FORT MYERS, Fla. – Following a 26-2 season and earning the top-seed in the East Division heading into the ASUN Championship Tournament, the No. 22 FGCU women's basketball team was honored with several major season awards. Junior guard Kierstan Bell was named the ASUN Player of the Year for the second consecutive season, while head coach Karl Smesko was selected as the ASUN Coach of the Year for the 12^th time in his career. Additionally, Bell and senior Tishara Morehouse were both named to the All-ASUN First Team.
 
"It tells you just how dominant a player you are when you miss more than half of the conference season due to injury, and you are still named ASUN Player of the Year," said Smesko. "Kierstan has had another tremendous season and it is great to have her back for the postseason. She is one of the very best players in the country and I am expecting her to have an amazing March."
 
For Bell and Morehouse, the announcement marked the second time they were each named to the All-ASUN First Team as well.
 
"TK had another great season. She really took her game to another level when Kierstan went down with an injury," said Smesko. "We have had so many great point guards at FGCU spanning the years, and TK is definitely one of the best we have ever had."
 
Overall, Bell is the eighth ASUN Player of the Year honoree and the third player in program history to earn the accolade twice joining Sarah Hansen (2013, 2014) and Whitney Knight (2015, 2016). The duo also became the sixth and seventh players to earn first team honors multiple times in their careers: Rosemarie Julien (2017, 2018), Kaneisha Atwater (2015, 2016), Whitney Knight (2014, 2015, 2016), Sarah Hansen (2012, 2013, 2014), and Chelsea Lyles (2009, 2010).
 
Kierstan Bell - ASUN Player of the Year – All-ASUN First Team
Despite missing nine games due to knee surgery, her total points on the year (444) are more than any other player in the ASUN this season ... Averaged 23.4 points per game which would lead the ASUN and rank 5th nationally ... Came back from the surgery in FGCU's final two games of the season (win at Liberty, win over Jacksonville) to average 23.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.5 blocks, 3.0 assists, and 2.5 steals in 30.4 minutes of play ... In the two wins over Liberty during the season, averaged 24 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.0 steals ... Scored 32 points and added 10 rebounds in win at LSU (currently No. 8 in the AP Poll and only loss in non-conference play) ... Had five 30-plus games overall on the season highlighted by 39 against Tennessee Tech which were the second-most points for a game in FGCU history ... Scored 28 points in double OT win over Michigan State ... Had six double-doubles on the year and holds the FGCU record with 22 ... Set the FGCU record for double-doubles with 24 for her career ... Also set the ASUN and FGCU record for most career ASUN Player of the Week honors (11) after earning the accolade four times this season before the surgery ... Reached both the 1,000 point career milestone this year (including her year at Ohio State) along with scoring 1,000 points in her two years at FGCU ... Was named the ASUN Preseason Player of the Year and a unanimous pick to the All-ASUN Preseason Team ... Current candidate for several national prestigious awards: The Wooden Award, the Naismith Player of the Year Award, the Becky Hammon Player of the Year Award, The Wade Award, and the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award ... Projected to be a top-10 pick in the WNBA Draft.
 
Tishara Morehouse – All-ASUN First Team
Second leading scorer overall in the ASUN and No. 1 scorer during league games ... In the nine games missed by FGCU's leading scorer Kierstan Bell, Morehouse increased her productivity to 18.3 points per game with 4.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists leading the Eagles to an 8-1 mark in that stretch ... Had 7 games with 20+ points including 33 against Eastern Kentucky and 28 against Bellarmine ... Closed the season with back-to-back 20-point games against Liberty (20 pts) and Jacksonville (21 pts) ... Scored 17 points to go with 6 assists and 5 rebounds in road win at LSU (currently ranked 8th nationally and only non-conference loss) ... Scored 20 points in double-overtime win against Michigan State ... Six of her 20-point games came in ASUN play ... Ranks among the top 100 players nationally in four categories: 69th for assists (118), 74th for ast/to ratio (1.87), 76th for field goal percentage (48.7%), and 97th for assists/game (4.2) ... Leads the ASUN in field goals during conference games, points, and points per game ... Ranks 6th overall in free throws made among ASUN players, but jumped to third in the category for league games ... Also ranked 5th overall for total assists, while seeing that increase to fourth among ASUN players in conference games ... Named to the All-ASUN Preseason Team as a unanimous pick and was selected to the Becky Hammon Player of the Year Watch List to start the season ... Was a 2021 All-ASUN First Team (unanimous) pick and a member of the All-Tournament Team.
 
