GATOR BOOSTERS, INC. • ATHLETIC YEAR IN REVIEW INC. • ATHLETIC BOOSTERS, GATOR GATOR BOOSTERS, INC. P.O. Box 13796, Gainesville, FL 32604-1796 1-800-344-2867 or (352) 375-4683 UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION, INC. P.O. Box 14485, Gainesville, FL 32604-2485 1-800-344-2867 or (352) 375-4683 www.gatorboosters.org ATHLETIC YEAR IN REVIEW 2015–2016 GATOR BOOSTERS, INC. UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA ATHLETIC YEAR IN REVIEW The mission of Gator Boosters, Inc. is to strengthen the University of Florida’s athletic program by encouraging private giving and volunteer leadership from Gators everywhere. DR. W. Kent Fuchs MR. JEREMY N. FOLEY MR. PHIL PHARR President, University of Florida Athletics Director, University of Florida Executive Director, Gator Boosters, Inc. DEAR GATOR BOOSTERS, Your commitment to the Gator Booster program – directly supporting Your contributions are vital • A total of 12 different Gator Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup. University of Florida student-athletes – has resulted in yet another year’s to the success of our athletic teams finished in the top 10 in NCAA • Since the spring of 2011, 62 worth of wins, titles, awards and honors. This is true both in the classroom program and mean more to these action. percent of the 489 Gator student- and in competition. student-athletes than you realize. • Six conference team titles were athlete graduates won a national or Our most far-reaching win was the opening of the Otis Hawkins Center for You are an encourager, role model claimed by the Gators in 2015-16, conference championship during Academic and Personal Excellence at Farrior Hall. This “game changing” and member of The Team Behind including five in SEC action. the course of their Florida careers. project positively affects each of our over 470 student-athletes in 21 sports. the Teams. Because you believed • Only the Gator program has Thank you for supporting the Through private support, we are able to help deserving young men and in and supported them, our Gator ranked among the top 10 in each of University of Florida athletics women achieve their academic and athletic dreams. What’s more, your athletes continued to soar. the last 33 national all-sports rank- program and helping to solidify contributions have fueled the programs that prepared this year’s graduates to Here are some of the Gator ings. In 2015-16, Florida athletics its place among the nation’s elite. take on their next challenges: careers and community service. highlights you’ll find in the next finished fifth in the Learfield Sports Together, we will encourage and YEAR IN REVIEW These student-athletes, their families, coaches and the Gator Boosters few pages: Directors’ Cup, which annually empower UF student-athletes to staff hope you will take pride in all that was accomplished in 2015-16, since • Men’s track & field hoisted tracks the nation’s top overall sports achieve their highest potential. these accomplishments are rooted in the scholarships that your donations the NCAA Outdoor Championship programs. This is the eighth con- Go Gators, and we look forward make possible. We hope you will also take pride in the number “91”, as this Trophy – its third outdoor win secutive season Florida has ranked to seeing you in Gainesville for 2015–2016 represents how many student-athletes earned their degrees this year and since 2012. among the nation’s top five in the another year of Gator excitement! are moving on to the next phase of their lives. 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Letter to Gator Boosters. .2 Women’s Track & Field . 29 Table of Contents. .3 Volleyball . 30 NCAA Champions. .4 Lacrosse . 31 All-Sports Rankings . .6 O’Connell Center Renovation. 32 National Champions. .8 Indoor Football Practice Facility . 33 Academic Success . .9 The Otis Hawkins Center for Personal and Academic Excellence SEC All-Sports. 10 At Farrior Hall. 34 Gator Coaching Staff . 12 Legacy Directors . 36 Baseball . 13 Distinguished Directors . .37 Men’s Basketball . 14 Gator Bollards . 41 Women’s Basketball. 15 Ben Hill Griffin Award Winners . 42 Men’s Cross Country . 16 Facility Donors . 44 Women’s Cross Country . 17 Gators Forever Endowment Football . 18 Scholarships . 53 Gymnastics . 19 Athletic Education Fund . 57 Men’s Golf. 20 Deferred Athletic Education Fund . 78 Women’s Golf . 21 Bull Gators . 83 Soccer. 22 Grand Gators . 95 Softball . .23 Basketball Boosters . 125 Men’s Swimming & Diving. 24 Leadership . 129 Women’s Swimming & Diving . 25 UAA Budget . .130 YEAR IN REVIEW Men’s Tennis. 26 Gator Boosters Budget . 131 Women’s Tennis . 27 Gator Boosters, Inc. Staff . 132 2015–2016 Men’s Track & Field. 