Athletics Collects Most Conference Championship Trophies In 23 Years;
Sees Program-Wide Firsts & Milestones in 2020-21
Six conference championship trophies in 2020-21 most since 1998, rank among the top five most successful conference seasons ever;
Bulls collect 13 All-America and four conference player of the year honors
TAMPA, JUNE 24, 2021 – Following a pandemic shortened spring in 2020 and moving the majority of sports competition into the spring of 2021, USF Athletics rose to the challenge in a big way by collecting the program’s most conference championship trophies in 23 years while setting numerous milestones and firsts along the way.
Following the completion of the 2020-21 season, the Bulls had six shining new American Athletic Conference team championship trophies collected by four programs. It marked USF’s most since 1998 when six teams collected seven conference championship trophies in Conference USA. The Bulls’ haul ranked second in The American by one and was two more than any of the other nine conference programs collected in 2020-21. USF also added a national championship trophy to its collection as the coed cheer team led by coach Gillian Guadagnino won the UCA College Nationals – the first national title in program history.
USF saw the baseball, men’s golf, women’s basketball and women’s soccer teams win conference titles – with the basketball and soccer programs claiming both regular season and tournament titles – and was the only conference member to win two or more titles in the highest television rating generating sports of football, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball or softball.
“I am so pleased with how our student-athletes, coaches and staff have responded to the challenges of the last year and how they ‘Bullieved’, performed at a very high level and made our university and community so proud,” said Vice President of Athletics Michael Kelly, who begins a four-year term on the prestigious NCAA Division I Council on July 1. “We are happy to be a big part of the exciting times taking place in ‘Champa Bay’ and can’t wait to build on the momentum in the 2021-22 season.”
USF’s six conference trophies are tied for the program’s second-most ever and stand with two seasons in C-USA (1996 and 1998) and two in the Sun Belt (1986 and 1990) among the five most successful conference championship seasons in the 55-year history of the program, which began in 1965.
The Bulls also claimed four individual conference championships with Albin Bergstrom (men’s golf), Shaniya Benjamin (Track, long jump and 4X400), Jae’ Nisa Heckstall (400-meter hurdles and 4X400), and the women’s 4X400 relay team (Gabrielle DesRosier, Benjamin, Patricija Roshofa and Heckstall) winning titles.
Thirteen Bulls were recognized as All-Americans on the year and 24 earned first-team all-conference honors. Four Bulls were recognized as the conference’s top performer of the year, while two head coaches – Steve Bradley (men’s golf) and Jose Fernandez (women’s basketball) – and one coaching staff (Denise Schilte-Brown and women’s soccer) were named the conference’s top coaches.
Among numerous program firsts and milestones achieved on the year, Erik Jenkins’ track and field team brought home a program-record 11 All-America honors by eight athletes, shattering the previous mark of six by five. Billy Mohl’s baseball team won the program’s first NCAA Regional (knocking off Florid and Miami in Gainesville) to earn its first-ever NCAA Super Regional berth. Ken Eriksen recorded his 1,000th career victory and watched All-American pitcher Georgina Corrick claim her third AAC Pitcher of the Year award while posting the program’s first-ever back-to-back no-hitters and tie a program record with five no-hitters and 15 shutouts on the year. Jose Fernandez’s women’s basketball program reached the program’s highest-ever ranking (No. 12 in the AP Poll) and posted its best-ever winning percentage (.826, 19-4) while collecting its first-ever regular season and conference tournament crowns.
Women’s basketball was one of nine programs to reach national postseason play, joining baseball, men’s golf, women’s soccer, softball, men’s tennis, men’s track and field, women’s track and field and sailing.
The Bulls also continued to excel in the classroom with a record 288 earning Athletics Honor Roll recognition following the spring semester as Athletics extended its record streak of a cumulative grade-point average over 3.0 to 13 straight semesters and six years.
Program Firsts & Records:
Women’s Basketball – first regular-season conference championship
Women’s Basketball – first conference tournament championship
Women’s Basketball – highest national ranking (No. 12 in AP Poll)
Women’s Basketball – highest season winning percentage (.826, 19-4)
Baseball – first NCAA Super Regional appearance
Track & Field – most ever All-Americans – 11 honors by eight athletes in the outdoor season
Men’s Golf – conference record for lowest round in the AAC Tournament
Softball – Coach Ken Eriksen won his 1,000th game
Softball – Georgina Corrick back-to-back no-hitters and five total on the year
Athletics – most ever Athletics Honor Roll Members (288, Spring)
Athletics – 13-straight semesters with cumulative GPA over 3.0 – longest streak ever
AAC Team & Individual Championships (10):
Baseball
W Basketball – Regular Season
W Basketball – Tournament
M Golf – Tournament
W Soccer – Regular Season
W Soccer – Tournament
Albin Bergstrom – AAC Men’s Golf Tournament
Shaniya Benjamin – AAC Outdoor Championships – Long Jump
Jae’Nisa Heckstall – 400-meter Hurdles
Women’s 4X400 Relay Team – DesRosiers, Benjamin, Roshofa, Heckstall
AAC Players & Coaches Honors:
Maria Alvarez – AAC Co-Sixth Player of the Year (WBB)
Georgina Corrick – AAC Pitcher of the Year, third time (Softball)
Chyanne Dennis – AAC Co-Defensive Player of the Year (W Soccer)
Sydney Martinez – AAC Goalkeeper of the Year (W Soccer)
Sydny Nasello – AAC Offensive Player of the Year (W Soccer)
Eliza Pinzan – AAC Most Improved Player (WBB)
Steve Bradley – AAC Coach of the Year (WBB)
Jose Fernandez – AAC Coach of the Year (WBB)
Denise Schilte Brown & staff – AAC Coaching Staff of the Year (W Soccer)
All-Americans (13)
Duncan Agyemang (400 MHH)
Zahria Allers-Liburd (4X100)
Stone Baker (Pole Vault)
Shaniya Benjamin (Track & Field – Long Jump, 4X100 & 4X400)
Georgina Corrick (Softball)
Gabrielle DesRosiers (4X100 & 4X400)
Jae’Nisa Heckstall (4X400)
Sydney Martinez (W Soccer)
Sydny Nasello (W Soccer)
Kadesha Prescott (4X100)
Patricija Roshofa (4X400)
Drew Brutcher (Baseball) – Freshman All-American
Carmine Lane (Baseball) – Freshman All-American
National Post Season Appearance (9)
Baseball – Gainesville Regional Champion – Austin Super Regional
W Basketball – advanced to the second round
M Golf
W Soccer – advanced to the second round
Softball
M Tennis
M Track & Field
W Track & Field
Sailing
Top 25 Ranked Teams
Baseball
Women’s Basketball
W Soccer
About USF Athletics
USF Athletics sponsors 19 varsity men’s and women’s teams that compete in 11 different sports, 18 at the NCAA Division I level in the American Athletic Conference. The Bulls’ athletic program began in 1965 and is in its 55th season in 2020-21. Nearly 450 student-athletes train and compete in the athletic district located on the east end of the campus in Tampa, Fla. The Bulls have claimed 25 American Athletic Conference team titles since joining the conference in 2013, including six trophies in 2020-21, and own 129 conference titles in department history. The Bulls posted a combined annual grade-point average over 3.0 for the sixth straight year in 2020-21nand have posted a program-record 13 straight semesters with a combined GPA over 3.0. USF has had nearly 450 student-athletes earn their degree since 2016-17.
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– #GoBulls –
