Most are aware that the football season is just more than two weeks away for Florida State, but a number of other prominent programs have high hopes as the academic and athletic years are set to get underway.
An Atlanta Journal-Constitution story concluded that Florida State had the best athletic year in the ACC a season ago. Men’s programs were ranked the best in the ACC while women’s sports were second only to North Carolina. The Seminoles took home five conference crowns last academic year and its first ever national championship in women’s soccer.
Florida State will begin the defense of its soccer national championship against New Mexico on Friday night. The Seminoles open the season ranked first in the country and return key starters like Carson Pickett, Cheyna Williams, Berglind Thorvaldsdottir and goalkeeper Cassie Miller, who held opponents scoreless in last year’s NCAA Tournament.
The Seminoles finished 24-1-1 last season and beat ACC rival Virginia 1-0 for both the ACC and national championships. FSU will appear in front of its home crowd for the first time on August 28th against Southeastern Louisiana.
Also on August 28th, Florida State’s volleyball team will open the year against Oklahoma in Boulder, Colorado. Last season, the Seminoles went 30-3 and reached the round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament where the Seminoles would fall to BYU.
FSU returns its top four leaders in kills from a season ago led by senior Nicole Walch and junior Katie Horton as well as blocks leader Sarah Burrington. The Seminoles will have to replace last season’s assists leader Sarah Wickstrom and digs leader Katie Mosher. Florida State’s first home match will not come until September 11th against Coastal Carolina.
The men and women’s cross country teams will both begin their new seasons at the Covered Bridge Open in Boone, North Carolina on September 4th. The FSU men finished fifth in the conference last season while the women finished second only to North Carolina.
Each team reached the NCAA Championships last November. There, the FSU women’s team finished 12th while the men finished 31st. The men bring back their top two finishers from the NCAA championships in Zak Seddon and Michael Hall. The women lose their top two finishers from the championships in Colleen Quigley and Pippa Woolven.
The following day, the Florida State football team will begin its quest for a fourth straight ACC championship. The Seminoles open the year at home against Texas State.
Florida State loses 11 players to the NFL Draft — most notably quarterback and first overall pick Jameis Winston — but still has a wealth of talent led by cornerback Jalen Ramsey and wide receiver Travis Rudolph along with All-American kicker Roberto Aguayo.
FSU’s men’s and women’s swimming teams will begin their seasons in Gainesville on September 18th. Both teams finished seventh in the ACC last season, but the women went on to notch a top-25 finish nationally. Jason McCormick and Chelsea Britt will be two swimmers to watch this season for the Seminoles.
Though the football program will probably always be Florida State’s most celebrated, the Seminoles have become a force on a number of athletic fronts. As the athletic events get underway this week, the 2015-16 athletic year is shaping up to be another in which it’s great to be a Seminole.
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