Despite Meteoric Rise, Gators Understand There's Still Plenty of Room for Growth

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Kitty Cullen grew up in Baltimore and as a prep superstar smack in the middle of lacrosse country she had her pick of some of the nation’s top programs.

Yet there she was, on a recruiting visit to the University of Florida in 2009 with a handful of other top-ranked prospects from the Northeast, listening to what some may have described as Fantasyland talk. Trust them, Gators officials said, because those couple hundred acres of silviculture fields on the south side of campus were about to be transformed into the finest collegiate lacrosse facility in America. 

Now, they needed great players, like Cullen, to inhabit it.  

She vividly recalls the pitch from Athletic Director Jeremy Foley. 

“He told us we had to buy into the dream, to this work in progress,” Cullen said. “He told us to trust them, that they were going to be one of the best teams in the country.” 

Cullen nodded. 

“We’ve come a long way in three years,” she said. 

Northwestern, for example, would agree. 

The Wildcats have won the NCAA women’s lacrosse title six of the last seven years, including the 2011 championship. The Gators, in just their third year of existence, upset their American Lacrosse Conference rival each of the last two regular seasons, including an 8-7 shocker April 21 at Evanston, Ill., that marked the second loss by Northwestern on its home field since 2004. 

Somewhere out there, Northwestern and other lacrosse purebreds are probably thinking, “How dare they do it so quickly.” 

It’s the south. 

There’s no tradition.

At the state-of-the-art UF lacrosse complex, no one would blame Coach Amanda O’Leary for smiling and saying, “Get used to it, people.” 

“We think we’ve established a tradition,” O’Leary said last week. “In our short amount of time, we’ve won back-to-back [regular season] ALC championships. In three years, that’s not too shabby.” 

This week, the Florida program will take a few more hacks at the tradition tree when the Gators play host to their first ALC Tournament at Donald R. Dizney Stadium. UF (15-2, 5-0), which vaulted to No. 4 with that historic win at Northwestern, locked up the No. 1 seed in the tournament -- and bye into the semifinals -- and will face the winner of Thursday’s quarterfinal game between Ohio State (10-5, 1-4) and Vanderbilt (8-6, 1-4) on Friday. OSU and Vandy were ranked 12th and 19th last week, respectively. 

Game time is 7 p.m. 

“We think we’re even better in front of our home fans, and now we get to play the [conference] tournament here,” said Cullen, a junior and a standout attacker. “It’s exciting how it’s all come together.” 

And there’s still room for growth. Lots of it. 

By defeating Northwestern on the road, the Gators announced themselves as a national championship contender. Now, they’ll try to use the ALC Tournament as a affirmation. UF already has looked the part of a team that can win the whole thing; now it has to act the part. 

When Florida defeated NU last year it was an epic milestone for O’Leary and her fledgling program, and the Gators celebrated as such. 

“We were at home,” Cullen said. “It was crazy.” 

Three weeks later, top-seeded Florida met Northwestern in the championship game of the ALC Tournament at Vandy, with the Wildcats exacting revenge in the rematch by handing the Gators a heartbreaking 10-9 defeat.

At that moment, that big win earlier in the season suddenly didn’t mean as much.  

“If we play them again this year, we’ll know how to respond,” said Emily Dohony, a junior defender from Parkton, Md. “We’ll know the last game is over.” 

The next phase -- and the next big step forward -- of Florida lacrosse may be just beginning. 

UF 2012 is a much deeper team than a year ago, thanks to an infusion of talented newcomers, such as junior attacker Gabi Wiegand, a transfer from the University of Richmond, and freshmen midfielders Nora Barry and Shannon Gilroy. Weigland leads the Gators with 45 goals, trailing only junior Ashley Bruns (61) and Cullen (59) in total points with 58. 

“They came in and have really made a mark on our program,” O’Leary said. “We’re a pretty veteran team -- most of this group had played together for two years -- but for them to come in and break into the starting lineup says something about their character and their work ethic.”

Now, it’s time for the Gators, collectively, to try and make a statement, if they dare.

Which they do.  

“There is no ceiling here,” Dohony said. “Anything is possible.”

Former Gators John Brantley, Deonte Thompson and Will Green sign as undrafted free agents

With only RB Chris Rainey and DT Jaye Howard being drafted on Saturday, the Gators had several seniors go undrafted. Three have already signed as free agents with teams.

QB John Brantley and WR Deonte Thompson both signed with Baltimore, according to a report from The Gainesville Sun.

After two tumultuous years as the starter at Florida, Brantley had hoped to sign with a team if he wasn’t drafted. He passed for 4,750 yards with 30 touchdowns in his career. In his first year as a starter,  

Brantley completed 200-of-329 passes for 2,061 yards with 10 interceptions and nine touchdowns. As a senior, Brantley completed 144-of-240 passes for 2,044 yards with seven interceptions and 11 touchdowns.


Thompson had 1,446 receiving yards on 101 catches with nine touchdowns. He had 34 career starts in 51 games.

Will Green signed with Cleveland, the defensive end announced on Twitter. He made four starts in 53 career appearances, collecting 53 tackles with 11 for a loss and 2.5 sacks.

Wildcats Top No. 2 Gator Softball, 5-1, to Take Series

Despite a sac fly that knotted the series finale 1-1 between UF and UK in the bottom of the fifth, the Kentucky softball squad put up a four spot in the top of the sixth to take the series from the No. 2 Gators, 5-1, Sunday at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.

Junior Kelsey Horton (Valrico, Fla.) went 2-for-3, while five other Gators connected for one hit to contribute to the team’s seven overall, but the Wildcats used nine hits and a perfect 3-for-3 performance from Alice O’Brien for their second consecutive series win over the Orange and Blue (43-8, 20-5 SEC).

Chanda Bell (14-10) picked up her second win of the weekend Sunday for Kentucky (26-27, 12-13 SEC), working a complete game with 13 strikeouts, giving up just one walk and one Florida run. For the home team, freshman Lauren Haeger (Peoria, Ariz.) (13-4) was tagged the loss, entering before UF knotted the game in the fifth and giving up UK’s four-run, three-hit sixth inning splurge. Sophomore Hannah Rogers (Lake Wales, Fla.) started the tilt for the Gators, giving up UK’s first run on five hits, with one walk and three Ks. Haeger finished with four strikeouts and three walks, succumbing to four Cat hits and runs through the last three innings.

No. 17 Arkansas Takes Series Over No. 2 UF Baseball, 3-1, In 10 Innings

No. 17 Arkansas (31-13/11-10 SEC) scored twice in the 10th inning to down No. 2 Florida (33-12/12-9 SEC), 3-1, and capture the teams’ weekend series on Sunday afternoon at McKethan Stadium. After the Gators took the opener, 3-2, the Razorbacks notched victories of 5-1 and 3-1 to win a series in Gainesville for the first time since 2008.

“It’s been very hard for us to score runs,” head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “Teams go through this and we’re not immune to it. It’s a difficult time right now, but we will get through it and we’ll hopefully be better because of it. I think DJ Baxendale threw the ball really well. Arkansas is leading the league in pitching for a reason and [D.J.] Baxendale is a Team USA pitcher. He didn’t walk anybody and we were late on the fastball and early on the curveball all day long. We tried to do some things: we tried a hit-and-run a couple of times, we tried to steal and we tried to push the offense a little bit and do things a little differently. We just haven’t been able to put it together. We need to do a better job getting lead-off men on base, so we can get some offense and some momentum going. I know we’ll get out of this thing and we’ll be a much better team because of it.”

