Mikaela Queen
Ice Hockey looks to make an inaugural season.
The Mocs officially added Ice Hockey to its program as a club sport for the 2019-2020 academic year.
The team looks to join the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA), which much like the NCAA is an application process. The ACHA offers division I, II, and III for men’s hockey and division I and II for women.
Florida Southern will be the 12th school in Florida to possess an ice hockey program. Embry-Riddle, Florida Tech, Lynn University and University of Tampa, all Sunshine state conference programs, also have ice hockey teams.
The team held two sessions of open skates this past week with a final tryout on Thursday. The team will have set ice time and locker room space at Lakeland Ice Arena.
The addition of the ice hockey program will increase the number of athletic programs on campus to 24, including 20 NCAA Division II programs and four club sports.
Compliance begins student-athlete mentorship program.
With the help of four student athletes, Director of Compliance and Academic Services, Hannah Delph began a student-athlete mentorship program for the 2019-2020 academic year.
The program pairs freshmen and transfer student-athletes with upperclassmen mentors. The program is looking to help the new athletes connect campus life as well as people outside their own team. The mentors have been trained on resources across campus outside of the athletic department for the new student-athletes who were to experience issues.
“They are able to connect with athletes who have already been here at least a year and pick their brains about best resources on campus and how to best manage their time as a student-athlete,” Delph said.
The program offers returning athletes leadership opportunities and the ability to give back to the athletic department. The mentors are asked to meet with their mentees at least once a month to see how their teams and classes are going.
“The thought behind this is that if they feel more connected, they’re more likely to report any kind of issues,” Delph said.
Delph said the goal of this program is to unite the athletic department and promote support amongst the teams.
Mike Moran joins the athletic department as new assistant AD.
Announced on July 22, Moran joined the Mocs as Assistant Athletic Director in 2019.
The 1989 Florida Southern graduate previously served with the Lakeland Police Department (LPD) for more than two decades, where he was responsible for all public, private and secondary school safety for the City of Lakeland.
In his new position, Moran will oversee athletic alumni relations, community engagement, facilities scheduling and student-athlete accountability. Moran looks forward to composing relationships with the different teams and ensuring that they are productive student athletes in the community.
Moran has a background in staff management through training at the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command in addition to completion of Certified Public Manager Program through Florida State University.
“Florida Southern College has an excellent tradition of championship athletics, and I’m honored to be a part of the team,” Moran said.