Sports - The Independent Florida Alligator

Delanie Gourley pitches during Florida's 14-10 loss to LSU on March 14, 2015, at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.

SPORTS | SOFTBALL

UF softball drops third game against 'Bama but wins series

By Patrick Pinak | Mar. 23, 2015

Alabama softball has not been swept at home in 11 years.

Freshman Ericha Fassbender steps back onto the balance beam after falling during the Southeastern Conference Championships on March 21 in Duluth, Georgia.

SPORTS | GYMNASTICS

Coach Rhonda Faehn looking for passion from gymnasts as UF looks toward NCAAs

By GRAHAM HACK | Mar. 23, 2015

After Saturday night’s beam debacle for the Florida gymnastics team, coach Rhonda Faehn wants to see more fight from everyone.

UF coach Kevin O'Sullivan watches from outside the dugout during the Gators' 9-7 loss to Southern Miss. in game one of NCAA Super Regional play in McKethan stadium Saturday, June 6, 2009. O'Sullivan and the Gators were eliminated from the 2014 NCAA Tournament in the regional round on Saturday.

SPORTS | BASEBALL

Florida baseball finishes road swing with game against Stetson

By JORDAN MCPHERSON | Mar. 23, 2015

After dropping its first weekend series of the season last weekend against Ole Miss, the No. 4 Florida baseball team looks to turn it around when it travels to play Stetson at 6:30 p.m. in DeLand.

Chase Perez-Blanco returns a ball during Florida's 4-1 win against Mississippi State on March 13 at the Ring Tennis Complex.

SPORTS | OTHER SPORTS TENNIS

Florida men’s tennis learning from loss to Ole Miss, getting back to work

By CAYLEE UNDERWOOD | Mar. 23, 2015

The Florida men’s tennis team is looking to move past a split weekend where it was on both ends of shutout matches.

Coach Roland Thornqvist said his team will try to learn from its mistakes after Florida fell to Vanderbilt in Sunday's SEC Tournament championship game. “We can start from zero in our preparations," he said.

SPORTS | OTHER SPORTS TENNIS

UF women's tennis faces Texas A&M today

By Eneisy Rodriguez | Mar. 23, 2015

No. 2 Florida women’s tennis team heads to College Station, Texas, in hopes of extending its perfect record against Southeastern Conference teams.

Kelly Grassel lines up a shot during the 2015 SunTrust Gator Invitational on UF's Mark Bostick Golf Course.

SPORTS | OTHER SPORTS GOLF

Florida tops leaderboard after first day at Briar’s Creek

By JUSTEN ROSENBERG | Mar. 23, 2015

The Gators entered Monday’s first and second round of the Briar’s Creek Invitational as a top-25 team for the first time this season.

Bridget Sloan (left) and teammates Gator chomp prior to the Southeastern Conference Championships on March 21 in Duluth, Georgia.

SPORTS | GYMNASTICS

Florida gymnastics earns No. 2 seed for NCAA Championships

By JORDAN MCPHERSON | Mar. 23, 2015

The Florida gymnastics team earned the No. 2 national seed for the 2015 NCAA Championships and will compete at the Morgantown, West Virginia, Regional on April 4 at 4 p.m.

Demarcus Robinson extends for an overthrown pass during Alabama's 42-21 win against Florida at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

SPORTS | FOOTBALL

Florida football team still adjusting to new offense

By MORGAN MORIARTY | Mar. 22, 2015

Week 1 of Spring football for the Florida Gators is in the books, and questions still surround the installation of the new offense.

Shannon Gilroy runs down the field during Florida's 14-13 overtime loss to Syracuse on March 10 at Donald R. Dizney Stadium.

SPORTS | OTHER SPORTS LACROSSE

UF lacrosse dominates Vandy in conference opener

By ALEX MAMINAKIS | Mar. 22, 2015

Florida entered its road match against Vanderbilt on Sunday having lost three straight games.

Junior Natalie Hinds competes in the 100-yard butterfly during Florida's 189.5-110.5 win against Arkansas on Saturday in the O'Connell Center

SPORTS | OTHER SPORTS SWIM AND DIVE

Women’s swimming and diving finishes 9th at NCAAs

By GRAHAM HALL | Mar. 22, 2015

The Florida women’s swimming and diving team wrapped up the 2015 NCAA Championships in ninth place, marking Florida’s 15th straight top-10 finish at the meet.

