The Dandy Dozen: 12 Moments to Remember from 2010-11 Gator Sports Calendar
Wednesday, July 13, 2011 | Women's Tennis, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The idea started out as a “Top 5 Moments in Gator Sports in 2010-11” story. It then grew to a Top 10. Finally, we made an executive decision to stop at a Top 12.
You've got to stop somewhere, right? Even Derek Jeter has finally settled down with Minka Kelly.
There are no super models we know of on this list, but it's a pretty impressive collection. We'll call it UF's Dandy Dozen Moments of the 2010-11 sports calendar.
It was a banner year for the Gators – literally. The Gators matched the SEC record for regular-season team titles with eight, winning or sharing league crowns in men's basketball, women's cross country, men's golf, women's soccer, women's tennis, men's indoor track & field, volleyball and baseball.
Adding to the Gators' success, the women's lacrosse team won the American Lacrosse Conference title in only its second year of existence.
Since there's little that get sports fans talking more than a best-of list, here is one guy's list of the Top 12 Moments in UF Sports in 2010-11. You can chime in by clicking here and joining the conversation on the official Florida Gators Facebook page.
We'll post the top individual performances and team performances on Thursday.
Let me know what you think. Which moment would you have ranked higher? Which moment was your personal favorite? Which moment made you think I must need glasses or a new memory?
Without further adieu, here are my choices ranked in order:
Lauren Embree's Gutsy Win
If you like drama with your sports, you were probably like most Gator fans while watching Embree face Stanford's Mallory Burdette in late May. You were on the edge of your seat as Embree and Burdette took turns swinging away with a national title on the line.
Embree rallied from a 4-0 deficit in the third set to force a tiebreaker. She then overcame a 2-0 deficit in the tiebreaker for an epic 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) win to give Florida a 4-3 victory over the Cardinal, snapping Stanford's NCAA-record 184 home-match win streak in the process.
Embree's victory clinched Florida's fifth NCAA title in women's tennis, the most of any program in the school's history. It's also one that had Florida fans hitting rewind on their DVRs to watch Embree rise to the occasion over and over.
Ahmad Black's Interception
The Outback Bowl was far from the best performance by a Gators team under Urban Meyer, but Florida's 37-24 victory turned into one of Meyer's most memorable wins thanks to one of his all-time favorite players.
The game remained in doubt as Penn State drove for the potential go-ahead score late in the fourth quarter. However, senior safety Ahmad Black picked off a Matt McGloin pass and raced 80 yards untouched to send Meyer out a winner in his final game as Florida's head coach.
Afterward, Meyer and his family celebrated on the field as they waved to fans and basked in the moment. Adding to the memorable day was Meyer giving Ian Lockwood, an 18-year-old Florida fan suffering from brain cancer, a game ball. Lockwood spoke to the Gators at the team hotel prior to the game.
Sadly, Lockwood passed away a month later and Meyer and Black each spoke at his funeral service on a cold rainy day at Navarre High School – where Lockwood played football – to honor their lost friend.
Gators Quiet Jimmer Mania
BYU scoring sensation Jimmer Fredette was one of college basketball's hottest storylines all season and was peaking when the NCAA Tournament rolled around in March. Fredette didn't disappoint, averaging 33 points in the Cougars' first two tournament games.
Facing the Gators in the Sweet 16 in New Orleans, Fredette finally met his match in Florida guards Kenny Boynton and Scottie Wilbekin. With Boynton and Wilbekin on him most of the game, Fredette needed 29 shots – including 15 three-point attempts – to finish with 32 points.
More importantly, the Gators won 83-74 in overtime to keep alive their run to the Elite Eight, quieting Jimmer Mania along the way.
Preston Tucker's Blast
A day earlier, the Gators lost in dramatic fashion to Mississippi State when Bulldogs second baseman Nick Vickerson hit a walk-off homer to beat the Gators in Game 2 of the Gainesville Super Regional.
Vickerson's home run forced a decisive Game 3 on a hot afternoon at McKethan Stadium. All that was on the line was a berth in the College World Series.
Vickerson struck again in Game 3, hitting a three-run homer to help Mississippi State carry a 6-4 lead into the seventh inning. However, with one swing of the bat, Gators junior Preston Tucker put Florida back in the lead with a towering three-run homer to center field, lifting the Gators to an 8-6 win and the first back-to-back trips to the CWS in school history.
Will Muschamp Returns to Gainesville
The day Will Muschamp was officially introduced to replace Meyer at a press conference inside Bill Hill Griffin Stadium, a lot of folks knew he was a defensive mastermind and considered one of the hot up-and-coming coaches after serving as coach-in-waiting at Texas for three seasons.
