Recruiting
Football
FSU is losing another member of its 2024 signing class with tight end Landen Thomas set to enter the transfer portal when it opens in January:
Basketball
FSU men’s basketball stopped its losing streak with a blowout win over Mississippi Valley State:
Florida State women’s basketball also snapped a five-game skid, blowing out South Carolina State:
Every Seminole put points on the board and grabbed one rebound for the third time this season in the victory. Three players scored in double figures, including graduate guard Jasmine Shavers and junior center Pania Davis who contributed a double-double each. The last time two Seminoles managed a double-double in the same game was last season against Clemson on Jan. 16, 2025.
The team shot a strong 41.7 percent from the floor and 82.1 percent from the free-throw line, sinking 23-of-28 attempts. FSU’s 61 rebounds bested their previous high of 58 set in the season opener against Florida A&M while their 16 steals topped their previous season-high of 13 set in the same game.
The Seminoles’ 18 assists ties their season-best set against Nicholls State on Nov. 12.
Shavers put together her best game in the Garnet and Gold and surpassed 1,500 career points with a team-leading and season-best 29 points against the Bulldogs, going a perfect 11-of-11 at the free-throw line, tying a school record. She was also 4-of-6 from three and tallied a career-high 12 rebounds to manage her first double-double in a Seminole uniform and third of her collegiate career. Shavers would account for three steals and one assist in the standout performance.
All Sports
The Florida State soccer coaching staff has been named the National Coaching Staff of the Year:
After leading the program to its fifth national championship and second in his four-year tenure, head coach Brian Pensky and his staff earned the third National Coaching Staff of the Year award in team history. Pensky also received the accolade in 2023 after winning an NCAA title, while FSU was first bestowed with the staff honor in 2020.
Concluding his fourth season at the helm, Pensky has guided the Seminoles to two national championships, in 2023 and 2025, and another NCAA College Cup appearance in his first season, 2022. Florida State is 70-7-12 under Pensky, leading the nation with a .854 win percentage in those four years. FSU has won five ACC titles in that span, two regular season and three tournament. In 21 seasons as a head coach, Pensky is 255-118-57 (.660) with 11 NCAA Tournament appearances.
Pensky and the Seminoles posted a 16-2-4 record in 2025, with a 6-0-0 mark in the NCAA Tournament en route to the national title. As a No. 3 seed in the region, Florida State opened NCAA play with a 4-0 home win over Samford followed by a 1-0 neutral-site victory over Lipscomb. The Third Round saw FSU down No. 2 Georgetown 3-1 on the road before the team came home to beat Ohio State 4-1 in the Quarterfinal to clinch a return to the College Cup. In Kansas City, Missouri, the Garnet and Gold topped No. 2 TCU and the No. 1 overall seed Stanford, both by 1-0 margins, to seal the championship. After a 0-2-1 stretch in the middle of the season, the Seminoles closed the year with an 8-0-1 mark, outscoring their opponents 18-3 in the final eight games.
Along with the NCAA’s No. 1 winning percentage since Pensky arrived on campus in 2022, Florida State leads the country with two national titles and three College Cup appearances.
The National Coaching Staff of the Year honor is the latest in a long list of accolades for the 2025 Seminoles. Junior forward Jordynn Dudley is one of three All-Americans and is a finalist for the Hermann Trophy, the Honda Sport Award and Top Drawer Soccer’s National Player of the Year. Senior defender Heather Gilchrist, also an All-American, was recognized as an Academic All-American and a Scholar All-American. Sophomore midfielder Taylor Suarez joined Dudley and Gilchrist with All-America accolades, while she, Dudley and sophomore forward Wrianna Hudson were recognized on TDS’s Best XI Teams. Six players were named Academic All-District, five were selected to the All-Region Team and five collected All-ACC distinction. Hudson and freshman goalkeeper Kate Ockene were College Cup Most Outstanding Players and two of five Noles on the College Cup All-Tournament Team.
The 20th NCAA title overall across Florida State Athletics, soccer’s fifth national championship comes just two years after their last in 2023. It is the program’s third in the last five years and fifth in its last six appearances in the National Championship Game, joining the title runs of 2014, 2018, 2021 and 2023.
Florida State women’s lacrosse signed four recruits in the December transfer portal window — attackers Lola Mancuso and Victoria Tomonto, and midfielders Alyssa Deacy and Brooke Long:
Lola Mancuso | Attack | 5-3 | Plantation, Fla. | American Heritage/Xavier
Spent her first three seasons at Xavier….named to the 2025 All-BIG EAST Second Team…played in 44 career games for the Musketeers, scoring 124 goals, including 45 in 2025, breaking her own single-season program record…led the team in goals, points, shots, shots on goal and free position goals…led the BIG EAST in free position goals per game (1.47), ranked fifth in goals per game (3.00) and third in shots per game (7.07)….became the first Musketeer in history to score 100 career goals…2024 season program leader for points, goals, free position goals, shots, and shots on goal…set the single-game program records for goals (7), assists (4), points (10), shots on goal (10), and free position goals (3)…first player in program history to score a goal, free position goal, record a hat trick, and record a sock trick in the same season…named 2023 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year…daughter of Esteban Mancuso and Lorena Kipershmit… mother, Lorena, played field hockey at Maryland…brother, Luca, plays soccer at NYU…majoring in communication studies.Alyssa Deacy | Midfield | 5-7 | Port Jefferson Station, N.Y. | Comsewogue High School/Florida
Spent her first two seasons at Florida…appeared in 24 games, scoring five goals…scored a career-high two goals on 3/15/25 at Mercer, along with one draw control…earned 2024 SEC First Year Academic Honor Roll honors…daughter of Tom and Danielle Decay…brother, Jake, played lacrosse at Marist.Brooke Long | Midfield | 5-4 | Melville, N.Y. | St. Anthony’s/Penn State
Spent her freshman season at Penn State…earned 2025 Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors…played in 15 games for the Nittany Lions, recording nine goals, five assists, and 13 groundballs…daughter of Brandon and Jill Long…father played football and lacrosse at Ohio Wesleyan…has one brother, Matthew.Victoria Tomonto | Attack | 5-8 | Boca Raton, Fla. | American Heritage/Penn State
Spent her freshman season at Penn State…played for American Heritage Delray…named an All-American…named SunSentinel Player of the Year…named Palm Beach Post Player of the Year…named South Girls’ Player of the Year…selected for the IL Women’s Top 100 Freshmen…daughter of Joe and Kathy Tomonto…has two brothers, Joseph, who plays baseball at NYU, and Anthony.
