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Congrats Coach Walton

Gator Sports

The ninth-ranked Florida softball team (38-13, 13-11 SEC) clinched its weekend series at No. 19 LSU with a 2-1 victory in 9 innings on Sunday in Baton Rouge. It was a historic win as head coach Tim Walton achieved his 1,000th career Division I victory.

Walton’s milestone makes him the second fastest to reach 1,000 NCAA Division I wins behind Arizona’s Mike Candrea. Walton joins volleyball head coach Mary Wise as the only active coaches with 1,000 wins at UF. 

Senior Cheyenne Lindsey’s home run in the top of the ninth sealed UF’s win over the Tigers (32-19, 11-10 SEC).

Welcome to Gainesville!

Gator Sports

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – University of Florida women’s basketball head coach Kelly Rae Finley has announced the hiring of assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Cynthia Jordan to her staff.
 
Jordan joins the Gators coaching staff after serving as the Director of Women’s Basketball Operations at South Carolina for the past 10 seasons.
 
“CJ is a star within the women’s basketball community,” Finley said. “She is a connector of people, a competitor with a diligent work ethic and charismatic presence. She is a proven winner who will positively impact our student-athletes and staff daily. We are excited to welcome CJ to Gainesville!”
 
As the director of operations with the Gamecocks, Jordan coordinated all team activities, including all aspects of the team’s travel arrangements. She was responsible for game scheduling, assisting with oversight of student-athlete academic success and served as the program’s liaison with various other areas within the athletics department.
 
“I am thrilled and excited to be joining such a strong program,” Jordan said. “I would like to thank Kelly for including me in her overall vision. Kelly’s passion for the game is palpable and positions her and the program for greatness. I am honored to play a role in the program’s build as a championship contender and am committed to contributing in any way I can. I also look forward to becoming an active member of the greater Gators community.”
 
Prior to serving as the director of operations, Jordan acted as the video coordinator for the Gamecocks from 2008-2011. As the video coordinator, Jordan was responsible for taping games and practices, breaking down film and coordinating the ongoing video needs of the coaching staff. She began her career in collegiate athletics as a graduate assistant at Temple in 2007. As a graduate assistant at Temple, she began working with editing opponent films for the coaching staff while also evaluating high school prospect videos.
 
On the court, Jordan was a four-year letterwinner for Temple women’s basketball under head coach Dawn Staley before playing professionally overseas in Switzerland and Turkey. She earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration and marketing in 2004 and her master’s degree in sports and recreation administration in 2009, both from Temple.
 
What They’re Saying About CJ
 
“One of the greatest moments as a coach is seeing your former players live out their dreams. Today is that day for Cynthia ‘CJ’ Jordan, who has been a key part of our championship success. As a player, CJ was the ultimate point guard, a good teammate and a coachable student-athlete who was not going to be outworked. It’s that same tenacious attitude that will make her a great assistant coach for the Florida Gators. Coaching is about teaching, relationships and passion – CJ has a great understanding of all three, and couple with her knowledge of the game, the student-athletes will benefit greatly from what she will add to the staff.”

Spring Game TV Special

Gator Sports
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – This year’s Gators Spring Football Special, presented by Sunniland will debut Sunday, May 1 at 6 p.m. ET on Bally Sports Florida. The one-hour show features exclusive content from Florida’s first spring under Head Coach Billy Napier, as well the 2022 Orange and Blue Game.

Hosted by voice of the Gators Mick Hubert and Jeff Cardozo, the show features interviews with Napier, Associate Head Coach / Director of Football Strength and Conditioning Mark Hocke, Assistant Head Coach – Defense / Cornerbacks Coach Corey Raymond, Inside Linebackers Coach Mike Peterson and Senior Director of Player Relations and GatorMade Savannah Bailey.
 
The show will re-air throughout the first week of May. See air dates and times below and check local listings.

