🏹 April 24th - The Chief Brief 🏹

Trophy Szn, Tourney Tees & Transfer Moves

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The Chief
April 24, 2025

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🏹 Welcome to The Chief Brief! 🏹

Happy Thursday, Seminole!

Pre-almost-the-weekend check-in... and the Noles are rolling. 🏹🔥

🏐 Beach Volleyball is racking up postseason hardware as the CCSA tourney looms, with Audrey Koenig, Alexis Durish, and freshman standout Gella Andrew leading the way.

⛳ Women’s Golf? History makers. Lottie Woad and Mirabel Ting are finalists for the ANNIKA Award, and the Noles just locked down the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Lexington Regional for the first time ever.

🥎 FSU Softball heads to Louisville riding a 40–6 record and a shot at another ACC title. Isa Torres, Jahni Kerr, and Kennedy Harp are 🔥, and the pitching staff is humming.

👟 Track & Field is coast-to-coast this weekend with the distance squad in Philly for the Penn Relays and sprinters/jumpers headed to LSU Alumni Gold. Watch out for Olympian Joella Lloyd’s 100m debut.

⛳ Men’s Golf tees off in the ACC Championships as the No. 1 seed, with Luke Clanton and crew aiming for another title run.

🚪 Transfer Portal Watch heats up: OL Josh Raymond (Vanderbilt) has a visit set, WR and DL targets are circling, and Jeremiah Wilson (Houston CB) lands in Tallahassee today.

📈 On the trail? FSU’s 2027 recruiting class is already ranked No. 6 in the country, with three Top 250 commits and some massive targets now ranked.

It’s postseason time. Portal season. Visit season. And Florida State is built for all of it. Let’s get into the action. 👇

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🏐 CCSA Honors Roll In: FSU Beach Volleyball Racks Up Awards Ahead of Tournament Play

Hardware season is here — and Florida State is stacking the trophy case. 🏆🌊

Several Seminoles were recognized this week with CCSA postseason honors following a stellar 2025 beach volleyball campaign:

📋 Award Highlights:

• 🏅 Audrey Koenig & Alexis Durish — CCSA Co-Pair of the Year (24–8 record)
• 🌟 Gella Andrew — CCSA Freshman of the Year (22–10 overall, 17 wins on Court 2)
• 👏 Brooke Niles — CCSA Co-Coach of the Year (286–71 career record, 23–10 this season)
• ⭐ All-Conference Pairs: Koenig/Durish + Andrew/Trusty
• 🐣 All-Freshman Team: Andrew + Bailey Higgins (19–13 record in debut year)

🧠 Fast Facts:

• Durish now ranks 19th in program wins all-time (85–19)
• Trusty posted 24 wins across four different courts
• Niles remains the winningest coach in NCAA beach volleyball history

🗓️ What’s Next: The Seminoles head to Baton Rouge for the CCSA Tournament this weekend — opening play Friday at 12 PM ET vs. No. 11 LSU.

⛳ ANNIKA Award Watch: Lottie Woad & Mirabel Ting Named Finalists

Two of the best in the world — and they wear Garnet and Gold. 💪🌍

Florida State’s Lottie Woad and Mirabel Ting have been named among 15 finalists for the prestigious 2024–25 ANNIKA Award, given to the top female college golfer in the nation.

🏌️‍♀️ Why It Matters:

• FSU is one of just three schools (alongside Stanford and South Carolina) with multiple finalists 

• Woad & Ting helped lead FSU to its first-ever ACC Championship last week

📈 Dominant Duo:

• Woad — No. 1 in WAGR, 2️⃣ NCAA wins, 8️⃣ Top-3 finishes, 70.12 avg, 667–12–8 record
• Ting — No. 1 NCAA ranking, 🏆5 tournament wins in 7 starts, 78.63 avg, 546–8–4 record

🔜 What’s Next:

• 🏆 Final 10 announced: May 9
• 🎖️ Inaugural ANNIKA Honors ceremony: May 14

⛳ No. 1 Seed! FSU Women’s Golf Tops NCAA Lexington Regional Field

History made — and more to chase. 🏆🌲

Florida State Women’s Golf has earned the No. 1 seed at the 2025 NCAA Lexington Regional, marking the first time in program history the Seminoles lead a regional field. The championship runs May 5–7 at Keene Trace Golf Club in Nicholasville, Kentucky.

📋 Snapshot:

• 🌟 FSU is ranked No. 3 in Scoreboard-Clippd + No. 4 in WGCA Coaches Poll
• 🏅 This marks the 19th straight NCAA Regional appearance for the Noles
• 🔥 6 team wins in last 7 events, including the 2025 ACC Championship

🎙️ Coach Amy Bond:

“This is a proud moment in the history of our program... We have to play our best golf until the last putt falls.”

📌 What’s Next:

• Top 5 teams from each regional advance to Nationals at Omni La Costa (San Diego)
• FSU has reached the NCAA Finals every year since 2016

🥎 No. 7 FSU Softball Eyes ACC Title in Louisville Showdown

The Seminoles are sizzling — and one step closer to more hardware. 🔥

No. 7 Florida State (40-6, 14-1 ACC) heads to Louisville this weekend for a pivotal road series that could secure their 15th ACC Regular Season Championship and a top seed in the conference tournament.

