Career Days for Holston, Mann and Unroe Propel No. 5 Gators Past Texas A&M in Five-Set Thriller

Stellar performances by senior middle blocker Chloe Mann, freshman right-side hitter Alex Holston and junior libero Taylor Unroe pushed the No. 5 Gator volleyball team to a five-set victory (24-26, 25-23, 25-8, 24-26, 16-14) over Texas A&M Sunday afternoon at Reed Arena. It was Florida’s second straight five-set win at Texas A&M.

Unroe was unreal from behind the service line, smashing a career-high six service aces, including back-to-back aces to seal the match. Her serve on match point rolled off the top of the tape and dropped untouched to give the Gators the 16-14 fifth set victory.

Senior CLASS Award finalist and First Team All-American Mann had a career performance against the Aggies, crushing 22 kills Sunday, a new career high. Mann hit a match-high .606 and added three blocks for a career-high 24 points. Holston tallied a career-high 21 kills, including six in both the second and fourth sets, hitting .459 on the afternoon.

Gators' Rally Comes Up Short Against Georgia

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Georgia started fast, really fast, and ultimately had enough to finish off a Florida rally for a 23-20 win in their annual Southeastern Conference series at EverBank Field.

Quarterback Aaron Murray passed for 258 yards and a score, while tailback Todd Gurley, back in the lineup after missing three games with a sprained ankle, rushed for 100 yards and scored twice as the Bulldogs defeated the Gators a third straight time for the first time in 24 years.

For Florida (4-4, 3-3), the loss was its third straight and eliminated the Gators from the SEC East Division race.

The Murray-Gurley combo helped the Bulldogs (5-3, 4-2) build a 23-3 halftime lead after cranking out 355 yards in the first two quarters. That total came on the heels of the Gators surrendering 500 yards, including 205 on the ground, two weeks ago in a loss at Missouri.

UF, though, managed to battle back into the game by scoring 17 straight points to open the second half.

The game took a huge momentum swing early in the third period when Florida defensive tackle Leon Orr picked up a Murray pass, dropped by tight end Arthur Lynch in the back and ruled a lateral. Orr returned the ball to the UGA 16 and three plays later, UF tailback Mack Brown scored around left end on a 6-yard touchdown run. That made the score 23-10.

On Georgia's next offensive possession, UF cornerback Loucheiz Purifoy sacked Murray in the end zone for a safety. It was 23-12.

After the Bulldogs free kick, Gators quarterback Tyler Murphy moved his unit 50 yards in five plays, first racing 25 yards to the UGA 14, then going 14 yards for a touchdown. His two-point conversion pass to tight end Clay Burton drew UF to 23-20 with 14:20 to go.

And four minutes later, the Gators were back in Georgia territory with a first down, but went three-and-out, with the third-down play a 14-yard sack.

Florida punted the ball away at the 8:17 mark and never got the ball back, as Georgia ran the clock out with the game's final 18 plays.

The Bulldogs needed less than three minutes to score their first touchdown, a 5-yard run by Gurley, then needed just three plays to score the second, a 73-yard Murray-to-Gurley touchdown pass. Those drives, along with three field goals from Marshall Morgan, had the Bulldogs out to a 20-point lead.

Two drives, 147 yards and two touchdowns in less than six minutes.

Murray ran 17 yards on the game's first play and Gurley, who missed the previous three games with a sprained ankle, had a 25-yard run to the UF 5 and finished it off on the next play with a touchdown run.

The Gators had a chance to bounce back on their first possession after quarterback  Murphy hit Quinton Dunbar for an 83-yard bomb to the Georgia 9. But after freshman tailback Kelvin Taylor gained just two yards on third and goal, senior wide receiver Solomon Patton was flagged for a dead-ball unnecessary roughness penalty.

The infraction moved UF back 15 yards walk-on kicker Frakie Velez pushed a 40-yard field attempt wide to the right.

The Bulldogs faced a third-and-6 at their 23 when the Gators emptied their defense with an all-out blitz and left Gurley completely open for a checkdown. He caught Murray's dumpoff pass in stride and had nothing but open field for 50 yards, before evading one UF defender and taking the play the distance.

