Beisel, Dwyer and Lochte Add Events to World Championship Slate on Final Night of US Nationals

The Gators closed out the 2013 Phillips 66 National Championships on a high note with 10 swimmers competing during the finals. Florida had three swimmers make the US World Championships Team that will compete in Barcelona July 27-August 4 in a total of eight events.

                                                                                                                                   

With her third appearance in the A-Finals this week, junior Elizabeth Beisel (North Kingstown, R.I.) grabbed second in the finals of the 200 IM after clocking in at 2:12.11. With the second place finish, the 200 IM will be her second event for the World Championships in Barcelona as she previously qualified in the 400 IM.

The men’s 200 IM included former Gators Ryan Lochte and Conor Dwyer. Swimming a dominating race was Lochte, who won the 200 IM in 1:55.44 which is the fourth fastest time in the world this year. Dwyer touched second with a time of 1:57.74 to complete the Gator sweep as both will compete in the event in Barcelona.

Lochte qualified for the World Championships in a men’s team high four individual events and he was also selected to swim on the 4x100 free relay. He was the high point winner for men at the National Championships with three event victories and one second place finish. Dwyer will compete in the 200 free and 200 IM at the World Championships.

Representing the Orange and Blue in the distance freestyle events were junior Alicia Mathieu (Marlborough, Conn.) and freshman Arthur Frayler (Fort Washington, Pa.). Mathieu continued to have a great meet as she swam to a dominating victory in her heat of the women’s 1,500 free and finished fifth overall. Mathieu touched the wall in a personal-best 16:19.62 to scorch her previous personal-best 16:33 and set a new school record.

On the men’s side, Frayler dove in for the 800 free during the finals. He clocked in with a personal-best time of 8:02.31 to finish sixth overall.  

Four Gators made it into the B-Finals of their respective events. Freshman Ashlee Linn (Southfield, Mich.) stopped the clock in a time of 2:20.34 to finish 16th in the 200 IM. Then swimming in the B-Final of the men’s 200 IM was junior Connor Signorin (East Windsor, N.J.) and sophomore Carlos Omana (Miami, Fla.). Signorin finished 13^th with his time of 2:03.61 and Omana came in 15^th after posting a time of 2:03.86.

In the 50 free, junior Brad deBorde (Longwood, Fla.) finished 12^th with his time of 22.94 in the B-Final. Competing in the C-Final for the women was freshman Natalie Hinds (Midland, Texas). Hinds won the heat with a personal-best time of 25.61.

In finals action at the British World Trials, sophomore Dan Wallace (North Berwick, Scotland) competed in the men’s 200m IM where he finished third with a time of 1:59.00. His time set a new Scottish National record in the event.

Murphy goes to the Bulls

Florida forward Erik Murphy was selected 49th overall by the Chicago Bulls in the 2013 NBA Draft.

Murphy will join another former Gator, Joakim Noah, on a team that reached the second round of the NBA playoffs last season. 

Murphy is the 35th overall player drafted in Florida history and the 17th player drafted under current coach Billy Donovan. The 6-foot-10 forward averaged 12.2 points per game as a senior and shot a Southeastern-Conference best 45.3 percent (72-159) from 3-point range. He scored 1,052 points in his UF career.

"I'm really proud of Erik,” Donovan said. “He has worked hard to reach this point and has a great opportunity in front of him.”

Murphy projects as a stretch power-forward in the NBA and should help open up the floor for Chicago post players Noah and Carlos Boozer. He'll also help open up lanes to the basket for Bulls point guard Derrick Rose, who was sidelined the entire 2012-13 season while recovering from a torn ACL.

Gator Athletics Program Finishes Second in the Nation

A dozen top-10 finishes in national championship action – including a pair NCAA titles - led the University of Florida athletics program to its second consecutive second-place finish in the 2012-13 Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup. The finish matches Florida’s highest ever in the annual all-sports rankings and marks Florida’s fifth consecutive top-four finish in the rankings. Two NCAA titles highlighted Florida’s finishes, as seven teams placed among the nation’s top five.

2012-13 Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup Standings
Rank	School	Total
1.	Stanford	1261.25
2.	FLORIDA	1244.75
3.	UCLA	1227.25
4.	Michigan	1138.25
5.	Texas A&M	1131.50
6.	Penn State	1100.00
7.	Oklahoma	1078.25
8.	North Carolina	1075.33
9.	Notre Dame	1015.50
10.	Georgia	1006.75

Florida is the only program to finish among the nation’s top 10 in each of the last 30 national all-sports standings. The Gator program also was second in 2011-12 and 2009-10 and tied for second in 1997-98.

The Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup, presented annually by the nation’s athletics directors, recognizes the schools with the best overall sports performances in an academic year. Points are awarded based on finishes and participation in 20 NCAA Division I sports. Stanford received its 19th consecutive Directors’ Cup at the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) convention earlier this month. UCLA was third followed by Michigan.

The 16.5 point margin between first and second is the closest in the 21-year history of the Directors’ Cup.

Florida’s 12 top-10 national team finishes in 2012-13 equals the third-highest in school history, as at least 10 Gator teams have turned in top-10 finishes in each of the last 12 seasons. The program’s record of 14 top-10 finishes came in 2009-10.

Gymnastics and men’s outdoor track & field claimed NCAA titles in 2013. Florida became the fifth program to win a NCAA team title at the national championship held in April in Los Angeles. The Gator men’s track & field claimed a share of its second consecutive NCAA Outdoor title with three event wins on the final day– triple jump, 4x100- and 4x400-meter relays.

The complete list of Florida's 2012-13 top-10 teams includes:

·         Gymnastics (No. 1)

·         Men’s Outdoor Track & Field (No. T-1)

·         Men’s Indoor Track & Field (No. 2)

·         Women’s Tennis (No. T-3)

·         Men’s Basketball (No. T-5)

·         Lacrosse (No. T-5)

·         Softball (No. T-5)

·         Men’s Swimming & Diving (No. 6)

·         Women’s Swimming & Diving (No. 6)

·         Soccer (No. T-9)

·         Volleyball (No. T-9)

·         Football (No. 9 AP)

“What a season for the Gators. There was so much to celebrate right from the beginning of the fall all the way through the final competition of the spring. It was certainly fun to see the Gator gymnasts raise their first NCAA title trophy and the men’s outdoor track & field team claim their second-straight championship,” Florida Athletics Director Jeremy Foley said. “To finish second in the Directors’ Cup requires many Gator teams to advance and perform well in NCAA Championship action. We certainly appreciate and applaud the effort shown by our student-athletes and coaches as they compete among the nation’s best.”

In Southeastern Conference action, Florida equaled the record with eight league crowns in 2012-13 action (men’s basketball, women’s cross country, gymnastics, soccer, softball, men’s swimming & diving, women’s tennis and volleyball). UF has now has a total of 213 SEC titles since the league began in 1932 and 116 of those SEC titles have come under Foley’s watch. In addition, the lacrosse team won its third consecutive American Lacrosse Conference title in just the program’s fourth year. Florida swept the Halifx Media Group Southeastern Conference All-Sports Titles for the 13th time in 2012-13.

Individually, 16 Gators claimed a total of 10 NCAA individual titles in 2013. Junior Eddie Lovett won the 60-meter hurdles and sophomore Marquis Dendy took the indoor long jump title. At the NCAA Outdoor meet, three event titles went to the Gators on the meet’s final day. Senior Omar Craddock claimed his second consecutive NCAA triple jump title. Antwan Wright, Hugh Graham, Jr., Leonardo Seymore and Dedrick Dukes won the 4x100-meter relay title. The team title was sealed with Florida’s 4x400-meter win by Najee Glass, Graham, Jr., Dukes and Arman Hall.

Junior Elizabeth Beisel, a two-time Olympic medalist at the 2012 Games, took the 400 individual medley win at the NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships. The quartet of Pawel Werner, Sebastien Rousseau, Marcin Cieslak and Dan Wallace combined to win Florida’s second NCAA 800 free relay title of the last three years. At the NCAA Gymnastics Championships, freshman Bridget Sloan took both the all-around and balance beam titles. Junior teammate Alaina Johnson became the first Gator to claim the NCAA uneven bars crown with her win.

Florida was also successful away from the athletic arena in 2012-13. A total of three UF student-athletes earned Capital One Academic All-America honors and Beisel was named the 2012 Capital One At-Large Academic All-American of the Year. Of the top 10 programs in the 2012-13 Learfield Sports Director’s Cup Standings, Florida is one of seven to post a NCAA Graduation Success Rate of 82 percent or higher in 2012.

Aaron Hernandez Arrested by Police and Released from Patriots

New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez has been the focus of a murder investigation since semi-professional football player Odin Lloyd was found dead in an industrial park near Hernandez's home. Apparently there is enough evidence pointing in Hernandez's direction, as he has been taken into custody in connection with the crime.

Williams-Mills Makes Jamaican History, Gators Wrap Up USAs

Gator track & field athletes wrapped up competition at the 2013 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships Sunday, while three-time Olympian Novlene Williams-Mills was making history over at the JAAA Senior National Championships.

