UT Swimming Set for SSC Championships
Four-day event will take place at Clearwater's Long Center.
CLEARWATER, Fla. - The University of Tampa men's and women's swimming teams will compete at the 2019 Sunshine State Conference Championships, which is scheduled to run from Thursday to Sunday.
The SSC Men's and Women's Swimming Championships enters its ninth year and will be hosted by Florida Southern College. The event returns to the Long Center in Clearwater for the second straight year. The Long Center is located at 1501 N Belcher Rd., Clearwater, FL 33765 (Google Map).
The championships will feature both prelims and finals on each of the four days. Days one through three (Thursday-Saturday) will begin with the prelims at 10 a.m., as the finals will start at 6 p.m. Day four (Sunday) will feature the prelims at 10 a.m., followed by the finals at 5 p.m. Complete event details are available through the SSC championship central page.
Tickets are available for $10.00 (adults), $5.00 (children ages 3 - 12) and free with proper school ID for SSC students. The cost of all-session passes are $60.00 (adults; includes: admittance to all sessions, a program and all heat sheets) and $25.00 (children; ages 3 - 12 | Includes: admittance to all sessions. Does Not Include: a program and all heat sheets). Tickets will only be available at the gate. There will be no pre-event sale.
The 2019 SSC Championships features several nationally-ranked teams as Tampa continues to lead all SSC men's swimming squads at No. 8 in the most recent CSCAA Division II poll. Florida Southern College ranks No. 12 in the poll, while Saint Leo University and Nova Southeastern University hold a tie for 16th place. FSC and NSU both moved up in the poll, while Saint Leo fell slightly. Florida Tech rounds out the poll for the SSC at No. 21.
For the women, Tampa stays on top of the SSC for the third consecutive poll at No. 7 among NCAA Division II schools. No. 6. Nova Southeastern comes in at No. 10 in the latest coaches ranking. Florida Southern moves up one place to No. 16, while Lynn University receives votes in a third straight poll.
Individual qualifiers to the NCAA championship will be determined by "A" and "B" standards. the 2019 NCAA Championships take place Wednesday, March 13th - Saturday, March 16th at the IU Natatorium on the campus of IUPUI in Indianapolis. The NCAA will announce championship selections and seeding on Wednesday, February 27th, here.
All senior student-athletes will be recognized prior to the beginning of the final session, which will be held at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 24th. Balloons are not permitted per facility regulations.
In 2018, Nova Southeastern University swept the SSC swim championships, with both programs capturing a fourth SSC title. Nova Southeastern, Florida Southern College, Saint Leo University, and Florida Tech finished Top-20 at the NCAA men's swimming championship. Nova Southeastern, the University of Tampa, and Florida Southern College finished Top-20 at the NCAA women's swimming championship. The Sharks' women's squad was the top finishing SSC team at No. 3.
Live results are available through the Meet Mobile app or the web, while fans may also watch live.