University of Tampa Wins Fourth Straight SSC Mayors' Cup
MELBOURNE, Fla. - The University of Tampa has captured the women's division of the Sunshine State Conference Mayors' Cup all-sports trophy. It marks the Spartans' fourth consecutive women's Mayors' Cup and the eighth overall.
Since its inception in the 1986-87 academic year, the SSC's all-sports trophy has symbolized excellence and sportsmanship. The trophy earned its name from the Mayors of member school communities who initially sponsored the award, a tradition that continues today.
SSC Mayors' Cup History | 2023-24 Points Breakdown (PDF)
The Spartans scored 69.5 points across 10 conference sports to win their fourth straight title, the longest streak since Florida Southern won the first four Mayors' Cups. UT scored most of its 21.5 fall points from a 29th conference title in volleyball and a 17th cross-country title. In the winter, Tampa scored 16 points with runner-up performances in the basketball regular season and the swimming championship.
In the spring, the Spartans notched 32 points, mainly from a third consecutive softball championship (seventh overall) and a runner-up effort in women's lacrosse. UT also finished second in the rowing championship, fifth in the tennis standings, and sixth in the golf championship. Overall, the Spartans tallied first or second-place cup points in seven sports during 2023-24.
This year's win moves Tampa to sole possession of second place with eight Mayors' Cups, all of which have the Spartans won outright. Florida Southern currently holds the record with 12 cup victories. Tampa becomes the first school in 31 years to win four in a row, following FSC's four wins from 1986-87 to 1989-90.
Nova Southeastern finished narrowly in second after scoring 67.5 points. The Sharks swept the winter conference titles, nabbing trophies in basketball and swimming. NSU also posted runner-up finishes in cross country, golf, and softball. Embry-Riddle ended the academic year in third place with 55.5 points. The Eagles accrued most of their points from a co-championship in soccer and Top-4 performances in basketball, volleyball, and tennis.
2023-24 Mayors' Cup Women's Division
- Tampa - 69.5
- Nova Southeastern - 67.5
- Embry-Riddle - 55.5
- Lynn - 49.5
- Florida Southern - 49
- Rollins - 46.5
- Saint Leo - 37
- Barry - 32.5
- Eckerd - 27.5
- Palm Beach Atlantic - 24
- Florida Tech - 22.5
Mayors' Cup Scoring
Scoring for the SSC Mayors' Cup is based on the regular-season finish for sports with conference standings and championship finish for cross country, golf, rowing, and swimming. For sports where all schools compete, scoring begins with 11 points awarded for finishing first to one point for eleventh. In sports where fewer than 11 teams compete, first-place points will be awarded based on the number of competing teams. Scoring will take into account ties in the SSC standings. Ties broken with a head-to-head tiebreaker will see Mayors' Cup points distributed accordingly. Points will be split when head-to-head results cannot break a tie.