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As the school year comes to a close, the Herald Sports Department looked back over the 2012-13 sports seasons and selected some of the stars and shining moments of the season.  

Best Worst Moment of the Year: Bret Bielema’s “Woo Pig Sooie”

Life has a funny way of coming full circle. But for a boy who was raised on a hog farm to coach a school whose mascot is a giant pig? That’s just perfect.

Born and raised on a hog farm in Prophetsville, Ill., life came full circle for former Wisconsin head coach when he bolted Dec. 4 for a new coaching job with the Arkansas Razorbacks.

“I grew up on a pig farm, about 2,500 pigs,” Bielema told arkansasrazorbacks.com. “We had way more pigs than people.”

The next day, Bielema was introduced at a press conference as the new Arkansas head coach. Several minutes into the press conference, the new head coach led a cheer of “Calling the Hogs,” the signature Arkansas cheer.

In what can only be described as one of the most awkwardly delightful occurrences/GIF worthy moments in the history of college sports, Bielema yelled out a “let’s call those hogs” in a voice still strained from coaching Wisconsin just days earlier in the Big Ten Championship game.

Then came the fireworks.

He held the first “woo” too long and in a tone that was not only flat, but octaves below an acceptable pitch. The “pig sooie” part didn’t make it any better, coming in a good second too slow with the crowd. Then, to make matters worse, the camera zoomed in on his face during the second “woo pig sooie” sequence, capturing a Bielema face that seemed to say a few things:

“This is NOT how we called in the hogs back home.” “What the hell is going on”? and “To think all I had to say a few days ago was ‘On Wisconsin.'”

The chant instantly became an internet sensation and solidified in Madison lore.

-Nick Korger

Worst Day of the Year: Wisconsin men’s basketball loses to Ole Miss in first round

The day was Friday, March 22, 2013-the fifth-seeded Badgers were expected to politely shove aside the Rebels of Ole Miss and perennial trash-talker Marshall Henderson en route to a seventh straight second round (“third round”) appearance in the NCAA tournament. The Wisconsin faithful was looking for a good excuse to enter spring break with alcoholic beverage in hand in celebratory fashion (not that we ever need an excuse for such refreshments).

However, not only were the Badgers outscored by 14 points in the second half on their way to shooting 25 percent for the game, but they allowed the unofficial garbage-person of the NCAA tournament to score 17 points in the second half to lead the Rebels to a 57-46 win. Closing the game on 1-for-14 shooting was certainly not the way the Grateful Red wanted to see the frontline seniors of Jared Berggren, Ryan Evans and Mike Bruesewitz end their prosperous Wisconsin basketball careers.

Wisconsin should have felt especially awful about bowing out to Ole Miss because the loss forced all of America to stand idly by and cringe at the sound of more jeweled words of wisdom from Henderson.

“I’m trying to get paid here soon because I’m tired of doing all this stuff for free,” Henderson modestly stated before the matchup with Wisconsin. “And this is where you make your money, the NCAA tournament.”

If Wisconsin is ever to lose to a team in its opening game of the NCAA tournament, many would hope it comes against a team with far more class and a player far less conceited about the finances of college basketball.

-Lee Gordon

Male Athlete of the Year: Montee Ball

There’s no longer room for controversy: Montee Ball is one of Wisconsin football’s all-time greats.

The career numbers look like something out of a fantasy football league: an NCAA record 77 rushing touchdowns and 5,140 yards gained in four seasons. He was a Heisman Trophy finalist as a junior and the Doak Walker Award winner as a senior, the running back who was buried on the depth chart midway through his sophomore campaign releasing pent-up frustration from games spent observing from the sideline with each stiff arm and tromp into the end zone.

While true that his senior numbers didn’t match those of a truly remarkable junior campaign that included 1,923 yards and 39 total touchdowns, it was a near-impossible act to follow. After struggling through the first month of the season in 2012, he unleashed his full fury in a 247-yard, three-touchdown trampling of Purdue that returned him to the previous season’s form.

Ball’s career was not without its struggles – he lost three straight Rose Bowls – but his consistent production may have been the single most important piece in reestablishing Wisconsin football among the Big Ten’s elite. With a style that invited contact, watching Ball run rekindled memories of the great Ron Dayne. He was a workhorse back who evaded injury for most of his career, carrying the ball 924 times in anchoring the Badgers’ run-heavy attack.

So the star tailback may be the easy, obvious pick for Male Athlete of the Year. But any Wisconsin fan would be hard pressed to find another Badger athlete who had a bigger and more lasting impact on his or her team through a four-year stretch than Ball.

-Ian McCue

Runner-up: Drew teDuits

Just barely getting edged out by Montee Ball who was breaking records on the football field, Drew teDuits was busy doing the same in the pool.

