Saint Leo Lions

Last updated

Saint Leo Lions
Saint Leo Lions Athletics Logo.png
University Saint Leo University
Conference Sunshine State (primary)
NCAA Division II
Athletic directorMarcal Lazenby Jr.
Location St. Leo, Florida
Varsity teams15 (6 men's, 9 women's)
Basketball arenaMarion Bowman Activities Center
Baseball stadiumThomas B. Southard Stadium
Softball stadiumUniversity Softball Stadium
Soccer stadiumSaint Leo Soccer Field
Aquatics centerMarion Bowman Aquatics Center
Lacrosse stadiumUniversity Turf Stadium
Tennis venueSaint Leo Tennis Center
NicknameLions
ColorsGreen and gold [1]
   
Website saintleolions.com
Team NCAA championships
1
Individual and relay NCAA champions
3

The Saint Leo Lions are the athletic teams that represent Saint Leo University, located in St. Leo, Florida, in intercollegiate sports at the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The Lions have primarily competed in the Sunshine State Conference since its founding in the 1975–76 academic year.

Contents

History

The Saint Leo Lions have won 30 Sunshine State Conference Championships [2] and have had 123 NCAA Championship Appearances [3] as of April 2023. Saint Leo has finished inside the top-80 out of 307 NCAA Division II institutions in the Learfield Directors' Cup in six straight years with two top-five finishes including second overall in 2015-16. The Lions have been the top SSC institutions in three years, 2014–15, 2015–16, and 2017–18. The Learfield Directors' Cup reflects the overall depth and strength of a university's athletics program based on NCAA Championship participation and advancement. [4]

National Champions

1 Team: Men's Golf (2016) [5]
3 Individuals: Hugo Bernard (2016, Men's Golf), Marie Coors (2017, Women's Golf), Henrik Dahrendorff (2019, Men's Swimming)

Hugo Bernard became the first-ever national champion in the history of the university, team or individual, on May 19, 2016 when he won at the Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in Denver, Colorado.
The Saint Leo Men's Golf team became the first-ever team national champions when they claimed the team title on May 21, 2016 in Denver, Colorado.
Marie Coors became the first-ever female to win a national title in school history on May 20, 2017 at the Findlay Country Club in Findlay, Ohio.
Henrik Dahrendorff became the first national champion in swimming program history on March 16, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Varsity teams

Men's sportsWomen's sports
BaseballAcrobatics & tumbling
BasketballBasketball
GolfBeach volleyball
LacrosseGolf
SoccerLacrosse
TennisSoccer
Softball
Tennis
Volleyball

Facilities

Marion Bowman Activities Center

The Bowman Center arena has two full basketball and volleyball courts and can seat as many as 1,500 spectators for an event in cushioned, seat-back chairs. During the summer of 2012 the floor was completely replaced, resurfaced, and repainted. A new energy efficient lighting system was installed before the 2009-10 school year. The Activities Center houses four classrooms, eight locker rooms and the athletic department offices. In addition, the fitness center was refurbished over the summer of 2012 featuring the latest in work out equipment for both weight training and aerobics. This impressive and spacious training/weight facility is located in the former bowling alley in the lower level of the Activities Center.

Thomas B. Southard Stadium

Replacing Dade City Park in the 1970s as the Home of the Lions and named after the college's fifth president, the oldest outdoor facility on the Saint Leo campus is complemented by a major-league caliber lighting system installed in 1987, automatic sprinklers, drainage system, press box, and a wireless scoreboard with LED videoboard. The stadium was fitted with OAI-produced windscreens in 2009, and is widely accepted as one of the premier baseball complexes in the Sunshine State Conference.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference</span> NCAA Division III athletic conference

The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC), founded in 1962, is an athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. Member institutions are located in Colorado, Louisiana, and Texas. Difficulties related to travel distances led seven former members to announce the formation of a new Southeastern US-based conference, the Southern Athletic Association, starting with the 2012–13 academic year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida Gators</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of the University of Florida

The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni and its sports fans are often collectively referred to as the "Gator Nation." The Gators compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and are consistently ranked among the top college sports programs in the United States. The University of Florida currently fields teams in nine men's sports and twelve women's sports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ohio State Buckeyes</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of Ohio State University

