MELBOURNE, Fla. - Sunshine State Conference member institutions have once again won seven team national championships in a single academic year. The achievement, which ties the mark for most in league history, was also accomplished in 2014-15. SSC member institutions have now won a combined 111 NCAA Division II national championships in 12 sports since the conference was established in 1975.
The SSC remains the only Division II conference to win seven national championships in one academic year since the California Collegiate Athletic Association did so in 1988-89. The CCAA holds the overall Division II single-season record with eight championships in 1981-82.
Full Listing: SSC's 111 NCAA D-II National Championships
Sunshine State Conference teams that captured national titles this past year are Barry men's soccer, Tampa volleyball, Barry men's tennis, Barry women's tennis, Lynn men's golf, Florida Tech women's golf, and Tampa baseball. Along with the seven titles, SSC teams were able to capture two national runner-up trophies in women's tennis (Lynn) and women's rowing (Florida Tech). Three individuals also won national titles this year. Swimmers Henrik Dahrendorff of Saint Leo and Matt Holmes of Florida Southern grabbed the 200 Breaststroke and 400 Individual Medley trophies, respectively, while Florida Southern's Michael VanDerLaan won the 2019 men's golf championship.
Each year for the past 35 years at least one SSC team has won a national championship. Since 1989, the SSC has won multiple titles every year except for 2002-03 when Rollins women's golf hoisted the only title. Including the 2018-19 academic year, the league has raised five or more trophies in a single year five times
1.
Michael Covone, Director of Athletics at Barry University, which won three titles this year, reflected on the conference's success. "With seven NCAA Division II National Championships this year, we are honored to be the Sunshine State 'Conference of National Champions.' I am equally proud of the academic success of our 11 institutions, which together rank as the top NCAA Division II Conference in Academic Success Rate, for the third straight year."
SSC member institutions posted a combined Academic Success Rate (ASR) of 86-percent for the eighth consecutive year. Barry, Eckerd, and Rollins paced the league with ASR's over 90-percent and were awarded the NCAA's Presidents' Award for Academic Success. Additionally, 18 scholar-athletes have been named CoSIDA Academic All-Americans and thousand's of league athletes earned a 3.2-grade point average or better in 2018-19.
2018-19 SSC National Championships Recap
Barry Men’s Soccer (
Full Recap) - Barry University claims its first men's soccer, 20th overall NCAA Division II National Championship. Barry was runner-up in the 2018 SSC regular season and tournament championship. Following a loss in the SSC tournament finale, the Buccaneers advanced from the South Region tournament by defeating Spring Hill (4-1) and besting Lynn in penalty kicks. Barry took down Lander (2-1) in the national quarterfinals and got by Fort Hays State via penalty kicks in the semifinals. In the championship final, the Buccaneers scored twice in six minutes during the second half to rally past the West Chester (2-1). (
Bracket)
Tampa Volleyball (
Full Recap) - The University of Tampa finished the 2018 season as the true number one and with its third volleyball national championship, 16th overall. The Spartans received the No. 3 seed into the South Region tournament after being named 2018 SSC Regular Season Co-Champions. The Spartans defeated three SSC teams (Saint Leo, Barry, and Palm Beach Atlantic) to win the regional and advance into the national quarterfinals. Tampa defeated American International (3-0) during the national quarterfinals and Washburn (3-0) in the semifinals. In the championship match, the Spartans won a five-set thriller over Western Washington to lift its second trophy in five years. (
Bracket)
Florida Tech Women’s Golf (
Full Recap) - Florida Tech claims its first women's golf national championship, third overall for the university. The Panthers finished sixth at the SSC championship, but bounced back to win the regional tournament and gain entry to the NCAA finals. Florida Tech finished at the top of the leaderboard during stroke play at the national championship, earning the No. 1 seed in the next round. During medal match play the Panthers bested Findlay (3-2) in the quarterfinals, Southwest Oklahoma State (3-2) in the semifinals, and Cal State San Marcos in the finals. (
Full Results)
Lynn Men’s Golf (
Full Recap) - Lynn wins its second men's golf, 14th overall, NCAA Division II National Championship. After finishing second in the SSC tournament, the Fighting Knights were given the No. 2 seed for the South Region tournament. They posted a nine-stroke victory in the regional and qualified with 19 other teams for the NCAA championship tournament. Following a second place finish in stroke play at the finals site, Lynn moved on to match play where they defeated Cal State Monterey Bay (4.5-0.5), West Florida (4-1), and Lincoln Memorial (3-2) to capture back-to-back national titles. (
Full Results)
Barry Men’s Tennis (
Full Recap) - Barry University won its fourth men's tennis, 21st overall NCAA Division II National Championship. The Buccaneers were crowned SSC regular season and tournament champions, as such they grabbed the No. 1 seed in the South Region tournament. Including the SSC tournament, Barry posted eight consecutive 4-0 sweeps until they hit the national championship game. In the national final, the Buccaneers rallied from 3-0 down to win 4-3 over Columbus State. (
Bracket)
Barry Women’s Tennis (
Full Recap) - Barry University won its fifth women's tennis, 22nd overall NCAA Division II National Championship. The Buccaneers finished as SSC regular season runner up and third place in the conference tournament. Barry grabbed the No. 1 seed in South Region play and dispatched Saint Leo (4-0) on its way to the NCAA finals site. The Buccaneers then took down Charleston (W.Va) (4-0), Azusa Pacific (4-0), Columbus State (4-0), and Lynn (4-2) to win its third consecutive national title. (
Bracket)
Tampa Baseball (
Full Recap) - The University of Tampa won its eighth NCAA baseball national championship, 17th overall NCAA Division II National Championship. After a runner-up regular season finish in the SSC, Tampa earned the No. 1 seed in the South Region and rattled off nine consecutive postseason wins. UT defeated Spring Hill (18-9), West Florida (9-1), and Nova Southeastern (6-5, 12 innings) to win the south region tournament. The Spartans then hosted and defeated Delta State (3-1, 6-3) in Super Regional play to advance into the College World Series. At the finals site, the Spartans defeated Mercyhurst (4-2), UC San Diego (7-2), Mercyhurst (12-0) once more, and then Colorado Mesa (3-1) to capture its third title in seven years. (
Bracket)
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1Five or more championships for the SSC:
2018-19 - 7
2015-16 - 5
2014-15 - 7
2012-13 - 6
2006-07 - 5