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Florida Tech women’s soccer coach resigns

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by Elena Ciulli

Florida Tech women’s soccer coach, Jessica Monarch, resigned and has accepted a position as assistant coach for the women’s soccer program at Charleston University.
Monarch will be joining coaches Jose Gomez and Jackie Stoll at Charleston University.

Assistant coach Julia Kantor will take over this spring semester, and plans on remaining the assistant coach during next season. //Photo: Florida Tech sports

Before joining the Panther program, Monarch served for two years as a graduate assistant coach at Belhaven University and has since spent the last five years with the Florida Tech program. Monarch first started working as an assistant coach at Florida Tech and then became head coach in 2018.

The highlight of her tenure was in 2017 when Monarch led the women’s team to the team’s first-ever Sunshine State Conference tournament championship.

 Soccer players like Hailey Feela, a sophomore majoring in biomedical sciences,  are looking forward to seeing what the fall season will bring to the team. “I am extremely excited about the new direction Florida Tech women’s soccer will be taking,” Feela said.

Monarch left the spot to her assistant coach Julia Kantor, a Florida Tech alumni. 

Kantor was assistant coach for the women’s soccer team for one year before stepping in as head coach until the position is filled permanently. 

Kantor said she is enjoying this experience, taking this moment as a good learning period and working to further cultivate her relationship with the team. 

According to the players, coach Kantor is managing the challenges well in the absence of a new head coach. 

Hailey Henderson, a sophomore majoring in biomedical sciences, alike to Feela, is also looking forward to the incoming fall semester. “Now, more than ever, our team needs to come together and support each other to get what we want to achieve,” Henderson said. “I am fully confident in coach Kantor’s abilities and it’s time for me and the girls to come out stronger.”

According to Kantor, Florida Tech has begun the search for a new head coach.

Inequalities Found Among Head Coaching Salaries

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Florida Tech displayed instances of inequalities, particularly among head coach salaries for men’s and women’s athletic teams in 2018, according to data reported within the Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act.

The Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act is an annual report released from the Department of Education that examines gender equity amongst collegiate athletic programs. 

 The most recent data from the Department of Education, dating from June of 2017 through May of 2018, cited the average pay for a head coach for men’s varsity sports programs at Florida Tech was $60,131. The average pay for a head coach for women’s varsity sports programs at Florida Tech was $40,700; resulting in nearly a $20,000 gap.

“We’re always looking at salaries,” said Bill Jurgens, Florida Tech’s athletic director.  

Jurgens also stated that there are numerous factors that play into a coach’s salary at Florida Tech. For example, contributing factors include age and experience, time spent at Florida Tech, success of the team, particularly raises for NCAA appearances and SSC championship wins. Florida Tech sports camps and youth programs also provide opportunities for coaches to obtain additional pay.

“I will say, there is much more money generated from the camps for men’s sports than women’s sports,” Jurgens said. “It often has a lot to do with the receptiveness of certain camps.  Some camps just draw a lot of people and a lot of youth and others don’t draw as much, and some of it has to do with your success and reputation.”

Coaches’ Voices

·According to Val Silvestrini, head coach of the Panthers softball team, the issue with the salary gap goes beyond gender.

“To me, the issue is not male versus female,” Silvestrini said. “My issue is that our salaries are not comparable to the other salaries in the conference.”

Florida Tech is one of 11 schools that competes within the NCAA Division II Sunshine State Conference. In comparison to other salary gaps between schools within the SSC, Florida Tech had the second largest pay gap among head coach’s salary for men’s and women’s varsity sports. Embry Riddle Aeronautical University had the largest gap of $54,166. 

Florida Tech’s gap of exactly $19,431 was almost double that of all other schools in the SSC, which include Barry University, Eckerd College, Florida Southern College, Lynn University, Nova Southeastern University, Palm Beach Atlantic University, Rollins College, Saint Leo University and the University of Tampa.

Pete Mazzone, Florida Tech’s associate athletic director as well as the head coach for the Panther’s men’s and women’s cross country team, alike to Jurgens emphasized that there are many factors as to why there are discrepancies between the salaries. 

“Certain factors need to be taken into consideration when looking at that stand alone number,” Mazzone said.  “Longevity as well as experience is not something that that gap examines.”

Mazzone went on to say that he thinks “there should be room for improvement.” 

“If you have one coach that has been here for eight years and that person happens to be coaching a female sport, there’s no difference in coaching men and they should be compensated for that properly,” Mazzone said.

