Sunday Seminoles Summary: FSU Soccer, Basketball, Track, Softball, and other sports news

In case you missed the last ‘TN’s Triple-S’ coverage of Florida State Seminoles athletics, here is the recap: Sunday Seminoles Summary: FSU Basketball, Soccer, Softball, Volleyball, and other sports news.

We will do our best to continue to keep you up to date on any Florida State sports information or media press releases we are sent from the FSU SID, or that we source ourselves during this holiday season.

Feel free to include any other FSU related news of any kind that we may have missed in the comment section.

Most of the summaries below are courtesy of FSU SID, Tomahawk Nation, and the Twitters.

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Women’s Basketball

• Seminoles Battle Ninth-Ranked UConn at Mohegan Sun

Florida State Seminoles VS. #9 UConn Huskies

Dec 18, 2022 | 1:00 PM Uncasville, Conn. (Mohegan Sun Arena)

TV: ESPN

RADIO: 96.5 FM/1270 AM

Florida State Women’s Basketball faces its toughest test so far this season as it battles No. 9 UConn on Sunday, Dec 18, at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., at 1 p.m. on ESPN. The event is part of the Invesco QQQ Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase.

• TV: Fans can watch the game on ESPN.
• Radio: The matchup can be heard locally on 96.5 FM and 1270 AM, and can be accessed anywhere on Seminoles Leanplayer.
• In-game updates: Fans can follow on the FSU Women’s Basketball Twitter Account (@fsuwbb).

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

• Florida State makes its third trip to Mohegan Sun Arena when it battles ninth-ranked UConn (7-2) on Sunday. The Seminoles (11-1) last played in Uncasville as the nation’s eighth-ranked team in 2018, defeating No. 24 Michigan behind Meriden, Conn., native Kiah Gillespie’s triple-double (14 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists).
• Brooke Wyckoff makes her head coaching debut in the same arena that she played in for two seasons with the Connecticut Sun, gaining fame for her buzzer-beating 3-point field goal in game two of the 2005 WNBA Finals that sent the game to overtime against the Sacramento Monarchs. Wyckoff enjoyed a nine-year career in the WNBA.
• Despite her first season as FSU’s permanent head coach, Wyckoff goes for her second Top 10 win. As the program’s Interim Head Coach in the 2020-21 season, the Seminoles upended No. 3 Louisville at home, 68-59, on Feb. 21, 2021.
• Florida State is one of eight current programs to make the Big Dance each of the last nine post-seasons, joining Baylor, Louisville, Maryland, South Carolina, Stanford, Tennessee and UConn.
• The Seminoles are looking for their first Top 25 win of the season when they battle No. 9 UConn. FSU has earned at least one Top 25 win in each of the last eight seasons.
• FSU is 0-9 all-time against UConn, last facing the Huskies on Nov. 14, 2016, in a close 78-76 loss in Tallahassee that nearly snapped UConn’s 76-game win streak at the time.
• Freshman guard Ta’Niya Latson joins only Iowa’s Caitlin Clark among players ranking in the Top 5 nationally in field goals made, free throws made AND points per game.
• FSU is coming off a 98-37 win over Presbyterian where six Seminoles scored in double figures.
• Ta’Niya Latson ranks in the Top 5 nationally in field goals made (third), free throw attempts (second), free throws made (first), total points (first) and points per game (fifth).
• Florida State forced 34 turnovers defensively last game vs. Presbyterian, its most forced since Winthrop committed the same total vs. FSU on Nov. 24, 2016. FSU is forcing an average of 18.3 turnovers on defense this season.
• Sophomore forward Makayla Timpson is having a huge second season, holding Top 15 national marks in blocks (seventh), double-doubles (14th) and rebounds (seventh).
• Florida State owns the ACC’s highest scoring offense at 88.4 points – A Top 5 mark in the NCAA.
• With 204 fast-break points in their pace and space offense, FSU is averaging 17 fast-break points per game this season.
• Latson has won the first five ACC Rookie of the Week honors this year. The record for most in a season is nine by Duke’s Elizabeth Marshall (2011-12) and Wake Forest’s Tracy Connor (1992-93).
• FSU recorded 10 blocked shots last game vs. Presbyterian, raising its ACC-leading average to 7.1 per game this year. Only South Carolina has a better average with 10.2 per game nationally.
• The Seminoles own two wins of 60+ points this season, the first time an FSU team has done that. FSU defeated Bethune-Cookman 113-50 (+63) in its opener and then defeated Presbyterian last game, 98-37 (+61).
• FSU is knocking down an average of 17 made free throws per game, ranking second in the ACC and 13th in the country. The Seminoles are getting to the line 23.4 times per game.

