Good morning, Owls Family. The FAU MBB team finished their North Carolina road trip 2-0 following a 75-64 victory over Charlotte on Wednesday evening.
 
The Owls (9-7, 2-1 AAC) leaned on their offense, led by junior forward Baba Miller with his second 20-point outing of the season, shooting a perfect 5-for-5 from the field in the second half to help FAU pull away with the double-digit win over the 49ers (7-9, 0-3 AAC). Graduate guard KyKy Tandy has hit a three-pointer in 11 consecutive games and has at least one triple in 15 out of 16 appearances this season.

🚨 Also, an important MBB announcement ⇢ A limited number of tickets are now on sale for Sunday's men's basketball AAC matchup versus UAB at 5 p.m. at the Elly.

What else do we have mixed into today’s Brew? Check it out below!

📚 FAU student-athletes reach 19th consecutive semester with cumulative GPA of 3.0
🏀 Tyler Murphy named winner of FAU Baseball's 2024 Iron Owl competition
🦉 And much, much more

🔼 Better Than Big Macs. Florida Atlantic University baseball invites fans to join head coach John McCormack at the 2025 Line Drive Luncheon on February 3. The luncheon will feature former Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench. The 14-time all-star and two-time MVP played 17 years in the Major Leagues, winning four National League pennants and two World Series.
 
⚾️ Go here for all the details, including ticketing info. 🎟

🔼 Brains ‘n’ Brawn. Florida Atlantic Athletics rang out 2024 by celebrating its December graduates, while achieving a department-wide cumulative GPA of 3.23 in the fall semester – the 19th consecutive semester with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better and sixth consecutive above 3.1.

The women's teams combined for a 3.518 GPA, the highest fall GPA achieved over the last four years. The men's teams posted a combined 3.230 GPA, just shy of their all-time high of 3.262 set in the fall of 2023. Beach volleyball led the way with a 3.723 GPA, while the men's tennis team once again recorded the highest GPA on the men's side with a 3.669.

🔼 Ball’s In Our Court. The Florida Atlantic men's tennis team will host a Hidden Dual Tournament this weekend to open 2025 play. The event runs today through Sunday, Jan.12, featuring FAU, Army, Mercer, and Wisconsin at the Kimberly V. Strauss Tennis Center.

Leading the Owls in singles play are freshman Segundo Goity Zapico, sophomore Mark Havlicek, and freshman Luca Miremont. All three Owls hold an overall singles record of 7-4 based on fall play. Havlicek also leads the Owls in doubles competition, holding a 9-2 overall record.

🔼 No Irony Here. Junior pitcher Tyler Murphy has been named the winner of Florida Atlantic baseball's 2024 Iron Owl competition.
 
The Iron Owl award is a competition that debuted prior to the 2008 preseason. The goal is to encourage team camaraderie while making sure each individual player understands what it is like to compete on a daily basis. The program aims for each player to reach their highest potential in the classroom, on the field, and in the weight room.

🔼 Sack It To ‘Em. The 2024 NFL regular season has concluded. Eight former Florida Atlantic Owls saw action in the final week as two active players move on to the postseason.
 
#91 Trey Hendrickson | DE | Cincinnati Bengals
Despite the Bengals’ loss, Hendrickson put forth one of the best games of his career to help lead Cincinnati to a 19-14 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Entering the game tied for the NFL lead in sacks, he ended the evening with 3.5 more along with five QB hits. He finished the year with 17.5 sacks for the second season in a row, putting him in elite company with Reggie White, J.J. Watt, and Mark Gastineau as the only NFL players to ever do so. Hendrickson has been named to the Pro Bowl team for the fourth consecutive season.

Read the full Owls in the NFL Week 18 Rundown.

🔼 Ones to Watch 👀. Bella Foran and Destiny Johns of the Florida Atlantic softball team have been named to the D1Softball's D100 Freshman Watch List, which puts an early spotlight on true freshmen who could make an immediate impact on their respective teams.
 
The freshmen make up two of 12 newcomers for the Owls and will look to contribute right away as the team looks to defend their AAC Championship title and make their second consecutive appearance in the NCAA Regional.
 
🥎 Learn more about these promising additions to FAU Softball. 👀

🔼 Advantage Shanok. A Boca Raton native, junior Maya Shanok’s journey to the college tennis scene has been anything but typical, shaped by the dual challenges of being a high-level athlete and managing Type 1 diabetes.
 
Her love for tennis led her to FAU in the fall of 2022. However, just before her freshman season, Shanok began experiencing alarming symptoms, which prompted her to seek medical attention. After testing her blood sugar, doctors discovered that her levels were dangerously high, and within hours, she was admitted to the hospital and diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.
 
The diagnosis was days before her freshman season was to begin. Even after being
told that continuing tennis might be too difficult with the new medical condition, she refused to let it derail her dreams.

Read the feature on Shanok for more on managing Type 1 diabetes as an athlete, how she manages her sugar during matches and her incredible support system.

🚨 🎾 ⇢ Also, go here to learn more about the 2025 Auburn Women’s Tennis season, including the FIU Invitational, which starts today.

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Friday, Jan. 10
🎾 Women’s Tennis vs. Missouri @ FIU @ TBA
🎾 Men’s Tennis vs. Army, Mercer, and Wisconsin @ TBA

Saturday, Jan. 11
🎾 Men’s Tennis vs. Army, Mercer, and Wisconsin @ TBA
🎾 Women’s Tennis vs. DePaul @ FIU @ TBA
🏀 Women’s Basketball vs. UAB @ 2 p.m. ET ESPN+ | Live Stats | Tickets

Sunday, Jan. 12
🎾 Men’s Tennis vs. Army, Mercer, and Wisconsin @ TBA
🏀 Men’s Basketball vs. UAB @ 5 p.m. ET ESPN+ Fox Sports 640 South | Watch Live | Live Audio | Live Stats

Tuesday, Jan. 21
Coaches Show

🦉 Go here for the complete Florida Atlantic University Athletics Calendar

⇢⇢⇢ Which of the following FAU alums is moving onto the NFL playoffs?

A) Azeez Al-Shaair
B) Evan Anderson
C) Harrison Bryant
D) Matthew Hayball
E) James Pierre

Have a guess?

Scroll to the bottom to find out!

Paradise Trivia is brought to you by Choice Mortgage Group, the Official Mortgage Lender of Florida Atlantic Athletics.

🦉 ONE BIG THING

Straight From the Horse’s Mouth. Find out from the FAU baseball players why getting season tickets is the best deal within 200 miles!

The Answer: A) Azeez Al-Shaair!

🦉Have an awesome weekend, Owl Fam!