Florida Gators women's lacrosse | |
---|---|
Founded | 2010 |
University | University of Florida |
Head coach | Amanda O'Leary (15th season) |
Stadium | Donald R. Dizney Stadium (capacity: 1,500) |
Location | Gainesville, Florida |
Conference | Big 12 Conference |
Nickname | Gators |
Colors | Orange and blue [1] |
NCAA Tournament Final Fours | |
2012, 2024 | |
NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals | |
2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2018, 2021, 2024 | |
NCAA Tournament appearances | |
2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 | |
Conference Tournament championships | |
2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 | |
Conference regular season championships | |
2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2024 |
The Florida Gators women's lacrosse team represents the University of Florida in the sport of college lacrosse. The Gators compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) and are single-sport members of the Big 12 Conference, which they joined after the 2024 season. Previously, the team had competed in the American Athletic Conference (The American), and before that the Big East Conference. [2] Before joining Big East women's lacrosse, the Gators were members of the American Lacrosse Conference (ALC), which folded after the 2014 season due to aftereffects of conference realignment. They play their home games in Donald R. Dizney Stadium on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus, and are currently led by head coach Amanda O'Leary. The Gators have won regular-season conference titles in 11 of the 13 completed seasons of the women's lacrosse program's existence, [lower-alpha 1] with four each in the ALC and Big East plus three in The American. Additionally, they have won 10 conference tournament titles (two ALC, four Big East, four American) and advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament six times (2011–2014, 2018, and 2021), with their best NCAA finish being a semifinal berth in 2012.
The University Athletic Association (UAA) quickly proceeded from new idea to reality in the creation of its newest sports program—it decided to create a women's lacrosse program in 2005, publicly announced the new program in 2006, hired a head coach and joined a conference in 2007, and announced its first recruiting class and began construction of a dedicated lacrosse stadium in 2008. [3] UAA officials selected women's lacrosse for its newest expansion sport because of the booming popularity of lacrosse at the high school level and the rapidly increasing competition available among Division I athletic programs. [4]
Although the University of Florida is a long-time member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) for the other 20 NCAA sports in which it fields varsity teams, [5] the Florida Gators women's lacrosse team competed in the American Lacrosse Conference from 2011 through 2014. [6] Among the other 13 SEC member schools, only Vanderbilt University currently sponsors a varsity women's lacrosse team. [7] Following the dissolution of the ALC after the 2014 season, Florida and Vanderbilt joined the Big East Conference, as associate members in women's lacrosse only, starting with the 2015 season. In October 2017, The American announced that it would start a women's lacrosse league in the 2019 season, with Florida and Vanderbilt joining four full conference members. [8]
The first Gators recruiting class of 24 players [9] [10] included seven US Lacrosse first-team high school All-Americans—Caroline Chesterman, Katie Ciaci, Brittany Dashiell, Samantha Farrell, Janine Hiller, Jamie Reeg and Julie Schindel, and US Lacrosse named another five as All-American Honorable Mentions—Ashley Bruns, Lelan Bailey, Jenna Hildebrand, Hayley Katzenberger and Mikey Meagher. [11] Dashiell, Bruns and Farrell, plus Kitty Cullen, Colby Rhea and Haydon Judge, were also named Under Armour All-Americans. [12] Amanda Wedekind was previously named an Under Armour All-American as a rising sophomore in 2006. The Gators' 2009–2010 recruiting class was rated best in the nation. [13]
The inaugural Florida Gators team played teams from fellow ALC member schools Johns Hopkins, Ohio State, Penn State, Vanderbilt and defending NCAA champion Northwestern, as well as non-conference opponents Cornell, Georgetown, Navy and New Hampshire during the spring 2010 semester. [3] The Gators played their first regular season game on February 20, 2010, posting a 16–6 victory over the Jacksonville Dolphins. [14] The young Gators finished their inaugural season 10–8, including ALC wins over Penn State and Johns Hopkins, [3] and were ranked eighteenth in the country in LaxPower's final power ratings. [15]