The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Ohio State University, located in Columbus, Ohio. The athletic programs are named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Ohio and after the state tree, the Ohio buckeye. The Buckeyes participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I in all sports and the Big Ten Conference in most sports. The Ohio State women's ice hockey team competes in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA). The school colors are scarlet and gray. The university's mascot is Brutus Buckeye. "THE" is the official trademark of the Ohio State University merchandise. Led by its gridiron program, the Buckeyes have the largest overall sports endowment of any campus in North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louisville Cardinals</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of the University of Louisville

The Louisville Cardinals are the NCAA athletic teams representing the University of Louisville. The Cardinals teams play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, beginning in the 2014 season. While playing in the Big East Conference from 2005 through 2013, the Cardinals captured 17 regular season Big East titles and 33 Big East Tournament titles totaling 50 Big East Championships across all sports. On November 28, 2012, Louisville received and accepted an invitation to join the Atlantic Coast Conference and became a participating member in all sports in 2014. In 2016, Lamar Jackson won the school its first Heisman Trophy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Purdue Boilermakers</span> Intercollegiate athletics teams of Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana

The Purdue Boilermakers are the official intercollegiate athletics teams representing Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana. As is common with athletic nicknames, the Boilermakers nickname is also used as colloquial designation of Purdue's students and alumni at large. The nickname is often shortened to "Boilers" by fans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunshine State Conference</span>

The Sunshine State Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. All of its member institutions are located in the state of Florida, which is popularly known as the Sunshine State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michigan Wolverines</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of the University of Michigan

The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except women's water polo, which competes in the NCAA inter-divisional Collegiate Water Polo Association. Team colors are maize and blue, though these are different shades of "maize" and "blue" from those used by the university at large. The winged helmet is a recognized icon of Michigan Athletics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stanford Cardinal</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of Stanford University

The Stanford Cardinal are the athletic teams that represent Stanford University. As of June 15, 2023, Stanford's program has won 134 NCAA team championships, the most of any university. Stanford has won at least one NCAA team championship each academic year for 47 consecutive years, starting in 1976–77 and continuing through 2022–23. Stanford has won 26 of the 29 NACDA Directors' Cups, awarded annually to the most successful overall college sports program in the nation, including 25 consecutive Cups from 1994–95 through 2018–19. 177 Stanford-affiliated athletes have won a total of 296 Summer Olympic medals, including 26 medals at the 2020 Tokyo games. Stanford's teams compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Pac-12 Conference, along with other schools from the western third of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northwestern Wildcats</span> Sports teams representing the Evanston university

The Northwestern Wildcats are the athletic teams that represent Northwestern University, located in Evanston, Illinois. Northwestern is a founding member of the Big Ten Conference and the only private university in the conference. Northwestern has eight men's and eleven women's NCAA Division I sports teams and is marketed as "Chicago's Big Ten Team". The mascot is Willie the Wildcat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas A&M Aggies</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of Texas A&M University

The Texas A&M Aggies are the students, graduates, and sports teams of Texas A&M University. The nickname "Aggie" was once common at land-grant or "ag" (agriculture) schools in many states. The teams are also simply referred to as "A&M" or "Texas Aggies," and the official school colors are maroon and white. The mascot is a rough collie named Reveille.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denver Pioneers</span> Sports teams representing the University of Denver

The Denver Pioneers are the sports teams of the University of Denver (DU). They play in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. Denver is a member of The Summit League for men's and women's basketball, swimming and diving, men's and women's soccer, tennis and golf for both men and women, plus women's volleyball. Other DU teams play in various conferences in the sports that are not sponsored by The Summit. The men's ice hockey team is a charter member of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC), which formed in 2011 with play beginning in 2013. The lacrosse teams for men and women are members of the Big East Conference; the men began Big East play in the 2013–14 school year, while the women left the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) after the 2016 lacrosse season. Men's and women's skiing compete in the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association, while the women's gymnastics team became an affiliate of the Big 12 Conference starting with the 2015–16 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lindenwood Lions</span> Athletic teams of Lindenwood University

