sports - The Independent Florida Alligator

Two of coach Bryan Shelton's three freshmen qualified for the main draw in the Sunrise Pro Tennis Classic over the weekend. Jordan Belga and Duarte Vale will play their matches later this week.

Sports

Two freshmen will represent UF in main draw of Sunrise Pro Tennis Classic

By Benjamin Brandt | Jan. 15, 2018

A successful first set of tennis placed freshman Duarte Vale just six games away from victory on Monday. But after dropping the second set and battling for a 5-5 tie in the deciding third, Vale faced elimination. He won the final two games of the match however, and secured his spot in the City of Sunrise Pro Tennis Classic’s main draw with a 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 upset over No. 8-seeded Filip Bergevi.

SEC Freshman Gymnast of the Week Jazmyn Foberg is part of a young core that will be a big part of Florida's rotation this season. “These freshmen came in ready to fight, determined and nothing is going to stand in their way,” coach Jenny Rowland said.

Sports

Gators moving on from SEC-opening loss to LSU

By Alana Gomez | Jan. 14, 2018

The odds were all lined up in favor of the Florida gymnastics team. After coming off a first-meet win that featured a record-breaking 39.575 all-around score from junior Alicia Boren, the Gators were finally back at home. And for the first time ever, they were performing in front of a sold-out O’Connell Center.

Florida sophomore Johannes Ingildsen lost in the third round of the City of Sunrise Pro Tennis Classic's qualifying draw on Sunday, leaving teammates Jordan Belga, Oliver Crawford and Duarte Vale as the only Gators remaining in the event.

Sports

Three UF men’s tennis players advance to final round of qualifying draws in Sunrise Pro Tennis Classic

By Benjamin Brandt | Jan. 14, 2018

It’s not often you see college teammates competing against each other in a professional tournament. On Monday morning, however, two of Florida’s men’s tennis players will go head to head for a spot in the City of Sunrise Pro Tennis Classic’s main draw.

Haley Lorenzen matched a season high with 20 points and added 10 rebounds against LSU in a 66-59 loss on Sunday. “We let our mistakes kind of dictate what we were trying to do,” Lorenzen said.

Sports

Gators continue SEC skid against LSU, fall to 0-5 in conference play

By Morgan McMullen | Jan. 14, 2018

Down by 15 with just over six minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Florida women’s basketball team played like a group desperate for its first conference win.

Florida women's tennis coach Roland Thornqvist watched UF freshman Victoria Emma lose her semifinals match in the Freeman Memorial on Saturday in Las Vegas.

Sports

Emma falls in semifinals of Freeman Memorial Women’s Tennis Championships

By River Wells | Jan. 13, 2018

With a victory against UCLA’s Jessie Aney (6-4, 6-2) on Saturday, Florida freshman Victoria Emma punched her ticket to the semifinals of the Freeman Memorial Women’s Tennis Championships in Las Vegas. She was one step closer to her goal of winning the event’s singles tournament.

Coach Mike Holloway's men's (No. 1) and women's (No. 4) indoor teams will look to capitalize on a fast start to their seasons. “We always talk about leaving your failures (and) successes in the building,” Holloway said. “Our mindset is always that we’re just trying to get better.”

Sports

Gators run in early-season competition at Commodore Invitational

By Andrew Huang | Jan. 13, 2018

A week after the UF track and field program opened its season in South Carolina, the Gators left Nashville, Tennessee, with mixed results in the Commodore Invitational on Friday and Saturday.

Florida women's tennis coach Roland Thornqvist watched three of his four players competing in the singles bracket of the Freeman Memorial lose on Saturday.

Sports

Gators off to rough start as Day 1 of Freeman Memorial Women’s Tennis Championships concludes

By River Wells | Jan. 12, 2018

Freshman McCartney Kessler saw her first action as a member of the women’s tennis team on Friday, and it didn’t go the way she had hoped.

Senior Alex McMurtry posted the top score of the night in uneven bars and tied for second overall in both vault and beam.

Sports

Gators lose to No. 1 LSU in sold out O'Connell Center

By Alana Gomez | Jan. 12, 2018

Rachel Slocum spit into her hands, once, twice, five times. She prepared her stance and sprinted toward the mat, gaining speed until she stopped just short of it. Among encouraging cheers from her teammates, Slocum positioned herself back to the start of the stretch for her second attempt and finished her vault routine with a score of 8.550.

Florida women’s tennis player Josie Kuhlman earned All-SEC First Team honors last season on the way to UF winning its seventh national championship in program history.

Sports

Gators moving on from NCAA title, begin 2018 at UNLV Invite

By River Wells | Jan. 11, 2018

The Florida women’s tennis team ended 2017 as NCAA champions and the No. 1 ranked team in the country. But in 2018, nothing is guaranteed.

Gators men’s tennis coach Bryan Shelton and eight of his players kick off the spring season today in Sunrise, Florida.

Sports

UF opens season today at City of Sunrise Pro Tennis Classic

By Benjamin Brandt | Jan. 11, 2018

Eight members of the Florida men’s tennis team will compete in the qualifying rounds of the City of Sunrise Pro Tennis Classic this weekend in Sunrise, Florida. The tournament marks the start of UF’s spring season after earning a preseason ranking of No. 9 in the nation.

The No. 1 men's team and No. 6 women's team are set to compete in their second indoor event of the 2018 season in Nashville, Tennessee, this weekend.

Sports

Florida hoping to build off early-season success in Nashville

By Andrew Huang | Jan. 11, 2018

The Florida men’s and women’s track and field teams will compete at the Commodore Invitational in Nashville, Tennessee, today and Saturday for UF’s second meet of the 2018 indoor season.

Alicia Boren and the Gators begin their SEC schedule tonight against LSU at the O'Connell Center after an opening-night win against West Virginia. “I’m so excited definitely to get back in front of our home crowd,” Boren said. “They bring a lot of energy.”

Sports

Gators face No. 1 LSU at home on Friday

By Alana Gomez | Jan. 11, 2018

It’s been seven years since the Florida gymnastics team overcame No. 1 LSU in a regular-season meet. But after opening the 2018 season with a win over West Virginia on Jan. 5, a night that saw junior Alicia Boren register the highest all-around score ever to open a season in program history, No. 7 UF is hoping to end that streak.

Funda Nakkasoglu, Florida's leading scorer with 15.2 points per game, struggled to put away buckets against Kentucky. She shot 3-of-15 from the field for 8 points.

Sports

Florida’s shooting woes continue as Gators drop fourth straight SEC game

By Justin Ahlum | Jan. 11, 2018

Trailing by two with less than seven seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, the Gators inbounded the ball in front of their bench. After a cross-court pass from forward Haley Lorenzen found guard Funda Nakkasoglu open on the right side of the court, Nakkasoglu attempted an off-balance three-pointer.

On two separate occasions this season, KeVaughn Allen has put up just two points, a far cry from UF's 2016-17 leading scorer.

Sports

Column: It’s time for KeVaughn Allen to break out of his scoring slump

By Jake Dreilinger | Jan. 10, 2018

KeVaughn Allen stole the ball nine minutes into the second half, calmly dribbled to the three-point line with no one around him and drained a shot to extend Florida’s lead by 14.

Gabby Seiler was recruited by Cameron Newbauer while he was an assistant coach with Georgia. Nearly nine years later and after leading UF soccer to a 17-7 record and an NCAA quarterfinals appearance, Seiler is finally on his team.

Sports

Women’s Basketball Notebook: Seiler partakes in first practice with UF ahead of Thursday’s game against Kentucky

By Morgan McMullen | Jan. 10, 2018

With sophomore guard Sydney Morang ruled out for the season in late November with concussion-like symptoms, the Florida women’s basketball team has lacked backcourt depth at practice for most of the year.