FORT MYERS, Fla. – After being named the ASUN Player of the Year for the second consecutive season, FGCU women's basketball guard Kierstan Bell was announced today as one of the top five finalist for the 2022 Ann Meyers-Drysdale Award presented by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association.
 
"Kierstan is one of the best players in the nation," said head coach Karl Smesko. "She has had another outstanding season and it is great to see her earn this recognition."
 
The annual award, now in its fifth year, recognizes the top shooting guard in NCAA Division I college women's basketball.
 
Along with Bell, the other four finalist are Sonya Morris (DePaul), Christyn Williams (UConn, Taylor Mikesell (Ohio State), and Taylor Robertson (Oklahoma).
 
A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 student-athletes in November, which was narrowed to 10 candidates in February and now just five finalists. This month, the finalists will be presented to Ms. Meyers Drysdale and the Hall of Fame's selection committee. The winner of the 2022 Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year Award will be determined by a combination of fan votes and input from the Basketball Hall of Fame's selection committee. Naismith Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies will go live on Friday, March 11 on hoophallawards.com.
 
Kierstan Bell – Alliance, Ohio – Junior – ASUN Player of the Year – All-ASUN First Team
Despite missing nine games due to knee surgery, her total points on the year (466) are more than any other player in the ASUN this season ... Her scoring average of 23.3 points per game which would lead the ASUN and rank 4th nationally (doesn't meet 75% threshold due to injury) ... 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 (12) after earning the accolade four times this season before the surgery and once after ... 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, and The Wade Award ... Projected to be a top-10 pick in the WNBA Draft.
 
The No. 20 Eagles will host an ASUN Semifinal match-up against Stetson on Wednesday night (7 PM) at Alico Arena. FGCU is currently 27-2 on the year after winning its quarterfinal game last Sunday against North Florida, 71-60. Tickets are currently on sale at the Alico Arena Ticket Office, calling 866-FGCU-TIX, or visiting www.FGCUTickets.com.
 
The Green and Blue, the 2022 ASUN Regular-Season Champions, is making its 11^th straight ASUN semifinal appearance and looking to win its ninth ASUN Championship title. The Eagles are 28-2 all-time in the ASUN Tournament and have won 15 straight after Sunday's victory.
 
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 607-127 (.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 (.930) mark in ASUN regular season play and a 28-2 (.933) 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 12-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 546-100 (.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.
 
#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/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.
 
—FGCUATHLETICS.COM—