1 - The Independent Florida Alligator

Robert Finke during the Gators' meet on Day 3 of the SEC Championships on Thursday, February 20, 2020 at Martin Aquatics Center in Auburn, Alabama. Finke and other Gators return to Auburn for an invitational this week.

SPORTS | OTHER SPORTS SWIM AND DIVE

Next stop: NCAA Championships

By Faith Buckley | Mar. 2, 2021

The Gators now prepare for the NCAA Championships March 24-27.

The Gator pitching staff walked away with seven shutouts. Photo from UF-Louisville game Feb. 27.

SPORTS | SOFTBALL

Florida offense fails head coach Tim Walton’s vibe check

By Rachel Slay | Mar. 2, 2021

The undefeated No. 5 Gators need to put in more work if they dream of a championship.

Coach Emily Bastel Glasser at Mark Bostick Golf Course. She highlighted her team’s mistakes but commended Fuller’s performance

SPORTS | OTHER SPORTS GOLF

Florida tied for last entering final day of Gamecock Intercollegiate

By Michael Hull | Mar. 2, 2021

Florida will look to end the tournament on a high note Wednesday, with golf set to resume at 11:30 a.m.

The squad will lean heavily on Smith, the SEC’s No. 6 scorer. She averages 18.4 points per game. Photo from UF-Georgia game Feb. 28.

SPORTS | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Gators look to survive loss-ridden Auburn in SEC Tournament

By Griffin Foll | Mar. 2, 2021

Florida hopes to tame the Auburn Tigers Wednesday afternoon as the teams face off in the opening round of the SEC Tournament.

Florida pitcher Elizabeth Hightower during a game against Louisville game Feb. 27, 2021. She got the start in the circle for the SEC opener versus Mississippi State Friday.

SPORTS | SOFTBALL

Florida continues homestand against New Mexico State Wednesday

By Noah Ram | Mar. 2, 2021

The Gators pitching will look to continue its excellence against New Mexico State.

UF lacrosse will match up against Kennesaw State for the second time in program history.

SPORTS | OTHER SPORTS LACROSSE

Gators head to Georgia for redemption

By Karina Wilson | Mar. 2, 2021

The Gators travel to Kennesaw, Georgia, to take on the Owls after a week off. Both teams lost their last game.

The Gators will face their toughest test since opening weekend when Florida Atlantic takes the field. Photo from UF-Miami game Feb. 21. Courtesy of the SEC Media Portal.

SPORTS | BASEBALL

Gators seek sixth straight win in midweek contest against Florida Atlantic

By Ryan Haley | Mar. 2, 2021

Florida will look to extend its five-game winning streak when it hosts the FAU Owls Wednesday.

Boy Scout Troop 125 places invasive plants into a plastic trash bag for proper disposal. [Photo courtesy of Rich Bennett]

METRO

Great Invader Raider Rally removes invasive plant species

By Alexandra Harris | Mar. 2, 2021

Instead of working in locations scattered throughout the city as done in previous years, organizers encouraged people to remove invasive plants in their own yards and neighborhoods, said Geoffrey Parks, Nature Operations Supervisor for the Gainesville Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department.

Florida’s current opponents don’t meet Miami’s caliber, but the team has yet to lose since the Miami series. Photo from UF-Miami game Feb. 19. Courtesy of the SEC Media Portal.

OPINION | COLUMNS

To Florida baseball fans: R-E-L-A-X

By River Wells | Mar. 1, 2021

Florida lost its opening series to the Miami Hurricanes, but columnist River Wells has advice for nervous fans: relax.

SPORTS | FOOTBALL

Let the young guys play, coach Mullen

By Zachary Huber | Mar. 1, 2021

The Gators need to finally find out if their highly recruited players bloom or bust.

Maria Torres watches her shot during the SunTrust Gator Women's Golf Invitational on Saturday, March 11, 2017 at the Mark Bostick Golf Course in Gainesville.

SPORTS | OTHER SPORTS GOLF

Gators in 14th after day one in Columbia

By Michael Hull | Mar. 1, 2021

Florida will attempt to right the ship Tuesday when it tees off at 9 a.m.

Latin Grammy-winning singer Nella appeared at the Phillips Center Friday to perform in the “UpStage at the Phillips Center” series.

THE AVENUE | MUSIC

Grammy-winning artist Nella takes Phillips Center stage

By Heather Bushman | Mar. 1, 2021

It was the Venezuelan artist’s first in-person show since August.

NEWS | CAMPUS

UF welcomes more than 15,000 to the class of 2025

By Alexander Lugo | Mar. 1, 2021

The average GPA for admits was 4.51 along with an average SAT score of 1392 and an average ACT score of 31.

Janée Gilliam, a nurse for the Alachua County Department of Health, injects Linda Tyson, 65, a Sante Fe biology professor, with the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine Friday, Feb. 26, 2021 at Santa Fe College. “The college has done us a great service,” Tyson said about the vaccine distributions.

NEWS | SFC

Santa Fe community receives second dose of COVID-19 vaccine

By Manny Rea and Juliana Ferrie | Mar. 1, 2021

Among the recipients were employees, retirees, students and “the expanded SF family” — relatives of Santa Fe community members who live in the same household and meet the criteria for vaccination.

A purple vending machine owned by the Gurl U Cute Hair Boutique sits near the entrance of Oaks Mall in Gainesville on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021. The vending machine has wig bundles and false lashes for purchase.

METRO | BUSINESS

Wigs, false eyelashes and hair bundles available in new Oaks Mall vending machine

By Lucille Lannigan | Mar. 1, 2021

The machine’s opening comes as Thomas celebrates the anniversary of her business, Gurl U Cute Inc. Hair Boutique, in Jacksonville, which she opened after struggling to purchase wigs in the past.

Pedestrians cross West University Avenue on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021, near a memorial at the site of a car crash that killed Sophia Lambert, a UF student, in January.

SPANISH

Los familiares de los estudiantes de UF que murieron en West University Avenue presentaron demandas por muerte injusta

By Melissa Hernandez de la Cruz | Mar. 1, 2021

Las demandas buscan más de $100,000 en daños y menciona a Uber como un acusado.

A portrait of former band director Richard E. Parker hangs inside the band room at Eastside High School on Friday, Feb. 12, 2021. Parker was the Eastside marching band director from 1970 to 1990.

METRO | K-12 EDUCATION

Eastside High School alumni band members carry on distinctive high-energy style

By Alan Halaly | Mar. 1, 2021

Since former Eastside High School band director Richard E. Parker's death in 2016, former band members have come together every few months to honor and educate people about the marching band’s old style and community impact through performances at community events and street parardes.

The Gators are off to a near-historic start at the plate. The team batting average stands at .316, with 99 hits in just eight games. UF-UM game Feb. 21. Courtesy of the SEC Media Portal.

SPORTS | BASEBALL

After a rough start, Florida is starting to look the part of unanimous No. 1

By Ryan Haley | Mar. 1, 2021

As the bats stay aflame and starting pitching begins to stir, the Gators slowly put together the puzzle and look more and more like the team everyone thought they would be.

SPORTS | FOOTBALL

Fresh faces in The Swamp

By Ryan Haley | Mar. 1, 2021

Spring practice means a new look at the 2021 depth chart, but it also promises first impressions of the newest class of Gators.

SPORTS | OTHER SPORTS

Indoor cycling flourishes during pandemic

By Karina Wilson | Mar. 1, 2021

The popularity of indoor cycling, also known as spin, has taken over Gainesville. Many residents and students have taken it up as a hobby.

El Caimán