Sophomore Karolina Vlckova high fives coach Emily Glaser during the final round of the 2015 SunTrust Gator Invitational on March 8.

SPORTS | OTHER SPORTS GOLF

Women's golf returns to action after two-week break

By JUSTEN ROSENBERG | Mar. 22, 2015

The Gators women’s golf team is coming off consecutive runner-up performances for the first time this season, most recently at the SunTrust Gator Women’s Golf Invitational, where four golfers individually cracked the top-25 in the leaderboards.

Spencer Liang dives for a one-handed backhand during Florida's win against Elon.

SPORTS | OTHER SPORTS TENNIS

UF women’s tennis tops Mississippi State

By Eneisy Rodriguez | Mar. 22, 2015

The No. 2 Florida women’s tennis team (15-1, 7-0 Southeastern Conference) earned its 10th-straight victory Sunday afternoon at the Ring Tennis Complex after defeating No. 27 Mississippi State (13-5, 3-4 SEC) 5-2.

Redshirt freshman Oliver Landert hits a jump-step forehand during Florida's 9-3 win against William & Mary on Jan. 10 at the Ring Tennis Complex.

SPORTS | OTHER SPORTS TENNIS

Gators men’s tennis swept by Ole Miss

By CAYLEE UNDERWOOD | Mar. 22, 2015

The winning streak has come to an end.

SPORTS | MEN'S BASKETBALL

NCAA Tournament: UNC tops Arkansas, Williams ties Dean Smith for second-most NCAA tournament wins

By RICHARD JOHNSON | Mar. 21, 2015

JACKSONVILLE — It has been in many ways a trying year for North Carolina. The perennial power is 25-11, a No. 4 seed this season much to the chagrin of its fanbase, but still defeated the No. 5 seed Arkansas Razorbacks 87-78 Saturday night.

SPORTS | SOFTBALL

Gators softball wins first game against Alabama, second game suspended

By Luis Torres | Mar. 21, 2015

In a battle between two freshmen, Florida’s Nicole DeWitt came up with the biggest hit of her young career off of Alexis Osorio.

A.J. Puk pitches during Florida's 7-2 loss to Miami on Feb. 21 at McKethan Stadium.

SPORTS | BASEBALL

UF baseball splits doubleheader with Ole Miss, drops first weekend series

By IAN COHEN | Mar. 21, 2015

Florida split its two games against Ole Miss on Saturday, as the Gators struggled to hit in the first game but caught fire in the second.

Alex McMurtry falls off the balance beam during the Southeastern Conference Championships on March 21 at the Arena at Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Georgia. McMurtry scored a 9.30 on the event.

SPORTS | GYMNASTICS

Florida gymnastics falls off beam and into third at SEC Championships

By GRAHAM HACK | Mar. 21, 2015

DULUTH, Ga. — The Gators were in perfect position.

Georgia State head coach Ron Hunter hugs his son R.J. after taking him out of the game against Xavier during the second half of GSU's 75-67 loss on Saturday in the third round of the NCAA Tournament in Jacksonville.

SPORTS | COLUMNS

Johnson's Journal: Georgia State's NCAA run ends, father and son walk off court together possibly for last time

By RICHARD JOHNSON | Mar. 21, 2015

JACKSONVILLE — With 19 seconds left in 14-seeded Georgia State’s 75-67 loss to Xavier, a father subbed his son out of the game.

Jayla Bostic talks with throws coach Steve Lemke after one of her hammer throw attempts during the Tom Jones Memorial Invite on April 19, 2014, at Percy Beard Track.

SPORTS | OTHER SPORTS TRACK

Throwers compete at UCF meet to open outdoor season

By Kyle Brutman | Mar. 21, 2015

The Florida track and field team kicked off the outdoor season on Saturday at the UCF Black and Gold Challenge in Orlando.

Buddy Reed swings at a pitch during Florida's 9-4 win against Tennessee on March 15 at McKethan Stadium.

SPORTS | BASEBALL

Florida baseball drops series-opener to Ole Miss

By JORDAN MCPHERSON | Mar. 20, 2015

The No. 2 Florida baseball team fell 4-1 in its series opener against Ole Miss on Friday in Oxford, Mississippi.