Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Taylor Tubbs joined the Gators cross country and track and field programs hoping to make the travel squad by her sophomore season. This June she will leave as one of the best distance runners in school history. Tubbs came to the University of Florida to earn a degree. Friday (April 28) afternoon, also her 22nd birthday, she will graduate for the second time in four years, touting a 3.94 grade point average to boot.

However, Tubbs will not walk across the stage inside Exactech Arena to accept her Master of International Business degree. She did not have the chance to collect her Bachelor of Arts in Economics and History either.

Last April 28, the night before graduation, Tubbs crossed the finish line first at the historic Penn Relays, winning the 5,000 meters with the No. 5-ranked time in school history (16 minutes, 7.55 seconds). This time around, Tubbs' family and friends will watch her run the final home race of her collegiate career, the 1,500 meters at Percy Beard Track.

To her, that is exactly how it should be.

"I feel like I have more connection to the track than I do walking across the stage in the O'Dome," Tubbs said. "I'd rather have my family here to see me run."

Four years ago, Tubbs never thought a college track meet would disrupt graduation. Coming out of Sebring High School with personal records of 4:54.50 (1,600 meters) and 10:55.35 (3,200 meters), cracking the travel roster felt like a lofty goal.

Florida head coach Mike Holloway and assistant coach Paul Spangler flash wide smiles recalling their first conversations with Tubbs, who now resides on four of Florida's individual all-time top 10 lists.

Spangler could not believe her sights were set so low. This was the girl who, in her first progressive long run workout, went step for step with Cory McGee, a future World Championships qualifier, and six-time All-American Agata Strausa. He knew, despite Tubbs' high school times, she was a special talent. She just had no idea how good she could be, he recalled.

"It didn't take me long to see the same things," Holloway said. "It's been fun to watch her start to believe in herself, believe she's one of the best runners to come through here, and believe she's one of the best runners in the country right now. It's just been nice to watch her mature as a young person. It's been pretty cool."

Tubbs' freshman year academic adviser also learned how special she was in the classroom.

Her senior year at Sebring, Tubbs spent less than an hour at the high school, opting for online and night classes at a local college. Between those courses and advanced placement exams, she racked up somewhere between 50 and 60 college credits.

After completing her first two semesters, Tubbs had three options: pick up another major, add more minors, or graduate early and pursue a master's degree.

The one-year international business program was perfect, for her both future endeavors and personal timeline.

A former track and field manager suggested Tubbs, given her organization and efficiency, become a consultant. Two years after she Googled consulting firms, Deloitte, No. 64 on Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For, attended a UF career showcase. Tubbs, along with at least 200 other students, applied for a highly sought after position.

Only 20 received an invitation to a dinner interview. Ten received a second interview within the following 48 hours. The day before Tubbs posted a top-40 finish at the SEC Cross Country Championship last November, two weeks after her initial interview, she had the job: federal business analyst in strategy and operations—in Washington, D.C.

With a fifth year of outdoor eligibility left in 2018, though, Tubbs faced yet another choice. Accept the position, or extend her collegiate career?

"I wanted to leave loving (running)," Tubbs said. "I still love it. If I did another year, I'm not sure I would. I'm leaving at the right time. Running at Florida has been a great experience, but it's time for me to graduate, put on like 15 pounds and just not worry about it. Summer training is hard. It's a grind to wake up at 6 o'clock and run every morning.

"It'll be nice to travel and not worry about whether I'm going to get my run in, eat whatever I want and not stress about it. For the first few months after the season, running will take a backseat. I know I'll still love it and come back to it."

Before Tubbs can thoughtlessly dive into cheeseburgers, sweet potato fries, ice cream, and dark chocolate, she is eyeing a return trip to the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Last year, she became the first Gator since two-time Olympian Genevieve LaCaze (2009) to qualify for the 5,000 meters at NCAA Outdoors.

She is also studying for the GMAT, since she wants to earn an MBA, her ultimate goal, within the next five years. One of the benefits of her position with Deloitte: the company will pay for the MBA classes, so long as a top-10 program admits her.

"Taylor is someone who five, 10, 20 years from now is going to be extremely successful in what she decides to do," Spangler said. "I have the utmost respect for her."

Tubbs will not be one of the favorites to win the SEC or NCAA 5k titles. Even she admits her only goal is to improve on last year's showing at both meets. Her somewhat casual goal stems from the lesson she learned four years ago, when all she hoped to do was make the travel team.

"I try to take expectations with a grain of salt, because you never know what you're capable of."