28 3 DID YOU KNOW? NCAA Florida’s NCAA Outdoor Track & Field national CHAMPIONS! title was its third outdoor crown since An NCAA Championship by the Gators’ men’s outdoor 2012 and sixth overall track & field team highlighted an even dozen Florida national championship teams among the NCAA’s top 10 in 2015-16. since 2010, both of Here’s the list: which are Division I-leading figures. • Men’s Outdoor Track & Field (No. 1) • Men’s Swimming & Diving (No. 3) • Gymnastics (No. 4) Men’s Tennis: No. T-5 Men’s Track & Field: Indoor: No. 7 / Outdoor: No. 1 Softball: No. T-9 • Men’s Tennis (No. T-5) • Volleyball (No. T-5) • Men’s Indoor Track & Field (No. 7) • Baseball (No. T-7) • Lacrosse (No. T-9) • Soccer (No. T-9) • Softball (No. T-9) • Women’s Tennis (No. T-9) • Women’s Outdoor Track & Field (No. T-9) “What a great finish by Florida’s men’s Soccer: No. T-9 Gymnastics: No. 4 outdoor track & field team as they claimed their third NCAA title since 2012. Gator teams competed among the nation’s best all season long, as 19 Gator teams were in post-season action. “You have to admire the effort and drive shown by these Gators and their coaches. They represented the University of Florida exceptionally NCAA TEAMS 10 TOP well on and off the field throughout the year.” – Jeremy Foley Athletics Director 2015–2016 University of Florida 4 Baseball: No. T-7 Baseball: No. T-7 Women’s Outdoor Women's Track Outdoor & Field: Track No. T-9 & Field: No. T-9 Six conference trophies were collected by Florida teams, including five in Southeastern Conference action. Lacrosse repeated as the BIG EAST champions in its second season in the league. The 12 top-10 finishes helped Florida to place fifth in the annual national all-sports standings, marking UF’s eighth consecutive top-five finish. Men’s Swimming & Diving: No. 3 Women’s Tennis: No. T-9 Lacrosse: No. T-9 Volleyball: No. T-5 NCAA TEAMS 10 TOP 2015–2016 5 2015-2016 UF ANNUAL FINISHES NATIONAL IN NATIONAL ALL-SPORTS RANKINGS ACADEMIC UF FINISH ALL-SPORTS YEAR 1983-84 5th RANKINGS 1984-85 4th A dozen top-10 national championship finishes – including an NCAA 1985-86 8th title by the Florida men’s outdoor track & field team – led the Univer- 1986-87 4th sity of Florida athletics program to a fifth-place finish in the 2015-16 1987-88 5th Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup standings. The finish marks Florida’s 1988-89 9th eighth straight top-five finish in the rankings. 1989-90 5th The Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup, presented annually by the 1990-91 5th Florida’s NCAA Outdoor Track & Field national title was its third outdoor crown since 2012 nation’s athletics directors, recognizes the schools with the best and sixth overall national championship since 2010, both of which are Division I-leading figures. 1991-92 5th overall sports performances in an academic year. Points are awarded based on finishes and participation in 20 NCAA Division I sports. 1992-93 4th Men’s outdoor track & field took its third 1993-94 4th NCAA title since 2012 with its win in Eugene, Did You Know? 1994-95 5th Ore., on June 10. The Gator men’s track 1995-96 3rd & field program has registered six NCAA team Florida is the only 1996-97 5th program in the titles since 2010 (indoor – 2010, 2011, 2012; 1997-98 T-2nd outdoor – 2012, 2013, 2016). nation to finish 1998-99 4th 2015-16 marked the ninth consecutive among the nation’s season 12 or more Gator teams turned in top- top 10 in each of the 1999-00 7th 10 national finishes. At least 10 Gator teams last 33 national 2000-01 7th have turned in top-10 finishes in each of the all-sports standings. 2001-02 3rd last 15 seasons. 2002-03 7th 2003-04 6th 2015-16 LEARFIELD SPORTS 2004-05 6th DIRECTORS’ CUP STANDINGS 2005-06 5th RANK SCHOOL POINTS 2006-07 6th 2007-08 6th 1. Stanford 1526.50 2008-09 3rd 2. Ohio State 1306.00 2009-10 2nd 3. Michigan 1196.75 2010-11 4th 4. Southern California 1196.25 2011-12 2nd 5. FLORIDA 1177.00 NATIONAL ALL-SPORTS 2012-13 2nd 6. UCLA 1091.50 2013-14 2nd 7. North Carolina 1089.50 2014-15 4th 8. Virginia 1088.50 2015-16 5th Amanda Lorenz is the first Gator to claim the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) 9. Texas 1062.00 Freshman of the Year award. Her .403 batting average led the Gators and ranked eighth in the 2015–2016 10. Oregon 973.75 Southeastern Conference. Two-thirds of the final three for the national honor were Gators, as pitcher Kelly Barnhill was also a finalist for the award. 6 2015-16 GATOR ALL-AMERICANS (82 WITH 191 HONORS) Rhamat Alhassan - Volleyball Alex Holston - Volleyball Peter Alonso - Baseball Sam Horsfield - Men’s Golf Shaun Anderson - Baseball Kyra Jefferson - Women’s Track & Field Andres Arroyo - Men’s Track & Field Savannah Jordan - Soccer Brooke Austin - Women’s Tennis Taylor Katz - Women’s Swimming Kennedy Baker - Gymnastics Kourtney Keegan - Women’s Tennis Sharrika Barnett - Women’s Track & Field Kayli Kvistad - Softball KeAndre Bates - Men’s Track & Field Ben Lawless - Men’s Swimming Jack Blyzinskyj - Men’s Swimming Ashlee Linn - Women’s Swimming Alicia Boren - Gymnastics Amanda Lorenz - Softball Jayla Bostic - Women’s Track & Field Corey Main - Men’s Swimming Taylor Bresnahan - Lacrosse Amelia Maughan - Women’s Swimming Jonathan Bullard - Football Marcus Maye - Football Sammi Burgess - Lacrosse Lindsey McKnight - Women’s Swimming Antonio Callaway - Football Alex McMurtry - Gymnastics Lloydricia Cameron - Women’s Track & Field Darrielle McQueen - Women’s Track & Field Sam Horsfield claimed the 2016 Phil Mickelson Outstanding Freshman Award from the Golf Bridgette Caquatto - Gymnastics Gordon Neale - Men’s Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA).