FORT MYERS, Fla. - The FGCU women's basketball program has announced an integral addition to next year's team with the signing of 6-1 guard/forward Andrea Cecil, who will join the Eagles as a graduate transfer from Bowling Green State University.
 
"Andrea is very skilled," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "She is a versatile and efficient scorer who is also an excellent 3-point shooter. She fits in very well with our style of play."
 
Prior to missing last season due to injury, Cecil compiled 891 career points in three years with the Falcons, which ranks 36th in the program's all-time record book. She also sits 13th in BGSU history in career free throw percentage at 79.5 percent.
 
In 2018-19, Cecil was named Third Team All-MAC after leading the Falcons in scoring at 15.8 points per contest, while also averaging 5.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists. She shot 45.9 percent from the field, including a career-best 55-for-137 (.401) from long distance. She also made 80-for-90 (.889) from the charity stripe, while totaling 21 games with 10-plus points, including 11 with 20-plus and a pair of 30-point outings. The Oak Harbor, Ohio native poured in a career-high 33 points and added 10 rebounds against Eastern Michigan on Jan. 23, and she had 30 points along with 11 rebounds against Detroit Mercy on Dec. 17. Overall, she had seven games with 10-plus rebounds and 11 with three-plus assists.
 
As a sophomore, Cecil averaged 8.8 points, five rebounds, 1.1 assists and nearly one steal per game while making 24 starts over 30 appearances. She had 12 games in double-figure scoring, including three with 20-plus. She poured in a season-high 26 points along with 10 rebounds against Ferris State on Dec. 18 while chipping in 20 apiece against Detroit Mercy on Nov. 13 and Northern Illinois on Feb. 10. In her rookie campaign, Cecil saw action in 31 games off the bench while averaging five points and 2.9 rebounds. She had three outings with 10-plus points.
 
"There is a great winning culture created by the coaching staff," Cecil said of her decision to join the Green and Blue, "and the opportunity to pursue my MBA made FGCU a great choice."
 
Cecil, who was a First Team All-Ohio selection at Oak Harbor High School in Oak Harbor, Ohio prior to signing with BGSU, will be the tallest player on an FGCU women's basketball roster since the 6-3 Whitney Knight in 2015-16. She joins the program's three previous high school signees from November - Maddie Antenucci, a 5-10 guard from Indian Hills in Cincinnati, Ohio, Seneca Hackley, a 5-9 guard from Saint Mary's in Colorado Springs, Colo. and Tomia Johnson, a 5-6 point guard from Grandview in Colorado Springs, Colo.
 
The No. 24 Eagles will have to replace eight players, including four starters, prior to next year after finishing 30-3 overall in 2019-20. The squad captured the program's conference record-breaking 10th ASUN regular season championship behind a 15-1 record and a seventh tournament title.
 
Historically, the Green and Blue are on pace to become the NCAA's all-time Division I winning percentage leader at the end of the 2020-21 season. They have produced at least 25 wins in each of the past 10 seasons, including four 30-win campaigns over the past six seasons, becoming one of just five NCAA Division I programs that can boast that, joining South Carolina, Baylor, Notre Dame and UConn.
 
For complete coverage of the women's basketball program, follow the Eagles on Twitter and Instagram at @FGCU_WBB, on Facebook at /fgcuwbb and online at www.FGCUathletics.com. You can also sign-up to have news on FGCU women's basketball or other programs delivered directly to your inbox by visiting www.fgcuathletics.com/email.

E.A.G.L.E. CAMPAIGN
IT TAKES A TEAM to achieve our newest goal - a $10 million campaign to address student-athlete needs in continued academic success, life skills, mental health, nutrition, and strength and conditioning as well as departmental needs in facility expansion and improvement as well as mentoring and leadership training for coaches and staff. The name embodies our mission and the purpose of the E.A.G.L.E. Campaign - Eagle Athletics Generating Lifetime Excellence. Join Our Team and pledge your gift today to help the Eagles of tomorrow!

SUPPORT THE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PROGRAM
Do you enjoy watching or following the FGCU women's basketball program? Would you like to play a role in the growth of the program and help take it to heights never before experienced? If so, you can reach out to Director of Advancement, Matt Ring, about opportunities to make an impact on the experiences of our student-athletes. He can be reached by email at mring@fgcu.edu or by office phone at 239-745-4434.

COACH SMESKO
FGCU head coach Karl Smesko maintains a record of 554-122 (.820) overall in his career (third highest winning percentage among active Division I coaches behind only UConn's Geno Auriemma and Baylor's Kim Mulkey), including a 201-17 (.922) mark in ASUN regular season play and a 24-2 (.923) record in ASUN tournament play. Over the past nine seasons, including this year, he has guided FGCU to a 137-5 (.975) record in conference play with five undefeated seasons. The 10-time ASUN Coach of the Year has guided the Green and Blue to four 30-plus win seasons over the past six years while compiling a 179-31 (.852) record. He has also guided the program to 16 consecutive 20-win seasons and 10-straight 25-win seasons.

#FEEDFGCU
FGCU Athletics sponsors events in November and April to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.

ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 82 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 12-plus seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just eight-plus seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 36 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Seven FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport – including women's basketball (2019-20) and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as three of the most recent. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best sixth-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. In 2018-19, the Eagles had an ASUN and state of Florida best seven teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate in their sport. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.35 GPA in the classroom in the spring 2018 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for twenty-one consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall semester saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher team GPA. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours in 2017 – being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.