Courtesy UF UAA
Gator Athletics Program Finishes Fifth in the Nation
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - A dozen top-10 national championship finishes - including a NCAA title by the Florida men's outdoor track & field team - led the University of Florida athletics program to fifth in the 2015-16 Learfield Sports Directors' Cup standings. This is Florida's eighth straight top-five finish in the rankings.
2015-16 Learfield Sports
Directors' Cup Standings
Rank
School
Points
1.
Stanford
1526.50
2.
Ohio State
1306.00
3.
Michigan
1196.75
4.
Southern California
1196.25
5.
FLORIDA
1177.00
6.
UCLA
1091.50
7.
North Carolina
1089.50
8.
Virginia
1088.50
9.
Texas
1062.00
10.
Oregon
973.75
Florida is the only program to finish among the nation's top 10 in each of the last 33 national all-sports standings.
2015-16 marks the fourth consecutive season 12 or more Gator teams turned in top-10 national finishes. At least 10 Gator teams have turned in top-10 finishes in each of the last 15 seasons.
Florida's Top-10 Finishers:
Men's outdoor track & field took its third NCAA title since 2012 with its win in Eugene, Ore., on June 10. The Gator men's track & field program has collected six NCAA titles (three indoor and three outdoor) since 2010.
It marked the seventh consecutive season a Gator team has won a NCAA team title, as Florida has collected 14 championships since 2010.
The complete list of Florida's 2015-16 top-10 teams includes:
* Men's Outdoor Track & Field (No. 1)
* Men's Swimming & Diving (No. 3)
* Gymnastics (No. 4)
* 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)
About The Learfield Sports Directors' Cup
The Learfield Sports Directors' Cup<http://www.nacda.com/directorscup/nacda-directorscup-current-scoring.html>, presented annually by the nation's athletics directors, recognizes the schools with the best overall sports performances in an academic year. Points are awarded based on finishes and participation in 20 NCAA Division I sports. Stanford received its 22nd consecutive Directors' Cup at the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) convention last month.
UF Athletics Director Jeremy Foley says:
"What a great finish by Florida's men's 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 well on and off the field throughout the year." - UF Athletics Director Jeremy Foley
2016 Individual NCAA Champions for the Gators:
Six Gators claimed a total of eight NCAA individual titles in 2016. Bridget Sloan capped her Gator career by winning the NCAA all-around title and sharing the uneven bars and balance beam crowns. She tallied six NCAA titles over her four seasons, finishing as the Gators career leader for NCAA Individual Event titles.
On the final day of the NCAA Track & Field Championships, a pair of Gators took event titles. Eric Futch led a Gator 1-2 finish in the NCAA Outdoor 400-meter hurdles. Futch won at 48.91 while TJ Holmes took second at 49.31. Senior Arman Hall won the 400 meters title in 44.82 seconds, joining Tony McQuay (2012) as the only Gators in history to win the crown at NCAA Outdoors.
Caeleb Dressel added the NCAA 50- and 100-yard freestyle titles to his collegiate resume in 2016, as he also won the 50 free title in 2015 as a freshman. Both of his wins in 2016 set UF, NCAA, American and U.S. Open records. He just earned his first U.S. Olympic team berth yesterday in Omaha, Neb., with his runner-up finish in the 100-meter freestyle<http://floridagators.com/news/2016/...r-up-in-100-free-final-qualifies-for-rio.aspx>.
Kourtney Keegan (left) and Brooke Austin took Florida's first NCAA doubles title in 15 years with their victory at the NCAA Championships in Tulsa, Okla. It was the fifth doubles title for the Gator women's program.
Other Gator successes:
National athlete of the year was claimed by two Gators for their sports: Dressel (NCAA co-Swimmer of the Meet) and Sloan (Honda Award for gymnastics). Three others - Sam Horsfield (men's golf), Amanda Lorenz (softball) and Lindsey Ronbeck (lacrosse) - were named national freshmen of the year.
Florida's five Southeastern Conference titles (gymnastics, soccer, softball, men's swimming & diving, women's tennis) helped the Gator program to a sweep of the 2015-16 GateHouse Media SEC All-Sports titles. It was the program's 26th overall SEC All-Sports Trophy and Florida's 15th sweep (overall, men's, women's).