The Gators second offensive possession lasted six plays, went 18 yards and ended with a punt. The Bulldogs then drove 53 yards in 10 plays with Marshall Morgan kicking a 49-yard field goal for a 17-0 lead with just over two minutes to play in the opening period.

Morgan added a second field on Georgia's fourth possession, a 27-yarder early in the second quarter to cap a 6-play, 49-yard drive.

UF blew its second red-zone opportunity and was forced to settle for a field goal, Velez's 31-yard, that at least put the Gators on the board. That kick came six minutes into the second period.

Morgan negated the Florida's field goal with a 32-yarder, his third of the game, as time expired in the first half. Those points came after the Gators went for a fourth-and-10 at the Georgia 40 and failed to make the mark. In fact, the play failed to get back to the line of scrimmage. The pass went about six yards downfield, but Dunbar ran backward and ended up losing three yards.

No. 5 Florida Continues Hot Home Win Streak With Sweep of Lady Vols

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The No. 5 Gator volleyball squad used a sweep of Tennessee Sunday at the Stephen C. Connell Center (25-13, 25-21, 25-15) to continue its undefeated home streak and down the Lady Vols for the first time since 2010.

Sophomore Živa Recek had a hot hand for the Gators Sunday with a team-high 16 points, tallying 14 kills and three blocks in the Tennessee sweep. Recek notched a .857 hitting efficiency in the first set along with six of her 14 slams. Sophomore outside hitter Gabby Mallette hit .444 and chipped in with nine kills and a solo stuff for 10 points. Freshman right side Alex Holston tied Mallette with nine kills, second most for the Gators Saturday in the sweep.

Playing for Each Other has Gator Soccer Playing for SEC Title Thursday

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Becky Burleigh kept hearing throughout the season how close the Florida soccer team was. Much, much closer, she was told, than in recent years.

Fine, Burleigh said. Prove it. 

And prove it where it matters. 

“I don’t care what it means off the field,” she told them. “Show me what it means on the field.” 

For the last six matches, it’s meant some spectacular soccer, intertwined with a running narrative of communication, accountability and caring about one another. 

That’s how the sixth-ranked Gators have won six straight Southeastern Conference matches without surrendering a goal and why after a 2-2 start in league play they’ll head to Georgia Thursday with a chance to clinch a share of the SEC crown.

Should the Gators (14-3-1, 8-2 SEC) defeat the Bulldogs (12-5-1, 5-4-1 SEC), UF will finish the conference season at 9-2 and do no worse than claim a tie for the title with Texas A&M, which takes on LSU later Thursday night. 

Florida is seeking a third regular-season SEC championship in the last four seasons. That would be quite an achievement, given where the team sat just three weeks ago. 

“At the start of the season, things sort of got away from us,” senior midfielder Caroline Triglia said. “Now, after the weekend [with wins at Tennessee and home against A&M], we’re finally back in the driver’s seat. It’s gotten us really excited. Championships never get old and we can see this one off in the distance. We want it bad.” 

They’ve played like they do. 

And what’s put a smile on Burleigh’s face along the way is that the Gators played like Triglia wants it for Taylor Travis, who wants it for Tessa Andujar, who wants it for Claire Falknor, who wants it for Karina Gutsche, and so on and so on, all the way up the field. 

“Becky talks about it all the time,” junior goalkeeper Taylor Burke said. “If we care so much about each other -- and we do; this is a very closed-knit group -- then make it apparent on the field.” 

During this run of six straight shutout victories, Burleigh has seen microcosmic examples of caring for one another that have played out in each match. The totality of those instances have the Gators peaking at exactly the right time.

The postseason commences Monday with the SEC Tournament in Orange Beach, Ala., with NCAA bids to follow. 

“I really think they’ve been showing loyalty to one another with the way they defend hard for each other,” Burleigh said. “And with their trust. A trust, offensively, when they play a ball to someone who has a defender on their back; the trust that when you give someone the ball you’re going to get it back. I think those are all team-first actions. People are playing their roles, even though it may not be the role they specifically want. Overall, when you start showing those things on a consistent basis, it all starts to come together.” 

It’s been a special run of six games and 559 minutes of being really, really close -- and not giving up a single goal, the longest such streak since 2007. Clearly, there’s a correlation between the tightness and tautness this team is showing up with match after match. 

