By Pia Perthen, Sports Editor
After the breaks and inconveniences caused by COVID-19, Saint Leo University’s athletic teams were slowly able to return to their routines in Fall Season 2021 and Spring Season 2022. However, some strict rules issued by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) came hand-in-hand with some good outcomes for the athletes that were restricted during Spring Season 2020.
During Spring Season 2022, if athletes had not received the COVID-19 vaccine and one booster vaccine, they had to be tested weekly. As for the positive aspect, the NCAA granted athletes one more year of eligibility if they were on an athletic college team in Spring Season 2020 because the NCAA was forced to cancel all championships during that semester. This means some athletic teams were able to have “grand seniors” last season, who competed in their fifth year and brought some valuable experience with them.
Men’s and Women’s Cross Country:
Looking at last season’s ending, Saint Leo’s Men’s Cross Country had great success last year. Shane Bracken claimed his individual title at the 2021 NCAA Division II South Regional at the Abbey Golf Course and qualified together with Arthur Cosson for the 2021 NCAA Division II National Championship. Shane Bracken is the first Saint Leo runner to crack the top 20 and holds the highest finish in program history at the National Championship, with his 16th place finish in a time of 30:49.8.
As for the Women’s Cross-Country team, they showed similar Lions’ strength as they won the 2021 Sunshine State Conference as a team. Playing host to the 2021 NCAA Division II Cross Country National Championships, the Lions scored 633 points to finish 27th. The Lions saw two runners inside the top 100 out of 256 total participants. Faye Dervan had an excellent finish to her season at the Nationals with a 41st place finish, one shy of All-American, with a time of 21:29.1. Saint Leo Men’s and Women’s Cross Country head coach Kent Reiber has announced the 2022 schedule for the Lions, and the next tournament for both men and women will be on
September 24 as they host at the Abbey Golf Course at Saint Leo. The women’s team will give their best to defend their 2021 SSC title on November 5 at the 2022 Sunshine State Conference Championship at Daytona Beach, Florida, hosted by Embry-Riddle University, where the men’s team will be present as well. The next stop for both teams will be the South Region Championship on November 19, which will lead to the National Championship on December 3 in Seattle, Washington.
Men’s Golf:
The Men’s Golf team showed great success on and off the golf course last season. Men’s Golf coach Chris Greenwood is proud of his team for earning the President’s Special Recognition with a 3.61 GPA, where Saint Leo was one of eight Division II institutions to earn the high honor with a 3.5 or higher GPA.
In addition, six players of the team were able to earn the All-American Scholar honors, which means that the athletes need to achieve a 3.2 or better GPA and compete in 50 percent of their team’s competitive rounds.
Some golf highlights from last year were the Lions’ season opening with a win at the Griffin Invitational, hosted by the Saint Leo golf team in Petersburg, Virginia. The Lions were led by junior Jake Nash, who took home the medallist honors, the first of his collegiate career, after shooting a four-under-par 212 over 54-holes.
Alberto Castagnara and Colin Kresel were named Sunshine State Men’s Golfer of the Week, and the team was able to qualify for the 2022 NCAA Division II South Regional Championship in Valdosta, GA. After a good performance at the 2022 Sunshine State Conference, Jake Nash finished tied for second on the final day leader board, shooting a 69 and finishing seven under par at the SSC.
Saint Leo opened their 2022-23 season on September 12-13 in Brooksville, Florida, for the annual Griffin Invitational and finished sixth out of 13 teams with +16 strokes over Par. Their next tournament will be September 25-27 Cougar Invitational at Green Island CC in Columbus, Georgia.
Women’s Golf:
Similarly, the Women’s Golf team was able to show what they were made of last season. The Lions were able to secure two runner-up podiums as a team. They were able to qualify for the 2022 NCAA Division II South Regional Championship in Davie, Florida, at the Grande Oaks Golf Club. The Saint Leo Women’s Golf team came up just short of advancing further into the championship, as Barry won the tiebreaker.
The tremendous 2022 season run came for the team to an end as the fifth-best program in the South Region. However, Francesca Santoni was able to punch a ticket for the NCAA Division II Women’s Golf Championship as an individual, where she placed 30th. Francesca Santoni wrapped up her impressive last season as a grand senior as an NCAA Division II National contender, WGCA All-American First Team member, Sunshine State Conference First Team member, and the two-time invitational winner taking the Lady Moc Classic and World Golf Invite.
Their first tournament of the season will be on Sep 19 -Sep 20, the DBU Invitational in Denton, Texas, at the Wild Horse Golf Club, followed by their next tournament, Golfweek Fall Invitational on Oct 2-4 in Destin, Florida, at Sandestin Resort.
Women’s Golf coach Lyndsey Bevill is excited to enter into competitive mode again, with the same first tournament in Texas as last year.
Men’s Soccer:
Next up is Men’s Soccer and, under Head Coach Brett Parker and Assistant Coach Nick Sakiewicz, the soccer team wants to show Lions’ strength this season. Their season ended at a home game last year in November as they were defeated (1-0) by Florida Southern at their home turf: the Saint Leo Soccer Field.
The Lions kicked off this Fall season on August 25 in Millbrook, Alabama, where they won (1-0) against Auburn University Montgomery. The Men’s Soccer team can show off some other victories against the University of West Florida (1-0), Trinity College (1-0), and the University of West Alabama (1-0). So far, Saint Leo Graduate Goalkeeper Ricardo Ceballos and Sophomore Midfielder Noah Kvifte have been honored with the United Soccer Coaches College Player of the Week for the NCAA DII title.
Their next upcoming matches will be on October 27 against Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida, and against Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida, following the postponement of Hurricane Ian.
Women’s Soccer:
As for the Women’s Soccer team, the coaching team is set with Head Coach Ged O’Connor and Assistant Coaches Arielle Kabangu, Kiersten Edlund, Chris Dris, and Volunteer Coach Laura Hallissey for this season. Last season came to an end in November when they lost against Florida Southern (1-2) in Lakeland, Florida.
This season, the Women’s Soccer team started with a roar during their home game on August 26, where they won 1-0 against Newberry College. So far, the Green and Gold team scored some victories against Georgia College (2-1), Pace University (1-0), an impressive win against Edward Waters (6-0), and Rollins College (1-0).
Their next matches will be on the home turf (Saint Leo Soccer Field) on October 4 against Florida Southern College, October 8 against Embry-Riddle University, and October 25 against Lynn University. The women’s soccer team would be happy for the support from their Saint Leo fans on their competition days.
Volleyball:
The Green and Gold Women’s Volleyball team is working hard under the supervision of the Director of Volleyball Natalia Koryzna and Assistant Coaches Michaela Karrick and Emily Kalmink. They ended their last season on November 20 at West Palm Beach against Palm Beach Atlantic with a defeat (0-3).
However, they started this season strong with a win against Emporia State University in St. Louis, Missouri, and have succeeded in other matches this Fall semester. The highlight was at the home tournament in the Marion Bowman Activities Center, where the Women’s Volleyball team pleased their Saint Leo Lions fans with a win (3-0) against Rollins College. The next competitions would be planned for September 30 in Boca Raton, Florida, against Lynn University and on October 1 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, against Nova Southeastern University; however, the games will likely be postponed due to Hurricane Ian.
For the latest news, updates, and information about sports, visit SaintLeoLions.com. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Lions news by following Saint Leo Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
