No. 1 Men’s basketball makes first Elite Eight appearance since 2003

The Golden Eagles, selected in the preseason to finish seventh in the Big East, exceeded expectations and put forth solid effort all season long. Marquette won a share of the conference regular season title and came through in close games in the tournament against Davidson and Butler. Not a bad way to mark the 10-year anniversary of the team’s Final Four run.

No. 2 Blue’s layup clinches first Big East championship

Marquette was on the verge of clinching a share of its first Big East regular season title, but a late St. John’s comeback put the championship in jeopardy. St. John’s forced overtime, but Marquette had the ball out of bounds with 7 seconds remaining. Vander Blue took the inbound pass and drove right, flipping the ball over shot-blocker Chris Obekpa and banking in the game-winner. Blue’s teammates mobbed him, and Marquette celebrated a share of the title in Madison Square Garden.

No. 3 Men’s soccer rises to No. 2 in the country

It was not long ago that the men’s soccer squad skyrocketed into national championship discussion. The Golden Eagles started the campaign by winning their first 12 games before faltering down the stretch and losing to Northwestern in the NCAA tournament. With a talented recruiting class arriving in the fall, it would not be a shock to see Marquette appear in the national rankings again.

No. 4 Women’s soccer wins fourth straight Big East American Division title

Marquette has dominated  the Big East for several years and proved itself worthy of such a title once again in the fall. Paced by suffocating defense and a slew of reliable scorers, the Golden Eagles made their fifth straight NCAA tournament appearance. In his 16 years as Marquette’s coach, Markus Roeders has never had a losing season. The streak will likely continue next season.

No. 5 Marquette makes move to new Big East

Marquette and six other Big East Catholic schools chose to form their own conference in December and welcomed Butler, Creighton and Xavier into their basketball-centric league. Keeping the Big East name, the conference will be fully functional in time for the fall.

No. 6 Cadougan’s buzzer-beater forces overtime against Connecticut

After Ryan Boatright’s fading jump shot with 5.9 seconds to go put UConn up three points, Marquette looked as good as finished in its first Big East game of 2013. Instead, Junior Cadougan pushed the ball, crossed over and pulled up from 30 feet out. His jumper hit the bottom of the net, and Marquette later won the game in overtime. The game didn’t mean much at the time, but it ended up preserving the Golden Eagles’ perfect 2012-13 record at the Bradley Center.

No. 7 Bat interrupts Marquette-Providence basketball game

Fans in attendance at the BMO Harris Bradley Center for the Jan. 26 men’s basketball game against Providence were treated to an unwelcome guest on the court. A bat stopped play multiple times and had coaches and players covering their heads and faces for protection. Shortly after the game, the Marquette bat had its own Twitter handle and was the object of national attention.

No. 8 Jansson’s game winner over UW-Milwaukee as time expires

Sophomore Sebastian Jansson made his third career game-winner a memorable one, as his half-bicycle kick with one second remaining helped Marquette reclaim the Milwaukee Cup from UWM and set the pace for its 12-game winning streak.

No. 9 Men’s and women’s lacrosse play inaugural seasons

Lacrosse has made its growing presence known around the country, and this spring Marquette welcomed the sport into its varsity fold. The men’s team struggled to a 2-6 start to the season but has rebounded by taking three of its past four matches. The women’s team, loaded with freshmen, had its share of troubles, too. The Golden Eagles finished at 2-15, but this experience will help the team develop for next year.

No. 10 Sarina Simmons, Katherine Plouffe reach 1,000 career points

There were not many positive moments from the women’s basketball season, but Simmons’ and Plouffe’s 1,000-point milestones provided a much-needed bright spot for the program. Simmons accomplished the feat just two weeks before Plouffe, making them the 22nd and 23rd players in team history to reach the mark. In addition, they are the seventh and eighth players to score 1,000 points since the 2000 season.