FGCU Eagle News

08/30/2024

06/21/2024

The 2023-24 season for FGCU Athletics was notable for the university, as the Eagles had numerous moments across different sports that will be solidified in their history. We ranked the top eight FGCU athletics moments throughout the past season.

1) Men’s Basketball Defeats No. 7 Florida Atlantic University Owls

The FGCU’s men’s basketball team had a lackluster season after finishing with a 14-18 record, including an early exit from the first round of the 2024 ASUN Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament. The only upside of the season came on Dec. 30 when FGCU was scheduled to host the Florida Atlantic University Owls.

To read the full story, click the link in our bio.

📸 Jessica Piland
📝 Jeffrey Hrunka

06/19/2024

FGCU’s softball program has been a dominant force in the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) competition over the past 16 years. The success has previously been exemplified by two Eagles being inducted into the ASUN Hall of Fame. On May 30, Courtney Platt added her name to the list.

Platt found her passion in softball at a young age when her parents dragged her and her twin sister, Casey Platt, up to her mother’s slowpitch league in Ohio. They would watch her mother play from the dugout, making it an activity that her whole family participated in.

“It’s something that I have always stuck with,” Platt said. “But being able to grow up with my family and do that. It’s what helped me to play this sport for so long.”

To read the full story, click the link in our bio.

📸 Courtesy of Ryan Field/FGCU Athletics
📝 Jeffrey Hrunka

05/17/2024

For the first time in 12 years, the FGCU softball team brought home an ASUN title. The Eagles beat the University of North Florida Ospreys 7-6 from a walk-off home run for their second title in program history.

The Eagles entered the 2024 ASUN Softball Championship tournament with a 16-8 record after losing their final conference series against the Kennesaw State University Owls. This granted them the fourth seed, which allowed them one additional rest day against those having to play in the single elimination round.

FGCU’s first game of the tournament was against the fifth-seed University of North Alabama Lions. The Lions advanced to the second round of the tournament after defeating the Austin State Peay Governors 3-0 to compete against the Eagles on May 8.

To read the full story, click the link in our bio.

📸 Jessica Piland/ FGCU Athletics
📝 Jeffrey Hrunka

05/16/2024

For the fans sitting in the stands, FGCU’s game against the Florida Atlantic University Owls was a typical midweek game. However, for many Eagles on the field, it would be their last game playing inside Swanson Stadium.

The Eagles dominated their last non-conference game of the season against the Owls, winning 28-18.

The team was on a hot streak going into this game, winning their last two ASUN Conference series. They dropped one game against the Eastern Kentucky Colonels and another to the FAU Owls on May 7, making the Eagles have a 25-24 season record.

To read the full story, click the link in our bio.

📸 Lexi Harbach/FGCU Athletics
📝 Jeffrey Hrunka

05/08/2024

Entering the final series of the season, the Eagles had everything to play for as a chance to enter the 2024 ASUN Softball Championship as second-seed was up for grabs. However, FGCU faltered against the Kennesaw State University Owls, losing two out of the three games in the series and a chance at an additional bye.

The Eagles carried negative momentum into the weekend, dropping their final two games in their series against the Austin Peay State University Governors the previous weekend. The Governors sat eighth in the conference standings with a 6-15 record. The Eagles won the first game of the series with a commanding 8-3 victory, while they faltered in the following two games. They lost those matchups with a combined score of 6-14.

FGCU looked to end this losing streak against the Kennesaw State University Owls, who sat ninth in the standings with a 6-15 record. The Owls needed to win one more game than the Governors over the course of the weekend to have a shot at the postseason, so they had everything to play for.

To read the full story, click the link in our bio.

📝 Jeffrey Hrunka
📸 Lexi Harbach/FGCU Athletics

05/07/2024

Struggle has been the theme for FGCU’s baseball team, which has lost five out of its last six games. They looked to change this narrative in their series against the Jacksonville University Dolphins from May 3 to 5. The Dolphins walked into Swanson Stadium, leading the ASUN conference standings with a 15-6 record. Their lead diminished as the Eagles dominated the weekend by sweeping the series.

FGCU entered this matchup, having lost its last two conference series. The first of these series came against the Austin Peay State University Governors, which the Eagles won dominantly 11-2 to open the series on April 19. However, the Eagles did not carry this momentum into the next two games, losing those matchups with a combined score of 18-28.

This trend continued the following week against the Lipscomb University Bisons. The Eagles won their first game in dominant fashion, outscoring the Bisons by nine runs for an 11-2 victory. They dropped the next two games, losing both by 6-7. They look to turn this around against the ASUN conference team at the top of the standings.

