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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.

New mural at Southgate painted by local artist

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By Johnny O’Brien

Relentless — a word defined as showing no abatement of severity, intensity, strength or pace.

For artist Christopher Maslow, the term relentless means an unfaltering pursuit to achieve one’s goals and to be the most dedicated. Maslow painted a mural of the Florida Tech panther on the southernmost wall of the Southgate apartment complex building M.

Christopher Maslow completed his mural on Southgate building M in early February. The panther represent the theme of “relentlessness.” Photo// Johnny O’Brien

The mural is titled ‘relentless’ for Florida Tech’s continued pursuit to provide knowledge, education, and resources that will help young minds to go forward and change the world. Living in the area for many years, Maslow grew up seeing the mural downtown and dreamed about recreating it. When the opportunity presented itself, Maslow was “ecstatic.”      

According to Maslow, the mural is inspired by the quote “Ad Astra Per Scientiam” which means to reach the stars through science. The Panther is traveling through all different environments; land, sea, sky, and space — all different aspects of Florida Tech’s curriculum.

“As the icon of Florida Tech, the Panther should unite the students through their common purpose at FIT,” Maslow said. 

The new Southgate mural is the second Florida Tech mural in Melbourne. The other mural is located downtown near numerous bars and helps bridge the connection of campus and downtown Melbourne.

“I’m inspired by the positive impact Florida Tech has made on the Space Coast,” Maslow said. “While I’m not a student of Florida Tech, I do consider myself a representative of FIT artistically.”

For sophomore Gabija Karosas who is majoring in ocean engineering, the mural represents the diversity, kindness and overall acceptance of every student on campus. To Karosas, the image of fearlessness from the Panther, along with the title, symbolizes the community of the student body at Florida Tech.

“Each student is like a Panther, facing every challenge head-on with courage and bravery to find a solution whether it’s in or outside the classroom,” Karosas said. “Students come here to be relentless, learn and experience as much as they can to grow into the best person they can be.”

For Southgate resident assistant Marcello Mattei, having the mural being the first thing he sees when he gets back to the apartments makes his day. 

Resident Director of Southgate Apartments Maria Sagastume was also excited about the new mural.

“My favorite part is that it brings life and color to our residence halls, especially the apartment-style buildings,” Sagastume said.

Sagastume said she believes that we all have to be relentless at some point in our lives, especially when we face challenges and adversity. The RD sees the mural as a reminder that we should not stop fighting for our dreams and work hard to accomplish them.

“We constantly pursue greatness as well since we are in a very challenging tech school that constantly encourages us to be the best version of ourselves,” Sagastume said. “We are also preparing for a competitive world and we have seen how our alumni have done great things in their fields of study and always pursue great things after college.”

Many Southgate residents believe the mural brings a better sense of community to campus. 

Florida Tech athletic director Bill Jurgens has changed positions after 44 years

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By Elena Ciulli

44 years later — Bill Jurgens, long time Florida Tech athletic director,  has been promoted to vice president of international relations. 

Jurgens became Florida Tech’s athletic director in 1976, helping Florida Tech build 18 different sports and recruiting over 500 student-athletes. In his time as athletic director, Florida Tech won five NCAA titles: two in men’s soccer, two in women’s golf and one in swimming, as well as 35 conference team championships.

Bill Jurgens supports the women’s soccer team at their 2019 senior night match. Photo// Florida Tech Athletics Flickr

In May, Jurgens will begin his position as Vice President for University Relations. 

“It is something that I really want to do because I want to have a greater impact on the University,” Jurgens said. 

After 44 years as an athletic director, Jurgens will assist President T. Dwayne McCay with community responsibilities and developing awareness for  Florida Tech. Jurgen’s experience in the athletic department will allow him to promote the university through different areas such as sustaining optimum performances and what it takes to be a team player.  

Student-athletes seem to be sad that Jurgens is leaving the athletic department, but wish him the best of luck in his new position. Tania Kottke, a volleyball player majoring in business, is one particular athlete that will miss Jurgens as an athletic director. 

“It’s sad that Bill will not be in the athletic department anymore,” Kottke said. 

“But the legacy and the connections he built during his time will help him succeed in his new position.” 