With the score knotted at 1-1 entering the 10th, Florida junior Austin Maddox (Jacksonville, Fla.) went to a 3-0 count on sophomore Jake Wise and freshman Johnny Magliozzi (East Milton, Mass.) (4-2) came in from the bullpen and hit the batter on a 3-2 pitch. Redshirt sophomore Jacob Morris laid down a sacrifice to put Wise in scoring position and redshirt senior Tim Carver (2-for-4) singled into left field for runners on the corners with one down. Sophomore Daniel Gibson (Lutz, Fla.) then replaced Magliozzi (0.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R). Freshman pinch hitter Michael Gunn delivered an RBI single into right field to bring across Wise with the go-ahead run and leave UA with runners on the corners. A fielder’s choice by sophomore Dominic Ficociello scored Carver for a 3-1 lead for the visitors and Gibson struck out junior Matt Reynolds to end the frame.

Sophomore Barrett Astin pitched a perfect bottom of the stanza to collect his seventh save in relief of sophomore Colby Suggs (4-0), who threw 1.2 scoreless innings.

UF Softball All About Senior Michelle Moultrie Saturday as No. 2 Gators Blank UK, 5-0, to Even Series

Saturday’s Florida softball game was all about Gator senior All-American centerfielder Michelle Moultrie (Jacksonville, Fla.) as the Orange and Blue evened the series with Kentucky (25-27, 11-13 SEC), blanking the Wildcats, 5-0, at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium on Senior Day. Moultrie and her family were honored in a pre-game ceremony, before mother, Cynthia, threw out Saturday’s first pitch in front of an Orange and Blue-clad crowd that donned No. 16 stickers for UF’s lone senior.

In fitting Senior Day fashion, Moultrie blasted a solo shot, her team-leading 10th homer of the season, to right center in her first at-bat of the contest to give No. 2 Florida (43-7, 20-4 SEC) a lead it wouldn’t relinquish. Freshman Bailey Castro (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) followed up with a two-run jack that took the Orange and Blue up, 3-0, after the first stanza.

As she’s done so many times, Moultrie led the Gators Saturday with a 2-for-4 performance at the plate, with two RBI and one run scored for UF, while freshman Katie Medina (Downey, Calif.) added two hits, a run and RBI to Florida’s tally for the sixth multiple-hit game of her inaugural campaign donning a Gator uniform. As a team, Florida collaborated for eight hits to UK’s five as UF put up runs early in the first (3), second (1) and third (1) innings.

With its 20th shutout of the season following Saturday’s win, Florida also added its 20th conference victory of the year, marking UF’s fifth-consecutive 20-win record in SEC play, all under seventh-year head coach Tim Walton, the sixth 20+ win league record in Florida history, as UF’s 1998 SEC Champion squad went 23-5.

The Orange and Blue enter Sunday’s series finale with Kentucky tied atop the SEC Standings with No. 3/4 Alabama as the Gators and Crimson Tide both boast a 20-4 conference record.

Moultrie, a top-10 finalist for the 2012 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award and USA Softball’s Player of the Year Award, added her second hit and RBI of the day in the second frame for the 4-0 Florida advantage before Medina poked a RBI single through the right side in the third inning to score junior Kelsey Horton (Valrico, Fla.) from second for UF’s fifth run of the afternoon after Horton roped her eighth double of the season.

Freshman righty Lauren Haeger (Peoria, Ariz.) put together a five-hit shutout in the circle for the victory, going the distance for the10th time this season to improve to 13-3 on the year. Haeger fanned seven with no walks to chalk up her fifth shutout of the campaign. Ellen Weaver started the game in the circle for the Wildcats, giving up both homers to Moultrie and Castro before Rachel Riley came on in relief for the final 5.0. Weaver (2-6) shouldered the loss after walking one and giving up UF’s first three runs on the Gators’ two first-inning hits. Riley rallied for four strikeouts, but surrendered six Florida hits and one earned run to finish out the game for UK

After 2.5 shutout innings in the fourth and fifth, Medina struck again in the bottom of the sixth with a one-out double off the wall in deep left center that initially looked like it might clear the fence, while classmate Jess Damico (Gray Summit, Mo.) followed up with a hit-by-pitch for runners on first and second with one out. A Moultrie groundout advanced both Medina and Damico into scoring position for a Gator threat, but a groundout retired the side, leaving just three outs left for the Florida win in the top of the seventh.

Haeger rallied to force a foul out to junior Sam Holle (Tampa, Fla.) at first base before fanning Krystal Smith swinging for the second out. It was then that Moultrie had her final bow on Senior Day, making a grand exit in front of a standing ovation of 1,092 Gator fans at KSP before the final out of the game, as Haeger rung up Emily Gaines in dramatic swinging fashion for Moultrie’s Senior Day victory.

For the second day in a row, senior leadoff Brittany Cervantes led the Wildcats at the dish with a 2-for-3 effort.

UF and UK will clash in the series finale Sunday, with first pitch set for noon, as the Orange and Blue go for the series win.

Brewer, Postin and Men's 4x400 Pick Up Drake Relays Titles on Final Day in Des Moines

Florida’s men’s 4x400-meter relay team put on quite a show to end the 103rd Annual Drake Relays, earning one of three titles on Saturday for the Gators.

The quartet of Dedric Dukes (Miami, Fla.), Hugh Graham, Jr. (Miami, Fla.), Leonardo Seymore (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) and Tony McQuay (Riviera Beach, Fla.) used a team effort to come from behind and overtake Arkansas, as McQuay ran a blistering 44.03 anchor leg to give the Gators the victory. The 3:02.41 performance is a season best for the Gators, leads the SEC, ranks second in the NCAA and is eighth all-time in UF history.

“Very proud of the men,” Florida head coach Mike Holloway said. “This was a total team effort from our men’s 4x4. Tony certainly ran a great anchor leg and Dedric, Hugh and Leonardo put him in position to get there.”

Junior thrower Jeremy Postin (Auburndale, Fla.) broke his own Florida record for the second time in two weeks, winning his first Drake Relays title with a mark of 70.73m/232-1 in the men’s hammer throw. Postin’s throw ranks third in the NCAA this season and leads the SEC.

“Very proud of Jeremy today,” Holloway commented. “He gets better every week and had a 10-foot PR today.”

Freshman Ciarra Brewer (Union City, Calif.) picked the perfect time to win her first collegiate meet, taking home the Drake Relays women’s triple jump title with a personal best of 13.12m/43-0.50 (+0.1). Her jump ranks eighth in the SEC and leads all conference freshmen.

“Today was about getting better for Ciarra,” Holloway said. “Not that the win isn’t important but it isn’t everything. She went out today, got a new collegiate best and got better.”

