From The Desk of Brian White

Dear Owl Fans,

What a tremendous 2018-19 athletic and academic year we had at FAU. Our student-athletes and coaches represented Owl Nation well in the classroom, on the playing courts and fields and in the community and we are very proud of all of their accomplishments. We couldn't do any of this without the support and dedication of our loyal fans so we want to thank you for all that you do for us and give a quick recap of the what's been happening in the FAU Athletic Department.

Rocco and Mary Abessinio Gift $3M to Name Basketball Court
The FAU Athletics department received a gift of $3M from the Rocco and Mary Abessinio Family Foundation to name the Abessinio Court at FAU Arena, home of the FAU men's and women's basketball and volleyball teams. The gift ranks as the fifth-largest cash commitment to FAU Athletics. Thank you for your support Rocco and Mary! [ Full Story ]

Natalliah Whyte Reaches NCAA Outdoor Track Nationals
Natalliah Whyte of the FAU track and field team blazed new trails for the team this year and this spring was the first-ever member to advance to the NCAA Championship finals, where she placed 16th and earned second team All-American honors, becoming the first FAU track and field All-American! [ Full Story ]

Whyte Racks Up Accolades Throughout Indoor and Outdoor Track Seasons
Not only did Natalliah Whyte earn All-America honors, she was also named C-USA Track Athlete of the Year. The award is given out for the entire 2019 track and field season which includes both indoor and outdoor seasons. Whyte had a phenomenal season, winning the 100-meter dash at the C-USA outdoor championships and claiming the 100-meter and 60-meter dash titles at the indoor championships. She was also the Highest Point Earner and the Performer of the Meet at the indoor championships. [ Full Story ]

FAU Baseball Reaches NCAA Regionals
For the fourth time in the last five years, the FAU baseball team advanced to the NCAA Regionals. The Owls traveled to the Athens, Georgia regional where they took on Georgia, Mercer and Florida State. The 40-19 FAU squad won the Conference USA regular-season championship and made it to the final game in the league's postseason tournament.
[ Full Story ]

Baseball Claims C-USA Regular Season Title
The FAU baseball team used a come-from-behind 8-7 win over Middle Tennessee on the final day of the regular season to claim the outright 2019 C-USA regular-season title. The Owls 22-8 conference record is the most wins by the Owls in league play since 2003. [ Full Story] Additionally, the Owls earned several C-USA accolades, including head coach John McCormack being named C-USA Coach of the Year and assistant coach Greg Mamula being named C-USA Assistant Coach of the Year while Pedro Pagues was named Defensive Player of the Year. The Owls had two first-team selections, two second-team selections and two all-freshman selections. [ Full Story ]

Skipper John McCormack records 400th career win
Not only did the FAU baseball squad claim some milestones, so did head baseball coach, John McCormack. With an 11-4 win over UTSA in the semifinals of the C-USA tournament, McCormack recorded his 400th career win. McCormack just wrapped up his 11th year at the helm and owns a 401-243-2 career [ Full Story ]

Several Baseball Owls Head to the Pros
Several Owls heard their names called during the 2019 MLB Draft. Catcher Pedro Pages headlined the Owls taken with a sixth round selection by the St. Louis Cardinals. [ Full Story] The Owls had four other players taken over the three days. Juniors Mike Ruff (11th round – Colorado Rockies) and Eric Rivera (14th round – Toronto Blue Jays) and seniors Vince Coletti ( 17th round – Oakland A's) and Blake Sanderson (17th round – Toronto Blue Jays) were also selected. [ Full Story ]

Do.Not.Miss.Football.In.Paradise … Get Your Tickets
Make sure you don't miss a minute of Winning in Paradise by getting your tickets for the 2019 season. Season tickets, single-game tickets and group tickets are now all on sale. Make sure you don't miss one minute of the 2019 football season. For more information on renewing call 1-866-FAU-OWLS or go online to www.fausports.com.

Join The Paradise Club
If you're a member of the Paradise Club, we thank you for all that you are doing to help us support our student-athletes both on and off the field. If you aren't a member of the Paradise Club, we urge you to consider supporting our nearly 500 student-athletes. Paradise Club Renewal started June 15th. Current members should have received their renewal and the 2019-20 guidebook but if you haven't received it please contact the Paradise Club office at (561) 296-3964. We need everyone to continue #WinningInParadise [ 2019-20 Donor Guidebook]

2018-19 FAU Athletics Highlights
The Owls had a host of accomplishments achieved over the course of the 2018-129 academic year. Several of the achievements are listed below:

-For the third consecutive year, FAU student athletes posted a yearly GPA of over a 3.0 and had a streak of seven consecutive semesters of over a 3.0 collective GPA.

-FAU had a record 240 student athletes named to the C-USA Commissioner's Honor Roll

-FAU student athletes continued to be involved in the greater FAU and Boca Raton communities, logging 4,798 community service hours.

-The FAU football team hauled in the No. 1 recruiting class in C-USA for the second time in the Lane Kiffin era. The class also is a top-75 class nationally.

-The Owls had two players drafted in the NFL Draft. Devin Singletary in the third round to the Buffalo Bills and Kerrith Whyte in the seventh round to the Chicago Bears.

-First-year head coach Dusty May led the FAU men's basketball team to its  best record since the 2010-11 season. The Owls also played in the postseason, earning a berth to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament, for the first time since 2010

-FAU earned two regular-season C-USA championships as the women's soccer team and the baseball team took home league crowns.

-The FAU women's tennis team concluded the season ranked No. 66 – their first time in the top 75 since 2004.

-The men's tennis team was C-USA runner-up and placed seven on the All-C-USA list with Mehdi Laalej earning Newcomer of the Year.

-Men's swimming took runner-up honors at the CCSA Championships.

Owl Roll Call
-FAU baseball player Diamond Johnson was awarded a C-USA Postgraduate Scholarship. [ Full Story ]

-Pedro Pagues and Francisco Urbaez were named 2019 ABCA/Rawlings All-Region selections
[ Full Story ]

-FAU closer Zach Schneider, for the second consecutive year, was named to the NCBWA All-American.  [ Full Story ]

-Two FAU beach volleyball pairs earned AVCA Top Flight Award honors. Sophomores Erica Brok and Mackenzie Morris along with seniors Amanda Silva and Nicole Grant earned the honor. [ Full Story ]

-Softball player Jolie Duffnerwas named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team and became the first softball player to earn CoSIDA accolades since Blair Bodenmiller in 2010. [ Full Story ]

Upcoming Events
June 25 – Winning In Paradise Tour – Deerfield Beach (Two Georges at the Cove)
Sept 7 –FAU Football home opener vs. UCF – 7 pm

We look forward to seeing you around campus and at our sporting events as we continue #WinningInParadise!

Brian White
Vice President and Director of Athletics
Go Owls!

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