To read the full story, click the link in our bio.

📝 Jeffrey Hrunka
📸 Lexi Harbach/FGCU Athletics

05/02/2024

Ending their season in heartbreak, the FGCU women’s tennis team fell short in their conquest to win their first ASUN Championship Tournament title. After making an unexpected run to the finals, toppling over the second and third-seeded teams, the Eagles lost to the Stetson University Hatters in the tournament’s final round.

FGCU clinched their spot into the 2024 ASUN Championship Tournament after defeating the Eastern Kentucky Colonels on April 7. The Eagles would split their next two matches, losing against the Stetson University Hatters 4-3 on the road. The Eagles concluded the regular season with a 7-0 win against the University of Central Arkansas Sugar Bears at home.

Entering the first round, the Eagles were set to play the third-seeded University of North Florida Ospreys on April 19. The Ospreys came into the tournament with a 12-9 record, losing their last matchup against the Eagles 5-2. FGCU looked to do the same to start tournament play.

To read the full story, click the link in our bio.

📝 Kevin Rollins
📸 Lexi Harbach

04/26/2024

Beginning its season in February, the FGCU beach volleyball team wrapped up the regular season with a record of 14-18. Even though the Eagles finished with an under .500 winning percentage, there were plenty of highlights throughout the season with a chance at more success in the 2024 ASUN Beach Volleyball Championship tournament.

The Eagles opened up the season on Feb. 23 and 24 with three consecutive wins over Southern Mississippi, Mercer and Eckerd in DeLand before dropping their first match of the season to conference rival and No.16 Stetson 4-1.

In Jacksonville for the following tournament on March 1 and 2, FGCU went 3-1 again with wins over Jacksonville and Mercer while splitting two matches with North Florida. During the win against Jacksonville, senior Kacie Johnson broke the all-time win record for the Eagles in her 70th win.

To read the full story, click the link in our bio.

📝 James Curtis
📸 Jessica Piland/FGCU Athletics

04/24/2024

Many racing fans will never get the opportunity to attend a Formula One Grand Prix in person. Red Bull brought this opportunity to FGCU students by promoting their upcoming Formula One Miami Grand Prix on campus over the course of two days from April 10 to 11.

Red Bull brought racing simulators, a mocktail bar and Red Bull Racing’s championship winning RB19 to campus for students’ enjoyment. There was a contest on the line challenging students to run the fastest lap around the Miami International Autodrome on the video game F1 23. The fastest driver won a $250 gift card to the Red Bull Shop for their efforts.

“Red Bull is partnered with FGCU. We are sold at several campus outlets,” Red Bull Student Marketeer Frankie McMahon said. “So, in working with business services, [the] Programming Board and ShopFGCU, I wanted to bring something memorable to campus to connect the brand to the student body…”

📝 Jeffrey Hrunka
📸 Abigail Muth

04/23/2024

Every young sports fan tries to be like their favorite player. Wearing their jersey is the closest connection they have with these professionals. Yet many fans do not know the tedious process that teams must go through to upkeep and produce these jerseys every season. Thomas Sheerin III, the Head Equipment Manager for FGCU Athletics, provided an in-depth look at this process.

Five Things to Know:
1) Every team on the road travels with a “blood kit,” which is an additional uniform in their size. It typically results in the player competing in a different number for that game.

2) Teams keep a backstock of jerseys from previous seasons. This means that players who transfer to FGCU mid-season will be stuck with whatever jersey number is leftover from previous seasons in their size.

To read the full story, click the link in our bio.

📝 Jeffrey Hrunka
📸 Jessica Piland

04/20/2024

A Week in Photos at FGCU

1️⃣ President Timur and Azul the Eagle cut the ribbon across the new boardwalk connecting the South Village dorms to main campus during the opening celebration on Thursday, April 18, 2024. 📸: /FGCU Marketing & Communications

2️⃣ The sun sets behind West Lake Village and paints the sky orange and red. 📸:

3️⃣ FGCU women's tennis defeated Central Arkansas 7-0 on Sunday, April 14, 2024. 📸: /FGCU Athletics

4️⃣ Lola Glantz of the FGCU women's tennis team celebrates after scoring a point against a Central Arkansas player on Sunday, April 14, 2024. 📸: /FGCU Athletics

5️⃣ The sun sets over Lake Como in FGCU's North Lake Village on Thursday, April 18, 2024. 📸:

04/08/2024

On Thursday, March 21, FGCU Eagle Media hosted its eighth annual Eagle Radio Music Festival in front of over 200 students from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Most of the attendees were students, but local community members were welcome as well.

