Good morning, Owls Family. Ahead of its first game in the AAC Tournament tomorrow (Thursday, March 13), three Owls were named to the All-AAC second team, with Tre Carroll, Kaleb Glenn, and Baba Miller earning the honors. Matas Vokietaitis was named the AAC Freshman of the Year and named to the all-freshman team.
 
Carroll was also named as one of the two conference's most improved players and was the recipient of the Amir Abdur-Rahim Sportsmanship Award. The latter is a conference honor in memory of the late head coach for South Florida. As one of the two remaining players from the 2023 Final Four run, Carroll took on a key role both on and off the court to help usher in FAU's rebuild.

🎙️ : Coach Jakus discusses facing Rice or Charlotte on Thursday for the 2025 Athletic Conference Tournament

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

🏆 Autumn Courtney was named AAC Pitcher of the Week
⚾️ FAU Baseball downs Bucknell 15-8
🦉 And much, much more

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🔼 Dubs For Days. The Florida Atlantic baseball team battled back from an early deficit to knock off Bucknell 15-8 on Tuesday night.

Pitcher Braden Ostrander worked out of a fourth-inning jam. He recorded a strikeout to escape the fourth, struck out the side in the fifth, and then fanned the first batter he faced in the sixth. The five strikeouts tied his career high setback in 2022. He was credited with his first win of the season.

The two sides will meet again on this afternoon for a 4 p.m. first pitch at the FAU Baseball Stadium.

🔼 It’s a Go On the Gridiron. The Florida Atlantic football team took to the practice fields for the first time this spring under the direction of first-year head coach Zach Kittley in preparation for the upcoming season, the program's 25th year of competition. The Owls will use the first of 15 practices, or "opportunities" as Kittley expressed, to lock down the logistics of practice as well as the opportunity to get better as a team.
 
"I'm really proud of the logistical part,” said Kittley. “We are a brand new staff. A lot of us have not worked together before. We are trying to combine ideas and certain ways to structure practice. The biggest part is it is brand new for 110 young men. [I'm] really proud of those guys for being able to follow the line of what we are doing.”

🔼 HERstory in the Making. For the first time in league history, Ashleigh Adams and Marketa Svozilova have been named back-to-back-to-back Conference USA Pair of the Week. The historic honor marks the first time a CUSA beach volleyball pair three-peat as Pair of the Week. It also marks the fifth career weekly honor for Svozilova and the fourth for Adams.
 
Adams and Svozilova improved their season record to an astounding 11-1 after going 3-1 during the TCU Invitational this weekend. The duo earned three ranked wins at the 1s, defeating No. 4 TCU, No. 7 Florida State, and No. 13 Texas.

The Sandy Owls are slotted in at No. 13 in ACVA week 3 rankings.

🔼 Circle Up For Super News. Fresh off the No. 24 Florida Atlantic softball team going 5-0 and sweeping its first series in AAC play, Autumn Courtney was named the AAC Pitcher of the Week. The Owls have earned a conference honor in all five weeks this season and are one of two teams in the AAC to sweep their first weekend series of league play.
 
This marks the junior's second Pitcher of the Week award and third conference honor of the season. Courtney delivered two of the Owls' three wins over Wichita State, the number one ranked team in the AAC Preseason Coaches' poll, allowing just one run between the two appearances.

🔼 Matas in Perpetuity. Coming off a 28-point victory to close the regular season, Matas Vokietaitis of the Florida Atlantic MBB team claimed his league-best sixth AAC Freshman of the Week honor.
 
The center from Lithuania recorded a new career-high in points with 21 against UAB on 9-10 shooting from the field with eight rebounds and a career-high-tying three blocks. In the victory over East Carolina, Vokietaitis finished the game with his second double-digit scoring game of the week with 10 points along with five rebounds, two blocks and an assist.  

🔼 A Little Birdie Told Us. Florida Atlantic men's golf (+26) finished 13th at the Seminole Intercollegiate on Tuesday in Thomasville, Georgia.

NaShawn Tyson circled three birdies on Tuesday in route to a final round 71 (+1). Tyson (E) tied for 14th in the 81-player field.  

🔼 Advantage Owls . Florida Atlantic men's tennis will host the next two of six matches when the Owls host Pennsylvania on Friday, March 14, at 10 a.m. ET and Virginia Commonwealth on Saturday, March 15.

The Owls are riding a two-match winning streak with a 4-3 victory at UTSA back on February 21 and a 5-2 victory over South Alabama on March 6. FAU is led by senior John Bernard, ranked No. 106, who will enter Friday's match with a 4-4 record.

⇢⇢⇢ In looking back at the preseason awards for MBB, which member of the Owls squad made the preseason All-Conference Second Team in October of 2024?

Have a guess?

Scroll to the bottom to find out!

🦉 ONE BIG THING

First Conference Dub Of the Season.

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Wednesday, March 12
🌊 Swim & Dive @ Diving Zone B Championships @ Auburn
⚾️ Baseball vs. Bucknell @ 4 p.m. ET FAUSports.com | Live Video | Live Stats | Tickets

Thursday, March 13
🏀 Men’s Basketball @ American Athletic Conference Tournament in Fort Worth, Texas @ TBD
🌊 Swim & Dive @ CSCAA National Invitational Championships in Ocala, Florida
🎾 Women’s Tennis vs. Boston University @ 10 a.m. ET | Live Stats

Friday, March 14
🏀 Men’s Basketball @ American Athletic Conference Tournament in Fort Worth, Texas @ TBD
🌊 Swim & Dive @ CSCAA National Invitational Championships in Ocala, Florida
🎾 Men’s Tennis vs. Pennsylvania @ 10 a.m. ET
🎾 Women’s Tennis vs. Charlotte @ 2:30 p.m. ET | Live Stats
⚾️ Baseball vs. Bradley @ 6:30 p.m. ET FAUSports.com | Live Video | Live Stats | Tickets
🥎 Softball @ UAB @ 6:30 p.m. ET

Saturday, March 15
🏀 Men’s Basketball @ American Athletic Conference Tournament in Fort Worth, Texas @ TBD
🌊 Swim & Dive @ CSCAA National Invitational Championships in Ocala, Florida
🏖️ Beach Volleyball vs. UAB @ FAU Beach Invitational @ 10:30 a.m. ET
🥎 Softball @ UAB @ 2 p.m. ET
🎾 Men’s Tennis vs. Virginia Commonwealth @ 2:30 p.m. ET
⚾️ Baseball vs. Bradley @ 6:30 p.m. ET FAUSports.com | Live Video | Live Stats | Tickets
🏖️ Beach Volleyball vs. Georgia State @ FAU Beach Invitational @ 4:45 p.m. ET

Sunday, March 16
🏀 Men’s Basketball @ American Athletic Conference Tournament in Fort Worth, Texas @ TBD
🏖️ Beach Volleyball vs. USC @ FAU Beach Invitational @ 11 a.m. ET
🎾 Women’s Tennis vs. South Florida @ 11 a.m. ET | Live Stats
⚾️ Baseball vs. Bradley @ Noon ET FAUSports.com | Live Video | Live Stats | Tickets
🏖️ Beach Volleyball vs. TCU @ FAU Beach Invitational @ 3 p.m. ET

🦉 Go here for the complete Florida Atlantic University Athletics Calendar

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

The Answer: KyKy Tandy!

Graduate Guard KyKy Tandy made the preseason All-Conference Second Team (10/11/24), also securing Honorable Mention honors during the season (2/3/25).

🦉 Happy Hump Day, Owl Fam!