This will be my last sports column for the foreseeable future. For the last two-and-a-half years, I have spent way too much time in Buzzard Hall. So for the first time since I have been at Eastern, I will not be holding a position at the newspaper.

Having said that, the reader (whether or not they care) will be deprived from my thoughts on Eastern sports for the duration of the year. So without further ado, here are my predictions:

Men’s and women’s basketball

I do not know if either team will win the OVC tournament this season, but I expect both teams to win at least a game.

For the men’s team, this is the deepest I have seen since I have been at Eastern. The combination of experienced players and how they are playing now leads me to believe only good things will come.

Although they are currently playing without All-OVC senior guard Romain Martin, when he returns to the lineup the Panthers will be deep enough to win one or two games in the OVC Tournament. Even if they do not win the conference this season, the combination of young talent could turn the program around.

The women’s basketball team has already exceeded my expectations coming into the season. I thought with all of the players they lost to graduation, there was no way they could duplicate the success they have had the last two seasons. I was wrong.

Head coach Brady Sallee proved he was not a one-hit wonder, bringing in another solid recruiting class. This team may not reach the conference finals as they did a year ago, but the women’s basketball team will be on the rise as long as Sallee is here.

Indoor track and field

Both the men’s and women’s indoor track teams took home the conference titles last season and I expect that trend to continue.

The men’s team has only not won the conference once since the 2000 season and with a loaded roster, this season should be no exception.

The women’s team has won the title two of the last three seasons, and like the men return enough pieces to win the conference again.

Swimming

Unlike the other two sports, this may be another rebuilding year for the swimming teams. The men’s team finished third last season and the women finished fifth, which should be the same.

It is only year two into Matt Bos’s tenure as coach, and with a young team for both squads, the future is brighter for the Panthers in the pool.

Dan Cusack can be reached, at least for the next week, at 581-7944 or dscusack@eiu.edu.