Planning for this year’s event started in the fall semester by the Eagle Media executive staff. More preparations were made in the spring as a lineup with eight performers and bands consisting of local musicians and students was finalized. 

This year’s artists were Sophia Lavigne, Joseph Fields, Holt & Cabe, Teahouse, Fiendish Thingies, LUVXR, DONEFOR and SigFlo. DONEFOR and SigFlo had performed at previous Eagle Radio Music Festivals. 

To read the full story, click the link in our bio.

📝 Kevin Rollins
📸Jessica Piland

04/06/2024

A Week in Photos at FGCU

1️⃣ The full moon rises above South Village. 📸:

2️⃣ Madison Carr ( #3) hits the ball against the Lipscomb Bisons during the first game on Friday, March 29, 2024. 📸: /FGCU Athletics

3️⃣ Lipscomb catcher, Brenna Sherman, catches the ball with the Atlantic Sun Conference logo presented. 📸: /FGCU Athletics

4️⃣ The full moon continues to rise in the dark sky and illuminates North Lake Village. 📸:

5️⃣ The sun sets behind campus on Thursday, April 4, 2024. 📸: .l.johnson

03/28/2024

The men’s and women’s cross country teams begin a new era under new head coach Argeo Cruz, making him the third head coach in program history.

Cruz has a long history at FGCU. He was a student-athlete for the Eagles from 2010 through 2014. In that time, Cruz earned many honors in the ASUN Conference, including the ASUN All-Freshman team, ASUN Academic All-Conference team and ASUN First Team according to the FGCU Athletics website. He also set records for FGCU in the 5k, 8k and 10k and was named to the NCAA South All-Region Team as a senior.

After being a runner for the Eagles, Cruz joined the staff as an assistant coach in 2014 after graduating. He stayed in that position for cross country through 2021, according to the FGCU Athletics website.

To read the full story, click the link in our bio.

📝 James Curtis
📸 FGCU Athletics

03/27/2024

Over the past five months, the FGCU women’s basketball team has worked to defend its 2023 ASUN Championship title. On Saturday, March 16, the Eagles were granted that opportunity against the University of Central Arkansas Sugar Bears. The Eagles clawed their way to their seventh straight conference title with a dominant 76-47 victory.

The Eagles entered the ASUN Conference Tournament seeded first after going undefeated in conference play. With the first seed, the Eagles were granted a bye from the opening round of the tournament. They could host every one of their conference tournament games, as the higher seeded team was the host site for each matchup.

FGCU’s first tournament matchup saw them face the ninth seeded Jacksonville University Dolphins in the quarterfinal round. They erased a 24 point deficit late in the second half to no avail, as the Eagles scraped away with the 76-69 win once Jacksonville got into foul trouble later in the game.

To read the full story, click the link in our bio.

📝 Jeffrey Hrunka
📸 Jessica Piland/FGCU Athletics

03/26/2024

Deep in an ancient forest in a faraway land lie brave soldiers ready to vanquish their harshest enemies. They battle to the death with swords and spears at the ready.

This is not a scene out of a fantasy novel or a history book. This scene is created weekly at the FGCU Medieval Combat Club.

Though it may seem unfamiliar to many, the Medieval Combat Club was started by former student Ryan Fox 10 years ago. He wanted to generate interest around the passion he had for foam fighting on campus.

To read the full story, click the link in our bio.

📝 Larissa Rodriguez
📸 Lexi Harbach

03/24/2024

A Week in Photos at FGCU

1️⃣ Teahouse performs at the 2024 Eagle Radio Music Festival on Thursday, March 21, 2024. 📸:

2️⃣ Views of Lake Como at North Lake Village. 📸:

3️⃣ Tiffany Meek ( #17) attempts to tag out a player from the University of Florida but fall short. The Eagles lost to the Gators 9-0. 📸: /FGCU Athletics

4️⃣ LUVXR performs at the 2024 Eagle Radio Music Festival on Thursday, March 21, 2024. 📸:

5️⃣ The brother duo, Holt & Cabe, perform at the 2024 Eagle Radio Music Festival on Thursday, March 21, 2024. 📸:

6️⃣ Students of the FGCU Fishing Club cast some lines out in Lake Como at North Lake Village during the sunset. 📸:

03/12/2024

On March 9, the Eagles hosted their first game of the 2024 ASUN Women’s Basketball Championship tournament. FGCU entered the tournament looking to defend their 2023 ASUN Championship title. The Eagles soared to a 76-69 victory against the Dolphins to advance to the semifinals of the tournament.

