Jamaican stars Kameron Simmonds, Solai Washington, and Mimi Van Zanten helped power the No. 6 Florida State Seminoles to a thrilling 3-2 comeback win over No. 8 North Carolina in the ACC Tournament Championship on Sunday. With this victory, Florida State claimed its fifth consecutive ACC Tournament title and the 11th in program history, marking an impressive 10 wins in the past 12 years.

 The final was fiercely contested, with North Carolina starting strong and taking the lead with a penalty kick. However, Florida State quickly responded when freshman Taylor Suarez found the net, equalizing with a powerful strike from outside the box. UNC regained the lead with a header just before halftime, putting Florida State on the back foot for the second time in the game.

 Midway through the second half, Florida State surged back. Substitute Ashlyn Puerta was fouled inside the box, leading to a penalty that senior captain Taylor Huff converted with precision, leveling the score at 2-2. Minutes later, freshman Wrianna Hudson secured Florida State's lead with a stunning left-footed half-volley, giving the Seminoles a 3-2 advantage that they held until the final whistle.

 Jamaican Solai Washington earned All-Tournament honours for her standout performance throughout the competition, joining her teammate Huff, who was named Tournament MVP. This win cements the Seminoles’ dominance in the ACC, having defeated North Carolina five times in ACC title matches over the years.

 The Reggae Girlz trio, Simmonds, Washington, and Van Zanten, now look ahead to the NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament, with the selection show scheduled for Monday, November 11.

Tarees Rhoden has come away from the ACC Outdoor Championships in Raleigh, North Carolina confident in what is to unfold for the remainder of the season. The 800m runner won the 400m in 45.60 finishing ahead of his Clemson University teammate, fellow Jamaican D’Andre Anderson, who ran 45.89.

Rhoden would finish eighth in the 800m but the single point was just as important as the 10 he picked up in the 400m as Clemson scored 92 points, one more Florida State University, to claim the men's conference title.

It should be noted that the 800m final was run about 30 minutes after the 400m final so the former Kingston College runner was not so much focused on winning but simply finishing. The 400m was the focus, he said.

“Conference is more of a team effort and not a single event performance,” he explained afterwards. “The rest time was fairly short due to weather warnings but I wasn’t worried about winning the 800 but to more score points.”

Winning the 400m was a nice bonus in more ways than one. Not only did he get crucial points for Clemson but it was also a massive personal best, a 0.5s improvement on the 46.12 he ran in April. It was also a good platform for him to go for faster times in his chosen event.

This is my third 400 this season if you count the heats. I am not a strategic 400 runner but I just ran and gave my all,” he said.

“Running the 400 wasn’t an ideal plan but we did it and we got great results from it moving forward and settling back for the 800. Big things are guaranteed.”