1 » Don’t bother asking them to, because it does not look like No. 1 Florida Gators gymnastics (6-0, 3-0 SEC) plans to slow down anytime soon. Drawing nearly 7,000 fans to the Stephen C. O’Connell Center on Friday, Florida took down the previously undefeated No. 6 Alabama Crimson Tide (6-1, 1-1 SEC) 197.55-195.45. Gators freshman Mackenzie Caquatto led the team with two event wins (uneven bars, balance beam) and took the all-around title with a score of 39.575, while senior Maranda Smith captured the vault event and sophomore Marissa King won the floor exercise. Florida will be tested once again on Saturday as they face No. 4 Georgia on the road.

2 » Gators sophomore sprinter Jeff Demps and junior jumper Christian Taylor became the fourth and fifth members of the team, respectively, to automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships after posting strong individual showings over the weekend at the Virginia Tech Elite Meet. Demps recorded a 6.57 in the men’s 60-meter dash, the second-fastest time in the NCAA this season, during his first race of the year. Taylor won the triple jump with a mark of 16.61m/54-6 for the sixth-straight time in his last six competitions. The duo join jumpers junior Will Claye and sophomore Omar Craddock and junior heptathlete Gray Horn as Florida’s current NCAA automatic-qualifiers off the No. 1 men’s track & field team.

Read the rest of this post…after the break!
Continue Reading » SIX BITS: gymnastics, track, tennis, softball

Tags: Alabama Crimson Tide, Alexandre Lacroix, Allie Will, Bob Van Overbeek, Central Florida Knights, Christian Taylor, Clint Bowles, College World Series, DeMarini Tournament, Demps, field, Florida International Panthers, Florida State Seminoles, Gray Horn, gymnastics, Jennifer George, Lauren Embree, Linder Stadium, MacKenzie Caquatto, Maranda Smith, Marissa King, Nassim Slilam, NCAA, NCAA Championships, O'Connell Center, Ole Miss Rebels, Omar Craddock, Ring Tennis Complex, Sekou Bangoura, Sofie Oyen, softball, Stephanie Brombacher, tennis, track, Vahid Mirzadeh, Vanderbilt Commodores, Virginia Tech Elite Meet, Will Claye, women's basketball

1 » Faced with elimination, top-seeded No. 4 Florida Gators baseball (41-4) rode past the No. 12 Arkansas Razorbacks (40-18) 5-4 in the 2010 Southeastern Conference Tournament on Thursday at Regions Park in Hoover, AL. Sophomore starter Alex Panteliodis (9-2) picked up the win, tossing 6.2 innings, striking out five and giving up three earned runs. Junior closer Kevin Chapman earned his 11th save of the season, though he did give up a run in the ninth and final inning of the game. Freshman third baseman Austin Maddox (2-4) led the way with two RBI, and freshman shortstop Nolan Fontana (2-3) scored two runs. Florida will face Vanderbilt (41-16) in the second elimination game of the tournament Friday evening, airing live at ESPN3.com.

2 » Still making touchdowns – but now for the Jacksonville Sharks of the AFL – former Gators wide receiver Dallas Baker was faced with an injury scare Saturday night in a 46-44 win over the Cleveland Gladiators. “I thought I tore something,” Baker told The Florida Times-Union. Instead Baker, who scored twice during the game before falling to the turf, suffered a sprain according to an MRI exam after the game. He is second on the team this season with 416 yards and nine touchdowns in five games played.

Four more BITS on track & field qualifiers, tennis’ NCAA wins and losses and a Gator winning Rookie of the Year…after the break!
Continue Reading » SIX BITS: Baseball wins, Baker OK, seven Gators qualify, tennis updates, lacrosse rookie of year

Tags: AFL, ALC, Alex Panteliodis, Alexandre Lacroix, Allie Will, Anastasia Revzina, Antoine Benneteau, Arkansas Razorbacks, Ashley Bruns, Austin Maddox, baseball, Christian Taylor, Cleveland Gladiators, Dallas Baker, Evelien Dekkers, Fidela James, field, Jacksonville Sharks, Jeff Demps, Josh Izewski, Keely Medeiros, Kevin Chapman, Lauren Embree, Magill Tennis Complex, Mariam Kevkhishvili, Marrit Boonstra, National Championship, NCAA, NCAA Outdoor Championship, Nolan Fontana, Regions Park, Rookie of the Year, Shara Proctor, tennis, track

