DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The Sunshine State Conference made history on Saturday, April 19, as it hosted its first-ever Outdoor Track & Field Championship at the ERAU Track & Field Complex in Daytona Beach, Florida. The one-day event brought together athletes from across eight schools to compete for individual and team titles on a beautiful Spring day.
Visit CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL for results, records, and more!
Team Champions Crowned
- Women's Team Champion: University of Tampa
- Men's Team Champion: Florida Southern College
Tampa's depth across events propelled them to the women's team title, while Florida Southern's dominance in distance and steeplechase events secured the men's crown.
Top Individual Honors
- Female Athlete of the Meet: Allison Murphy, Tampa – Murphy showcased her excellence by winning the 100m and 400m hurdles, meeting NCAA Division II provisional marks in both events.
- Male Athlete of the Meet: Paul Mosley, Lynn – Mosley lit up the track with wins in 100m (10.40) and 200m (20.61), including a provisional qualifier in the 100. Additional, he led the Fighting Knights to a 4x400 victory (3:13.96)
- Female Freshman of the Meet: Sativa James, Nova Southeastern – James claimed gold in the 400m and silver in the 200m, showing major potential in her SSC debut.
- Male Freshman of the Meet: Filippo Bessi, Florida Tech – Bessi earned top honors in the 400m hurdles and helped power Florida Tech's overall effort.
Distance Dominance Florida Southern swept the men's distance events, with Christian Giller capturing both the 10,000m and 5,000m titles. On the women's side, Tampa's Campbell Caldwell (10,000m) and Olivia Harp (5,000m) added key points to their team's title bid.
Relay Highlights
- Embry-Riddle took top honors in men's and women's 4x100m.
- Tampa closed the meet in style with a win in the women's 4x400m.
- Lynn surged to gold in the men's 4x400m, narrowly edging Barry and NSU.
Other Notable Performances
- Gabe McConville (Tampa) won the men's 800m and 1500m, hitting the provisional mark in the 800m.
- Shenya O'Connell (ERAU) sprinted to gold in the women's 100m and 200m, while teammate Emily Tubbs won the steeplechase.
- ERAU men swept the podium in the 110m hurdles, led by Carter Speh.
Team Scores
Men's Team Results
- Florida Southern – 111 pts
- Tampa – 94 pts
- Embry-Riddle – 91 pts
- Lynn – 72 pts
- Florida Tech – 43 pts
- Nova Southeastern – 35 pts
- Barry – 17 pts
- Palm Beach Atlantic – 1 pt
Women's Team Results
- Tampa – 157 pts
- Embry-Riddle – 114 pts
- Nova Southeastern – 81 pts
- Lynn – 44 pts
- Florida Southern – 36 pts
- Barry – 20 pts
- Palm Beach Atlantic – 8 pts
The meet featured several NCAA DII provisional marks, showcasing the SSC's emerging presence on the national stage. With this successful debut, the Sunshine State Conference's outdoor track & field future looks bright.