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Winning seasons justify Spartans' high hopes

TAMPA -- Most athletic seasons start with high expectations.

But somewhere along the way, most fall flat and end too early. For the University of Tampa this past year, those high hopes were realized with a men's soccer national championship, an ultimately disappointing men's basketball campaign and a World Series appearance near-miss in baseball, among others.

During the fall, the men's soccer squad returned to prominence, using plenty of postseason heroics to advance through the NCAA tournament. The Spartans went 19-0-2, and thanks to two second-half comebacks, found themselves as hosts of the Division II championship game against Cal State-Dominguez Hills.

Keeping with the theme of the postseason, the Spartans rebounded from a 1-0 deficit and got the equalizing score with 10 minutes left in the game from sophomore forward Jason Bell. Then, with 3:40 remaining in the game, sophomore forward Kareem Escayg stole a Toros pass, sprinted downfield and blasted a shot from 25 yards that bounced off a defender and into the goal.

The score sealed the victory and gave UT its third Division II men's soccer championship in school history.

The season was also UT's first undefeated campaign since 1981, when it won its first title. The Spartans' second title came in 1994.

"I was just trying to make something happen," Escayg said after the game. "We just kept playing hard and trying to make plays. Finally we did and it's a great feeling."

The volleyball team, meanwhile, was Sunshine State Conference co-champion and finished the season ranked seventh in the nation. The Spartans (27-4) lost in the NCAA Division II South Region tournament to eventual national champion Barry, but could take solace in a program that has played in the postseason six straight years and 13 of the past 14. The Spartans also can look forward to the return of five All-SSC performers next season.

The women's cross-country team posted seven top six finishes and sent senior Tracy Buxton and freshman Dee Dee Haefling to nationals. Also, coach Jarrett Slaven was named SSC Coach of the Year.

But no Spartans team had to face expectations as high as those surrounding the men's basketball team. The previous year, UT made a run at a national title, advancing to the NCAA Division II elite eight before losing in the semifinals to the eventual national champion. For most of the season, the Spartans did not disappoint. UT posted the best winning percentage in school history, going 26-3 overall and capturing SSC regular-season and tournament titles. However, the team fell short of its dream of returning to the elite eight with a 77-69 loss in the second round of the South Region tournament to West Georgia.

UT's streak of strong seasons would take a temporary detour with the start of baseball. Normally one of the school's strongest programs and rich in tradition, the Spartans began the season 3-10 beset by injuries, a young roster and poor play. But the Spartans turned things around, won 33 of their next 41 games and streaked into the NCAA South Region tournament as the top seed and the favorite to reach another Division II World Series.

However, after two victories in region play, the Spartans got tripped up with two close losses to conference rival Florida Southern to end their season. "This is as classy a group of players as I have been around," UT coach Joe Urso said. "We had some opportunities but just didn't quite get it done. But they are a great group of players and young men."

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