Argos For The Win: UWF Athletics Top 10 Moments Of The Decade
January 9, 2020
The lobby of the UWF Field House was remodeled early in 2019 to enhance presentation for the Argos growing treasure chest of athletics awards.
Looking back, the timing was perfect.
With the football team’s national title trophy now the latest, gleaming part of the display, UWF rings in a new year and new decade Wednesday on heels of its greatest past decade of athletics in school history.
From 2011 through 2019, the Argos won five NCAA national championships in four sports, along with four teams finishing national runners-up in various other years.
The Argos surpassed the century mark for Gulf South Conference championships across all sports. They had athletes win national awards for player/athlete of year and had coaches reach rare milestones for career wins.
This is truly the best of times in Argos’ athletics. The UWF brand has furthered its national profile in the NCAA, but most importantly, the Argos have made a major impact in the Pensacola area with awareness and support.
What better way to honor success than a Top 10 list of greatest achievements in the past 10 years? It was not an easy selection. And there are many others worthy of mention.
But here goes.
10. Volleyball twice hosted NCAA D-2 Championships – In addition to winning seven GSC volleyball titles during this decade, including the latest in 2019, plus reaching the NCAA tournament all 10 seasons, the UWF volleyball program under Melissa Wolter hosted the NCAA Championship tournament in 2012 and 2017.
It gave the Argos a chance to twice showcase the sport’s national stage in the Pensacola community. This season was Wolter’s 17th at UWF and 20th overall. She has been part of the coaching staff for USA Volleyball, the NCAA D-2 Women’s Volleyball National Committee and has taken the Argos to the NCAA Tournament in 14 consecutive seasons
9. Women’s Swimming Program Launched, Champions Crowned – In 2013, UWF added its eighth women’s sport when the swimming and diving team began its inaugural season. It didn’t take long to make an impact.
The Argos finished No. 23 nationally in their first season, climbing to a pair of sixth-place NCAA finishes in 2016 and 2017. During the program’s first six seasons, the Argos have honored a national swimmer of the year, Theresa Michalak (2017), who won five D-2 individual event titles in her career and two-time, national diver of the year, Monica Amaral (2016, 17), who swept the 1-meter and 3-meter diving titles.
8. Men’s Golf Has NCAA Champion – Chandler Blanchet created his special legacy in UWF golf program history by rallying from a three-shot deficit on the final three holes to win the 2017 NCAA Division II individual championship. He has gone on to build a solid start to his professional career, playing on the PGA Tours in Canada and Latin America the last two seasons while earning conditional status for the 2020 Korn Ferry Tour.
He joined former UWF player Orjan Larsen (the 1998 D-2 NCAA champion) in winning the Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Award and the Arnold Palmer Award as medalist in the national championship tournament. Both players were mentored by long-time UWF coach Steve Fell, who has led UWF to a pair of D-2 national team championships and won national coach of the year three times in his 23 seasons.
The following season, UWF finished as 2018 NCAA D-2 national runner-up. In 2017, 2019 the team finished tied for third in the national tournament.
7. Men’s Basketball Has Historic Season – In his third season as UWF coach, Jeff Burkhamer led the Argos to their greatest heights. They reached the 2018 NCAA D-2 Tournament for the first time in school history, following a school-record 28-4 season.
The Argos cracked the national top 10 in the coaches poll for the first time in school history en route to winning their first GSC Tournament title. Though falling against Barry University in the first round NCAA South Regional, the breakthrough season brought large crowds to the UWF Field House and increased awareness in the community.
6. Softball’s Special Year – Under first-year coach Ashliegh McLean in 2019, the Argos produced their second-most wins as an NCAA-member program and second trip in three seasons to the Women’s College World Series. The Argos were ranked No. 1 nationally during four weeks of the regular-season and finished No. 5 in the final coaches poll.
The team’s 54-11 record was surpassed only by a 2005 team that won 60 games. The Argos won the GSC regular-season title, the GSC Tournament title and two NCAA regional titles enroute to reaching the national stage in Denver, Colo.
5. Women’s Basketball Reaches Elite Eight – In 2017, the Argos produced their greatest season in school history with a 28-7 record, including 18-4 in conference play and first-ever GSC regular-season title, plus the first-ever trip to the national quarterfinals.
In D-2, the final eight teams reach the national tournament stage and UWF battled No. 2 ranked California Baptist all the way, before losing 77-69. The game in Columbus, Ohio occurred during the height of March Madness and was shown by Pensacola area sports-theme restaurants.
4. UWF Men’s Tennis Gets Third National Title – After winning back-to-back championships in 2004 and 2005, the Argos produced the trifecta in 2014 with a 29-0 record and 5-3 win against Hawaii-Pacific in the national title match. They added a fourth three years later with a 32-1 slate in 2017.
In his 21 seasons, coach Derrick Racine has taken the Argos to the final four an astonishing 11 times. His teams have included four NCAA champions in singles, including Bruno Savi in 2013 and two doubles teams winning national titles, including Alex Peyrot-Pedro Dumont in 2016.
3. UWF Women’s Soccer Back-To-Back Title Appearances – In 2012, UWF capped an undefeated season (22-0-1) with a 1-0 victory against University of California-San Diego in the NCAA Division II national championship game.
Chelsea Palmer, the most decorated women’s soccer player in UWF history, scored the goal in the 76th minute. Palmer also scored the game-winner in the national semifinal. She was named the national player of the year and this year was inducted into the UWF Athletics Hall of Fame.
In 2013, UWF advanced to the national title game again, finishing runner up after a 2-0 loss to Grand Valley State. During the 2019 season, UWF’s long-time coach Joe Bartlinski attained his 500th career win. It’s been quite a decade for this program.
2. Baseball Team Wins 2011 D-2 College World Series – Three years after beloved coach Jim Spooner passed away after battling leukemia, his coaching prodigy, Mike Jeffcoat, took the Argos to the mountaintop.
They won their first NCAA region championship in dramatic fashion at Jim Spooner Field, then rolled through the CWS bracket in their first-ever appearance to win the national title. The Argos won a school-record 52 games that season, shattering the previous best of 43, which also happened under Jeffcoat’s guidance in 2007.
Beyond baseball, however, the win elevated UWF’s entire athletic profile in the Pensacola community and set the stage for what followed in succeeding years.
1. Football Team Wins Historic National Title – An easy choice. This was historic in NCAA football history across all divisions. The riveting, edge-of-seat, 48-40 triumph Dec. 21 against Minnesota State in the Division II title game in McKinney, Texas completed an improbable, dizzying odyssey in just four seasons of existence.
UWF went from a start-up program in 2016 — born a year earlier from practices on a well-used intramural field — to twice playing on ESPN broadcast for a national championship. It’s never happened before in college football history.
The 2017 breakthrough run and title game loss was topped in 2019 by playoff wins over unbeaten, No. 1, No. 2, No. 4 and No. 6 ranked teams, all on the road. Incredible barely describes what this football program has attained in four years.
HONORABLE MENTION
* UWF women’s golfer Paloma Vaccaro finished second in the 2018 NCAA D-2 Women’s Golf Championship tournament, the highest finish in school history.
* The UWF women’s tennis team produced a program-best 31-4 record in 2018 and reached the national championship match before losing to No. 1 ranked Barry University in the final.
Two Vehicles Hit A Horse On Highway 29 In Molino Wednesday Morning
January 8, 2020
Two vehicles struck a horse early Wednesday morning in Molino.
It happened about about 6:05 a.m. on Highway 29 near Duxbury Avenue.
The Florida Highway Patrol said 50-year old Katie Dailey of Atmore first struck the horse with her Dodge Avenger. The horse toppled over the car and landed in the inside lane of Highway 29. John Yuhasz, age 31 of Molino, then struck the horse with his Ford F150.
The FHP said neither driver could see the horse due to the lack of light. Yuhasz’s picked struck another truck driven by 23-year old Makayla Kreakbaum of Molino.
None of the drivers were injured,, and no charges were filed.
The horse did not survive.
The Molino and Cantonment stations of Escambia Fire Rescue also responded.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Century Woman Airlifted To The Hospital After Wreck Near Century Prison
January 8, 2020
One person was critically injured in a two vehicle crash near the Century Correctional Institution early Wednesday morning.
The Florida Highway Patrol said 33-year old Cynthia Ann Morgan of Century failed to stop at a stop sign on Elsie Davis Road and pulled into the path of a Ford pickup driven by Micheal Lee Parker of Molino.
Morgan was extricated from the car using the Jaws of Life and airlifted by LifeFlight helicopter to Sacred Heart Hospital. Parker was not injured.
The FHP ticketed Morgan for failure to obey a traffic control device.
The Century Station of Escambia Fire Rescue, Flomaton Fire Department, Escambia County EMS and MedStar EMS also responded.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Photos: A Steamy Sunrise At Lake Stone
January 8, 2020
Temperatures just below the freezing mark lead to steam fog, also known as sea smoke, on Lake Stone in Century Wednesday morning, making for a beautiful sunrise.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
80-Year Old Man Working To Recover From Lake Stone Camper Fire. Here’s How You Can Help.
January 8, 2020
Neal Koe, 80, was fast asleep early Saturday morning in his camper at Escambia County’s Lake Stone Campground in Century. He was jarred awake by the sound of the window by his head blowing out.
“I woke up to smoke filling the room and saw flames,” he said. “I managed to get out wearing only my skivvies.” He was not injured and refused transport to the hospital.
Tuesday afternoon, he was back searching the charred remains of his camper for anything that could be salvaged. He didn’t find anything.
“I was asleep in the bed up there,” he said, pointed to what is now nothing more than springs. “My table was over there. I had a new computer on it. But they are all gone now.”
Koe said he used to live “down in Florida”, including Tampa where he was in aerospace engineering, working on on simulators for IBM. He said later in life he came to Century where he was a caretaker at Lake Stone. “But I got too old and could not keep up with the work. I just stuck around after that.”