 Recruiting Budget Gap within the 2018 EADA Report 

Another gap that stood out within the Department of Education’s EADA report for Florida Tech was the recruiting budget for men’s and women’s sports. In the 2018 athletic year, the recruiting budget for men’s sports was $87,841, and the recruiting budget for women’s sports at Florida Tech was $29,502—a $58,339 gap. According to David Fassino, Florida Tech athletics business manager, it is crucial to compare the recruiting budgets to the percentage of male and female athletes at Florida Tech.

“Once you look at that comparison you should see that the percentage of male and female athletes should be nearly equal to or very close to the allocation of the recruiting budgets being spent on men’s and women’s sports,” Fassino said.

Sixty-five percent of Florida Tech athletes were male and the remaining 34 percent of athletes were women. Yet, 75 percent of the entire recruiting budget was spent on men’s varsity sports, and 25 percent was spent on women’s sports.

According to Alexander Vamosi—an associate professor in the Nathan M. Bisk College of Business who teaches sports economy— the gap within the recruiting budget at Florida Tech “is not a fair comparison.”

“Football is a huge outlier in terms of operating expenses as well, but also the amount of revenue they bring in,” Vamosi said.

“No sport of such size or portion is at all equivalent to football in women’s athletics.”

Florida Tech is the only school within the SSC that has a football program. The Panther’s football program does not compete within the SSC, rather they compete in the Gulf South Conference, playing against many teams located outside of Florida.

Vamosi also stated that a huge factor that plays into the recruiting budgets at any athletic program is revenue.

“Primarily speaking, football and men’s basketball generate the most revenue and that’s simply because there is a higher consumer demand for those sports than others, making them profitable,” Vamosi said.

Backing Vamosi’s claims, the 2018 EADA report for Florida Tech showed that revenue generated from football was $3150,032, and the total revenue for all men’s sports combined not including football and basketball was $3,625,096. All eight other men’s varsity athletics programs brought in only about $475,000 more combined than football and men’s basketball alone. 

“The bottom line is that football is the main reason why there is a gap within the recruiting budget,” Vamosi said.  

Student-Athlete Voices

Kailee O’brien, a sophomore who was recruited out of Ohio to play as a midfielder for the Panther’s lacrosse program, was surprised to hear of the gap, but could see why there is such a discrepancy, saying that “football is a massive program in comparison to other sports teams on campus.”

“It makes sense why there’s a gap, but it’s crazy to see that $58,000 number at first,” O’Brien said. “It’s also scary that we’re not really aware of it.”

Evan Thompson, a  junior from Orlando on the football team as well as the men’s golf team, was not surprised of that gap because of his experiences on the football team and the general understanding that football  brings in large amounts of revenue between gameday tickets, revenues, special events, fundraising and more.

“I still feel as though the girls are not treated as fairly and are not given the same amount of opportunities as males at this tech school,” Thompson said. “I feel as though our school should do more research into closing this gap, and creating a more engaging culture for particularly women student-athletes at our school.”

Jurgens said that one of his main priorities in 2020 will be to perform a yearly analysis of data within the EADA report, specifically the gap among coaching salaries. 

“We will look at comparisons not just within the conference, but nationally,” Jurgens said. “The salaries are very important. I think it’s critical that we provide equitable support for the men and the women’s teams.”

As of now, the analysis is still underway as data is being collected for the 2019 athletic year. According to Jurgens, this criteria will be examined shortly into 2020. 

Florida Tech Sports Recap for Nov. 24, 2019

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Football: Overall record: 5-6

The Panthers finish their season strong with a blowout win on their home turf.
Photo // Florida Tech Athletics

Nov. 16 42-3 Win vs Shorter

Volleyball: Overall record: 4-27

The volleyball team ended their season on a 12-game losing streak and placed last in their conference. Photo // Florida Tech Athletics

Nov. 15 0-3 Loss at Saint Leo University
Nov. 16 0-3 Loss at University of Tampa
Nov. 22 0-3 Loss vs Lynn University
Nov. 23 0-3 Loss vs Nova Southeastern University

Men’s Soccer: Overall record: 12-3-1

After losing the second round of the conference playoffs, the Panthers still solidified a spot in the NCAA playoffs and secured a victory in the first round. Photo // Florida Tech Athletics

Nov. 14 1-3 Loss vs Palm Beach Atlantic
Nov. 23 2-1 Win vs University of West Florida

Men’s Basketball: Overall record: 2-3

The Panthers are off to a below-average start early on in their lengthy season. 