For the first time in 54 years, the University of Wisconsin can claim a National Champion in swimming thanks to the 6-foot-5 UW sophomore. To make his feat even more impressive teDuits won the 200-meter backstroke relatively comfortably, beating the second-place swimmer by over a second.

Winning in a time of 1 minute 38.27 seconds, teDuits now claims the third-fastest time in the 200-meter backstroke in NCAA history.

In addition to his NCAA title, teDuits also took home a first-team All-American Honor in the 200-meter backstroke for his performances in 2013.

-Nick Daniels

Co-Female Athlete of the Year: Brianna Decker

Leading her young team back from an inconsistent 3-3-2 start to the season to a second place finish in the WCHA, captain Brianna Decker of the Wisconsin women’s hockey team lit up the ice in her senior season at UW.

A fitting player to score the first Badger goal in the new LaBahn Arena, Decker created and finished headline-worthy goals all season long. From scoring UW’s only goal of the season against National Champion Minnesota – who averaged less than one goal per game allowed all season – to netting three short-handed goals and five power play goals on the season, Decker seemed to always find a way to finish plays at critical moments. And to cap off her record-breaking career for the Badgers, the feisty center buried the game-winning goal, her fifth of the season, against Minnesota-Duluth in the final regular-season home game to secure Wisconsin a No. 2 seed in the WCHA tournament.

Although UW just missed the mark for a place in the NCAA tournament after falling in the semifinal game of the WCHA tournament, Decker earned All-WCHA First Team honors with three goals and two assists in the tournament.

The Badger will walk away from her four years in cardinal and white with a national championship, the 2012 Patty Kazmaier Award, UW’s longest scoring streak record of 32 games and a community of fans who eagerly came to watch the magic from the girl in the No. 18 jersey.

–Caroline Sage

Co-Female Athlete of the Year: Mary Massei

If there is one thing players and coaches strive for across all sports, it is consistency. When it comes to Wisconsin softball, no one better emulates the pinnacle of consistency than junior right fielder Mary Massei.

Among a batting lineup that has excelled for Wisconsin all season, Massei shines the brightest as the leadoff hitter can almost always be counted on to kick start the offense for the Badgers – a sentiment that was highlighted last weekend in UW’s second-to-last regular season game last Sunday when Massei launched a leadoff home run and then hit her second homer of the game in the fifth inning in a 3-0 win against Michigan State.

Massei’s batting statistics speak for themselves as the California native has 74 hits, 47 runs and 121 total bases – all Wisconsin single-season records. Not to mention her .433 batting average that is 32 points higher than the record set by Julie Borchard in 1998.

On Tuesday, the Big Ten recognized Massei’s accomplishments this season awarding her with an unanimous first team all-Big Ten selection to go along with her selection to the Capital One Academic All-District Softball Team.

Massei will continue her record-setting campaign with Wisconsin Friday in the Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals as the Badgers will see their first postseason action since 2008.

-Spencer Smith

Coach of the Year: Mike Eaves

His team started the season in the worst way possible. Between suspensions, injuries, a coaching change and only one win in its first 10 games Mike Eaves didn’t let his skaters call it a year, not once.

As he continued to chant something about turning a ship, the ship indeed turned. Soon, that horrendous start felt like some distant nightmare as the Badgers went on an 11-game unbeaten streak and an 11-game unbeaten conference streak.

After a quick, exhilarating win outside at Soldier Field, the Badgers continued to push for the playoffs. As they often noted, they played playoff hockey since mid-season, pushing to keep their season alive. As they kept rolling – Eaves’ second mantra of the season – Wisconsin entered the WCHA playoffs with their sights set on an NCAA bid.

Roll, they did. Eaves coached his team to three consecutive wins in the WCHA Playoff tournament at the Xcel Energy Center – a building he hasn’t seen much success in – to win the final Broadmoor Trophy and an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament.

Eaves took a talented team that couldn’t put it all together in the beginning, and majorly suffered the consequences, and turned it into an NCAA Tournament contender. He and the Badgers transformed a rather forgettable season to one of their greatest in recent years.

-Kelly Erickson

Play of the Year: Brust’s Miracle Heave against Michigan

The time is 12:44 p.m. on Feb. 9, and as many UW students awake to a hangover, Wisconsin is deep into a bout with No. 2 Michigan. Only moments earlier, Tim Hardaway Jr. drained a three-pointer from the top of the arc with senior forward Mike Bruesewitz draped all over him, putting the Wolverines up 60-57.

It appears the game is all but finished, and a silence and feeling of impending doom falls upon the Kohl Center. But, head coach Bo Ryan elects to call one timeout with 2.4 seconds remaining to set up one final play.