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• Six Noles Reach Double Figures in Win Over Presbyterian

Florida State Women’s Basketball was paced by six players in double figures on Thursday night in a 98-37 win over Presbyterian at the Donald L. Tucker Center.

Freshman Ta’Niya Latson led FSU in the scoring column with 25 points, and fellow freshman Snoop Turnage punctuated a dominant night with her first career double-double at 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Sophomore forward Makayla Timpson nearly had her sixth double-double of the year with 10 points and nine boards. Sophomore Mariana Valenzuela added 12 points and nine rebounds, while O’Mariah Gordon chipped in with 12 of her own.

Rounding out the double-figure scorers was Sara Bejedi with 10 points and five assists.

After a slow start, the Seminoles went on a monstrous 20-2 run after coming out of an early timeout. The Noles forced 11 turnovers through the first quarter and shot well from the free throw line, going 8-of-10. They commanded the paint and smothered Presbyterian, tallying six blocks and seven steals in the opening frame.

Latson finished with a career-best eight steals. It was the most by a Seminole since Ivey Slaughter had nine steals against Oregon State in the 2017 NCAA Sweet 16.

The second quarter had the Noles remain in firm control. After a slight scoring drought, a turnover and fast-break layup by Latson sparked an 8-2 run to lead into halftime with the Seminoles up 45-14.

The Seminoles came out of the half and continued to swarm Presbyterian, forcing 11 turnovers and converting 16 points off of turnovers. The Noles also made their presence felt in the paint; tallying five offensive rebounds and racking up 14 paint points. The quarter ended with FSU up 71-26.

The Noles were pressuring the Blue Hose throughout the final quarter, forcing ten turnovers and six steals. Latson took over, going a perfect 6-of-6 from the field and tallied three steals.

Florida State forced 34 turnovers by the Blue Hose (3-7), and out-rebounded Presbyterian 52-39. FSU’s dominant shot-blocking unit had 10 more on the night.

The Noles travel next to the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., on Sunday, Dec. 18, to face ninth-ranked UConn on ESPN.

BOX SCORE —— PHOTOS

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• Latson Wins USBWA National Freshman Player of the Week

Florida State Women’s Basketball freshman guard Ta’Niya Latson continues to earn more accolades, being named the Tamika Catchings National Freshman Player of the Week on Tuesday by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association.

On Monday, Latson won her fifth consecutive ACC Rookie of the Week award. In her lone game last Sunday, she scored 34 points in a 108-51 win over Texas Southern.

For the season, Latson is averaging 25.5 points per game to easily rank the highest among the nation’s freshmen. The next closest freshman is talented guard Mara Braun of Minnesota, who is scoring 18.8 points per game.

DePaul sophomore forward Aneesah Morrow was recognized as the Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Week.

Latson leads the ACC in scoring by more than five points per game. She is coming off her third 30-point game of the season, which is the most in a season by a Seminole since WNBA All-Star Natasha Howard had five in the 2013-14 season.

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• Noles Run Away with 108-51 Win Over Texas Southern

Florida State Women’s Basketball freshman guard Ta’Niya Latson punctuated another high-octane offensive performance for the Seminoles by pouring in 34 points in a 108-51 win over Texas Southern on Sunday afternoon at the Donald L. Tucker Center.

“I’m really proud of our team today,” FSU Head Coach Brooke Wyckoff said. “They really responded to the challenge of ‘Let’s play four quarters.’ They did that and they did it in a big way, and we were led by Ta’Niya again with her 34 points. But I thought she did a great job on the defensive end as well, really locking in and creating havoc like she knows she can. That was our big goal defensively – to lock down for four quarters, and we did that.”

Latson finished 12-of-19 from the floor and went 9-of-10 from the free throw line in what was her third 30-point game of the season. The Miami, Fla., native picked up her third 30-point performance, the most by a Seminole in a season since Natasha Howard had five 30-point games in the 2013-14 year. She tied her career high of 34 set against Kent State.

“It’s been really fun,” Latson said postgame. “I feel like I’m picking up where I left off at high school. Obviously, the game is more intense, but I’m just having fun out there and taking what the defense gives me. In practice, I learn from my mistakes. Like coach said, today was a defensive day, and I feel like I have picked up on that and that was a real focal point for me. Scoring-wise on the offensive end, that’s how we play.”

Fellow Florida Gatorade Player of the Year O’Mariah Gordon had a career performance, registering a career-best 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting while adding two assists in just under 22 minutes of action. Gordon got to the rim at will and also had her mid-range jumper working, providing an instant boost for an FSU offense that shot 52.1 percent from the floor.

Redshirt senior Erin Howard tied her season high with 15 points, while sophomore forward Makayla Timpson added 12 points and six rebounds. Timpson had recorded a double-double in each of her previous four games played.

In the second half, the Seminoles out-scored the Tigers (0-8) 55-16 after taking a 53-35 halftime lead. FSU converted 58 points in the paint and also added seven 3-point field goals. The Seminoles got to the free throw line in their aggressive offense, going 27-of-34 from the charity stripe.

FSU’s second 100-point game of the season was highlighted by a smooth-shooting third quarter when it shot 68.4 percent (13-of-19) from the floor. All nine active Seminoles got into the scoring column in Sunday’s win.

Taniya Lawson led Texas Southern with 18 points, while Andriana Avent had 16.

BOX SCORE

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Soccer

• Florida State Sports Notebook: Soccer Postseason Edition-Just a few thoughts on Seminole sports. As always read at your own risk.

It has been about two weeks since Florida State fell to North Carolina in the first national semifinal game. Therefore enough time has passed to allow us to evaluate the season a bit more dispassionately. We will also discuss the (very) early prospects for next season.

These are real questions posed by real people in the sense that they are actual questions (they end in a question mark) and I am a real person. I have written all of the questions....{continued *FOR FREE}

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• Nighswonger Named United Soccer Coaches Scholar Player of the Year

United Soccer Coaches announced the association’s 2022 Women’s Scholar All-America Teams on Thursday afternoon. Jenna Nighswonger was named the organization’s Scholar Player of the Year, while also being named a First Team Scholar All-American and All-Region for the south region.

Nighswonger graduated with a degree in Finance earlier in December with a 3.82 GPA. She had a career year in her senior season leading to her being a Honda Award and MAC Hermann Award Finalist. She had a career-high in points (28), assists (16) and goals (six) and was named a United Soccer Coaches First Team All-American. Her 16 assists in a season were second in school history behind only Yamaguchi in the 2007 season when she won the MAC Hermann. Nighswonger finished her career with 19 goals and 34 assists for 72 points. Her 34 assists rank as the second most in a career at FSU and her 72 points ranks ninth all-time at Florida State.

Nighswonger was named to the TopDrawerSoccer Team of the Week three times and was named the TDS and College Soccer News National Player of the Week on October 18 after recording three assists against No. 12 Duke. She was named to the All-Atlantic Region First Team, the All-ACC First Team and was named the ACC Tournament MVP after finishing with two goals and an assist against No. 2 North Carolina and No. 4 Notre Dame.

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• Nighswonger Named Honda Award Finalist

Jenna Nighswonger continues to be honored for her terrific senior season as she was named a Honda Sport Award Finalist as announced by Chris Voelz, Executive Director of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA).

Nighswonger is joined by Tori Hansen of the University of North Carolina, Lilly Reale from UCLA and Reyna Reyes from the University of Alabama as one of the four finalists for the Class of 2023 Honda Sport Award for Soccer.

The Honda Sport Award has been presented annually by the CWSA for the past 47 years to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA- sanctioned sports and signifies “the best of the best in collegiate athletics”. The winner of the sport award becomes a finalist for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the prestigious 2023 Honda Cup which will be presented during the live telecast of the Collegiate Women Sports Awards Presented by Honda on CBS Sports Network in June.

The soccer finalists were selected by a panel of experts and coaches from the United Soccer Coaches. The Honda Sport award winner for soccer will be announced later this week after voting by administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Each NCAA member institution has a vote.

Nighswonger had a career year in her senior season leading to her being a Honda Award and MAC Hermann Award Finalist. She had a career-high in points (28), assists (16) and goals (six) and was named a United Soccer Coaches First Team All-American. Her 16 assists in a season were second in school history behind only Yamaguchi in the 2007 season when she won the MAC Hermann. Nighswonger finished her career with 19 goals and 34 assists for 72 points. Her 34 assists rank as the second most in a career at FSU and her 72 points ranks ninth all-time at Florida State.

Nighswonger was named to the TopDrawerSoccer Team of the Week three times and was named the TDS and College Soccer News National Player of the Week on October 18 after recording three assists against No. 12 Duke. She was named to the All-Atlantic Region First Team, the All-ACC First Team and was named the ACC Tournament MVP after finishing with two goals and an assist against No. 2 North Carolina and No. 4 Notre Dame.

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Softball

• Softball Announces 2023 Schedule

Florida State softball and head coach Lonni Alameda announced their schedule for the 2023 season. This season marks the 40th season of fastpitch softball at Florida State. The Seminoles will play a total of 54 games in the regular season with 30 of those at JoAnne Graf Field at the Seminole Softball Complex.

In total, Florida State plays against 13 teams that made the NCAA Tournament a season ago and five teams that were in the 2022 Women’s College World Series.

FSU plays seven midweek games this season – Florida A&M (February 14), North Florida (February 22), at Oklahoma (March 14), Jacksonville (April 12), at Stetson (April 18), Florida (April 26) and at Florida (May 3).

Florida State opens its season at home on February ninth as they host the JoAnne Graf Classic. The Noles will play two games each against Lipscomb and Longwood and one game against Purdue over a three-day period. FSU then heads to Clearwater, Fla. to be a part of the Clearwater Elite Invitational (February 16-19). The opponents for the Clearwater Invitation will be announced at a later date.

FSU then hosts a pair of tournaments as they welcome FGCU, Lamar and Troy to Tallahassee for the Unconquered Invitational (February 23-25) and UMass, Colgate and Georgia Southern for the third and final home tournament of the regular season (February 3-5).

The Seminoles then hit the road to play three games at Oklahoma State, with two against OSU (March 10 and 12) and one against Louisiana (March 11) and a single game at Oklahoma (February 14) before beginning ACC play against Syracuse in Tallahassee (March 17-19). The Noles play 24 conference games across eight series, four at home and four on the road.

Florida State’s four ACC home series are against Syracuse (March 17-19), Georgia Tech (March 31-April 2), Virginia (April 14-16) and Louisville (May 5-7). The four road conference series are against Duke (March 24-26), Clemson (April 6-8), Virginia Tech (April 21-23) and at Notre Dame (April 28-30).

2023 SCHEDULE ——— 2023 SCHEDULE (PDF)

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• FSU Softball Roster Preview: Meet the Sophomores-Roster previews continue with the Sophomore class of the Seminole softball program

We continue our dive into the 2023 Florida State softball program, this week we take a look at the two sophomores currently returning to Tallahassee. In addition to Amaya Ross and Krystina Hartley, Lonni Alameda and her staff recently added the addition of Katie Dack, via the transfer portal, to the sophomore class....{continued *FOR FREE}

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• FSU Softball Roster Preview: Meet the Redshirt Sophomores Part 2-We continue our class preview with part two of the redshirt sophomore class

We continue our dive into the 2023 Florida State softball program, this week its part two of the redshirt players.

After suffering an injury in 2021, Jahni Kerr looked to return last season. Back in the lineup in 2022, Kerr posted a .261 batting average. Her success late in the season saw her move her way up through the lineup. While at the plate she recorded 47 hits, 25 runs scored, 10 doubles, 5 home runs, 35 RBI, and was walked 10 times...{continued *FOR FREE}

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• FSU Softball: Class of 2024 Recruiting Thread-As High School Juniors start to commit to their colleges, we will detail who the ‘Noles are picking up for the class of 2024

Now that the September 1st window has come and gone for college softball, the class of 2024 can start announcing verbal commits to their schools. For Florida State, they have started to receive verbals. This thread will be dedicated to the players who have posted about committing to the Garnet and Gold starting in 2024..{continued *FOR FREE}

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• FSU WOMEN’S SPORTS NEWS: Soccer, Softball, Basketball, Volleyball, & Others

Check out our dedicated Fanpost for FSU Women’s sports for any Women’s sports news you come across and can share to help keep your community up to date on what is happening in FSU women’s athletics during the week...{continued *FOR FREE}

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Men’s Basketball

• M. Basketball Falls to St. John’s, 93-79, In Orange Bowl Classic

Joel Soriano scored a team-high double double 23 points and 12 rebounds on six made field goals and 11 made free throws to lead St. John’s to a 93-79 victory over Florida State in the Orange Bowl Classic. Soriano led three Red Storms in double figure scoring, Dylan Addae-Wusu (20 points), David Jones (16 points), and Andre Curbelo (14 points) to St. John’s eleventh win of the season. The Red Storm now hold an 11-1 record.

