The Maryland women’s lacrosse team clinched a national title and an unbeaten season earlier today, beating Boston College 16-13 to finish the season with a 23-0 record.
To appreciate just how impressive an undefeated season is, here’s a look at the last time it has happened in other college sports.
Men’s basketball: the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers
Led by the great Bobby Knight, the 1976 Hoosiers remain the last team to win the NCAA Tournament without a single blemish. The 2015 Kentucky Wildcats were the most recent team to make it to the tournament unbeaten, but their squad led by Karl-Anthony Towns ultimately fell in the Final Four to Wisconsin.
Men’s soccer: the 1989 Santa Clara Broncos
In an odd occurrence, the 1989 national title game for men’s soccer ended in a draw, after no one could emerge victorious between Santa Clara and Virginia. As such, the Broncos finished the season as co-national champs with a record of 20 wins, three draws and zero losses.
Women’s volleyball: the 2009 Penn State Nittany Lions
Along with Maryland women’s lacrosse and Indiana men’s basketball, the Big Ten is home to yet another unbeaten national champion: Penn State volleyball. Eight years ago, the Nittany Lions went 38-0 to seal what is currently the last unbeaten run in volleyball.
Baseball and softball: never
In both sports that require you to hit a ball with a bat, no one has ever run the gauntlet without suffering a single loss. In softball, the 1992 UCLA Bruins flirted with perfection on their way to a 54-2 record. In baseball, the fewest losses ever suffered by a national champion happened way back in 1952, when the Holy Cross Crusaders finished the season 21-3.
Across the world of college sports, finishing a season as unbeaten national champions is hardly a common occurrence, which makes what the women’s lacrosse team did today all the more impressive.