 
Karl Smesko – ASUN Coach of the Year
Under Smesko's guidance, the Eagles posted their 12^th straight 25-win season and 18^th consecutive 20-win campaign this season and have been nationally ranked for much of the season. Entering postseason play, FGCU ranks No. 22 this week in both the AP Top 25 and USA Today/WBCA Coaches Poll. Earlier this season, with FGCU's win at Central Arkansas on Feb. 3, Smesko earned his 600^th career win and doing so faster than legendary NCAA coaches Pat Summit, Tara VanDerveer, and C. Vivian Stringer. The only coach in FGCU history, Smesko has built the Eagles into a perennial top-25 program whose consistent success is highlighted by posting the NCAA's all-time best winning percentage (.845). During the 2022 campaign, FGCU has reached 26 wins for 12 straight seasons and the 16^th time overall despite having All-America candidate Kierstan Bell out for nine games. The Eagles also hold a No. 38 ranking in the NET Ranking entering the postseason bolstered by its win on the road at currently ranked No. 8 LSU (88-74) and are 1-1 vs. NET 1-25 teams and 3-0 against NET 26-100 programs. FGCU ranks among the top-15 nationally in 12 statistical categories including No. 1 in three-pointers made per game (11.9), ninth in scoring offense (78.8 ppg), and first in scoring margin (+21.6). For his career, Smesko is now 606-127 (.827) overall which is the third-highest winning percentage among active Division I coaches behind only UConn's Geno Auriemma and LSU's Kim Mulkey. Under his guidance, the Eagles are 545-100 (.845) overall since 2002-03 and 232-18 (.928) in ASUN regular-season play.
 
 
2021-22 ASUN Conference Women's Basketball Postseason Honors and Awards
Player of the Year: Kierstan Bell, FGCU
Defensive Players of the Year: Skyler Gill, North Alabama & Jazz Bond, North Florida
Newcomer of the Year: Tatiana Streun, Stetson
Freshman of the Year: Skyler Gill, North Alabama
Coach of the Year: Karl Smesko, FGCU
 
ASUN First Team All-Conference

Pos	Name	School	Cl	Hometown	Academic Major
G	Kierstan Bell	FGCU	Jr.	Alliance, Ohio	Undeclared
G	Tishara Morehouse	FGCU	Sr.	Milwaukee, Wisc.	Psychology
C	Mya Berkman	Liberty	R-Jr.	Marble Falls, Texas	Accounting
F	Bridgette Rettstatt	Liberty	R-Sr.	Galena, Ohio	Interdisciplinary Studies
F	Jazz Bond	North Florida	Sr.	Murfreesboro, Tenn.	Public Health

 
ASUN Second Team All-Conference

Pos	Name	School	Cl	Hometown	Academic Major
F	Lucy Ibeh Central	Arkansas	Sr.	Lagos, Nigeria	Dietetics
G	Amani Johnson	Kennesaw State	Sr.	North Versailles, Pa.	Accounting
G/F	Skyler Gill	North Alabama	Fr.	Wichita, Kan.	Undecided
F	Tatiana Streun	Stetson	Sr.	Bellevue, Wash.	MBA
G	Yazz Wazeerud-Din	Stetson	Sr.	Marietta, Ga.	Business Administration

 
ASUN All-Freshmen Team

Pos	Name	School		Hometown	Academic Major
G	Randrea Wright	Central Arkansas		Birmingham, Ala.	Pre-Nursing
G	Jalisa Dunlap	Jacksonville		Stockbridge, Ga.	Nursing
G/F	Bella Vinson	Lipscomb		Manchester, Tenn.	Undecided
G/F	Skyler Gill	North Alabama		Wichita, Kan.	Undecided
G	Alyssa Hargrove	Stetson		Huber Heights, Ohio	Discovery

 
 
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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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 606-127 (.826) overall in his career, which is the third-highest winning percentage among active Division I coaches behind only UConn's Geno Auriemma and LSU's Kim Mulkey. He has also led the Eagles to a 232-18 (.929) mark in ASUN regular season play and a 27-2 (.931) record in ASUN tournament play. Over the previous 10 seasons, he has guided FGCU to a 153-5 (.968) record in conference play with six undefeated seasons. The 11-time ASUN Coach of the Year has led the program to 12-straight 25-win seasons and 18-consecutive 20-win campaigns, including 30-plus wins in four of the past seven years. On top of all that, the Eagles are 545-100 (.845) all-time since Smesko started the program in the 2002-03 season, and the Green and Blue's .845 all-time winning percentage is the best in NCAA Division I women's basketball history.
 
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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/adminservices/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.
 
ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 89 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 14+ seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just 10 seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 43 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Eight FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport - including women's basketball (No. 20, 2021-22), beach volleyball (No. 20, 2022) 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 3.50 GPA in the classroom in the fall 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 25 consecutive semesters. The past five semesters (Fall 2019 – Fall 2021) each saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher team GPA in each. 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.
 
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