1 » Former Florida Gators student-athlete Ryan Lochte is one of the most decorated swimmers in school history. A star in college, Lochte moved on to win three gold, one silver and two bronze medals combined in the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. Looking to return the 2012 Games in London, Lochte is not the only member of his family with aquatic tendencies. His brother Devon, 19, is a redshirt freshman at Florida and plans to compete in mid-distance free style and butterfly this season. “[Devon] has got some real good physical tools and a nice feel for the water,” said Gators swimming coach Gregg Troy. While Devon not nearly as good as his older brother, he is getting there. “If he’s 110 percent devoted and dedicated and willing to push his body, I think he’s going to be better than me,” Ryan said. In truth, all that Devon cares about is getting to the Olympics and achieving his secret lifelong goal. “We never really told anyone, but we want to be in the Olympics on the same relay team,” Devon said.

Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Another Lochte; Volleyball sweeps; Soccer ties, wins; Cross Country finishes 2nd

Tags: Arkansas Razorbacks, Auburn Tigers, cross country, Devon Lochte, Georgia Bulldogs, Gregg Troy, Kelly Murphy, Lindsay Thompson, LSU Tigers, Olympics, Ramsey Student Center, Regal Soccer Stadium, Ryan Lochte, soccer, Student Activities Center, swimming, Tahnai Annis, Tennessee Volunteers, UGA Soccer Stadium, volleyball, Washington Huskies

Eight former letterwinners, including Gator Greats Brad Wilkerson (baseball), Fred Taylor (football) and Brian Gay (men’s golf), will be inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame 2010 class. The F Club and Gator Boosters, Inc. announced the class on Thursday, which will receive their honors at the Hall of Fame Banquet on April 9, 2010, in the Holloway Touchdown Terrace.

According to UF, “inductees are divided into three different categories: Gator Greats, Distinguished Letterwinners and Honorary Letterwinners.” The remainder of the induction class includes Gator Greats Leah Kirklin Anderson (women’s track & field), Jenny Manz Theis (volleyball) and Jason Odom (football) and Distinguished Letterwinners Laurie Burns (women’s golf) and William Freeman (men’s track & field).

More about each inductee and their career accomplishments after the jump.

Continue Reading » Wilkerson, Taylor, Gay highlight 2010 HOF class

Tags: baseball, Brad Wilkerson, Brian Gay, F Club, Fred Taylor, Gator Boosters, golf, Hall of Fame, Jason Odom, Jenny Manz Theis, Laurie Burns, Leah Kirklin Anderson, track & field, volleyball, William Freeman

The University of Florida women’s tennis doubles team of Lauren Embree and Allie Will made it to the finals of the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships. On Saturday at the Riviera Tennis Club, Embree and Will defeated the North Carolina Tar Heels team of Sophie Grabinski and Sanaz Marand, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2.

Sunday afternoon, the ladies took on the Tennessee Volunteers‘ tandem of Caitlin Whoriskey and Natalie Pluskota for the title of an event considered to be the first leg of the NCAA’s version of the Grand Slam. The awe-inspiring run by the Florida Gators doubles team came to a halt, however, as Embree and Will were beat in three sets by Whoriskey and Pluskota, 3-6, 6-2, 6-1.

In other Gators sports news… The No. 6/6 volleyball team lost a three-set match to LSU Tigers Sunday evening in Baton Rouge, LA. LSU had three players with double-digit kills and won in straight sets, 28-26, 25-20, 25-22. “LSU played very well tonight,” Florida head coach Mary Wise said. “They really hit on all cylinders and I thought that their seniors played especially well for them.”

Tags: Allie Will, Lauren Embree, LSU Tigers, Mary Wise, North Carolina Tar Heels, Tennessee Volunteers, tennis, volleyball

1 » Sun Sports announced on Thursday that the Nov. 21 game between the No. 1 Florida Gators and FIU Panthers will be aired live on pay-per-view at 12:30 p.m. throughout the state of Florida. A taped presentation of the game will air that Sunday at 8:30 a.m. and the next Tuesday at 11 p.m. “Per Southeastern Conference television contracts, when an SEC team does not have its game selected for live TV by one of the SEC’s television partners (i.e. CBS, ESPN, SEC Network, etc.), it is permitted to offer that game live on a statewide basis on pay-per-view,” the University of Florida said in a release. Outside Florida, the game will be offered via ESPN GamePlan.

