Must Read for all Seminole Booster Contributors

When I first read Pinto’s letter directed towards the Booster Club I thought to myself I hope that all contributors take the time to do the same and do so in the elegant and well thought out manner such as his.  A day went by and I thought back to a conversation I had with a buddy about a month ago where we were talking about the decline of the football program but were pleasantly surprised with the successes that other sports were having.  Please take the time to read through the following highlights that other sports have achieved in the past year and keep in mind that they also receive portions of Booster money.

 MEN’S BASKETBALL

First time since 97/98 season, the team locked up a bid to the NCAA Tournament as a number five seed and finished the ACC season in fourth place—the highest since 1993.  Toney Douglas was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year, ACC 1st Team and was in serious consideration for ACC Player of the Year.  Solomon Alabi and Chris Singleton were both members of the all-ACC freshman team.  To top it off Leonard Hamilton also won his 1st ACC Coach of the Year award.

 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Best season in school history and claimed a share of the regular season ACC title while making it as a 3rd seed in the Tournament.  Jacinta Monroe was named to the All-ACC defensive and Mara Freshour and Tanae Davis-Cain were both named to the All-ACC third team and the 2009 ACC All-Tournament second team.  Sue Semrau claimed her 3rd ACC Coach of the Year award in 12 seasons.

 TRACK & FIELD

Both Men and Women’s teams are absolutely amazing. They achieved 3 consecutive National Titles and too many All-American awards to name.  Premiere program in the nation.

 SOCCER

Ranked 6th going into the 2008 NCAA Tournament and had made 3 consecutive College Cup appearances prior.  7 Seminoles earned All-ACC Honors and 4 earned All-American Honors with 3 individuals playing for U-20 US Team.  Currently ranked #5 for the 2009-2010 season.

 SOFTBALL

In 2009 they hosted the regional for the first time since 2004 led by ACC Pitcher of the Year and Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-Southeast Region team member Sarah Hamilton.  ACC Championship runner up with 4 All-ACC Player Honors.

 BASEBALL

In 2009 FSU made its 32nd consecutive regional appearance and advanced to their 9th appearance in the NCAA Super Regional.  There were also 3 Seminoles that earned All-America Honors from Baseball America while Tyler Holt earned the opportunity to play for Team USA.

 VOLLEYBALL

For the first time since the 1998 season, the Florida State volleyball team has been ranked in the top 25 in the country.  Currently ranked 17th and with a new coach are headed in the right direction.

 MEN’S GOLF

Florida State Men's Golf Team participated in its 4th consecutive NCAA Tournament.  Savage and Kittleson earned Southeast Regional All-American Honors while Koepka was named ACC Freshman of the Year.

 WOMEN’S GOLF

Seminole Women's Golf Team finished in 15th Place at NCAA East Regional Championship. Caroline Westrup became the First Four-Time Golf All-American in Florida State history while she and 2 others were also named to All-ACC Academic Women's Golf Team.

 MEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING

A record ten men competed for the Seminoles at the 2008 NCAA Championships with 5 members earning All-American Honors.  3 Student-Athletes were named All-ACC Academic Team.

 WOMEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING

Earned 3 All-ACC performances to earn a fourth-place finish in the 2009 ACC Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships. 6 Student-Athletes were named All-ACC Academic Team.

 MEN’S TENNIS

Ranked 16th going into the 2009 NCAA Men’s Tennis Championships and finished 3rd at the ACC Championships.  Junior Jean-Yves Aubone became the first Florida State tennis player to be named a two-time All-American.  Drew Bailey and Vahid Mirzadeh were named to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference Academic team, a first in school history.

 WOMEN’S TENNIS

Ranked 18th going into the 2009 NCAA Women’s Tennis Championships and finished 3rd at the ACC Championships.  3 Seminoles received All-ACC Women's Tennis Academic Team.

 MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY

Finished 26th at the 2008 NCAA Cross Country Nationals with 5 student-athletes setting personal records.  Head coach Bob Braman signed Wesley Rickman, the nations #1 recruit and they are currently ranked #26 for the 2009-2010 season.

 WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY

Finished third at the 2008 NCAA Cross Country Nationals with Susan Kuijken finishing 2nd overall.  HC Karen Harvey was named for the 2nd consecutive year ACC and South Region Coach of the Year. They are currently ranked #3 for the 2009-2010 season.

 12 out of 16 sports were successful enough to make post season tournaments and while Women’s Tennis, Swimming & Diving and Golf did not make it as a team they did send individual representatives to compete in NCAA Tournament competition.  I am very pleased to see how far some of these sports have come in the last 5 years and believe that they will continue to have success in the years to come. 

 They point I am trying to make is please take the time to think about where your Booster money goes.  Obviously this school is where it is because of Football but when you make a hasty decision based on ONE sport there are 16 others that will suffer. 

 In the end it is your hard earned money and you can decide to do with it whatever you want and feel is right.  But keep this in mind, Bobby Bowden has already led to the demise of one sport at FSU, do not let him leave his self-centered, stubborn and tarnished fingerprints on any others.