The 2017-2018 season was just an extension of the successful history of Saint Leo Athletics.
Making Sunshine State
Conference History
This past spring, former Saint Leo University
President Dr. Arthur F. Kirk Jr. was one of nine
members inducted into the Sunshine State
Conference Hall of Fame. Kirk, who served
as the university’s president from 1997-2015,
became the 16th Saint Leo Sunshine State Conference
Hall of Famer. A two-time president
of the Sunshine State Conference, Kirk raised
Saint Leo’s national profi le by placing 18th in
the Learfi eld Director’s Cup in 2014, increasing
to eighth in 2015, and second in 2016. Under
his leadership, the Athletics Department doubled
in size and captured its fi rst Mayor’s Cup,
while adding a tennis facility, softball stadium,
parking garage with a lacrosse fi eld installed
on top, a soccer-only facility, and lights at each
of the new venues.
Fran Reidy Named Athletic
Director of the Year
For the third time in
six years, Saint Leo
Vice President and
Director of Athletics
Francis X. Reidy was
named the Division
II Under Armour
Athletic Director of
the Year. Reidy was
one of 28 athletics
directors to earn the
award this year from
the National Association of Collegiate Directors
of Athletics (NACDA). The ADOY Award
highlights the eff orts of athletics directors at
all levels for their commitment and positive
contributions to student-athletes, campuses,
and their surrounding communities.
Saint Leo Athletics Places Fourth in Learfi eld Directors’ Cup
Saint Leo also placed as the top Sunshine State
Conference institution. For two of the last three
years, the Lions have claimed a top-fi ve fi nish. A
total of eight Sunshine State Conference institutions
were ranked among the top 100 in the
latest Directors’ Cup standings report.
Saint Leo University SPIRIT.SAINTLEO.EDU 31
Saint Leo University Athletics placed fourth
in the 2017–2018 Learfi eld Directors’ Cup
Division II, a program that honors institutions
for achieving success in sports. This
marks the third time in four years that the
Lions placed in the Directors’ Cup top 10.
“We have an incredible staff and student-athletes who strive for excellence,” said Francis X. Reidy, vice president and director
of athletics. “Our fi ve-year run of great fi nishes is a remarkable feat when you consider where Saint Leo was just a short time
ago. We are proud of our two top-fi ve fi nishes over the last three years as we strive to be one of the best all-around programs in
Division II.”
/SPIRIT.SAINTLEO.EDU