This week, I decided to take a step back and look at the starts of some of our own teams this week among some other UT related topics. Let’s get to it.
The women’s soccer team is off to a terrific start. When you have a freshman that can go off for multiple score games, you know the coaching staff is doing something right. Forward Kaley Ward, the aforementioned first-year player, scored twice against Nova Southeastern University on Saturday night en route to a 3-0 victory by the fifth-ranked Spartans. The team won their first conference match against the Sharks and improved their overall record to 7-0. Great job, ladies. Looking forward to seeing you take down Florida Southern on their turf this Saturday.
Meanwhile, the men are off to a solid start of their own. Coach Adrian Bush’s squad is off to 3-0-2 start after a scoreless draw against Nova Southeastern in the second game of a doubleheader with the women’s team on Saturday. Goalkeeper David Niepel delivered another stellar performance, but the real star was the Spartan defense. Led by junior defenseman Andrew Clare, the Spartans kept the Sharks out of the goal. Next up is a doubleheader with the ladies at Florida Southern. Let’s see if the men can rise even higher than their current No.18 ranking.
Talk about off to the races. After starting the season ranked 21st in the nation by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) poll, the Lady Spartans rose to No.15 in their latest poll. The ladies won a pair of team titles at the USF Open as well as the UF Mountain Dew Invitational to kick off the season. Junior Courtney Ragan paved the way for the team, for she has been their top individual performer at each meet. The ladies return to action tomorrow at Dover Trails, their home turf. It should be another victory for coach Jarrett Slaven’s squad.
Coming off a loss in the national championship game last season, the volleyball team had high expectations for itself coming into this season. They have almost certainly lived up to those expectations so far. The ladies started the season ranked No. 1 overall in the polls, and despite a heartbreaking loss to No. 4 Concordia (St. Paul, Minn.) at the Colorado Premier tournament in Denver on Sept. 14, still rank No. 3 overall in the country. Sophomore middle blocker Jessica Wagner has been a revelation, leading the Lady Spartans to a season opening victory at the Terrace Tournament hosted by Florida Southern and a runner-up finish in Denver en route to being named SSC Defensive Player of the Week last week. The ladies hope to regain the No. 1 ranking with victories against SSC rivals Florida Tech (Friday night) and Barry (Saturday night) at home.
Our school is quickly becoming a place where athletes want to transfer. Both the women’s and men’s basketball teams, along with the lacrosse team, have gotten transfers from Division I teams as well as from various community and junior colleges. The men’s basketball team added local product Jordan Davis from the College of Central Florida, while the women’s team added five players: center/forward Ellen Nurmi (University of Portland), guard Diamond Posey (UTEP), forward Aisha Rodney (UMASS), center Taylor McVey (University of Albany) and forward Krissi Tow (Kirkwood CC in Iowa). Both teams are coming off SSC Tournament exits and would like to return to that tournament and beyond. The men’s lacrosse team has also picked up a pair of transfers from Division I schools: attacker Mike Morris from Johns Hopkins and attacker Jake Rooney, formerly of Hofstra. Both players are just entering their sophomore campaigns and are looking to return the Spartans to the postseason.
Our school is one of the best athletic colleges in all of Division II. With a good amount of our fall sports having immediate success, we get to look forward to swimming, golf and basketball in the coming weeks. So the next time you’re out of class early and there is a game or meet going down on campus, do yourself a favor and go watch it. More often than not, you will see a Spartan victory.
Jordan Llanes can be reached at jordan.llanes@theminaretonline.com.