Nov. 8 75-92 Loss vs Benedict College
Nov. 9 84-88 Loss at Auburn-Montgomery
Nov. 14 111-71 Win vs Johnson
Nov. 16 81-63 Win vs Puerto Rico-Bayamon 
Nov. 23 70-75 Loss at Saint Leo University

Women’s Basketball: Overall record: 3-3

A .500 start six games into the Panthers season.

Nov. 8 67-75 Loss vs University of West Georgia
Nov. 9 75-73 Win vs Spring Hill College
Nov. 15 80-56 Win vs University of Puerto Rico-Bayamon
Nov. 16 53-75 Loss vs Clayton State University
Nov. 19 71-57 Win at Flagler College
Nov. 23 67-82 Loss at Saint Leo University

NCAA student-athletes can now profit off their fame nationwide

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After the NCAA board of governors passed a law to allow college athletes to profit off their fame in several states such as California, Florida and Colorado, they voted unan- imously on a similar agree- ment nationwide on Oct. 29.

The board has asked the three divisions of the NCAA to create the necessary rules immediately in order to have them in place no later than January of 2021.

Bill Jurgens, Florida Tech’s athletic director, stat- ed that he does not have an opinion at this time, due to this information just being released, and the fact that the NCAA is still looking into this matter.

According to TIME, the NCAA needs to determine how athletes can profit off of their name, likeness and

image, while also maintaining rules regarding amateurism.

Jake Hahn, a junior on the lacrosse team, said he thinks that for these rules to be effec- tive, the NCAA would have to redefine the term of amateur- ism in college sports.

“I think the main thing that categorizes an athlete as a professional is that they get paid to play their sport,” Hahn said.

Hahn then explained that an athlete can’t be both a professional and an amateur at the same time.

He elaborated that the hard thing about allowing student athletes to make money off their name is the fact that once that student starts making money, it’s hard to say if they can still be considered an amateur.

Johnny Poret, a sopho- more on the football team, said he believes that players

should be paid based on the amount of money they bring into the school.

“Big time players bring in big time money for schools because people want to come watch them play,” Poret said. “The more money a player brings in, the more money that player should receive.”

How universities will assist students in profiting off of their name and likeness has not been decided.

Both Hahn and Poret brought up the suggestion of personal jersey sales, or team equipment inside the univer- sity’s bookstore or on their website.

As far as recruiting is concerned, Hahn said he believes that this new rule will potentially have no impact on the smaller Division II and Division III schools, but could have an effect on Division I schools.

Hahn went on to explain that the high quality athletes, such as those who are considered four or five star recruits, won’t have an interest in coming to Florida Tech, as they have the opportunity to

pursue Division I schools. With just a little over a year until this rule will be put in play, much more informa- tion regarding rules and regu- lations from the NCAA itself

are still to come.

Athletics stay busy during homecoming week

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To begin the week, the volleyball team fell to the Embry-Riddle Eagles on Tuesday night.

The Panthers lost in straight sets but kept each set close. Each set was lost by only five points or fewer.

They finished the match with 33 kills, 33 assists, five service aces, four blocks, 64 digs and 63 total points. Soccer continued the week on Wednesday night, both taking on Rollins College.

The No. 6 ranked men’s team was undefeated entering the game with a 9-0-1 record.

Their game against the Tars was the Panthers second of the season to go into overtime but this time they came up short, losing 2-1.

Guillermo Segovia scored Florida Tech’s only goal of the evening, tallying his goal total for the season to a team-high seven goals.

The women’s team had similar results at home against the Tars, losing 3-0.

Maria Munoz, Brittany Etrick and Alexis Sheely each challenged the Rollins goalkeeper, putting a shot on goal.

The football team wrapped up homecoming week Saturday afternoon as they took on the West Florida Argonauts.

This game was not only the homecoming game but the fourth annual Coastal Classic rivalry game between Florida Tech and West Florida.

The winner gets to keep the Coastal Classic Trophy for the full year until they face off the next season.

In last season’s game, the Panthers overcame an 18-point deficit and beat the Argonauts 30-28.

This year, Florida Tech fell to West Florida 38-14, making their overall record 1-3 in the rivalry game.

The 24-point difference was the greatest so far of the four-year rivalry.

Similar to last year, the Panthers found themselves down early, trailing 17-7 at halftime.

After falling down 31-7 in the third quarter, it was too great of a deficit for them to overcome this year.

Freshman quarterback Mike Diliello was featured in both of Florida Tech’s touchdowns.

