After years of speculation and rumor, Western Kentucky finally made the decision to make the jump from Division I-AA to I-A in football.

The decision to play on football’s biggest stage was one of the biggest developments in the history of Western athletics, making it the unanimous decision as the top Bowling Green sports story as voted on by the Daily News sports staff.

The long-discussed move was made official on Nov. 2 when the WKU Board of regents voted 7-2 to accept President Gary Ransdell’s recommendation for the transition.

After the vote passed, WKU Athletics Director Wood Selig said the reaction was positive.

&#8220It’s just been very, very positive. I really think this is going to be a real sense of pride for WKU,” Selig said. &#8220It’s been overwhelming. My phone has been ringing since last night. People from all over the country that are peers and friends have been calling, texting me and e-mailing me.”

The Hilltoppers aren’t eligible for the I-AA playoffs or any bowl consideration during the next two seasons as they transition to I-A.

In 2009, Western becomes a full member of the Sun Belt Conference and is eligible for postseason play.

The move to I-A football allows the Hilltoppers to add 22 more full scholarships for football. The football budget will grow by an estimated $2.5 million and will be paid for through a $70 student athletic fee that begins in the fall of 2007.

By the time the Hilltoppers take the field in 2009, renovations at L.T. Smith Stadium should be complete. WKU has budgeted an estimated $37.5 million to giving the home field a complete facelift.

2. Purples soccer wins state title

Just two days after Western Kentucky voted to go I-A in football, the Bowling Green boys’ soccer team made some history of its own.

The Purples became the first-ever team from outside of Lexington or Louisville to win a state championship in that sport when they defeated Ryle 2-1 on Nov. 4 at Toyota Stadium in Georgetown.

It was the third appearance for Bowling Green in the state championship – the Purples made the title game in back-to-back years in 1995-96, but lost to Louisville schools Ballard and Eastern.

Seniors Casey Tinius and Isaias Parras scored the two goals in the championship game. Both were named to the all-tournament team with Parras receiving MVP honors.

3. Lady Toppers snubbed

Even after a disappointing loss at Middle Tennessee in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament final, the Western Kentucky Lady Toppers expected to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

But that bid never came, despite a 24-6 record and an RPI of 17 – the best RPI ever for a team left out of the tournament.

Despite wins against NCAA Tournament teams Louisiana Tech and Louisville, NCAA Tournament chairman Joni Comstock said the Lady Toppers resume wasn’t good enough to merit an at-large bid.

&#8220We looked at them very, very carefully,” Comstock said in March. &#8220Western Kentucky really didn’t present the committee with the strength of schedule that we were looking for. They played four games in the Top 50. We felt that looking at other teams in the tournament, other teams had a profile that was closer to the teams in the tournament than Western.”

Seven teams receive at-large bids with a worse strength of schedule than Western.

WKU would accept a bid to the WNIT and reach the semifinals before falling in overtime to eventual WNIT champion Kansas State.

4. Another 3A runner-up for Purples

The Bowling Green football team was ranked No. 1 for most of the season in Class 3A and advanced all the way to the state championship game before losing 27-8 to Covington Catholic on Dec. 1 at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium in Louisville.

The Purples started the year off with a loss to St. Xavier before winning 13 games in a row en route to the title game.

The Colonels gained 223 yards on the ground and dominated the time of possession (30:09 to 17:51), all while holding Bowling Green to just 127 yards.

BGHS was led by a solid group of seniors – including first-team all-state lineman Stuart Hines, who has verbally committed to play at the University of Kentucky.

5. One for the Dragons’ thumbs

Warren Central won an unprecedented fifth straight Fourth Region boys’ basketball championship in March of 2006.

The region championship game at E.A. Diddle Arena wasn’t the one most people were expecting, however, as Cinderella Metcalfe County upset Greenwood in the region semifinals.

After dispatching the Hornets 72-45 to win the region, Warren Central moved on to the KHSAA Sweet 16 in Lexington before losing in the first round of that tournament to Mason County – the same team the Dragons beat in 2004 to win the state title.

6. York wins Miss Softball

Greenwood has produced many excellent softball players over the years, but in 2006 the school had its first Miss Softball award winner thanks to Brittany York.

York led the Lady Gators to the state tournament last season. Greenwood won its first two games of the tournament, before eventually being eliminated by runner-up Owensboro Catholic.

In her final season, York batted .376 with two home runs, four triples and 25 RBIs. In the pitching circle, she went 15-6 with a 1.29 ERA. She also had 137 strikeouts with only 19 walks.

York, who will play college softball for the University of Louisville, leaves Greenwood as the school record holder in doubles, home runs and RBIs.

7. (tie) WKU men miss NCAAs

The Hilltopper men’s basketball team saw its season end with a thud with a 95-70 loss to South Alabama in the finals of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

WKU standout guard Courtney Lee played in the game, despite suffering a broken hand that limited his effectiveness.

Rumored to be the last team left out of the NCAA Tournament, the Hilltoppers instead found themselves in the NIT, where they lost 74-55 at South Carolina.

7. (tie) Eaton caps prep career

Michael Eaton finished his dominance of cross country and track with another state championship in his final race in May and two state records earlier in the year.

Eaton capped his prep career with a victory in the two-mile at the state track championship in June, but it was his performance at the Mason-Dixon indoor championships earlier in the year that Eaton said was his favorite performance of the year. In that race Eaton set new state records in both the 1,500 and 3,000 meter run.

Eaton also qualified for the Junior Men’s World Championship in Fukuoka, Japan in April and finished 60th.

9. Koller wins state golf title

Russellville junior Nikki Koller gave local fans plenty to cheer about in October, when she tapped in a birdie putt on the final hole of the Leachman Buick-GMC/KHSAA Girls’ State Golf Championship.

Koller edged North Hardin’s Lydia Gumm by one shot after a two-day total of 2-over par 146. She entered the final day tied for second, but a steady round of 72 clinched the title.

Amazingly, Koller had no idea she was in position to win the championship on the final hole.

&#8220I didn’t know for sure because my coach wouldn’t tell me and I didn’t want to know,” Koller said. &#8220I kind of figured since there was a bunch of people standing around, but I wasn’t sure.”

10. Warren East football enjoys best season ever

In 2005 the Warren East football team got a taste of success. In 2006, the Raiders became a force on the gridiron.

Warren East finished the season 10-2 – with the only two losses coming to district rival Bowling Green. The Raiders won a playoff game for the first time in 25 years, hosted a playoff team for the first time since 1997, and picked up a victory against Franklin-Simpson for the first time since 1991.

The Raiders boasted one of the state’s top offenses – averaging 47 points of game – and a plethora of talented skill players.

With most of the key contributors returning, and a shift to a newly aligned district that doesn’t include Bowling Green, the Raiders will look to climb even higher in 2007.