*More details to be posted later today.

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• Florida State overcomes turnovers, defeats USC Upstate for third win of season-The Seminoles win streak stands at two.

After three straight games of playing noticeably improved basketball, Florida State put forth a sloppier effort against a pesky USC Upstate Spartans squad. But in a type of game that might have resulted in a demoralizing loss four weeks ago, the Seminoles still found a way to walk away with a double-digit victory, 80-63. Perhaps that, more than anything, shows the progress that this team is slowly but surely making....{continued *FOR FREE}

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• Florida State takes down Louisville in ACC home opener-The Seminoles notch their second win of the season and first in conference play

Florida State was back in the Tucker Center after about a week off of regularly scheduled games. The Noles were set to face the Louisville Cardinals which were listed as the worst team in the ACC, garnering an 0-8 record prior to the game. It was FSU’s chance to grab their second win of the season and take advantage of home court. The Seminoles did just that with a 75-53 victory over the Cardinals, led by a great defensive performance...{continued *FOR FREE}

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• Baba Miller-FSU Basketball Thread #12-Recruiting, Roster, Schedule, NBA Noles, Draft, All BBall Stuff

This is the place we’ve set up for our members to discuss the Florida State Seminoles men’s basketball for any breaking news, recruiting, players eligible for the NBA Draft, and any other basketball related news you may want to bring up for discussion....{Continued *FOR FREE}

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Track & Field

• Trey Cunningham Named the 2022 Bowerman Winner

Trey Cunningham had already solidified himself as one of the top hurdlers in collegiate history, but his name will forever be sketched into collegiate track and field history as he was named The Bowerman winner Thursday night.

Cunningham is the second Seminole to win The Bowerman joining Ngoni Makusha who won the award in 2011. Florida State is now one of three schools to have multiple male Bowerman winners.

“I thought about what I was going to say tonight and it all boiling down to two words, ‘What if?’” Cunningham said. “What if I didn’t go to Florida State? I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I decided to come to Tallahassee. I truly found myself there and was able to push my bounds athletically, academically and socially. This University has provided every opportunity I needed to succeed and has made me feel at home,

“I’m just glad it’s been a fun ride so far and I can’t wait to see where it takes me next. Thank you all for coming tonight, and thank you all for voting me as your Bowerman Award winner.”

Cunningham put together one of the greatest hurdle seasons in collegiate history. Cunningham won national titles in both the 60m hurdles indoors and 110m hurdles outdoors. Cunningham clocked the second-fastest time in collegiate history in the 60m hurdles (7.38) in the national championship race. Cunningham also tied for the second-fastest time in collegiate history in the 110m hurdles national championship race with a blistering time of 13.00.

Cunningham’s success was recognized in the awards season. Cunningham was named the ACC Track Performer of the Year for both the indoor and outdoor seasons. He was also named the USTFCCCA South Region Track Athlete of the Year for both the indoor and outdoor seasons. Track and Field News named Cunningham their National Athlete of the Year.

Cunningham holds the FSU and ACC records in both the 60m hurdles and 110m hurdles. Following his collegiate season, Cunningham made his name known in the professional ranks, earning silver at both the USATF Championships and the World Championships.

Cunningham was also phenomenal off the track as he was named the National Indoor Scholar-Athlete of the Year to go along with his ACC Indoor and Outdoor Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards. Cunningham was also a USTFCCCA All-Academic honoree.

Cunningham is pursuing a Master’s degree in sport management at Florida State. Cunningham will continue to train in Tallahassee under Associate Head Coach Matt Kane.

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• Track and Field Releases 2023 Schedule

The Florida State track and field team released its 2023 schedule for both the indoor and outdoor seasons Monday afternoon. In total, the Seminoles will compete in 20 meets with the indoor season beginning on Jan. 13 at the Clemson Invitational.