The Jacksonville University Dolphins advanced to the tournament’s quarterfinal round after they beat the Bellarmine University Knights by double digits 79-62. The Dolphins entered this matchup as the lowest seeded team left in the tournament. If they were able to beat the Eagles, the Dolphins would have replicated the feat that their men’s program accomplished in toppling the number one seed.

Both teams’ last regular season game was against one another, as the Eagles destroyed the Dolphins 80-55 on March 2. FGCU looked to replicate that performance to start the ASUN conference tournament.

To read the full story, click the link in our bio.

📝 Jeffrey Hrunka
📸 Jessica Piland

03/08/2024

To close out the regular season, the FGCU women’s basketball team entered Alico Arena on March 2 to face the 10-18 Jacksonville University Dolphins. Both teams had nothing on the line to play for as they both were already locked into their respective spots for the 2024 ASUN Women’s Basketball Championship. The Eagles dominated the Dolphins 80-55 to finish a perfect 16-0 in regular season conference play.

For many Eagles, it would be the final time they would play a regular season game at home. Fifth-year students Sofia Persson, Ajulu Thatha, Uju Ezeudu and Kierra Adams, redshirt senior Brylee Bartram and graduate student Shekinah Guthrie were all honored before the game started for senior night. The Eagles looked to close out the season by winning their 19th straight game.

The first quarter saw the Eagles start from behind as the Dolphins sank a 3-pointer to jump out to an early lead. The Dolphins used this momentum, along with mistakes from the Eagles, to grow their lead to seven points within the first five minutes.

To read the full story, click the link in our bio.

📝 Jeffrey Hrunka
📸 Jessica Piland/FGCU Athletics

03/01/2024

The 2024 Student Government elections concluded at 7:45 p.m. at the Boardwalk Restaurant on Feb. 29. 

Chief Justice Juliana Manes announced that all the proposed amendments to the student body constitution passed. 

After, Manes announced the elected senators and Student Government President-Elect Ryan Kaczynski and Vice President-Elect Ryan Chumbley. All elected Student Government positions will start their terms on April 1.

To read the full story, click the link in our bio.

📝📸Connor Hay

02/29/2024

On Feb. 24, the FGCU women’s basketball team defeated the 15-13 Stetson Hatters 68-52. This win marks the Eagles’ 17th straight to keep them undefeated in ASUN conference play.

The Eagles returned home from a two-game road trip where they earned wins over the Kennesaw State Owls and Queens University Royals. Their victory over Queens marked the Eagles’ seventh straight regular season championship.

It was a big test for the Eagles as they faced the second best team in the ASUN Conference, the Stetson Hatters. The Hatters entered this game on a four game winning streak and had won eight of their last nine games.

To read the full story, click the link in our bio.

📝Kevin Rollins
📸Jessica Piland

02/28/2024

On Feb. 24, the FGCU men’s basketball team played against the 12-17 Queens University of Charlotte Royals for their final home game of the regular season. The Eagles entered this game on the brink of the ASUN Conference tournament cutoff. FGCU had dropped their last two games, slotting them ninth in the conference standings before this game. The Eagles were able to turn their losing streak around with a 90-81 victory over the Royals.

For many Eagles, it would be the last time they would step inside Alico Arena. Before the game started, seniors Isaiah Thompson, Keeshawn Kellman, Dakota Rivers, Cyrus Largie and graduate student Franco Miller Jr. would be recognized for their contributions to the FGCU men’s basketball program with their jerseys framed for senior night. The five of them marked an all-senior starting lineup. Head coach Pat Chambers provided input on what it meant to coach these seniors over the past two seasons.

“Those guys mean the world to this program,” Chambers said. “I know the prior coach would say the same thing. They committed to him, we retained them, we kept them. They love FGCU, they love this program, they love this university and they love the community. It’s what it’s about.”

To read the full story, click the link in our bio.

📝 Jeffrey Hrunka
📸 Jessica Piland/FGCU Athletics

02/28/2024

In their first home series of the 2024 season, the FGCU baseball team opened up a three game series against Bethune-Cookman University from Feb. 23-25. The Eagles opened up the series with two great performances in the first two games to claim their wins and first series win of the season before dropping the final game of the series as FGCU’s record now sits at 2-5.

