The 2009-2010 school year was a busy one for Spartan athletics. Whether it was on the field, the court, the track or in the water, the Spartans experienced both victory and defeat.
Spartan baseball shined once again as they won the Sunshine State Conference (SSC) title for the 13th time in school history. Finishing the regular season with an overall record of 42-8, the Spartans have now won 40 games or more in eight consecutive seasons. After a mid-season loss to Valdosta State, UT did not face defeat again over a span of 25 games, a new school record. The previous record was 21 straight games.
Under the leadership of Head Coach Joe Urso, the Spartans hosted the NCAA South Regional Tournament. Following victories over Florida Tech, Valdosta State and Southern Arkansas, the Spartans headed to Cary, N.C. for the NCAA Championships as the South Regional champs.
UT ran into good pitching at the NCAA Championships, only scoring 1 run in their two losses against Central Missouri and Georgia College and State. The Spartans did not come home victorious at nationals, but will try again in 2010.
On the basketball court, the women’s team began the season with a No. 22 ranking handed down by USA Today ESPN Division II Top 25 Coaches’ Poll, and finished the season ranked 18th. It was the first time in team history that the Spartans were ranked in the top 25 the entire season. With a final record of 26-5, the Spartans went undefeated at home with 14 wins.
The Spartans took home the conference title, but fell to Arkansas Tech in the NCAA South Regional Tournament to end their season. Senior Tiara Cook, now graduated, led the team with 16.4 points per game and 8.6 rebounds per game. Gianna Messina, who will be entering her senior year at UT, finished second in both those categories, averaging 14.5 and 6.2 per game, respectively.
Men’s basketball struggled to piece together wins last season, finishing 11-16 overall and eighth in the SSC. The Spartans did earn a bid to compete in the SSC Championship as a 7th seed. Facing Rollins in the quarterfinal round, UT lost 54-73.
The men’s soccer team had success last year, finishing second in the SSC behind Rollins and with an overall record of 17-3-1. With senior goalkeeper Ryan Thompson, now graduated, and returning goalie Clete Goddard in net, the Spartans only allowed 18 goals all season. The Spartans got past conference foes Lynn and Rollins to move onto the NCAA Quarterfinals, but lost to No. 9 ranked Lees-McRae by the score of 0-1, ending their season.
Women’s soccer ended the 2009 season with a 6-11-1 record, placing 7th in the SSC with a conference record of 2-6. Head Coach Gerry Lucey and the team have something to look forward to this season as returning point’s leader Jazmin Perry will be entering her junior year at UT.
The swimming team is coming off a season where the men and women both placed first in six out of fifteen total events. UT’S 2009-2010 men and women’s swim teams both earned a spot in the NCAA Championships. The men finished in 11th place, while the women finished 12th.
Cross Country in 2009 had mixed results. The women earned a bid to contend for the NCAA Championships, placing 10th out of 24 teams. This 10th place finish was following the women Spartans’ third straight NCAA Division II South Regional title. Head Coach Jarrett Slaven was named the South Region Coach of the Year by United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. This was his third straight year that he was honored with the award.
On the men’s side of cross country, the Spartans finished 8th at the NCAA South Regional tournament. They did not compete in the NCAA Championships in 2009.
Notching 14 wins and 10 losses in SSC play, the UT softball team landed in third place in the conference and finished with an overall 23-17 record. Jessica Tejas led the offense with a .288 batting average and 17 RBI, while Heather VanLandin and Kari Walsh posted winning records on the mound. VanLandin ended her season with a 14-10 record and 1.79 ERA, allowing an opponent batting average of just .198. Walsh finished with 9-7 with a 2.65 ERA, giving up just 3 homeruns all season.
Although VanLandin and Tejas have graduated, Walsh and other key contributors will be returning for the 2010 season.
Spartan golf was highlighted by a 2nd place finish at the Spartan Invitational, hosted by UT at Rogers Park. Other notable meets were the Saint Leo Invitational and Barry Invitational, in which UT finished 3rd and 4th, respectively.