The Bob Martinez Athletic Center. Photo courtesy of Terry Hunsicker.
A look back at the Spartans’ sports teams of 2016.
–
By Terry Hunsicker
TAMPA, Fla. — As the 2026 spring semester comes to a close, some University of Tampa Spartans athletic teams continue their seasons while others have already finished. Throughout the 20 recognized athletic teams, looking back at just ten years ago provides a window into familiar trends, changes, and evolutions.
In 2016, the University of Tampa had not yet even introduced beach volleyball as a collegiate sport. Of the 20 teams, only four had won their respective Sunshine State Conference (SSC) tournaments and titles.
Now, with much of the spring season yet to play, the Spartans have won six conference titles during the 2025-2026 academic year and have six spring sports teams still actively seeking to defend SSC conference titles.
The men’s swimming team won the DII national championship earlier in the 2025-2026 period, and three teams are in the midst of protecting their national championship titles from last year.
For some teams, the 10-year difference has led to significant improvements. In 2016, the softball team went 18-21 and missed the SSC tournament entirely. In 2026, they already have 23 wins and are looking to earn a fifth straight SSC title.
The women’s swim team placed third out of seven participating teams at the SSC championships in 2016. Ten years later, they swept the SSC conference meets and finished the 2025-2026 season as national championship runner-ups.
In 2016, the Spartans did not have a beach volleyball team. The UTampa beach volleyball team was officially established starting with the 2017-2018 season. Since their creation, they have gone on to win five American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) titles, including three in a row.
For other teams, results rhyme. The 2016 Spartans baseball team sought to defend a national championship title from the prior year, just like the present day. The 2015 national championship team was the seventh in program history, and fourth under head coach Joe Urso. Winning the SSC under Urso in 2016, they made it back to the NCAA tournament but ultimately failed to capture a title.
Now, in 2026, the Spartans seek to defend yet another national championship from the prior year under the very same head coach, Urso. As head coach of the Spartans, Urso has matched the previous program high by coaching seven national championship teams, leading the Spartans to break the DII record for baseball national championships with their tenth in 2025.
On some teams, time has brought significant changes in their programs. Beginning in 1984, Chris Catanach coached the UTampa volleyball team for 41 years. In 2016, Catanach led the volleyball program to a 23-9 record. Just eight years later, Catanach coached his final season before retirement. Catanach won four national titles as head coach and 28 conference championships.
Turning the reins over to assistant coach Brian Imperiale for the 2025-2026 season, Imperiale led the volleyball team to a 32-1 record and won the SSC title in his first year as a head coach.