Following the season-opening meet at Clemson, the Seminoles will head to Nashville, Tenn., for the Vanderbilt Invitational on Jan. 20-21 and Fayetteville, Ark., on Jan. 27-28 for the Razorback Invitational. The Noles will end the indoor regular season with the Don Kirby Invitational in Albuquerque, N.M. and the David Hemery Valentine Invitational in Boston, Mass., on Feb. 10-11. The ACC Indoor championships will take place on Feb. 23-25 in Louisville, Ky., and the NCAA Indoor Championships will be on Mar. 10-11 in Albuquerque, N.M.

The Noles will begin its outdoor season on Mar. 17-18 with the Tiger Track Classic in Auburn, Ala., before hosting the annual FSU Relays on Mar. 23-24. Some of the Noles’ distance crew will be competing at the Raleigh Relays on Mar. 23-24 as well. The Noles will make two consecutive trips to Gainesville, Fla., for the Pepsi Florida Relays on Mar. 30-Apr. 1 and the Tom Jones Memorial on Apr. 14-15. The Seminoles will send the distance crew to the Wake Forest Invitational on Apr. 21-22 while the rest of the squad will head to Baton Rouge, La., for the LSU Alumni Gold. The Noles will round out the regular season on Apr. 28-29 at the Longhorn Invitational and the UNF Invitational. The ACC Outdoor Championships will return to Raleigh, N.C. on May 11-13. The NCAA East Preliminary meet will be on May 24-27 in Jacksonville, Fla., with the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Austin, Texas, on June 7-10.

FULL 2023 SCHEDULE

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Baseball

• FSU baseball secured the commitment of 2025 shortstop Emmanuel Lantig.

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• Former Nole signs with the Chicago Cubs minor-league affiliate.

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• Keep up to date with Florida State Baseball: Official offseason discussion thread-Discussing all things FSU Baseball...{continued *FOR FREE}

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Tennis

• Seminoles’ Hyde Releases Women’s Tennis Schedule

The Florida State Women’s Tennis team, which has played in five consecutive NCAA Tournaments, will play 10 teams who advanced in the 2022 NCAA Tournament including home matches against Georgia Tech, Miami, NC State, Notre Dame, Virginia, and Wake Forest at the Scott Speicher Memorial Tennis Complex as Head Coach Jen Hyde begins her 19th spring as the Seminoles’ Head Coach.

Hyde, the winningest coach in Florida State history, has led the Seminoles to two Elite 8 appearances in 2018 and 2021, and to 16 NCAA Championship appearances.

“Our strength of schedule each year is one of the great things about playing in the ACC,” said Hyde. We have the opportunity to compete against the nation’s best teams, week in and out. This season is relatively heavy in ACC travel, which means hostile crowds and challenging conditions. We will look and lean on our our incredibly passionate fan base in Tallahassee to get behind us when we have the opportunity to compete at home. This is going to be a very exciting for the Noles, and I can’t wait to get things started here at home in January.”

The Seminoles’ spring schedule includes 11 matches at the Speicher Complex on Florida State’s campus beginning with Florida Gulf Coast (Jan. 20), Mercer (Jan. 22) and Florida A&M (Jan. 22).

Florida State will play host to nationally ranked opponents Miami (March 5), Wake Forest (March 10), NC State (March 12) and Virginia (March 26) in ACC play in an action-packed slate of games during the month of March. The Seminoles will play host to ACC foes Virginia Tech (March 24), Notre Dame (April 6) and Louisville (April 8) to bring their total of ACC home games to seven.

Florida State will also face 2022 NCAA Tournament participants Arkansas (Jan. 27), Old Dominion (Feb. 19) and Georgia Tech (April 14) and potentially Stanford (Jan. 28) in road games.

The Seminoles are the No. 2 seed in the Stanford Region for the 2023 ITA Kickoff Weekend (Jan. 27-28) The Seminoles are in one of 15 pods of four teams each in the national tournament, which will serve as the 2023 spring season opener around the nation. The Seminoles will face Arkansas in the first round of the tournament and either Stanford or Kansas State the second round.

The regional winners of the ITA Kickoff Weekend advance to the 2023 ITA Indoor National Championships, in Seattle, Wash.

2023 SPRING SCHEDULE

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Swimming & Diving

• Noles Set for CSCAA Open Water Championships

Members of the No.16/RV Florida State swimming and diving teams will race in the CSCAA College National Open Water Championship on Sunday in Biscayne Bay. The event is hosted by Florida International University.

