Georgina Corrick: Bulls’ pitcher Georgina Corrick earned a first-team All-American honor and was named USF’s Female Student-Athlete of the Year, amongst other awards.
Courtesy of USF Athletics
By Max Steele
USF’s student-athletes were busy this summer, accomplishing feats both on and off the field. Broken track records, new starting quarterbacks and an alumni-turned-MLB-All-Star are just a few highlights included in this roundup.
Let’s dive into what the Bulls have been up to, as well as take a look at the upcoming seasons.
Track and Field
At the NCAA East preliminary rounds in Bloomington, Ind., Michael Bourne III broke University of South Florida’s 110-meter hurdle record with a time of 13.91 seconds, surpassing the previous 13.94 record set back in 2009. Bulls that qualified for the National Championship Finals include Romaine Beckford in the high jump, Shaniya Benjamin in the long jump, Shaneylix Davila in the 100-meter hurdle and Sanique Walker in the 400-meter hurdle.
Men’s Golf
The men’s golf team showcased another solid season and reached the NCAA Men’s Golf Championship in Scottsdale, Ariz. for the fourth time in program history, but finished No. 28 out of 30 in the tournament after three rounds of play. Albin Bergstrom received his third All-American honor and fourth All-Southeast Region honor for his performance throughout the regular season.
Softball
After posting a dominant 45-16 record during the regular season, the USF softball team’s playoff run ended with a pair of losses in regionals. USF’s pitcher Georgina Corrick received a first-team All-American honor, NCAA Woman of the Year nomination, American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year title and became the first pitcher in NCAA Division I history to lead the nation in wins, ERA (earned run average) and strikeouts. Alexis Johns was named first-team All-Conference and won the Golden Shoe Award as a result of her record-breaking stolen bases in a single season count.
Baseball
The USF baseball team clocked a 28-29 record and saw its season come to an end after losing back-to-back games against East Carolina University and Tulane in the AAC conference tournament. Tampa Bay Rays’ ace pitcher and USF alumnus Shane McClanahan was named the American League starting pitcher at the 2022 MLB All-Star Game in July.
Academics
Once again, USF Athletics’ student-athletes combine for a collective 3.0 GPA or higher, extending the department’s record streak to 15 consecutive semesters and more than seven years. The department saw a record number of student-athletes receive Athletics Honor Roll with 289 in the fall 2021 semester and 242 last spring. USF named Romaine Beckford and Georgina Corrick as the 2021-22 Male and Female Student-Athletes of the Year, respectively.
Courtesy of USF Athletics
Football
After a competitive training camp between Bulls’ incumbent quarterback Timmy McClain and recently-added Baylor transfer Gerry Bohanon, USF head coach Jeff Scott named Bohanon as the team’s starting quarterback ahead of the season. The 6-foot-3, 226-pound junior led Baylor to a 12-2 record and Sugar Bowl victory last season and hopes to help turn things around for the Bulls, who have struggled in recent years. McClain has since transferred to the University of Central Florida and will face off against USF on Nov. 26 in the “War on I-4” game.
Men’s and Women’s Soccer
In preparation for the nearing regular season, the men’s soccer team defeated University of Tampa and Saint Leo University in preseason exhibition matches, both by scores of 1-0. Following yet another conference-title-winning season, the women’s team took down Jacksonville University and Stetson in their preseason bouts and was ranked No. 2 in the annual preseason AAC coaches’ poll. Sophomore defender Vivianne Bessette was selected as a unanimous preseason all-conference member.
Lacrosse
USF named eight-time Conference Coach of the Year Mindy McCord as the head coach of the women’s lacrosse team ahead of the program’s first-ever season. USF Vice President of Athletics Michael Kelly believes McCord is the perfect candidate for the job, as she similarly built Jacksonville University’s (JU) lacrosse program from the ground up and has earned 13 conference championships throughout her coaching career. Brittney Orashen, former JU All-American player and defensive coordinator for Stanford’s Pac-12 championship team, will join McCord on the sideline as associate head coach.
Upcoming seasons/first game:
Football: vs. BYU at 4 p.m. on Sept. 3 at Raymond James Stadium (Tampa)
Men’s soccer: vs. Florida Gulf Coast at 7 p.m. on Aug. 25 at Corbett Stadium (Tampa)
Women’s soccer: vs. Florida Gulf Coast at 6 p.m. on Aug. 21 at Corbett Stadium (Tampa)
Volleyball: vs. William & Mary at 12:30 p.m. on Aug. 26 at The Corral (Tampa)
Cross Country: at UCF Invitational on Sept. 2
Men’s golf: at Badger Invitational (Wisconsin) on Sept. 11
Women’s golf: at Green Wave Fall Classic (Tulane) on Sept. 12
