The South Florida Bulls swimming and diving program represented the
University of South Florida
The University of South Florida (USF) is a public research university with its main campus located in Tampa, Florida, and other campuses in St. Petersburg and Sarasota. It is one of 12 members of the State University System of Florida. USF is ...
in the sport of swimming. The program consisted of separate men's and women's teams which competed in
NCAA Division I
NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...
at the time of the program being discontinued in 1987.
The 1984–85 women's swimming team is the only varsity team in
South Florida Bulls
The South Florida Bulls (also known as the USF Bulls) are the athletic teams that represent the University of South Florida. USF competes in NCAA Division I and is a member of the American Athletic Conference for all sports besides sailing, w ...
history to win an NCAA National Championship. The men's and women's teams also combined for 17 individual and relay national championships in their history.
Men
The USF men's swimming team was founded in 1965 as one of the first teams to be sponsored by the young university. In the team's first NCAA Championship appearance in 1969, Joe Lewkowicz won the first individual national championship in school history in the 200-yard butterfly event. Two years later, the team would place second in the NCAA College Division. Members of the team would go on to win six individual national championships and one relay national championship.
Women
The women's swimming team, known as the Lady Brahmans at the time, was founded in 1972 after the passing of
Title IX
Title IX is the most commonly used name for the federal civil rights law in the United States that was enacted as part (Title IX) of the Education Amendments of 1972. It prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other educat ...
.
1984–85 National Championship
The 1984–85 South Florida Lady Brahmans team won the
NCAA Division II
NCAA Division II (D-II) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environmen ...
National Championship, which was the first, and as of 2021, only NCAA National Championship in school history in any sport.
Every member of the team along with head coach Bill Mann and assistant coach Lou Manganiello was inducted into the
University of South Florida Athletic Hall of Fame's inaugural class in 2009.
Roster
* Nancy Bercaw
* Suzanne Crenshaw
* Susan Duncan
* Merit Greaves
* Tracey Hayes
* Dawn Hewitt
* Alicia McHugh
* Margaret Mortell
* Julie Muller
* Joni Troupe
Individual and Relay championships won
Men
Women
USF Athletic Hall of Fame
14 men's and women's swimming coaches and athletes that were part of the USF swimming teams have since been inducted into the
University of South Florida Athletic Hall of Fame
The University of South Florida Athletic Hall of Fame was established in 2009 to recognize and perpetuate the memory of student athletes, teams, coaches and administrators who have made demonstrably outstanding and significant contributions to the ...
. They include head coach Bill Mann, assistant coach Lou Manganiello, the 10 members of the 1984–85 women's swimming team, Joe Lewkowicz, and men's head coach Robert Grindey.
Folding
Both the men's and women's swimming teams were disbanded after the 1986–87 season due to financial difficulties along with the sport not being sponsored by the
Sun Belt Conference
The Sun Belt Conference (SBC) is a collegiate athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Originally a non-football conference, the Sun Belt began sponsoring football in 2001. Its football teams participa ...
.
See also
University of South Florida
The University of South Florida (USF) is a public research university with its main campus located in Tampa, Florida, and other campuses in St. Petersburg and Sarasota. It is one of 12 members of the State University System of Florida. USF is ...
South Florida Bulls
The South Florida Bulls (also known as the USF Bulls) are the athletic teams that represent the University of South Florida. USF competes in NCAA Division I and is a member of the American Athletic Conference for all sports besides sailing, w ...
References
{{University of South Florida
swimming
Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...