In only their second season of NCAA competition, the sixth-ranked Gators clinched their first ALC regular season championship by defeating the defending conference champion and second-ranked Northwestern Wildcats 13–11 on April 14, 2011. [16] The Gators completed a perfect 5–0 ALC season three days later when they defeated the seventeenth-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores 8–7. [17] The Northwestern Wildcats edged the Gators 10–9 in the ALC Tournament final, after the Gators defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes 16–13 in the semifinal round. The Gators received their first NCAA Tournament bid, seeded fourth in the sixteen-team field on May 9, 2011, [18] and defeated the Stanford Cardinal women's team 13–11 in the first round of the NCAA tournament five days later. [19] The young Gators eventually fell to the veteran Duke Blue Devils 13–9 in the quarterfinals ("Elite Eight") of the 2011 NCAA Tournament, finishing their second season with an overall win–loss record of 16–4. [20]
In advance of the spring 2012 season, Lacrosse Magazine ranked the Gators as the preseason No. 2 team in the nation. [21] After defeating the No. 1 ranked Northwestern Wildcats, the No. 5 Gators finished the 2012 regular season with a 15–2 overall win–loss record and a perfect 5–0 in the ALC, winning their second regular season conference championship in only their third year of play. [22] The No. 3 Gators made it a clean sweep by trouncing the No. 1 Wildcats 14–7 in the final of the ALC Tournament, and winning their first-ever conference tournament title. [23] [24] Afterward, the Gators were selected as the No. 1 seed in the 2012 NCAA Division I women's lacrosse tournament. [25] [26] The Gators defeated the Albany Great Danes 6–4 in the opening round of the tournament, and overwhelmed the Penn State Nittany Lions 15–2 in the quarterfinals. [27] After leading 12–5 in the tournament semifinal, the team's season ended with a 14–13 sudden-death loss to the Syracuse Orange in double-overtime. [28]
Florida named Amanda O'Leary as its inaugural head coach on June 22, 2007. [29] Before she became Florida's first head coach, O'Leary served as the head coach at Yale University for fourteen seasons, and was previously an assistant coach at the University of Maryland and the University of Delaware. [29] As a collegiate player, O'Leary was honored as a two-time All-American midfielder at Temple University, where she led her Temple Owls team to an NCAA Championship in 1988. [29]
Assistant coach Erica LaGrow is a fourth-year Gators assistant. [30] She was a first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) midfielder for the North Carolina Tar Heels, and graduated from the University of North Carolina in 2008. [30] LaGrow currently plays for the U.S. Women's Elite Lacrosse team, and was a key player on the U.S. national team that defeated Australia in the gold medal game of the 2009 Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) Women's World Cup. [30]
Assistant coach Caitlyn McFadden is a second-year Gators assistant. [31] She played for the Maryland Terrapins, and graduated from the University of Maryland in 2010 after leading the Terps to the 2010 NCAA Championship. [31] McFadden was an IWLCA first-team All-American midfielder in her junior and senior seasons. [31] As a senior, she was the recipient of the Tewaarton Award and Honda Sports Award, and was named the ACC Player of the Year, the NCAA Tournament Most Valuable Player, and the IWLCA National Midfielder of the Year. [31] The Maryland Terrapins sports program honored her with its Suzanne Tyler Award, given to the University of Maryland female athlete of the year. [31]
Completed during the summer of 2009, Donald R. Dizney Stadium hosts the Gators women's lacrosse team. [32] The facility includes a 1,500-seat stadium that runs the length of the game field. [32] The $15 million construction cost was funded entirely by private donors. [32] The facility also includes a second practice field, concessions stands, locker rooms, a training room, and other amenities. [33] At the Gators' first home game, an overflow crowd of 2,214 was present in Dizney Stadium for the Gators' 16–6 win over the Jacksonville Dolphins.
