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This fall, most FAU sports teams will be seen in a new sunlight. Fifteen teams said goodbye to the Atlantic Sun conference, the home to many Florida Atlantic teams for more than a decade. Fourteen teams will be joining the Sun Belt Conference, while men's soccer heads to the Atlantic Soccer Conference (since the Sun Belt does not field men's soccer). Football and swimming and diving, have already been competing in the Sun Belt. Last year the women's swim team earned the University's first Sun Belt Championship.
FanFest for FAU's Fall Sports
The sixth annual FanFest —to be held at noon on Saturday, Aug. 19 at the Tom Oxley Practice Field on the Boca Raton campus—offers a chance to meet the University's fall season teams (cross-country, football, men's and women's soccer and volleyball) as well as the FAU cheerleaders, dance team and marching band. A football scrimmage will start at 2 p.m. Student-athletes from all fall teams will be in attendance to give away posters and sign autographs. FAU merchandise and tickets will be available.
Here's a rundown of when fall sports athletes will take the field:
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Football Tickets Now on Sale
The Owls, lead by Coach Schnellenberger, will to take on some of the country's best this fall on the gridiron. The Owls will visit Clemson, South Carolina, Oklahoma State and Kansas State before starting their Sun Belt conference schedule in October. Season Tickets are now on sale for the 2006 football season. Don't miss their five exciting home games including the season finale at Dolphin Stadium against conference rival FIU. For season, group or single-game tickets call 1-866-FAU-OWLS of visit www.fausports.com |
The men's and women's cross country teams are off and running in September. The schedule starts in West Palm Beach in Sept. 2 at the Sailfish Invitational.
- The football season schedule kicks off in Clemson, S.C., versus the Tigers on Saturday, Sept. 2, while the first home game is set for Thursday, Oct. 12 versus Southern Utah. The Clemson contest will air live on ESPNU .
- The Atlantic Sun Champion women's soccer team starts its season schedule on Aug. 25 in Boca Raton versus the College of Charleston.
- The men's soccer team officially season starts on Aug. 25 in Kentucky versus Kentucky, but there will be exhibitions versus Nova Southeastern and Lynn on FAU's home field on Aug. 16 and 20, respectively.
Looking Back at 2005-06
While the student-athletes are focusing on the upcoming season and the switch to the Sun Belt Conference, here's a look back at the 2005-06 season (sports are listed alphabetically), one of the University's most successful seasons in the A-Sun as four teams leave as reigning champions—softball, volleyball, women's soccer and women's basketball—and women's swimming will defend its Sun Belt crown:
Baseball (30-28) finished their final season in the Atlantic Sun Conference (A-Sun) and found themselves without five starters for the majority of the season. The team battled throughout the year ending with the season’s first three-game sweep of a conference opponent and earning a no. 4 seed in the A-Sun Tournament. After making a run in the tournament the team finished with a 30-28 record. The program saw its fourth former player reach the major leagues as Tommy Murphy debuted with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Men’s Basketball (15-13) ended the season with the best conference record in program history (14-6) and claiming third place in the A-Sun. The Owls, who led the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio, went 15-13 overall, averaged an assist on nearly 60% of their field goals and shot a conference-best 39.9% from three-point range. Rex Walters, who played for seven seasons in the NBA, was promoted to head coach in April.
Women’s Basketball (20-11) had tremendous success, winning the A-Sun Championship and receiving a berth to the NCAA Division I Tournament for the first time. The team’s 16-4 A-Sun record was the best ever for the Owls, who also had their first 20-win season at the Division I level. First Team All-Conference selection Shontavia Williams set FAU’s career scoring mark with 1,466 points.
The Cheer team is a regular at home and away football games, men’s and women’s basketball teams and is a constant at community events. The squad has found a balance between spirit, competition and education. The team finished second in 2001 and 2003 at the NCAA competition and owns a national pairs championship and team title.
Cross Country saw the women’s team capture fifth place in the A-Sun Championship, led by All-Freshmen runner Elodie Mouthan. Three Owls finished in the top 21 for the women, with three competing in the NCAA Regional. Earl Barlow paced the men’s squad to a 10th-place finish at the conference meet, taking 43rd individually.
