Ranking Missouri sports in 2018-19

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The 2018-19 athletic year was a mixed bag for Missouri. The Tigers saw several highlights, such as another top-10 national finish for the wrestling program, an NCAA tournament appearance for the softball team after it was picked to finish last in the SEC, and the highest-ever finish by the men’s swimming team at the SEC championships. As a whole, however, Missouri slipped a bit in the Learfield IMG Director’s Cup rankings, which measure the achievement of each school’s entire athletics department. The Tigers ranked No. 51 nationally and No. 13 out of 14 teams in the SEC in 2018-19. The previous year, they ranked No. 33 nationally and No. 10 in the conference.

Part of Missouri’s slide can be attributed to the graduation of a couple stars in non-revenue sports — most notably, six-time track and cross country national champion Karissa Schweizer. The women’s track and field program finished 11th at the NCAA championships in 2017-18, Schweizer’s senior season, but fell back to No. 36 without Schweizer this season. In addition, the men’s golf team failed to qualify for the NCAA tournament this season after losing first-team all-SEC member and third-team All-American Hayden Buckley.

With all that in mind, here is PowerMizzou’s ranking of each of Missouri’s 18 sports programs based on their achievements from the 2018-19 year.

Coach: Brian Smith

Record: 16-1

Conference Record: 7-0

Conference Finish: First

National Finish: Sixth

The Missouri wrestling program continued its run as a national power under Smith, recording its second sixth-place finish in a row at the NCAA championships and fifth straight year inside the top 10. The Tigers saw their 35-match winning streak in dual meets end with a loss to Oklahoma State this season, but the Tigers continued to dominate the Mid-American Conference, winning their eighth title in a row. Jaydin Eierman finished third in his weight class at the NCAA championships and Daniel Lewis finished fourth.

Coach: Andrew Grevers

Record: 2-3

Conference Record: 0-1

Conference Finish: Second

National Finish: 11th

Despite some turmoil due to the suspension of former head coach Greg Rhodenbaugh, the Tigers enjoyed a couple milestones this season. Senior Mikel Schreuders became Missouri’s first male swimmer to win an individual SEC title and the team recorded its highest-ever finish at the conference championships by finishing second. Six members of the team, including Schreuders, earned first-team All-American honors. The team’s performance was enough to get the interim tag lifted from Grevers’ title; he’ll serve as the full-time head coach moving forward.

Coach: Larissa Anderson

Record: 35-25

Conference Record: 12-12

Conference Finish: Seventh; lost first round of tournament

National Finish: NCAA Regional

Anderson shattered expectations in her debut season as Missouri’s head coach. The Tigers were picked to finish last in the conference prior to the season but ended up finishing seventh and earning a 13th consecutive NCAA Tournament bid. Missouri pushed eventual national champion UCLA to a winner-take-all final game in the double-elimination regional round of the tournament and was the only team to beat the Bruins during the postseason.

Coach: Wayne Kreklow

Record: 24-8

Conference Record: 13-5

Conference Finish: Fourth

National Finish: Lost in NCAA Tournament Round of 32

Missouri continued its run of reaching the postseason under Kreklow, receiving a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth season in a row. The Tigers didn’t quite make it as far as last season, however, losing to eventual national runner-up Nebraska in the second round. A win over No. 11 Florida provided the highlight of the regular season. Alyssa Munlyn and Kylie Deberg were both named All-Americans. Missouri finished the season ranked No. 23 in the AVCA Coaches’ Poll.

Coach: Robin Pingeton

Record: 24-11

Conference Record: 10-6

Conference Finish: Fifth; lost in conference tournament semifinals

National Finish: Lost in NCAA Tournament Round of 32

The Missouri women didn’t quite make the leap to the Sweet Sixteen that those around the program hoped to see during star Sophie Cunningham’s final season, but the year was not without highlights. The Tigers defeated then-No. 5 Mississippi State on the road, Cunningham became the program’s all-time leading scorer and the team made its deepest ever run in the SEC Tournament. A loss at Iowa in the second round of the NCAA Tournament ended the season.

Coach: Shannon Welker

Record: 8-11-1

Conference Record: 2-5

Conference Finish: Eighth

National Finish: Lost in regional round of NCAA Tournament

Missouri notched a couple impressive victories in the murderer's row that is SEC gymnastics, beating both No. 10 Kentucky and No. 21 Arkansas during the regular season. The Tigers qualified for an NCAA regional but fell short of reaching the national semifinal. The team finished the season ranked No. 19 in the College Gymnastics Association poll.

Coach: Barry Odom

Record: 8-5

Conference Record: 4-4

Conference Finish: N/A

National Finish: No. 24 in final AP Top 25

Odom and Missouri overcame another slow start to conference play to increase the team’s win total and make the postseason for the second year in a row. Senior quarterback Drew Lock served as the star, while offensive lineman Tre’Vour Wallace-Simms, linebacker Cale Garrett, defensive tackle Terry Beckner Jr. and cornerback DeMarkus Acy each earned some level of all-SEC honors. The Tigers ended the season with a loss to Oklahoma State in the Liberty Bowl.

