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Friday, March 29, 2024

Alligator Awards: What was Florida’s best moment of the 2016-17 season?

<p dir="ltr">Chris Chiozza takes the final shot of Florida’s 84-83 win against Wisconsin in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament on March 24, 2017, at Madison Square Garden.</p>

Chris Chiozza takes the final shot of Florida’s 84-83 win against Wisconsin in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament on March 24, 2017, at Madison Square Garden.

In this edition of the Alligator Awards, we debate which UF sports moment was the best of the 2016-17 season. Sports writers Mari Faiello, Andrew Huang and Morgan McMullen join alligatorSports editors Dylan Dixon and Jake Dreilinger in a roundtable discussion to debate the five nominees. Debates will go in alphabetical order by the writer’s last name.

Dixon: Chiozza’s shot an instant classic

March 24, 2017, definitely won’t be forgotten by Gators fans anytime soon.

The Florida men’s basketball team, facing Wisconsin at Madison Square Garden in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, found itself down by two points with four seconds remaining in overtime.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock over the past four months, you surely know what happened next.

Chris Chiozza, UF’s speedy backup point guard, received the inbounds pass from Canyon Barry and took it the length of the floor before heaving a running three-pointer as time expired.

Ball game. Gators 84, Badgers 83.

As a journalist covering athletics at the University of Florida, it’s my ethical responsibility to be impartial towards the Gators and always watch their games as a neutral observer rather than a fan. But even I will admit, Chiozza’s buzzer beater had me jump from my seat and shout in awe.

It was just that incredible.

Between the level of difficulty he faced in getting the shot off in only four seconds to how crucial it was in keeping UF’s season alive, there’s no way there was a more iconic moment at Florida this season.

Sure, winning national championships in three different sports is nice, but how many plays did the Gators have this year that brought people to their feet all over the country the way Chiozza’s did. Absolutely none.

I rest my case.

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Dreilinger: Dyson saved the day for UF in CWS

For a team up 1-0 in the College World Series Finals, Florida’s baseball team was backed into a corner.

Ace right-hander Alex Faedo threw seven shutout innings against TCU three days prior, making him unable to pitch again for the rest of the tournament. No. 2 starter Brady Singer then threw a record-setting 12 strikeouts in seven-plus innings of work in Game 1 against LSU, making him unavailable as well.

To make matters worse, the Tigers would be throwing their Friday night starter, Alex Lange, if the series went to a third game, so UF coach Kevin O’Sullivan knew he had to pull out all of the stops.

That began with starting freshman pitcher Tyler Dyson.

Dyson emerged on the scene in Florida’s super regional matchup against Wake Forest, allowing only two hits and striking out 10 batters in two appearances that weekend.

His heroics in those games secured UF’s trip to Omaha.

His heroics in Game 2 of the CWS Finals helped the Gators win their first national championship.

Dyson stepped on the mound for just his second career start and delivered the performance of a lifetime. Tossing a career-high six innings, the Bradenton, Florida, native allowed just three hits and one run.

But what makes this moment the most memorable in 2016-17 is that if it wasn’t for Dyson’s performance, the Gators probably wouldn’t have won their first NCAA title in program history.

UF was dealing with a limited bullpen, Faedo couldn’t pitch, Singer already played, Michael Byrne was reserved for late-game situations only and Austin Langworthy was in left field.

No one else had really stepped up until Dyson did.

His play allowed Florida to buy some time until it was ready to put Byrne in for the save.

Without Dyson, UF would most likely still be looking for that first title.

Faiello: Little moments added up for men’s track and field

It’s difficult to pick a single moment from this year and declare it as the best in UF sports. There were many instances this season where Gators fans rallied behind their athletes as they reached for new titles and records.

But men’s track and field had the ultimate moment when it claimed its second consecutive national championship in outdoor competition.

The 2017 NCAA Outdoor Championships was full of talent from rival schools across the nation, including Alabama, Texas A&M, Arkansas and many others. So of course, if Florida wanted to capture another title, standout performances would be pivotal.

Freshman Grant Holloway was among those individuals with a solid showing in Eugene, Oregon.

He made Division I history by claiming the title in the 110-meter hurdles the same year he secured the indoor 60-meter hurdles title.

His contributions helped Florida earn its fourth outdoor national title in the past six seasons. He also helped the Gators mark their 19th top-two finish in 30 NCAA championship meets under head coach Mike Holloway.

Holloway might not be as hyped up as the athletes on men’s basketball and football, but he certainly had one of the best moments back in Oregon.

Huang: Gators D-livered in epic fashion vs. LSU

I’m not sure how this one is even going to be close.

It’s been a long time since I’d seen an ending as dramatic as Florida’s goal-line stand to preserve a victory over LSU.

The implications of the game were huge. Florida was ravaged with injuries, playing what should have been a home game in Louisiana and needed the victory to clinch the SEC East for a second straight season.

Because of inclement weather from Hurricane Matthew, the originally scheduled meeting—an October home game for Florida—was postponed, setting off a well-documented controversy as the two SEC foes tried to negotiate a rescheduling.

Eventually, Florida agreed to cancel its matchup against Presbyterian and travel to Baton Rouge on LSU’s original bye week.

Tensions were high all afternoon, and on the game’s final possession the Tigers set up shop at their own 25-yard line, down 16-10 with 3:18 remaining.

Gators fans watched uneasily as LSU drove 74 yards to set up a last second crack at a touchdown.

It wasn’t meant to be, however. Florida stopped LSU at the Gators’ five yard line, then again at the one.

Fourth down loomed, with just three feet between a Florida win and a near-certain loss.

LSU running back Derrius Guice took the handoff and ran into a wall of Gators dressed in orange from head to toe. Guice fumbled, it was recovered by teammate Foster Moreau, but it was too late.

The vaunted Gators defense did just enough to pull out the win and deliver the finest sports moment at UF this year.

McMullen: Neel secured the Gators’ seventh national title

Any yahoo can put a ball in a basket from a couple dozen feet away. What if that basket threw the ball back at you? What if, during that exchange, you knew the fate of your team’s entire season rested with the result of your sparring with that basket through intense physical combat?

Ok fine, I’ll just come out and say it: Ingrid Neel’s championship-clinching match point against Stanford was by far the most satisfying moment of the athletic season.

Sure, many of you are aware of high-flying antics and staunch, beefy defenses. But that’s what’s great about this moment: Only the truly dedicated of dedicated Gators witnessed this moment live.

What you can relive on YouTube for eternity is this: Neel, an 18-year-old true freshman, competing against Stanford senior Taylor Davidson, in the third and deciding set of the NCAA Division I women’s tennis championship. It’s intense. It’s laser-focused energy.

To Neel, it was just a matter of time before Davidson’s final shot sailed wide to her right.

Throw the racquet down. Go hug your teammates, Ingrid.

And you know what? There were no Gatorade showers. No major networks offering unending praise, no ooo-ing and ahh-ing crowds.

Just a team of eight Gators who capped off an amazing season by furthering their lead in UF’s all-time NCAA Championship count.

Oh, and one very excited assistant coach.

Which do you think was UF’s best sports moment of the 2016-17 season? Vote online at alligator.org/sports.

Chris Chiozza takes the final shot of Florida’s 84-83 win against Wisconsin in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament on March 24, 2017, at Madison Square Garden.

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