Florida Tech Opens Spring Practice Monday

By Space Coast Daily // February 15, 2014

Spring Game Set for Saturday, March 22

ABOVE VIDEO: Led by head coach Steve Englehart, the Panthers went 5-7 overall in their inaugural season last fall. They won their first game, first Gulf South Conference game, Homecoming Game, regular season finale and the first-ever Eastern College Athletic Conference Division II Futures Bowl over fellow first-year program Alderson Broaddus.

BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – Less than three months after Florida Tech’s inaugural 2013 season ended with a bowl game win, the Panthers will open spring practice on Monday with a 10 a.m. workout at Panther Field.

Xavier Milton and the Panthers will begin the road to their 2014 season when spring practice opens on Monday at Panther Field. (Florida Tech image)

The session is the first of 14 practices for the team this spring.

All practices will be held on the turf field next to the Varsity Training Center and are open to the public. Fans are encouraged to bring their own chairs.

Monday’s practice falls on President’s Day, a university holiday. All other weekday practices will start at 4:30 p.m. Weekend practices will begin at 10 a.m. The team will take off the week of spring break, March 3-7.

FIT will play its spring game on Saturday, March 22 at 6 p.m. at Palm Bay High School’s Pirate Stadium. Admission will be free.

Led by head coach Steve Englehart, the Panthers went 5-7 overall in their inaugural season last fall. They won their first game, first Gulf South Conference game, Homecoming Game, regular season finale and the first-ever Eastern College Athletic Conference Division II Futures Bowl over fellow first-year program Alderson Broaddus.

Florida Tech welcomed five mid-year transfers to campus prior to the spring semester. All five – Leo Alba (Western Michigan), DeVonte Carswell (Fort Valley State), Cris Garcia (Malone University), Steven Hughes (Jacksonville) and Billy Sturgis (Dean College) – will practice with the team this spring.

PANTHERS RETURN SEVEN ALL-GSC HONOREES

The Panthers also return seven of their eight All-GSC honorees – Manny Abad, Justin Arcune, Gabe Hughes, Xavier Milton, Ramsey Sellers, Skylar Sheffield and Chris Stapleton. The eighth honoree senior Bobby Vega played his last game of his collegiate career in the bowl game win.

FLORIDA TECH SPRING SCHEDULE

• Monday, Feb. 17 – 10 a.m. (helmets)
• Tuesday, Feb. 18 – 4:30 p.m. (helmets)
• Wednesday, Feb. 19 – 4:30 pm (full)
• Saturday, Feb. 22 – 10 a.m. (full)
• Sunday, Feb. 23 – 10 a.m. (full)
• Tuesday, Feb. 25 – 4:30 p.m. (full)
• Wednesday, Feb. 26 – 4:30 p.m. (full)
• Friday, Feb. 28 – 4:30 p.m. (full)
• Tuesday, March 11 – 4:30 p.m. (helmets)
• Thursday, March 13 – 4:30 p.m. (full)
• Saturday, March 15 – 10 a.m. (full)
• Sunday, March 16 – 10 a.m. (full)
• Tuesday, March 18 – 4:30 p.m. (full)
• Wednesday, March 19 – 4:30 p.m. (full)
• Saturday, March 22 – 6 p.m. Spring Game