Williams-Mills, a five-time World Championships medalist, racked up her seventh Jamaican national championship in the women’s 400 meters, racing to a winning time of 50.01 and stamping her ticket to Moscow. She is the 10th Gator to punch her ticket to the World Championships.

Three-time NCAA Champion Dedric Dukes (Miami, Fla.) made the finals of the men’s 200, coming in as the youngest athlete in the field and the only returning collegian for the 2013-14 season. Dukes finished eighth in the final in 20.45 and raced to a semifinal time of 20.73.

The event served as qualification for the 14th IAAF World Outdoor Championships in Moscow, Russia, August 10-18, 2013. The top three finishers in each event at the USA Outdoor Championships advance to Moscow, provided the athlete has the A or B standard in his or her respective event. If the athlete does not have the standard but finishes in the top three, the athlete may “standard chase,” which means athlete needs to turn in at least a B standard at a USATF-sanctioned event to earn the opportunity to compete in Moscow.

There were 11 members of the 2013 Florida track & field rosters competing at the 2013 USA Outdoor Championships and two at the USA Junior Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Five-time USTFCCCA National Men’s Coach of the Year Mike Holloway is the head men’s coach for Team USA this summer. Holloway was a member of the Team USA coaching staff at the 2012 Olympic Games, working as the sprints and hurdles coach in London.

Police again search home of Patriots' Hernandez

NORTH ATTLEBORO, Mass. — State police officers and dogs searched the home of New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez again Saturday as they continue to investigate the killing of a semi-pro football player whose body was found nearby.
The search of Hernandez's sprawling home and vehicle in North Attleboro began in the afternoon lasted for more than three hours and involved several officers, including one with a crowbar, and locksmiths.
Detectives and uniformed officers who searched the home, its backyard and playhouse did not comment to reporters on what they were looking for or what caused them to return to the house located not far from where the Patriots practice.
Police have previously searched in and around the home as they try to figure out who killed Odin Lloyd.
A jogger found Lloyd's body in an industrial park about a mile from Hernandez's home on Monday. Family members said Friday that Lloyd had been dating the sister of Hernandez's fiancee for about two years. They said the two men were friends who were together the night Lloyd died.
Authorities have ruled Lloyd's death a homicide.
A spokeswoman for the Bristol District Attorney's office declined to comment on the investigation Saturday. A state police spokesman referred questions to the district attorney's office.
An attorney for Hernandez has said he would not comment on the searches.
Police in nearby Providence, R.I., said they had assisted Massachusetts state police and North Attleborough police with activity related to the Hernandez investigation at a strip club named Club Desire. It was unclear if they believed Lloyd and Hernandez might have been at the club in the days before Lloyd died. A reporter was escorted out of the club Friday afternoon before she could speak with employees or patrons.
On Friday, Attleboro District Court clerk magistrate Mark E. Sturdy said three search warrants had been issued in the investigation earlier in the week but have not been returned, meaning they're not public. He said no arrest warrants had been filed in state courts by the time court closed at 4:30 p.m. Friday. Courts were closed Saturday.
Patriots spokesman Stacey James has said the team does not anticipate commenting publicly during the police investigation. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was waiting for the legal process to take its course.
The murder investigation is already hitting Hernandez financially.
CytoSport, a Benicia, Calif.-based company that makes Muscle Milk and other supplements for athletes, said Friday it was ending Hernandez's endorsement contract, effective immediately, because of the investigation.
The Patriots drafted Hernandez out of Florida in 2010. Since then, he has combined with Rob Gronkowski to form one of the top tight end duos in the NFL. He missed 10 games last season with an ankle injury and had shoulder surgery in April but is expected to be ready for training camp. Last summer, the Patriots gave him a five-year contract worth $40 million.
Hernandez said after he was drafted that he had failed a drug test while with the Gators and had been upfront with NFL teams about the issue.
Earlier this week, a man filed a lawsuit in South Florida claiming Hernandez shot him in the face after they argued at a strip club there.

Several Former Gator Baseball Players Enter Professional Ranks

Right-hander Jonathon Crawford (Okeechobee, Fla.), shortstop Cody Dent (Boynton Beach, Fla.), left-hander Daniel Gibson (Lutz, Fla.) and outfielder Taylor Ratliff (Perry, Fla.) from the 2013 Gator baseball team each recently signed a professional contract.

Selected by the Detroit Tigers in the first round with the 20th selection in the Major League Baseball Draft, Crawford has been assigned to the Connecticut Tigers of the New York-Penn League, the organization’s Class A short-season affiliate.

Over a team-high 15 starts and 86.2 innings this year, the righty led the Orange and Blue with 69 strikeouts and was 3-6 with a 3.84 ERA. During the Gators’ opening-round contest of the NCAA Bloomington Regional, he limited second-seeded Austin Peay to one run and four hits over 6.1 innings and registered five strikeouts. He was in line for the victory before the Govs overcame a 3-1 deficit for a 4-3 triumph and was later chosen to the Regional’s All-Tournament Team.

Crawford was chosen as the Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Week on April 1 for the first time in his career after twirling a two-hit shutout against No. 11 Ole Miss. After the Rebels claimed the opener, 4-3 in 11 innings, he evened the series on Saturday with his best outing of the season. The righty allowed only singles in the fourth and sixth innings, set a season high with eight strikeouts and issued a pair of walks. Ole Miss hitters went 2-for-29 (.069) against Crawford, who went the distance for his second career complete-game and second solo shutout – first since a 4-0 no-hitter against Bethune-Cookman on June 1, 2012 during the NCAA Gainesville Regional.

Crawford also earned USA Baseball’s International Performance of the Year Award for his efforts last summer. As Team USA's starter in game one of the inaugural USA versus Cuba Series in Havana, Cuba, his outing set the tone for the 2012 Collegiate National Team season. The Okeechobee native went 6.1 innings, struck out six Cuban batters and picked up the win in the club's 4-3 victory at Estadio de Latinoamericana. On the summer, Crawford led the team with 26.2 innings pitched. Along the way, he picked up two more wins for Team USA to finish the summer with a 3-0 record and a 2.02 earned run average.

Picked in the 22nd round by the Washington Nationals at No. 676, Dent is playing for the Auburn (N.Y.) Doubledays, a Class A short-season affiliate in the New York-Penn League. He made his professional debut on Monday night and went 2-for-3 with two runs, an RBI, a double and a walk.

Dent started 48 games in his final collegiate season, 37 at shortstop and 11 in center field, and saw action in 52 of the Gators’ 59 contests. He had a .169 batting average, with 17 walks, 15 runs, 13 RBI, a team-high 10 sacrifice hits and three doubles. Named to the 2013 SEC Community Service Team, Dent sported a .971 fielding percentage. A four-year letterwinner for the Orange and Blue who enjoyed three-straight trips to the NCAA College World Series, he was chosen to the CWS All-Tournament Team in 2011 and played in 184 games with 101 starts as a Gator.

Chosen in the seventh round by the Arizona Diamondbacks with the 210th overall pick, Gibson is suiting up for the Hillsboro (Ore.) Hops of the Class A short-season Northwest League. Over 32 appearances this season, the second-highest total on Florida, he was 2-1 with a 4.42 ERA. The southpaw registered 31 strikeouts and issued 20 walks in 38.2 innings, while limiting opponents to a .254 batting average. Gibson notched the Gators’ victory at No. 7 Florida State on April 9 with two scoreless frames and earned the decision as UF completed a weekend sweep of No. 8 South Carolina at McKethan Stadium on April 13.

In 23 outings during his sophomore campaign, Gibson was 1-1 with a 2.96 ERA and collected one save. In 24.1 innings of work, the lefty totaled 17 strikeouts, permitted 11 walks and held foes to a .250 average. He did not surrender any runs during his first eight appearances of the campaign. Gibson picked up first career save to complete the Gators’ sweep of No. 8 Miami (Fla.), as Florida was down 5-3 entering the final frame and plated five runs to defeat the Hurricanes for the 11th-consecutive time.

Ratliff, a 13th-round choice of the Arizona Diamondbacks at No. 390, has joined Gibson on the Hillsboro (Ore.) Hops of the Class A short-season Northwest League. Ratliff sat out the 2013 campaign at Florida after transferring from Jacksonville University.

UF linebacker Morrison released from jail

Florida sophomore linebacker Antonio Morrison was released Monday from Alachua County Jail on his own recognizance.

Morrison, 19, is facing a misdemeanor charge of simple battery. He was arrested early Sunday morning after police said he punched a bouncer outside the Kava Bar and Hookah Lounge in Gainesville because he wouldn't give him a discount on a cover charge.

Morrison's attorney, Huntley Johnson, said he is hopeful that the case will be resolved within a timetable of two weeks to two months.

“At this point, he would enter a plea of not guilty, but we need to talk to witnesses,” Johnson said.

Morrison, 6-foot-1 and 240 pounds, is a projected starter at middle linebacker in 2013. He had 34 tackles and one sack as a freshman. His biggest play came on a hit and forced fumble of Florida State quarterback E.J. Manuel last November. Florida recovered the fourth-quarter fumble, a momentum-turning play in UF's 37-26 win over the rival Seminoles.

