Florida Tech Athletics 2018/19 Year in Review - Part 1 (by Don Rieber)

Florida Tech Sports Year in Review (PART-1)

With another sports season at Florida Tech in the books, it is time to take a look back at what 2018-2019 brought the Panthers. The athletes excelled in sports, as well as in the classroom.

In part one of our look back, we will focus on the fall and winter sports, which included a return trip to the playoffs for the football team. Coach Steve Englehart led the Panthers to their second playoff appearance in six seasons. The Panthers were led by a staunch defense; and quarterback Trent Chmelik, who guided the Panthers to an 8-4 season overall, including a 5-3 record in the Gulf South Conference. It was Chmelik's first year starting under center for the Panthers.

The Panthers biggest win of the regular season came in the Coastal Classic rivalry game, against West Florida. FIT beat the Argos 30-28, bringing the trophy back to Melbourne for the first time in the three years the game has been played. Their success in the regular season propelled the Panthers to the NCAA Playoffs, facing the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears on November 17th. Unfortunately, the Panthers had a tough time stopping the Bears, as they allowed five unanswered scores, leading Lenoir-Rhyne to a 43-21 win. J.T. Hassell had 19 tackles in the game, and set a school record for tackles in a season, including a program record 76 solo tackles. He set a single-game record with 20 tackles and had four sacks in a single game. All those records led to him being named the GSC Player of the Year, and also earned him the Co-Male Athlete of the Year at the Panthers end of the year banquet. Florida Tech also enjoyed some success in this years NFL draft, with Hassell being signed by the Cleveland Browns, Romell Guerrier signing with the Denver Broncos, and Adonis Davis earning an invite to Titans Camp.

The Panthers men's soccer team finished 10-4-1 overall, and 6-3-1 in the conference. They lost 3-0 to Nova Southeastern in the SSC Tournament. The Panthers were ranked 24th in the nation at one point, with a record of 8-2.

The women's soccer squad was 8-9-1 including 5-5 in the conference, under new coach Jessica Monarch, who took over on the bench for Dustin Smith. Monarch was previously an assistant on Smith's staff. The Panthers finished 6-1 at home but got knocked out by Rollins in the SSC Tournament.

Men's cross country wrapped their season on November 17, finishing 17th at the South Regional Championship. Joseph Berg was first across the line for the Panthers, finishing 51st out of 133, with a time of 33:37.80. Malte Stockhausen finished 79th with a time of 34:36.60.

Women's cross country finished 15th overall with an average time of 25:49. They were led by Genevieve Lucas who recorded a time of 23:52.34 for a 53rd place finish. Pauline Cosson finished 68th, with a time 24:39.61

The volleyball team struggled this season, finishing with an overall record of 9-22, including 4-16 in SSC Play. They lost their last five games of the season. The Panthers graduated five key seniors.

Men's basketball had a disappointing season, finishing 8-20 overall and 2-18 in the conference. They were hurt by injuries all season, including a shoulder injury to the lone senior on the team RJ Coil on January 19th, that forced him to miss the rest of the season. That was the same day that freshmen Sesan Russell joined the Panthers. Russell made an immediate impact and had a great season, but the Panthers never overcame the injuries, losing their final 10 games and missing the SSC tournament.

Women's basketball finished with an identical 8-20 record, including 4-16 in SSC play. It was a frustrating season for coach John Reynolds, but the Panthers did win some close games late, including beating Texas Woman's University 59-58 on December 19th and a 59-58 win over Nova Southeastern on January 2nd in a game that came down to the final minute.

The men's swimming season concluded on March 16 at the NCAA Championships. In the 100 free, Victor Rocha Furtado set a new school record (43.07), good for a second place finish. Furtado shared the Male Athlete of the Year award with Hassell this year. In the 400 free relay, the Panthers were able to finish fourth place in the event. Florida Tech recorded a time of 2:57.16 passing their seed time (2:57.81).

On the women's side, the Panthers best performance was turned in by Savannah Brennan, who recorded a time of  2:19.95. It was not good enough to qualify for the finals. (story by Don Rieber and 321sportscast)

In part two of our recap, the focus will shift to the excitement of Panthers spring sports.

Eastern Florida State Athletics. The 2018/2019 Year in Review. (by Donny Rieber)

The Titans of Eastern Florida State College had some great things happen in the 2018-2019 sports year, achieving success both on and off the field. 