Now, the Gators look to reap the first wave of what they hope are a series of rewards and achievements. After all, despite playing some really on-point soccer, they haven’t accomplished anything tangible, yet. 

“We don’t have a title in hand, or anything really,” Triglia said. “But to come back from where we were? That’s something to build on. It’s hard to win that many straight games in the SEC, so I’m proud of our team and hoping we can finish strong. We’ve worked hard and deserve a shot at this championship.”

Gator Swimming and Diving Take Down Missouri in SEC Opening Dual

The University of Florida Swimming and Diving teams scored an impressive victory over Missouri in the SEC opening dual meet for both schools Columbia on Thursday.

The Gator men topped Missouri by a score of 169-130 and won 12 of 16 events. The women won the day by a score of 181-109, including 13 of 16 events. Senior Elizabeth Beisel (North Kingstown, R.I.) led the Gators with a pair of individual victories and a second place swim. On the men’s side, sophomore Corey Main (Auckland, New Zealand) had his hand in four total victories.

The men’s team (2-0, 1-0 SEC) now has consecutive victories over teams that placed in the top-18 at last year’s NCAA Championships. The women’s team (1-0, 1-0 SEC) will look to take today’s momentum into the weekend with a two-day dual against the University of California beginning on Saturday.

Early Season Speed: The Gator men rank in the top-five in the nation in 14 individual events and the top-three in the nation in all five relay events after three meets. The women’s team ranks in the top-five in the nation in eight individual events and the top-five in four relay events after two meets this year.  

Series History: Both Gator teams moved to 1-0 against Missouri in the programs’ first ever matchup. The two SEC foes will next compete against one another at the SEC Championships.

The Streak Continues: The UF men’s team extended its unbeaten streak in dual meets to 17 straight with Thursday’s victory. The Gators last dropped a dual in a Jan. 2011 meet against Auburn.

Sound Bites:

·         “Overall, I was pleased with how we raced top to bottom. We had some people racing for fifth or sixth, but we were real good about winning those races. That speaks volumes to the depth we are developing. That type of thing is good as we move forward in the season. A lot of the impressive swims were not actually wins. Some of the younger people and our veterans were in events that they are not used to swimming. We are in some situations where we have some focused races. That is very good because race skills translate into all events.”- Head Coach Gregg Troy

·         “Sebastien Rousseau continued to be very good about getting his hand on the wall. Mitch D’Arrigo’s 1000 freestyle was a little bit of a surprise. We weren’t quite sure of his range, but for him to go out like that was pretty impressive. On the women’s side, Elizabeth Beisel’s 1000 freestyle, and then to come right back out in the backstroke, was very good to see. Sinead Russell continues to be very solid and mechanical with her races. Overall it was a pretty good day.”- Head Coach Gregg Troy

Relay Magic:

·         The Gator women kicked off the day with a convincing first place finish in the 200 medley relay (1:41.36). Sophomore Sinead Russell (Burlington, Ontario, Canada) led off and was followed by senior Hilda Luthersdottir (Hafnarfjordur, Iceland), senior Ellese Zalewski (Melbourne, Australia) and sophomore Natalie Hinds (Midland, Texas).

·         The men equaled the women’s start, placing first behind the likes of Main, junior Eduardo Solaeche-Gomez (Madrid, Spain), senior Marcin Cieslak (Warsaw, Poland) and senior Brad deBorde (Longwood, Fla.). The foursome clocked in at 1:28.20.

·         The Gator women capped off the meet as the 400 relay team of sophomore Lindsey McKnight (Coral Springs, Fla.), Zalewski, Hinds and Russell delivered a time of 3:25.98.

·         The Gator men cashed in the second fastest 400 free relay (2:57.29) in the nation this season behind the quartet of Cieslak, deBorde, red-shirt senior Sebastien Rousseau (Cape Town, South Africa) and Main.

Distance Derby:

·         Beisel paved the way for the Gators in the 1000 free, throwing down the nation’s fastest time of 9:43.79. Sophomore Megan Rankin (Irvine, Calif.) touched in 10:02.69 for second.

·         Freshman Mitch D’Arrigo (Rome, Italy) won his second collegiate event, coasting to first in the 1000 free in a time of 9:08.55. Sophomore Arthur Frayler (Fort Washington, Pa.) placed second behind his teammate in a time of 9:11.64.

