Sunshine State Conference

A casual conversation kicked off Judy Street's second college career more than 40 years after her first one ended. As a guest at the 2001 Barry University athletic banquet, she engaged in conversation with then-head coach Roger White and the prospect of her eligibility came up.

Why would Coach White want a sexagenarian on his team, and how would it benefit Barry? Well, Street was not just any recreational golfer over 60. Her athletic prowess was well noted in 1955, by the age of 15. She won the State Women's Championship of Tennessee. In 1957 and 1958, she won the U.S. Junior Championship. A member of the University of Miami Hall of Fame, she won the national collegiate championship in 1959. The same year, she was a U.S. Amateur Championship semifinalist. In 1960, she was a member of the victorious Curtis Cup team.

Street left UM after her junior season to marry her sweetheart and raise their four children. She quit golf years later to tend to her family, but couldn't stand the sedentary life. At the age of 30, she chose the sport of tennis and naturally, she was a winner. Street played competitively as a highly rated amateur for 23 years.

Barry began pursuing Street's eligibility situation, and it was determined after several letters and inquiries that she had a year of eligibility left in Division II. "They called UM to check the records, and they said, I don't think our records go back that far," laughed Street in 2002.

She enrolled and reported to practice. Coach White informed Street he wasn't going to cut her any breaks. She would have to practice, go to school, and, most importantly, carry her bag like all the younger players.

Averaging 83 strokes per round for Barry in 2002, Street alternated between the No. 3 and No. 4 positions on the squad. Her performance throughout the year helped lift the Buccaneers to a second-place regional finish and their first-ever berth in the NCAA tournament.

It was a big year for Street. She became a national runner-up, and finally realized her dream of graduating from college. But Street could not stay away. She continued working for Barry's golf management program for a few years after.

When recently asked about her time with Barry and competing in the Sunshine State Conference, Street's answer was simple: "It was fabulous," she said. "To play on a team again, especially at Barry in the strongest women's golf conference in the US, was a dream come true."

Now 75 years of age, Street resides in Fort Lauderdale and still plays golf occasionally. Tennis, too. With today's NCAA rules for participation in Division II and III athletics, it is highly unlikely anyone will ever surpass Street as the oldest NCAA student-athlete.

[Published: 1/28/16 / Edited: 3/17/20]

 

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Six years ago, the Sunshine State Conference dove into a new sport. Conference presidents approved men's and women's swimming on April 7th, 2010. It was the first sport to be added to the SSC since women's soccer and women's golf in 1998, ending the second-longest sports drought in the league's 40-year history.

In 1977, the University of Tampa became the first SSC member school to sponsor men's and women's swimming. For years the only in-state competition for the Spartans was Division I and junior college programs. Then, Rollins College brought its program to the Division II level in 1995.

During the 2003-04 academic year, Florida Southern College began its swimming program, followed by Saint Leo University the next year. After the Lions were up and running, the SSC was just one swim program away from sponsoring the sport.

From 2006 to 2009, Rollins hosted a Sunshine State Conference invitational in which the four schools attended. All the while, Tars head coach Rich Morris was trying to convince SSC AD's to sponsor men's and women's swimming. He had some support, but many didn't believe it was possible. "I'll back you up," he recalls the Spartans skipper Ed Brennan telling him. "You have to remember that UT was alone in offering swimming decades before anyone else in the SSC," commented Brennan. "I thought it would never happen."

Much to the delight of Brennan and Morris, Nova Southeastern University hired a coaching staff in 2009. The Sharks were ready for NCAA competition in 2010-11. So much so, they won the inaugural SSC men's championship.

"It was great knowing we would have a new conference with four schools who had established competitive programs all inside the same state," stated NSU Head Coach Hollie Bonewit-Cron. "It's something that helped catapult us to success."

Shortly after the league began sponsoring swimming, Florida Tech added a men's and women's program. Lynn University followed suit by adding a women's program in 2012. That brought the SSC total to what it is today: seven teams on the women's side and six on the men's side.

Since SSC competition began in the 2010-2011 academic year, 10 athletes and five relay teams from the conference have won a total of 23 individual national championships. Two athletes competed in the Olympics for their respective countries, and member schools held NCAA Division II records eight times.

"It's a lot of fun," said Brennan, who has coached more than 30 individual national champions in his time at Tampa. "It's an extremely competitive conference that has become the most powerful league in Division-II. The professionalism among the coaches is extraordinary, and the camaraderie between the athletes is unprecedented."

SSC swimming produced two Olympic athletes, both of whom swam at the 2012 summer games in London. Esau Simpson from NSU swam the 100 Free for Grenada. Allan Gutierrez from Florida Southern College represented Honduras by swimming the 400 Free.

"Sunshine State Conference swimming embodies what it means to be highly competitive," said Bonewit-Cron, who coached Simpson during the Olympics and to a new Grenadian national record.

Four NCAA Division II records are currently held by SSC athletes and relay teams. Anton Lobanov from Nova Southeastern owns the men's 100 and 200 Breaststroke records, while Lynn University's Rebecca Matthews holds the women's 200 Breaststroke mark. All three records were set during the 2014-15 season. A few University of Tampa swimmers added their names this season with a superb time in the men's 200 Freestyle Relay time. Previously, SSC swimmers reached the hallowed record book pages four times since the 2010-11 season.

"Always knew it would work," commented Morris, confidently. "Just not how much."

[Published: 1/28/16 / Edited: 3/17/20]

About the 40 Great Moments Campaign

The "40 Great Moments" campaign was created to bring attention to the athletic excellence, academic excellence, community engagement, and sportsmanship that has made up the Sunshine State Conference over the last 40 years. Moments were nominated by current and former student-athletes, coaches, administrators, alumni, and fans. The final 40 moments were decided upon by a vote of conference Sports Information Directors. The "40 Great Moments" campaign concluded during the Summer of 2016.

View all 40 of the SSC's Great Moments, here.