  • Sunday, May 1 at 6 p.m.
  • Monday, May 2 at 7 a.m.
  • Thursday, May 5 at 1 p.m.
  • Saturday, May 7 at 10 a.m.
  • Saturday, May 7 at 6 p.m.

Major Signings!

Gator Sports

Florida Gators

WBK Signees
Florida Women’s Basketball Announces Signing of Three Athletes for 2022-23
Andrew Hile
Women’s Basketball
Posted: Thursday, April 28, 2022
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida women’s basketball head coach Kelly Rae Finley has announced the signing of three athletes to join the Gators for the 2022-23 campaign. Leilani Correa, KK Deans and Ra Shaya Kyle will each make their way to Gainesville to take the court for the Orange & Blue next season.
 
“We are excited to welcome Leilani, KK and Shay to Gator Nation! We believe that they bring added depth to our roster and are high character people that exemplify the Gator standard on and off the court,” Finley said.
 
As a collective group, the three signees, while not an incoming freshman class, would mark one of the highest-rated signing classes in Florida history. Kyle, in the class of 2020, was a five-star recruit and the No. 36 overall recruit in the nation. In the 2019 class, Dean was also a five-star out of high school, sitting at the No. 51 overall recruit in the country while Correa earned four-star status and was the No. 83-ranked recruit.
 
The last time that Florida signed three prospects in the ESPN Top-100 coming out of high school came in 2014 with Haley Lorenzen (36), Isis Young (59) and Brooke Copeland (70).
 
The trio joins Zippy Broughton and Jordyn Merritt, both of whom were five-star recruits with Broughton entering college the No. 24 prospect and Merritt the No. 27-rated recruit.
 
Leilani Correa | Senior | G | 6-0 | Manchester, N.J. | St. Johns
 
Correa joins the Orange & Blue following a three-year stay at St. Johns where she was twice named an All-Big East First Team honoree. During the 2021-22 campaign, Correa led the Red Storm in points per game at 17.3, while also averaging 5.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game. A unanimous Preseason All-BIG EAST selection, Correa posted 20 or more points in 11 games, eight of which came against conference opponents. The junior tallied 35 points against DePaul on Dec. 19 to tie her career best, eclipsing the 30-point mark for the ninth time as a Johnnie. On Jan. 14 against Providence, Correa became just the 27th St. John’s player to reach the 1,000-point mark for her career.
 
As a sophomore, Correa also earned All-Big East First Team honors and All-Met First Team honors after leading the Red Storm 17.6 points per game to rank fifth overall in the Big East. With 387 points through 22 games, she recorded the 11th-highest single-season scoring average in school history while being named the Big East Player of the Week once and was a six-time Big East Weekly Honor Roll selection. During her freshman campaign, Correa received the Big East Sixth-Woman award in addition to being a unanimous selection to the All-Freshman Team. She was a four-time Big East Freshman of the Week recipient and selected by ESPN as one of the top-10 impact freshmen in women’s college basketball.
 
Coach Finley on Correa: “Leilani is a great addition to our Gator family! She has a high IQ and is an elite three level scorer. Her ability to create for others as well as for herself will allow us to have versatility in how we play. She is excellent at reading defenses and has a great feel for the game. Off the court, Leilani is charismatic and fun loving – Gator fans will love getting to know her!”
 
Correa on Joining the Gators: “As soon as I stepped on campus and spoke to the staff and girls, I knew it’d be a perfect fit. It’s nothing like I’ve ever felt before – the family environment, the toughness and the way Kelly pushes everyone to be their best. I can’t wait to play for her and the coaching staff because they are going to have me playing my best game.”
 
KK Deans | Senior | G | 5-8 | Greensboro, N.C. | West Virginia
 
Deans heads to Gainesville as graduate transfer after spending the previous three seasons at West Virginia where she twice earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors. Deans earned the honor during the 2021-22 season despite suffering a season-ending knee injury on Jan. 29. Prior to her injury, she was averaging a team-high 14.5 points per game while also recording 3.7 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game. She led the team in scoring 10 times throughout the first 18 games. Ahead of the season, Deans was named to the Preseason All-Big 12 Honorable Mention team.
 
During her sophomore campaign, Deans was also an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selectee in addition to earning Academic All-Big 12 First Team honors. Starting in all 27 games, she averaged 13.7 points per game and was second on the team in assists with 104. She led the Mountaineers from deep, shooting 41.5% from three. She posted 22 double-figure scoring games, including five 20-point games and one 30-point contest, and led WVU in scoring in seven games. As a freshman, she was named to the Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team, while also playing in all 29 games.
 
Coach Finley on Deans: “KK brings passion and additional leadership to Gainesville! She is a strong two-way player that takes pride in her defense. She has proven that she makes tough plays down the stretch on both ends of the floor, from big time shots to taking the necessary charge. She is an exciting player in the open floor, one that Gator fans will love to watch. Off the court, KK has a warm inviting personality that will be infectious to both our team and community. We are thrilled to welcome KK to The Swamp!”
 
Deans on Joining the Gators: “I am super excited to enter this next chapter of my life with the Gators. The atmosphere and support Gator Nation brings is mind blowing and I can’t wait to be a part of it.”
 
Ra Shaya Kyle | Junior | C | 6-6 | Marion, Ind. | Purdue
 
Kyle joins the Gators following two years at Purdue in the Big Ten. During the 2021-22 season, she appeared in nine games for the Boilermakers before suffering a season-ending injury against Ohio State, averaging 11.0 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. She put together a top-outing of 20 points against Dayton on Nov. 20 while also recording double-doubles against Marshall on Nov. 22 (15 points, 10 rebounds) and Florida State on Nov. 27 (13 points, 10 rebounds).
 
As a freshman at Purdue, Kyle saw action in all 23 games, averaging 5.3 points and 3.8 rebounds in 11.3 minutes per game while shooting an impressive 57.3% from the field. She was one of just three freshmen in the Big Ten to pull down at least 30 offensive rebounds and was also ranked fifth in the nation among freshman with a defensive rebounding percentage of 25.3% and 10th with a 18.9% total rebounding percentage.
 
Coach Finley on Kyle: “We are excited to welcome Ra Shaya to Gator Nation! On the court, she is a competitor who brings additional inside presence on both ends of the floor. She is an elite finisher who works hard to get position allowing us added versatility in our lineups. Off the court, Shay is a joy to be around and we are looking forward to having her on campus!”
 
Kyle on joining the Gators: “I am extremely excited to be joining the Florida Gators family and am looking forward to being an instrumental part of the program moving forward. Let’s go Gators!”

Florida Parting Ways with Tony Amato

Gator Sports
 
Posted: Wednesday, April 27, 2022
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Florida has parted ways with soccer head coach Tony Amato, Athletics Director Scott Stricklin announced Wednesday.
Amato was hired May 24, 2021 and coached the Gators for the 2021 season. UF turned in a 4-12-4 record and tied for 10th in the Southeastern Conference with a 3-6-1 record. The 2021 campaign was Amato’s 19th season as a head coach – Rollins (2003-04 – 2009-10), Stephen F. Austin (2010-11 – 2012-13) and Arizona (2013-14 – 2020-21).
“This decision was extremely difficult. My thorough evaluation of the soccer program is that there is a disconnect between Tony and his athletes. We have worked diligently with Tony since last fall when I first became aware of challenges with relationship building and communication. As the issues continued to be brought to my attention, it became apparent that sufficient progress was not being made and Tony was not a fit for the University of Florida. Therefore, it is my assessment that in order to have the program we all expect, this change is necessary. I appreciate Tony’s hard work during his time here and wish he and his family the best.
“I fully recognize the disruption this causes our athletes and our program. We all wanted this to work, but ultimately it is my responsibility to do what is in the best long-term interest of this program, and thus this decision. We are totally committed to having an outstanding soccer program. I assure everyone this is extremely important to all of us as we begin the search for our new coach.”
   –       Scott Stricklin – University of Florida Athletic Director

Gator Lacrosse AAC Conference Champs!

Gator Sports
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – 11-straight. That’s how many regular season conference championships the No. 10 Florida lacrosse team has taken home in the 13-year history of the program.

The Gators defeated the Temple Owls 18-7 on Senior Day at Donald R. Dizney Stadium to clinch at least a share of the American Athletic Conference title. With a win against ECU on April 30, Florida can secure the outright championship. In the three complete seasons in the AAC, the Gators have won the regular season title in each of them.

UF has now won 56-straight conference games and 44-straight regular season conference contests en route to its 11th regular season title.

With the victory, Florida has now won nine-consecutive games and moves to 11-4 on the year and 4-0 in league play, while Temple drops to 10-5 overall and 3-1 in the conference.

Danielle Pavinelli led the way offensively with five goals on the afternoon, while Emerson Cabrera notched her second hat trick of the season, finishing the day with three.

Emma LoPinto, Emily Heller, Josie Hahn and Shelton Sawers each found the back of the cage twice for Florida, while Ashley Gonzalez and Paisley Eagannetted one goal apiece.

LoPinto also dished out a team-high three assists in the game, followed by two apiece from Gonzalez, Maggi Hall, Heller and Pavinelli.

Florida won the battle in the draw circle, coming up with 15-of-29 in the game. Heller posted a career-high seven to lead the way, while Hahn tallied a personal-best three.

The Gator defense held the Owls to 7-of-28 shooting in the game, just a .280 shooting percentage. Emma Wightman posted a team-high two caused turnovers on her Senior Day.

Hall picked up three groundballs in the victory to lead the Gators, while Leigh Lingo and Sarah Reznick each registered two.

Reznick recorded six saves on a .426 save percentage during her 52:31 in cage on Saturday afternoon. Julia Hammerschlag registered two saves of her own, while allowing no goals for a 1.000 save percentage between the pipes.

The Gators close out the home portion of their schedule on Wednesday when the 22nd-ranked Jacksonville Dolphins come to town. Opening draw is slated for 6:30 p.m. at Donald R. Dizney Stadium.

Records
No. 10 Florida (11-4, 4-0 AAC)
Temple (10-5, 3-1 AAC)

How it Happened

  • Florida struck first, with Emma LoPinto finding a cutting Danielle Pavinelli for her 49th goal of the season with 2:40 gone in the first.
  • Emerson Cabrera followed with a score of her own just over five minutes later, this time finding the back of the cage on a pass from Pavinelli.
  • The Gators pulled ahead three when the duo of Pavinelli-LoPinto combined for another score, with Pavinelli tallying her second goal of the day.
  • Temple cut the deficit to two goals with 2:50 left in the frame, but Florida answered with two-straight goals in the last 15 seconds of the quarter from the sticks of Josie Hahn and Pavinelli to take the 5-1 lead into the break.
  • The Gators continued the scoring momentum into the second quarter, with Shelton Sawers recording her first goal of the season to put Florida up 6-1.
  • The Owls got one back less than a minute later, but Florida strung together a 3-0 run behind scores from Hahn, Pavinelli and Sawers to pull ahead 9-2 with 11 minutes left in the half. Temple tallied back-to-back goals to pull back within five at 9-4, but once again, the Gators answered – this time with a 4-0 run.
  • The run started on an Emerson Cabrera goal – her eighth of the season – then LoPinto followed with her first score of the day to put the Gators up 11-4.
  • Ashley Gonzalez and Emily Heller kept the scoring going, putting the Florida up 13-4 going into the halftime break.
  • Out of the locker room, the Owls found the back of the cage first, pulling to within eight goals at just over two minutes gone in the frame.
  • Florida scored the next three goals of the game, with Paisley Eagan, Cabrera and Pavinelli each finding the back of the cage to put the Gators up 16-5 and secure the running clock.
  • Temple responded with back-to-back goals to cut Florida’s lead to nine at 16-7, but the Gators found the back of the cage twice more before the final horn sounded. The first of the two goals came from the stick of Heller on a free-position conversion.
  • LoPinto scored her second goal of the day and final goal for either team with 8:13 left in the game, securing the 18-7 victory for Florida.

Notables

  • Florida has won a regular season conference championship in 11 of the 13 years the program has existed
  • This puts the Gators at 265 conference team titles (254 SEC Championships; 11 lacrosse championships)
  • The Gators have not dropped a conference game since April 18, 2015 and have not lost a regular season conference game since that same day
    • That’s 56 games overall and 44 regular season games that Florida has won in conference
  • Florida is 10-0 this season against teams not ranked in the IWLCA/ILWomen Top-25 poll
  • When scoring at least 14 goals, the Gators are 161-2 (.988) in program history
  • In the confines of Donald R. Dizney Stadium, Florida is 113-21 (.843) in program history
  • Streaking: Sarah Reznick has recorded a save in 44-straight games, the second-longest streak in program history
  • Streaking: Danielle Pavinelli has registered a point in 17-straight games
  • Streaking: Emma LoPinto has tallied a point in 11-straight games
  • Streaking: Emily Heller has recorded a draw control in 14-straight games
  • Streaking: Liz Harrison has recorded a draw control in 11-straight games   

Career-Highs

  • Emily Heller recorded a career-high seven draw controls and career-best two assists
  • Josie Hahn registered a new career-high in draw controls (3) and tied her career-best with two goals
  • Catherine Flaherty tied her career-best with one caused turnover
  • Maggi Hall tied her career-high with three groundballs
  • Shelton Sawers tallied a career-best two goals and tied her career-high in points (2)
  • Emerson Cabrera tied her career-high in goals (3), points (3) and draw controls (1)  
  • Julia Hammerschlag tied her career-best with a 1.000 save percentage

Insight from O’Leary

  • “This was a total team effort today. We were making things work on the offensive end, our defense came out and played really solid. Sarah did a great job in the goal and when Julia came off the bench, she was lights out in the goal. We were able to honor our seniors exactly how we wanted to today.”

Up Next

  • The Gators close out the home portion of their schedule on Wednesday when the 22nd-ranked Jacksonville Dolphins come to town
  • Opening draw is slated for 6:30 p.m. at Donald R. Dizney Stadium.

Gators Tennis Wins the SEC

Gator Sports
Gators Claim SEC Tournament Title With Sweep of No. 10 Kentucky
Casey Montalvo
Posted: Sunday, April 24, 2022
 
ATHENS, Ga. – After making their 11th SEC Championship finals appearance, the No. 3 Florida Gators sweep the SEC after winning both the regular season and tournament titles with a 4-0 victory against the No. 10 Kentucky Wildcats on Sunday afternoon at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex. This win marks the sixth tournament title for Florida, while sophomore Ben Shelton became the fifth Gator in program history to be named the Tournament MVP.

Florida (23-2) came out strong again in doubles play against the Wildcats (21-7), earning their 18th-consecutive doubles point. After providing the clinching doubles match yesterday against No. 5 Tennessee, the tandem of Nate Bonetto and Duarte Vale continued their winning ways with a 6-3 victory over No. 55 Liam Draxl and Alexandre Leblanc at court three, making it their first ranked doubles win of the season.

Clinching the team’s 20th doubles point of the season was the No. 10-ranked duo of Sam Riffice and Ben Shelton at court one. Taking on No. 75 Francois Musitelli and Millen Hurrion, the Gators duo only allowed their opponents to win two games for a 6-2 victory. They now have 15 total doubles wins on the season with nine coming against ranked teams.

Needing three singles wins to claim the SEC Tournament title, the Gators put their foot on the gas and never let up, claiming five of the six first sets.

First off the court was No. 116 player Josh Goodger, who pulled off an impressive straight-set win at court six against JJ Mercer, 6-4, 6-1. With this victory, Goodger reached the 100 career singles wins milestone and totals 17 singles wins on the year.

No. 27 Riffice had one of his best matches of the year as he took on No. 16 Gabriel Diallo at court two, winning in two sets by 6-3 scores. Riffice moves to 18-5 on the dual season and 15-1 at the two position, while adding his seventh ranked victory.

It was No. 1-ranked Shelton, who for the sixth time this year, would clinch the match for the Gators. Taking on No. 8 Draxl at the one spot, Shelton had a tall task ahead of him, but stepped up big time. The Gainesville native defeated the Wildcat by a score of 6-4, 7-5 for his 30th singles win and 20th ranked victory of the season.

Florida moves to 23-2 overall and extends their win streak to 18 matches. The Gators are also 19-2 against ranked teams and have an impressive nine wins over teams in the top-10. In addition, for the third time in Florida tennis history, the Gators won both the regular season and SEC Tournament in the same year (2000, 2005, 2022).

NOTABLES

  • Florida made its 11th SEC Tournament final appearance, winning its sixth tournament title in program history and first since 2016.
    • Florida won the SEC Tournament championship in 1994, 2000, 2005, 2011, 2016 and 2022.
  • Ben Shelton joins Jeff Morrison (2000), Ryan Sherry (2005), Alexandre Lacroix (2011) and Gordon Watson (2016) to win the SEC Tournament MVP award.
    • Senior Duarte Vale was also named to the All-Tournament team.
  • The Gators move to 2-0 against the Wildcats in the championships finals as Florida faced Kentucky one other time in 2011, pulling out a 4-0 win in that match.
  • Since 2000 when the SEC began awarding a regular season title, Florida was the conference champions in both the regular season and in the SEC Tournament three different times: 2000, 2005 and 2022.

QUOTEABLES
Florida Head Coach Bryan Shelton
On being SEC Champions… 
“This is the best conference in America, it really is. When you look at this league, when you look at it top to bottom, top-10 teams, top-20 teams. I mean we’ll have more teams in the NCAA tournament than any other conference for sure. On top of that, it’s humbling. We represent the best conference in the country, so to kind of lead the way in our conference is pretty special. It’s something that we think is a responsibility that we have to go out there every single time and give our very best and have our best character, be the best sports and compete as hard as we possibly can. This is fun for all of us to be a part of this.” 
 
On the tournament…
“It was gritty; three days of competition, but so much fun. We had perfect weather, we a lot of fans that came out to support, Georgia did a great job hosting this event. So, it was just a lot of fun for us to be here throughout this weekend and to have such perfect weather. It is just a blessing to be able to compete on a stage like this.”
 
Florida sophomore Ben Shelton
On his last point to clinch the match… 
“It was definitely electric having all my teammates next to me on the sidelines. They definitely pushed me over the finish line. It was a high-pressure situation, and I was glad to get out of it with a win and an SEC title for us.”
 
On what it means to be an SEC Champion particularly with his father as the coach…
“It means a lot. Obviously, this group hasn’t won an SEC tournament. The last time the Florida Gators did it was 2016, so it’s special to be able to send our five seniors off with one last title.”
 
On how he feels going into the NCAA tournament…
“I feel great. I think our team is really ready to make a deep run and be a contender. I think that everyone is really mentally tough, and hopefully we’re going to come out on top.”

UP NEXT: The Gators look to the NCAA Tournament Selection Show, which will take place on Monday, May 2 at 6 p.m.

SINGLES RESULTS
1. #1 Ben Shelton (UF) def. #8 Liam Draxl (UK), 6-4, 7-5
2. #27 Sam Riffice (UF) def. #16 Gabriel Diallo (UK), 6-3, 6-3
3. #87 Duarte Vale (UF) vs. #102 Millen Hurrion (UK), 6-2, 4-6, unfinished
4. #122 Andy Andrade (UF) vs. Francois Musitelli (UK), 6-7 (7-9), 4-2, unfinished
5. Mattias Siimar (UF) vs. #108 Joshua Lapadat (UK), 6-4, 4-3, unfinished
6. #116 Josh Goodger (UF) def. JJ Mercer (UK), 6-4, 6-1
Order of Finish: 6, 2, 1

DOUBLES RESULTS
1. #10 Sam Riffice/Ben Shelton (UF) def. #75 Francois Musitelli/Millen Hurrion (UK), 6-2
2. #37 Andy Andrade/Mattias Siimar (UF) vs. Gabriel Diallo/Joshua Lapadat (UK), 4-5, unfinished
3. Duarte Vale/Nate Bonetto (UF) def. Liam Draxl/Alexandre LeBlanc (UK), 6-3
Order of Finish: 3, 1

SI projects top 25 teams

Gator Sports

To read the entire article, click here.

18. Florida Gators

emory jones florida gators

 

Where Florida was: 6-7 (2-6 SEC)

Where Florida is: Looking for answers with first-year coach Billy Napier, who led Louisiana to a Top 25 finish and now comes into Florida with recruiting connections in the state and a mandate to unseat Georgia in the SEC East. Napier needs to decide on a quarterback and get this defensive unit much tighter than it has been.

Gator Culture Change

Gator Sports

“Culture change,” said CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd, “is a mystery phrase to me. But it can be anything from running off players to just teaching kids the way the coaches want to approach it.”

And that’s the thing about culture change.

There’s no right way to do it.

There’s only YOUR WAY or the highway.

We’ve seen it in Gainesville over time and certainly currently with new coaches on football and basketball.

The biggest culture change happened when Steve Spurrier took over on New Year’s Eve 1989 as the head football at Florida. He switched to the blue jerseys because the orange ones “looked like Clemson,” ripped up the artificial turf and set the new policy of no excuses.

“It was about attitude as much as anything,” he said. “We had to get the players to believe that they could beat Georgia, that playing Auburn and Georgia back-to-back wasn’t a problem. We had good players, really good players, when I got here and we just had to get the attitudes straightened out.”

“For him to do that so quickly was incredible,” said Chris Doering of the SEC Network and Sirius radio. “We inherited his personality.”

One thing that tends to happen when an athletic director is making a coaching change is that he wants something different. In the case of Billy Napier, Florida wanted a coach that was passionate about recruiting after the previous coach was not.

“Being around Billy, everything is so well thought out, nothing is left to chance,” Doering said. “It’s not just the recruiting part of it. It’s everything.

“The biggest thing is the ability to connect with players. And you have to be clear in what they want to create.”

Florida basketball will look different under Golden than it did under Mike White and in many ways “different” was what a program that had become stagnant needed — a jolt, if you will, built on a modern approach to the game.

It’s always been that way. When Billy Donovan took over the basketball program, the biggest change in culture was to ramp up recruiting to a level we had never seen at Florida. At the same time, Donovan established early that players who did not but in were not going to play.

Urban Meyer came into the Florida football program in 2005 and immediately went about establishing a culture change by banishing the players from the locker room and not allowing them to wear Gator gear until it was earned.

What he left behind was a mess that Will Muschamp had to clean up. That started when he threw Janoris Jenkins off the team.

“You look at how the culture changed under Nick Saban at Alabama,” Dodd said. “Same with Sam Pittman at Arkansas. They got the players to buy in quickly and then it is established what the standard is.”

That goes for every sport that brings in a coach with a different set of expectations for his players.

Not everyone accepts culture change. That’s why the transfer portal in every sport is stacked with players who want a different culture and that’s where it gets tricky.