According to Jurgens, getting more exposure and showing excitement for the university will be crucial. “I love Florida Tech for a variety of reasons,” Jurgens said. “FIT is a great academic institution and the people who work here are great.”

During his career, Jurgens had the chance to build strong relationships, which allowed him to meet numerous people, who became colleagues and eventually friends. 

One of those relationships started over 30 years ago, with the man that will act as interim athletic director until the position is filled, Pete Mazzone.

Arriving at Florida Tech in 1985, Mazzone has been involved with the university in a variety of roles: assistant athletic director, intramural director, game manager, teacher and head coach of the cross country team.

Years of experience brought Mazzone to be the candidate for the athletic director role, after being Florida Tech’s associate athletic director for years prior. “ It’s a new challenge and I am excited to implement my plans,” Mazzone said.  

Students like Pauline Cosson and Malte Stockhausen, both part of the cross country team, have welcomed the news regarding Mazzone’s upcoming position. The two seniors have full trust in their coach, relying on his organization and leadership skills. “ I am sure coach Mazzone will do a fantastic job,” said Stockhausen, a senior majoring in marine biology.  “He has always been very organized and fair to everyone, being a great example to all the student-athletes.”

Jurgens and Mazzone will work together in a transition period until Jurgens assumes his new role on May 1. 

As for now, any relevant changes have been communicated to all the Florida Tech athletic teams.

“Coach Mazzone deserved the role, and I am happy that all his hard work has paid off. I know he will be successful, ” Cosson said.

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.

CAPS – The Panther’s First Semester

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Whether this is the first semester of your freshman year of college or your final “first” semester of graduate school, the start of a new academic year can come with so many new and different things.

Some might be exciting, like meeting new roommates; while others might be challenging, like repairing a suffering GPA.

Regardless of what experiences come your way, it is important to find a balance between school, work and your social and personal life.

A great way to start the new academic year is to establish a daily routine.

While classes naturally create a routine, there are many other areas of your life that could benefit from some structure.

Setting aside certain days or times for things, like hanging out with friends or catching up with family, can be just as important as scheduling time for studying.

Having an exercise routine can also be helpful and more than just managing weight.

Regular exercise can help manage stress, anxiety and depression.

Eating regular, well-balanced meals at around the same time each day can further help with overall physical and mental health.

Additionally, taking time to relax can help balance out the stress of studying, working or dealing with social/ extra-curricular demands.

Give yourself the gift of setting limits on where and how you spend your time.

It might seem like extra work now, but it will pay off when October hits and you find yourself not wondering where all your time went.

If you find yourself having difficulties that cannot be resolved with setting routines and engaging in self-care, reach out to someone for support.

You can also visit Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), where a variety of mental health and wellness services are available to assist students so they can successfully reach their own personal, academic and career goals.

We also offer weekly counseling groups, including Mood Matters on Mondays, a group on managing depression and anxiety; Let’s Talk on Tuesdays, which explores ways to improve relationship skills; Proud To Be Me on Wednesdays, which provides support for LGBTQ+ concerns; Understanding Self & Others on Thursdays, which explores personal identity and interpersonal success; and Emotional Flexibility on Fridays, which provides a variety of stress management techniques.

More information regarding CAPS’ services and support can be found by visiting: www.fit.edu/counseling-and-psychological-services/

We are here to help you achieve your goals and be the happiest and healthiest Panther you can be.

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.”

Welcome to the Crimson 2019 – The voice of the students

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Welcome to Florida Tech, whether it’s your first or your final year here!

We hope you enjoy your stay here, and during your time you’ll pick up a few copies of our paper, The Crimson.

The Crimson is Florida Tech’s student-run newspaper, offering our community the scoop on campus events, local, national and international news, opinion pieces, reviews and more.

We hold the First Amendment in high regard, which states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

While Florida Tech is a private institution, it has no rules in place censoring the media, meaning we can freely exercise our First Amendment rights.

We take this responsibility very seriously at The Crimson and seek to report the truth accurately and fully.

Being the voice of the students is our number one priority.

This means we want to hear from you.

If you have a story and want it published or need help telling it, let us know.

Not only do we want to report, but we want to share your perspective and help inspire change through our paper.

More than anything, we want you to join us this semester to help get as many voices as possible out to Florida Tech.

Don’t think you’re a good writer?

That’s okay–we have a team of editors who can work with you to make your work shine.

