SSC 40 Great Moments: Swimming to the Top

MELBOURNE, Fla. - Six years ago, the Sunshine State Conference dove into a new sport. Conference presidents approved men's and women's swimming on April 7th, 2010. It was the first sport to be added to the SSC since women's soccer and women's golf in 1998, ending the second longest sport drought in the league's 40 year history.

In 1977, the University of Tampa became the first SSC member school to sponsor men's and women's swimming. For years the only in-state competition for the Spartans was Division I and junior colleges programs. Then, Rollins College brought its program to the Division II level in 1995.

During the 2003-04 academic year, Florida Southern College began its swimming program, followed by Saint Leo University the next year. After the Lions were up and running, the SSC was just one swim program away from sponsoring the sport.

From 2006 to 2009, Rollins hosted a Sunshine State Conference invitational in which the four schools attended. All the while, Tars head coach Rich Morris was trying to convince SSC AD's to sponsor men's and women's swimming. He had some support, but many didn't believe it was possible. "I'll back you up," he recalls the Spartans skipper Ed Brennan telling him. "You have to remember that UT was alone in offering swimming decades before anyone else in the SSC," commented Brennan. "I thought it would never happen."

Much to the delight of Brennan and Morris, Nova Southeastern University hired a coaching staff in 2009. The Sharks were ready for NCAA competition in 2010-11. So much so, they won the inaugural SSC men's championship.

"It was great knowing we would have a new conference with four schools who had established competitive programs all inside the same state," stated NSU Head Coach Hollie Bonewit-Cron. "It's something that helped catapult us to success."

Shortly after the league began sponsoring swimming, Florida Tech added a men's and women's program. Lynn University followed suit by adding a women's program in 2012. That brought the SSC total to what it is today: seven teams on the women's side and six on the men's side.

Since SSC competition began in the 2010-2011 academic year, 10 athletes and five relay teams from the conference have won a total of 23 individual national championships. Two athletes competed in the Olympics for their respective countries and member schools held NCAA Division II records eight times.

"It's a lot of fun," said Brennan, who has coached more than 30 individual national champions in his time at Tampa. "It's an extremely competitive conference that has become the most powerful league in Division-II. The professionalism among the coaches is extraordinary, and the camaraderie between the athletes is unprecedented."

SSC swimming produced two Olympic athletes, both of whom swam at the 2012 summer games in London. Esau Simpson from NSU swam the 100 Free for Grenada. Allan Gutierrez from Florida Southern College represented Honduras by swimming the 400 Free.

"Sunshine State Conference swimming embodies what it means to be highly competitive," said Bonewit-Cron, who coached Simpson during the Olympics and to a new Grenadian national record.

Four NCAA Division II records are currently held by SSC athletes and relay teams. Anton Lobanov from Nova Southeastern owns the men's 100 and 200 Breaststroke records, while Lynn University's Rebecca Matthews holds the women's 200 Breaststroke mark. All three records were set during the 2014-15 season. A few University of Tampa swimmers added their names this season with a superb time in the men's 200 Freestyle Relay time. Previously, SSC swimmers reached the hallowed record book pages four times since the 2010-11 season.

"Always knew it would work," commented Morris, confidently. "Just not how much."

NOTE: Entering its sixth year, the Sunshine State Conference Men's and Women's Swimming Championships will be held at the YMCA Aquatic Center in Orlando. Dates for the championship are Thursday, February 18 through Sunday, February 21st.