Barry University has been a major player in terms of intercollegiate athletics for the last two decades. On a national level, the Buccaneers are a force to reckon with.
In just over 40 years of Buccaneer Athletics, Barry has won 28 national championships and had another 18 teams finish runner up. Simple math tells you, that is more than one title for every two years of intercollegiate athletics. Relatively speaking, that's a pretty good ratio. Of those 28 national titles, women's tennis has a school-best eight championships, including an NCAA-record six in a row, with men's tennis capturing seven national crowns. Women's soccer, volleyball and men's golf each have claimed three titles. Rowing has won a brace, women's golf captured their first in 2017 and men's soccer won it all in 2018. In fact, men's tennis became the first sport at Barry to win NCAA Championships during undefeated seasons, doing so twice, in 2013 and 2015. Women's tennis set the program record for a perfect season in 2017, going an incredible 30-0 and followed that up with a 28-0 championship campaign in 2018.
After the 2024-25 academic year, Barry has crowned 445 All-Americans in 13 different sports and over 692 Scholar All-Americans, while sending numerous teams and individuals to postseason playoffs and national championship competitions.
The Buccaneer athletic program is one of the most competitive in NCAA Division II. The men's and women's tennis teams have advanced to the NCAA Tournament year after year, clearly establishing themselves as one of the teams to beat year-in and year-out. And with men's golf and rowing each claiming back-to-back national titles in the 2000s, Barry built a reputation for its spring sports success.
But it's not just the spring sports where BarryU athletics has excelled. In 2003-04, the Bucs set a school record with eight teams earning NCAA Tournament bids (men's soccer, women's soccer, volleyball, men's tennis, women's tennis, men's golf, women's golf and rowing). They tied that mark, sending eight teams to the postseason in 2005-06 (women's soccer, volleyball, women's golf, men's golf, rowing, softball, men's tennis and women's tennis), 2009-10 (men's soccer, men's basketball, women's basketball, rowing, men's golf, women's golf, men's tennis and women's tennis) and 2010-11 (men's soccer, volleyball, rowing, men's golf, softball, baseball, men's tennis and women's tennis).
In 2012-13, the Bucs finished 13th in the Learfield Sports/NACDA Director's Cup competition, their third-highest finish, bolstered by national championships in both men's tennis and men's golf. It was the first time in school history that the Bucs had won two national titles in the same year. The rowing team came in second, women's golf finished third and women's tennis ended up tied for fifth. Along with a regional semifinal finish by softball, the Bucs compiled the most spring points of any school in Division II, the third time in four years that they were spring champions.
In 2001-02, seven of the Bucs' 12 teams earned NCAA Tournament bids, led by the volleyball team which won the national championship. Women's golf posted a second-place finish in their first trip to the national finals. Women's tennis finished third for the second straight year. Rowing was fourth at the first-ever national championship regatta. Softball finished fifth in their third trip to the national finals. And the women's soccer and men's tennis teams each reached the regional finals. Barry finished 11th overall in the competition and first among private institutions, marking the second time they finished as the top private school in Division II (1997-98 when they finished third overall).
Beginning in 2013, Barry's men's basketball team turned itself into a perennial winner. After three straight trips to the NCAA Tournament, the Bucs reached the Elite Eight for the first time in school history in 2015-16 after winning a school-record 26 games. That same year, they produced a consensus All-American and National Player of the Year candidate who received national acclaim on ESPN. The Bucs became the only team in D-II to advance to the Elite 8 in two of the last three years in 2017-18.
Barry's athletic program was guided to national prominence by Dr. G. Jean Cerra, who served as Director of Athletics from June 1991 until January 1998. Under her leadership, the Barry athletic program experienced overwhelming success at the conference, regional, and national levels. Barry has also gained acclaim for its emphasis on academics.
Since the Fall of 2001, Barry's athletic teams have complied a combined cumulative GPA of better than 3.0 and each semester, the academic success stories continue to reach new levels and set new benchmarks. This validates Barry's claim as a powerhouse in and out of the classroom.
Michael L. Covone served as Associate Athletic Director for 10 years and guided the Bucs to three NCAA Division II National Championships as head coach in women's soccer. He was named Director of Athletics in January of 1998, serving until June of 2023. Under his leadership, the Bucs reached new heights, bringing home multiple titles and succeeding academically.
The Buccaneers compete in the prestigious Sunshine State Conference (SSC). Barry has won 113Â SSC titles in 14 different sports since it joined the conference in 1988. The Buccaneers won the SSC Women's Mayor's Cup All-Sports Trophy on five occasions, in 1990-91, 1996-97, 1999-00, 2001-02 and 2005-06. In 2006-07, the Buccaneer men finally claimed a Mayor's Cup of their own, as none of the five teams finished outside the top three in the conference. The men were co-winners in 2008-09 for their second cup and took their third in 2010-11.
As of the Fall of 2023, the Bucs coaches has won 77 Sunshine State Conference Coach of the Year awards and 15 National Coach of the Year awards.
Barry University currently competes in 19 intercollegiate sports for men and women. Women's sports include beach volleyball, basketball, cross country, golf, rowing, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track and volleyball. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis, and track.
Sunshine State Conference Teams National Champions since 2004-05
| School |
Number of Titles |
Number of sports |
| Barry |
24 |
7 (M Golf, M Tennis, W Tennis, Volleyball, Rowing, W Golf, M Soccer) |
| Tampa |
10 |
3 (Baseball, W Soccer, Volleyball) |
| Nova Southeastern |
8 |
4 (Baseball, W Golf, M Golf, Rowing) |
| Lynn |
7 |
5 (Baseball, M Soccer, M Tennis, W Golf, M Golf) |
| Florida Southern |
6 |
5 (Baseball, M Golf, W Golf, M Basketball, W Lacrosse) |
| Rollins |
4 |
1 (W Golf) |
| Saint Leo |
1 |
1 (M Golf) |
| Florida Tech |
1 |
1 (W Golf) |
| Eckerd |
0 |
0 |
| Embry-Riddle |
0 |
0 |
| Palm Beach Atlantic |
0 |
0 |
