1-General | 7/13/2023 10:00:00 AM

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. – As the 2023-24 athletic year gets set to swing into action, the Barry University Buccaneers are set to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the start of their highly successful program of intercollegiate athletics.

"As I begin my first year as AD, there is much to be excited about as Barry University celebrates 40 outstanding years of athletic excellence – in the classroom, as competitors, and in the community," director of athletics & recreation Dr. Scott Smith said. "We expect great things out of our programs this year and are very excited for the inaugural seasons for men's and women's swimming, men's and women's cross country, and beach volleyball. We look forward to engaging with our student athlete alumni throughout the year as we celebrate our 40th. Come out and support your Bucs!"

In the fall of 2023, the Bucs will have five active teams, for the first time since 1992. Men's soccer, women's soccer and volleyball, which have combined for seven NCAA Division II National Championships, are rejoined by men's and women's cross country. Although the cross country teams will be competing solely at away events, the volleyball and soccer events will largely be covered on livestats and on the Sunshine State Conference Digital Network. Check the appropriate schedule for links to the games, if you can not make it out to the field or court.

"Bringing back a piece of BarryU history in time for its 40th anniversary is spectacular," cross country coach Dr. Kevin Padin said. "We are excited to take the challenge of relaunching the program head on and continue to build upon the incredible legacy of our university. As Barry has done over the years, we will develop our student-athletes so they may find success on the course and in the community."

The cross country teams will face a challenging slate of races, all in the state of Florida, hosted by Keiser and Embry-Riddle, as well as NCAA Division I programs like Florida Atlantic, Florida State and South Florida. The Sunshine State Conference race will be hosted by Florida Southern in Lakeland and the Bucs hope to hear their names called when NCAA bids are announced.

2023 Men's Cross Country Schedule
2023 Women's Cross Country Schedule

"We are very excited to celebrate our athletic department's and men's soccer program's 40th year anniversary with a very challenging and competitive schedule," men's soccer coach Petsa Ivanovic said. "We will have some great matchups at home and we can't wait to see our players perform in front of our amazing fans and alumni at Buccaneer field."

The men's soccer team is coming off an outstanding season that saw them advance to the Final Four, under Ivanovic. The Bucs will be homebodies this year, with five of their six non-conference games at the friendly confines of Buccaneer Field. Barry opens the season against Anderson and Coker, and later hosts Flagler, Maine-Fort Kent and Florida National. Only a non-league matchup with Nova Southeastern comes on the road. In the SSC, the Buccaneers host Palm Beach Atlantic, Nova Southeastern, Saint Leo, Florida Tech and Eckerd, while making trips to Embry-Riddle, Tampa, Rollins, Lynn and Florida Southern.

2023 Men's Soccer Schedule

"The non-conference portion of our schedule includes some perennial powerhouses," women's soccer coach Tafadzwa Ziyenge said. "We open the season against a very well-coached Columbus State team that was in the Final Four just last year. We also loaded some tough non-conference opponents into the schedule to properly prepare us for what I believe is the toughest conference in NCAA Division II. From top to bottom there is no soft team and therefore no easy win in the SSC. Our players love to be challenged and it will be exciting to see how far we can rise."

The women's team also features a strong home element but includes more away games. Ziyenge's squad opens the season in Georgia against Final Four participant Columbus State as well as a return match at Albany State. Later in the year, they visit Flagler. The non-conference home slate includes a non-league match against Palm Beach Atlantic as well as tilts with Florida National, Southern New Hampshire and Edward Waters. The women face a mirror schedule with the men, playing Embry-Riddle, Tampa, Rollins, Lynn and Florida Southern at home and traveling to Palm Beach Atlantic, Nova Southeastern, Saint Leo, Florida Tech and Eckerd.

2023 Women's Soccer Schedule

"Looking ahead at this season, it's a mixed feeling," volleyball coach Leonid Yelin said. "On the one hand, we lost some very important players from last year, but on the other hand, we are very excited about the ones who are returning as well as the incoming players, which should make a good mix on the squad. We think our schedule sets us up nicely for success. We are playing six matches against some great competition to open the season at two tournaments before we dive into conference play, which is always tough.

"With this being the 40th anniversary for athletics, it's just amazing to be how the department has grown over all these years. We were pretty good when I was here before, but it's great to see how it has grown and expended the success over the years."

Volleyball opens the season at the Florida Southern Invitational, taking on Grand Valley State, another Elite Eight team from a year ago, and Flagler, a 20-win team. The Bucs then travel to Alabama for the UAH Invitational where they face Montevallo, Trevecca Nazarene, the host Chargers and Anderson, all of which finished at or above .500 last year. The rest of the schedule is the double-round robin SSC slate, playing each team home and away.

2023 Volleyball Schedule

About Barry University Athletics

Barry University has sponsored NCAA Division II athletics for 39 years, winning 28 national championships in eight sports, crowning 429 All-Americans in 13 sports and over 640 scholar All-Americans. Barry is a proud member of the Sunshine State Conference "The Conference of National Champions" with 104 league titles since joining in 1989. The Buccaneers have NCAA men's teams in soccer, cross country, basketball, swimming, baseball, golf, and tennis and women's teams in soccer, cross country, volleyball, basketball, swimming, beach volleyball, golf, rowing, softball and tennis.