Wambach leads U.S. to win

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Abby Wambach scored her 156th career international goal to move within two of Mia Hamm's U.S. women's record in the Americans' 4-1 victory over South Korea on Saturday night at Gillette Stadium.

 

Wambach scored on a penalty kick in stoppage time after Alex Morgan was fouled inside the area.

 

"It's not easy to score in international soccer, no matter who you're playing," Wambach said. "It's a pretty special night and I'm one more (goal) closer to getting (the record). ... I'm glad to have gotten the penalty kick. I think I deserved one earlier, but that's the way it goes."

 

Kristie Mewis opened the scoring in the third minute with her first international goal, and Lauren Cheney scored in the seventh minute. Cho Shoyun scored for South Korea in the 26th, and Carli Lloyd made it 3-1 with a 30-yard blast in the 57th minute.

 

The United States is unbeaten since March 2012, going 29-0-4, and is 8-0-2 on the year. South Korea is 3-4-1 this year.

 

The teams will meet again Thursday night at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J.

 

On the opening goal, Sydney Leroux raced toward the near post and fired a quick shot that goalkeeper Kim Jungmi got a piece of. But the rebound squirted to Mewis, who fired it into an open net.

 

"It was just amazing to be able to play in front of my family and friends," Mewis said. "Sydney made a great run down the end line and did all the work and I just kind of tapped it in."

 

Cheney doubled the U.S. lead four minutes later when she took Tobin Heath's pass and fired a shot inside the near post. South Korea countered on Cho's goal, with Ji Soyun crossing it toward the penalty arc for Cho, who blasted a shot past goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart.

Former Gator Horschel Finishes Tied for Fourth At U.S. Open In Only Second Major Start

Former Gator All-American golfer and current PGA Tour pro Billy Horschel captured a top-five finish at the 2013 U.S. Open Sunday afternoon at the Merion Golf Club in Haverford Township Ardmore, Penn. Horschel finished tied for fourth with a final score of five-over (285), four shots back of eventual winner, Justin Rose.

After finding himself tied for the lead after the second round in which he hit every green in regulation, Horschel stayed in the hunt over the weekend and started today’s final round only two shots off the lead. This week’s U.S. Open was only Horschel’s second major start and first made major cut.

The former All-American is having his best year as a pro this season as he already captured his first tour victory at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans back in late April. Overall this year, Horschel has played in 16 events and now has 10 top-ten victories and has missed only one cut.

Before this week’s open, Horschel had accumulated over $2,500,000 in earnings and stood in fourth place in the FedEx Cup standings. Both of those numbers are expected to go up when the official scores are written down as the PGA Tour has reached its mid-way point of the season.

The next event that Horschel has a chance to play in is the Travelers Championship at the TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn. That tournaments is slated to played this week, June 20-23.

Holloway Honored as USTFCCCA National Outdoor Men's Coach of the Year

Florida head coach Mike Holloway is the 2013 U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Outdoor Men’s Coach of the Year, announced Thursday. This is Holloway’s fifth USTFCCCA National Men’s Coach of the Year nod, having won three consecutive indoors from 2010-12 and earning his second straight national honor outdoors.

In his 11th year as the Gators’ coach, Holloway guided Florida to their second straight NCAA outdoor track & field national team title. The Gators scored 53 points for the crown, tying Texas A&M for the title. Florida won the 4x400-meter relay, the concluding event, to reach the top of the final team standings. The Gators had been down to the Aggies by nine points before the finale.

Florida is the first team since 1978 (UTEP, UCLA) to share an NCAA outdoor title and Saturday was just the fourth time in NCAA history a tie occurred.

The Orange and Blue took home three individual NCAA titles courtesy of the men’s 4x100-meter relay, 4x400-meter relay and senior Omar Craddock (Killeen, Texas), who won his third career NCAA title in the men’s triple jump and second straight outdoors. Craddock’s jump of 16.92m/55-6.25, a new personal best for him, is the third-best jump in the U.S. in 2013.

The Gator men’s 4x100-meter relay was first on the track on Championship Saturday and started things off right, capturing the fifth 4x1 NCAA outdoor crown in program history. The foursome of freshman Antwan Wright (Riviera Beach, Fla.), sophomore Hugh Graham, Jr. (Miami, Fla.), senior Leonardo Seymore (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) and sophomore Dedric Dukes (Miami, Fla.) got it done for the Gators, edging out runner-up Alabama by a hundredth of a second, 38.53 to 38.54. The time was the fifth-fastest 4x1 performance in the world this year.

Trailing Texas A&M by nine points heading into the final event, the Gators, with a lineup of Najee Glass (Woodbridge, N.J.), Graham, Jr., Dukes and Arman Hall (Pembroke Pines, Fla.), claimed the 4x400-meter relay title (3:01.34) and the 10 points that came along with it. A&M – in the same race – dropped the baton but rebounded to finish eighth, giving them one point and putting them in a tie for the national title with the Gators. The time was the third-fastest 4x4 performance in the world in 2013 and Florida won its second straight title in the event.

The Gators also garnered three medal finishes on the men’s side with junior Eddie Lovett (West Palm Beach, Fla.) turning in a runner-up performance in the men’s 110-meter hurdles, freshman Arman Hall becoming just the 13th freshman in NCAA history to finish third or better in the men’s 400 meters and senior Jeremy Postin (Andover, Kan.), who finished his Gator career with a third-place performance in the men’s hammer throw.

The last two days of the NCAA Outdoor Championships will air on Sunday, June 16 beginning at 4 p.m. ET on ESPNU, directly following a replay of the Gator women’s gymnastics team capturing the 2013 NCAA Championship at 2 p.m. ET.

Next up for the Gators is the USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, June 19-23. Holloway serves as the head men’s coach for Team USA as the Red, White and Blue prepare for the 14th IAAF World Outdoor Championships in Moscow, Russia later this summer. Holloway was a member of the Team USA coaching staff at the 2012 Olympic Games, working as the sprints and hurdles coach in London.

Former Gator Mike Zunino Promoted To Major Leagues By Seattle Mariners

Former Gator catcher Mike Zunino (Cape Coral, Fla.) was called up to the Major Leagues by the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday. He becomes the third player in head coach Kevin O’Sullivan’s tenure at Florida to reach professional baseball’s highest level after left-hander Nick Maronde (2009-11) was called up to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim last August and left-hander Steven Rodriguez (2010-12) joined the Los Angeles Dodgers last September.

Chosen in the first round of the 2012 Major League Baseball Draft by the Mariners with the third overall pick, Zunino’s final collegiate appearance in his junior season came on June 18, 2012, at the NCAA College World Series against Kent State. He had been recently playing for the Tacoma (Wash.) Rainiers of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, where he had a .238 average in 47 games, with team-highs in RBI (43) and homers (11), to go along with 34 runs, 12 doubles and a .503 slugging percentage. Zunino becomes the first position player and the sixth player from last year’s MLB Draft to reach the Major Leagues – Rodriguez was the first.

The recipient of the 2012 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award, the Dick Howser Trophy and the Johnny Bench Award, Zunino batted .373 (41-for-110) with 35 RBI, 29 runs, 10 homers and 10 doubles in 29 games for the Everett (Wash.) AquaSox, the Class A short-season affiliate of the Mariners last year, before hitting .333 (17-for-51) with eight RBI, six runs, four doubles and three homers in 15 games for the Jackson (Tenn.) Generals of the Double-A Southern League.

Playing for Peoria of the Arizona Fall League, Zunino was a key cog in the Javelinas’ run to the league title and was named to the AFL’s Top Prospects Team. In the championship game, he finished 3-for-5 with a pair of RBI as Peoria edged the Salt River Rafters, 4-3. Baseball America rated him No. 1 on the Mariners’ list of top-10 prospects at the beginning of December and said that he was the best power hitter and the best defensive catcher within the organization.

Zunino was Florida’s “Triple Crown” winner in 2012 in helping the Gators to their third-consecutive NCAA College World Series appearance, leading the team in batting average (.322), RBI (67) and homers (19). The Cape Coral, Fla., native paced the Orange and Blue in total bases (164), doubles (28), sacrifice flies (11) and slugging percentage (.669). He was also 9-for-10 on the basepaths.

Zunino was first nationally in sacrifice flies, third in doubles, fourth in round-trippers, fifth in total bases, ninth in doubles per game, 10th in RBI and 11th in slugging percentage in the final NCAA statistics. A two-time, first-team All-SEC recipient and two-time member of the league’s All-Defensive Team, the three-year starter registered a .994 fielding percentage in his final campaign, with three errors in 510 chances, and threw out 20 runners who attempted to steal on him.

Zunino became the first Gator catcher to be voted as a first-team All-American twice. He batted .327 in 193 career games, including 188 starts. His total of 17 sacrifice flies matches Mario Linares’ (1988-91) for the most by a UF player, he ranks fourth on the school’s all-time list in both doubles (58) and homers (47), occupies sixth in slugging percentage (.620) and RBI (175) and rates seventh in total bases (425). Zunino also totaled 224 hits, scored 159 runs, drew 72 walks and was 24-of-30 on stolen-base attempts. His sterling fielding percentage of .995 is second on the school’s career chart, as well as his 1,340 putouts. He committed just eight errors in 1,473 total chances. The Gators posted a 147-56 (.724) record over his three seasons, the top three-year performance in the program’s existence.

