FORT MYERS, Fla. – Davion Wingate (Atlanta, Ga./Stephenson HS) becomes the third player from this year's team to sign a professional contract after officially joining BC Winterthur of the Swiss Basketball League (SBL). She will join former teammate, Tytionia Adderly, who signed with BCF Elfic Fribourg Basket, in the SBL earlier in the week.
 
"I've learned to trust the process and believe in myself," Wingate said. "And the game has guided me to this exciting opportunity."
 
Wingate had a breakout senior campaign in 2019-20 where she averaged a career-best 14.7 points per contest while starting 32 of 33 games. She shot a single-season Division I era program-record .531 from the field, including a 62-for-145 (.428) performance from long distance. Her 486 points is the fifth-most in a single-season in the program's Division I era. Incredibly, the Peach State native tallied a trio of 30-point performances along with five 25-point games, seven 20-point outings and 23 double-digit scoring efforts. She was named the ASUN Player of the Week on Dec. 31 and earned a spot on the ASUN's all-tournament team.
 
"Davion really blossomed her senior year," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "She was one of the most efficient players in the country last season. She is a tremendous shooter and is great at attacking the rim. She found a really good spot to start her professional career."
 
A transfer from Stony Brook, Wingate suited up for the Green and Blue the past two seasons while averaging 10.7 points over 127 career NCAA games. Her 1,364 points was 106th-most among active Division I players at the time of her graduation, and her career scoring total is sixth-most by a player who finished her tenure with the Eagles. She reached the 1,000-point milestone on Nov. 28 with 19 points in a win over Notre Dame.
 
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 13 seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just nine seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 38 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 (No. 24, 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 3.46 GPA in the classroom in the spring 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 22 consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall and 2020 Spring semesters each 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.
 
--FGCUATHLETICS.COM--