The 2023-2024 NCAA athletic year came to an end just over a week ago.
The year is highlighted by conference championships, Bedlam victories and No. 1 seeds and stained by early tournament exits, upset losses and a program that reached a new low.
Let’s dive into all 16 seasons, giving each team a grade, A thru F, going in order from best to worst.
Track & Cross Country: A+
This grade encompasses both women’s and men’s cross country and women’s and men’s track – all of which had stellar seasons. Cowboy cross country won its fifth national title last fall, which ended up as OSU’s only national championship in the athletic year.
The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) ranks its top programs of the year annually for both the women’s and men’s programs. OSU finished in the top five in both departments. The standings are calculated by adding up the combined finishes of each program’s cross country, indoor and outdoor track & field placements at the NCAA Championships.
In this metric, the lower the number the better. OSU’s combined point total for the women’s and men’s teams is its lowest total in team history – meaning it is the best.
Women’s Tennis: A
An A+ season shifted to an A with an upset defeat to Tennessee in the Super Regionals, but Cowgirl tennis was still without a doubt the best team on campus in the athletic year.
A flawless 24-0 regular season became 27-0 after a run to a Big 12 Tournament championship. The conference tournament title was the program’s first one since 2016, and for their efforts the Cowgirls earned the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Though the season ended without a national title, it was still a great success.
Softball: A-
The Cowgirls maintained the standard of making it to the Women’s College World Series, with this season’s appearance being the fifth consecutive.
Oklahoma State had one of the best resumés in the country during the regular season with series victories over No. 2 Texas at home and No. 2 Oklahoma on the road.
OSU finished one win shy of 50 on the season after what some figured to be a “rebuilding year” for the program.
The A- grade comes from the team’s 0-3 record in games played at Devon Park. A surprising first-round exit at the Big 12 Tournament to BYU and a shocking 0-2 record in the WCWS.
Equestrian: A-
Oklahoma State equestrian made it back to the NCEA semifinals for the fifth consecutive year and secured its 10th Big 12 Title in the process.
The Cowgirls defeated No. 3 ranked Auburn in the quarterfinal and nearly pulled off an upset against eventual-champion SMU. O
SU won the NCEA national championship two years ago, but have now dropped back-to-back semifinal games the past two seasons. That doesn’t take away from the fact that the team was in the mix for a title again in 2024.
Football: B+
Through the first four games, any makings of a successful season were deemed nearly impossible. Last season was certainly the most confusing season of Cowboy football in years, maybe even ever.
A shellacking to South Alabama is likely the most confusing loss in the Gundy era, and that was followed by a loss to Iowa State in Ames a week later. The three-quarterback experiment failed and all hope was lost.
Yet somehow, someway, things turned around. OSU won five straight games – including a thrilling Bedlam victory in the rivalry’s final scheduled meeting.
When all was said and done, Oklahoma State won 10 games for the eighth time in 14 years and appeared in its second Big 12 championship game in three years. Those highs are balanced out by the agonizing lows to create a rollercoaster of a season, one that OSU finished above ground level.
Wrestling: B
Oklahoma State’s final season under John Smith was similar to recent seasons past, the main difference being that the team was even more dominant in the regular season than past years. OSU went 14-0 to start the season and rose to No. 2 in the rankings before dropping the regular season finale to No. 4 Iowa.
From there, the Cowboys watched the Big 12 Championships slip from their grasp and then stumbled to a 10th place finish at NCAA’s. Daton Fix returned to the finals but lost and Dustin Plott was also a runner-up.
Baseball: B-
All of the pieces were there for a deep postseason run, but it just never happened. Brian Holiday was the ace of OSU’s best pitching staff in several years and Nolan Schubart led a streaky but powerful offense.
The Cowboys won 42 games, which is right on par for the last three years (42, 41, 42). The crowning achievement of the season was the team’s run to winning the Big 12 Tournament – outsourcing its opponents 36-13 in its five games and winning the Bedlam title game. In that regard, OSU lived up to its standard, but that didn’t continue into the Stillwater regional.
For the third year in a row, the Cowboys failed to advance past their home regional after losing back-to-back games to Florida in the regional final. There’s no doubt that in baseball it’s incredibly difficult to win postseason games, but Oklahoma State needs to figure out how to do it soon.
Men’s Tennis: B-
The Cowboys had a solid 2024 headlined by the play of Tyler Zink and Isaac Becroft. OSU went 18-10 during the season with its biggest win being a 6-1 victory over No. 5 Southern California. The Pokes ran into top talent at the worst times this season, losing to No. 1 seeded Texas in the Big 12 Tournament semifinal round and being paired up with No. 1 nationally seeded Ohio State’s regional.
Men’s Golf: C+
The Cowboys were one of 30 teams to compete at the NCAA Championship in late May, but any chances of a high finish vanished after an opening round 303 and OSU failed to make the cut for the top 15.
Oklahoma State placed tied for 23rd, and its highest finishers were Rayhan Thomas (T51) and Jonas Baumgartner (T60).
Women’s Golf: C+
Similarly to Cowboy golf, the Cowgirls also failed to make the cut at the NCAA Championship.
OSU’s 912 tied it for 24th in the standings. Maddison Hinson-Tolchard was the team’s best finisher in a tie for 79th place. Hinson-Tolchard was an All-Big 12 First teamer.
Women’s Soccer: C-
The highlight of OSU’s season was a 1-0 win over Oklahoma at Neal Patterson Stadium to close the regular season. That was one of OSU’s 12 wins on the year, and as a result the Cowgirls were excluded from the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season.
Women’s Basketball: D+
A surprising 21-12 record with an appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2022-23 was followed up with a 14-16 showing this past season. High roster turnover left the Cowgirls with lots of new faces, and the struggles of getting acclimated to the newness showed on the court.
OSU was middle-of-the-pack offensively in the Big 12, but near the bottom defensively. The team was in decent shape until a devastating end to the season – losing 10 of the last 13 games, including a heartbreaker in the Big 12 Tournament against TCU.
Men’s Basketball: D-
The grade speaks for itself here. Cowboy basketball was a hard watch all the way around in 2023-2024. Lackluster offense with frequent scoring droughts made it nearly impossible to compete in most conference games and as a result OSU was tied with West Virginia for the worst record in Big 12 games (4-14).
The Pokes got off to an 0-6 conference start before winning four of its next seven. From there, a six game losing streak ended the season with a 12-20 record, OSU’s worst since 2018-2019.
Oklahoma State also moved on from coach Mike Boynton at season’s end.