Besides Zunino, there are five other players with UF ties in the Big Leagues: infielder Mark Ellis (Los Angeles Dodgers), right-hander Darren O’Day (Baltimore Orioles), outfielder Ryan Raburn (Cleveland Indians), Rodriguez and catcher David Ross (Boston Red Sox).

UF suspends Wilbekin indefinitely

Scottie Wilbekin's Florida basketball career took another troubled turn when the junior guard was suspended indefinitely Monday for violating team rules.

The suspension, announced by the school via Twitter, is Wilbekin's second in the span of seven months. Last November, Wilbekin sat out three games (two that counted and the canceled Florida-Georgetown game on the USS Bataan) for violation of team rules.

Florida declined to give the reason for the suspension. Florida coach Billy Donovan also declined Monday further comment on Wilbekin's status.

Wilbekin, a rising senior, had a breakout junior year for the Gators, averaging 9.1 points while finishing second in the Southeastern Conference in assists at five per game. The Gainesville native also was named to the SEC's all-defensive team and developed a reputation as one of the best on-ball defenders in the conference. Wilbekin appeared in 35 games for the Gators, making 29 starts.

Last November, Wilbekin refused to give the reason for his first suspension, saying only he “made mistakes, stuff you can't do. I'm not going to do it anymore.

“I just learned, when you make mistakes, it catches up to you,” Wilbekin said last November. “You've got to move past it, now, it's over and done with. I've got to focus on the rest of the season.”

Wilbekin is one of just two returning starters for the Gators next season (along with center Patric Young) from a team that finished 29-8 and reached the Elite Eight for the third straight season. This season, Wilbekin was expected to move off the ball at times and share point guard duties with incoming freshman McDonald's All-American point guard Kasey Hill.

“The one thing I love about Scottie Wilbekin, is Scottie's first and foremost, his identity has always been defense,” Donovan said in April. “He loves playing defense. And you can play Scottie anywhere. When he's out there, he can function.”

New England Patriots expected to sign Tebow

Former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow has found an NFL home, according to ESPN. The New England Patriots are expected to sign Tebow and expect him at minicamp Tuesday, ESPN said in its Twitter account Monday afternoon.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick is a good friend of former UF coach Urban Meyer and has a number of Gators (Brandon Spikes, Aaron Hernandez and Jermaine Cunningham) on his roster. The Patriots had Tebow in for a pre-draft visit back in 2010, and Belichick has been praiseworthy of the 25-year old in previous remarks.

Josh McDaniels, now the Patriots offensive coordinator, drafted Tebow when he was the head coach of the Denver Broncos, and will get another opportunity to work with the free agent quarterback cut loose by the New York Jets in late April.

UF's Jonathon Crawford Selected In First Round Of The MLB Draft By The Detroit Tigers

University of Florida junior right-hander Jonathon Crawford (Okeechobee, Fla.) was chosen in the first round of the 2013 Major League Baseball Draft on Thursday night by the Detroit Tigers with the 20th choice. His selection marks the second-straight year that a member of head coach Kevin O’Sullivan’s Gator squad has been taken in the opening round after catcher Mike Zunino went third overall to the Seattle Mariners and left-hander Brian Johnson was picked 31st by the Boston Red Sox last June. Crawford became the highest selection for a Florida pitcher since John Burke was chosen by the Houston Astros at No. 6 overall in 1991. 

Over a team-high 15 starts and 86.2 innings this year, Crawford led the Orange and Blue with 69 strikeouts and was 3-6 with a 3.84 ERA. During the Gators’ opening-round contest of the NCAA Bloomington Regional, he limited second-seeded Austin Peay to one run and four hits over 6.1 innings and registered five strikeouts. He was in line for the victory before the Govs overcame a 3-1 deficit for a 4-3 triumph and was later chosen to the Regional’s All-Tournament Team.

Crawford was chosen as the Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Week on April 1 for the first time in his career after twirling a two-hit shutout against No. 11 Ole Miss. After the Rebels claimed the opener, 4-3 in 11 innings, he evened the series on Saturday with his best outing of the season. The righty allowed only singles in the fourth and sixth innings, set a season high with eight strikeouts and issued a pair of walks. Ole Miss hitters went 2-for-29 (.069) against Crawford, who went the distance for his second career complete-game and second solo shutout – first since a 4-0 no-hitter against Bethune-Cookman on June 1, 2012 during the NCAA Gainesville Regional.

Crawford also earned USA Baseball’s International Performance of the Year Award for his efforts last summer. As Team USA's starter in game one of the inaugural USA versus Cuba Series in Havana, Cuba, his outing set the tone for the 2012 Collegiate National Team season. The Okeechobee native went 6.1 innings, struck out six Cuban batters and picked up the win in the club's 4-3 victory at Estadio de Latinoamericana. On the summer, Crawford led the team with 26.2 innings pitched. Along the way, he picked up two more wins for Team USA to finish the summer with a 3-0 record and a 2.02 earned run average.

After pitching just 3.2 innings as a freshman, Crawford made 19 appearances and 14 starts as a sophomore in 2012 as Florida made its third NCAA College World Series appearance in a row. The righty had a 6-2 mark with a 3.13 ERA and tied for second on the squad with 73 strikeouts in 77.2 innings. He started in nine of the Gators’ 10 SEC series and was 3-1 with a 2.56 ERA in 38.2 innings during league action.

Crawford appeared in three NCAA Tournament contests, including starts against No. 11 NC State in the Gainesville Super Regional and Bethune-Cookman in the Gainesville Regional, and came out of the bullpen for three innings versus No. 9 Kent State at the CWS. He registered a 2.30 ERA and was 1-0 with 13 strikeouts and two walks in a team-high 15.2 innings in NCAA play.

In Florida’s NCAA opener against B-CU, Crawford became the first Gator hurler to register a complete-game no-hitter since Burke accomplished the feat in a 2-0 shutout of Furman on May 23, 1991. Crawford, whose previous career-high stint had been six innings against LSU on April 6, went the distance on 98 pitches (70 of them strikes) and faced the minimum of 27 batters en route to the 4-0 shutout of the Wildcats. The righty retired the final 19 batters of the outing and became just the seventh pitcher to throw a no-hitter in the NCAA Championship, the first since Burke. Crawford defeated Auburn in UF’s SEC Tournament opener in Hoover, establishing a career high with nine strikeouts over 5.2 innings, and claimed the series opener at Tennessee on April 13. He fired six scoreless frames to help the Gators even the series with seventh-ranked LSU and also collected victories over Vanderbilt (5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 6 K) and No. 19 UCF (5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 4 K). He held the Knights hitless for 4.1 innings in his collegiate starting debut.

Gators Finish Season No. 2 in National Rankings; Embree No. 1 in Singles

The University of Florida women’s tennis team was No. 2 in the final national team rankings administered by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), while senior Lauren Embree (Marco Island, Fla.) closed her outstanding collegiate career ranked No. 1 in the final national singles chart.

This is the fourth consecutive year the Gators have finished No. 1 or No. 2 in the Final ITA National Rankings, as well as the 24th time in the last 27 years posting a top-five final ranking.

Florida advanced to the NCAA Semifinals for the fourth consecutive year and the 23rd time in the last 27 years, ending the 2012-13 season with a 26-3 overall record and winning a share of the Southeastern Conference regular season championships in addition to capturing the SEC Tournament title.

Including Embree, all seven Gators on the 2012-13 roster earned a spot in the final ITA singles rankings, along with two doubles teams.

Junior Sofie Oyen (Leopoldsburg, Belgium) finished the season ranked No. 23 in the nation for singles, while junior Alexandra Cercone (Seminole, Fla.) was No. 51. Freshman Brianna Morgan (Beverly Hills, Calif.) ended her debut collegiate campaign, ranked No. 86, with freshman Danielle Collins (St. Petersburg, Fla.) No. 103, junior Olivia Janowicz (Palm Bay, Fla.) No. 108 and senior Caroline Hitimana (Waterloo, Belgium No. 114).

Embree and Oyen were ranked No. 11 in the final doubles list, while Collins and Embree were slotted at No. 57.

Women's National Team FINAL Rankings, Top-25
Administered by the ITA

Rank	Avg	School	Previous
1	86.60	Stanford	12
2	84.90	University of Florida	1
3	80.80	Texas A&M University	3
4	76.47	North Carolina	2
5	73.96	University of Georgia	4
6	72.08	University of Southern California	5
7	69.48	UCLA	7
8	64.55	University of Miami (Florida)	6
9	64.29	California	8
10	57.28	University of Michigan	10
11	56.50	University of Alabama	9
12	52.04	Northwestern University	11
13	51.45	Clemson University	13
14	49.22	Duke University	15
15	48.60	University of Virginia	14
16	42.50	University of Nebraska	16
17	40.93	University of Texas at Austin	18
18	40.44	Texas Tech University	17
19	39.51	Vanderbilt University	19
20	37.75	Baylor University	20
21	36.57	Georgia Tech	23
22	35.84	Rice University	22
23	34.23	University of Notre Dame	24
24	33.64	Florida State University	21
25	32.61	Auburn University	25