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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Who was the Best Female Athlete at UF in 2015?

<p>UF's Lauren Haeger pitches during Florida's 5-0 win against Florida State on April 22, 2015, at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.</p>

UF's Lauren Haeger pitches during Florida's 5-0 win against Florida State on April 22, 2015, at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.

The Alligator Awards continue this week, with the sixth award being for "Best Female Athlete." Editor-in-chief Jordan McPherson and staff writer Ian Cohen join alligatorSports editors Graham Hall, Luis Torres and Graham Hack in a roundtable discussion to debate the five nominees. Debates will go in alphabetical order by the writer’s last name.

Cohen: Rhamat excels as freshman

What hasn’t been said about Rhamat Alhassan?

At 6-foot-4, she’s the tallest player in the history of Florida’s volleyball program. She’s also the youngest of the five nominees for best female athlete, and arguably the most transcendent.

Her length and athleticism gave the Gators’ frontline a much-needed boost in 2014, and along with being named the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year, Alhassan led the nation in hitting percentage (.458). She was one of only two freshmen ranked in the top-10.

But of all Alhassan’s measurables, the one that stands out is her age. She’s just a freshman, which may hurt her in the race for UF’s best female athlete, but it shouldn’t. In her first year, she became one of the SEC’s best middle blockers, leading all players in hitting percentage, finishing second in blocks per set (1.32) and 11th in points per set (3.53).

Entering her fourth year playing volleyball, Alhassan still has plenty of time to improve — a scary proposition, considering how much she learned in just one year at UF.

After a tremendous first season, coach Mary Wise and the rest of Florida’s staff thinks Alhassan can develop into one of the nation’s most dominant players.

Hack: Hunter dominates in senior season

Kytra Hunter’s 2015 season would have been career-defining at any age. But for her to accomplish all she did as a senior was nothing short of phenomenal.

In a sport where athletes’ bodies often break down late in their careers, leading to diminished production and missed time, Hunter competed in every event of every meet during her senior season — quite successfully, too.

She was named the Southeastern Conference Gymnast of the Year and became the NCAA all-around champion for a second time and floor champion for the first time.

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She also took home the Honda Award as the top collegiate gymnast in the country, becoming the first Gator to win the award twice — she also won it in her freshman year.

Simply put, she dominated week after week, refusing to allow coach Rhonda Faehn to rest her, even during competitions when the team could have afforded to do so.

But maybe more impressive was the leadership the senior exhibited during the season. Known as a quiet teammate during meets prior to 2015, Hunter broke out of her shell to rally the team during a turbulent regular season while vocal leader Bridget Sloan recovered from a sprained ankle. Her presence during the difficult first half of the year was one of the primary reasons Florida was in position to compete for its third-consecutive NCAA crown.

Hall: Dagostino becomes vocal leader

Mackenzie Dagostino is everything a team could want in a leader, and she has the competitive drive and athleticism to dominate next season.

In her first year as a starter for the Gators, Dagostino shined as the setter on a dominant Florida volleyball team. The Tampa native transferred to UF from Maryland in 2013 to be closer to home, and immediately became comfortable and confident in the role.

As setter, Dagostino would direct her teammates on the floor and tell them how to play. Her competitiveness erased any notion of a learning curve, and her 32-inch vertical eliminated any questions about whether at 5-foot-10 she was too short to play setter. Coach Mary Wise raves about Dagostino any chance she gets, calling her highly competitive and an elite athlete. Her teammates say she spends her time spreading optimism and encouraging the team to do its best. She is everything a volleyball team could want in a setter, and the fact she did it all in her first season as a consistent starter proves she’s UF’s Best Female Athlete.

McPherson: Haeger caps collegiate career in style

It seemed as if Lauren Haeger could do no wrong last season.

She had big shoes to fill, replacing four-time All-American Hannah Rogers as the UF softball team’s ace in the circle.

And with her face in the limelight, Haeger put on the cleats that Rogers left, laced them up and had the senior year of a lifetime, carrying the Gators to their second straight national title.

She broke records, setting the UF record for career RBIs (260) and the SEC record for career home runs (71).

She swept every major accolade she could in her final year, highlighted by being the first USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year in UF history.

And she became the first player in collegiate softball history to have at least 70 wins as a pitcher and 70 home runs, a feat only accomplished by Babe Ruth (a fantastic albeit ridiculous analogy).

After three years of being seen as a hitter first and being stuck in Rogers’ shadows as a pitcher, Haeger proved that she was the real deal when it all fell on her shoulders.

She was the best athlete at UF last year.

There’s no arguing with that.

Torres: Gilroy leads UF's offense

For all intents and purposes Shannon Gilroy was the best female athlete this year at Florida. She might not have gotten the same recognition as the others on this list — it might’ve been because her team was bounced after the second round of the NCAA Tournament — but her accomplishments shouldn’t be overlooked.

She led a potent Gators offense that scored the most goals in the country and ranked third in the nation in scoring offense (15.22 goals per game). The Northport, New York, native led Florida in goals (74), assists (24) and points (98) and was named the 2015 Big East Midfielder of the Year.

After scoring eight goals and providing an assist during the two-game tournament, Gilroy was named the Big East Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.

Oh, and she was also one of five finalists for the Tewaaraton Award, which honors the top male and female lacrosse players in the country.

Gilroy finished her career as one of the best collegiate lacrosse players of all-time and she’s more than worthy of adding the title of Best Female Athlete at UF during the 2014-15 season.

Which female athlete at UF was the best? Vote online at alligator.org/sports. All results will be revealed in our New Student Edition on Aug. 17.

UF's Lauren Haeger pitches during Florida's 5-0 win against Florida State on April 22, 2015, at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.

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