I used to laugh to myself and say that Purdue athletics will do well the same day the Cubs win their division. My laughing days are now behind me.

So far this season, the volleyball, men’s tennis and women’s soccer teams are doing considerably better than how they were doing in previous seasons. The men’s tennis team is currently 2-0 and has just started. That early 2-0 record is already better than its last four seasons, two of which the team didn’t win a single game. In the 2014-15 men’s tennis season, the team narrowly won a game, which led to mass celebration in the team as it was the first game the team won in three seasons. Furthermore, in two early games, the men’s baseball team destroyed their opposition by 11 runs each game.

Truth be told, when I heard that the athletic teams from both campuses would be unifying into single teams, I did not think it would end well. I believed that scheduling practices for players that go to different campuses would be detrimental to the teams, but thus far it has not proven to be a problem. Somehow the Bad News Bears turned into the kids from “The Sandlot” over the summer.

One possibility as to why the teams have improved is the coaching changes. Women’s soccer and both tennis teams have new coaches. Danielle Foxhoven, women’s soccer coach, played soccer professionally for four seasons. Lucian Tabic, men’s and women’s tennis coach, was the best tennis coach in Roosevelt University’s history with more than 30 wins in the three years he coached.

Another factor that could have led to the teams’ successes could be the construction of the James Dworkin Center at the Westville campus. Before this, athletes at the Westville campus did not have any facilities for practices and games for indoor sports.

In my opinion, the biggest contributing factor to the team’s success is the Division II acceptance and preparation. I do not believe that any of the teams can currently have a .500 season in Division II. The Division II teams have more scholarships to offer players, which leads to attracting better players. The Division II level itself is enough to make players want to play and coaches want to coach. Although I am sure PNW will be able to recruit better players for this reason as well, we will first have to establish a name that prospective athletes will want to follow.

I am not trying to take the wind out of the athletes’ sails, but the stats speak for themselves. Last year the PUC’s women’s basketball team had a point per game average of 75.1 points. On the Division II level last year, Pittsburg State University had the same average and ranked 26th out of 50 Division II teams in scoring offense. Women’s basketball is typically the winningest team at the university, so if that team cannot surpass half of its opposition, it doesn’t bode well for the rest of the teams.

I look forward to seeing how all the PNW teams will fair this season, as I expect improvement on all fronts. I wish the teams nothing but luck as the players move to the Division II level, and although I do not expect any of the teams to do nearly as well as they do in the CCAC, I will hope for the best.