Coach: Andrew Grevers

Record: 2-5

Conference Record: 1-2

Conference Finish: Seventh

National Finish: 22nd

The women’s swimming and diving program didn’t quite experience the success of their male counterparts, slipping a bit after finishing sixth in the SEC and 15th nationally last season, but the team still finished among the top 25 at the NCAA championships. Annie Ochitwa led the way with two top-10 finishes.

Coach: Steve Bieser

Record: 34-22-1

Conference Record: 13-16-1

Conference Finish: 10th; lost in first round of tournament

National Finish: No. 31 RPI; Missed NCAA Tournament

Bieser’s team looked like the surprise of the SEC for much of the season, but wound up on the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament bubble after losing its final five games of the season. Missouri won series against Ole Miss, LSU, Texas A&M, Tennessee and South Carolina during conference play, but a home sweep at the hands of Florida and a loss to Ole Miss in the first round of the conference tournament doomed the Tigers’ postseason chances. Pitcher T.J. Sikkema earned second-team All-American honors.

Coach: Brett Halter

Record: N/A

Conference Record: N/A

Conference Finish: 10th (indoor)/Seventh (outdoor)

National Finish: T-59 (indoor)/T-36 (outdoor)

As mentioned above, Missouri had to overcome the challenge of adapting to life after Schweizer this season. The team’s national placing slipped a bit as a result, but several athletes still earned impressive honors. Gabi Jacobs won her third consecutive SEC championship in the discuss and finished eighth at the NCAA championships. Mirieli Santos finished sixth in the triple jump and Sophia Rivera finished sixth in the javelin. All three women earned All-American honors as a result.

Coach: Brian Blitz

Record: 6-11-2

Conference Record: 3-6-1

Conference Finish: 10th; lost in first round of SEC tournament

National Finish: Missed NCAA Tournament

Missouri did enough to earn the final spot in the 10-team SEC tournament field but got a tough draw once they arrived there, losing to eventual conference champion LSU in the first round. The Tigers have had back-to-back losing seasons since making the NCAA Tournament in 2016. Senior Sarah Luebbert earned first-team all-SEC honors after leading the team in goals, assists, shots and shots on goal.

Coach: Cuonzo Martin

Record: 15-17

Conference Record: 5-13

Conference Finish: 12th; lost in second round of conference tournament

National Finish: Missed NCAA Tournament

A seemingly promising season was derailed before it even began due to a season-ending knee injury suffered by Jontay Porter. Mark Smith also missed the last third of the season due to an ankle injury and a young roster largely struggled in conference play, never really threatening to make the NCAA Tournament. The team finished the season at No. 74 in the NET rankings. The highlight came on Dec. 22 when the Tigers beat rival Illinois for the first time in six years.

Coach: Marc Burns

Record: N/A

Conference Record: N/A

Conference Finish: Fifth

National Finish: N/A

Missouri did not send any runners to the NCAA championships, but the Tigers did record their highest finish at the SEC championships since 2014. Kieran Wood and Thomas George both earned all-conference honors.

Coach: Marc Burns

Record: N/A

Conference Record: N/A

Conference Finish: Fifth

National Finish: N/A

Missouri finished among the top five teams at the SEC championships for the third season in a row but did not qualify a runner for the national championships. Freshman Tori Findley notched the highest finish of any runner at the conference championship by finishing 13th.

Coach: Mark Leroux

Record: N/A

Conference Record: N/A

Conference Finish: T-11th

National Finish: Missed NCAA Tournament

With Buckley off the roster, Missouri failed to qualify for the quarterfinals at the SEC tournament as well as the NCAA Tournament. However, sophomore Jamie Stewart earned an individual invitation to an NCAA Regional, where he tied for 55th among 74 competitors.

Coach: Stephanie Priesmeyer

Record: N/A

Conference Record: N/A

Conference Finish: 12th

National Finish: Missed NCAA Tournament

Like the men, the Missouri women’s golf program failed to make the cut to participate in the quarterfinal round of the conference tournament and did not earn an invitational to an NCAA regional.

Coach: Brett Halter

Record: N/A

Conference Record: N/A

Conference Finish: 12th (indoor and outdoor)

National Finish: T-56 (indoor)

Missouri saw two runners qualify for the indoor national championships in Roberto Vilches and Ja’Mari Ward, with Ward placing eighth in the long jump. Vilches and Georgij Nachev both qualified for the outdoor championships but neither made the top eight of his event, thus scoring points for the team. The Tigers came in 12th out of 13 SEC teams in both conference championships.

Coach: Colt Gaston

Record: 14-15

Conference Record: 0-13

Conference Finish: 14th; lost in first round of SEC tournament

National Finish: Missed NCAA Tournament

Missouri continued its futility in SEC play, going winless against conference competition for the second season in a row. Since Gaston took over the program in 2016, the Tigers are 2-37 against SEC opponents and have yet to advance past the first round of the conference tournament.