Seminole athletics have an impressive year...again

A finish among the top four teams in the country in a particular sport is a rare feat, and one that is celebrated at campuses around the country with banners, trophies and special recognitions. Teams that reach that elite level earn a prominent spot in school history, and players and coaches become revered names in the sport.

It would appear that Florida State Athletics is going to need to invest in even more trophy cases, as three of the fall sports in which the Seminoles compete have all reached that high plateau already for 2011. 

The women’s cross country team started this remarkable year finishing fourth at the NCAA National Championships held in Indiana. Women’s soccer worked through the rugged ACC schedule and tournament and then advanced all the way to the NCAA College Cup, finishing one game away from the national championship. Most recently, FSU’s volleyball team advanced to the NCAA Final Four, to be held in San Antonio, on Dec. 15 and 17, where they are just two wins away from a national title as well. 

While this feat is remarkable and may be a first in NCAA history, Florida State’s sports programs have enjoyed tremendous overall success over the past five years in particular. 

Perhaps the most impressive of the athletic program’s accomplishments is that each of FSU’s 19 intercollegiate teams advanced to NCAA postseason competition in each of the past two years. Florida State is the only program that can make that claim. Back-to-back Top 10 finishes in the Athletic Director’s Cup, which measures overall strength of an athletics program, over the past two years also serves as a point of pride for all Seminoles. And the Seminoles’ three Top Four finishes already in 2011 putsthem on pace for a historic run.