Enter Ben Brust stage left, the 6-foot-1 junior point guard from Hawthorn Woods, Ill. As play resumes, Bruesewitz toes the inbound line almost falling over it trying to get the ball in to someone, anyone. Then, Brust comes curling from the left sideline to just behind the ‘W’ logo in the backcourt, and Bruesewitz hits his man in stride.

Four steps later, with his weight anchored in his left foot, Brust propels himself into the air and the ball leaves his hand. Everyone, including Brust, stops momentarily, and all eyes watch the orange ball spinning through the air toward the basket.

The ball hits nothing but net on the way down, and the Kohl Center erupts into a frenzy. Brust arms rise into the air above his head, the “Bench Mob” races out to well, mob the hero and even Ryan can be seen celebrating on the sideline. It’s “Space Jam” meets “Rudy” meets “Miracle,” and the moment of the year.

-Dan Corcoran

Rookie of the Year: Sam Dekker

Sam Dekker became just the fourth true freshman to start under head coach Bo Ryan (Devin Harris, Alando Tucker and Josh Gasser being the other three), but the Sheboygan native’s main role during the 2012-13 season was that of a sixth man.

Dekker earned Big Ten All-Freshman team recognition to go along with an honorable mention for All-Big Ten. He was Big Ten Freshman of the Week (Jan. 14) and Co-Freshman of the Week (March 4).

Scoring was Dekker’s forte this past season as he ranked fourth on the team in scoring over the course of the entire season (9.6 points per game) and was the leading scorer in conference play among Big Ten reserves (9.4ppg). The 6-foot-7, 220-pound forward was 14th in the conference, fourth among freshman, in field goal percentage (.478) and ranked seventh in the conference in 3-point field goal percentage (.391). Dekker hit from deep at least once in 17 of the last 21 games for the Badgers.

Dekker reached his career high in scoring when he scored 19 points against Arkansas on November 24, and again when he scored the same amount versus Nebraska on Feb. 26.

In the Badgers’ semifinal victory over Indiana in the Big Ten Tournament, Dekker recorded 11 points off of 5-8 shooting in 20 minutes. Nine of Dekker’s 11 points came in the first half, including an impressive personal 7-0 run.

In his NCAA tournament debut, Dekker recorded 14 points to go along with three rebounds in the Badgers’ disappointing 57-46 loss to Ole Miss.

-Zack Miller 

Runner-up: Nic Kerdiles

Were it not for his ban from competition for the first ten games of the season, freshman forward Nic Kerdiles could have helped lead the Badgers to an even greater regular season this year.

Before Kerdiles joined the team Nov. 30, Wisconsin had limped out of the gates – managing a measly 1-7-2 record. After he joined the team, and moving forward throughout the rest of the season, the Badgers went on to a 21-6-5 record for the rest of the season – eventually stunning their WCHA opponents on the way to a surprise WCHA Tournament championship and NCAA Tournament appearance.

On the year, Kerdiles finished second in scoring on the team, despite his early season hiatus, with 33 points in 32 games and truly hit his stride in the last 12 games – scoring six goals and earning 13 assists in that span.

In recognition of his efforts over the final two months of the season, Kerdiles was awarded the National Division I Rookie of the Month award for both March and April.

-Nick Daniels

Game of the Year: Nebraska v. Wisconsin in Big Ten Championship

With head coach Bret Bielema still at the helm and a number of ineligibility issues preventing Penn State and Ohio State from participating in the Big Ten Championship, the Badgers represented the Leaders division instead and what ensued at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis became The Badger Herald Game of the Year.

Revenge was on the line for the Badgers following their early season debacle in Lincoln, Neb. and a spot in the Rose Bowl awaited the victor. It all started out quite flaccidly with two senior running back Montee Ball carries and a senior quarterback Curt Phillips first down conversion. Then sophomore running back Melvin Gordon took an end around carry for 56 yards and a touchdown. All hell was about to break loose.

Nebraska’s answer was a first down Taylor Martinez pass that ended in the hands of Marcus Cromartie as No. 14 comfortably darted into the end zone. A pair of ensuing Nebraska scores made the game interesting. In the first quarter, that is.

Wisconsin would score the next 35 points of the game and run up an astounding total of 70 on their way to a 39-point victory and their third consecutive Rose Bowl appearance (and loss).

Although the season would take a different direction following the championship game, it was not one to be forgotten. Senior running back James White ran for the third most yards that day – 109 behind Gordon’s 216 and Ball’s 202 – but added four touchdowns. He even threw for a score.

For one night, anything and everything went the way of the cardinal and white.

-Sean Zak