Florida State defender Gabby Carle wins 2021 Senior CLASS Award

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Florida State defender Gabby Carle has been selected as the 2021 Senior CLASS Award winner in NCAA Division I women’s soccer.

The award, chosen by a vote of Division I women’s soccer coaches, national soccer media and fans, is given annually to the most outstanding senior student-athlete in Division I women’s soccer.

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior or graduate student and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: classroom, community, character, and competition.

“Being a student-athlete at FSU helped me become a better leader and taught me how to live a balanced life,” said Carle, the fourth Seminole to win the Senior CLASS Award. “I conclude my career at Florida State feeling well prepared for what’s ahead, and I thank everyone who has helped me along the way.”

Carle, who hails from Quebec, Canada, made her presence felt in her first year as a Seminole. She started every match for a Florida State squad that finished 13-7-1 on the season in 2017. Carle proved both her durability and talent, finishing with 1,844 minutes played while helping the defense record eight shutouts.

In a stellar encore to her freshman season, Carle started each of the 20 matches that she played in as a sophomore. She missed seven games during the year while representing Canada at the 2018 CONCACAF Championships. The Seminoles had an incredible season (20-4-3) that culminated in winning both the 2018 ACC Championship and National Championship while shutting out 16 opponents along the way. Carle received the 2018 NCAA Women’s Soccer Elite 90 Award, given to the player at the College Cup with the highest cumulative GPA.

Carle continued her run of impressive play in 2019. Missing four games due to international competition, she managed to record four points between one goal and two assists in her junior season.

In her fourth year with Florida State, Carle once again proved herself to be a mainstay in the lineup. She started and played in all but 15 minutes during the team’s 16 game season. The Seminole defense recorded 11 shutouts and allowed just 67 shots during the season – with only 38 of them on goal. In part to their terrific defense, Florida State captured both the 2020 ACC Championship and ACC Regular Season Championship. They went on another deep tournament run, allowing only two goals in five games while reaching the National Championship.

Carle elected to return for a fifth season with Florida State this year. The Seminoles were crowned the 2021 ACC Champions for the eighth time in 11 seasons after beating Virginia in a hard-fought final. She has played in 21 of the 23 total games so far and recorded a career-high six assists on the season, with perhaps none more important than her game-winning assist against Michigan in the NCAA tournament quarterfinals. Carle was named to the All-ACC second team after the conclusion of the regular season.

While helping anchor a stout defense for the Seminoles the last five years, Carle has added eight goals and 14 assists of her own. She has helped Florida State to an incredible 84-19-8 record over that span while playing in 98 of the matches.

Even in a career full of accolades on the field, Carle may match it in the classroom. In pursuit of a degree in exercise physiology, Carle was named a CoSIDA first team Academic All-American and was also selected to the United Soccer Coaches Women’s Scholar All-East Region third team in 2019. She is now a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-Region team selection as well, earning the honor for a second time this year. Carle has been selected to the Florida State President’s List each year and has been a Golden Torch winner for the last four as she carries a perfect 4.0 GPA.

Carle has also made an effort to better the Tallahassee community during her time in the area, as she has accumulated over 14 hours of community service since 2017. She has frequently volunteered at back-to-school drives and autism clinics hosted by the team. Carle also participated in the Night to Shine Prom, which was hosted by Tim Tebow and celebrated those with special needs.

“Gabby Carle is the epitome of a student-athlete,” said Mark Krikorian, legendary head coach of the Seminoles. “From the moment she arrived on campus, she has represented herself and Florida State in the most professional way on the field, in the classroom, and in the community.”

Carle has had tremendous success on the international level as well, representing the Canadian National Team since 2014. She competed at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup as one of the youngest members on the roster and helped Canada finish second in their group. They reached the Round of 16 but fell to the eventual third-place finishers in Sweden. Recently, Carle competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and received a gold medal, becoming just the fifth student-athlete from Florida State to ever do so.

“For the last five years, Gabby Carle has exhibited all of the qualities that a model student-athlete possesses,” said Erik Miner, Executive Director of the Senior CLASS Award. “She has become an integral member of the Tallahassee community because of her diligence in the classroom, community, and on the field. We are happy to offer our congratulations to Gabby and Florida State University for winning this award.”

Carle and the Florida State Seminoles will take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights for a spot in the National Championship tomorrow at 7 pm ET on ESPNU.