and Diving: Men won 1 meet, Women won 5 meets
It continued to be choppy waters for the swimming and diving teams, particularly for the men. The men won just a single meet, and were not a factor in the NCAA championships. The women were much more competitive, winning five meets, and finishing 12th out of 43 teams at the NCAA championships.
Men’s Tennis: 12-19 (0-12)
Men’s tennis started the season in ok shape in non-conference play and then things got ugly. The men’s tennis team did not win a single match in conference play, and needless to say, did not make the NCAA Tournament.
Women’s Tennis: 14-15 (1-12)
Women’s tennis also struggled mightily in the 2018-19 season. They did slightly better than the men in that they did win a conference match, but they too did not get anywhere near making the NCAA Tournament.
Track and Field: NCAA Outdoor Championships
It was a sort of ho-hum year for Auburn in track and field as they pretty much performed as expected. The track and field has not really been a power so expectations were not high, but a slew of young runners in particular give hope for the future.
Volleyball: 12-16 (5-13)
The Auburn volleyball team had a solid non-conference slate creating hope that this would be the year they broke through to the NCAA tournament but it was not to be. The Tigers went just 5-13 in SEC play, and dropped well below the mark needed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