Other stellar finishes for the Gators included the women’s 4x400-meter relay, composed of Ebony Eutsey (Miami, Fla.), Lanie Whittaker (Miami, Fla.), Alishea Usery (St. Louis, Mo.) and Michelle Stegall (Fayetteville, Ga.), who led the entire race until the final turn, finishing second in 3:35.11.

“I was very pleased with the women’s 4x4,” Holloway said. “They were without Ugonna Ndu (Newark, N.J.) and they really stepped up and did a great job.”

Sophomore Darshay Davis (Mirimar, Fla.) also had a runner-up finish for the Orange and Blue, racing to an 11.45 (+1.7) finish in the women’s 100 meters.

Junior Omar Craddock (Killeen, Texas) missed out on his third relays title (2010 & 2011 Penn Relays triple jump champion) by just .01 meters on Saturday, finishing second in the men’s triple jump with a leap of 16.40m/53-9.75 (-1.4).

Sophomore Stephanie Strasser (Fernandina Beach, Fla.) blew her old personal record out of the water in the women’s 3000 meter steeplechase, as she moved up to fourth all-time in Florida school history with a fourth-place finish of 10:25.32, a seven-second personal best.

“She’s made huge strides over this season,” Holloway said. “Steph has had huge development under Coach Spangler. She’s a lot more fit as well.”

A group from the women’s distance corps will compete at Stanford University on Sunday, as Shelby Hayes (Winter Park, Fla.), Cory McGee (Pass Christian, Miss.), Mandy Perkins (Ormond Beach, Fla.) and Agata Strausa (Riga, Latvia) will all race in the women’s 1,500 meters. Senior Genevieve LaCaze (Queensland, Australia) will take part in the first section of the women’s 3000 meter steeplechase on Sunday evening.

No. 17 Arkansas Evens Series Against No. 2 UF Baseball, 5-1

A four-run fifth inning powered No. 17 Arkansas (30-13/10-10 SEC) to a 5-1 win over No. 2 Florida (33-11/12-8 SEC) on Saturday night at McKethan Stadium that evened the teams’ weekend series. Tied at a run apiece entering the fifth, the Razorbacks totaled six singles and plated four runs to seize control of the contest. UA sophomore Brandon Moore (4-1) threw five shutout innings, permitting just three hits, to collect the victory.

“It was just a weird game,” head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “We’ve scored in two innings out of 17 innings of play. We hit eight times last night and nine times tonight, so obviously we need to score more runs. I thought Randall Fant did a nice job for Arkansas. He made pitches when he needed to with two outs, and [Brandon] Moore came in and did a really nice job, too. I thought for us, Keenan Kish pitched well. We just didn’t score enough runs; it’s as simple as that.”

The Gators had back-to-back two-out hits off junior left-hander Randall Fant in the first inning, as junior Mike Zunino (Cape Coral, Fla.) (3-for-4) singled into center field and went to third on single into right field by junior Brian Johnson (Cocoa Beach, Fla.) (2-for-4). Fant retired junior Austin Maddox (Jacksonville, Fla.) on an infield fly to keep the game scoreless.

In the second, UF freshman Josh Tobias (Greensboro, N.C.) was plunked with two down and junior Cody Dent (Boynton Beach, Fla.) beat out a bunt single. However, Tobias was thrown out trying to take third on the play on a throw from Fant to junior Matt Reynolds.

Sophomore Dominic Ficociello (2-for-5) provided Arkansas with a 1-0 lead in the third inning with a two-out single into left field off Johnson (5-3). Freshman Joe Serrano ended a stretch of six-straight hitters set down by the southpaw with a one-out single to right field. After redshirt senior Tim Carver was hit by a pitch for two Razorbacks aboard, Johnson struck out junior Jacob Mahan and Ficociello delivered an RBI single that scored Serrano. A throwing error on the relay by junior left fielder Vickash Ramjit (Miami, Fla.) enabled the runners to advance into scoring position. Reynolds was walked intentionally to load the bases and Ramjit made a phenomenal diving catch on a ball hit by senior Bo Bigham to save several runs and prevent further trouble.

Florida tied the game in the bottom of the frame on an RBI single by Johnson. Senior Daniel Pigott (Ormond Beach, Fla.) led off by reaching on a fielding error by Ficociello at first base and senior Preston Tucker (Tampa, Fla.) raised his hitting streak to 10 games with a base-hit up the middle. Johnson tied the game with a one-out, line-drive single that ricocheted off Ficociello, bringing in Pigott. Maddox roped a single up the middle but Tucker was gunned down at the plate on a perfect strike from redshirt sophomore center fielder Jacob Morris to freshman catcher John Clay Reeves. A passed ball allowed Johnson and Maddox to reach third and second, respectively, and Fant had freshman Casey Turgeon (Palm Harbor, Fla.) ground out to first base to complete the inning.

Freshman Brian Anderson opened the fourth with his first career double into left field and was sacrificed to third on a bunt by Morris. Johnson struck out Reeves and had Serrano ground out to Dent at shortstop to strand the runner.

Moore replaced Fant (3.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 4 K) prior to Florida’s fourth at bat and yielded a one-out infield single to Tobias. The right-hander then had Dent bounce into an inning-ending 6-3 double play.

The Razorbacks plated four runs on six hits in the fifth to grab a 5-1 advantage. Carver started the frame with a base-hit into right center and moved to second on a grounder by Mahan. Ficociello singled into left field and an error by senior Jeff Moyer (Winter Springs, Fla.) allowed Carver to come across for a 2-1 lead for the visitors. Ficociello moved into scoring position with a stolen base and scored on an RBI single into left center field by Reynolds. Bigham bunted for a single, pushing Reynolds to third, and Johnson (4.1 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 6 K) was replaced by senior Greg Larson (Longwood, Fla.). Redshirt sophomore Jimmy Bosco delivered a pinch-hit RBI single to bring in Reynolds and Tobias caught a pop-up by Morris in foul territory for the second out. Freshman pinch hitter Michael Gunn poked a single up the middle to score Bigham with the fourth run of the frame and Larson had senior pinch hitter Sam Bates ground out.

Sophomore Keenan Kish (Worcester, Pa.) took over for Larson (0.2 IP, 2 H) prior to the sixth and retired the Razorbacks in order on a pop-up, grounder and a strikeout. The right-hander also threw a perfect seventh with a pair of strikeouts and tossed a 1-2-3 eighth with another K to establish a career high with four punch-outs.

Zunino collected his second double of the night with one down in the eighth and went to third on a grounder by Johnson. Moore had Maddox ground out to preserve the four-run lead for the visitors. Kish put up another zero in the ninth for Arkansas and retired all 12 batters he faced over a career-high four innings.

“Tonight, the big thing for me was being able to throw all of my pitches for strikes,” Kish said. “My job was to put up zeros and I did that the best that I could. Every inning, every opportunity for myself, is a chance to grow. It is what you make of it, and you have to be ready to go whenever your name is called upon.”

Sophomore Barrett Astin came in for Moore in the ninth and issued a one-out walk to Moyer before hitting freshman pinch hitter Taylor Gushue (Boca Raton, Fla.). Freshman pinch hitter Justin Shafer (Lake Wales, Fla.) flew out to center field and Pigott grounded out to complete the contest. In a matchup of right-handers, sophomore Jonathon Crawford (Okeechobee, Fla.) (4-1, 3.86) will start tomorrow’s finale at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN against junior DJ Baxendale (6-2, 3.78).

