FORT MYERS, Fla. --- Kierstan Bell, a sophomore forward on the No. 21/24 FGCU women's basketball team, has been named an Honorable Mention All-American by the Associated Press. She becomes the first Eagle to earn the recognition since Whitney Knight did so following the 2015-16 season.
 
"Kierstan has had an amazing season," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "She has earned a lot of national recognition, and it is well deserved."
 
Bell (Alliance, Ohio/Canton McKinley HS/Ohio State), who recently earned tournament MVP honors while leading the Eagles to the ASUN championship, is currently the nation's fifth-leading scorer at 24.3 PPG. She is also averaging 10.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.2 blocks and 1.8 steals over 25 games played while shooting 53.2 percent from the field, including 36.6 percent from long distance.
 
One of five current finalists for the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year award, Bell was the first player in ASUN history to be tabbed both the conference's player and newcomer of the year. She was named to the Wade Trophy Midseason Watch List and the NCAA.com Starting Five twice. Along the way, she was a six-time ASUN player of the week and a conference-record 10-time ASUN newcomer of the week. On top of that, she has compiled 16 double-doubles this year, which not only shatters the program's single-season record, but ranks third among all Eagles in a career.
 
On Sunday, Bell and the Eagles (26-2) will open the NCAA Tournament against No. 14/16 Michigan at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN2. The matchup will feature two of the nation's top five scorers in Bell and Naz Hillmon, who was named the Big 10 Player of the Year after averaging 25.1 PPG.
 
2020-21 Associated Press All-American Team
 
First Team
Paige Bueckers, UConn, 5-11, freshman
Dana Evans, Louisville, 5-6, senior
Aliyah Boston, South Carolina, 6-5, sophomore
Rhyne Howard, Kentucky, 6-2, junior
NaLyssa Smith, Baylor, 6-2, junior
 
Second Team
Elissa Cunane, NC State, 6-5, junior
Naz Hillmon, Michigan, 6-2, junior
Aari McDonald, Arizona, 5-7, senior
Caitlin Clark, Iowa, 6-0, freshman
Charli Collier, Texas, 6-5, junior
 
Third Team
Natasha Mack, Oklahoma State, 6-4, senior
Ashley Owusu, Maryland, 6-0, sophomore
Michaela Onyenwere, UCLA, 5-11, senior
Kiana Williams, Stanford, 5-8, senior
Chelsea Dungee, Arkansas, 5-11, senior
 
Honorable Mention
Kierstan Bell, Florida Gulf Coast; Katie Benzan, Maryland; Jakia Brown-Turner, NC State; Rennia Davis, Tennessee; Kysre Gondrezick, West Virginia; Arella Guirantes, Rutgers; Lauren Gustin, BYU; Mackenzie Holmes, Indiana; Cece Hooks, Ohio; Ashley Joens, Iowa State; Haley Jones, Stanford; N'dea Jones, Texas AM; Olivia Nelson-Ododa, UConn; Aisha Shepherd, Virginia Tech; Jill Townsend, Gonzaga; Christyn Williams, UConn; Aaliyah Wilson, Texas A&M; Jenn Wirth, Gonzaga.
 
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 580-124 (.824) 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 217-17 (.924) mark in ASUN regular season play and a 27-2 (.931) record in ASUN tournament play. Over the past nine-plus seasons, including this year, he has guided FGCU to a 153-5 (.966) record in conference play with six undefeated seasons. The 11-time ASUN Coach of the Year has guided the Green and Blue to four 30-plus win seasons over the past six years. He has also guided the program to 17 consecutive 20-win seasons and 11-straight 25-win seasons, both of which include this year.
 
#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 85 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 39 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--