Women's soccer came into the season ranked fourth in the NJCAA Division I preseason poll. Coach Jeff Carr led the Titans to a 16-3-1 overall record, including 6-2 in the Southern Conference in his final season at the helm. He led the Titans to the national tournament seven straight seasons and made it to the final four five times. 

The men's soccer squad finished 15-5-1 overall, which was tied for the most wins in program history. They lost to Barton College 4-2, on November 16 at the NJCAA Division I National Championship Tournament semifinals. It was the teams' third trip to the semifinals in the last six seasons. 

The volleyball team struggled this season, ending the season with a 5-17 mark. They did win their last two matches of the season. EFSC named Carmelo Eleutiza as their new head coach back in March. He was a volunteer assistant at UCF prior to coming to Eastern Florida. 

On the court, the Titan men came into the season ranked number five in the NJCAA Division I preseason poll, and finished 28-8 overall and 10-2 in the Mid-Florida conference. The season ended with a loss to second-ranked South Plains 82-74 in the quarterfinals of the NJCAA Division I National Championship Tournament on March 21. 

The women finished the regular season 14-14, including 3-6 in the conference. They were upended by Santa Fe 69-61 in the FCSAA/NJCAA Region VIII State Tournament quarterfinal, on March 6. This season marked the fourth time in the last five years that the women were part of the state tournament. 

On the diamond, the Titans went 31-20 overall, losing to Broward College in a best-of-three series in the Southern Conference Tournament.  Pitcher Carter Stewart officially signed a professional baseball contract with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of the Nippon Professional League in Japan, back in May. Stewart started 13 games in 2019 and finished 2-2 with a 1.70 ERA. Earlier this month, it was announced that all 16 sophomores on the Titans have signed scholarships with four-year schools. 

In softball, the women finished 31-25, with 14 of those wins coming in the conference. On May 3, they lost to the State College of Florida Manatee 9-5 in an elimination game NJCAA DI District/FCSAA State Softball Tournament. 

On the links, the men's team finished seventh at the NJCAA Division I National Championship Tournament on May 17. They have now finished in the top 10 in the country in each of the last five seasons. With 17 years under his belt, men's coach Jamie Howell was inducted into the NJCAA Hall of Famein May. Under his leadership, the Titans have won eight district titles, and have been top-five in the nation eight times. 

 On the women's side, EFSC won the Wallace State Spring Invitational back in April, and the finished the regular season with a fifth-place finish at the Florida Tech Panther Invitational. They used those tournaments as a springboard into the Region 8 State Tournament, where they shot a final round 324, on April 28.

Men's tennis finished the season ranked fifth in the ITA NJCAA Rankings after finishing tied for fourth place in the NJCAA Division I National Tournament. Frederik Oervad and Adriel Azucey earned NJCAA All-American honors in June, with Oervad also named Freshman of the Year and ITA Regional Rookie Player of the Year in Region 8. 

Women's tennis finished the season 3-8, and they were part of the Region 8 tournament in Altamonte Springs in April, where they finished sixth.

  

Congratulations to the Titans on all of the accomplishments this past season. Stay with 321sportscast for continuing coverage of the Titans.  (by Donny Rieber)

Please read our other great articles and interviews at www.321sportscast.com

On Cue! The Journey of Jeannie Seaver (by Jeannie Seaver)

In her own words, Cocoa resident and Nationally Ranked pool player Jeannie Seaver tells her story of making it to the top of her game:

Born in Minot, ND, I was a military brat and got used to visiting many countries at a young age. Attending schools in different countries versed me on different cultures so going into young adulthood with eyes set on becoming a professional pool player, I practiced to compete with the best, knowing most of them would be from different countries.

That didn’t happen until I was 19 when my older sister took me to a pool hall to play pool for the day. That’s all it took and I was hooked, hook, line and sinker. Within 3 years, I became #1 in the state of Florida. That same year, I played in my first professional tournament with the WPBA at the U.S. Open. Surprised myself and turned some heads as I went double hill with Jennifer Chen (but lost) and won 9-0 against a former U.S. Open winner, Belinda Calhoun (back then she was Campos). Finished 17-24th and went home to FL to practice more, but with help. Charlie Williams, Luis Viera, Adam Wheeler and as few other top players took me under their wings and gave me tips and drills that I sponged in. Then one day, Charlie Williams asked me to take his friend around whenever she would come into FL, if I could, and thankfully she played pool, too! She still does, actually, but mainly stays in Asia since pool in the states has declined, significantly. Ga Young Kim and I traveled the world for many tournaments for a few years. She lived with me at my mom’s house for around 2 years but we were on the road for tournaments more often than being home. I would also go to the Philippines and train with amazing players and coaches for 2-3 months at a time.