2 » Sophomore right-side/setter Kelly Murphy led the way for the No. 6/6 Florida Gators volleyball team (12-2, 6-1 SEC) as it defeated the South Carolina Gamecocks 3-1 (24-26, 25-19, 25-23, 25-15) Wednesday night live on ESPNU from Columbia, SC. Murphy had her NCAA-leading fourth triple-double of the season, outside hitters Kristy Jaeckel and Colleen Ward combined for 36 kills and the Gators out-blocked the Gamecocks 12-5 in the victory. Florida returns to action Sunday in Baton Rouge, LA, following in the football team’s footsteps by taking on the LSU Tigers at 7 p.m. The match will also air live on ESPNU.

A little extra is no big deal » Associate head coach and defensive coordinator Charlie Strong forced his unit to watch tape of the 2007 Florida Gators vs. LSU Tigers game – the last time the teams played in Tiger Stadium. Seeing the defense painfully falter in the waning minutes provided extra motivation for the players this week.

Tags: Charlie Strong, Colleen Ward, Kelly Murphy, Kristy Jaeckel, volleyball

1 » It was reported that Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer was going to attend the Tampa Catholic high school football game Friday night, presumably to watch 4-star quarterback recruit Christian Green. Personally attending the No. 1 St. Thomas Aquinas vs. No. 2 Byrnes game this evening, I spotted Meyer on the sideline in Fort Lauderdale, FL, along with former St. Thomas Aquinas safety Major Wright and right tackle Marcus Gilbert. Meyer was in attendance presumably to keep an eye on 4-star cornerback Cody Riggs, a heavy Gators lean. The Gators are off from practice until early next week. In the game, Riggs blocked and field goal and played decent coverage all night, except for turning around too soon and being taken advantage of for a touchdown late in the game. I am curious to find out if the St. Petersburg Times got the story wrong, or if Meyer chose to visit Riggs over Green, who the team is reportedly extremely interested in.

2 » No. 5/5 Florida Gators volleyball lost their first regular-season home game since 2004 in front of 3,820 fans at the O’Connell Center Friday night to the No. 15 Kentucky Wildcats. The Gators jumped out to an early lead before losing a heartbreaker to the Wildcats.

3 » Senior linebacker Ryan Stamper suffered two concussions during his younger years and is able to relate to what his quarterback, Tim Tebow, is going through in recovery. “Your head hurts a lot and you get a lot of rest,” Stamper said. “It all comes back to you though.”

4 » FOX Sports college basketball writer Jeff Goodman believes that the improved experience and talent of SEC teams will make the conference a contender in the national picture this season. He predicts the Florida Gators will finish fourth in the SEC East, due to losing guard Nick Calathes to Greek professional team Olympiakos. I am of the belief that Florida will actually improve this year without Calathes.

Tags: Christian Green, Cody Riggs, Nick Calathes, Ryan Stamper, Tim Tebow, volleyball

1 » Tampa Tribune takes a look at the additional cost the Florida Gators incurred by sending two additional airplanes to Lexington for the Kentucky Wildcats game last week in order to separate ill players (including quarterback Tim Tebow and safety Major Wright) from the rest of the team. Only extra expense? Fuel.

2 » While Florida Gators fans worry about the impact Tebow’s injury may have on next Saturday’s game against the LSU Tigers, Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald believes the game is not necessarily a must-win, and a loss in Tiger Stadium would not spell the end for Florida’s chances at another national championship trophy.

3 » As a student at the University of Florida, I once played basketball against Super Bowl-champion Pittsburgh Steelers starting left tackle Max Starks. At 6’8” and almost 350 pounds, Starks (not surprisingly) thoroughly dominated me in the post like he now does to defensive linemen in the NFL. Monday night, Starks will take on all comers as he co-hosts WWE Monday Night Raw along with the rest of the Steelers’ offensive line and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (the main host).

4 » ESPN’s NFL Draft guru Mel Kiper, Jr. has released his latest “Big Board,” in which he names his top 25 NFL prospects, including two Florida Gators. Defensive end Carlos Dunlap has held steady at No. 5 while middle linebacker Brandon Spikes has moved up three spots to No. 21.

Continue Reading » SIX BITS: LSU not a must-win? Starks gets RAW. Kiper’s Big Board. Volleyball to be tested.

Tags: Brandon Spikes, Carlos Dunlap, Max Starks, Mike Peterson, Tim Tebow, volleyball