2 - The Independent Florida Alligator

Sophomore Marina Escobar hits a drive at the Gators Invitational in February. The Gators are set to compete at the NCAA Regionals in Stanford, California, this week.

NEWS

Florida women’s golf completes sweep at Gators Invitational

By Brooke Bastedo | Mar. 8

Two days before the 53rd Gators Invitational, the Florida women’s golf team found out its upcoming event would have a change in format. Rather than three rounds over three days, the tournament would now feature 36 holes on day one and 18 holes on day two. With rain looming over the Sunday portion of the competition, this was the best way to ensure three complete rounds of play.

Adam Steinberg will be the eleventh UF men’s tennis head coach in program history.

NEWS

No. 24 Florida men’s tennis shut down by No. 15 Texas A&M

By Curan Ahern | Mar. 8

Following its brutal loss at Oklahoma on Thursday, Florida (8-7, 3-3 SEC) headed south to the Mitchell Tennis Center in College Station, Texas, on Saturday afternoon to test its luck against No. 15 Texas A&M (10-5, 4-1 SEC).

METRO | CRIMINAL JUSTICE

Gainesville man arrested after hammer attack at bookstore

By Olivia Shehadi | Mar. 8

A Gainesville man was arrested Friday and charged with attempted murder after reportedly attacking a man with a hammer inside the bookstore 2nd & Charles.

Florida midfielder Josie Hahn (15) looks for an open teammate during the Gators’ game against Old Dominion on March 23, 2024.

SPORTS | OTHER SPORTS LACROSSE

Four hat tricks and strong defense powers No. 9 Florida lacrosse to top-15 win

By Max Bernstein | Mar. 8

On a rainy Saturday afternoon at the Donald R. Dizney Stadium, four Gators scored hat tricks and redshirt junior Elyse Finnelle made nine saves in No. 9 Florida lacrosse’s 15-9 victory over No. 15 Loyola (Maryland).

University of Florida Gators Women’s Basketball plays against the Oklahoma Sooners for their senior night on Thursday, Feb. 27th, 2025.

SPORTS | BASKETBALL

Florida’s Cinderella SEC Tournament run ends in quarterfinals against LSU

By Jack Meyer | Mar. 8

Despite six players reaching double-figure scoring on Friday night, Florida’s second-straight Cinderella run in the SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament came to an end against the No. 9 LSU Tigers.

Florida Gators gymnast Leanne Wong performs on the balance beam in a gymnastics meet against the Missouri Tigers in Gainesville, Fla., on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025.

SPORTS | GYMNASTICS

No. 4 Gators clinch first SEC road win, beat No. 14 Alabama

By Liana Handler | Mar. 7

“She said what? She said stick.”

The Florida Gators Softball team meets during a game against Boston College in Gainesville, Fla., on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025.

SPORTS | SOFTBALL

No. 3 UF drops SEC opener to No. 5/4 Texas A&M in heartbreaking fashion

By Jackson Colding | Mar. 7

Despite a valiant effort by freshman pitcher Katelynn Oxley in the circle, the No. 3 Florida Gators drop their SEC opener in College Station to the No. 5/4 Texas A&M Aggies.

UF Women's Tennis player Nikola Daubnerova sends a ball over the net during the Florida Invitational on Jan. 11, 2025. (Credit: Kade Sowers)

SPORTS | OTHER SPORTS TENNIS

Nikola Daubnerova secures Florida women’s tennis’ first SEC win in upset over No. 9 Texas

By Jeffrey Serber | Mar. 7

Nikola Daubnerova wins in a three-set thriller to deliver Florida women’s tennis their first SEC win of the season to complete the upset over No. 9 Texas to start a two-game weekend homestand.

Florida Gators infielder Colby Shelton (10) throws the ball to first in a baseball game against the Air Force Academy in Gainesville, Fla., on Friday, Feb. 15, 2025.

