Athletics

THE USF WOMEN’S SOCCER TEAM captured the 2021 American Athletic Conference regular-season championship with a 2-0 win over Temple, pushing the Bulls’ streak of seasons with a conference title to five and streak of consecutive conference titles to four. The Bulls have overall captured six titles in the last five seasons, including three regular-season crowns (2018, 2020, 2021) and three tournament trophies (2017, 2019, 2020). Head coach Denise Schilte-Brown’s soccer team had six student-athletes recognized in the 2021 American Athletic Conference annual awards, including Sydny Nasello, who was named the league’s offensive player of the year for the second consecutive season. The AAC Offensive Player of the Year has been a USF student-athlete in each of the last four seasons, with Olympic gold medalist Evelyne Viens, ’19, capturing the title in 2018 and 2019 and Nasello (Land O’ Lakes, Fla.) earning the honor in 2020 and 2021.

The No. 22-ranked Bulls went on to secure a fifth straight NCAA Tournament appearance, hosting a first round game vs. NC State at Corbett Stadium. Unfortunately, that was a loss.

THE USF FOOTBALL TEAM GOT ELECTRIC PLAYS from several players that had Raymond James Stadium roaring in a 54-42 shootout loss to first-place and No. 20-ranked Houston on Homecoming.

The Bulls opened the game with a lightning bolt from freshman Brian Battie (no. 21, pictured at left), who caught the opening kickoff at the goal line and raced 100 yards for a touchdown. The Bay area native from Sarasota would go on to tie an NCAA record by doing it again in the second quarter, this time racing by the Cougars to give USF a 28-26 halftime lead with a 100-yard return. He joined Utah’s Reggie Dunn as the only two players in NCAA history to post a pair of 100-yard returns in the same game, Dunn doing it against California in 2012.

For Battie, it marked his second and third 100-yard kickoff returns on the season. He became the first USF player in

history to post multiple 100-yard returns on their career and set USF season and career touchdown return records with three. He finished with three touchdowns on the night, also posting a 29-yard touchdown run and 236 all-purpose yards. Battie began the following week leading the nation in kickoff returns for touchdowns (3) and ranked No. 2 nationally with a kickoff return average of 36.3 yards per return that was on pace to shatter the USF season record of 31.7 set by J.R. Reed in 2003 as he led the nation in that statistical category.

Freshman quarterback Timmy McClain also had a career-best night, passing for 289 yards and two touchdowns and running for a team-best 46 yards and a touchdown to account for 335 total yards. Sophomore wide receiver Xavier Weaver posted career highs with six catches for 105 yards as the Bulls’ young and talented players continued to make big plays in the 2021 season.

USF GRADUATE AND VETERAN OF USF FOOTBALL game-day stadium production Jessica Duemig was behind the stadium publicaddress microphone when the Bulls took on No. 20 Houston on homecoming.

Duemig, Life Member, became just the second female known to serve as the stadium public address announcer at a Football Bowl Subdivision game, following in the footsteps of the Pac-12 Network’s Kate Scott, who did so at the Pac-12 Football Championship game at Levi’s Stadium.

“The University of South Florida is proud to support and provide great opportunities for women to excel in athletics and across our campus,” Vice President of Athletics Michael Kelly said. “We are very excited to have Jessica behind the public address microphone, and I think USF fans and alumni will not only enjoy the game-day experience but be proud to be part of a groundbreaking event.”

A 2007 graduate of the USF Zimmerman Advertising Program and later receiving her master’s degree in sports management and MBA from Southern Mississippi in 2010, Duemig currently is the head of client services for Campus Legends and is the author of the book “Warrior,” detailing her battle with breast cancer after being diagnosed at age 32. Duemig held her first PA announcing role calling USF softball games in the early 2000s. The former Herd of Thunder Marching Band member has served a vital role for the in-venue stadium show on USF football game days for the last three seasons.

“I am so excited to be a part of the Homecoming game this year! I’ve seen so many sides of this game at this stadium, and now to be behind the microphone is icing on the cake,” Duemig said. “I’m so thankful that USF is taking a progressive standpoint on women in athletics, which allowed this honor to take place. As an alum, I bleed green and gold, so to have this opportunity is one of the coolest experiences of my life.”

She filled the PA announcer seat that has been filled by John Magrino, who was in China preparing for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games set for Feb. 4-20.