The Lindenwood Lions and Lady Lions are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Lindenwood University, located in St. Charles, Missouri, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division I ranks, primarily competing in the Ohio Valley Conference for most of its sports since the 2022–23 academic year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Guerrero</span> American college athletics administrator

Dan Guerrero is an American former athletic director for the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He also has served as the chairman of the Selection Committee for the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. Guerrero was roundly criticized for many of his hiring decisions, particularly in football and men's basketball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Florida Ospreys</span>

The North Florida Ospreys are the athletic teams of the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Florida. The Ospreys compete in the ASUN Conference in NCAA Division I. UNF became a full-fledged member of Division I in 2009; previously, the Ospreys were members of the Sunshine State Conference and Peach Belt Conference in NCAA Division II. UNF fields teams in seven men's sports and ten women's sports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Erie Storm</span> College sport team in Ohio

The Lake Erie Storm are the athletic teams that represent Lake Erie College, located in Painesville, Ohio, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) since the 2017–18 academic year. The Storm previously competed as a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) from 2010–11 to 2016–17; as well as an NCAA D-II Independent from 2008–09 to 2009–10. Prior joining to NCAA Division II, the Storm competed as a member of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) of the NCAA Division III ranks from 1997–98 to 2007–08.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minnesota State Mavericks</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of Minnesota State University

The Minnesota State Mavericks are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Minnesota State University, Mankato. The school's athletic program includes 21 varsity sports teams. More than 600 students participate each year in athletics for the university. Most of the university's athletic teams compete at the NCAA Division II level in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). The men's and women's ice hockey teams compete at the Division I level, respectively in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) and Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA). Minnesota State began competition in the NSIC in 2008–09, due to the dissolution of the North Central Conference. It was also one of the seven WCHA men's hockey members that left that league after the 2020–21 season to reestablish the CCHA, a move that led to the demise of the men's side of the WCHA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Lawrence Saints</span> Sports programs at St. Lawrence University

The St. Lawrence Saints are composed of 33 teams representing St. Lawrence University in intercollegiate athletics, including men and women's alpine skiing, basketball, cross country, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, nordic skiing, riding, rowing, soccer, squash, swimming, tennis, and track and field. Men's sports include baseball and football. Women's sports include field hockey, softball, and volleyball. The Saints compete in the NCAA Division III and are members of the Liberty League for all sports except ice hockey, which competes in NCAA Division I, as a member of ECAC Hockey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colby Mules</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of Colby College

The Colby Mules are the varsity and club athletic teams of Colby College, a liberal arts college located in Waterville, Maine. Colby's varsity teams compete in the New England Small College Athletic Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III. The college offers 32 varsity teams, plus club sports, intramural sports called I-play.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MSU Denver Roadrunners</span>

The MSU Denver Roadrunners are the athletic teams that represent Metropolitan State University of Denver. The Roadrunners participate in 15 intercollegiate sports and compete in the Division II Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Limestone Saints</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of Limestone College

The Limestone Saints are the athletic teams that represent Limestone University, located in Gaffney, South Carolina, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sporting competitions. The Saints compete as members of the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) for most sports, having joined that league in July 2020 after 22 years in Conference Carolinas (CC). Limestone maintains CC membership in two sports, specifically men's wrestling and women's acrobatics & tumbling. Men's wrestling is one of two sports in which the SAC and CC operate as a single league, the other being women's field hockey. The SAC operates the field hockey championship, while CC operates the wrestling championship. The men's volleyball team competes as an independent. The swim team competed in the Bluegrass Mountain Conference before being dropped in 2018; the field hockey and wrestling teams were members of the ECAC–Division II before 2018, when the SAC and CC established their alliance in those two sports. The football team had been independent, but entered into a scheduling agreement with the SAC in 2015. This agreement was replaced in 2017 by formal affiliate membership, which continued until the Saints joined the SAC full-time in 2020.

References

  1. Saint Leo Athletics Identity Standards (PDF). Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  2. "Conference Championships".
  3. "NCAA Appearances".
  4. "Directors' Cup Standings Year-by-Year".
  5. https://www.ncaa.com/history/golf-men/d2