By Whitney Spencer
With the fall sports season coming to a close, but the excitement of University of Louisville athletics still lingering, I present to you some thoughts to ponder.
Cory Thorne
The redshirt senior cross-country runner recently became the first athlete in the cross-country program’s history to win an individual conference title at the Big East Championships and has been a force in all his time at U of L. Later this month, he will compete, with the hopes of making it to the NCAA Championships. But that’s not the last of Thorne, because he will also be running track for Coach Ron Mann beginning in December.
Kragthorpe watch
Rumors have been swirling non-stop since early in the season about whether or not head football coach Steve Kragthorpe will be back on the sidelines next year. The possibility of Jon Gruden has been a fan favorite for weeks now. This has even reached a level that Kragthorpe himself is cracking jokes about it in his weekly press conferences. Still, the question for most fans is whether or not Tom Jurich, U of L athletic director, will be loyal to Kragthorpe, as he has been through all the losses. Or will he be loyal to the Louisville fans, and give them what they want—a new head coach?
Quarterback carousel
After starting Justin Burke, Adam Froman and Will Stein, where will Kragthorpe go next? All three are now healthy, so he could start at the beginning and try it all over again. After a big performance by Stein against Arkansas State University, but then a lackluster showing against West Virginia University, is it time to go to a fourth quarterback in Zack Stoudt? He was a top prospect in Ohio, before coming to U of L, but has yet to take a snap in a college game. This carousel will just keep on spinning.
Women’s Basketball
Fresh off their first ever trip to the Women’s National Championship game, what does this season hold for the Cards? The loss of senior leading scorers Candyce Bingham and Angel McCoughtry will certainly slow them down. But the return of redshirt senior center Chauntise Wright, along with a highly-ranked freshman class, leaves fans everywhere excited to see what’s next.
Men’s Basketball
By the end of December, what will the Cardinal record look like? With only one Big East opponent before January, the Cards will be challenged to see if they can play with enough consistency to come out of the first half of the season with a respectable record. And will they be ready to take on the new University of Kentucky Wildcats in January?
Baseball
With a top-ranked recruiting class, and another successful season under their belts, the U of L baseball team looks to capture the Big East again this season. With the loss of two of the best players in the program’s history, in third baseman Chris Dominguez and left-handed pitcher Justin Marks, Cardinal baseball looks to go for their fourth 40-win season.
