Swann on making the Rose Bowl...
It was a great November. For my first time being the athletic director during the holiday season, it's wonderful to have the gift of a Rose Bowl. The football team finished up extraordinarily well. Give Clay Helton all the credit for keeping them focused after a 1-3 start to get to a 9-3 season and a top 10 ranking. Our hats are off to him and the football program.Swann on women's soccer's national championship...
We have 21 sports here, so I am just as proud of what women's soccer has accomplished. Under head coach Keidane McAlpine, we won the program's second national championship. I was on hand in Northern California for the semifinal against Georgetown and the final against West Virginia. The Mountaineers were ranked No. 1 with a roster full of Canadian national team players and Olympians, but we beat them, 3-1. It was an outstanding game played by an outstanding team. I cannot praise our team enough.
Swann on men's water polo's national runner-up finish...
Men's water polo has been at the top of its game forever, making 12 straight NCAA title matches. They came up a little short in overtime against Cal in Berkeley, but we are exceptionally proud of what Jovan Vavic has done and what his team has done. What I love about Jovan though is that he is never satisfied to finish second and will continue to doggedly pursue championships.
Swann on men's basketball's undefeated start...
I have enjoyed being in the locker room with Andy Enfield and his team after a couple of victories to listen to him talk about playing great defense and what it will take to win throughout the season. He talks to them about week-by-week improvement. Even in the face of adversity, when Bennie Boatwright went down with an injury, the team was disappointed but not devastated. They are focused on having a great season. They are in position to compete for a Pac-12 championship, which is the first goal, and ultimately to make the NCAA Tournament again.Swann on women's basketball's excellent play...
The Women of Troy only have one loss, and they have dealt with injury trouble as well. They went on the road and picked up a quality win against a ranked Texas A&M team. We are hosting a tournament this weekend at the Galen Center, so we need to support them. We need to get more of our fans out to both men's and women's basketball games.
Swann on women's volleyball's season...
The women's volleyball team is young, but they had a nice season to earn a 26th consecutive NCAA Tournament bid. I look forward to them being outstanding over the next several years. They will continue to get better and continue to grow.
Swann on the academic semester coming to an end...
Academically, we had another tremendous semester in the classroom. Our Stevens Academic Center is there for a reason, and they are doing a great job mentoring and tutoring our student-athletes. Our Graduation Success Rate (GSR) has gone up for the third straight year, and at the present pace, it looks like it will improve over the next two years also.
Swann on visiting USC supporters across the country...
Earlier in December, I took a trip back East for the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame dinner and met with several groups of our alumni who are eagerly engaged with USC and look to do more. They are excited about the Rose Bowl and our progress athletically and academically in all 21 sports. USC has changed and grown to become even more appealing across the country and globe. For example, our lacrosse program has put its sport on the map nationally for the West Coast, so we have more people interested in coming to USC from the East Coast where the sport has deep roots.
Swann on USC's competitive spirit...
I also had the chance to attend the Heisman dinner for the first time with some USC alumni, while we all enjoyed it, we look forward to the day when a Trojan is holding up the trophy again. That's what makes USC special. We had a tremendous fall semester, but we are never satisfied. We keep pushing to win championships in every sport and to get better and better every day, week, month and year.
Happy Holidays to the entire Trojans Family! We are thankful for the blessings of this past year and look forward to a tremendous 2017!