Backs to the Wall:

·         Beisel touched first in the 100 back with an NCAA B cut mark of 54.29.

·         Main scored his second victory of the year in the 100 back, touching in a NCAA B cut time of 48.03

·         Sophomore Ashlee Linn (Sarasota, Fla.) finished first in the 200 back with a mark of 2:01.17.

·         Rousseau out-touched Missouri’s Carter Griffin for a win in the 200 back (1:46.87).

Spirited Sprints:

·         Zalewski swept the sprint events, winning the 50 free in 23.30 and the 100 free in 50.32. The Gators turned in a 1-4 finish in the 100 free, as Hinds came in second in 50.54. Russell and sophomore Taylor Roy (Woodstock, Ga.) rounded it out for the Orange and Blue.

·         deBorde touched in 20.49 in the splash-and-dash, the fastest time in the field.

·         Main won the 100 free in 45.13, giving him five individual victories on the season in different events.

Breaststroke Breakdown:

·         Missouri’s Sam Tierney notched a victory in the 100 breast (55.13). Cieslak and junior Ricky Munch (Clifton, Va.) followed behind in 55.56 and 56.02, respectively. Cieslak’s time was a career low for him in the event.

·         The Tigers picked up a win in the 100 breast behind freshman Katherine Ross (1:01.90). Luthersdottir placed second in 1:03.05.

·         Luthersdottir led a 1-2 charge in the 200 breast, beating Beisel by .07 with a time of 2:16.65.

·         Elliott is now a perfect three for three in the 200 breast, breaking the two-minute barrier for the first time this season (1:58.25) and also picking up an NCAA B cut.

Fast Flying:

·         Freshman Taylor Katz (Sarasota, Fla.) earned her second career victory, winning the 200 butterfly in a time of 2:02.68. Katz was trailed by a quartet of Gators: junior Jordan Smith (Longwood, Fla.), junior Summer Stephens (Louisville, Ky.) and Roy.

·         Solaeche-Gomez (1:47.85) notched his first 200 fly win of the year, notching an NCAA B cut along the way. Wallace placed second with a time of 1:48.98.

·         Cieslak picked up his second win of the season in the 100 fly after dropping a time of 47.50 and narrowly topping his NCAA best 47.36.

Mid Distance:

·         McKnight tallied her first second win of the season and first of the year in the 500 free (4:52.48). McKnight spearheaded a 1-5 finish in front of senior Alicia Mathieu (Marlborough, Conn.), junior Molly Dubrasky (Estero, Fla.), Katz and freshman Autumn Finke (Clearwater, Fla.).

·         Wallace now boasts the two fastest times in the country in the 500 free after touching in a time of 4:24.25. Teammate junior Carlos Omana (Miami, Fla.) registered a second place swim in 4:32.43.

·         Rousseau capitalized in the 200 free, winning in a time of 1:46.87.

Medley Madness:

·         Rebecca Rainer (Richmond, Va.) led the Gators in the 400 IM, finishing the fastest of her five teammates with a time of 4:24.40. Smith notched a time of 4:24.51 and freshman Danielle Valley (Bradenton, Fla.) notched a time of 4:24.97.

·         Elliott scored his second win of the meet and first in the 400 IM this season with a time of 3:55.50. Senior Connor Signorin (East Windsor, N.J.) came in second in a time of 3:57.24.

Diving Results:

·         Sophomore Kahlia Warner (Queensland, Australia) scored her second one-meter victory of the year, winning with a six-line total of 275.93. Warner held off fellow classmate Missouri’s Lauren Reedy (274.35), but Reedy (295.50) returned the favor by narrowly outscoring Warner (293.25) on the three-meter.  

·         Red-shirt sophomore Zach Hernandez (Johns Creek, Ga.) placed third (304.50) behind the 2013 SEC Champion David Bonuchi on the three-meter.

Next up: The Gator women will continue on to Berkley, Calif., to compete in a two-day dual meet with California. The Golden Bears placed second at last year’s NCAA Championships and were NCAA Champions in 2011 and 2012. The Gator men will be idle until both teams host Georgia at the O’Connell Center on Nov. 1.