No. 2 UF Baseball Edges No. 17 Arkansas, 3-2, To Claim Series Opener

No. 2 Florida (33-10/12-7 SEC) rallied from a 2-0 deficit with a three-run sixth inning and its bullpen worked three scoreless innings in a 3-2 victory over No. 17 Arkansas (29-13/9-10 SEC) on Friday night at McKethan Stadium in the opener of the teams’ weekend series. After being held hitless into the sixth by Razorback sophomore Ryne Stanek (6-3), the Gators tied the game on a two-out, two-run double by freshman Casey Turgeon (Palm Harbor, Fla.) and seized the lead on an RBI single by junior Austin Maddox (Jacksonville, Fla.).

Making his first Friday start since March 30 at Ole Miss, junior right-hander Hudson Randall (Atlanta, Ga.) (4-1) yielded six hits and two runs over six innings to pick up the win, while the trio of senior Greg Larson (Longwood, Fla.), junior Steven Rodriguez (Miami, Fla.) and Maddox each tossed a scoreless frame. For Maddox, it was his 12th save in 12 opportunities, moving him to within one save of the school’s single-season record shared by Danny Wheeler (1994) and Josh Fogg (1998).   

“You have to tip your cap to [Ryne] Stanek,” head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “He was outstanding and left us hitless through five innings. I wasn’t quite sure when our offense was going to get going, and that had a lot to do with him on the mound. His stuff was really good tonight, but, equally I thought Hudson Randall was really good tonight. He gave us a great start and obviously our bullpen came in and did what they needed to do. We hung in there and battled and that was the most important thing.”

No. 2 UF Softball Edged, 2-0, by UK in Series Opener; Gators Look to Even Series on Senior Day Saturday

In its final home series of the 2012 regular season, the No. 2/4 Florida softball squad dropped a close one Friday as the Kentucky Wildcats took a 2-0 decision in the series opener at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. UK used a two-run, two-hit third inning for the win, as both hurlers dueled it out in the circle, giving up just four hits each.

The Orange and Blue (42-7, 19-4 SEC) will look to even the series with the Wildcats Saturday, as the Gators honor Florida senior All-American centerfielder Michelle Moultrie (Jacksonville, Fla.) on Senior Day. Moultrie will be recognized in a pre-game ceremony at approximately 12:30 p.m. Saturday before first pitch with UK at 1 p.m.

Attempting its ninth come-from-behind victory of the season, Moultrie led UF’s efforts with a 2-for-3 performance at the plate Friday evening, dropping two bunt singles to increase her career total to 68 through her tenure as a Gator. A 2012 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award and USA Softball Player of the Year top-10 finalist, Moultrie added her 21st multiple-hit game of the year to the stat sheet.

UF sophomore ace Hannah Rogers (Lake Wales, Fla.) worked her 22nd complete game of the season, giving up just four UK hits and one earned run, but Rogers was charged her fourth loss of the season (25-4). The Gators’ righty fanned four, while walking three. In the other dugout, Kentucky senior pitcher Chanda Bell also went the distance, tossing a four-hit shutout, fanning eight Gators and walking one to improve to 13-10 on the season. With the win, the Wildcats improved to 25-26 overall, 11-12 in league action.

The Gators collaborated for one hit each in the first and second frames as Moultrie led off the game for the Orange and Blue with a bunt single, while freshman Lauren Haeger (Peoria, Ariz.) connected for a two-out single up the middle in the second stanza, but UF left both Gators on. UK’s offense swung into action in the top of the third with a two-spot for the first – and only – runs of the day for either club.

Wildcat senior Brittany Cervantes smoked a liner over the left-field fence for the 1-0 lead on her 10th long ball of the year before junior Kara Dill took two bases after capitalizing on a Gator defensive miscue. Next up, senior Rachel Riley struck for a RBI single to plate Dill for Kentucky’s second run of the game and the 2-0 lead.

Florida tried to take advantage of two UK errors in the home half of the third when freshman Katie Medina (Downey, Calif.), UF’s leadoff batter in the stanza, reached on a UK throwing error, while a sophomore Kasey Fagan (Dunnellon, Fla.) sac bunt moved her to second and turned over the Gator lineup. On the ensuing play, Moultrie laid down a bunt single, took second on an error when the UK first baseman overthrew the toss to the Wildcat second baseman, Emily Jolly. Medina attempted to scamper home on the play from second, but Jolly tossed to catcher Griffin Joiner for the second out of the stanza at the dish. An interference call retired the side before UF could cut the Kentucky lead.

After scoreless fourth and fifth innings for both teams, freshman Sami Fagan (Dunnellon, Fla.) dropped a one-out blooper in shallow left center for UF’s fourth and final hit of the day in the bottom of the sixth, but a Bell strikeout and pop-up retired the Gators.

UK pinch hitter Sarah Frazer added a hit to the Wildcats’ hit tally in the seventh, but a fielder’s choice, fly out and ‘runner-left-early’ call halted UK from adding to the score. Bell retired the Gators in order in the bottom of the seventh to clinch Kentucky’s fourth-straight victory over Florida, its fifth win all-time in Gainesville.

Cervantes led UK’s efforts with a 2-for-2 performance, one run and one RBI on the evening.

NFL Draft: Florida loses first-round streak; ex-Gator Janoris Jenkins not picked in 1st

The Gators lost the longest active streak in the country when they did not have a first-round pick tonight.

Florida had seen its players go in the first round the past five years. That ranked ahead of Alabama, California and Missouri, which each had three consecutive drafts with a first-rounder.

From 2007 through ’11, the Gators had eight first-round picks: DE Jarvis Moss (’07 — No. 17), S Reggie Nelson (’07 — No. 21), DE Derrick Harvey (’08 — No. 8), WR/RB Percy Harvin (’09 — No. 22), CB Joe Haden (’10 — No. 7), OL Maurkice Pouncey (’10 — No. 18), QB Tim Tebow (’10 — No. 25) and OL Mike Pouncey (’11 — No. 15).

Florida’s best prospect in this draft is RB Chris Rainey, who is projected to go no higher than the third round.

No. 2 Gator Softball Splits Mid-Week Twinbill With No. 23 LSU

After a thrilling 2-1, eight-inning victory in the first game of Florida softball’s Tuesday doubleheader, the No. 2 Gators fell 1-0 in the nightcap to split a mid-week twinbill with the No. 23 LSU Tigers at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. The Orange and Blue moved to 42-6 on the season, 19-3 in Southeastern Conference play.

With LSU leading 1-0 in the bottom of the seventh in game one, junior Ensley Gammel (Bakersfield, Calif.) knocked a two-out homer over the right-field fence to force UF’s third extra-innings contest of the season. Sophomore Cheyenne Coyle (West Hills, Calif.) led off the seventh with a bouncer up the middle to spark some momentum, but a 4-6-3 LSU double play next put two outs on the board quick. With Gammel down to her last strike facing a 1-2 count, the Gator outfielder went opposite field with her sixth long ball of the season to knot the clash at one-all.

A Rachele Fico strikeout ended regulation, but game one Gator hurler Hannah Rogers (Lake Wales, Fla.) forced a leadoff groundout in the top of the eighth, while the Gator defense turned one of its two double plays on the evening to retire the side, stranding one Tiger on to bring up their chance in the bottom of the inning.

Freshman utility player Jess Damico (Gray Summit, Mo.) reached base with one out on the board in the home half of the eighth after being knocked with a Fico pitch to turn over the Gator lineup, leaving the rest to senior centerfielder Michelle Moultrie (Jacksonville, Fla.), who sent a walk-off RBI double down the left-field line to plate Damico for her seventh game-winning RBI of the 2012 season, giving UF the 2-1, eight-inning victory and marking Florida’s sixth come-from-behind and second walk-off victory of the season.

It wasn’t until the seventh that either team put runs on the board, as LSU used a one-out RBI single from pinch hitter Kailey McCasland to put up the Tigers’ lone run of game one when Ashley Applegate crossed the dish after drawing a leadoff walk to force a Gator rally in the bottom of the frame.

The two squads combined for nine hits in the first game, with eight coming in the final two innings. Moultrie laid down a two-out bunt single in the third for the first hit of the game for either team, while LSU’s Tammy Wray singled through the right side to lead off the fifth for the Tigers’ first hit.

Fico (15-8) shouldered the loss for LSU (33-16, 14-8 SEC), while Rogers improved to 25-3 on the season. UF’s ace went the distance, giving up one run on four hits and two walks, while fanning five for her 21st complete game of the season.

In the nightcap, the Gators faced the same 1-0 deficit heading to the bottom of the seventh, but the Tigers came out on top in the second duel of the evening. Freshman hurler Lauren Haeger (Peoria, Ariz.) faced LSU’s Brittany Mack in the circle in game two, with Haeger dropping to 12-3 on the year and Mack improving to 14-8 with the victory. Haeger also worked a complete game, her ninth of 2012, succumbing to six LSU hits and the Tigers’ one run. Haeger retired nine opponent batters by strikeout to counter three free passes.

Mack held the Gators to four hits, led by freshman Sami Fagan’s (Dunnellon, Fla.) 2-for-4 performance, while sister Kasey Fagan (Dunnellon, Fla.) and Damico each tallied hits in the second game of UF’s doubleheader.

LSU capitalized on a one-out triple from Applegate to deep center when Lauren Houston sent a two-out single up the middle to plate Applegate from third for the 1-0 lead in the top of the second stanza.

Fagan used her speed to reach on an infield base hit to lead off the third, while S. Fagan laid down a bunt single to lead off the fourth for the Orange and Blue, but the Gators couldn’t capitalize in either inning. Florida threatened in the sixth with bases loaded when S. Fagan dropped her second bunt single of the game – a one-out success – before swiping second. Next up, Haeger walked, while Coyle was hit by a Mack pitch to juice the bags.

UF couldn’t cash in though, as a foul out and ground out stranded three Gators. Damico connected for a two-out base hit in the bottom of the seventh, while Moultrie reached on a LSU defensive miscue for runners on first and second with two down, but Mack’s eighth strikeout of the evening gave LSU their 29th victory in the history of the series between the Gators and Tigers.

Balanced Attack Lifts No. 2 Baseball Over Bethune-Cookman, 10-1

Freshman Casey Turgeon (Palm Harbor, Fla.) was 3-for-4 with three stolen bases and No. 2 Florida (32-10) scored in seven-consecutive innings to defeat Bethune-Cookman (24-18), 10-1, on Wednesday night at McKethan Stadium.

Sophomore Karsten Whitson (Chipley, Fla.) (3-0) fired four scoreless innings in a pre-determined start, senior Preston Tucker (Tampa, Fla.) was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, junior Brian Johnson (Cocoa Beach, Fla.) was 2-for-4 and freshman Brandon Sedell (Davie, Fla.) belted his first career homer as the Gators improved to 27-0 all-time against the Wildcats.

“I was really pleased with our offense tonight,” head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “We scored in every inning but one and we had a lot of different guys contribute. I thought Jeff Moyer had a really good night and made a great play to start the ballgame. Pitching-wise, it was great to get Karsten Whitson out there. I thought he looked really, really sharp. We extended him a little bit and kept his pitch count down. We used five different pitchers, averaged less than 15 pitches per inning and we didn’t walk anybody. Brandon Sedell hit his first home run, a lot of guys contributed and I thought it was a great effort both offensively and pitching-wise.”

In the first inning, junior Brandon Turner (3-for-4) had a one-out single into left field after a nine-pitch at bat against Whitson and then moved to second with his team-leading 12th stolen base. A grounder by senior Jairo Acevedo moved Turner to third and Whitson had junior David Lee ground out to end the frame.

Junior Nolan Fontana (Winter Garden, Fla.) drew a leadoff walk from sophomore Montana Durapau (2-5) and stole second base with one down, his ninth theft in nine attempts this season. A wild pitch moved Fontana to third but Durapau had Johnson fly out to straightaway center field.

Senior Brashad Johnson (2-for-4) opened the second with a base-hit up the middle for the Wildcats and was sacrificed to second on a bunt by senior Nick Johnson. Whitson struck out freshman Jordan Taylor and had freshman Juan Pizarro ground out to complete the inning.

The Gators grabbed a 2-0 lead in the home part of the inning on an RBI single by junior Austin Maddox (Jacksonville, Fla.) and a throwing error. Senior Daniel Pigott (Ormond Beach, Fla.) started things off with a double into the left-field corner and Turgeon singled for two runners aboard. Maddox opened the scoring with a base-knock into right center that scored Pigott. Durapau had freshman Justin Shafer (Lake Wales, Fla.) line into a double play at first base and then walked senior Jeff Moyer (Winter Springs, Fla.) with two down. A failed pickoff attempt by Durapau enabled Moyer to reach second and Turgeon to come across with the second run.

Freshman Jake Welch (2-for-3) began the third with a single and junior Mike Zunino (Cape Coral, Fla.) gunned down the base-runner attempting to steal second base. Moyer made a strong defensive play at third base to retire sophomore Josh Johnson and Turner collected his second hit of the contest with a two-out single into left field. Whitson had Acevedo ground out to end the inning.

Turgeon came through with a two-out single in the bottom of the stanza to give the Gators a 3-0 advantage. Tucker opened the inning with a bloop single into right field and Johnson rifled a one-out single before Pigott advanced both of his teammates into scoring position with a grounder. Turgeon put the hosts up by three runs with an infield single and stole second base before Durapau stranded the runners with an inning-ending strikeout of Maddox.

After Shafer singled to open UF’s fourth and stole second base, Moyer moved him to third with a grounder. Fontana lofted his first sacrifice fly of the year to bring home Shafer for a 4-0 margin.

Working on a pitch count, Whitson yielded four singles over four scoreless innings before sophomore Daniel Gibson (Lutz, Fla.) pitched a scoreless fifth.

Florida tacked on another run in the fifth to build a 5-0 lead. Johnson collected his second single to start the frame and was sacrificed to second by Pigott. Turgeon’s third hit of the night gave the Gators runners on the corners and a wild pitch by Durapau allowed Johnson to score and Turgeon to take second. Although Turgeon swiped third and Maddox drew a walk, Durapau worked out of the jam with back-to-back strikeouts.

A two-out RBI single by Brashad Johnson in the sixth put the Wildcats on the board. A leadoff single by Turner prompted a pitching change, as senior Greg Larson (Longwood, Fla.) came in for Gibson (1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R). Junior Carlos Delgado laid down a sacrifice bunt to push Turner over and a grounder by Lee advanced his teammate to third. Brashad Johnson had a base-hit up the middle to drive in Turner and then swiped second base before Nick Johnson singled for runners on the corners. Larson had Taylor fly out to deep center, where Pigott made a nice catch to end the inning.    

Sophomore Bryan Rivera relieved Durapau (5.0 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 5 K, 4 BB) and issued a walk to Fontana to open the Gator sixth. Tucker followed with his 11th homer of the year, a laser over the right-field wall that was his third career blast against the Wildcats, for a 7-1 margin.

“All-in-all, I think we played great game today,” Tucker said. “Hopefully, that will carry on through this weekend against Arkansas. Karsten Whitson was outstanding. It’s always great to see him pitch the way we know he can. His fast balls were there and some off-speed stuff. On the homer, I was just trying to cover my basics with two strikes. I tried to hit the breaking ball the other way, put the barrel on it, and kept it fair.”

UF added two more runs in the seventh on an RBI single by Moyer and another sacrifice fly by Fontana. Turgeon reached on an error to begin the inning, stole second for his third theft of the night and Maddox drew a walk before freshman pinch hitter Taylor Gushue (Boca Raton, Fla.) went down swinging on strikes. However, a wild pitch on the play by Rivera enabled both Gators to move into scoring position. Moyer scored Turgeon with a single through the right side for his first hit and first RBI of the year and went to second on the relay throw to the plate. Fontana followed with his second sacrifice fly of the contest into right field to balloon the lead to 9-1.

Sedell clubbed his first career homer into the left-field bleachers as a pinch hitter to lead off Florida’s eighth for a 10-1 advantage. It was his second hit of the year after having a triple against Florida A&M on March 7.

Freshman Corey Stump (Lakeland, Fla.) tossed a perfect eighth and freshman Ryan Harris (Jupiter, Fla.) kept the Wildcats scoreless in the ninth to end the contest. Florida had a 12-9 advantage in hits and did not commit any errors.

USF Holds Off No. 2 UF Baseball, 5-3

Senior Andrew Longley belted a pair of solo homers and drove in three runs and junior Jimmy Falla broke a 3-3 tie in the seventh inning with a two-out RBI single to lead USF (28-14) over No. 2 Florida (31-10), 5-3, on Tuesday night at McKethan Stadium. It was the Bulls’ first victory over the Gators since May 11, 2005, ending a 12-game losing streak in the series. Juniors Nolan Fontana (Winter Garden, Fla.) and Mike Zunino (Cape Coral, Fla.) had each homered for UF during a three-run sixth to erase a 3-0 deficit.

With the Gators down to their final three outs, freshman Taylor Gushue (Boca Raton, Fla.) had a leadoff single up the middle and Fontana delivered a one-out single into right center off USF sophomore Nick Gonzalez. The Bulls summoned junior closer Steven Leasure from the bullpen and he had freshman Justin Shafer (Lake Wales, Fla.) foul out to right field before walking senior Preston Tucker (Tampa, Fla.) to load the bases. The righty had Zunino (2-for-5) ground out to nail down the win for senior Andrew Barbosa (5-3) and collect his sixth save.  

“It was just one of those nights,” head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “We just couldn’t get things going offensively. Matt Reed, their starter, did a nice job. I think we had 13 fly ball outs, and we struck out four times. So, 17 of the 27 outs were either fly balls or strikeouts. When you only really work with 10 quality outs, it’s hard to score runs. We fell behind 3-0, but I was really pleased about our scoring three there in the sixth. I think the turning point of the game, though, would be after we scored the three in the sixth, we went out and walked the leadoff guy in the seventh and I think that changed the momentum of the game. We battled, we put ourselves in position-- the whole goal of the night was to see if we could get [Preston] Tucker and [Mike] Zunino up in the ninth and we did. We just weren’t able to do enough, but credit to South Florida, they played really well tonight.”

The Bulls jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning on a pair of unearned runs. Freshman Johnny Magliozzi (East Milton, Mass.) retired the first four Bulls of the game before Falla (2-for-5) roped a one-out double to left field. A fielding error by junior Cody Dent (Boynton Beach, Fla.) enabled freshman Zac Gilcrease to reach and Falla to move over to third base. Longley (2-for-4) brought home Falla with a grounder to third base and freshman Kyle Teaf legged out an infield single, with Gilcrease running on contact and able to score.

USF put a couple of runners aboard in the third, as redshirt senior Luis Llerena was hit by a pitch and senior Todd Brazeal singled through the left side of the infield. However, Magliozzi made Falla his fourth strikeout victim to complete the frame.

Junior Chad Taylor opened the fifth with a base-hit to left field before junior Alex Mendez flew out to left field. Llerena advanced his teammate with a grounder, ending the night for Magliozzi (4.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 4 K). Sophomore James Ramsay greeted sophomore reliever Daniel Gibson (Lutz, Fla.) (1-1) with an infield single to give the Bulls runners on the corners with two down and then stole second base for two men in scoring position. Brazeal drew a walk to load the bases and Gibson induced a grounder by Falla that kept the score at 2-0.

Senior Daniel Pigott (Ormond Beach, Fla.) (3-for-4) collected his second hit of the contest with a one-out single in the home part of the inning and freshman Casey Turgeon (Palm Harbor, Fla.) followed with a single into center field off Reed. The southpaw had Gushue pop out in foul territory and the Gators executed a double steal, with Pigott swiping third and Turgeon taking second. Reed responded by having Dent ground out to preserve the two-run margin for the visitors.

Longley increased USF’s lead to 3-0 with a one-out solo shot to left center field off Gibson in the sixth. It was the first homer surrendered by the Gator pitching staff since April 10 at Florida State.

The Gators used homers by Fontana (2-for-5) and Zunino in the bottom of the frame to knot the contest at 3-3. Fontana led off with his eighth round-tripper of the season to right field. Tucker reached on a misplayed fly ball by Mendez with one down and Zunino deposited a 1-1 pitch into the left-field bleachers for his team-leading 12th homer. Pigott cranked a two-out double off the left-field wall, prompting a pitching change. Barbosa replaced Reed (5.2 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER) and had Turgeon ground out.

Falla delivered a two-out RBI single in the seventh that gave USF a 4-3 advantage. Mendez earned a free pass on a full count to begin the frame, bringing freshman Ryan Harris (Jupiter, Fla.) in for Gibson (1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 BB). Llerena pushed Mendez over with a sacrifice bunt and Ramsay moved Mendez to third with a grounder. Brazeal was plunked for runners on the corners and two down and Falla sliced a go-ahead single into left field that scored Mendez. Freshman Bobby Poyner (Wellington, Fla.) took over on the mound and had Gilcrease fly out to center field.

Junior Austin Adams relieved Barbosa (0.1 IP) prior to UF’s seventh turn at the plate and issued a leadoff walk to Gushue. Dent collected his team-leading ninth sacrifice bunt to advance Gushue into scoring position and Adams responded with back-to-back strikeouts of Fontana and Shafer.

Longley connected on his second blast of the game to open the eighth to give USF a 5-3 lead and Teaf walked to cause a pitching change. Sophomore Keenan Kish (Worcester, Pa.) took over for Poyner (0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R) and Teaf swiped second base. Kish struck out Taylor and Turgeon made a nice defensive play to rob Mendez off a single, advancing Teaf to third. Kish then fanned Llerena to strand the runner.

In the bottom of the inning, Tucker started things off with his 11th double of the season into left field and Adams (1.1 IP, 1 H, 3 K) struck out Zunino before Gonzalez entered the contest and walked junior Brian Johnson (Cocoa Beach, Fla.). A fielder’s choice by Pigott erased Tucker at third base for the second out and Gonzalez had Turgeon ground out to escape the jam.

Top-3 Finishes from McCumber and Vogel Lead Gators to Third Place Finish at SEC Championship

Juniors Tyler McCumber (Ponte Vedra, Fla.) and T.J. Vogel (Cooper City, Fla.) each posted third place finishes, leading the No. 23 University of Florida men’s golf team to a third place finish in the 2012 SEC Championship at Sea Island Golf Club. The Gators finished the tournament in 841 (+1) strokes, 13 behind Alabama.

“I’m proud of my team,” said head coach Buddy Alexander. “We battled hard all week and were pretty competitive all weekend. I feel that we have improved immensely from where we were at in the fall.”  

McCumber led the Gators on the day with a three-under, 67. McCumber got off to a rocky start with back-to-back bogeys on the second and third to drop from the red (-1) into the black (+1) for the tournament. The junior was able to get back to even for the tournament with a birdie at the par-4 fifth. After a par at the par-3 sixth, McCumber caught fire running off three-consecutive birdies to make the turn in 33 (-2). McCumber opened his back nine with a pair of pars before posting another birdie on the par-3 12th to get to three-under for his round. McCumber added his sixth birdie of the day on the par-5 15th but gave it back with a bogey on 18 to finish his tournament in 206 strokes, good for a tie for third, three strokes behind Justin Thomas of Alabama.

Joining McCumber at three-under for the tournament was Vogel, who shot a one-under, 69, in his final round. Vogel went out in one-under, 34, after a bogey on the par-3 third and birdies on the par 4 fifth and the par-3 sixth. After the turn, Vogel hit a rough patch making three-straight bogeys on 10, 11 and 12. Vogel kept his composure after the bogeys and responded strongly with birdies on the 13th, 14th and 15th to get back to one-under for the day and four-under for the Championship. After closing out the day with a trio of pars, Vogel earned his sixth top-five finish of the season.      

“I’m really proud of T.J. and Tyler,” Alexander said. “They did what All-Americans do, turn things around when they aren’t playing their best and post good numbers for their team.”

   

Senior Michael Furci (Sayville, N.Y.) added a second straight round of one-over, 71, to the team score for UF. Furci had a relatively quite first 13 holes, shooting 12 pars and a bogey. On his final five holes, Furci was more up-and-down with two bogeys countered by a pair of birdies, including one on the difficult par-4 18th. Furci finished the tournament in 215 strokes, a five-over total, good for a tie for 23rd place.  

Recording the last score for Florida was freshman J.D. Tomlinson (Gainesville, Fla.) who shot a 73 (+3). Tomlinson, who used a birdie against four bogeys in his third round, finished the tournament in a tie for 27th place after a three day total of 216 (+6).

Freshman Eric Banks (Truro, Canada) rounded out the Gator lineup with a five-over, 75, for a three day total of 224 (+14).

Hedberg Leads Gators to Fourth Place Finish at 2012 SEC Women's Golf Championship

In its best finish in the SEC Women’s Golf Championship since claiming first in 2008, UF finished in fourth place with a tournament total of 925 (307-305-313, +61) at Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Ark. The No. 15 Gators were powered by freshman Camilla Hedberg (Sitges, Spain) who carded a 54-hole total of 228 (76-74-78, +12) and finished in a tie for sixth individually.

“The course layout is tough to begin with, but the high winds made this course play extremely difficult today. The greens also dried out, contributing to the difficulties. It was a battle of who could limit their mistakes today,” head coach Jan Dowling explained. “Our goal this morning was to post a solid number and sit and wait. Our start didn't allow us to get the momentum we needed. Our putting, particularly on the front, caused the most problems for us.

“With all that said, our attitudes were tremendous throughout the entire tournament, which is a huge tribute to our finish. I am very proud of the team for staying tough and finishing fourth in a great conference. Our future is bright for the postseason, because this finish was a true team effort.”

Hedberg recorded her fourth top-10 finish of the season and placed the best of any UF golfer at the SEC Championship since 2009 when Jessica Yadloczky also tied for sixth.

“Camilla has to be excited for her top-10 finish in her first SEC Championship. She has continued to be a great contributor to our team and I am very happy for her,” said Dowling.

Junior Mia Piccio (Bacolod City, Philippines), who tied for the third-most pars over the weekend with 34, finished tied for 17th with a tournament total of 232 (79-74-79, +16). Piccio now has five top-15 finishes this season.

Senior Evan Jensen (Belleair, Fla.) finished in a tie for 26th after posting a 19-over 235 and junior Isabelle Lendl (Goshen, Conn.), who was second in par 3 scoring throughout the tournament, finished tied for 32nd with a 22-over 238.

To round out UF’s lineup, senior Andrea Watts (Bradenton, Fla.) finished tied for 44th with a 29-over 245.

Women's Tennis Defeats Georgia 4-1 and Wins SEC Tournament

Top-seeded Florida was pushed to the limit but showed its toughness and defeated third-seeded and seventh-ranked Georgia 4-1 to win the Southeastern Conference Tournament on Sunday held at Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center.

The SEC Tournament title, which is the Gator’s third straight, marks Florida’s 18th league postseason crown in the 26-year history of the event.

With the SEC Tournament Championship, Florida (21-1) earns the SEC’s automatic berth into the NCAA Championships. The 64-team field will be announced on Tue., May 1 at 5:30 p.m. ET on www.NCAA. com, with the names of the NCAA Singles & Doubles participants unveiled on May by 6 p.m.

Five of the six singles matches on Sunday went to a third set, as the Gators captured the thrilling victory after taking the doubles point and earning singles wins by Joanna Mather, who was named SEC Tournament MVP, Lauren Embree, who earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team, and Caroline Hitimana, who provided the clinching championship win.

“It feels great, and in particular because of the match we just played,” UF head coach Roland Thornqvist said. “That was the SEC’s finest right there, the two best teams in the league without a doubt.  It was high-level tennis from start to finish.  We had to execute again at the end at No. 1 doubles and we poached at the right time.  Then in singles there were five three-setters.  I think once again our fitness proved to perhaps make a little bit of a difference.  I think we got to them at 1 and 2, and certainly at 6 as well.  I’m just very pleased.”