📍 Series Info:

• 📅 Friday–Sunday at Ulmer Stadium
• 📺 Fri/Sat: ACCNX | Sun: ACC Network
• 🆚 Louisville (23-21, 6-12 ACC)

🧮 Clinch Scenarios:

• Sweep + 2 VT losses = ACC title locked
• Win 2 of 3 + Clemson loss + Cal sweep of VT = also enough to clinch

🔥 Noles on Fire:

• 29 wins in last 32 games
• .364 team batting avg (2nd in NCAA)
• 8.13 runs/game (3rd in NCAA)
• 17 run-rule wins this season

🎯 Key Names:

• Isa Torres (.448 AVG, 74 H — 2nd nationally)
• Jahni Kerr (.511 AVG in ACC play)
• Kennedy Harp (9 triples, 47 RBI)
• Katie Dack (12 HR, 42 RBI)
• Pitching Staff — 2.17 ERA (9th in NCAA) led by Francik, Danley, Widra, Apsel

👟 Track Alert: Noles Split for Penn Relays & LSU Alumni Gold

Two meets, one mission — turn heads heading into May. 🚀

No. 21/NR Florida State track and field is splitting squads this weekend with distance runners heading to Philadelphia for the 129th Penn Relays and sprinters, jumpers, and throwers bound for Baton Rouge for the LSU Alumni Gold Invitational.

📍 Penn Relays (Thurs @ UPenn)

• 🔁 Steeple/5K/10K distance events

• Emily Brown, Brooke Mullins, Zach Leachman + more in action

• 📺 Stream: FloTrack | ⏱️ Live timing: Seminoles.com

📍 LSU Alumni Gold (Sat @ LSU)

• Sprint debut for Olympian Joella Lloyd (Antigua & Barbuda national record holder)

• Top names in jumps, throws & 100m races

🔥 Last Time Out:

• 8 Top-10 all-time FSU performances

• Zach Leachman: 28:25.91 (2nd-fastest 10K in school history)

• Kyvon Tatham: 16.37m triple jump (No. 8 all-time)

• Women’s 4x400: 3:30.32 (No. 7 all-time)

⛳ No. 10 FSU Men’s Golf Heads to ACC Championship

Championship season tees off Thursday for the Seminoles. 🏆

No. 10 Florida State enters the ACC Men’s Golf Championship as the top seed, with stroke play beginning Thursday at The Club at Olde Stone in Bowling Green, KY.

📋 Format:

• ⛳ Stroke Play: Thurs–Sat (10 a.m. ET daily)

• 🏆 Match Play: Top 6 advance to Sunday

• 🎯 Championship Match: Monday @ 11 a.m. ET

🎯 Players to Watch:

• Luke Clanton (No. 1 WAGR) — 3 wins this season, Ben Hogan semifinalist

• Tyler Weaver (No. 37), Jack Bigham (No. 46), Gray Albright (No. 47)

🔥 Last Time Out:

• FSU won the Lewis Chitengwa Invitational

• Clanton (-5) finished 1st, Albright (-3) tied 2nd

📺 Watch: ACC Network Extra (Match Play) 📊 Live Scoring: Golfstat.com

🚨 SEC OL Transfer Josh Raymond Visiting FSU Next Week

Florida State is lining up key transfer visits as portal action heats up — and one target is already on the books. 🔥

Josh Raymond, a redshirt freshman offensive lineman from Vanderbilt, tells Noles247 he’ll visit FSU next Wednesday–Thursday following a Monday–Tuesday stop at UCF.

📋 Quick Hits:

• 6'4", 298 lbs | Lake Mary, FL native
• Played in the 2024 Under Armour All-American Game
• Former 3⭐️ recruit in the 2024 class
• Did not see game action in 2024

🎯 Why FSU:

• Immediate OL depth need
• OL Coach Herb Hand was first to call — just minutes after Raymond entered the portal
• Coach Norvell has also been in touch
• FSU recruiting him as an interior lineman (guard)

👉 No other visits scheduled — FSU and UCF are the early contenders.

📈 2027 Recruiting Rankings Drop — FSU Class Off to a Strong Start

The ‘Noles are heating up early in the 2027 cycle. 🔥

Florida State’s 2027 class now ranks No. 6 nationally with three prospects featured in the initial 247Sports Top 247 — tied with Penn State for the most among all programs.

🖊️ FSU Commits Ranked: 

• 4⭐️ S Mekhi Williams: No. 65 overall | No. 5 Safety
• 4⭐️ S Jaylen Scott: No. 91 overall | No. 10 Safety
• 4⭐️ CB Bryce Williams: No. 238 overall | No. 28 Cornerback

📣 Credit to Devin Rispress — FSU’s new director of recruiting — for playing a major role in landing all three.

🔭 Top Targets to Watch: • Edge DJ Jacobs (No. 3)
• Edge LaDamion Guyton (No. 4)
• CB Joshua Dobson (No. 7)
• S Chance Gilbert (No. 12)
• OT Mark Matthews (No. 15)
• Plus 20+ others ranked in the Top 250

📊 Big Picture: FSU’s foundational 2027 class is shaping up fast — and the top talent is already noticing.

And that’s a wrap!

From beach courts to golf greens, track lanes to portal pipelines — the Noles are everywhere this week. 💨

🔥 Tournament season is officially underway — and FSU is chasing trophies in every direction.
👀 The portal's heating up, recruiting buzz is building, and postseason storylines are popping.

Stay locked in right here — we've got you covered from first pitch to final putt.
Next edition? We’ll have transfer visitor recaps, Louisville weekend previews, and a full reset of ACC title chases across the board.

Until then —
💬 Hit the poll.
📣 Share The Chief Brief with a fellow Nole.
🎯 Keep climbing.

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