To start the season, the Eagles were on the road facing off against nationally ranked TCU. In all three games of the opening series, the Eagles led the Horned Frogs at one point but ended up losing each game late. Then, the Eagles played a neutral site game in North Port against Indiana State. The Sycamores shutdown the Eagles en route to a 5-2 win, sending the Eagles’ record to 0-4. Bethune-Cookman started the year 3-1 with two wins over Stonehill and a win over FIU.

Game one of this series was hotly contested. FGCU got on the board early with a run in the bottom of the first inning as redshirt junior third baseman Jacob Lojewski singled to center field to bring home senior first baseman Robert Moya as the Eagles took an early 1-0 lead. The Wildcats responded in the top of the second inning with a run of their own off of a single to tie the game at 1-1.

To read the full story, click the link in our bio.

📝 James Curtis
📸 Jessica Piland/FGCU Athletics

02/27/2024

The FGCU softball team is swinging into the 2024 season after finishing in fourth place in the ASUN Conference at the end of the 2023 season. The Eagles went 32-26 last season and 13-11 in conference play. This was a 14 win improvement for FGCU from the 2022 season. Head coach David Deiros expects good things to come this season.

“If you go ahead and follow the trajectory of that, we should be better, you know, with those same kids having more experience, spending that much more time together, getting ingrained in the system that we are trying to run, so I’m expecting us to do even better than a fourth place finish in the conference,” Deiros said.

The Eagles started off this season with 11 home games. All but one of those games were in tournaments like the FGCU Kickoff Classic and the FGCU Invitational. The one game that wasn’t happened to be a matchup against nationally ranked Washington to wrap up the homestand. In those games, the Eagles went 5-6 by going 1-5 in the FGCU Kickoff Classic and then 4-0 in the FGCU Invitational before dropping the Washington game 6-2.

To read the full story, click the link in our bio.

📝 Courtney Padgett
📸 Jessica Piland

02/27/2024

FGCU Cheerleading is growing within the athletics department and in the Southwest Florida community. Through games, fundraisers, youth clinics and charity runs, the FGCU cheer team reflects the university’s heart and passion for strong athletics and civic engagement.

“Everybody on the team pretty much surpasses the 80 hours of required service-learning,” head coach Caragan Phillips said. “I got 500 hours when I was cheerleading.”

Phillips, originally from Springfield, Illinois, enrolled at FGCU in 2015 for the cheer program. As a learned dancer and gymnast with a knack for administration and leadership, Phillips had a vision for FGCU cheer during her first year. Throughout her time as a student athlete, she noted ideas and created a wishlist for the cheer team.

To read the full story, click the link in our bio.

📝 Cristina Pop .a
📸 Jessica Piland/FGCU Athletics

02/26/2024

As the only head coach that the FGCU women’s basketball program has ever had, Karl Smesko has achieved many milestones. On Jan. 31 in Louisville, Kentucky, the Eagles took down the Bellarmine Knights 72-55. This win was a special one as it allowed Smesko to record his 600th win at FGCU.

Being the program’s only head coach, Smesko has been in command of building the program from the ground up. He previously had coaching stints at Walsh University and Purdue University Fort Wayne, at the time known as IPFW. From the start, the Eagles were winning. In their first season in 2002-2003, FGCU went 30-1. That was just the beginning of the program’s success.

In the years that followed, the Eagles, under Smesko, have accomplished a lot. Two of these significant accomplishments include 14 regular season ASUN Conference championships and nine ASUN Conference tournament titles. Smesko had also achieved 600 overall wins before combining his victories from when he was the head coach at other schools.

To read the full story, click the link in our bio.

📝 James Curtis
📸 Jessica Piland

02/24/2024

A Week in Photos at FGCU

1️⃣ Franco Miller Jr. ( #12) passes the ball under the net against Kennesaw State on Thursday, Feb 22, 2024. 📸:

2️⃣ Shadows of palm trees are cast across the sidewalk leading to the gazebo in North Lake Village. 📸: .dsm

3️⃣ The FGCU softball team played the University of Washington on Tuesday, Feb 17, 2024 at the FGCU Softball Complex. The Eagles fell to the Huskies 6-2. 📸:

4️⃣ The FGCU Cooking Club took a trip to the Ronald McDonald House and made lemon cookies for the families currently staying at the establishment. 📸:

5️⃣ Sunset views from a pond near the main bus loop and parking garage 3. 📸:

6️⃣ FGCU Men's Basketball player Isaiah Thompson ( #11) drives to the basket against Kennesaw State on Thursday, Feb 22, 2024. 📸:

7️⃣ The end of a sunset captured from the top of parking garage 3. 📸: