Historic and Changing

By Jim Gazzolo

It was the most interesting year in McNeese State athletic history.

As we look back on the last 10 months, we see historic wins, some very tough losses, more than a few records falling, and a change of leadership in each of the top three sports.

A wild ride indeed. 

“I think we are in a great position heading into the new season that is coming up,” said Athletic Director Heath Schroyer. 

One of the biggest questions is just where are the Cowboys headed?

McNeese remains the dominant Southland Conference school when it comes to attendance and national interest, but whether that will lead to the ultimate goal of moving up to FBS football remains the overriding talk around the program.

That is a topic for the future that needs to be addressed, namely, where college athletics are headed. 

However, before we move forward, let’s look back. After the worst year in program history, McNeese football rebounded to finish 6-6, posting its first non-losing record since 2019. 

After going 0-11 on the field the year before, the Cowboys' six wins were the second-most to Indiana in all of Division I football. 

Still, Gary Goff was let go at the end of the season, and Matt Viator, who is tied for the all-time number for wins in school history, returns. It was a move that rallied the McNeese fans and has led to new hope after five rough years.

However, Viator warns, “there is still a lot of work to do.”

Nothing gained more attention than men’s basketball, which set program firsts with consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament and even won a game for the first time, topping Clemson in the opening round.

However, during the tourney, word leaked out that head coach Will Wade was leaving for North Carolina State. 

After a historic two-year run, Wade left the scene, sort of. His fingerprints are all over the new roster, including head coach Bill Armstrong, who was his assistant at LSU. The winning should continue.

On the women’s side, McNeese moved from Lynn Kennedy to Ayla Guzzardo, which is like jumping from a calm swimming pool to wild rapids. Guzzardo brings a history of winning, and her entire program it seems, from Southeastern. 

Baseball won program-best 12 straight games before faltering at the end, and softball became the first team in Southland history to capture four straight regular-season titles. 

Both teams are led by coaches Justin Hill (baseball) and James Landreneau (softball), who hold career win records at McNeese.

That means the Cowboys are believed to be the first to have three coaches on staff at the same time who hold the record for career wins in their programs in the SLC. They also now have four of their top-five programs run by people who have been named the Southland’s Coach of the Year.

“We are fortunate to have this group of coaches right now,” said Schoyer, who is the ultimate recruiter. 

The coaching just means there is more pressure now on these programs as well. That could make the coming season even more interesting.

Jim Gazzolo is a freelance writer who covers sports in Southwest Louisiana. He is also the host of Poke Nation, which airs weekly on CBS-Lake Charles.