We can also need photographers and students interested in design, creating comics, planning events and managing advertising.

This year, we are working hard to have a great variety of stories.

We want The Crimson to obtain everything from updates on building renovations to reviews on new music to your opinion on the quality of education in your degree program.

Another platform we are going to be focusing heavily on this year is our social media and online presence.

We will be posting daily updates on Facebook and Instagram, with stories, questions, meeting times and a peek into what goes on behind the scenes while we edit.

Additionally, we will use fitforum to send out reminders regarding meeting times and campus events, as well as questionnaires.

Finally, we have a website! You can visit it for all our articles at crimson.fit.edu.

We hope to see you this semester. We meet at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday evenings in Grissom Hall’s basement.

To contact us, please email us at crimson@fit.edu.

CAPS – The Panther Gives Back

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Panthers are often thought to be dangerous and fierce creatures who only care for their own survival.

However, Dr. Mark Elbroch, lead scientist for Panthera’s Puma Program and ecologist who spent 15 years studying panthers, found that there is actually a compassionate side to big, carnivorous cats.

There is even an instance in which one of these fierce animals helped raise a baby baboon after its mother died!

The point is, we Panthers like to help each other out.

We care about each other.

Altruistic acts, doing things for others simply out of a desire to help, have been shown to activate important reward centers in the brain and relive negative thoughts and feelings within ourselves.

We often attempt to be empathetic and help each other out when we can, but sometimes we may not know exactly what can be done, or how our efforts can benefit most people.

With Earth Day on our minds, there are many simple ways to help both our environment and those around us.

Here are some ideas for expressing our gratitude for Mother Earth and our fellow Panthers:

Keep Our Beaches Clean!

We at Florida Tech are lucky to have beautiful beaches so close to us! Let’s do our part to keep it that way! Whether you volunteer for the many local “Adopt a Beach” cleanup efforts, or even just pick up that empty bottle from the sand and place it in a proper recycling bin, we can help make our beaches that much cleaner and safer for ourselves and the lovely creatures that call the beach home.

Be an Environmentally Conscious Consumer!

There are a number of ways we can help our environment just by changing our day-to-day consumer behaviors. For example, consider reducing your plastic use as many animals can die as a result of getting entangled or starve by consuming plastic they mistake for food. Cutting the plastic rings around soda bottles and cans before throwing them out and using paper bags or bringing your own reusable bag to your local grocery store, are some ways to help keep our environment safe just by slightly shifting your daily routine!

Simple Acts of Kindness!

Helping out our neighbors doesn’t have to be a grand gesture; even small, random acts of kindness can be something that immensely brightens someone’s day. Paying for the car behind you in the drive thru is a simple act that can help make someone’s morning just a little bit better. The best part is that these efforts are often contagious! When we offer a helping hand, it inspires others to do the same. Some other examples include leaving change in a vending machine, letting someone in front of you in line, or even just giving a nice compliment to a someone you know or a stranger!

Whether it’s something large or small, simple or more challenging, every act of kindness can help you better our world in your own way.

Caring about each other and the world around us makes everyone feel better, including ourselves.

The more people who choose to partake in this kindness, the more benefit for our world as a whole.

We at CAPS and the overall Florida Tech community want to make the world a better place, so let’s work together and be the change we wish to see!

Men’s lacrosse overcomes hot start by Rollins

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In the largest comeback in program history, Florida Tech men’s lacrosse fought back from an 8-0 deficit to hand the Rollins College Tars a 17-16 defeat.

This was the Panthers’ first game of the season against a fellow Sunshine State Conference opponent.

They improved to a 5-1 score on the season and 1-0 in the conference play.

Midfielder Reid Chaconas led the way for Florida Tech with four goals and an assist.

Three other midfielders, Brett Pohlmeyer, Logan Sweeney and Justin Williams, each added two goals and an assist.

Midfielder Tommy Bowser added a goal and two assists of his own, as Attacker Brad Schillinger tacked on another two goals.

Rollins started the scoring early, giving the Tars a 1-0 lead just 49 seconds into the game.

They continued their scoring barrage with seven more unanswered goals, giving them an eight-goal cushion with 9:35 to go in the second quarter.

The Panthers finally responded with 8:52 left in the second quarter, as Schillinger scored his ninth goal of the season.

