Florida Tech Captures SSC Mayor’s Cup for Mens Division
Award recognizes Sunshine State Conference’s top teams from 2011-12 season
WINTER PARK, Fla. (Athletics News) – A memorable season was highlighted Wednesday with the announcement that Florida Tech had won the 2011-12 Sunshine State Conference Mayors’ Cup for the men’s division. This is the second time FIT has won the award and first since the 1991-92 season.
“This has been a good season for FIT Athletics,” athletic director Bill Jurgens said. “It is truly an honor to win the Mayors’ Cup for men’s sports. Of our SSC-sponsored programs, we are proud to have representatives from three men’s and four women’s sports compete in the NCAA Championships this season. It is a credit to the university’s commitment to athletics, dedicated coaches and hardworking student-athletes.”
In the men’s division, points are awarded for final conference standing in cross country, soccer, basketball, swimming, golf, tennis and baseball.
The Panther men accumulated 34.5 points and tied Florida Southern for the most points among the SSC’s nine institutions. FIT won its first outright SSC men’s basketball championship in the program’s 45-plus year history, finished second in men’s soccer and third in the SSC Men’s Golf Championship.
Although an invitation to the NCAA Division II Championships does not factor into the Mayors’ Cup point total, it is worth noting that of the university’s SSC-sponsored sports, men’s basketball, men’s golf and Moses Kirui from the men’s cross country team competed in NCAA postseason play.
In the women’s division, points are awarded based on final conference standing in cross country, volleyball, soccer, basketball, swimming, golf, tennis, rowing and softball.
FIT’s women totaled 27 points and finished eighth in the standings. Earning a trip to NCAA Championship competition were women’s basketball, women’s soccer, women’s tennis and Nicole Clarke from the women’s cross country team.
With 47 points, Rollins edged Nova Southeastern for the SSC Mayors’ Women’s Cup by one point.
In each category, points awarded depend on the number of conference schools that sponsor the particular sport. In both divisions, points in soccer and basketball are awarded based on regular-season finish, while tennis points are based on finish in the SSC tournament.
