Category: Arts & Culture

WARREN, Ohio – For the third time in program history, the Nova Southeastern Sharks Men’s Golf team has won the NCAA Division II National Championship. The Sharks defeated Oklahoma Christian 3-2 in the final round of match play from the Avalon Lakes Golf Course.
NSU Men’s Golf previously has won the National Championship in 2012 and 2015. The men’s golf national title is the third NCAA Division II National Championship that NSU has won during the 2022-23 season, joining the Women’s Swimming and Men’s Basketball programs. The national championship is the 11^th team national championship in Nova Southeastern University athletics history.

After trailing by just one-stroke after eight holes, Josep Serra recorded a par on nine, while Oklahoma Christian’s Armijo double-bogeyed the hole, giving Serra the lead. Serra maintained his advantage throughout the back-nine, earning a one stroke victory for the first NSU point.
Michael Hay provided a steady performance throughout the championship match, entering the back-nine tied with OCU’s Pulcini. With just two holes remaining, Hay approached the tee box on 17 trailing by two strokes. Hay, unbothered by the pressure, easily parred 17 before finishing off an incredible birdie putt on 18 to seal the second match point for the Sharks, putting NSU at the cusp of the title.

Will O’Neill’s match-up didn’t need the same level of dramatics as Hay’s contest. O’Neill concluded his collegiate career in dominating fashion. After the front-nine, O’Neill led by three strokes but after the 12^th hole, O’Neill’s lead reached nine strokes and he led by as many as 17. O’Neill clinched the third and decisive point in the Sharks national championship victory, finishing off NSU Men’s Golf third national title.

Posted 05/26/23

Nova Southeastern University is on the rise with two NCAA Division II championships this season:

• The Sharks men’s basketball team capped off a second undefeated season by besting West Liberty University 111-101 to capture its first NCAA national championship title. The Sharks ended their season 36-0 and set a record for the most points in any national championship game (in any division).
• The Sharks women’s swimming team also won their first-ever national championship, closing out a season that also saw team members winning 11 individual national championships.

NSU is incredibly proud of its high performing student-athletes—on and off the court and pool. To see more, check out this video.

Fins Up and Go Sharks!
 

George L. Hanbury II, Ph.D.
President/CEO
Nova Southeastern University

Posted 04/09/23

NSU men’s basketball team celebrate their regional championship after beating Alabama Huntsville.

In case you haven’t been watching, Nova Southeastern University sports programs have been taking a big bite out of the competition.

The undefeated Sharks Men’s Basketball Team (33-0) – in a repeat performance from 2022 – advanced to the Elite 8 of the NCAA Division II Tournament after defeating Alabama Huntsville 87-62 Tuesday night at the Rick Case Arena. The team, led by SSC Coach of the Year Jim Crutchfield, will now head to Evansville, Indiana, for a chance to capture the NCAA Division II title. The quarterfinal, semifinal, and championship games will be played at the Ford Center on March 21, 23 and 25.

The Sharks Women’s Basketball Team (21-8) also enjoyed a strong season, advancing to NCAA Division II Championship Tournament. However, the No. 7 seed NSU women’s basketball team lost in a tight contest on March 10 against No. 2 seed Eckerd 79-73.

Meanwhile, for the first time in program history, the No. 1 ranked NSU Sharks Women’s Swimming Team took home the NCAA Division II National Championship. The Sharks, led by Head Coach Ben Hewitt, went wire-to-wire during their title run and led from the championship meet’s first event on Tuesday, March 7. No. 1 Nova Southeastern ended the NCAA National Championship meet with 536.5 points and Emily Trieschmann’s dominant performance led NSU to the title, as the sophomore brought back five national titles – 800-free relay, 1000-free, 200-medley relay, 500-free, and 1650-free – to campus. Overall, the No. 1 Nova Southeastern Sharks women’s swimming team earned 11 NCAA individual national championships en route to the program’s first team title.

NSU’s women’s swimming team celebrate their NCAA national championship with NSU President and CEO George L. Hanbury II.

Learn more about the Sharks’ athletic accomplishments.

Posted 03/15/23

After a strong season that led to a berth in first round of the 2023 NCAA Division II Championship Tournament, the No. 7 seed NSU women’s basketball team lost in a tight contest on Friday, March 10, to No. 2 seed Eckerd. The Sharks held a 17-14 lead after the first quarter, but were unable to hold off the Tritons, who battled back to win 79-73 at the Bob Martinez Center in Tampa.

Get more details on the women’s tournament.

Posted 03/10/23

Coach Ben Hewitt

The College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) released their Scholar All-American team for the 2022 Fall Semester. Overall, 803 teams from 479 institutions were selected on the basis of their Fall 2022 team grade-point averages and represent 19,246 student-athletes from across the country. Both the Nova Southeastern men’s and women’s swimming programs were recognized by the CSCAA.
The Sharks women’s swimming team earned their highest grade-point average in the fall semester in program history (3.68), finishing in a three-way tie for fourth in the nation, alongside Florida Southern and Lenoir-Rhyne. Nova Southeastern’s men’s program recorded a 3.54 GPA as a team, ranking second across NCAA Division II.
Head Coach Ben Hewitt has continued to hold Nova Southeastern Men’s and Women’s Swimming to a high standard, both in the classroom and in the pool, with NSU Women’s Swimming ranking No. 1 nationally, while the men are ranked 14th. “Outstanding work by our teams and our academic services staff, led by [Associate Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Support Services, Senior Woman Administrator and Title IX Coordinator] Rachel Fineberg and [Athletic Academic Services Manager], Deanna Rivero, Ed. D,” Hewitt said. “I’m proud of our student-athletes for excelling at their academic goals; these results speak for themselves. I’m proud of our Sharks!”

Posted 02/16/23