The first was a 91-yard run by Diliello that at the time brought them within three points of the Argonauts.

The second and final touchdown scored by the Panthers was a seven-yard pass from Diliello to tight end Kenny Hiteman late in the third quarter.

The trophy is now back with West Florida but the Panthers will have their chance to reclaim it next season.

Florida Tech began their season 3-1 but have now dropped four straight games, leaving their record at a 3-5 with three more games remaining in the regular season.

They next take on West Alabama at Panther Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 2.

Men’s soccer undefeated despite injury

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The men’s soccer team is now 6-0 on the season and 2-0 against conference opponents.

Most recently, the Panthers took on defending NCAA Division II national champions, Barry University.

After taking a 1-0 lead, scored by Guillermo Segovia, Florida Tech struggled to further the lead and allowed Barry to tie up the game 1-1.

Senior midfielder Luca Campanini had a penalty kick opportunity to give the Panthers a one-goal advantage but it was blocked by Barry’s goalkeeper.

Campanini said after the game, “I need to make up for this and we need to win.”

With less than two minutes remaining in the match, Guillermo was fouled inside the box and was able to put his penalty kick in the back of the net.

“When the final whistle blew it was a sigh of relief,” Campanini said. “We should have really beat this team more easily than we did but they made it hard for us.”

This gave the Panthers their sixth win of the season, but along with their great success, there has also come heartbreak.

Graduate Student Solomon Wheatley was lost for the season as he suffered a torn ACL during their match against Limestone.

Wheatley had an assist on the game before the injury but he said he thinks he was getting tired because it was the last 10 minutes of the game.

“I tried to turn as players ran by me and my left foot was stuck in the grass as I turned,” Wheatley said. “I then heard a loud pop noise as if I had broken something and fell the floor.”

He said that normally when he gets injured he knows he can recover fast but this injury was different.

“I had to be carried off the field by my trainer so I knew it was more serious than other injuries but had no clue on what was to come.” Wheatley said if he’s being honest he’s in a difficult place right now.

“It’s been very hard for me to accept my injury and it’s going to get harder after I have my surgery,” he said. “I stayed back in the UK during last spring and trained myself to get in good shape for this fall, so for me to start off as well as I did, it’s been extremely upsetting.”

Senior midfielder Craig McCall said the loss of Wheatley has been massive and that the team was “gutted” when the news broke he’d be out for the season.

“The boys are going to have to fill a big void on and off the field with his absence, but we believe Sol will still have a big role in the team’s dynamic off the field with his character and leadership,” McCall said.

Graduate Student midfielder Morgan Gauthier said that the early season injuries have affected their play.

“It might be one reason why we are not playing our best football in the first few games as we aren’t able to rotate players as we would like to and get tired,” Gauthier said.

Regardless of maybe not playing to their full potential, the Panthers are undefeated and Wheatley said they show a lot of promise.

“My advice for the team is to just give everything into every opportunity whether that be in practice or games,” Wheatley said. “If we work harder than all of the teams there’s no doubt the soccer will take care of the rest. We have a lot of talent in our squad we just need to believe it.”

The Panthers next head on the road on Saturday, Oct. 5 to take on Nova Southeastern and try to remain undefeated.

California sets precedent for NCAA

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Playing under the NCAA is a privilege to earn that lasts once in a lifetime.

A dedicated athlete puts in hard work for their dream to pay off in their future.

Any athlete that wants to be great, fantasizes themselves being the next great player of their generation.

They dream of winning, making money signing big endorsements to companies such as Nike and Adidas.

In California, those dreams can now occur sooner to an athlete.

A new bill, known as the Fair Pay to Play Act, has been passed unanimously., in which college athletes in California are now able to get paid through endorsements and sponsorships, without any punishment.

The main limit to the bill is that an athlete that attends a school sponsored by Nike cannot sign an endorsement deal with any other brand, such as Under Armour.

The new bill was covered all over sports networks, creating some heated debates from constantly getting.

One of the most notable responses came from former University of Florida quarterback, Tim Tebow, where Tebow stated “It changes what’s special about college football,” Tebow said. “We turn it into the NFL, where who has the most money.”

The bill has been approved and is expected to be signed by the governor very shortly.

It will become official in 2023.

Florida Tech’s athletic director, Bill Jurgens, associates with the NCAA frequently due to his job as the A.D. Mr. Jurgens was well aware of the new law that was passed, and he said he is not surprised by the law.

He believes the NCAA “does a great job governing athletics and prepares athletes for professional sports. No one works harder than the NCAA with physical safety and mental safety.”

With the new bill being passed, Jurgens’ remark of preparing athletes for professional sports comes into play, as athletes are now making big decisions for themselves with endorsement contracts.

There is one concern the school’s athletic director has; “The safety of the college athletes are very important, and they must be smart with their decisions and life skills.”

College athletes in California must now make life-changing decisions.

Less than two percent of college athletes in all of college sports combined become professional athletes.

California college athletes are given a responsibility and an opportunity of a lifetime at a very young age, and must make their choices carefully.

Jurgens added a fact that the bill has been discussed with Florida, bringing all the terms passed in California, as a possible new bill coming to Florida as well.

If the new law moves to have an impact on Florida college athletics, this may expand on a big change coming to the NCAA.

Perspectives from college athletes are debatable, depending on what the athletes claim as their top priorities and what they focus on. Senior baseball player Blaise Maris is an athlete not in favor of the new bill.

“Not every college athlete has professional qualities. Getting paid makes it a job. College is stressful enough with classes, practices, and workouts. If you are not performing, then that ‘job’ weighs on your mind more, adding more stress.”

Athletes who are not qualified for business deals will have trouble managing their priorities with school and their sport.

If they are unable to keep their grades up to the appropriate GPA, the athlete will not be qualified to play, resulting in the athlete to lose out on their endorsement deal.

Maris also adds onto the thought of an increase of athletes going to play in California because of the Fair Pay to Play Act.

“I think that there are a lot of athletes that believe they should be getting paid right out of high school, so those people will probably go to California to start their journey. You will start to see better talent levels across the board in California.” Florida Tech football player Daniel Welch added his opinion towards the Fair Pay to Play Act.

He was able to view it as a benefit and as a possible concern.

“I think it could create an opportunity for athletes to be rewarded for being successful. However, I do agree with what Tim Tebow said earlier in the week, that it takes away what college football is about. It takes away some of the team aspect and makes it more individual.”

If athletes become selfish, and have problems as a team, the school’s team will not perform as well, which will lead to problems for the selfish athletes.

If the athletes struggle, they will not be awarded with endorsements, and possibly lose their deals and scholarships.

The college athletes must remain humble and focus on the main goal of winning and competing.

The Fair Pay to Play Act is the start of a new chapter in NCAA sports.

College athletes in California are now gaining the chance to get paid through endorsement deals.

If the bill is spread to other states, it will spread across the country, completely changing college sports, starting a new era that will continue to be debatable.

Panthers prepare for football kick-off

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Florida Tech football team leaves the inflatable Panther to start the game. Photo by Daniel Welch.

Classes have begun, students have started to get into the groove of their academic rigor and fall sports are in full swing, meaning Saturday game days have finally arrived with the kickoff of college football.

The Panthers posted a solid eight-win season last year, with just four losses, and were awarded an NCAA playoff spot.

While they were defeated in their lone playoff game last year, this season Florida Tech look to uphold their spot within the top 25 for the Division II football rankings.

According to players, the team trained three hours a day; combining weightlifting, conditioning and studying the playbook to develop their style of play and to get stronger.

Based on performances from last year, the Panthers have an optimistic perspective for this upcoming season and are looking to improve.

“Our program has never won a playoff game, so our first step is to win a playoff game and see what we can do,” said Daniel Welch, defensive leader and captain.

Despite losing key players, such as J.T. Hassell, who was at the time recruited by the Cleveland Browns, Welch remains positive and confident that the defense can get the job done.

“We lost some key guys, but we have a lot of returners and with the help of a new strength coach, we are ready to take the next step,” Welch said. “With every new season comes a new freshman class, hungry and ready to work at the next level of their athletic careers.”

Football players take a breather. Photo by Daniel Welch.

Welch added that the freshman class looks “strong and promising” as the newbies study the playbook for future game day success.

On the offensive side, quarterback and captain Trenton Chmelik hopes to make the best out of his senior season and leave a legacy behind.

“As a captain of the team, I try to emphasize to the younger guys to play with passion and to make every opportunity count, and to complete every obstacle with tenacity and discipline,” Chmelik said.

The first home game for the Panthers is Saturday, Sept. 28, against West Georgia; this is one of five home games scheduled this season.

Soccer suffers cancellations due to Hurricane Dorian

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Due to Hurricane Dorian, Florida Tech men’s soccer canceled a trip to Georgia for an exhibition game against Young Harris College scheduled for Friday, Aug. 30.

