Two Seminoles Earn All-ACC Honors

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Seminoles.com) – Two Florida State Women’s Basketball student-athletes in redshirt junior forward Kiah Gillespie and freshman center Valencia Myers were honored by the Atlantic Coast Conference on Tuesday for their outstanding achievements this season.

Gillespie was named to the All-ACC First Team by both the ACC Coaches and the league’s Blue-Ribbon Panel, while Myers was selected to the ACC All-Freshmen Team by the league’s two voting panels.

.@Kiah15Gillespie and @valenciaalexis_ are taking home some @accwbb hardware #FSUWBB

https://t.co/3Gw8xRn4de pic.twitter.com/JD5ZBKzoJE

— FSU Women's Hoops (@fsuwbb) March 5, 2019

“These are huge honors for Kiah and Valencia,” FSU head coach Sue Semrau said. “It’s special because they are first-time selections, and they both did it in their first years of eligibility. Their contributions this season have helped us exceed the expectations of others.

“A lot of credit needs to go to Nicki Ekhomu and Nausia Woolfolk for putting them in a position to be so successful this year. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

Gillespie entered the season on the ACC Newcomer Watch List, and her play throughout the regular season has made her one of the most impactful players in the league. The Meriden, Conn., native was a McDonald’s All-American in 2015 and has lived up to the hype this season, averaging a team-high 16.5 points, 8.8 rebounds and making 44 3-point field goals.

Gillespie is on the verge of becoming the first Seminole ever to lead her team in scoring, rebounding and three-point field goals. Her 10 double-doubles are tied for the ninth-most in a season at FSU, and she is just eight field goals made shy of becoming the ninth Seminole to eclipse 200 made in a season.

The All-ACC First Team selection makes Gillespie the 13th different Seminole to be named to the first team. She is just the third FSU student-athlete to receive first-team honors in her first year of eligibility, joining Adut Bulgak in 2015 and Roneeka Hodges in 2005.

Myers has had a standout freshman year for the Seminoles, ranking in the Top 10 in the ACC in free throw shooting (79.3 percent) and blocks per game (1.7). The 2018 McDonald’s All-American out of Solon, Ohio, leads FSU with 49 blocked shots, the most by an FSU freshman since Jacinta Monroe had 63 in the 2006-07 season.

Myers was crowned with ACC Rookie of the Week honors in the first week of the season when she announced her presence with five blocked shots along with 17 points and 10 rebounds in her collegiate debut against Troy. She is averaging 9.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and shooting 46.6 percent from the floor overall.

She is the 11th Seminole to be named to the ACC All-Freshmen Team, and the first since Shakayla Thomas in 2015. One of those 11 FSU freshmen is current associate head coach Brooke Wyckoff, who made the ACC All-Freshman Team in 1998 when she averaged 3.0 blocks per game.

The Seminoles begin the ACC Tournament on Thursday, March 7, in the second round as the No. 6 seed. FSU will play either 14th-seeded Pitt or 11th-seeded Duke at 8 p.m. on the league’s regional sports networks which includes FOX Sports Florida (North and Central Florida) and FOX Sports Sun (South Florida).

2018-19 All-ACC Team (as voted on by the league’s Blue Ribbon Panel)
First Team
Haley Gorecki, Jr., G, Duke
Kiah Gillespie, Jr., F, Florida State
Asia Durr, Sr., G, Louisville
Beatrice Mompremier, Jr., F, Miami (FL)
Emese Hof, Sr., F/C, Miami (FL)
Kiara Leslie, Sr., G, NC State
Paris Kea, Gr., G, North Carolina
Arike Ogunbowale, Sr., G, Notre Dame
Jessica Shepard, Sr., F, Notre Dame
Tiana Mangakahia, Jr., G, Syracuse

Second Team
Janelle Bailey, So., C, North Carolina
Brianna Turner, Gr., F, Notre Dame
Jackie Young, Jr., G, Notre Dame
Taylor Emery, Sr., G, Virginia Tech
Regan Magarity, Sr., F, Virginia Tech

All-ACC Freshman Team
Makayla Dickens, G, Boston College
Miela Goodchild, G, Duke
Valencia Myers, F, Florida State
Elizabeth Balogun, G, Georgia Tech
Elizabeth Dixon, F, Georgia Tech
Elissa Cunane, C, NC State
Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi, F, Syracuse
Dara Mabrey, G, Virginia Tech

2018-19 All-ACC Team (as voted on by the league’s head coaches)
First Team
Kiah Gillespie, Jr., F, Florida State
Asia Durr, Sr., G, Louisville
Emese Hof, Jr., F, Miami (FL)
Beatrice Mompremier, Sr., F/C, Miami (FL)
Paris Kea, Sr., G, North Carolina
Kiara Leslie, Gr., G, NC State
Arike Ogunbowale, Sr., G, Notre Dame
Jessica Shepard, Sr., F, Notre Dame
Tiana Mangakahia, Jr., G, Syracuse
Taylor Emery, Sr., G, Virginia Tech

Second Team
Kobi Thornton, Jr., G, Clemson
Haley Gorecki, Jr., G, Duke
Marina Mabrey, Sr., G, Notre Dame
Jackie Young, Jr., G, Notre Dame
Regan Magarity, Sr., F, Virginia Tech

All-ACC Defensive Team
Danielle Edwards, Sr., G, Clemson
Simone Westbrook, Gr., G, Clemson
Emese Hof, Sr., F/C, Miami (FL)
Kiara Leslie, Gr., G, NC State
Brianna Turner, Gr., F, Notre Dame

Florida State University Athletics

Related News

Related Videos