ATLANTA – Former FGCU women's basketball standout and current associate head coach Chelsea Lyles has been selected as a member of the 2001-10 ASUN all-decade team.
 
Lyles was a dominant force on the basketball court for FGCU from 2008-10, where she earned a pair of First Team All-ASUN selections for the Green and Blue. She remains just one of five players in program history to be able to boast at least two first-team honors, joining Kaneisha Atwater, Rosemarie Julien, Sarah Hansen and Whitney Knight.
 
"Chelsea was a fantastic player," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "She was very skilled, high-energy and our emotional leader. She was a true competitor."
 
As a senior, Lyles produced double-digit scoring efforts 22 times and finished in the top 15 in eight different ASUN statistical categories. The recipient of FGCU's Female Outstanding Athlete Award that year, she produced team-high averages in points (13.0) and rebounds (5.5) while compiling 23 of the team's 57 blocks and averaging 2.5 assists per game.
 
A transfer from Western Nebraska Community College, Lyles led the Eagles to a 50-12 record overall and a 34-6 finish in conference play during her time in Fort Myers. She was a key force as the Eagles captured a pair of ASUN regular season titles, as well as back-to-back WNIT bids. At the time, FGCU was still in Division I probationary status and ineligible for the ASUN or NCAA Tournament.
 
As a junior, Lyles averaged 14 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and nearly 1.5 steals. In the opening round of the WNIT, she had 12 points and eight rebounds as FGCU knocked off George Washington in an overtime thriller.
 
In addition to her time in the basketball court, Lyles also spent a graduate season as a member of the FGCU volleyball team in 2010, where she started all 26 matches as a middle blocker, finishing the campaign as the team's leader in blocks, kills and hitting percentage.
 
Following the conclusion of the volleyball season, the Colorado Springs native joined the women's basketball program as a student assistant and has since worked her way up to associate head coach.
 
ASUN All-Decade Team (2001-10)
Alysha Clark, Belmont
Brandi Miller, Belmont
Jessica Bobbitt, Belmont
April Cromartie, Campbell
Celeste Hudson, UCF
Siarre Evans, ETSU
Latisha Belcher, ETSU
TaRonda Wiles, ETSU
Shontavia Williams, FAU
Chelsea Lyles, FGCU
Evita Rogers, Georgia State
Patechia Hartman, Georgia State
Ashley Williams, Jacksonville
Virginia Gregorie, Jacksonville
Shanika Freeman, Jacksonville State
Courtney Boynton, Lipscomb
Kristy Brown, Stetson
 
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.
 
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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--