Florida's NCAA Indoor Men's Track & Field title led 12 Gator teams among the nation's top five in 2017-18. The Gator program took third in the Learfield Directors' Cup all-sports rankings.
Gator Athletics Program Third in the Nation
Saturday, June 30, 2018 | General
10th consecutive top-five finish for Florida and UF is nation's only program among the top 10 in last 35 national all-sports rankings.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A NCAA title led a program-record 12 top-five team finishes as the University of Florida athletics program took third in the 2017-18 Learfield Sports Directors' Cup standings. This is Florida's 10th consecutive top-five national all-sports finish.
Florida is the only program to finish among the nation's top 10 in each of the last 35 national all-sports standings.
A school-record 12 Florida teams finished among the nation's top five. That equals Stanford for the nation's 2017-18 high for top-five team finishes.
Florida's Top-Five Finishes:
The men's indoor track & field team claimed the NCAA Championship at the 2018 event held in College Station, Texas. It was the fourth indoor title for the Gators and first since 2012. A Gator men's team has hoisted either an indoor or outdoor NCAA Championship trophy every year but two since 2010. Florida boasts eight NCAA track & field team titles since 2010—a total that leads all of Division I by three during that span.
This is the 10th consecutive season with a Gator team winning a national team title. Florida is one of three programs with a national title each year since the 2008-09 season and UF has collected 19 championships in that span.
The 12 Gator teams among the nation's final top five passes the previous program record of 10 set in 2009-10 and matched in 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2016-17 seasons. Here's the complete list of Gator top-10 teams:
The Learfield Sports Directors' Cup, presented annually by the nation's athletics directors, recognizes the schools with the best overall sports performances in an academic year. The updated scoring system uses scores for finishes in NCAA Division I men's and women's basketball, baseball and women's volleyball championship action. Additionally, a program can receive points in up to 15 other sports toward its final score. Stanford received its 24th consecutive Directors' Cup at the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) convention in June.
UF Athletics Director Scott Stricklin says:
"What a fantastic year for our Gator student-athletes and coaches. Florida's 12 top-five team finishes equals the nation's high and that includes another NCAA title by our men's track & field program. We compete against some of the nation's best, as Southeastern Conference teams made up seven of the final top 20 in the Learfield Directors' Cup. Top competition at a top-10 public university gives our student-athletes, coaches and fans a great experience." – UF Athletics Director Scott Stricklin
2018 Individual NCAA Champions for the Gators:
Six Gators claimed eight NCAA individual titles in 2018.
Caeleb Dressel knows how to exit the collegiate stage. At the 2018 NCAA Championships, he won the 50 and 100-yard freestyle, 100 butterfly and led off Florida's NCAA champion 200 free relay team. It was his fourth consecutive 50 free title, third straight 100 free and he repeated as the 100 fly champion (42.80). At the NCAAs, he stunned the swimming world as he is the first to dip below the 18 (50 free – 17.63) and 40 second (100 free – 39.90) thresholds. His times gave him American, NCAA and U.S. Open records for each of his individual wins.
Senior Jan Switkowski used a career-best 1:39.54 to win the 200-yard individual medley. Florida leads all programs with eight 200 IM titles in the last 26 NCAA Championships. He joined Dressel, Enzo Martinez-Scarpe and Mark Szaranek on Florida's first NCAA title 200-yard free relay team.
Alex McMurtry finished her Gator career by claiming a share of the NCAA vault title. Florida is the nation's only program to have a gymnast claim at least one NCAA individual event title each of the last eight seasons.
Sophomore Grant Holloway became the second in Division I history to win both the indoor 60-meter hurdles and outdoor 110-meter hurdles NCAA titles. He is the fourth man in history and first since Florida's Josh Walker (2004-05) to repeat as the 110 hurdles champion. At the NCAA Indoor meet, he became the fifth to defend his 60 hurdles crown.
Other Gator successes:
Four Gators named national athlete of the year in 2017-18.
Florida's six Southeastern Conference titles (baseball, softball, men's swimming & diving, men's and women's outdoor track & field, volleyball) boosted the Gator program to its 28th overall SEC All-Sports Trophy. The SEC Men's All-Sports title also went to Florida.
In addition, the lacrosse team won its fourth consecutive BIG EAST Conference title. Softball swept the regular-season and tournament titles 2018.
Ten Gators picked up 11 conference athlete of the year honors in 2017-18:
Florida is the only program to finish among the nation's top 10 in each of the last 35 national all-sports standings.
A school-record 12 Florida teams finished among the nation's top five. That equals Stanford for the nation's 2017-18 high for top-five team finishes.
Florida's Top-Five Finishes:
The men's indoor track & field team claimed the NCAA Championship at the 2018 event held in College Station, Texas. It was the fourth indoor title for the Gators and first since 2012. A Gator men's team has hoisted either an indoor or outdoor NCAA Championship trophy every year but two since 2010. Florida boasts eight NCAA track & field team titles since 2010—a total that leads all of Division I by three during that span.
This is the 10th consecutive season with a Gator team winning a national team title. Florida is one of three programs with a national title each year since the 2008-09 season and UF has collected 19 championships in that span.
