College Sports

An FGCU men's basketball player ended his freshman year with a memorable game and a confident mindset for next year.Freshman Tristen Guillouette played a significant role for his team in the College Basketball Invitational tournament. The FGCU Eagles played their first game against Army of the NCAA Patriot League March 24.

Florida Gulf Coast University's Chelsea Lyles has announced she is stepping down as head women's basketball coach of the Eagles.The university posted the information on its women's athletics site Monday and issued a release.

The FGCU women's basketball Eagles, ranked 14th in the NCAA DI tournament, were beaten by the 3rd ranked Oklahoma Sooners Saturday 81-58 in the first round of March Madness action.The loss was the second year in a row the Eagles were ousted from the tournament by the Sooners.

The FGCU Eagles women's basketball team, winner of a ninth straight ASUN championship Saturday, were selected as the 14 seed to play against 3 seed Oklahoma Sooners during Sunday's 2025 NCAA DI women's basketball tournament bracket selection show.The game will be Saturday in Norman, Oklahoma.

FGCU Softball bested the Florida Atlantic Owls 3-2 Saturday in a College World Series regional game in Gainesville but were eliminated later in the day by South Alabama 5-1.After a prolonged rain delay, FGCU took to the field at Pressley Stadium to face off against the Owls. Avery Viancos was a force at the plate going 3-for-4 in the first game and either scored or drove in every run scored by the Eagles on the night.

The Florida Gulf Coast University softball team sharpened skills this week in anticipation of the Eagles' regional World Series game Friday against the fourth-ranked University of Florida Gators.That game is scheduled at noon in Gainesville.Eagles coach David Deiros said the team's plan from Day One was plotted out — win-it-all.

Florida Gulf Coast University's softball team won the 2024 Atlantic Sun Conference Championship 7-6 Saturday on a Neely Peterson walk-off home run in the bottom of the eighth.It was the first ASUN softball championship for the Green and Blue since 2012 and qualified the team for the NCAA College World Series.The Eagles (37-19) will pair up against the Number 4 seed University of Florida Gators (46-12) in the Gainesville regional playoff contest at noon on Friday.

Attorney General Ashley Moody signaled her support for Florida State University’s appeal of a North Carolina judge’s decision to allow a lawsuit filed against the school by the Atlantic Coast Conference to proceed — and is asking her counterparts in six states to join her efforts.Florida State and the ACC are involved in a big-money legal battle centered on media rights, with court fights in North Carolina and Tallahassee as the school considers leaving the conference. With major conference realignments in the works, challenges are being closely watched by college athletics throughout the country.

Fewer fans during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a drop in economic returns on state programs that provide sports-related grants and incentives, according to a newly released state analysis.The Florida Sports Foundation claimed a small positive return for each $1 spent on grants to professional and amateur events, the analysis by the Legislature’s Office of Economic & Demographic Research found. But with many games held without fans or with limited crowds because of pandemic restrictions, larger incentives tied to publicly funded stadiums and arenas posted negative returns.