This Week in Athletics: November 19

November 19, 2025

Greetings #TARnation!

Thanksgiving Break is so close, you can almost taste the turkey. However, before we put on our comfy-cozies and dig in for a third slice of pumpkin pie, we need to get caught up on the latest in Rollins athletics:

- Men's soccer visited #1 seed (and #2 nationally ranked) Palm Beach Atlantic on Thursday, and came home with an impressive 2-1 win, vaulting the Tars into the SSC Championship game on Sunday. Hayden Judge scored on a header to tie the game before Zico Groenveld sent home the game-winner just eight minutes later. In the championship final, #2 seed Lynn outlasted the Tars to claim their second straight conference title. On Monday evening, the Tars found out they were selected as the #5 seed in Super Region 2, giving them their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2022. 
    -- Four players were recognized as All-SSC performers on Thursday. Yousef Shakweer (midfield) and Judge (defense) were named to the first team, while Justin Nelson (forward) and Kaden Foreman (defense) earned second team honors. 

- Women's soccer saw their season come to a close in the SSC semifinal on Thursday, dropping one to #3 seed Florida Tech, 2-1. Gabby Mellett scored the only goal of the game for the Tars, capping her solid first year on campus. The Tars finished 7-6-4 overall, their third consecutive season with at least seven wins. 
    --Alayna Townsend had a banner day on Thursday, claiming the SSC Freshman of the Year award, as well as a spot on the All-SSC first team as a forward. The Ohio native led the Tars in goals this year with six. Joining her in accolades were Emma Griner (midfield) and Lexie Cooper (forward), who were both named third team. 

- Women's basketball is off to a fantastic start, going 2-0 against Puerto Rico Mayaguez and Fort Lauderdale. Zai Mitchell is averaging 19.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in the young season, while freshman Elaina Kline-Ruminski is shooting 44% from three. As a team, the Tars have allowed just 75 points in two games, an average of 37.5 per. 

- Men's basketball rode a rollercoaster of emotions in their opening weekend. On Saturday, they traveled to Georgia where they lost to Fort Valley State on a last-second three-pointer. A day later, they were back home in Warden Arena where a buzzer-beating tip-in from Matus Malovec gave the Tars an 84-82 win over Union. JahNze leads the team in scoring early on with a 19.5 average, with Omar Figueroa adding 17 per game. 

- Volleyball dropped a five-setter to Saint Leo on Saturday, but bounced back nicely last night, taking down the Embry-Riddle Eagles (15-13) in five. Emma Gongora led the charge with 18 kills and eight digs. Cameron Grange was right behind her with 17 kills and nine digs. 

- Men's soccer (10-4-5) puts on their dancing shoes and heads north for a duel with West Florida (13-1-5) this weekend to begin their quest for a national title. As the number five seed in Super Region 2, the lads secured a bye to Sunday's second round contest. The matchup is a rematch of a September 12^th loss that saw the Tars surrender four unanswered goals to fall 5-1 at the hands of the Argonauts. But that feels like a lifetime ago. Riding high off a strong regular season and two wins in the SSC tournament, the gents are hungry to take the pitch. The last time Rollins played in the NCAA Tournament was 2022, an appearance that ended in regional final. Coincidentally enough, that postseason run started in Pensacola. Coach Buckley's squad will look to channel that same energy from three seasons ago, a full circle moment for the current senior class. With a win, the lads would play Sunday, November 30th. More info on that matchup will come in next week's update! Go get 'em, fellas!

- Men's and Women's swimming venture to Marietta, Georgia for a three-day event at the Cobb County Aquatic Center. The meet begins tomorrow with the Tars competing alongside four other institutions. Life University will serve as the host while St. Thomas (FL), Emmanuel University, and William Carey University will join in on the action as well. 

- Volleyball (16-15) looks to put the finishing touches on a promising regular season this weekend when Nova Southeastern (17-10) and Palm Beach Atlantic (21-8) pay a visit to Winter Park. The Tars split with the opponents earlier this season on the road, defeating the Sharks in a five set thriller back on October 25^th, and falling to the Sailfish in that same week. Now, playing with the friendly confines of Warden Arena, the ladies have a chance to knock of two of the top contenders in the conference. PBA currently sits third, while Nova slots just behind in fourth. Friday night's action will take place at 7pm while things get started at 4pm for Saturday's regular season finale. Be sure to come out and support seniors Makayla Moran and Marta Tsaneva as they play their final games in front of the Rollins faithful. Festivities honoring the hard work of Makayla and Marta will begin prior to Saturday's match. 

- Hope you had a chance to catch some of the hoops action from this past week as we are officially underway with the 2025-26 campaign! The women's team got off to a great start and will look to keep the momentum building this weekend when they take on the Lynn Fighting Knights (2-1). The first road trip of the season pits the Tars against a team they narrowly lost to a year ago, dropping both contests by an average of five points. That was then, and this is now. Standing at 2-0, Coach Wilkes will have the ladies ready to go on Saturday. Tip off from Boca Raton takes place at 2pm. Can't make the long trip? We get it. Swing by Warden Arena Monday when the University of Puerto-Rico Bayamon Vaqueros come to town. That one will begin at 5:30. How about a side of basketball with your turkey next week!

- The men's team has plenty of appetizers before you return home for the holidays as well. Coach Hogan's squad takes the court tonight for the first time since their thrilling victory on Sunday night as the Eagles of Fort Lauderdale (4-1) come to town. Then, this weekend, the men travel south for their first conference test of the season with Lynn (0-1). An NCAA tournament team a season ago, the Fighting Knights will be a good test before the Tars come back home for two more games next week. On Monday, the Tars will conclude a doubleheader with the PR-Bayamon Vaqueros at 7:30. Finally, in one last event before turkey day, the men tip off with Warner University at 7pm on Tuesday night. We are just getting started and boy is it a fun time of year! So, before you enjoy the delicious food that Thursday has to offer, come out and enjoy some high-level basketball! 

Links to live streams for most events can be found on the schedule section at the top of the homepage of RollinsSports.com. For home events, bookmark the Rollins page on the SSC Digital Network for year-round coverage. Also, be sure to follow us on our Instagram page, @rollinssports

A reminder for those on campus, you can use your Tar Bucks at the concession stand of home events, enjoying delicious fresh food and ice cold drinks courtesy of Sodexo. 

-Tommy Tar
#TARnation