The 12 Gator teams among the nation's final top five passes the previous program record of 10 set in 2009-10 and matched in 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2016-17 seasons. Here's the complete list of Gator top-10 teams:
- Men's Indoor Track & Field (No. 1)
- Men's Outdoor Track & Field (No. 2)
- Volleyball (No. 2)
- Gymnastics (No. 3)
- Baseball (No. T-3)
- Women's Indoor Track & Field (No. 4)
- Men's Swimming & Diving (No. 5)
- Women's Outdoor Track & Field (No. 5)
- Lacrosse (No. T-5)
- Soccer (No. T-5)
- Softball (No. T-5)
- Men's Tennis (No. T-5)
The Learfield Sports Directors' Cup, presented annually by the nation's athletics directors, recognizes the schools with the best overall sports performances in an academic year. The updated scoring system uses scores for finishes in NCAA Division I men's and women's basketball, baseball and women's volleyball championship action. Additionally, a program can receive points in up to 15 other sports toward its final score. Stanford received its 24th consecutive Directors' Cup at the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) convention in June.
| 2017-18 Learfield Sports | ||
| Directors' Cup Standings | ||
| Rank | School | Points |
| 1. | Stanford | 1442.00 |
| 2. | UCLA | 1326.00 |
| 3. | FLORIDA | 1216.00 |
| 4. | Southern California | 1147.00 |
| 5. | Texas | 1143.25 |
| 6. | Michigan | 1131.00 |
| 7. | Ohio State | 1118.00 |
| 8. | Georgia | 1046.35 |
| 9. | Florida State | 1038.75 |
| 10. | Texas A&M | 1005.50 |
| complete standings here | ||
UF Athletics Director Scott Stricklin says:
"What a fantastic year for our Gator student-athletes and coaches. Florida's 12 top-five team finishes equals the nation's high and that includes another NCAA title by our men's track & field program. We compete against some of the nation's best, as Southeastern Conference teams made up seven of the final top 20 in the Learfield Directors' Cup. Top competition at a top-10 public university gives our student-athletes, coaches and fans a great experience." – UF Athletics Director Scott Stricklin
The final rankings graphic of the season. Our #Gators are impressive! RT = ❤️
— Florida Gators (@FloridaGators) June 27, 2018
#GoGators pic.twitter.com/X3PyQZKFZ4
2018 Individual NCAA Champions for the Gators:
Six Gators claimed eight NCAA individual titles in 2018.
Caeleb Dressel knows how to exit the collegiate stage. At the 2018 NCAA Championships, he won the 50 and 100-yard freestyle, 100 butterfly and led off Florida's NCAA champion 200 free relay team. It was his fourth consecutive 50 free title, third straight 100 free and he repeated as the 100 fly champion (42.80). At the NCAAs, he stunned the swimming world as he is the first to dip below the 18 (50 free – 17.63) and 40 second (100 free – 39.90) thresholds. His times gave him American, NCAA and U.S. Open records for each of his individual wins.
Senior Jan Switkowski used a career-best 1:39.54 to win the 200-yard individual medley. Florida leads all programs with eight 200 IM titles in the last 26 NCAA Championships. He joined Dressel, Enzo Martinez-Scarpe and Mark Szaranek on Florida's first NCAA title 200-yard free relay team.
Alex McMurtry finished her Gator career by claiming a share of the NCAA vault title. Florida is the nation's only program to have a gymnast claim at least one NCAA individual event title each of the last eight seasons.
Sophomore Grant Holloway became the second in Division I history to win both the indoor 60-meter hurdles and outdoor 110-meter hurdles NCAA titles. He is the fourth man in history and first since Florida's Josh Walker (2004-05) to repeat as the 110 hurdles champion. At the NCAA Indoor meet, he became the fifth to defend his 60 hurdles crown.
Other Gator successes:
Four Gators named national athlete of the year in 2017-18.
| Rhamat Alhassan | Honda Award (volleyball) |
| Michael Byrne | NCBWA Stopper of the Year |
| Caeleb Dressel | College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Swimmer of the Year |
| Brady Singer | Dick Howser Trophy (baseball) |
Florida's six Southeastern Conference titles (baseball, softball, men's swimming & diving, men's and women's outdoor track & field, volleyball) boosted the Gator program to its 28th overall SEC All-Sports Trophy. The SEC Men's All-Sports title also went to Florida.
In addition, the lacrosse team won its fourth consecutive BIG EAST Conference title. Softball swept the regular-season and tournament titles 2018.
Ten Gators picked up 11 conference athlete of the year honors in 2017-18:
| Rhamat Alhassan | SEC Volleyball Player of the Year | |
| Kelly Barnhill | Softball Pitcher of the Year | |
| Caeleb Dressel | Men's Swimmer of the Year | |
| Haley Hicklin | BIG EAST Lacrosse Goalkeeper of the Year | |
| Grant Holloway | SEC Indoor & Outdoor Runner of the Year | |
| Jonathan India | SEC Baseball Player of the Year | |
| Amanda Lorenz | SEC Softball Player of the Year | |
| Alex McMurtry | SEC Event Specialist Gymnast of the Year | |
| Sydney Pirreca | BIG EAST Lacrosse Midfielder of the Year | |
| Brady Singer | SEC Baseball Pitcher of the Year |
| Gators by the Numbers |
| 1 NCAA team title (men's indoor track & field) marks the 10th straight season a Gator team has won a national team title. Florida has won 19 national team titles since the 2008-09 season. |
| 12 top-five national team finishes equals the nation's high for 2017-18. |
| 7 conference titles by the Gators in 2017-18, including 6 Southeastern Conference wins. |
| 4 Gators picked up national athlete of the year awards |
| 11 conference athlete of the year honors claimed by Gators |
| 83 percent Graduation Success Rate for UF, as reported last fall in the 2017 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. |
| 5 named to Google Cloud Academic All-America teams in 2018. Florida now has 107 Gators earning 148 Academic All-America honors all-time. |
| 398 student-athletes participated in 3,673 hours of community service in 2017-18, partnering with 23 local schools & 70 non-profit organizations and making 32 regularly scheduled UF Health visits. |
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