Strange: Dazzling dozen stand out among UT individuals

Besides, Tennessee sports fans, what else is there to do other than watch the College World Series and wonder if UT's next baseball coach is currently in Omaha?

For sure, college sports are all about team. It's about the name on the front of the jersey that matters, not the one on the back.

There is no "I" in Tennessee, etc., etc.

Fine. We've got standings and all-sports trophies to evaluate the big picture. Today, we look past the Xs and Os and single out the Jimmies and the Joes -- and the Jills.

Comparing a linebacker's performance to a swimmer's or a shortstop's is subjective at best. Is being the second-best golfer in the SEC more of an accomplishment than being the third-leading rebounder?

Is kicking a 50-yard field goal more difficult than winning the triple jump? Frankly, I'm not sure. But that shouldn't spoil the discussion.

Here's one observer's estimate of the top dozen individual performances by a UT athlete this year:

1. Monica Abbott: No player in any sport at any school has been more dominant than Tennessee's senior softball pitcher this year.

Strikeouts, shutouts, no-hitters. It's not Abbott's fault the Lady Vols came up short in the Women's College World Series. All she did was pitch 42 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run at the WCWS before the roof fell in.

Abbott was deservedly the national player of the year.

2. Candace Parker: Like Abbott, Parker was the marquee player in her sport and led the Lady Vols to their first NCAA basketball title since 1998.

Parker won the Wooden and Wade awards as national player of the year. She was also the Final Four MVP and averaged 19 points and 10.2 rebounds through six NCAA tournament games.

3. Chris Lofton: He just keeps getting better. The shooter became a well-rounded scorer in 2006-07. He won SEC Player of the Year honors after leading the league in scoring at 20.8 points a game.

Lofton became the first Vol voted as high as Associated Press second-team All-America since Dale Ellis in 1983.

4. Arron Sears: I wish there were some stats to pin on Sears but offensive linemen aren't judged by numbers.

Sears was, however, judged the best blocker in the SEC and presented with the Jacobs Award, the first Vol so honored since 1990.

He also made several All-America teams, including Walter Camp, AFCA and Rivals.com. You'll see him this fall in a Tampa Bay Bucs uniform.

5. Robert Meachem: Finally, the breakout year. The junior led the SEC and ranked fourth nationally at 99.85 receiving yards per game. He set a UT season record with 1,298 yards and helped Wide Receiver U. justify its old nickname.

He won consensus All-America honors before becoming the 27th pick of the NFL draft by New Orleans.

6. India Chiles: First, she was named SEC Player of the Year in softball. Then she topped it off with a heroic performance in the Women's College World Series, playing with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her knee.

7. Rubin Williams: It only takes about 20 seconds to do what Williams does best -- run the 200 meters. But he does it consistently.

Williams was second at the NCAA meet in the 200, both indoors and outdoors. At the SEC level, he won both the indoor and outdoor 200 and anchored the victorious 4x100 relay. He also made All-America in the 100 outdoors and 60 indoors.

8. James Wilhoit: He was about as close as a kicker could be to money in the bank, hitting 18 of 22 field-goal attempts.

First-team All-SEC, Wilhoit was the league's scoring leader and finished seventh on the all-time scoring chart.

9. Kaden Hensel: The junior from Australia is UT's first men's tennis singles All-American since 2005.

He was 12-5 at No. 1 singles and finished ranked No. 18 in the nation.

10. Sarah Bowman: Only a sophomore, Bowman won three events at the SEC indoor track meet, the 3,000, mile and distance-medley relay.

Outdoors, she was second in the 1,500, fourth in the 800. For good measure, she was seventh in cross-country.

11. J.P. Arencibia: It wasn't a dream year but the catcher/first baseman persevered through a back injury to hit .330 and become the fourth SEC player to go in the major league baseball draft, 21st overall to Toronto.

12. Kylee Rossi: A close call over soccer teammate Ali Christoph. Both were first-team All-SEC. Rossi was SEC Offensive Player of the Year.