1 » Coming into the 2010 Southeastern Conference Tournament on a high after winning the SEC regular season title, No. 4 Florida Gators baseball (40-14) was brought down a notch with a 10-6 loss to the defending national champion LSU Tigers in first-round action at Regions Park in Hoover, AL. LSU starter Anthony Ranaudo (4-2) gave up five earned runs in 7.2 innings but still outdueled Florida freshman Brian Johnson (5-4) who was lit up for seven earned runs in just 3.2 innings. Senior outfielder Matt den Dekker (2-5) led the way for the Gators with three RBI and a home run, but his efforts were not enough to stop the Tigers’ offensive onslaught. The loss marked only the second time all season Florida fell in back-to-back games; it did not remove them from the tournament, which is double-elimination. The Gators will compete Thursday in an elimination game that will air live on CSS and online at ESPN3.com.

2 » Though the Florida men’s tennis team was ousted early in the 2010 NCAA National Championship, individual players are still competing for singles and doubles titles. On Wednesday, No. 8-seed junior Alexandre Lacroix won his first-round match in straight sets (6-1, 6-1) over No. 104-ranked Charles Bottoni of East Tennessee State at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, GA. Lacroix will move on to face No. 32-seed Bassm Beidas of Pepperdine on Thursday. He will actually participate in two matches Thursday, also teaming with senior Antoine Benneteau in doubles competition.

3 » Members of the National Championship runner-up Gators women’s tennis team were not afforded much rest as two were already back in action Wednesday. No. 7-seed freshman Allie Will (47-4) won her first-round singles match against Washington State’s Liudmila Vassilieva easily (6-1, 6-1), advancing to the second round on Thursday.

4 » On the other hand, Will’s classmate Lauren Embree (32-6), who led Florida on Tuesday, surprisingly fell in her singles match. She lost 6-1, 1-6, 6-2 to California’s Mari Anderson and was bounced from the tournament. Both women will compete alongside seniors Marrit Boonstra and Anastasia Revzina in doubles action Thursday.

Tags: Alexandre Lacroix, Allie Will, Anasta, Anthony Ranaudo, Antoine Benneteau, baseball, Brian Johnson, Lauren Embree, LSU Tigers, Marrit Boonstra, Matt den Dekker, National Championship, NCAA, Regions Park, SEC, SEC Tournament, tennis

Starving off a near spectacular comeback, No. 8 Stanford Cardinal women’s tennis (26-1) captured the 2010 NCAA National Championship with a 4-3 defeat of the No. 3 Florida Gators (29-3) on Tuesday at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, GA.

The Gators were just two individual games away from defeat but battled back to force third sets in two singles matches while the Cardinal held a 3-2 lead. Florida sophomore Joanna Mather took down Stanford’s Carolyn McVeigh 5-7, 6-4, 6-0 in the second-to-last match, tying the score 3-3 and leaving the title in the hands of the final two competitors – senior No. 65 Marrit Boonstra and No. 33 Mallory Burdette

After losing her first set 6-4, Boonstra fought back to even her match with Burdette by winning the second set 6-7 (4). Down 2-0 in the third, Boonstra pushed ahead with a valiant effort to take a 5-4 lead. However, she ended up losing her final three games, allowing Burdette to tie it up and eventually reign victorious 7-5.

“My heart just aches for Marrit,” Gators head coach Ron Thornqvist said after the loss. “She has given this program everything she has. It’s just not fair for it to come down to a result like this for her. She’s going to be hurting for a long time. Our players will echo when I say that they love her for all she has done for them and how she gives them her heart. Marrit gave herself a chance in the match, leading 5-4 and was playing good tennis. It seemed like Mallory relaxed at 5-all and I thought that was the difference.”

The Gators won the doubles point with victories from the No. 29 duo of freshman Lauren Embree and Mather as well as the pair of freshman Carolina Hitimana and senior Anastasia Revzina. However, Florida’s No. 5-ranked team of Boonstra and freshman Allie Will uncharacteristically fell 8-4 to No. 2 Hilary Barte and Lindsay Brudette.

In singles action, No. 9 Embree held No. 4 Barte set-less with a 6-4, 6-4 victory. Mather joined her with a singles win, but No. 8 Will (6-3, 6-3), Boonstra, No. 102 Revzina (6-2, 6-2) and No. 107 Hitimana (6-3, 7-5) were all out-matched by Stanford.