He poked around in the ashes some more.
“This is all I have left. Nothing. But I got out. God took care of me,” Koe said. “God took care of me.”
After the fire about 3:45 Saturday morning, several people stepped up to help him, including Victor Boyd with the Escambia County Facilities Department. He took Koe to Jay to get him some clothes, essentials and run a few errands. Dennis Kole, who is the current caretaker at Lake Stone, has also worked to help Koe where he can.
But Koe also needs additional assistance to get back on his feet. He did not have insurance and has no local relatives.
Donations are being accepted at the Lake Stone office on West Highway 4, including clothing (sizes below). He also needs basic household items that could be used in a camper. And he needs a camper. For more information, call the Lake Stone office at (850) 256-5555.
Clothing sizes:
- Large shirts
- 33/31 pants
- Size 7 to 11 socks
- Shoes 10W
- Large boxer briefs
- Large t-shirts
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Escambia County Names New Director Of Facilities Management
January 8, 2020
Wednesday is the first day on the job for Cassie Boatwright as the new director of Escambia County Facilities Management.
Boatwright brings 15 years of experience to Escambia County. When she served as the executive director of facilities for Bishop State Community College, she successfully restructured the department and processes to provide a more positive working environment as well as deliver services more effectively and efficiently.
“This is not just about accepting a new job in facilities– this is about doing what I love to serve Escambia County,” Boatwright said.
Most recently, Boatwright served as the dean of operations at Coastal Alabama State College where she managed all aspects of construction, maintenance, grounds and custodial operations for 14 campuses and developed bid specifications for numerous projects. Her other managerial facilities roles include director of purchasing, auxiliary, central and legal services, construction manager, director of planning and development, and assistant tribal administrator.
Boatwright obtained a bachelor’s degree in construction management from the University of West Florida. After gaining experience in the industry, she also earned a master’s degree in public administration, acquisition and contract administration to better equip herself to manage the bidding and legal compliance aspects of facilities management. Boatwright is also a certified governmental financial manager.
Dozens Receive Driver’s License Services In Century, Mobile Unit Returning Quarterly
January 8, 2020
Escambia County Tax Collector Scott Lunsford was pleased with the turnout for the Florida Licensing On Wheels (FLOW) mobile office in Century on Tuesday.
There were 55 people that took advantage of the available of the mobile services at an event that was a partnership between Lunsford and the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles at the Billy G. Ward Courthouse on North Century Boulevard.
There were 26 driver’s license transactions, four identification transactions, two tax payments, 18 motor vehicle transactions and three surrendered tags.
The mobile united is slated to return to Century on a date to be announced in May.
FLOW is a stand-alone mobile office with technology to provide most motorists’ needs. The mobile unit provides a convenient method to renew a driver’s license, obtain a replacement driver’s license, conversion or reciprocation of out-of-state license, change a name or address on a current driver’s license or identification card, and get a first-time identification card. In addition to licensing services, the mobile unit also provides an opportunity to renew or replace a vehicle registration and apply, renew or replace disabled parking placards. Written and driving tests are not available from the FLOW unit.
Pictured: The Florida Licensing On Wheels (FLOW) mobile office at the courthouse in Century on Tuesday. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Escambia School Superintendent Search Forum Held At Beulah Middle, Another Thursday At Tate High
January 8, 2020
The Escambia County School District has one forum remaining for the public to share their input as the school district moves closer to advertising the school superintendent job.
The meeting will be held Thursday at 6 p.m. in the Tate High School cafeteria and comes on the heels of a meeting held Tuesday night at Beulah Middle School.
The forum will be facilitated by the Florida School Boards Association Search Team. All input gathered during the events will be collected and provided to the Escambia County School Board members and will be made available online.
In 2018, Escambia County voters approved an appointed, rather than elected, superintendent. Advertisements for the job are anticipated to start April 1.
Pictured: A public input forum on the selection of an appointed school superintendent was held Tuesday night at Beulah Middle Schools. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia Sheriff Candidate Alexander Addresses Century Town Council
January 8, 2020
Democratic candidate for Escambia County Sheriff David Alexander addressed the Century Town Council Monday night.
“I am a law and order man, and I believe in things being done right,” he said. Alexander served for 32 years at the Pensacola Police Department, becoming chief in 2015. He was forced to retire two years later due to the state retirement program.
He distributed a three-page biography and introduction and told council members that he would like to meet with each one individually to discuss his candidacy and principles.
Pictured top: Democratic candidate for Escambia County Sheriff David Alexander (far left) introduces himself to the Century Town Council Monday night. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
This House Was Burned On Purpose. It Was Only A Drill.
January 8, 2020
First responders burned a house on Martin Luther King Drive in Flomaton on Tuesday, part of a drill for multiple departments.
The Flomaton Fire Department, Friendship Volunteer Fire Department, Barnett Crossroads Volunteer Fire Department and the Century Station of Escambia Fire Rescue took part in the training drill, along with MedStar EMS.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