Any player who wants to come to Florida in any sport has to understand what that culture is and what is expected of them.

There are some new cultures in town. Gator fans are excited about the coaches who are implementing them.

Buckle up. It’s going to be interesting.

 

By Pat Dooley

 

 

Gymnasts Finish Second

Gator Sports

FORT WORTH, Texas – Being normal is the goal for every Florida gymnastics meet. UF Head Coach Jenny Rowland knows that when the Gators are normal, that leads to a lot of success.
 
Today in the NCAA Gymnastics team final at Fort Worth’s Dickies Arena, being pretty close to normal wasn’t quite enough.
 
Florida was second at 198.0875 as top-ranked Oklahoma claimed its fifth title at 198.20. Utah was third (197.75) followed by Auburn (197.35).
 
“That’s what you’re going to get in a national championship. You could see it across the board amongst all teams,” Rowland said. “All teams were just trying, fighting a little harder, looking for more.
 
“Maybe not exactly what the Gators are capable of doing but a stunning performance nonetheless.”
 
Three of the seven slenderest margins of victory in the event’s 40-year history have come in three of the last four team finals, including today’s slight 0.1125 OU advantage.
 
THIS AFTERNOON’S MEET:
Florida missed some tenths with steps on vault landings. Trinity Thomas’ 9.9875 is the second-highest ever for a Gator in NCAA event finals. The highest? A 10.0 by Susan Hines in the 1998 NCAA Super Six. She was in the stands Saturday to cheer the Gators.
 
The Gators powered past a miss in the early part of the lineup to hit the remaining four uneven bars routines. Thomas matched her winning bars mark (9.975) from Thursday to lead the Gators.
 
The Gators used four marks of 9.9 or better toward its balance beam total of 49.50. Senior Leah Clapper anchored the lineup with the team’s top mark of 9.925.
 
Florida headed into the final rotation trailing OU by two-tenths. The Gators turned in some great floor routines – including a 10.0 by Thomas. But UF couldn’t close the gap on the Sooners as they used beam marks of 9.9 or better toward their closing event total.
 
Today’s result was Florida’s lone loss of 2022, as the Gators finished 2022 action at 31-1-1.
 

EVENT WINNERS:

Vault Trinity Thomas Florida 9.9875
Uneven Bars Trinity Thomas Florida 9.975
  Danielle Sievers Oklahoma 9.975
Balance Beam Ragan Smith Oklahoma 9.9625
Floor Exercise Trinity Thomas Florida 10.0
All-Around Trinity Thomas Florida 39.8625

 
It was another spectacular performance for Florida’s Thomas.

  • Her winning all-around total shares No. 2 all-time in NCAA finals.
  • Posted the eighth floor 10.0 in NCAA team final – and first since 2005
  • Perfect 10.0 in every 2022 NCAA floor performance – NCAA Regional Second Round, NCAA Regional Final, NCAA Semifinal & NCAA Final
  • Finished season with 12 perfect marks (7 floor, 3 vault, 1 each bars, beam). That is second only to UCLA Kyla Ross’ 14 in 2019.
  • The nation’s six highest all-around totals of the 2022 season all were turned in by Thomas
    • 39.90 (April 2 – NCAA Regional final)
    • 39.875 (March 31 – NCAA Regional second round)
    • 39.8625 (April 16 – NCAA Team Final)
    • 39.85 (Feb. 25 vs Oklahoma)
    • 39.825 (March 19 – SEC Championships)
    • 39.8125 (April 14 – NCAA Semifinal)

 
NEXT UP:
The NCAA Championships closes collegiate gymnastics competition for 2022. Two will join the Gators next season – Lori Brubach and Kayla DeCello.
 
“The future is really bright for this team. We’re returning a great solid core for next season. They’ve all experienced it so they’ve all got a good taste and know what it takes to get to this point,” Rowland said. “So looking forward to making the most of this moment, celebrating and then taking our next step to move on to next season.”