October 4, 2017 - by Chuck Walsh

Men’s Basketball, Women’s Golf Earn Coveted Golden Torch

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (seminoles.com) – The nationally ranked Seminole men’s basketball and women’s golf teams were recognized with the Team Awards for the highest team grade-point averages at the Golden Torch Awards Banquet at the Champions Club at Doak Campbell Stadium.  The FSU Athletics Department, the Student-Athlete Academic Services Department and the Seminole Boosters sponsor the affair each year, which celebrates the academic achievements of Florida State’s student-athletes.

A total of 23 student-athletes from each of Florida State’s 21 sports were honored at the banquet.  Senior Jonathan Ratliff of the men’s swimming team, Jake Albo of the men’s tennis team, senior Emma Koivisto of the soccer team, Marianne Aguilar, Kali Cilli and Meilssa Zyla of the women’s cross country team and seniors Kim and Morgane Metraux of the women’s golf team were honored for all earning perfect 4.0 GPA’s during the 2016-17 academic year.

What made the two team winners even more special, were their national rankings during the season.  The men’s basketball team was ranked as high as No. 6 nationally, finished in second place in the ACC standings and earned a No. 3 seed in the 2017 NCAA Tournament.  The women’s golf team was ranked as high as No. 1 nationally, won a school-record six tournament championships and advanced to the NCAA Championship Finals for the second consecutive season.

The men’s basketball team was honored for its overall team GPA of 3.034 during the 2016-17 academic year, marking the first time they have earned the award in the 27-year history of the unique banquet.  The Seminoles’ team grade-point average ranks as the highest during Head Coach Leonard Hamilton’s 15-year tenure at Florida State.

The men’s basketball team had nine players earn a 3.0 or better GPA during the fall semester and 13 players finished with a GPA of 3.0 or better during the spring semester when they earned a team GPA of 3.222.  The squad was one of nine teams that played in the 2017 NCAA Tournament and also earned an NABC Team Academic Excellence award.  A total of nine Seminoles were named to the ACC Honor Roll (Brandon Allen, Dwayne Bacon, Phil Cofer, Trent Forrest, Justin Lindner, Will Miles, Michael Ojo (graduate student), Harrison Prieto and CJ Walker), while Forrest was named to the 2017 ACC All-Academic Basketball team.

Forrest, a sophomore, won the individual Golden Torch award for men’s basketball with a GPA of 3.394 in sport management.

“For all of the success our team enjoyed, I am as proud of this award as any we received last year,” said Hamilton.  “Our guys worked hard throughout the year and to be recognized as the team with the highest GPA is a great honor.  It shows that our guys want to be successful as basketball players and in life.”

The women’s golf team was celebrated for its overall team GPA of 3.616, which led each of the Seminoles’ 21 teams.

 

Each of the 12 members of the Seminole women’s golf team was named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll (Anna Sophia Bohmer, Matilda Castren, Amanda Doherty, Lexie Flerlage, Dominika Gradecka, Lydia Gumm, Kayla Jones, Ashley Mangan, Kim Metraux, Morgane Metraux, Sandra Salonen and Sherrell Buckley), four were named to the ACC Academic Golf Team (Castren, Doherty, Kim Metraux, Morgane Metraux) and three were named to the WGCA Scholar Athlete Team (Doherty, Kim Metraux, Morgane Metraux).

Kim and Morgane Metraux, who both earned 4.0 GPA’s in 2016-17, shared the individual Golden Torch for women’s golf.  Both Metraux sisters are majoring in Management.

“For our players to win this award really puts a cap on our season both in the classroom and on the course,” said Head Coach Amy Bond.  “We enjoyed a historic year and this is an award our players really wanted to win.  Winning the Golden Torch is very important to our team because it shows the commitment our players have to being true Seminoles.”

Golden Torch Award Winners

Men’s Team: Basketball

Women’s Team: Golf

Baseball: Cobi Johnson

Football: Fredrick Jones, Bryan LaCivita

Men’s Basketball: Trent Forrest

Men’s Cross Country: Bryce Kelley

Men’s Golf: Anthony Alex

Men’s Swimming and Diving: Jonathan Ratliff

Men’s Tennis: Jake Albo

Men’s Track and Field: James Rhoden

Beach Volleyball: Macy Jerger

Soccer: Emma Koivisto

Softball: Tesa Daniels

Volleyball: Milica Kubura

Women’s Basketball: Chatrice White

Women’s Cross Country: Marianne Aguilar, Kali Cilli, Melissa Zyla

Women’s Golf: Kim Metraux, Morgane Metraux

Women’s Swimming and Diving: Caroline Gerhardt

Women’s Swimming and Diving: Natalie Purnell

Women’s Tennis: Julia Mikulski

Women’s Track and Field: Nicole Setterington