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We continue our sport-by-sport look at the best UCF teams of the decade of the 2010s with some of the most beloved teams in UCF history.
Baseball: 2017
The 2017 UCF Knights Baseball Team went 40-22, winning the American Athletic Conference regular season championship, the Knights’ first conference championship since the 2004 A-Sun Championship. They did so on the last day of the regular season, defeating USF in a nail-biter at home to clinch the series and the conference regular season title.
Rylan Thomas (NCBWA, Perfect Game, Baseball America, DI Baseball and College Baseball News) and Joe Sheridan (College Baseball News and Perfect Game) earned Freshman All-American honors, and senior pitcher Robby Howell was tabbed ABCA All-Region.
UCF made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012.
Men’s Golf: 2017
UCF Golf was ranked in the Top 50 near the end of the regular season. They finished fourth at the American Athletic Conference Championship, which locked up a bid to the NCAA Regional Tournament in Tennessee.
The Knights would go on to win the program’s second ever NCAA Division I Regional Championship. UCF was the only team to go under par at the NCAA College Grove Regional, finishing 1-under, and advancing to the NCAA Championship for the eighth time in program history.
The Knights finished tied for 14th at the NCAA Championship, one of the best finishes in program history. Kyler Tate earned Honorable Mention All-America honors, and Bobby Bai was named AAC Freshman of the Year.
Volleyball: 2018
The 2018 UCF Volleyball Team posted a record of 27-4, the Knight’s best record since joining the American Athletic Conference in 2014. The Knights finished first in the American Conference, going a perfect 18-0 in conference play, and winning their second AAC regular season championship.
UCF would go on to the NCAA tournament for the second time under Head Coach Todd Dagenais (2014).
UCF was led by All-American honorees McKenna Melville and Jordan Pingel. UCF would get a national seed and host the NCAA Tournament regional for the first time in school history. UCF would end up getting upset by Florida Gulf Coast, as the Knights were shorthanded with Erin Olson out due to injury. But the Knights’ dominance throughout that season should not be forgotten despite the season’s difficult end.
Women’s Tennis: 2019
The 2019 Knights had their best season in program history. UCF earned a record 24 victories during the spring, and reached a record ranking of #18 in the Oracle/ITA poll after the team’s first ever win over Florida on College MatchDay. They earned their first conference title since 2002.
The Knights swept Alabama in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before defeating #11 Florida State for the first time ever to punch UCF’s first-ever ticket to the Sweet 16.
Men’s Basketball: 2018-2019
Led by B.J. Taylor, Aubrey Dawkins, Chad Brown and Tacko Fall, UCF Men’s Basketball finished the 2018-19 year at 24-9, tied for the fourth-most wins in a single season in program history. The Knights’ 23 regular season wins marked a new record in UCF’s Division I era. The team went 13-5 in American Athletic Conference play, their most conference wins since joining The American, and earned the four seed in the conference tournament for the second time in three seasons.
UCF also cracked the Associated Press Top 25 Poll for the first time since 2011, earning a ranking of #25 late in the regular season. It was the latest into a season that the Knights have ever been ranked. The home finale against Cincinnati marked the first match-up of two ranked teams at Addition Financial Arena.
UCF also won on the road at No. 6/8 Houston to snap the Cougars’ 33-game home win streak in a game that was highlighted by ESPN’s College GameDay being there. The Knights would follow that by topping No. 19/20 Cincinnati in Orlando on Senior Knight. It marked the first time UCF had earned multiple victories over ranked opponents in the same season, and the Knights did it in back-to-back games.
UCF earned its first at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament in 2018-19. The Knights were a 9-seed in the tourney, their highest seed in five NCAA Tournament appearances, and defeated 8-seeded VCU, 73-58, in first-round action for the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament victory.
The Knights nearly upset top overall seed Duke in the second round, losing 77-76 to Mike Krzyzewski, Zion Williamson, R.J. Barrett and company, as B.J. Taylor’s floater rimmed out and Aubrey Dawkins’ tip-in barely missed at the buzzer.