“That was probably one of the better matches I’ve been involved with in a match of this magnitude,” Thornqvist reflected. “I thought we played terrific in doubles all year and today was no different. For some reason, we got off to a slow start in singles. It looked really grim there for a while, but just like we talked about all year long, we were resilient. I really thought our team showed tremendous courage, heart and pride. In the end we came up short, but I was really, really proud of our effort and our play in a championship round like this. Stanford played at a high level from the beginning of the match. In the first 20 minutes of singles, balls were whipping past us left and right. For us to slow that down and use our athleticism and neutralize some of that pace was great.”

The Gators women will now break apart from the team and compete in singles and doubles for individual NCAA National Championships beginning on Wednesday. Embree and Will are set to represent Florida in singles action, while Will/Boonstra and Embree/Revzina will pair in the doubles draw.

With the victory, the Cardinal captures their 16th title in 29 years and first over the Gators. Florida and Stanford squared off in the 2003 championship match with the Gators winning 4-3, but the Cardinal began their revenge with a 4-0 semifinal victory in 2006, the last time the two teams had faced until Tuesday.

Photo/Quote Credits: University of Florida

Tags: Allie Will, Anastasia Revzina, Carolina Hitimana, Carolyn McVeigh, Hilary Barte, Joanna Mather, Lauren Embree, Lindsay Brudette, Magill Tennis Complex, Mallory Burdette, Marrit Boonstra, National Championship, NCAA, Ron Thornqvist, Stanford Cardinal, tennis

Already rolling their way through the 2010 NCAA Tournament, No. 3 Florida Gators women’s tennis (29-2) swept the No. 2 North Carolina Tar Heels (30-5) 4-0 in the event’s semifinals on Monday at Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, GA.

The Gators’ top three players – freshmen No. 8 Allie Will, freshman No. 9 Lauren Embree and senior No. 65 Marrit Boonstra – all won their singles contests (in reverse order). Boonstra triumphed 6-2, 6-2; Will won 6-3, 6-3; and Embree’s match went three sets ending 6-2, 1-6, 7-5.

In doubles competition, the No. 5 team of Boonstra and Will led 6-3 in a shortened match after the No. 29 duo of Embree and sophomore Joanna Mather prevailed 8-4 and the combination of freshman Caroline Hitimana and senior Anastasia Revzina ran through their competition 8-1.

Also still playing at the event’s conclusion were No. 102 Revzina (tied 4-6, 6-5, 3-3), Mather (up 6-2, 3-6, 4-3) and sophomore Claire Bartlett (down 5-7, 2-2).

Florida will face No. 8 Stanford (25-1), which defeated No. 5 Notre Dame 4-1 in the other semifinal, on Tuesday at 2 p.m. in the championship match live on ESPNU.

The Gators beat the Cardinal 4-3 for the 2003 title but lost 4-0 the last time the two teams squared off in the 2006 semifinals Should Florida prevail, it will be the program’s fifth National Championship and first since 2003. Stanford is the sport’s most storied college program, having won 15 of 28 titles.

Tags: Allie Will, Anastasia Revzina, Caroline Hitimana, Claire Bartlett, Joanna Mather, Lauren Embree, Magill Tennis Complex, Marrit Boonstra, National Championship, NCAA, NCAA Tournament, North Carolina Tar Heels, tennis

1 » Advancing to the 2010 NCAA Tournament semifinals for the 20th time in the last 24 years, the No. 3 Florida Gators women’s tennis team (28-2) swept the No. 11 Miami Hurricanes (20-6) 4-0 on Saturday at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, GA. The No. 5 doubles pair of senior Marrit Boonstra and freshman Allie Will defeated the No. 6 Miami pairing 7-6 DNF; both No. 65 Boonstra and No. 8 Will also won their singles matches. No. 9 freshman Lauren Embree was impressive in her victory over No. 7 Laura Vallverdu, winning in straight sets 6-4, 6-2. Florida will face no. 2 North Carolina (30-4) on Monday at 1 p.m. for a chance to advance to the championship game.

2 » As if the media’s obsession with Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Tim Tebow had not previously reached a peak – it has now. ESPN.com has just unveiled a “Tim Tebow Tracker” for its unique Tebow Watch page. It is not yet filled with much content (mostly things you have read elsewhere – cough, cough), but as the offseason progresses it should get filled up quite nicely. You can check it out by clicking here.

