The fall semester was a very good one for Florida State athletics as the women’s soccer team won its first national championship, the football team claimed an ACC crown and was a part of college football’s first playoff and the women’s volleyball team earned a national seed and reached the round of 16 before falling to BYU.
The winter and spring sports for Florida State are off to a very good start as the Seminoles rank in the top 10 nationally in three different sports. The men’s golf team, women’s basketball team and softball teams are all currently among the elite teams in the county.
The Florida State men’s golf team resumed play last week after a 3-month hiatus, finishing fifth at the Sea Best Invitational at Sawgrass in Ponte Verde. Though the finish was the worst for Florida State this season, sophomore Jack Maguire shot +4 to finish third for tournament and is coming on strong for the second-ranked Seminoles, who have been led this season by juniors Hank Lebioda and Rowin Caron.
This week on the hardwood, the Lady ‘Noles found themselves ranked seventh in the AP Poll — the highest in school history. Florida State is off to a 22-2 start which includes three victories over ranked opponents headlined by a 68-63 win over then No. 4 Louisville on January 22nd.
Four players are averaging in double-figures scoring for Florida State led by this week’s ACC Co-Player of the Week, Adut Bulgak, who averages nearly 14 points and better than 10 rebounds-per-game. Senior Maegan Cowright has made a team-high 46 3-pointers this season and is averaging just shy of 12 points. Sophomore Ivey Slaughter and freshman Shakayla Thomas combine to average about 22 points-per-game and have the Seminoles looking at a very bright future.
After reaching the Women’s College World Series for the first time in a decade last season, fifth-ranked Florida State softball is off to a 3-1 start with two victories over Georgia Southern and another over No. 6 Kentucky in the season-opening Renegade Classic.
Senior Lacey Waldrop was named ACC Pitcher of the Week after opening the year 2-0 and without allowing an earned run. With Maddie O’Brien struggling early on, Bailey Schinella and Jessica Warren have powered FSU offensively. Schinella leads the team, hitting .364 with 6 RBIs while Warren isn’t far behind with a .357 average and a pair of home runs.
All three teams have big events coming up this week. The women’s basketball team will visit No. 17 North Carolina on Thursday and after a game against Florida A&M on Tuesday, the softball team will host No. 18 Nebraska on Friday afternoon. The men’s golf team will head to Gainesville for the 2-day Gator Invitational beginning on Saturday.
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