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The 2024-25 school year may be remembered as the year of turnover for FGCU athletics. The face of the Eagles program has seen drastic changes as longtime stewards left the department leaving voids for newcomers to fill.
It started with longtime athletic director Ken Kavanagh stepping down in January 2024, and being replaced by Colin Hargis, who took over the program in late April 2024. Since Hargis joined the staff from North Carolina State, the Eagles athletic program has seen numerous head coaching changes. The latest one comes as women's basketball coach Chelsea Lyles resigned a little more than four months in the position, so the Eagles will be on their third coach in far less than a year.
More: FGCU women's basketball coach Chelsea Lyles resigns after just one season leading Eagles
Here's a breakdown of each move over the last eight months.
Hargis' first hire was Molino, who was announced to lead the program on July 9. Molino came to Southwest Florida after serving as Tulsa's assistant men's tennis coach since June 2023. The Golden Hurricane were one of the best mid-major programs in the country last season, consistently placing in the ITA top 25 mid-major rankings.
Nov. 13, 2024 was a transformative day in FGCU athletics, as Karl Smesko resigned to take a job with the Atlanta Dream of the WNBA, leading to Lyles' sudden promotion. Lyles began her coaching career as a student assistant with FGCU in 2010-11, and after a one-year stint in that role, Lyles officially joined the staff as an assistant coach in 2011. In 2014, Lyles became the program's recruiting coordinator before being promoted to associate head coach in 2019. Smesko started the women's basketball program and finished with an overall record of 611-112 with the Eagles.
Twelvetrees was made official as the program's next head men's soccer coach on Dec. 23, coming to FGCU with a winning pedigree, having led Colorado State University-Pueblo to the NCAA Division II national semifinals each of the last three seasons and the national championship match in 2023 and 2022. In his five seasons with the ThunderWolves, Twelvetrees posted a 74-21-12 record. He replaced Jesse Cormier let go three weeks prior. Cormier was 48-53-24 in eighth seasons.
Hired on Jan. 9, Baziquetto-Allen replaced Matt Botsford, who resigned on Dec. 21 after 11 seasons to take the head job at UCF. Botsford accumulated a 263-78 career record with the Eagles. Baziquetto-Allen's won their third consecutive NJCAA National Championship in 2024 at Florida SouthWestern with a 26-1 record and a 3-0 sweep of Miami Dade College in the championship match. She departed FSW with a 145-25 (.853) overall record and a 65-5 (.929) mark in conference play.
On Jan. 16, the only softball coach FGCU has ever known announced his intentions to resign from the program at the end of the season. Deiros was a longtime high school coach in the area, with stops at Lely and Gulf Coast before making the trek north to become the program's founding coach. He's racked up over 750 wins leading the Eagles and will be taking a job in the athletic department following the conclusion of the 2025 season. His replacement has yet to be announced.
On March 24, a mere two days after losing to Oklahoma in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Lyles resigned after just 32 games leading the Eagles. An alumnus of the program, she finished 30-2, leading the Eagles to their 11th NCAA Tournament appearance following a dominant win over Central Arkansas in the ASUN Championship game on March 15. FGCU intends to conduct a national search to find her replacement.
Follow Sports Reporter Alex Martin on X: @NP_AlexMartin. For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: A year of turnover: FGCU having to replace multiple head coaches over past year
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It started with longtime athletic director Ken Kavanagh stepping down in January 2024, and being replaced by Colin Hargis, who took over the program in late April 2024. Since Hargis joined the staff from North Carolina State, the Eagles athletic program has seen numerous head coaching changes. The latest one comes as women's basketball coach Chelsea Lyles resigned a little more than four months in the position, so the Eagles will be on their third coach in far less than a year.
More: FGCU women's basketball coach Chelsea Lyles resigns after just one season leading Eagles
Here's a breakdown of each move over the last eight months.
Josh Molino hired to lead FGCU men's tennis
Hargis' first hire was Molino, who was announced to lead the program on July 9. Molino came to Southwest Florida after serving as Tulsa's assistant men's tennis coach since June 2023. The Golden Hurricane were one of the best mid-major programs in the country last season, consistently placing in the ITA top 25 mid-major rankings.
Chelsea Lyles replaces Karl Smesko to lead women's basketball program
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Nov. 13, 2024 was a transformative day in FGCU athletics, as Karl Smesko resigned to take a job with the Atlanta Dream of the WNBA, leading to Lyles' sudden promotion. Lyles began her coaching career as a student assistant with FGCU in 2010-11, and after a one-year stint in that role, Lyles officially joined the staff as an assistant coach in 2011. In 2014, Lyles became the program's recruiting coordinator before being promoted to associate head coach in 2019. Smesko started the women's basketball program and finished with an overall record of 611-112 with the Eagles.
Oliver Twelvetrees hired to replace Jesse Cormier in men's soccer
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Twelvetrees was made official as the program's next head men's soccer coach on Dec. 23, coming to FGCU with a winning pedigree, having led Colorado State University-Pueblo to the NCAA Division II national semifinals each of the last three seasons and the national championship match in 2023 and 2022. In his five seasons with the ThunderWolves, Twelvetrees posted a 74-21-12 record. He replaced Jesse Cormier let go three weeks prior. Cormier was 48-53-24 in eighth seasons.
Thais Baziquetto-Allen hired to lead volleyball program
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Hired on Jan. 9, Baziquetto-Allen replaced Matt Botsford, who resigned on Dec. 21 after 11 seasons to take the head job at UCF. Botsford accumulated a 263-78 career record with the Eagles. Baziquetto-Allen's won their third consecutive NJCAA National Championship in 2024 at Florida SouthWestern with a 26-1 record and a 3-0 sweep of Miami Dade College in the championship match. She departed FSW with a 145-25 (.853) overall record and a 65-5 (.929) mark in conference play.
Dave Deiros to resign at end of 2025 season
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On Jan. 16, the only softball coach FGCU has ever known announced his intentions to resign from the program at the end of the season. Deiros was a longtime high school coach in the area, with stops at Lely and Gulf Coast before making the trek north to become the program's founding coach. He's racked up over 750 wins leading the Eagles and will be taking a job in the athletic department following the conclusion of the 2025 season. His replacement has yet to be announced.
Chelsea Lyles resigns after going 30-2, capturing ASUN title
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On March 24, a mere two days after losing to Oklahoma in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Lyles resigned after just 32 games leading the Eagles. An alumnus of the program, she finished 30-2, leading the Eagles to their 11th NCAA Tournament appearance following a dominant win over Central Arkansas in the ASUN Championship game on March 15. FGCU intends to conduct a national search to find her replacement.
Follow Sports Reporter Alex Martin on X: @NP_AlexMartin. For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: A year of turnover: FGCU having to replace multiple head coaches over past year
Continue reading...
