UNA sports hit some highs and lows during the year, with a head coach leaving, becoming first-time champions and trying to keep a winning tradition alive.

With the Division I move on the horizon, the chance of taking advantage of achieving huge goals in Division II hit full stride for all UNA teams.

Volleyball

The volleyball team reached the NCAA tournament for the 14th time in school history, which is also the most of any Gulf South Conference team. The team finished the season at 24-9 and lost to Rollins College 3-1 in the opening round of the NCAA tournament.

Soccer

UNA soccer player Chloe Roberts received the National Player of the Year award as she guided the Lions to a 17-4 record and becoming Gulf South Conference Champions.

“Being named player of the year and national player of the year was a great achievement for me,” she said. “One that I was not expecting or even dreaming of getting. The success we had last season was amazing, especially making school history for winning the GSC championship for the first time. Every individual played their part in a remarkable season for UNA soccer.”

Football

The UNA football team (9-3) had enormous expectations with the signing of future NFL star Janoris Jenkins but failed to live up to the hype. The off-season headlines overshadowed the disappointment with head football coach Terry Bowden departing for Akron University. After the departure, UNA turned to former head coach Bobby Wallace to lead the Lions next season.

Women’s Basketball

Coming off an NCAA tournament appearance from the women’s basketball team last season, the Lions (15-13) returned three-point bomber Dana Jackson but were unable to continue the success from the previous year.

Men’s Basketball

The UNA basketball team lost key players from the previous year but added Texas Tech transfer Theron Jenkins and returned guard Beaumont Beasley. The duo was a catalyst in the turn around, with a 15-12 record that included two wins against top 25 teams and a victory over national runner-up Montevallo.

Baseball

With the baseball season still underway, the UNA Lions have achieved a near-perfect game by junior pitcher Chad Boughner and a first-time No. 1 national ranking. The Lions (34-12) prepare for the GSC tournament with the hopes of improving their playoff seeding.

“We have some good wins this year, and our pitching staff has done a good job all year long in giving us a chance to win every game,” said UNA second basemen Michael Schmidt. “When we are playing good defense behind our pitchers, we are a tough team to beat. It wouldn’t hurt to hit the ball and put up with more runs, but overall I am pleased with our performance this year. We just got to get the bats going.”

Golf

Another rising team this year is the golf team with six team wins. UNA is ranked third nationally, led by Ty Chandler, who is ranked third nationally in D-II and 41st nationally among all college golfers. They are also led by eighth ranked Jake Greer according to golfstat.com, Tyler Ekenberg and Blaise Wilson. The golf won their third GSC championship April 24.

Tennis

The UNA tennis teams were a tale of two teams. The women’s tennis team had an improving year with a record of 12-8, and the men’s team slipped to a 3-14 record.

Softball

The UNA softball team saw some improvement this season with a fast start in the win column at 9-4, but the conference schedule put a hole in their winning season, as they sit at 19-24 going into the conference tournament.

Looking back at the 2011-2012 there were many highs and lows, but each team has shown signs of having successful years to come.