FORT MYERS, Fla.- Florida SouthWestern superstar freshman Samantha Serrano is heading to the Division I level after one year with the Bucs after signing at the University of Illinois-Chicago where she will suit up for the Flames next season. 

 

Serrano piled up the honors this season for the Bucs, earning Citrus Conference Player of the Year as well as Third Team NJCAA All-American accolades while also being named 1^st Team All-Citrus Conference and All-FCSAA as a freshman. She led the Bucs to a Citrus Conference Championship and back to the NJCAA National Tournament, where they reached the Sweet 16 for just the second time in program history.  She started all 31 games, leading the Bucs with 19 points per game while shooting 41% from the field and 36% from the three point line.  She nailed 81 threes on the year to make her one of just two players in program history to top the 80 three pointers made mark in a season while also becoming one of three players overall and the only freshman to score 500 points in a season. Serrano had 13 games of 20 or more points this season including a career high 30 point effort against Palm Beach State in mid-January.

 

Serrano is one of five Bucs to sign at the NCAA Division I level this season and one of six overall to sign at a four year school joining Ivy Brown (UTRGV), Georgi Buzzetti (North Florida), Sarah Owona (UT-Chattanooga), Asiana Britt (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi), Roksana Sajdak (LSU-Alexandria).