FORT MYERS, Fla.- We continue our 'On This Date in History' series with the FSW Women's Basketball team today, who in 2017, earned their first NJCAA National Ranking in program history, checking into the preseason poll at #19. 

The Bucs were coming off of a 20-11 campaign in their inaugural season, winning 11 of their final 12 games of the regular season to advance to their first FCSAA State Tournament with a roster made up of primarily freshmen. 

They opened their second season ranked #19, right in the middle of traditional national powers like Northwest Florida State, Wabash Valley, and Southern Idaho. 

When bestowed the honor, Head Coach Kristie Ward said "It's an honor to be recognized in the top 25, especially during the early stages of our program, our goal is to break into the top 10 and we've put together a very tough schedule, including four games against teams in the top 12, so we definitely have some work to do."

The Bucs ultimately went 26-6 in 2017-18, climbing as high as #15 in the National Poll during the season.  They went 8-1 to capture their first Suncoast Conference Championship and were a stellar 14-1 at home in Suncoast Arena on the season.  They earned their first State Tournament win in program history with a victory over Santa Fe before losing to eventual National Champions Gulf Coast State to end their season in the tournament semifinal. 

Stay tuned FSWBucs.com and @FSWBucs on social media later this month as we continue our trips back in time to relive some of the top moments in FSW Athletics history.