Welcome back to the cockpit.

This is my last column during my rookie season as a columnist for the ISU Daily.

I would first like to thank all of you who stuck around during these trying times. My goal for this column always was to be innovative with a new topic each week, but in all honesty, by the end of the semester I was just flat out of ideas.

This year has been a shining example of what Iowa State athletics is all about. Throughout my final column, I am going to quickly review our year in sports.

During the year, Iowa State saw four new head coaches take over the reigns of varsity programs. All of them have had some success and are hoping to improve in upcoming years.

Head coach Dan McCarney led his Cyclone football team onto the field in fine fashion, managing three wins, on the shoulders of sophomore tailback Troy Davis.

Davis was able to scamper to over 2,000 yards behind a line that continued to improve throughout the season.

With that success, Iowa State was also able to gain a second Davis for next season.

Bill Fennelly managed to improve the Cyclone women’s basketball team through a steadily improving frontline of Jayme Olson and Janel Grimm. The Cyclones were also in the presence of the best 3-point shooter in the country, a woman by the name of Tara Gunderson.

Women’s soccer made its debut as a varsity sport under the tutelage of Cathy Klien. The new squad was able to manage a few wins towards the end of its initial season and should continue to improve next season.

The final new coach this season is head baseball coach Lyle Smith.

Smith currently has his Cyclone baseball team in position for a Big Eight Tournament berth, as it is sitting in sixth place in the conference.

Among some of the top newcomers to the Iowa State sports program last season was offensive lineman Patrick Augafa. The 6-5 center from Anchorage, Ala., gained a great deal of respect in the conference from receiving several post-season honors by the Big Eight coaches.

Dedric Willoughby’s outside shooting warmed the hearts of all of the Cyclone basketball fans and made some people forget that Pacer guard known as “The Mayor.”

Just kidding. The Cyclones will always remember Fred Hoiberg just like they will remember Johnny Orr. Willoughby’s decision to follow Tim Floyd to Iowa State made the Cyclone fans elated even if we didn’t know who he was when school started last year. The shooting guard was able to score in double figures in every game last season.

Willoughby also had some help from some fellow ISU newcomers.

Cato is similar to the human fly swatter, yet his shooting touch is still raw. Maybe some time with Loren Meyer will be able to help with the hook and jump shot.

Meanwhile, Pratt, with his acrobatic shooting skills, was able to display an uncanny ability to find a way to score last year. Pratt became Iowa State’s second leading scorer by the end of the season as the trio had a major impact on winning the final Big Eight Tournament championship.

But before I leave the hoops program, I can’t forget about the rumors that continued to surround the basketball program last year. Just a little note to the coach: If we heard them and didn’t make anything of it, you would probably think we didn’t care.

And while looking back, we can’t forget about wrestler Chris Bono gaining his first NCAA championship. Hard work and talent will always convert into great results.