Florida Tech

Former Panther Lowder signs with CFL team: Former Florida Tech standout Terrance “T.J.” Lowder has signed a professional contract to play for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL).

Lowder, a native of Panama City, Florida, is the first FIT football player to sign with a Canadian club.

“I am really proud of T.J,” said head coach Steve Englehart. “He has continued to work for what he wants. He hasn’t listened to all of the people telling him that he can’t play at the next level. He’s getting a shot, now it’s up to him to make the most of it and I know he will.”

A 2015 USA College Football All-American, Lowder played one season for the Crimson & Gray after spending his first three years with Division I Florida International.

The wide receiver appeared in 11 games for the Panthers, recording 616 yards receiving and five touchdowns on 46 total receptions on the way to being selected to the All-Gulf South Conference Second Team.

FIT will host the Panther Swim School and Elite Swim Camp: Florida Tech head coach Justin Andrade has announced the swimming camp schedule for summer 2017.

FIT will host two different camps this summer, the Panther Swim School and the Florida Tech Elite Swim Camp.

The Panther Swim School will have two sessions this year at the Panther Aquatic Center. Session 1 is set for June 6-29 and Session 2 is July 11 to Aug. 3.

The school is open to swimmers of all ages and is split among Baby Panthers (Ages 0-2 years), Panther Cubs (Ages 3-5), Junior Panthers (Ages 6-12) and Senior Panthers (Ages 13-18). The cost ranges from $100 to $200 based on the age of participants. Attendees are required to bring a swimsuit, goggles, towel, tennis shoes, dryland clothes and a water bottle.

The Florida Tech Elite Camp, which is geared toward competitive swimmers at all levels, has two sessions this summer, June 19-23 and July 10-14.

Participants must be 18 or younger. The cost for the elite camp ranges from $200 to $400 and provides participants the option for stroke and skills sessions, or a combination of stroke and skills sessions and speed and power sessions.

For more information, visit the swimming camps page at FloridaTechSports.com.

14 Panthers earn PBC All-Academic honors: On Wednesday, the Peach Belt Conference announced its men’s and women’s Track & Field All-Academic Teams, with Florida Tech being represented by eight male and six female student-athletes.

Nicardo Cameron, Lukas Hassler, Nick Knowles, Nick Lenssen, Tyler McCabe, Tucker Melles, Matthew Pogorelec and Brandon Stern were selected to the men’s all-academic team.

Madison Bausinger, Maia Carter, Marina DeBiasi, Alexis Santiago, Amanda Sava and Gabby Trimlett were named to the women’s all-academic team.

To be eligible for the All-Academic Team, a student-athlete must 1) participate in at least half of his/her team’s events and be either a starter or significant contributor; 2) achieved a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) and 3) completed at least one full academic year at his or her current institution and has reached sophomore athletic eligibility.

The track & field teams are set to compete in the PBC Track & Field Championships, hosted by the University of Montevallo, this weekend in Montevallo, Alabama.

Women's lacrosse ranked fifth in initial Region poll: In the midst of a stellar campaign, Florida Tech finds itself ranked No. 5 in the first edition of the 2017 NCAA Division II South Region rankings, released Wednesday by the NCAA office.

The Panthers, who are 11-2 overall and 8-2 against in-region opponents, are also ranked No. 9 in the latest IWLCA Division II Poll. The Crimson and Gray boast a pair of Top 15 victories this season, defeating then-No. 14 Indiana-Pa. (16-12) and then-No. 15 Regis (15-13). FIT's two losses have come against Top 5 opponents in then-No. 5 Lindenwood (12-15) and then-No. 4 Florida Southern (11-12 OT).

Florida Tech has dominated its opponents on both sides of the field in 2017. The offense is averaging 17.31 goals per game, good for fourth in the nation, while the defense allows just 8.00 goals per game, which ranks 16th in DII. Overall, FIT has outscored its opponents 225-104.

The Panthers will get another chance at a ranked regional opponent when they travel to Winter Parktoday for their regular-season finale against Sunshine State Conference rival Rollins. The Tars rank sixth in the recent IWLCA poll and fourth in today's regional rankings. The contest is set to begin at 7 p.m.

The regional rankings are used to determine the field for the 2017 NCAA Division II Tournament. The tournament field features 12 teams, six from the North Region and six from the South Region.