Success comes in the spring

Football season is nowhere to be found and men’s basketball has their final two home games this week before heading to Las Vegas for the Pac-12 tournament and hopefully a more fruitful postseason than some in recent memory. So as USC sports fans it may seem like the dog days where nothing exciting is going on, but on the contrary — USC is at the pinnacle of athletic achievement in sports around campus and that is something to celebrate and behold.

USC currently boasts three sports that hold No. 1 overall rankings: women’s water polo, women’s golf and women’s beach volleyball. Right behind them is No. 6 men’s golf. Women’s lacrosse is holding down the No. 11 ranking and men’s tennis is No. 12 in the country. Baseball, arguably spring’s most popular sport, is also going strong with a No. 22 national ranking.

These sports may not be as popular or glamorous as football or basketball, but they are clearly more successful than either program has been recently.

The slew of spring sports that are in the hunt for conference and national titles is something special; something that other schools can’t say they have.

The No. 4 women’s swim and dive team just captured the first conference championship in program history and the No. 9 men’s team is looking to defend their title from last year this week.

The other aquatic sport currently dominating the pool is women’s water polo. The Women of Troy are undefeated through 11 games and last weekend alone took down four top-25 opponents, including three top-10 opponents, one of them being No. 2 UCLA. I don’t know what it would take for people to get out and support this team, but I can say having never watched water polo before this year, it is certainly worth it. Water polo is intense, physical and relatively high scoring. For those who think it is boring or that they wouldn’t understand it, I say give it a chance. It is a game that is very easy to understand as a spectator and to watch it here at USC would be to watch the best collegiate water polo in the country.

Beach volleyball is another underappreciated sport. The athletic ability of these women who are running, leaping and diving through sand is incredible. The Women of Troy are the defending national champions coming off a remarkable 28-0 season. In addition to boasting the team national title, USC also brought home the individual title courtesy of juniors Kelly Claes and Sara Hughes. The pair is the third consecutive Trojan duo to win the national title and will be defending their claim this season.

Women’s golf is another underappreciated sport that is equally as talented. Perhaps a bit harder to follow — since one of the few things USC does not boast on its campus is a golf course — but worthy of attention nonetheless, the top team in the land took home the title of the Gold Rush last week. The Trojans also swept the podium with freshman Robyn Lee winning, followed by sophomore Amy Lee in second and junior Tiffany Chan who finished third.

The men’s golf team is showing its perennial talent boasting a No. 6 ranking. Golf isn’t a spectator-friendly sport for the average college student but following along is certainly worthwhile as they continue competing in national tournaments.

Lacrosse is an up-and-coming sport at USC, starting their fourth season. The Women of Troy have proven themselves this season after upsetting then-No. 5 ranked Duke and have now vaulted in the rankings themselves sitting just outside the top-10 at No. 11. I believe that lacrosse will catch on among the student body and that this may be the hot spring sport to go watch because of the combination of talent and constant action.

Men’s tennis is an annual top talent and this year is no different. The Men of Troy are ranked No. 12 and the only three losses they have suffered this year have come at the hands of top-10 opponents. This is yet another squad that has championship caliber goals and boasts the talent to reach them.

Baseball is spring’s darling and the team came into the season with high hopes after narrowly missing the College World Series last year. The team surprised everyone with their success and this year expectations are high. It has been a bit of a rocky road for the Trojans on the diamond, but they maintain a high ranking at No. 22. The team has a huge weekend leading up to playing No. 14 UCLA in Dodger Stadium for the Stadium Classic.

The sports in season right now are talented and dominant, and all have legitimate championship hopes.

So here’s to celebrating the underdogs of USC athletics. For the sports whose stars blend in on Trousdale and aren’t asked for autographs after they play, but for putting in the time and effort to bring the Trojan Family pride and entertainment every day.

Hailey Tucker is a sophomore majoring in broadcast and digital journalism. She is also the sports editor of the Daily Trojan. Her column, “Tucker Talks,” runs every other Wednesday.