USF Bulls put together a remarkable week of wins across multiple sports

The good times were rolling last week across the spectrum of USF athletics.

The Bulls combined for a 25-3 record across nine sports.

The softball team won all seven games it played and stretched its winning streak to 10. The baseball team was 6-0 while men's basketball and women's lacrosse each won both of their contests. The men also improved to a program-best No. 52 NET ranking.

The women's basketball team rebounded nicely after losing a tough game at Rice. The Bulls hammered Florida Atlantic by 20 points.

Beach volleyball opened its inaugural season with three wins in four matches at the Green Wave Invitational in New Orleans.

Women's tennis whipped UTSA 4-0 while the men beat Stetson and Georgia Southern and pushed 28th-ranked Clemson hard before falling 4-3.

And lest we forget ... ok, 'fess up. Did you know USF has a women's sailing team?

Well, it does, and the Bulls finished first in the four-team USF Women's Team Race in the waters off St. Petersburg.

All of this represents more than just one good week. It's the result of the emphasis USF has placed on athletics in recent years, starting with Michael Kelly as the Vice President for Athletics and continuing now with CEO of Athletics Rob Higgins.

Rhea Law, who stepped down recently as USF's president, and the trustee board deserve much credit for this as well. They had the foresight to see what a strong overall athletic program could do for the university and were willing to provide the necessary resources to make it happen.

As long-time Bulls watchers know, it wasn't always that way.

So-called "minor" sports were often treated as collateral damage. Sure, leaders cared about the marquee sports like football and men's basketball, mostly because those teams got a lot of media coverage. Otherwise, there was little accountability on the coaches and their records, and losing seasons were often treated with a shrug.

Kelly began to change that. He provided the resources for each team to succeed, but with the caveat that expectations were higher. If a coach didn't produce the desired results, consequences followed.

Higgins is building on that foundation.

Now, the campus is a beehive on many spring weekends. It's not unusual to see baseball, softball, and lacrosse matches happening simultaneously, with each team supported by nice crowds. The students have been turning out in strong numbers, and now the alumni are rubbing their eyes as if to say, "Why wasn't it like this when I was at USF?"

As the late Amir Abdur-Rahim said, "This ain't the same old South Florida."

Not even close.