No. 2 Gators Grind Out 3-1 Win at Arkansas for Seventh SEC Victory

The No. 2 Florida volleyball team downed Arkansas 3-1 (22-25, 25-18, 25-20, 25-16) Friday at Barnhill Arena, its 12th-straight win over the Hogs, to remain perfect in Southeastern Conference play.

The Orange and Blue used double-digit kills from four different players to defeat Arkansas while sophomore middle blocker Simone Antwi notched a team-high 16.5 points to go with a squad-best .478 hitting efficiency to grind out the victory at Arkansas before the Gators head to undefeated Missouri on Sunday.

Gators Fall in First Trip to Missouri

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Florida's offensive struggles continued Saturday in a 36-17 road loss at unbeaten Missouri.

Redshirt freshman Maty Mauk, making the first start of his career, passed for 295 yards against the Southeastern Conference top-rated defense, placekicker Andrew Baggett tied a school record with five field goals and UF quarterback Tyler Murphy was punished and panicked all day as the 14th-ranked Tigers dominated the No. 22 Gators at Faurot Field.

In losing for the second straight week on the road, the Gators (4-3, 3-2) gained just 151 yards of total offense and now have scored just one touchdown the last two games. UF lost 17-6 last weekend at LSU, managing just two field goals.

Murphy was under siege the entire game, with the Gators mostly helpless in the running game (31 carries, 59 yards) and the offense providing no time in pass protection. Murphy finished 15 of 29 for 92 yards and an interception against a Missouri (7-0, 3-0) defense that was perpetual attack mode during the entire sun-splashed afternoon. Murphy was sacked six times and hit a bunch more.

Florida's best offensive output of the game came on a six-play, 70-yard drive that true freshman tailback Kelvin Taylor capped with a all-out effort 21-yard touchdown run, the first score of his career. Taylor finished with 74 yards on 12 carries. The rest of UF's rushing attack totaled 15 yards on 19 carries.

Mauk, meanwhile, completed 18 of his 36 throws, including a 20-yard touchdown on the game's second play from scrimmage. Mauk also had a 17-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter.

The foamer was a tone-setter for the day and came after Mauk hit wideout L'Damian Washington on the first play of the game for a 52-yard completion over true freshman cornerback Vernon Hargreaves. If that wasn't bad enough, UF safety Cody Riggs, who came with help on the play, was flagged for a "targeting" violation and ejected.

It was downhill from there, in Florida's first game ever in the Show Me State.

The Gators answered Mizzou's touchdown with a 23-yard field goal from Frankie Velez, thanks to a muffed punt by MU return man Marcus Murphy.

Baggett canceled out Velez's field goal with a 43-yard of his own. That score was set up after UF true freshman wideout Demarcus Robinson let a wide-open pass from Murphy skip through his arms and into the hands of MU cornerback Aarion Penton, who returned it seven yards to the UF 46.

The score was 13-3 at halftime, but UF's Solomon Patton started the second half with a 100-yard kickoff return that quickly made it a 13-10 game.

Undeterred, Mauk hit wideout Jimmie Hunt for a 52-yard completion on Mizzou's second offensive play of the half, and three plays later Josey scored on a 6-yard on third-and-5 to stake the lead back to 10.

Baggett's third field goal, a 39-yarder, pushed the margin to 23-10, but the Gators put together their best drive in two weeks: six plays, 70 yards, with Taylor dashing in from 21 yards out to make the score 23-17.

But Josey took off on a 50-yard run to set up field goal No. 4 from Baggett. His fifth came early in the fourth quarter.

If the game wasn't out of reach there, Murphy's fumble deep in his own territory did, with Mauk scoring his 17-yard run for a 36-17 lead with 6:30 to go.

Gators' Recruiting Class Ranked No. 1 by Baseball America

Head coach Kevin O'Sullivan's incoming class for the University of Florida baseball team was ranked No. 1 in the nation by Baseball America on Thursday. The group had previously been chosen No. 1 by Collegiate Baseball in September. This marks the second time during O’Sullivan’s tenure that Baseball America has given the Gators the nod as the top class, also accomplishing the feat in 2009.

Baseball America's Aaron Fitt wrote: “Over the last half-decade, Florida has out-recruited just about everybody, helping the Gators elevate their program to new heights. This is coach Kevin O’Sullivan’s sixth consecutive top-25 class at Florida, and his fourth top-10 class in that span. Florida’s trips to Omaha have helped make the Gators a recruiting juggernaut, and so has their ability to develop top-tier talent.”

“In 2010, we had five guys that have gotten to the big leagues: (Paco) Rodriguez, (Kevin) Chapman, (Nick) Maronde, (Mike) Zunino and (Matt) den Dekker,” O’Sullivan told the publication. “The more success you’ve had with players, that helps you with the next class coming in. Players want to win a national championship, but they also want to know they’ll have a chance to develop and get to the big leagues.”

Of the 17 new recruits which were brought in this fall by the Gators, eight were drafted by professional baseball last June — the highest number of drafted players ever landed in a Florida recruiting class. The group includes 15 freshmen and two junior college transfers.

The Gators had eight signees from June's Draft who are now enrolled in school, as right-hander Brett Morales (Tampa, Fla.) was chosen in the 24th round with the 735th choice by the Cincinnati Reds, right-hander Logan Shore (Coon Rapids, Minn.) was taken in the 29th round with the 860th pick by the Minnesota Twins, right-hander Dane Dunning (Fleming Island, Fla.) was tabbed 1,015th overall in the 34th round by the Toronto Blue Jays, left-hander/first baseman A.J. Puk (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) was chosen by the Detroit Tigers in the 35th round with the 1,056th choice, outfielder Buddy Reed (Finksburg, Md.) was taken in the 35th round by the Texas Rangers at number 1,060, left-hander Scott Moss (Deltona, Fla.) was chosen by the Colorado Rockies with the 1,129th pick in the 38th round, infielder John Sternagel (Rockledge, Fla.) was picked in the 39h round by the Kansas City Royals at No. 1,164 and right-hander Shaun Anderson (Coral Springs, Fla.) went 1,216th overall to the Washington Nationals during the 40th round.

Last season, the Gators advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth year in a row, matching the longest run in school history. Florida is scheduled to begin fall practice on Saturday, Oct. 12, at McKethan Stadium and will open its 2014 campaign on Feb. 14 in Gainesville.

Season tickets for the 2014 Gator Baseball season are on sale and can be purchased online at www.GatorZone.com/tickets or by calling the Gator Ticket Office at 1-800-34-GATOR from 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

For all of the latest information on Florida baseball, log on to http://www.gatorzone.com/baseball/ or follow the team’s Twitter account @GatorZoneBB at www.twitter.com/GatorZoneBB.

Baseball America's Recruiting Rankings

Rank	School
1.	FLORIDA
2.	Texas
3.	South Carolina
4.	Oklahoma State
5.	Oregon State
6.	Miami (FL)
7.	Oregon
8.	Ole Miss
9.	Mississippi State
10.	Oklahoma
11.	Nebraska
12.	Cal State Fullerton

Gator Swimming and Diving Take Down Missouri in SEC Opening Dual

The University of Florida Swimming and Diving teams scored an impressive victory over Missouri in the SEC opening dual meet for both schools Columbia on Thursday.

The Gator men topped Missouri by a score of 169-130 and won 12 of 16 events. The women won the day by a score of 181-109, including 13 of 16 events. Senior Elizabeth Beisel (North Kingstown, R.I.) led the Gators with a pair of individual victories and a second place swim. On the men’s side, sophomore Corey Main (Auckland, New Zealand) had his hand in four total victories.

The men’s team (2-0, 1-0 SEC) now has consecutive victories over teams that placed in the top-18 at last year’s NCAA Championships. The women’s team (1-0, 1-0 SEC) will look to take today’s momentum into the weekend with a two-day dual against the University of California beginning on Saturday.

Early Season Speed: The Gator men rank in the top-five in the nation in 14 individual events and the top-three in the nation in all five relay events after three meets. The women’s team ranks in the top-five in the nation in eight individual events and the top-five in four relay events after two meets this year.  

Series History: Both Gator teams moved to 1-0 against Missouri in the programs’ first ever matchup. The two SEC foes will next compete against one another at the SEC Championships.

The Streak Continues: The UF men’s team extended its unbeaten streak in dual meets to 17 straight with Thursday’s victory. The Gators last dropped a dual in a Jan. 2011 meet against Auburn.

Sound Bites:

·         “Overall, I was pleased with how we raced top to bottom. We had some people racing for fifth or sixth, but we were real good about winning those races. That speaks volumes to the depth we are developing. That type of thing is good as we move forward in the season. A lot of the impressive swims were not actually wins. Some of the younger people and our veterans were in events that they are not used to swimming. We are in some situations where we have some focused races. That is very good because race skills translate into all events.”- Head Coach Gregg Troy

·         “Sebastien Rousseau continued to be very good about getting his hand on the wall. Mitch D’Arrigo’s 1000 freestyle was a little bit of a surprise. We weren’t quite sure of his range, but for him to go out like that was pretty impressive. On the women’s side, Elizabeth Beisel’s 1000 freestyle, and then to come right back out in the backstroke, was very good to see. Sinead Russell continues to be very solid and mechanical with her races. Overall it was a pretty good day.”- Head Coach Gregg Troy

Relay Magic:

·         The Gator women kicked off the day with a convincing first place finish in the 200 medley relay (1:41.36). Sophomore Sinead Russell (Burlington, Ontario, Canada) led off and was followed by senior Hilda Luthersdottir (Hafnarfjordur, Iceland), senior Ellese Zalewski (Melbourne, Australia) and sophomore Natalie Hinds (Midland, Texas).

·         The men equaled the women’s start, placing first behind the likes of Main, junior Eduardo Solaeche-Gomez (Madrid, Spain), senior Marcin Cieslak (Warsaw, Poland) and senior Brad deBorde (Longwood, Fla.). The foursome clocked in at 1:28.20.

·         The Gator women capped off the meet as the 400 relay team of sophomore Lindsey McKnight (Coral Springs, Fla.), Zalewski, Hinds and Russell delivered a time of 3:25.98.

·         The Gator men cashed in the second fastest 400 free relay (2:57.29) in the nation this season behind the quartet of Cieslak, deBorde, red-shirt senior Sebastien Rousseau (Cape Town, South Africa) and Main.

Distance Derby:

·         Beisel paved the way for the Gators in the 1000 free, throwing down the nation’s fastest time of 9:43.79. Sophomore Megan Rankin (Irvine, Calif.) touched in 10:02.69 for second.

·         Freshman Mitch D’Arrigo (Rome, Italy) won his second collegiate event, coasting to first in the 1000 free in a time of 9:08.55. Sophomore Arthur Frayler (Fort Washington, Pa.) placed second behind his teammate in a time of 9:11.64.

Backs to the Wall:

·         Beisel touched first in the 100 back with an NCAA B cut mark of 54.29.

·         Main scored his second victory of the year in the 100 back, touching in a NCAA B cut time of 48.03

·         Sophomore Ashlee Linn (Sarasota, Fla.) finished first in the 200 back with a mark of 2:01.17.

·         Rousseau out-touched Missouri’s Carter Griffin for a win in the 200 back (1:46.87).

Spirited Sprints:

·         Zalewski swept the sprint events, winning the 50 free in 23.30 and the 100 free in 50.32. The Gators turned in a 1-4 finish in the 100 free, as Hinds came in second in 50.54. Russell and sophomore Taylor Roy (Woodstock, Ga.) rounded it out for the Orange and Blue.

·         deBorde touched in 20.49 in the splash-and-dash, the fastest time in the field.

·         Main won the 100 free in 45.13, giving him five individual victories on the season in different events.

Breaststroke Breakdown:

·         Missouri’s Sam Tierney notched a victory in the 100 breast (55.13). Cieslak and junior Ricky Munch (Clifton, Va.) followed behind in 55.56 and 56.02, respectively. Cieslak’s time was a career low for him in the event.

·         The Tigers picked up a win in the 100 breast behind freshman Katherine Ross (1:01.90). Luthersdottir placed second in 1:03.05.

·         Luthersdottir led a 1-2 charge in the 200 breast, beating Beisel by .07 with a time of 2:16.65.

·         Elliott is now a perfect three for three in the 200 breast, breaking the two-minute barrier for the first time this season (1:58.25) and also picking up an NCAA B cut.

Fast Flying:

·         Freshman Taylor Katz (Sarasota, Fla.) earned her second career victory, winning the 200 butterfly in a time of 2:02.68. Katz was trailed by a quartet of Gators: junior Jordan Smith (Longwood, Fla.), junior Summer Stephens (Louisville, Ky.) and Roy.

·         Solaeche-Gomez (1:47.85) notched his first 200 fly win of the year, notching an NCAA B cut along the way. Wallace placed second with a time of 1:48.98.

·         Cieslak picked up his second win of the season in the 100 fly after dropping a time of 47.50 and narrowly topping his NCAA best 47.36.

Mid Distance:

·         McKnight tallied her first second win of the season and first of the year in the 500 free (4:52.48). McKnight spearheaded a 1-5 finish in front of senior Alicia Mathieu (Marlborough, Conn.), junior Molly Dubrasky (Estero, Fla.), Katz and freshman Autumn Finke (Clearwater, Fla.).

·         Wallace now boasts the two fastest times in the country in the 500 free after touching in a time of 4:24.25. Teammate junior Carlos Omana (Miami, Fla.) registered a second place swim in 4:32.43.

·         Rousseau capitalized in the 200 free, winning in a time of 1:46.87.

Medley Madness:

·         Rebecca Rainer (Richmond, Va.) led the Gators in the 400 IM, finishing the fastest of her five teammates with a time of 4:24.40. Smith notched a time of 4:24.51 and freshman Danielle Valley (Bradenton, Fla.) notched a time of 4:24.97.

·         Elliott scored his second win of the meet and first in the 400 IM this season with a time of 3:55.50. Senior Connor Signorin (East Windsor, N.J.) came in second in a time of 3:57.24.

Diving Results:

·         Sophomore Kahlia Warner (Queensland, Australia) scored her second one-meter victory of the year, winning with a six-line total of 275.93. Warner held off fellow classmate Missouri’s Lauren Reedy (274.35), but Reedy (295.50) returned the favor by narrowly outscoring Warner (293.25) on the three-meter.  

·         Red-shirt sophomore Zach Hernandez (Johns Creek, Ga.) placed third (304.50) behind the 2013 SEC Champion David Bonuchi on the three-meter.

Next up: The Gator women will continue on to Berkley, Calif., to compete in a two-day dual meet with California. The Golden Bears placed second at last year’s NCAA Championships and were NCAA Champions in 2011 and 2012. The Gator men will be idle until both teams host Georgia at the O’Connell Center on Nov. 1.

No. 12 Gator soccer takes 1-0 double overtime win at Mississippi State

For the second consecutive Friday, the Florida soccer team was taken to overtime, but tonight the Gators took the 1-0 double overtime win at Mississippi State at the MSU Soccer Field. It was the first overtime win for Florida in 2013, as the Gators are now 1-1-1 in OT this season.

Did You Know…
Tonight’s score was the fifth latest golden goal in the Gator program’s 19-year history.
Time	Date	Match	Goal Scorer
134:50	11/10/96	Arkansas	Sarah Yohe
119:04	12/02/01	UCLA	Monica Hoyles
109:07	9/15/00	Southern California	Abby Wambach
108.58	11/7/04	Tennessee	Monica Hoyles
108:51	10/11/13	Mississippi State	Savannah Jordan
106:50	11/16/03	Mississippi	Ashley Kellgren
106:30	10/5/97	Butler	Angie Olson
106:12	8/20/10	Miami	Taylor Travis
106:02	11/9/07	LSU	Shana Hudson

The winner came when junior Lauren Silver served the ball into the box from deep in the MSU half. Freshman Savannah Jordan headed in the golden goal in the 109^th minute. Of her 13 goals this season, tonight’s was her first collegiate overtime winner.

Although the Gators outshot the Bulldogs 25-8 Friday, both Gator goalkeepers made key saves to earn the combined shutout. Senior Elisabeth Sullivan, who entered tonight’s match tied with Jordan for second in the SEC with 12 goals, broke free on a counter attack in the 20^th minute and had a 1v1 situation with Taylor Burke. Burke blocked the hard shot, but the rebound rolled backwards toward the goal. She scrambled back to secure the ball just before it crossed the line.

In the second half, Dana Forbes made space to take a hard shot in the 88^th minute but Nora Neset Gjøen stepped up to make the save.