BG coach Curt Miller called Lindsey Goldsberry’s Mid-American Conference record 114 wins ‘a record that may never be touched.’ However, if he looks down his bench, he could very well see her predecessors. BG’s junior class of Tara Breske, Sarah Clapper and Laura Bugher have already amassed 85 wins in their careers, 30 short of breaking Goldsberry’s mark. And with next season’s team expected by many to be better than this year’s team, which finished 29-5, winning 30 games isn’t out of the question. But it will certainly be difficult. The only women’s basketball team in University and MAC history to win 30 games was the 2006-07 Sweet Sixteen team, which featured the current juniors as freshman. That season, the Falcons went 31-6, which included a 15-1 conference record and a 2-1 mark in NCAA Tournament games. While it’s a stretch to expect the Falcons to make another run to the Sweet Sixteen, if they execute well in the regular season, MAC Tournament and any postseason play they receive, a 30 or 31 win season isn’t out of the question. However, Miller isn’t considering his juniors’ possible record while making next season’s schedule. He has already said he plans to develop a more challenging non-conference schedule next season in order to help the team’s chances for NCAA Tournament consideration, which could prevent the juniors from gaining enough wins assuming they run into a tough postseason team. But I can say with some certainty each of the three would take an NCAA Tournament bid over breaking Goldsberry’s record every single time. However, their breaking of the record would make a unique situation. If the junior class is to record its 115th win next season, it would mark the third straight season a class of Falcons has broken the same record, something that would look rather fancy on Miller’s resume if he ever decided to leave BG. It started in 2007-08 when Kate Achter and Whitney Taylor finished their careers with 108 wins, then Goldsberry finished up this season with 114 and next season’s senior class could have somewhere in the 115-118 range if they get lucky. And don’t discount the two classes that follow them as they could keep the trend going. The next class, led by Lauren Prochaska and Tracy Pontius, has a little harder journey to travel having just 54 wins so far and needing 61 to break Goldsberry’s record. But one or two deep postseason runs could change that from a harder journey to smooth sailing. This year’s freshmen, Jessica Slagle, Maribeth Giese and Victoria McGowan, also have a good start with 29 wins. To compare, Goldsberry had 28 wins when she was a freshman and Achter and Taylor started their careers with 23 wins. But do keep in mind the old saying that all good things must come to an end. The Falcons have been blessed with five straight regular season MAC championships, giving them five straight postseason berths. Without those, this wouldn’t even be a talking point. And at that, there’s no guarantee BG will have another winning season for the next, say, 10 years. It’s very unlikely, but in sports, you just never know. Even Miller said he thought this team would barely reach .500 after the Falcons lost their first two games so a mediocre season amid the winning isn’t out of the question. But until that does happen, the next players in line to break the MAC all-time wins record may be sitting at the end of the Falcon bench for years to come.