Dance has garnered national recognition at FAU. The dance team, which performs at football and basketball games as well a pep rallies and charitable events, placed second in the nation in 2005 at the National Dance Association competition.
Football (2-9) faced a tough schedule. Florida Atlantic played Kansas, Oklahoma State, Minnesota and Louisville, one of the nation’s most difficult non-conference schedules. The Owls posted a 2-5 Sun Belt record in their first full season of conference play. Willie Hughley, one of 10 letterwinners lost from the squad, was signed by the Cleveland Browns as a free agent and former quarterback Jared Allen (’04) led the Amsterdam Admirals to NFL Europe’s World Bowl.
Men’s Golf saw Mike McMillan earn A-Sun All-Freshmen Team honors after finishing 19th in the 2006 A-Sun Championship. The Owls took seventh as a team in the conference and look forward to 2007, losing just one senior among its top five players. The season was also highlighted by a third-place finish at the NSU Spring Classic.
Women’s Golf took third place in the A-Sun Conference Tournament behind the efforts of Praewnapa Phol-Uaypom, the A-Sun Freshman of the Year. Phol-Uayporn took third individually, shooting a tournament-best 70 in the final round. Head coach Joan Joyce returns four of her top five players for 2007.
Men’s Soccer (8-10) claimed fourth place in the A-Sun Conference and reached the semifinals in the A-Sun Championship. Junior forward Andrew Helm was the no. 1 overall pick in the Major League Soccer (MLS) Supplemental Draft in January. In February, the Owls found a new home, joining the Atlantic Soccer Conference for the 2006 season. The conference champion earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Women’s Soccer (16-4-1) dominated the A-Sun Conference, outscoring its opponents 35-2 during a 9-0-1 conference season and leading the NCAA with a .792 shutout percentage in 21 overall games. The Owls were 16-4-1 on the season and earned the program’s first berth into the NCAA Tournament. The team had its sixth-consecutive winning season and placed six players on First Team All-Conference, including Susanna Lehtinen as Player of the Year. Head coach Brian Dooley was recognized as A-Sun Coach of the Year.
Softball (35-25) returned to the top of the A-Sun Conference, winning its ninth conference title in the last 10 years. Taking advantage of their seventh NCAA Tournament berth, the Owls reached the regional final for the first time. FAU finished second in the A-Sun during the regular season, going 15-5, and went 35-25 overall, the 11th consecutive season with 35 or more wins.
Swimming and Diving’s women’s team earned the University’s first Sun Belt Conference championship. Junior, Ellie Weberg captured two All-American honors, finishing fourth in both the 100 and 200 breaststrokes. Sophomore, Kevin Bartell took 12th in the 100 breaststroke at the NCAA Championships, while the men finished third at the Sun Belt Championships.
Men’s Tennis (1-20) experienced a transitional season under the direction of first-year head coach David Komie. The Owls turned the corner, landing a top-20 recruiting class scheduled to begin play in 2006-07. Komie’s 2006 squad battled teams like Miami, Wisconsin and Tennessee, among others, and shut out Jacksonville 6-0 in regular season A-Sun Conference play.
Women’s Tennis (5-13) won five-consecutive matches in March and earned victories over Toledo, Syracuse, Army and Brown during the season. Sophomore Claudia Kecht was named to the A-Sun Second Team and Danielle Simone was recognized on the All-Freshmen Team all under the direction of head coach Mary Dailey.
Women’s Track and Field took second place at the A-Sun Conference Indoor Championship and third place at the A-Sun outdoor meet. Freshman Krystena Castro won the indoor shot put and outdoor discus titles. Raynell Hagberg took two individual indoor titles while junior Yanique Booth won the 60-meter hurdles indoor. Booth, Castro and the 4x400 relay team all qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Regional. In May the Owls broke ground on a new outdoor varsity track.
Volleyball (29-3) went a perfect 9-0 in the A-Sun Conference and finished an all-time best 29-3 overall, taking the A-Sun tournament and the program’s third berth to the NCAA Tournament. Senior Kelly Paiva was named A-Sun Player of the Year and earned both All-Region and All-America honors. Head coach Jody Brown was recognized as A-Sun Coach of the Year.
Visit www.fausports.com for more information.
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