What many didn't know was how deep Muschamp's roots were in Gainesville, where he spent a decade growing up only a few blocks from The Swamp before it was known as The Swamp.
Muschamp's hiring and the addition of a veteran staff heavy on NFL experience – including former Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis – sparked hope that the Gators can quickly return to the top of the polls after their 8-5 season in 2010.
Gators Lacrosse Team Upsets Northwestern
When it was over, Gators sophomore Kitty Cullen raced around the field giddy with excitement, finally jumping into a bear hug from goalkeeper Mikey Meagher.
The Gators, in only their second year as a program, knocked off perennial power Northwestern in mid-April for the biggest win in school history. Northwestern isn't just any lacrosse program. The Wildcats won five consecutive national titles and played for a sixth in 2010 before losing to Maryland.
The home crowd at Dizney Stadium roared with approval, hanging around for what seemed like forever to watch the Gators celebrate. Florida's lacrosse program had served notice that it had officially arrived.
Chas Henry's Field Goal
Senior Chas Henry wasn't even supposed to be the Gators' kicker that Saturday evening in Jacksonville. However, after Caleb Sturgis went down with a back injury early in the season, Henry added place-kicking to his punting duties.
He had some tough moments adjusting to the dual role, but one kick sealed his fate forever when talk of the Florida-Georgia rivalry pops up.
With the game tied 31-31 in overtime, Henry booted a 37-yard game-winning field goal in the first overtime game between the schools in the rivalry's 88-year history. As if that wasn't enough, Henry's kick ended Florida's three-game losing streak and prompted Meyer to call the win one of the most important in his six years at UF.
Demps Runs, Claye Jumps, Gators Win
The UF men's Indoor track and field team captured its second consecutive national title in March thanks in part to a couple of key performances by Jeff Demps and Will Claye.
Demps backed up his reputation as perhaps the fastest man in Gator history by winning his second consecutive 60-meter national title. Demps finished in a school-record time of 6.53 seconds, or about the time it takes most of us to dial a phone number. He became the first collegiate sprinter to win back-to-back national Indoor titles in the 60 since Oklahoma's DeBryan Blanton in 2004 and 2005.
Meanwhile, Claye won a national triple jump title by narrowly edging teammate Christian Taylor. When the points were totaled, the Gators gathered for another team picture holding yellow smiley faces to commemorate their history achievement.
Kelsey Bruder's Walk-off Homer
The Gators softball team had its share of memorable moments on the way to a fourth consecutive trip to the Women's College World Series, but my personal favorite came on a Saturday in late April when senior Kelsey Bruder stepped to the plate to face Alabama's Kelsi Dunne, one of the nation's top pitchers.
The Gators trailed by two runs when Bruder swung at Dunne's first pitch. She crushed it over the right-field wall for a three-run homer and 6-5 Florida win.
The victory helped spark a late-season revival that pushed the Gators to an SEC East regular-season title in the season's final weekend.
King's Magical Moment
The Florida gymnastics team arrived in Cleveland in April hoping to make history by becoming only the fifth school to win a NCAA Gymnastics national championship.
A slow start prevented that from happening, but a strong finish by Marissa King in the individual finals had everyone in orange and blue screaming with excitement as King accepted her gold medal for winning the NCAA vault national championship.
King became the first Gator to win an NCAA individual event in 13 years and just the fourth in school history.
Senior Night at the O'Dome
The foursome of Chandler Parsons, Alex Tyus, Adam Allen and Vernon Macklin certainly had their ups and downs during their time at UF. Parsons, Tyus and Allen arrived on the heels of back-to-back national titles. Macklin later joined them as a transfer from Georgetown.
The roller-coaster ride seemed worth every bump as they were honored on Senior Night in front of a packed house at the O'Connell Center. Allen's career was cut short by injuries, but he got back onto the court one last time in the final seconds of the Gators' win over Alabama.
Meanwhile, Parsons, Tyus and Macklin all played starring roles and left to standing ovations as they Gators thumped the Crimson Tide.
Men's Tennis Team Overcomes
The host Gators entered the SEC Tournament as the No. 5 seed and underdog to capture their first tournament title in six years.
They ended it with Nassim Slilam winning his singles match over Kentucky's Brad Cox to give the Gators a 4-0 sweep. The Gators rushed the court when Slilam's final point sealed the match.
Immediately afterward, players hugged each other and Coach Andy Jackson. Senior Alexandre Lacroix's father, in town from France for a rare chance to watch his son play, joined in the celebration too by taking a photo with Jackson holding the championship trophy. Needless to say, it was the best day of the season.