The Tars reacted quickly, though, making the score 9-1 and pushing the lead back to eight.

After back-to-back goals by Chaconas, the Panthers narrowed the Tars lead to six.

Before halftime, the Panthers scored three straight goals by Pohlmeyer, midfielder Bryce Johnson and defensive midfielder Tyler Oblong.

Rollins responded with a goal, making the score 10-7 heading into halftime.

Schillinger started the scoring in the second half, followed by another goal by Pohlmeyer, making the score 10-9.

After the Tars and Panthers traded goals for most of the second half, Florida Tech was able to build a three-point lead.

This was soon reduced to just a one-point difference after the Tars scored consecutive goals.

The score now stood at 16-15 in the Panthers’ favor with 5:42 to go.

Chaconas then scored his fourth goal of the game, but a little over two minutes later, Rollins was able to counter attack.

It ultimately proved to be too little too late for the Tars, as Florida Tech retained their lead for the last 1:32 of the game, securing their fifth victory of the season.

The Panthers take on another SSC opponent Wednesday, March 27, against the University of Tampa Spartans.

Start time is set for 8 p.m. at the Naimoli Family Athletic Complex in Tampa, Florida.

CAPS – The Panther Sees Its Reflection

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Who are you? How do you define yourself?

These questions are often asked of us as part of a “meet and greet” for class or other activities.

When we are asked questions like this, we might be caught by surprise at how difficult these questions are to answer.

While we sometimes get lost in the lives of others and readily offer advice in times of need, it seems more difficult to look inward at ourselves.

We may offer the common advice of, “You cannot expect others to love you without loving yourself first,” while not taking time to carefully consider what this phrase really means to us.

How do we love ourselves? Perhaps part of this is taking time to determine the aspects that influence who we are and matter the most to us.

Here is a quick, 3-step exercise to explore what we value in life and, in turn, what influences who we are and who we want to become:

Values Exploration Exercise

  1. Review the list of sample value words and phrases below. As you look at them, identify the ones that are most important to you and those you connect with the most.
    If you know of additional words or phrases that also fit you, be sure to add them to the list!
    Consider not selecting values because they are socially acceptable or desirable, but instead listen to your intuition and gut instinct to identify those that truly apply to you.
    After your initial review, revisit your choices and narrow them down to 8 to 10 that are most important to you.
  2. Once you have finalized your value choices, list them in order, with 1 being most important and 10 being least important.
    Save this list to refer to in the future.
  3. Get specific about what your top values mean and how you will honor them in your life.
    For example, a value of creativity might mean spending time painting or making music regularly.
    What would your top three values look like if they were present in your world?
    How would you know if you were living in accordance to them?
    What steps could you take to honor them more?
  4. Consider the statements/questions below to further guide you in exploring this.
    – I value ____. This means I ____, _____, and _____. Do I perceive there is a gap in how I am honoring this value? If so, how do I plan to close the gap?

Sample Value Words and Phrases:

Accomplishment; Accuracy; Achievement; Acknowledgment; Action; Adventure; Aesthetics; Affluence; Authenticity; Authority; Balance; Beauty; Collaboration; Community; Connectedness; Contribution; Courage; Creativity; Curiosity; Elegance; Empowerment; Excellence; Fame; Fitness; Focus; Forward the Action; Free Spirit; Freedom to Choose; Full Self-Expression; Fun; Growth; Harmony; Honesty; Humor; Independence; Innovation; Integrity; Intimacy; Joy; Lack of Pretense; Leadership; Learning; Loyalty; Nature; Nurturing; Orderliness; Participation; Partnership; Peace; Performance; Personal Power; Play; Precision; Productivity; Recognition; Risk Taking; Romance; Self Reliance; Service; Spirituality; Success; To Be Known; Tradition; Trust; Unique; Vitality; Zest

Looking inward and exploring our identity is often a challenging journey.

There are entire philosophies dedicated to the questions of “Who am I?” and “What is my purpose?”

These are lifelong quandaries, and the journey of discovering them may be just as important as the answers you come to.

Please join us at our “How to Explore Like a Panther” event taking place on Wednesday, April 3rd from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. in Evans Hall, Room 202 to discuss the exploration of your identity with other inquisitive students like yourselves, and begin your own personal journey of self-discovery.