sports - The Independent Florida Alligator

UF freshman Trinity Thomas won the vault title at the SEC Championships on Saturday in New Orleans.

Sports

UF could be in trouble if it doesn’t fix its vault problem

By River Wells | Mar. 24, 2019

For Florida, one of the top gymnastic teams in the nation, an eighth-place ranking is unusual.

Tommy Mace allowed seven hits and four runs against Vanderbilt on Thursday.

Sports

Florida falls to 1-5 in SEC after disastrous Vanderbilt series

By Evan Lepak | Mar. 24, 2019

The 14th-ranked UF baseball team entered its three-game series against No. 8 Vanderbilt looking to be competitive after opening SEC play losing 2 of 3 to Mississippi State last weekend.

The Gators head in to the Razorback Invitational with the men’s team ranked No. 2 in the nation and the women’s team No. 6 after strong showings at the Hokie and Clemson Invitationals last week.

Sports

Gators take four NCAA leads in opening outdoor meet

By Graham Marsh | Mar. 24, 2019

Hakim Sani Brown, the sophomore sprinter from Tokyo, placed the baton cleanly into the hands of junior Grant Holloway. Holloway rounded the curve to give it to senior Ryan Clark, who finished the relay with nobody on either side of him, clearly in first place.

Freshman Trinity Thomas scored a 9.925 on vault and a 9.975 on her floor routine in the Gators regular-season finale win over Penn State on Friday.

Sports

Florida falls to LSU in last moment in SEC Championships

By River Wells | Mar. 23, 2019

It came down to the little things in the final vault rotation.

Sophomore Andy Andrade topped Zeke Clark in straight sets (6-2, 6-4) in Florida's 6-1 win over Illinois.

Sports

Florida gets second-consecutive shutout in win over Kentucky

By Noah Ram | Mar. 23, 2019

It had been 33 days since the Gators last lost a match.

Florida Sunday starter Tyler Dyson pitched 5.1 innings during UF's 4-3 win over Yale. He allowed six hits and three earned runs while striking out two batters.

Sports

Gators swept by Vanderbilt for first time in 12 years

By Kyle Wood | Mar. 23, 2019

Brady Smith blasted a home run over the left field wall to put the Florida baseball team ahead 1-0 over Vanderbilt in the fourth inning Saturday afternoon. It was the first lead UF held over the Commodores up to that point in the series.

Sophomore midfielder Shannon Kavanagh: It has been a rough start for us, but I think we’ve just been focusing on the positives and the things that we need to improve on.

Sports

Gators beat Stony Brook to avoid fourth-consecutive loss

By Bryan Matamoros | Mar. 23, 2019

Sophomore midfielder Shannon Kavanagh received the ball just outside the crease with her back toward goal and a defender breathing down her neck.

Junior Kendyl Lindaman went 5 for 9 at the plate with two home runs and six RBI's in the Gators series against LSU.

Sports

Offensive explosion leads Gators past Mercer

By Mark Stine | Mar. 23, 2019

It’s a good thing there’s a net in front of the scoreboard at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.

Victoria Emma claimed Florida's third point of the match in Sunday's 4-2 upset win over No. 16 Tennessee.

Sports

Kentucky hands Gators seventh loss of season

By Victor Prieto | Mar. 23, 2019

The Florida Gators women’s tennis team entered Lexington, Kentucky, with just two losses to the Wildcats in program history.

Jack Leftwich made his first start in the Saturday slot against Yale and picked up his fourth victory of the season. He pitched five innings, gave up eight hits and just one earned run while fanning five Yale batters.

Sports

UF drops second straight SEC series with loss to Vanderbilt

By Kyle Wood | Mar. 23, 2019

Florida was nearly shut out for the second-consecutive game against Vanderbilt on Friday night.

The Gators women's tennis team enters Friday's matchup against Kentucky with three ranked singles players.

Sports

Kessler finds rhythm as UF prepares for Kentucky

By Victor Prieto | Mar. 21, 2019

McCartney Kessler struggled to find her game early this season.

Senior midfielder Sydney Pirreca was among several players who were held out against Syracuse on Wednesday for “violating team rules,” according to coach Amanda O’Leary.

Sports

Florida travels to New York after three-game homestand

By Bryan Matamoros | Mar. 21, 2019

A team is believed to have an advantage when it plays at home.

Jaimie Hoover had four runs in four at-bats in the Gators' Saturday doubleheader. Florida topped Illinois State 10-2 and defeated Syracuse 8-0.

Sports

Mercer presents opportunity for struggling Florida offense

By Mark Stine | Mar. 21, 2019

The UF softball team carried its offensive struggles from SEC play into its midweek game against No. 20 Minnesota on Wednesday.

Junior gymnast Amelia Hundley scored a 9.925 on beam, UF’s highest total in the event, against Georgia on Feb. 22 at the O’Connell Center.

Sports

Gators prepare for potential SEC sweep on Saturday

By River Wells | Mar. 21, 2019

The Gators gymnastics team had a week to reflect on its regular-season conference title.

Florida pitcher Jordan Butler relieved Tommy Mace in the sixth inning, walking two batters and hitting another with a pitch before he was pulled.

Sports

Florida shutout in SEC road opener

By Evan Lepak | Mar. 21, 2019

Florida succumbed to the right arm of Vanderbilt’s Drake Fellows on Thursday night.

Sophomore No. 29 Andy Andrade is one of Florida's four ranked singles players.

Sports

Gators down Illinois for seventh-straight win

By Noah Ram | Mar. 21, 2019

Johannes Ingildsen didn’t do any kind of crazy celebration when he clinched the match.

Kelly Barnhill leads the nation in hits allowed per seven innings pitched.

Sports

Barnhill strikes out her 1000th batter in 2-0 win over Minnesota

By Brendan Farrell | Mar. 20, 2019

Kelly Barnhill looked over at pitcher Katie Chronister’s signal, looked down at her wristband on her left arm and exhaled.

The UF men’s and women’s diving teams are competing in the NCAA Diving Zones B Region from March 10-12,

Sports

Gators seek first NCAA title in nine years

By Jack Braverman | Mar. 19, 2019

A season filled with accolades and triumphs is nearing a close, but all of it ceases to matter come Wednesday.

The Gators' men's tennis team topped Georgia 5-2. Sophomore Andy Andrade (pictured) clinched the match with a three-set win over Georgia's No. 10 Jan Zielinski.

Sports

Gators host pair of top 30 opponents this week

By Noah Ram | Mar. 19, 2019

The Gators men’s tennis team is about to face arguably its toughest remaining regular-season test.

Senior Kelly Barnhill pitched a complete-game shutout in the Gators 5-0 win against UCF on Wednesday.

Sports

Struggling offense, shaky pitching shows in Florida's consecutive SEC series losses

By Brendan Farrell | Mar. 19, 2019

The No. 6 Florida softball team (24-6) suffered its second-consecutive series loss to open SEC play after a 3-2 walk-off loss against No. 8 LSU (24-6) on Monday. Here are how the Gators have lost back-to-back series for the first time since 2011: