While he excelled throughout high school, leaving him with hopes for a UF track career, his athletic trajectory didn’t go as planned. He spent his first few semesters hoping to get the chance to join UF’s track and field team, but he had to find a spot to compete elsewhere.
Despite Thomas’ devastating injury, the Gators prevailed and moved on to the semifinals of the NCAA Championship. Florida advanced forward in their region but settled for second place — behind only the California Golden Bears — in its first meet without Thomas.
Rickards capped off her fourth season with the Florida Gators March 27. She was one of two players on this past year’s team who spent all four years in Gainesville, and Rickards surpassed 1,000 career points.
The No. 12-ranked Florida men’s golf team traveled to Augusta, Georgia, to compete in the Augusta Haskins Award Invitational. The Gators took a five-shot lead into Sunday and finished in first by 12 shots to score 39-under-par.
The No. 2 Florida Gators (22-2, 6-1 SEC) competed in the NCAA Pittsburgh Regional Final Round Friday against the No. 7 California Golden Bears (17-2-2, 4-1-2 PAC-12), the No. 10 Michigan State Spartans (24-4, 8-1 Big 10) and the No. 15 Arizona State Sun Devils (7-6, 4-3 PAC-12).
Heyman emptied the bases with a grand slam to left field. His eight RBI was just a slice of the offensive pie in No. 3 Florida’s 17-8 win against the Auburn Tigers Sunday afternoon at Condron Ballpark.
The No. 16 Florida Gators (13-4, 7-2 SEC) bested the No. 54 Arkansas Razorbacks (9-10, 3-7 SEC) 5-2 Sunday afternoon at Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex. The Gators got off to a slow start in doubles play but recovered in closely contested performances across multiple courts in singles play.
The No. 11 Florida Gators (26-9, 4-5 SEC) lost to the South Carolina Gamecocks (26-9, 3-6 SEC) 3-0 Sunday afternoon at Columbia Softball Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina.
The No. 3 Florida Gators (23-5, 6-2 SEC) defeated the Auburn Tigers (18-8-1, 3-5 SEC) 12-5 Saturday night at Condron Ballpark. UF set a new season-high with 19 hits.
Florida’s track and field teams took the podium 25 times during the two-day home meet. Having earned 10 gold medals, the Gators were more than comfortable at the Pepsi Florida Relays.
The No. 13 Florida Gators (26-8, 4-4 SEC) blew past the South Carolina Gamecocks (25-9, 2-6 SEC) Saturday afternoon at Carolina Softball Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina.
The No. 19 Florida Gators (10-8, 5-3 SEC) lost to Texas A&M (12-8, 5-3 SEC) 4-3 Saturday evening in College Station.
The No. 8 Florida Gators (8-3) beat the No. 23 Penn Quakers (5-5) 17-13 Saturday afternoon. The Quakers followed the Gators footsteps closely and tied the game three separate times.
She left the meet halfway through her floor routine. Florida gymnastics confirmed Thomas has a lower right-leg injury and is now going day-by-day.
Brandon Sproat glanced toward the Gators dugout as his head coach, Kevin O’Sullivan, emerged from the top step.
The No. 2 Florida Gators (12-1, 6-1 SEC) competed in the NCAA Pittsburgh Regional Second Round Friday against No. 15 Arizona State (7-6, 4-3 PAC-12), No. 24 Maryland (17-8, 2-7 Big-10) and Penn State (11-9, 3-6 Big-10).
The No. 11 Florida Gators lost to the South Carolina Gamecocks at Beckham Field in Columbia, South Carolina, 13-10 Friday. Despite recording 10 runs off nine hits, the Gators allowed eight hits, five walks and two innings with three or more runs scored.
The No. 16 Florida Gators (12-4, 6-2 SEC) pounced the Missouri Tigers (10-11, 1-8 SEC) 7-0 Friday evening at Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex. The Gators were hot from the jump; they convincingly stole the doubles point and kept up the pace for the remainder of the match to clinch the Southeastern Conference match win.
Florida senior guard KK Deans announced on Instagram Thursday that she will be entering the transfer portal after one season with the Gators.
The No. 11 Florida Gators (25-7, 3-3 SEC) defeated the Stetson Hatters (18-16, 2-4 ASUN) 8-0 via run rule through six innings at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium Wednesday. Florida homered four times and earned its 11th shutout of the season.
Solutions by The State News