SPORTS | BASEBALL

No. 7 Gators shut out Harvard in convincing victory

By Hugh Green | Mar. 7

Sophomore right-hander Liam Peterson’s first three outings of the 2025 season were phenomenal. Entering the weekend, he had a 3-0 record with a 1.12 ERA. The Palm Harbor, Florida, native might have outdone himself on Friday night, as he tied his career-high in strikeouts.

Florida Ice Hockey Club celebrates its first National Championship win on Wednesday, March, 13, 2024.

SPORTS | HOCKEY

Florida hockey falls in group stage of national championship tournament

By Daniela Ortiz | Mar. 7

The Gators kicked off Nationals with a dominant win over Tennessee, but fell short in the final stretch and were ultimately knocked out by Quinnipiac.

Freshman quarterback DJ Lagway looks to throw long at the Gators’ spring practice on Saturday, March 23, 2024.

SPORTS | COLUMNS

The evolving, unpredictable world of spring football

By Noah White | Mar. 7

As the college football world continues to evolve, its changes are most noticeable in the early days of the spring.

ENTERPRISE | POLITICS

How will changes to state, federal taxes impact Florida residents?

By Vivienne Serret | Mar. 7

With the Trump administration proposing new tax policies and tax cuts and Gov. Ron DeSantis calling for Florida’s property taxes to be abolished, taxpayers are left wondering how potential changes could impact their day-to-day lives.

OPINION | COLUMNS

The Trump doctrine: ‘America first’

By Abraham Hilu | Mar. 7

While coined in 1849, Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr's quote "The more things change, the more they remain the same," is still relevant in today's American policy, even with President Trump’s new agenda.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Whose generated line is it anyway?

By Andres Arguello | Mar. 7

Living in a world with AI, creation is integral to living, even in the smallest ways.

THE AVENUE | LIFESTYLE

One UF musician's triumph over hearing loss

By Sabrina Castro | Mar. 7

Her love for music was unwavering, but at 11 years old, life threw her an unexpected chord. A traumatic accident left her with perilymphatic fistula, a tear in the inner ear, which caused complete deafness in her left ear, tinnitus and the inability to walk.

SPORTS | BASKETBALL

McGill’s career night powers Florida to upset win over No. 19 Alabama in SEC Tournament

By Jack Meyer | Mar. 7

With SEC All-Freshman guard Liv McGill tallying a career-high 29 points on Thursday night, Florida stunned No. 19 Alabama in the second round of the SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament.

UF tennis player Henry Jefferson pictured during a match against the University of North Florida on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025.

SPORTS | OTHER SPORTS TENNIS

No. 24 Florida men’s tennis swept by Oklahoma

By Curan Ahern | Mar. 6

The No. 24 Florida Gators men’s tennis team lost the doubles point and couldn’t rebound in its 4-0 road loss to a tough No. 16 Oklahoma squad.

Kay Abbitt’s resignation leaves questions about District 5’s present and future.

METRO | K-12 EDUCATION

How Kay Abbitt’s resignation reshaped the Alachua County School Board

By Sara-James Ranta | Mar. 6

As the Alachua County School Board navigates Kay Abbitt's vacancy, the 75-plus day delay in appointing a new board member reflects a broader trend in Florida.

Ryan Champiny’s garden box at the Compost Cooperative and Gardens on Saturday, March 1, 2025.

THE AVENUE | FOOD

How a local initiative showcases composting on a small scale

By Corey Fiske | Mar. 6

Wilkie started the Compost Cooperative and Gardens, an education and outreach program to promote sustainability at UF’s Energy Research and Education Park. It gives students and the Gainesville community the freedom to compost their food waste and learn about its environmental impacts.

Study Buddies offered at Marston and Library West on Wednesday, Feb. 26th, 2025.

THE AVENUE | LIFESTYLE

How Study Buddy library programs promote mindfulness

By Juliana DeFilippo | Mar. 6

Ellward is the creator of most of Marston’s study buddies, the library’s collection of small, crocheted animals and plants that students can rent for two hours at a time. The buddies are all crocheted animals, including a caterpillar, flamingo and, most recently, a frog.

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