In 2009, Ga Young became #1 in the world and my top ranking was 13th female $ maker in the world but 17th female in the USA. Figure that one out 🤣 in those few years of traveling the world with GYK, I had my first televised match on ESPN against Allison Fisher. I was sooooo nervous, most of my attempted shots rattled the pocket and stayed hung in the jaws. I finished 4th there while Ga Young had her eyes on the big guitar trophy, and she won the event. From Hollywood we had to fly straight to Taiwan for the 9-Ball World Championships. I finished 3rd place. I had a chance to move into the finals but I missed the 8-ball double hill against Ga Young, then she continued into the finals and won her first World Championship title. From there we went back to Florida where I decided it was time for me to live a semi-normal life and get a normal job that I could rely on for bills, instead of hoping to do well or get lucky enough to win some cash. 2010 was the year I went to nursing school and I currently work as a nurse. Every now and then, I’ll accept an invitation to a tournament but now I mostly focus on being a nurse or the orchid nursery biz. My last big tournament was the 2016 US Open where I finished 5/6th.

My first match that tourney was against Ga Young!!! I got the rolls and won but when it became the final 8, it became single elimination, where I lost to Monica Webb, convincingly. Ga Young came back from losing first round and won that event, also 🤣 I look forward to the next tournament I accept an invitation to!

Viera Sisters Set Sights On Golf Skills Challenge. (by Sue DeWerff)

Viera’s Vivian and Olivia Luu would like nothing more than to get an invite to the famed Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters, to compete in the finals of the 2019 Drive, Chip and Putt Championships.

On Saturday, June 29, the sisters will be among the area’s best aspiring central Florida junior golfers who will compete during the first leg of the annual skills competition at Duran Golf Club. One of more than 290 local qualifying sites throughout the nation, the Viera club will host the event for the third year. Vivian, 13, who has qualified in all skill sets at the local level in past years, narrowly missed an opportunity to compete at the state level in 2016, placing third overall. “I think chipping is where I excel most,” she said. To get a chance to compete in Augusta would be something I would forever remember. It would be an exclamation point to what I have accomplished in the sport so far.” And she has accomplished alot.  Including three hole-in-ones; the most memorable in tournament play at just 10 years-old. Luu, who has been golfing in US Kids tournaments since she was 6, hit that ace on a par three 112 yard shot back in 2016 during the World Championships at Pinehurst, NC. She finished her last round of 18 with a 76. “That was definitely my best moment in golf,” she exclaimed. She hopes to qualify again this summer at the event that host junior players up to 15 years-old. Her drives, now topping the 230-250 yard range, are impressive for her age. She spends a lot of her practice time with the girls on the Viera High School team. She and Olivia frequently play in a Harris League at Duran, with Dad, John.  The girls, (the only junior golfers in the league) have outscored several teams, including Dad and his (co-worker) partner. “It’s often interesting to watch the two of them go head-to-head,” said John Luu. “It’s great to be able to share this time on the course with my girls.” Olivia, 10, who gravitated to the sport after watching her big sister, hopes to use her “green reading” skills to advance to her first DCP qualifier. “I really like the game. I’m working hard to focus on all the fundamentals, but I think putting is my best skillset and favorite.”

The Drive, Chip and Putt initiative was founded in 2013 by USGA PGA of America and the Masters as a platform to begin a lifelong connection to the sport. The three top male and female finishers, in 4 age divisions, (7-15), will advance to the sub-regional level, and hope to qualify for state. For Justin Blazer, coach for both Luu sisters and Duran’s Academy of Golf programs director, witnessing any of the local junior golfers qualify here and end up on the “Road to Augusta” would be phenomenal. “It’s great to see these kids step up to the challenge,” he said. Blazer, along with Matt Morrison, Duran’s PGA pro, were both instrumental in bringing the Drive Chip and Putt contest to the Space Coast.  (Story by Sue DeWerff of 321sportscast)