Senior midfielder Luca Campanini said the team was disappointed when they heard the trip to Georgia was canceled.

“We have been on trips like these over the past couple of years, and they are always full of laughs and great team bonding,” Campanini said.

The men’s team is also missing out on another game that was scheduled for Sept. 5 at Rollins College against Wingate.

Campanini said the cancellations are “tough” but also feels that it is just a matter of how the team handles the situation.

“This transition period is gonna be very important and we need to stay fit during the time off,” Campanini said. “As soon as it’s passed we will get straight back to work.”

The women’s soccer team hasn’t had to cancel any games, but they are losing nearly a week of practice.

Senior midfielder Brittany Etrick said the storm is putting a curve on the team’s training plans.

“We tried to have a really good practice Friday morning and our coach told us to maintain what we’ve been working for by doing abs and bodyweight exercises that we can do inside,” Etrick said.

The women’s team is scheduled for a game against Flagler on Sept. 7, but Etrick said they might not be able to practice before game time.

“It’s very important players try to maintain themselves during this time away,” Etrick said.

Despite the lack of practice, Etrick remains confident that she and the team will be ready for the game.

“It’s all about adapting to circumstances and this is just another circumstance we can’t control,” Etrick said. “So we are just gonna have to take initiative and adapt the best way we can and I know all of the girls will.”

Women’s ex-golf team continues collegiate career

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In the spring semester of 2019, the Florida Tech Athletic Department dismissed three of its sports programs: the men’s and women’s tennis team, and the women’s golf team.

“In a five-minute meeting, the athletic director told us we were being cut because we weren’t competitive enough,” said Noelle Beijer, one of the eight women on the women’s golf team.

Instead of wearing Panther apparel this season, Beijer will be sporting Tiger attire at the University of Missouri.

She is one of three from the women’s golf team to transfer to another university to continue her collegiate golf career.

A key player for the Panthers, The Dutch native has an impressive golf career, scoring an average of 76.33 during her time at Florida Tech, as well as being a medalist honors at the 2018 World Golf Invitational.

Continuing her education path and majoring in global management and finance, Beijer is excited for her future at Mizzou but is saddened that she will no longer be playing on the field with her best friends and old teammates.

“The fact that I don’t even know when I will see them all again makes me sad,” Beijer said.

According to Florida Tech’s athletic director, Bill Jurgens, there were multiple factors that led to the team being cut, including a lack of competitive edge, facilities, the size of the team and the number of athletes that would be affected by the cut.

“We knew the team had not performed well in the fall, but by no means were we poor performers,” said Lauren Watson, a senior and member of the women’s golf team.

Although the women did not start off strong at the beginning of their season, they proved to leave their mark by the end of the season.

“The day we were cut, February 7, we were ranked 21 in the nation,” Watson said. “By March 26, we were fourth.”

The Scotland native described the news of being cut as giving her a sense of “betrayal” and leaving her feeling “undervalued.”

“Why us?” Watson said. “Why now?”

Refusing to go down silently, Watson challenged what she saw as discrimination with the backing of Title IX by talking to coaches and NCAA compliance directors.

After doing so, the NCAA ruled that she, as well as another woman, on the golf team could play and compete with the men.

“I know playing on the men’s team will be far more challenging due to the length of courses they play and the lack of strength and power I have in comparison,” Watson said. “It’s going to be a big adjustment because as I much as I love the guys, I’ll really miss the girls.”

Even though the news of the cut came in the middle of their season, the women persevered in the wake of what Watson described as disappointment, confusion and anger.

By mid May, the women’s determination and competitiveness led them to bring home a gold trophy with the label NCAA Division II Champions.

“Winning nationals was simply the best thing we could do,” Beijer said.

One key player that helped the Panthers take home a massive win was Megan Dennis.

Dennis had five top 10 finishes in the 2018-19 season for the Panthers, and was also a 2018 Women’s Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar.

Additionally, she made the Sunshine State Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll.

After the initial shock, Dennis said she immediately began to wonder what her future would look like.

“My first thoughts were complete sadness, but also panic because I knew I was going to have to transfer,” Dennis said.

Hence, The U.K. native made the decision to transfer to Pepperdine University in California to continue her degree in sports psychology for her remaining two years of undergraduate schooling.

Like the others, Dennis said replacing her previous Florida Tech teammates is impossible and she will never forget her time with them.

“I’m mostly going to miss the great atmosphere at Florida Tech,” Dennis said. “We worked hard, we were competitive, and we all shared the same passion.”