
Florida Atlantic hires Nova Southeastern's LeAnn Freeland as new women's basketball coach
▶ Follow AP's full coverage of March Madness.
▶ Get the AP Top 25 women's college basketball poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here.
BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) — Florida Atlantic hired LeAnn Freeland as its new women's basketball coach on Tuesday.
Freeland comes to the Owls after 13 seasons as the coach at Division II's Nova Southeastern, which is only about 30 miles south of FAU's campus. Freeland went 274-124 in her 13 seasons at Nova Southeastern, including 27-7 this past season.
'Having lived and coached in this area for quite some time, I've seen first-hand the awesome things happening at Florida Atlantic,' Freeland said. 'I know there is tremendous potential for the women's basketball program to be successful, and we will hit the court and recruiting trails as soon as possible to build a championship program.'
At FAU, Freeland — who went to the Division II Elite Eight four times at Nova Southeastern — is replacing Jennifer Sullivan. The Owls announced that Sullivan stepped down last week after four seasons to take a job as an assistant coach at Missouri.
The Owls were 11-21 this season, have not finished a season over the .500 mark since 2013-14 and have not had a 20-win season since 2005-06.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Hamilton Spectator
33 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
A year after playoff loss, Lexi Thompson back in contention at Meijer LPGA Classic
BELMONT, Mich. (AP) — Lexi Thompson was back in contention going into the weekend in her beloved Meijer LPGA Classic, a year after a playoff loss at Blythefield County Club. Making her sixth start of the season in a part-time tour schedule, Thompson birdied three of the last four holes in breezy afternoon conditions for a 3-under 69 and a 7-under total. The 2015 winner at Blythefield was a stroke behind leaders Karis Davidson, Carlota Ciganda, Hye-Jin Choi and Celine Boutier. 'The golf course is one thing. It's always in great shape for us, which we always look forward to,' Thompson said after the bogey-free round on the tree-lined layout. 'But the amount of support that the tournament gets and also how Meijer gives back to the community as well. It's not just a tournament. It's much bigger than that.' The 30-year-old from Florida won the last of her 11 LPGA Tour titles in 2019. 'Some days are harder than others and we get frustrated, but at the end of the day it is just golf,' said Thompson, also set to play next week in the major KPMG Women's PGA Championship in Texas. Davidson, playing in the second-to-last group off the first tee, birdied the par-4 16th and par-5 18th for a 70. 'We just really hung in there today,' Davidson said. 'Was a bit of a grind, and nice to get the couple birdies at the end.' Ciganda and Choi each shot 67, and Boutier had a 68, all playing the morning session. 'Coming here the week before a major obviously gives you confidence for playing next week,' Ciganda said. 'The course is one that I like. I enjoy coming here, and it's always fun playing in Grand Rapids.' Thompson was joined at 7 under by Nanna Koerstz Madsen (68), Amanda Doherty (69), Bronte Law (69), Minjee Lee (70) and Sofia Garcia (71). Grace Kim, also part of the playoff last year that Lilia Vu won, was 6 under after a 73. She bogeyed two of her last three holes to fall out of a tie for the lead. Mi Hyang Lee, the first-round leader after a 64, had a 75 to drop to 5 under. Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., was the low Canadian, sitting in a tie for 17th after her 1-under 71 round put her at 5 under overall. Brooke Henderson (72) of Smiths Falls, Ont., was tied for 34th at 3 under and Hamilton's Alena Sharp (74) was tied for 44th at 2 under. Savannah Grewal of Mississauga, Ont., missed the cut. With the major days away at PGA Frisco, only three of the top 10 in the world are at Blythefield. Haeran Ryu, at No. 5 the highest-ranked player in the field, followed an opening 69 with a 74 to make the cut on the number at 1 under. Vu missed the cut with rounds of 77 and 75. ___ AP golf:


Hamilton Spectator
34 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
A frustrated McIlroy smashes a US Open tee marker but makes it to the weekend anyway
OAKMONT, Pa. (AP) — First Rory McIlroy flung an iron down the 12th fairway. Then he used driver to demolish a tee marker on 17. He might not win the sportsmanship award at the U.S. Open, but he will get to play on the weekend. McIlroy overcame two rounds of disappointment by draining a 5-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole Friday to finish at 6-over par and guarantee himself a tee time at Oakmont this weekend. Other than the approach shot he hit on 18 to save the week, or the 20-foot birdie he made on 15 after teeing off into the first cut, very little of his first 36 holes was pretty. McIlroy's weekend was still in limbo when he walked to the tee on the drivable par-4 17th hole, then blocked the shot into a greenside bunker. He used his left arm to smash the club down and shatter the nearby tee marker. He made par there. A few hours earlier on the par-5 12th — another decent birdie chance — McIlroy catapulted his iron down the fairway after pulling his second shot into the left rough. He made par there, too. The birdie at the end capped a round of 2-over 72. It did not mask the issues McIlroy has been facing since his driver was deemed non-conforming before the PGA Championship, sending him on a mad search for a reliable replacement. In two rounds this week, McIlroy has hit 15 of 28 fairways, a stat that doesn't include all drivers but is indicative of where his tee game has gone since he won the Masters two months ago to complete the career Grand Slam. At Oakmont, with its ankle-high rough, two missed fairways over McIlroy's first three holes led to a pair of double-bogeys and forced him to play catch-up for the rest of the round — not to climb into contention, but simply to make the weekend. Next comes the search for motivation — something McIlroy conceded has been hard to find since his landmark victory at Augusta National. On the line this week is his string of six straight top-10 finishes at the U.S. Open, including a pair of runner-ups the last two years. He will start the third round nine shots off the lead. ___ AP golf:


Fox Sports
41 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
Giants' Matt Chapman to start rehab for sprained hand in a week
Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman can begin rehabbing his sprained right hand in a week. He visited Dr. Steven Shin in Los Angeles on Friday and was told he has to wear his splint until then, the team announced. The Giants were in town to open a three-game series at Dodger Stadium. Chapman got hurt sliding into first base against Atlanta last Sunday. He went on the injured list two days later and is eligible to return on June 20. The 32-year-old infielder indicated he could be on a faster track. 'He's always going to be optimistic if you talk to him, so you got to temper that a little bit,' Giants manager Bob Melvin said, 'but the news we got from Dr. Shin was good news. He's very pleased with how it's recovering.' Melvin added that until Chapman starts rehabbing, it's tough to forecast a return date. Chapman was batting .243 with 12 home runs, 30 RBIs and seven stolen bases. The five-time Gold Glove winner signed a $151 million, six-year deal last year. ___ AP MLB: recommended in this topic