South Florida’s sports success in 2023
From high schools to colleges to the pros, South Florida sports teams — and some native athletes — had standout performances in 2023.
Florida Atlantic Owls men’s basketball team: After cracking the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time last season, FAU went to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in program history (previous trip was in 2002). In the postseason, as the No. 9 seed in the East Region, the Owls defeated No. 8 seed Memphis (66-65), No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson (78-70), No. 4 seed Tennessee (62-55) and No. 3 seed Kansas State (79-76) on their way to the Final Four. In Houston, the run ended with a devastating loss to San Diego State 72-71 on an 18-foot jump shot as time expired. This season, FAU still going strong, and the Owls end 2023 with their highest ranking ever, No. 7.
Florida Panthers: With new coach Paul Maurice and new winger Matthew Tkachuk coming aboard, the Panthers were poised for a breakthrough. Although they just squeaked into the Stanley Cup playoffs with a No. 8 seed, the Panthers made the most of the postseason, just their ninth trip to playoffs ever. After toppling the Boston Bruins, who had the best regular season in league history, in the first round, the Panthers ran through the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Carolina Hurricanes on the way to the franchise’s first trip to the Stanley Cup Final since 1996. Weeks of overtime games, injuries and the strong play of the Vegas Knights proved to be too much, as the Panthers dropped the final series 4-1.
Inter Miami CF: The struggling MLS franchise in its third season pulled off an almost unimaginable feat: signing international superstar Lionel Messi, considered by many to be the greatest soccer player ever. The team went from the bottom of the standings to the hottest ticket in town. With Messi on board (and former Barcelona coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino and former Barcelona teammates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba), Inter Miami climbed up through the standings and was in the hunt for a playoff spot until the end of the season. Along the way, the team won the inaugural Leagues Cup.
Miami Dolphins: Under the direction of first-time head coach Mike McDaniel for the 2022 season, the Dolphins found new life and made the playoffs for the first time since the 2016 season. The Jan. 15, 2023 wild-card game was a loss to the Buffalo Bills, but this season the Dolphins have already clinched a playoff spot for January and have a chance to win the AFC East for the first time since 2008. They could also earn a 12-win season for the first time since 1990.
Miami Heat: The Miami Heat have had more postseason success in the past 15 years than the other teams on this list, but they certainly weren’t expected to go as far as they did in 2023. Although the Heat finished the season in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, a loss to the Atlanta Hawks to open the NBA’s new play-in tournament left Miami needing to rally past the Chicago Bulls to seize the eighth seed in the playoffs. After that, the Heat took down the No. 1 seeded Milwaukee Bucks. No. 5 New York Knicks and then the No. 2 Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals. The Heat became the second No. 8 seed to ever make the NBA Finals, but lost the series 4-1 to the Denver Nuggets.
Miami Hurricanes men’s basketball team: UM won a share of the Atlantic Coast Conference title and earned a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Miami narrowly escaped a first-round upset by No. 12 Drake, and then, after a victory over fourth-seeded Indiana, defeated No. 1 seed Houston, earning the Hurricanes a second straight trip to the Elite Eight. With a rally to upset No. 2 Texas, UM reached the Final Four for the first time in program history. However, eventual champion Connecticut was too much, and UM’s season ended short of the championship game with a 72-59 loss.
Miami Marlins: After tallying just 69 wins in 2022, the Marlins hired new manager Skip Schumaker and finished the 2023 season 84-78 to make the playoffs for just the third time since 1997. (And one of those, 2020, was the COVID-compressed season). Miami was clutch in one-run games, going 33-14 during the season. The best-of-three opening playoff series wasn’t as successful, with the Phillies sweeping the Marlins 2-0.
Nova Southeastern Sharks men’s basketball team: The lone team on the list to win a national title did it perfectly, literally: a 36-0 record. Coach Jim Crutchfield led the Sharks to the Division II National Championship game against — of all teams — the West Liberty team he coached for 13 years before coming to NSU. The Sharks got their moment in the confetti with the trophy after a 111-101 win over West Liberty. And there could be more to come in 2024. They haven’t lost a game yet this season.
Delray Beach’s Coco Gauff: After breaking onto the national scene in 2019 by making the fourth round at Wimbledon as a 15-year-old qualifier, the Delray Beach resident had won five WTA tournaments heading into the 2023 U.S. Open. In the final, she defeated Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 to win her first major tournament at age 19. She became the first American teenager to win the U.S. Open since Serena Williams in 1999.
West Palm Beach’s Brooks Koepka: After moving to the controversial and lucrative LIV Golf League, the Jupiter resident and West Palm Beach native suffered a last-round collapse at the Masters, relinquishing his lead and losing by four strokes. Koepka bounced back to win the PGA Championship for the third time and earn his fifth major victory. Only Jack Nicklaus, Walter Hagen and Tiger Woods have won the PGA Championship more times. Koepka became the first LIV League player to win a major championship.
St. Thomas Aquinas football team: The perennial powerhouse school in Fort Lauderdale showed there were still some heights it had not reached when the Raiders became the first high school football team to win five consecutive state championships in Florida. St. Thomas hung on for a 31-28 victory over Homestead in the Class 3M title game.
Chaminade-Madonna football team: The Hollywood school won its third consecutive state title with a 56-0 rout of Clearwater Central Catholic in the Class 1M state final, and more importantly, finished the year ranked No. 2 in the nation by MaxPreps. The Lions have won five of the past six state titles in their class.