In case you missed the last ‘TN Triple-S’ coverage of Florida State Seminoles athletics, here is the recap: Sunday Seminoles Summary: FSU Basketball, Soccer, Golf, and other sports news.
Some of sports at Florida State that don’t start with football are making a little noise as they head into their winter season schedules, and Tomahawk Nation is committed to keeping you up to date on all the Florida State sports information and media press releases that the FSU SID faxes us, or that we source ourselves.
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.
Directors Cup
After the completion of fall sports, Florida State ranks 14th in the LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup standings. The Seminoles have finished in the Top 25 for 18 consecutive seasons and been in the Top 20 five straight years.
“We are having an outstanding season thus far, which is a credit to our elite student-athletes and our exceptional coaches,” Florida State Vice President and Director of Athletics Michael Alford said. “We work every day to achieve comprehensive excellence at Florida State and I am proud of our accomplishments already this year.”
Florida State tallied 258.50 points, with five fall sports earning points. Women’s soccer reached the College Cup for the fourth time in five seasons and earned 83 points with its third-place finish. Football was 10-3 and won the Cheez-It Bowl – the first 10-win season and Top 10 finish since 2016 – to finish with 67.5 points. Women’s cross country was 18th with 56 points, while the men’s cross country team finished 32nd with 27 points. Women’s volleyball earned 25 points for reaching the NCAA Tournament for the 12th time in 13 seasons.
FSU is one of 10 ACC teams in the Top 25, the most among any conference. The standings will next be updated after the completion of winter sports in early April.
Florida State Women’s Basketball hopes to continue its winning ways as it hosts Louisville on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
- TV: Sunday’s game will air on several of the ACC’s regional sports networks, including Bally Sports Florida.
- 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).
- Promotion: Sunday’s game is a Sunday Shootaround. After every Sunday game this season, fans of all ages are invited down to the court to shoot around.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
- Two of the ACC’s winningest programs match up on Sunday afternoon at the Tucker Center. Louisville (13-6, 4-2) and Florida State (16-3, 5-1) are two of just eight schools nationally that have made each of the last nine NCAA Tournaments.
- The Sunday tilt at the Tucker Center pits the two best scorers in the ACC. Louisville junior guard Hailey Van Lith (Wenatchee, Wash.) is second in the league averaging 20.8 points per game. FSU freshman guard Ta’Niya Latson (Miami, Fla.) leads the conference averaging 25.0 points.
- Florida State sits third in the country averaging 87.5 points, only trailing LSU (88.9) and Georgia Southern (88.4). The Seminoles own nine games this season with 90+ points, and four of their six ACC games have reached the 90-point mark.
- The Seminoles are coming off a 19-point win at home over No. 11 NC State on Thursday, winning 91-72. It is FSU’s most lop-sided AP Top 25 win as an unranked team since it knocked off No. 17 Southern Miss, 97-72, at home on Feb. 24, 1990.
- Freshman guard Ta’Niya Latson is on the fast track to win National Freshman of the Year. Her 25.0 points per game are just over six points per game more than the next closest freshman nationally in Texas Southern’s Micah Gray (18.9), and her 320 made field goals that rank third in the country are nearly 100 more than the next closest freshman in Santa Clara’s Tess Heal (235).
- Since Louisville joined the ACC in the 2014-15 academic year, Florida State owns a 7-4 record vs. the Cardinals. FSU has won three of the last four games played vs. the Cardinals at the Tucker Center, including their last visit on Feb. 21, 2021, when FSU defeated No. 3 Louisville 68-59 while Brooke Wyckoff was the Interim Head Coach.
- FSU moves up to 15th in the latest NCAA NET rankings, while Louisville is 32nd. The Seminoles own a 4-2 record this season against current NET Top 50 opponents (wins over No. 13 NC State, No. 22 UNC, No. 43 Miami and No. 48 Purdue).
- Florida State looks to start 6-1 in ACC play for the first time since the 2017-18 season.
- Makayla Timpson is averaging 16.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, 65.1 percent shooting and 2.3 blocks vs. FSU’s six current Top 50 opponents this season.
- The Seminoles look to average 80+ points this season for just the third time in program history. The other seasons include 1990-91 (83.8) and 2017-18 (81.0).
- FSU is 12-0 this season when it records 15 or more assists. It is 13-0 when leading at halftime.
- FSU has six quarters this season where it has scored 30 or more points. It out-scored NC State, 31-21, in what was a decisive third quarter last game.
- FSU is averaging 79.1 possessions per 40 minutes this season.