In addition, the lacrosse team won its second consecutive BIG EAST Conference title. In addition, lacrosse was one of four Gator teams (soccer, men's tennis, women's tennis) to take conference tournament titles in 2015-16.
Eleven Gators picked up conference athletes of the year honors in 2015-16:
Brooke Austin
SEC Women's Tennis Player of the Year
Sammi Burgess
BIG EAST Lacrosse Co-Attacker of the Year
Caeleb Dressel
SEC Men's Swimmer of the Year
Caroline Fitzgerald
BIG EAST Lacrosse Defender of the Year
Nicole Graziano
BIG EAST Lacrosse Midfielder of the Year
Diego Hidalgo
SEC Men's Tennis Player of the Year
Savannah Jordan
SEC Soccer Offensive Player of the Year
Logan Shore
SEC Baseball Pitcher of the Year
Maria Torres
SEC Women's Golfer of the Year
Kahlia Warner
SEC Female Diver of the Year
Christen Westphal
SEC Soccer Defensive Player of the Year
Gators by the Numbers
1 NCAA team title (men's outdoor track & field) marks the seventh straight year a Gator team has won a NCAA team title. Florida has won 14 NCAA team titles since the 2009-10 season.
12 top-10 national finishes by 2015-16 teams.
6 conference titles by the Gators in 2015-16, including 5 Southeastern Conference wins.
11 Gators picked up conference player of the year/athlete of the year awards
81 percent Graduation Success Rate for UF, as reported last fall in the 2015 NCAA Federal Graduation Rate Data. All Gator teams are in good academic standing in latest Academic Progress Report released earlier by the NCAA earlier this spring.
6 named to CoSIDA Academic All-America teams in 2015-16. Florida now has 101 Gators earning 136 Academic All-America honors all-time.
$76 million contributed since 2006 by the UAA to UF to fund academic endeavors.
460 student-athletes participated in 4,000 hours of community service in 2015-16, partnering with 23 local schools, 11 campus events, 48 regularly-scheduled UF Health visits and 22 non-profit organizations.
Florida National All-Sports Finishes, by Place
Gator Athletics Program Finishes Fifth in the Nation
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - A dozen top-10 national championship finishes - including a NCAA title by the Florida men's outdoor track & field team - led the University of Florida athletics program to fifth in the 2015-16 Learfield Sports Directors' Cup standings. This is Florida's eighth straight top-five finish in the rankings.
2015-16 Learfield Sports
Directors' Cup Standings
Rank
School
Points
1.
Stanford
1526.50
2.
Ohio State
1306.00
3.
Michigan
1196.75
4.
Southern California
1196.25
5.
FLORIDA
1177.00
6.
UCLA
1091.50
7.
North Carolina
1089.50
8.
Virginia
1088.50
9.
Texas
1062.00
10.
Oregon
973.75
Florida is the only program to finish among the nation's top 10 in each of the last 33 national all-sports standings.
2015-16 marks the fourth consecutive season 12 or more Gator teams turned in top-10 national finishes. At least 10 Gator teams have turned in top-10 finishes in each of the last 15 seasons.
Florida's Top-10 Finishers:
Men's outdoor track & field took its third NCAA title since 2012 with its win in Eugene, Ore., on June 10. The Gator men's track & field program has collected six NCAA titles (three indoor and three outdoor) since 2010.
It marked the seventh consecutive season a Gator team has won a NCAA team title, as Florida has collected 14 championships since 2010.
The complete list of Florida's 2015-16 top-10 teams includes:
* Men's Outdoor Track & Field (No. 1)
* Men's Swimming & Diving (No. 3)
* Gymnastics (No. 4)
* 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)
About The Learfield Sports Directors' Cup
The Learfield Sports Directors' Cup<http://www.nacda.com/directorscup/nacda-directorscup-current-scoring.html>, presented annually by the nation's athletics directors, recognizes the schools with the best overall sports performances in an academic year. Points are awarded based on finishes and participation in 20 NCAA Division I sports. Stanford received its 22nd consecutive Directors' Cup at the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) convention last month.
