The Florida Tech Panthers are the athletic teams that represent the Florida Institute of Technology, located in Melbourne, Florida, in intercollegiate athletics at the NCAA Division II ranks, primarily competing in the Sunshine State Conference since the 1981–82 academic year.

Florida Tech Panthers
Logo
UniversityFlorida Institute of Technology
ConferenceSunshine State (primary)
NCAADivision II
Athletic directorJamie Joss
LocationMelbourne, Florida
Varsity teams15 (8 men's, 6 women's, 1 co-ed)
Basketball arenaCharles and Ruth Clemente Center
Baseball stadiumAndy Seminick-Les Hall Field
Softball stadiumNancy Bottge Field
Soccer fieldRick Stottler Field
Aquatics centerPanther Aquatic Center
Lacrosse fieldPanther Field (men's)
Rick Stottler Field (women's)
NicknamePanthers
ColorsCrimson and Gray[1]
   
Websitefloridatechsports.com
Team NCAA championships
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Sports currently offered by the program include baseball, softball, men's cross country, men's track and field (both indoor and outdoor), women's volleyball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's lacrosse, men's rowing, men's and women's soccer, and men's and women's swimming.

Due to financial difficulties, the women's golf and the men's and women's tennis programs were canceled in the spring of 2019.[2] The men's football program was also canceled in the spring of 2020.[3] Other sports formerly offered by the program include men's golf, men's and women's cross country, women's rowing, and women's track field (both indoor and outdoor).

Varsity sports

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Men's sports Women's sports
Baseball Basketball
Basketball Lacrosse
Cross country Soccer
Lacrosse Softball
Rowing Swimming
Soccer Volleyball
Ice Hockey Swimming
Track and field
† – Track includes both indoor and outdoor

Baseball

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Florida Tech has had nine Major League Baseball Draft selections since the draft began in 1965.[4]

Year Player Round Team
1988 Tim Wakefield 8 Pirates
2006 Jonathan Baksh 7 Blue Jays
2007 Steven Condotta 12 Blue Jays
2011 Jonathan Cornelius 24 Cardinals
2012 Steven Schils 9 Braves
2012 K.C. Clabough 28 Braves
2013 Scott Carcaise 14 Marlins
2015 Austin Allen 4 Padres
2018 Ty Cohen 31 Cardinals

Basketball

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Florida Tech's basketball teams competes in the Sunshine State Conference. They compete in a very competitive NCAA DII Conference with schools like Florida Southern that have won National Championships. Due to this Florida Tech occasionally plays higher caliber Florida D1 Schools such as Florida State, Florida Gulf Coast, and Florida Atlantic University. In 2011–12 the Men's team would win the SSC Regular Season Championship with a record of 21–5 (12–4 SSC) and reach the NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Tournament, where they would advance to the second round of the South Regional . That year they would play two DI schools University of Alabama at Birmingham and University of Central Florida, losing to both.

The Panther women's team has been playing since the 1986–87 season and have been coached by John Reynolds since 1987–88. The Panther women have reached the NCAA Division II women's basketball tournament nine times, won six regular season Sunshine State Conference Championships, four SSC Tournament Championships, one NCAA Division II South Region title and appeared in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight in 2002. Entering the 2018–19 season, Reynolds' 559 wins ranks him at No. 8 among active D-II women's coaches and 20th all- time.

Football

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The Florida Tech Football program was the intercollegiate American football team for Florida Institute of Technology located in the U.S. state of Florida. The team competed in the NCAA Division II and were members of the Gulf South Conference. Florida Tech's first football team was fielded in 2013. They played at the Florida Tech Panther Stadium. The football program closed after the 2019 season.

National championships

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Team

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Association Division Sport Year Opponent/Runner-up Score
NCAA Division II Men's soccer 1988 Cal State Northridge 3–2
1991 Sonoma State 5–1
NCAA Division II Women's golf 2019 Cal State San Marcos 4–1

References

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  1. ^ "Florida Tech Athletics Logo (PDF)" (PDF). Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  2. ^ "Florida Tech discontinuing three varsity sports". Florida Today. Retrieved 2020-05-14.
  3. ^ staff, Scott Gleeson and Florida Today. "Florida Tech eliminates its football program amid coronavirus pandemic". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2020-05-14.
  4. ^ "MLB Amateur Draft Picks who came from "Florida Institute of Technology (Melbourne, FL)"". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2013-09-05.
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