Pigott's Three-Run Homer Lifts No. 1 UF Baseball To Series Win Over Georgia, 6-3

Senior Daniel Pigott (Ormond Beach, Fla.) cranked a three-run homer in the sixth inning that snapped a 3-3 tie and propelled No. 1 Florida (31-9/11-7 SEC) to a 6-3 victory over Georgia (24-17/8-10 SEC) in the deciding game of the Eastern Division rivals’ series in front of 4,492 fans on Sunday afternoon at McKethan Stadium.

Pigott (3-for-3) matched his career best by driving in four runs as the Gators claimed the regular-season series against the Bulldogs for the sixth-consecutive year. Junior Mike Zunino (Cape Coral, Fla.) was 2-for-4 with his team-leading 11th homer, sophomore Karsten Whitson (Chipley, Fla.) (2-0) picked up the win in relief and junior Austin Maddox (Jacksonville, Fla.) had a perfect ninth to secure his 11th save in 11 opportunities this season.

“I thought it was another one of those days where the whole team contributed,” head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “I thought that we got a really good start out of Hudson Randall; it was great to see him back on the mound. I thought, for the most part, all of the relievers came in and did a really, really nice job. It was nice to get Karsten [Whitson] out there again. Steven [Rodriguez] and Austin [Maddox] did a great job there at the end for the last five outs or so and I thought our hitters did a nice job. We didn’t strike out the entire game, and put the ball in play. I have to commend Georgia. They played outstanding defense all weekend long. It was a good SEC series.”

“All of these wins are important. We’re still two games back from Kentucky for the SEC lead. South Carolina continues to win so they’re tied with us in second place, and we are actually one game back from LSU. So, there are four of us within two games of the lead. The wins are all important, but it gives us momentum going into Tuesday night.”

Florida Gymnast Kytra Hunter is 2012 NCAA Vault Champion

University of Florida freshman Kytra Hunter collected her second event title of the NCAA Gymnastics Championships with her vault win Sunday in the individual event finals held in The Arena at Gwinnett Center. Hunter became the first Gator to win the NCAA all-around title on Friday evening and she is the only Gator to claim two event titles in a single year. In the 31-year history of the NCAA Gymnastics Championships, Hunter is the fifth to claim multiple NCAA titles as a freshman.

Did You Know…
Kytra Hunter is the fifth gymnast in the 31-year history of the NCAA Gymnastics Championships to win multiple NCAA event titles as a freshman.
Name	School	Year	NCAA Event Titles
Kytra Hunter	Florida	2012	AA, V
Courtney Kupets	Georgia	2006	AA, UB, BB
Kate Richardson	UCLA	2003	UB, BB
Theresa Kulikowski	Utah	1999	AA, BB
Hope Spivey	Georgia	1991	AA, V, FX

Her win keeps the vault title in Gainesville as junior Marissa King claimed the 2011 title in Cleveland, Ohio. This is the fourth time a Gator has picked up the vault title as Susan Hines was the 1997 and 1998 titlist.

Hunter was one of five Gators in Sunday’s event finals. She also tied for fourth in the floor exercise final with her mark of 9.925. King, appearing in her third consecutive NCAA vault final, took fifth with her average of 9.7875. Junior Ashanée Dickerson, making her second appearance in the NCAA floor final, shared sixth overall at 9.90. Sophomores Mackenzie Caquatto and Alaina Johnson each appeared in the NCAA uneven bars final. Caquatto tied for sixth at 9.825 and Johnson, after some trouble early in her routine, took eighth at 9.4875.

Both Hunter and King held an advantage over most of the 10 gymnasts entered Sunday’s event final. The format for the NCAA vault final requires the competitors to perform two different vaults. During the course of the regular season, the gymnasts perform only one vault so few train a second vault. A plus for both Gators in the vault competition was both could perform two different 10.0 value vaults.

Hunter, performing as the last competitor in the vault final, earned a 9.95 for the vault she competed all season, a Yurchenko one and a half. She earned a 9.80 for her Yurchenko full to give her the winning average of 9.875. Alabama’s Diandra Milliner was the vault runner-up at 9.825.

Florida’s five representatives in Sunday’s NCAA Individual Event Finals was the second-highest total among programs at the 2012 NCAA Championships. From left: Mackenzie Caquatto, Alaina Johnson, Marissa King, Ashanée Dickerson and Kytra Hunter.

One of just a handful of collegiate gymnasts regularly performing the considered more difficult Yurchenko one and a half vault, Hunter finds the more commonly seen Yurchenko full a bit unnerving.

“I don’t train it at all. But in the last week, we’ve been doing one or two in practice. I’m really scared of that vault (Yurchenko full). With the one and a half, I can spot my landing but that is harder for me to do with the full,” Hunter said. “I just went out there and did whatever I could. I’m honored that I can represent the University of Florida and bring back another title.”

Florida head coach Rhonda Faehn thought Hunter handled the two vault requirement very well.

“She was just amazing once again. She went out there and did exactly what she wanted to do in one vault. Her first vault was gorgeous once again and then for her to come out and do the second different vault pretty well is great because we just don’t train it all year long. For her to come away with the vault title is really something special for her to add to her all-around title.”

King was the only competitor Sunday performing Tsukahara vaults. King’s first vault — a Tsukahara one and a half — earned a 9.775 and her second – a Tsukahara full — earned a 9.80, to give her an average of 9.7875.

Earning a spot in the vault final was a credit to King’s ability on the event, as a groin pull limited King’s training following the team’s April 7 regional win. The first vaults King performed since regionals were during the team’s podium training on Thursday.

“It was a little bit tough today,” King said. “I landed a little bit low, but I had fun and it was great coming out here to compete today.”

Both Hunter and Dickerson turned in solid floor performances Sunday. Dickerson, who stuck her final two tumbling passes cold, said she had fun playing to the crowd and to her teammates Sunday.

“I felt like I had a good performance,” Dickerson said. “I had a lot of fun with the crowd and my teammates in the corner. They really boosted me.”

Caquatto made her first appearance in the NCAA event finals Sunday and said she enjoyed the experience. She said she could tell adrenaline was fueling the Gators’ performances on this final day of the meet.

Florida’s NCAA Event Champions
Name	Event	Year	Score
Kytra Hunter	All-Around	2012	39.725
	Vault	2012	9.8750
Marissa King	Vault	2011	9.8750
Betsy Hamm	Balance Beam	1998	9.8750
Susan Hines	Vault	1998	9.8625
	Vault	1997	9.8875
Maria Anz	Floor Exercise	1984	9.7000

 “I was pretty happy with my performance today. I went out there and did the best I could, so I don’t regret that,” Caquatto said. “I think everyone just had a lot of fun. It was our third day in a row competing so we were a little bit tired but everyone got their adrenaline going and did the best they could.”

Faehn thought the five Gator first-team All-Americans did well Sunday.

“All of our athletes did a great job today,” Faehn said. “It is exhausting and it is tough to do after two days of really rigorous competition. To come out on the third day and perform the way they did is a credit to them. They represented Florida extremely well.”

Georgia’s Kat Ding claimed her second consecutive NCAA uneven bars title at 9.9875 and also took the floor exercise win at 9.95. Alabama senior Geralen Stack-Eaton kept all the 2012 NCAA event titles in the Southeastern Conference with her balance beam win at 9.9375.