UF Athletics Director Jeremy Foley says:
"What a great finish by Florida's men's 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 well on and off the field throughout the year." - UF Athletics Director Jeremy Foley
2016 Individual NCAA Champions for the Gators:
Six Gators claimed a total of eight NCAA individual titles in 2016. Bridget Sloan capped her Gator career by winning the NCAA all-around title and sharing the uneven bars and balance beam crowns. She tallied six NCAA titles over her four seasons, finishing as the Gators career leader for NCAA Individual Event titles.
On the final day of the NCAA Track & Field Championships, a pair of Gators took event titles. Eric Futch led a Gator 1-2 finish in the NCAA Outdoor 400-meter hurdles. Futch won at 48.91 while TJ Holmes took second at 49.31. Senior Arman Hall won the 400 meters title in 44.82 seconds, joining Tony McQuay (2012) as the only Gators in history to win the crown at NCAA Outdoors.
Caeleb Dressel added the NCAA 50- and 100-yard freestyle titles to his collegiate resume in 2016, as he also won the 50 free title in 2015 as a freshman. Both of his wins in 2016 set UF, NCAA, American and U.S. Open records. He just earned his first U.S. Olympic team berth yesterday in Omaha, Neb., with his runner-up finish in the 100-meter freestyle<http://floridagators.com/news/2016/...r-up-in-100-free-final-qualifies-for-rio.aspx>.
Kourtney Keegan (left) and Brooke Austin took Florida's first NCAA doubles title in 15 years with their victory at the NCAA Championships in Tulsa, Okla. It was the fifth doubles title for the Gator women's program.
Other Gator successes:
National athlete of the year was claimed by two Gators for their sports: Dressel (NCAA co-Swimmer of the Meet) and Sloan (Honda Award for gymnastics). Three others - Sam Horsfield (men's golf), Amanda Lorenz (softball) and Lindsey Ronbeck (lacrosse) - were named national freshmen of the year.
Florida's five Southeastern Conference titles (gymnastics, soccer, softball, men's swimming & diving, women's tennis) helped the Gator program to a sweep of the 2015-16 GateHouse Media SEC All-Sports titles. It was the program's 26th overall SEC All-Sports Trophy and Florida's 15th sweep (overall, men's, women's).
In addition, the lacrosse team won its second consecutive BIG EAST Conference title. In addition, lacrosse was one of four Gator teams (soccer, men's tennis, women's tennis) to take conference tournament titles in 2015-16.
Eleven Gators picked up conference athletes of the year honors in 2015-16:
Brooke Austin
SEC Women's Tennis Player of the Year
Sammi Burgess
BIG EAST Lacrosse Co-Attacker of the Year
Caeleb Dressel
SEC Men's Swimmer of the Year
Caroline Fitzgerald
BIG EAST Lacrosse Defender of the Year
Nicole Graziano
BIG EAST Lacrosse Midfielder of the Year
Diego Hidalgo
SEC Men's Tennis Player of the Year
Savannah Jordan
SEC Soccer Offensive Player of the Year
Logan Shore
SEC Baseball Pitcher of the Year
Maria Torres
SEC Women's Golfer of the Year
Kahlia Warner
SEC Female Diver of the Year
Christen Westphal
SEC Soccer Defensive Player of the Year
Gators by the Numbers
1 NCAA team title (men's outdoor track & field) marks the seventh straight year a Gator team has won a NCAA team title. Florida has won 14 NCAA team titles since the 2009-10 season.
12 top-10 national finishes by 2015-16 teams.
6 conference titles by the Gators in 2015-16, including 5 Southeastern Conference wins.
11 Gators picked up conference player of the year/athlete of the year awards
81 percent Graduation Success Rate for UF, as reported last fall in the 2015 NCAA Federal Graduation Rate Data. All Gator teams are in good academic standing in latest Academic Progress Report released earlier by the NCAA earlier this spring.
6 named to CoSIDA Academic All-America teams in 2015-16. Florida now has 101 Gators earning 136 Academic All-America honors all-time.
$76 million contributed since 2006 by the UAA to UF to fund academic endeavors.
460 student-athletes participated in 4,000 hours of community service in 2015-16, partnering with 23 local schools, 11 campus events, 48 regularly-scheduled UF Health visits and 22 non-profit organizations.
Florida National All-Sports Finishes, by Place