- In conference play, senior guard Sara Bejedi has elevated her scoring to 12.8 points while shooting 42.1 percent (8-of-19) from 3-point range. Over her last two games, Bejedi is averaging 23.5 points and shooting 13-of-23 (56.5 percent) from the floor.
- Ta’Niya Latson has totaled 475 points so far this season, putting her on pace to break the single-season record of 710 points by Sue Galkantas set in the 1981-82 season.
- The Seminoles have a low turnover rate of 15.1 percent, meaning 15.1 percent of their plays this season have resulted in a turnover. The current pace would put them on their lowest turnover rate since 2017-18 (also 15.1 percent) and tied for the lowest rate since it began calculation in 2009-10.
- Following FSU’s win over No. 11 NC State, the Seminoles moved up in their ESPN Bracketology projection to a No. 5 seed.
Florida State (16-3, 5-1 ACC) defeated #11 NC State (13-4, 3-3 ACC) by a 91-72 score tonight in Tallahassee, FL.
Game Recap
NC State started the game with a triple from Madison Hayes. From there Florida State took over. The Seminoles immediately went on a 14-2 run to take a 14-5 lead. FSU was getting layup after layup while the Pack was missing jumpers. Former Nole River Baldwin broke the run…{continued *FOR FREE}
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- Freshman sensation Ta’Niya Latson is now on the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Midseason Watch List.
The No. 13 Virginia Cavaliers traveled to Tallahassee for a weekend matchup against the Florida State Seminoles. Virginia was fresh off back-to-back wins against ACC opponents, while FSU entered the game losing two of their last three. The momentum within Florida State’s program has been on the rise, but that fire they played with in the new year definitely lost its spark….{continued *FOR FREE}
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The Florida State Seminoles traveled to Wake Forest for their 17th game of the season, meaning for the first time in his career Baba Miller was allowed to step onto the court. Unfortunately, the result was the same as every other time the Seminoles played outside the Tucker Center this season,….{continued *FOR FREE}
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For those who have been living in a massive football cloud of dust the last 6 months, allow me to catch you up on a bit of Florida State basketball context. Do not pass go and do not collect $200 unless you read the following timeline….{continued *FOR FREE}
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Florida State hoops was back in Tallahassee for a conference match against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. The Seminoles were favored in the matchup, but GT held a three-game winning streak against the Noles in previous matchups, carrying the winning formula against head coach Leonard Hamilton….{continued *FOR FREE}
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- Former Seminole Johnathan Isaac slowly coming back from injury as he suits up with the Orlando Magic G-League team.
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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}
On Thursday, the National Women’s Soccer League held their annual draft, and three Seminoles headlined the first round.
After Los Angeles and Kansas City took the first two picks, the Orlando Pride were on the clock. As the third best player pick in the 2023 draft class,…{continued *FOR FREE}
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- Natalia Kuikka is now the first ever female to be names Finnish Football Player of the Year. The former Nole continues to represent the garnet and gold with immense success.
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The Florida State Seminole soccer team added another key transfer from Tennessee on Friday afternoon as Claire Rain signed with the Seminoles.
Rain, a former All-SEC Freshman honoree, is the second Tennessee Volunteer to transfer to the Seminoles joining former teammate Taylor Huff. A primary defender during the 2022 season, Rain started all 19 matches for Tennessee and played the second-most minutes on the team. She was a key piece to the Lady Vols’ defense that had a shutout streak over the span of eight games in the 2022 season. Rain had one assist on the year which was to now Seminole teammate Huff against No. 5 Duke on Aug. 25.
During her freshman season in 2021, Rain tallied two goals and six assists on her way to being named to the All-SEC Freshman Team. She appeared in all 23 games as a freshman and made 22 starts for the Lady Vols. After the season, Rain was No. 32 on Top Drawer Soccer’s Top 100 Freshman list.
Rain is a Tampa, Fla., native where she played for H.B. Plant High School and also played club soccer for the Tampa Bay United Rowdies. Rain was a superb track athlete qualifying for the state meet in both the 100m dash (12.0) and the 400m dash (56.7).
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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}
The Florida State track and field team had another solid day at the Clemson Invitational at the Rock Norman Indoor Track and Field Complex on Saturday afternoon.
The Noles were led by the men’s 4x400m relay (Butler, Collier, Willis, Watkins Jr.) who clocked the third-fastest indoor time in school history with a time of 3:05.82 to finish second in the event.
Jeremiah Davis continued his phenomenal weekend in the triple jump recording an indoor personal best mark of 16.04m. That mark puts Davis at No. 6 on FSU’s all-time list for the event. Kyvon Tatham also finished sixth in the event with a mark of 15.29m.
In the men’s 3000m run, Patrick Donnelly led the Noles with a time of 8:15.78 which was good enough for sixth place.
On the women’s side, Caitlin Wilkey (9:55.13) and Riley Bahr (9:55.36) led the way in the women’s 3000m run to finish fifth and six.
The women’s 4x400m relay of Tyra Wilson, Dajaz DeFrand, Kaniya Johnson and Faith Banks finished fourth in the event with a time of 3:41.77.
In the shot put, Riley Simmons made her debut in the Garnet and Gold and finished sixth with a mark of 13.86m.
“It was a really good productive day for our team. Obviously, the highlight of the day was the men’s 4x400m relay who put together a really good time to start the season. We had a lot of personal bests across the board, we can’t to see the improvement throughout the year,” Head Coach Bob Braman said.
The Noles will be back in action next Friday and Saturday at the Vanderbilt Invitational in Nashville, Tenn.
- Former Nole Vincent Norman is set to tee off at 1:30 ET today and 6:10 ET tomorrow in the Sony Open Hawaii.
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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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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}
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}
- Florida State baseball is just around the corner. With a brand new head coach leading the locker room in Link Jarrett, there’s ample buzz around the program.
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Head Coach Chris Poole added a key piece to the Florida State volleyball roster on Monday as former Oregon Duck Kiari Robey has signed with the Seminoles.
“We are so excited that Kiari is joining the Florida State volleyball family. Kiari is very athletic and has gained great experience in the Pac-12 and nationally in the last two years. After losing a couple of middles to graduation, Kiari will help our depth with four middles in training,” Head Coach Chris Poole said.
Robey was a key piece for Oregon on their way to the Elite Eight in 2022. The 6-2 middle blocker tallied 156 kills and a team-high 107 blocks. In three matches in the NCAA Tournament, Robey tallied 21 kills and 12 total blocks while hitting .549. Robey’s 1.05 blocks per set ranked 10th in the Pac-12. Robey’s best game of the 2022 season came against UCLA where she tallied 10 kills and 8 blocks in a five-set victory over the Bruins.
Robey is from Atlanta, Ga., where she played for Hilgrove High School. Coming out of high school, Robey was ranked the No. 67 overall player in the 2020 class by PrepVolleyball.com. Robey is a special athlete having competed in multiple triathlons. Robey competed for the club Atlanta Performance Volleyball and did not play high school volleyball until her senior year due to being homeschooled.
Florida State divers Tazman Abramowicz and Samantha Vear were named the ACC Divers of the Week on Tuesday following their performances at LSU on Saturday.
“These guys did a great job this weekend after a long road trip,” FSU head diving coach John Proctor said. “It’s fun to see their hard work starting to come together now. They’re both excited for championship season.”
Abramowicz wins his first ACC Men’s Diver of the Week honor after finishing first on 3-meter with a score of 367.43, which was his highest of the season after sitting out most of the Fall due to injury. He won the event by just over four points in a high-scoring, competitive field where five divers scored above 340 points. He was also sixth on 1-meter at 307.73 and both scores were NCAA Zone B standards.
Abramowicz contributed one of FSU’s 11 event victories against the Tigers, as the 16th-ranked Noles won, 180-120.
The Calgary, Alberta, native becomes the third Seminole to win the award this season. Jesco Helling was the winner on Oct. 11 and Darwin Nolasco was picked on Nov.1.
Vear wins her second ACC Women’s Diver of the Week honor of the season and fourth of her career, after placing first on 1-meter with a score of 304.73 against LSU. She was dominant, winning the event by over 16 points and her score was her highest since her freshman season.
The Conroe, Texas, native was also fourth on 3-meter (299.33).
FSU will head to Ocala, Fla., to face No.4/8 Florida on Jan. 20, at 2 p.m.
Other Cool Stuff
The Tomahawk Nation podcast channel, presented by SB Nation, features insider Seminoles recruiting, football, basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer analysis and commentary, featuring shows hosted by staff writers Tim Alumbaugh, Matt Minnick, Michael Rogner, Brian Pellerin, and Ben Meyerson, featuring contributions by Joshua Pick, David Stout, Jon Marchant, Max Escarpio and the entire Tomahawk Nation staff, produced by managing editor Perry Kostidakis.…{continued *FOR FREE}
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}