The men’s 5K will start at 8:30 AM and the women’s 5K will follow at 10 a.m. The top five finishers in each gender will earn a bid to the 2023 USA Swimming 5K Open Water Championship.

“We are excited to try our hands at open water,” FSU head coach Neal Studd said. “It is something a few of our athletes have done before and we’re happy to offer this opportunity to them. We’re not sure what to expect, but I think that’s the fun part and we’re excited to go tomorrow!”

Men’s 5K

Luke Maggiore

David Quirie

Zach Smith

Riley Sampson

Aziz Ghaffari

Women’s 5K

Sophie Freeman

Sydney Cole

Ella Dyjak

Julia Brzozowski

Live timing will be available through Split Second Timing.

CSCAA Polls

The men’s team moved up from No. 19 to No. 16 in the December CSCAA Coaches’ poll. It is the highest ranking since the Seminoles were voted 15th to start the 2021-22 season. The women received votes.

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• Noles Gear Up for World Championships, Nationals This Week

Seven athletes with ties to Florida State swimming and diving will be competing at the 16th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) from Dec. 13-18, in Melbourne, Australia. Additionally, three divers will be in action at the USA Diving Winter National Championships in Morgantown, W.V., from Dec. 14-18.

Current Noles, Carlos Vasquez, Max Wilson, and Yordan Yanchev are expected to compete in individual events and possibly relays in Melbourne. Rebecca Moynihan, Emma Terebo, Ida Hulkko, and Julio Horrego, who previously competed for FSU are also expected to be in action.

Izzy Gregersen and Samantha Vear will be competing in the USA Diving Winter Nationals and former standout Katrina Young is also scheduled to compete.

16th FINA World Swimming Championships

Rebecca Moynihan – New Zealand, 50 free

Emma Terebo – France, 200 back

Ida Hulkko – Finland, 50 breast, 100 breast

Carlos Vasquez – Honduras, 100 fly, 200 fly

Max Wilson – U.S. Virgin Islands, 50 back, 100 back

Yordan Yanchev – Bulgaria, 400 free, 800 free

Julio Horrego – Honduras, 50 breast, 100 breast

Relays

W 4×50 free – New Zealand

W 4×100 free – New Zealand

W 4×200 free – New Zealand

W 4×50 Medley – New Zealand, France

W 4×100 medley – New Zealand, France

M 4×100 free – Bulgaria

M 4×200 free – Bulgaria

M 4×100 medley – Bulgaria

Mixed 4×50 Medley – New Zealand

The top 16 swimmers in each 50 and 100 will advance to the semifinals. The top eight will race in finals in every event over 200 meters in addition to relays.

Izzy Gregersen

USA Diving Winter Nationals

Izzy Gregersen – 3-meter, platform

Samantha Vear – 1-meter

Katrina Young – platform, synchronized platform

Vear will compete in the 1-meter prelim on Dec.16, and Gregersen will dive the 3-meter on Dec. 17 and platform on Dec. 18th. Young is entered in platform in addition to 10-meter synchro, which is scheduled for Dec. 15.

The top 12 in every event will advance to finals. Live scoring will be available on Divemeets.com.

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Other Cool Stuff

• “Top facility in country when it opens:” FSU breaks ground on new football facility-Florida State football kicked off a new era on Saturday, breaking ground on its standalone football facility

On Saturday, December 17, Florida State University took the first physical steps in finishing a project that’s been just over a half-decade in the making.

First floated as a potential infrastructure addition in 2016, FSU has been actively pursuing the construction of a standalone football facility since 2018, when it announced official plans.

In 2021, athletic director Michael Alford shared new renderings and finalized plans for the facility, announcing that the fundraising goal to kick off construction had been met, leading to today’s groundbreaking ceremony...{continued *FOR FREE}

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A team of scientists from Florida State University and University of South Carolina have found a way to mimic photosynthesis by, quote, combining “a photoredox catalyst (i.e., a catalyst that moves electrons with light) and naphthol, a fluorescent organic compound. They then exposed the molecules to light. Each molecule absorbed a photon and then worked together to generate hydrogen fuel, mimicking a process referred to as the Z-Scheme in natural photosynthesis.”

Now just for the record, I am not a rocket surgeon, but this could be something.