Four more BITS on the SEC commissioner’s contract, a honor for Emmitt Smith, golf advancing and baseball losing its regular season finale…after the jump!
Continue Reading » SIX BITS: W-tennis advances, Tebow’s tracker, Slive’s contract, Emmitt’s homecoming

Tags: Allie Will, baseball, Buddy Alexander, Denver Broncos, Emmitt Smith, ESPN, golf, Homecoming, Lauren Embree, Lee Todd, Marrit Boonstra, Miami Hurricanes, Mike Slive, NCAA, NCAA Championship, NCAA Tournament, NFL, SEC, SEC Championship, SEC Tournament, South Carolina Gamecocks, tennis, Tim Tebow

1 » Former Florida Gators safety Major Wright remains unsigned with the Chicago Bears, but that is not too uncommon considering training camp is still a ways away. However, what is interesting is that, according to the Chicago Tribune, the Bears will be including a “one-timer” (something generally used for second-round picks) in Wright’s contract. Essentially, Wright will earn an additional guaranteed incentive in the final year of his rookie contract (2013) as long as he actually steps on the field as a safety (rather than just a special teams player) at some point during his first three seasons.

2 » Competing in the 2010 NCAA Championship Round of 16 on Thursday against the Ole Miss Rebels (17-6), No. 3 Gators women’s tennis (27-2) captured a 4-1 victory and advanced to the quarterfinals of the tournament at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, GA. The No. 5 doubles pairing of senior Marrit Boonstra and freshman Allie Will took an 8-6 victory while No. 8 Will and No. 9 Lauren Embree (also a freshman) each won their singles contests. Florida will square-off against No. 11-seed Miami (FL) in the next round on Saturday at 1 p.m.

3 » No. 4/5 Gators baseball is competing for the Southeastern Conference regular season crown this weekend, but for freshman shortstop Nick Fontana, it is also a great opportunity to pay tribute to his grandfather, Lew Burdette. Inscribing “FROG” and “No. 33” on the infield dirt before the game begins, Fontana is sure to keep Burdette’s memory alive. “He was my inspiration,” Fontana told Jeremy Fowler of the Orlando Sentinel. “I feel like he’s with me every day on that field.”

4 » It is a busy week for Florida’s athletic department as the No. 4/6 men’s golf team is also currently competing nationally, playing in the first round of the 2010 NCAA Central Regional on Thursday. In second place after posting a team score of 279 (-1), the Gators are only behind the leader, Stanford, by two strokes. The event continues Friday.

Tags: Allie Will, Chicago Bears, golf, Lauren Embree, Magill Tennis Complex, Major Wright, Marrit Boonstra, NCAA, NCAA Central Regional, NFL, Nick Fontana, Ole Miss Rebels, SEC, tennis

1 » With two games in hand, No. 4/5 Florida Gators baseball (37-12, 20-7 SEC) swept their series against the Georgia Bulldogs with a 9-3 win Sunday afternoon at McKethan Stadium in Gainesville, FL. Freshman starting pitcher Brian Johnson (5-2) tossed 5.2 strong innings, striking out three while only giving up one earned run. Sophomore first baseman Preston Tucker (1-3) and junior designated hitter Bryson Smith (2-3) each tallied two RBI, while freshman shortstop Nolan Fontana (2-4) and junior second baseman Josh Adams (1-3) both crossed home plate twice. Florida has now won eight consecutive contests over Georgia; the three-day total attendance of 14,619 set an all-time weekend series Gators record. UF will face North Florida on Tuesday before traveling to Columbia, SC, for a season-defining three-game series against the No. 8/12 South Carolina Gamecocks (41-11, 20-7 SEC). The Gators and Gamecocks are tied atop the Southeastern Conference regular season standings.

Three more BITS on women’s and men’s tennis advancing in the 2010 NCAA Tournament and softball’s honors and hosting duties…after the jump!
Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Baseball sweeps Georgia, tennis advances to Round of 16, softball hosts regional

Tags: Alexandre Lacroix, All-Tournament, Allie Will, Antoine Benneteau, Auburn Tigers, baseball, Brian Johnson, Bryson Smith, Corrie Brooks, Gainesville Regional, Georgia Bulldogs, Josh Adams, Lauren Embree, Linder Stadium, Marrit Boonstra, McKethan Stadium, Megan Bush, NCAA, NCAA Tournament, Nolan Fontana, Pressly Stadium, Preston Tucker, Ring Tennis Complex, SEC, softball, South Carolina Gamecocks, tennis, University of Florida