NCAA Division I Champions | Conference Champions | Conference Tournament Champions |
Season | League | Conference | Head Coach | Conference Record | Conference Ranking | Conference Tournament Results | Overall Record | Final Ranking | Post Season Results |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2010 | NCAA | ALC | Amanda O'Leary | 1–4 | 4th | Columbus W 14–3 vs. Johns Hopkins L 9–16 vs. Vanderbilt | 10–8 | RV | did not qualify |
2011 | 5–0 | 1st | Nashville W 16–13 vs. Ohio State L 9–10 vs. Northwestern | 16–4 | 5 | Gainesville W 13–11 vs. Stanford L 9–13 vs. Duke | |||
2012 | 5–0 | 1st | Gainesville W 5–4 vs. Ohio State W 14–7 vs. Northwestern | 20–3 | 3 | Gainesville W 6–4 vs. Albany W 15–2 vs. Penn State Stony Brook L 13–14 (OT) vs. Syracuse | |||
2013 | 4–1 | T–1st | Baltimore W 17–3 vs. Ohio State L 3–8 vs. Northwestern | 18–3 | 5 | Gainesville W 16–5 vs. Denver Syracuse L 9–13 vs. Syracuse | |||
2014 | 6–0 | 1st | Evanston W 11–6 vs. Johns Hopkins W 9–8 vs. Northwestern | 18–3 | 6 | Gainesville W 16–5 vs. Denver L 11–12 (OT) vs. Northwestern | |||
2015 | Big East Conference | 6–1 | T–1st | Storrs W 18–8 vs. Villanova W 20–6 vs. Connecticut | 15–5 | 12 | Chapel Hill W 15–10 vs. Stanford L 6–11 vs. North Carolina | ||
2016 | 7–0 | 1st | Washington W 11–8 vs. Georgetown W 16–4 vs. Temple | 18–2 | 6 | Gainesville L 13–14 vs. Penn State (OT) | |||
2017 | 9–0 | 1st | Philadelphia W 21–9 vs. Temple W 18–12 vs. Denver | 17–3 | 9 | Gainesville L 12–15 vs. USC | |||
2018 | 9–0 | 1st | Gainesville W 19–8 vs. Marquette W 18–6 vs. Denver | 17–4 | 6 | Gainesville W 13–9 vs. Colorado Harrisonburg L 8–11 vs. James Madison | |||
2019 | American | 5–0 | 1st | Cincinnati W 19–10 vs. Vanderbilt W 15–9 vs. Cincinnati | 13–6 | 13 | Chapel Hill W 16–9 vs. Johns Hopkins L 11–15 vs. North Carolina | ||
2020 | 0–0 [lower-alpha 1] | — | — | 6–2 | 8 [lower-alpha 2] | — | |||
2021 | 10–0 | 1st | Gainesville W 19–6 vs. Cincinnati W 19–4 vs. Temple | 18–3 | 7 | Gainesville W 23–5 vs. Mercer W 17–3 vs. Jacksonville Syracuse L 11–17 vs. Syracuse | |||
2022 | 5–0 | 1st | Greenville W 18–7 vs. East Carolina W 18–7 vs. Vanderbilt | 17–5 | 8 | Gainesville W 19–12 vs. Mercer W 15–10 vs. Jacksonville College Park L 5–18 vs. Maryland | |||
2023 | 5–1 | 2nd | Greenville W 12–9 vs. East Carolina W 9–8 vs. James Madison | 17–4 | 6 | Gainesville W 13–7 vs. Jacksonville L 15–16 vs. Notre Dame | |||
2024 | 6–0 | 1st | Nashville W 17–8 vs. Vanderbilt W 21–11 vs. James Madison | 20–3 | 4 | Charlottesville W 17–8 vs. North Carolina W 13–8 vs. Virginia College Park W 15–9 vs. Maryland Cary L 11–15 vs. Northwestern | |||
Total | 83–7 | 25–3 | 240–58 | 16–13 |
The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni and its sports fans are often collectively referred to as the "Gator Nation." The Gators compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and are consistently ranked among the top college sports programs in the United States. The University of Florida currently fields teams in nine men's sports and twelve women's sports.
Norman Leslie Sloan Jr. was an American college basketball player and coach. Sloan was a native of Indiana and played college basketball and football at North Carolina State University. He began a long career as a basketball coach months after graduating from college in 1951, and he was the men's basketball head coach at Presbyterian College, The Citadel, North Carolina State University, and two stints at the University of Florida. Over a career that spanned 38 seasons, Sloan was named conference coach of the year five times and won the 1974 national championship at North Carolina State, his alma mater. He was nicknamed "Stormin' Norman" due to his combative nature with the media, his players, and school administrators, and his collegiate coaching career ended in controversy when Florida's basketball program was under investigation in 1989, though Sloan claimed that he was treated unfairly.
The American Lacrosse Conference (ALC) was a women's lacrosse-only college athletic conference whose members competed at the Division I level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). All of the ALC's members throughout its history were located in the eastern half of the United States. The conference was founded in 2001 in advance of the 2002 NCAA lacrosse season with seven members; nine schools were members at one time or another during its history.
Kevin Michael O'Sullivan is an American college baseball coach and former player. O'Sullivan is the current head coach of the Florida Gators baseball team of the University of Florida. O'Sullivan is best known for leading the Gators to the program's first College World Series national championship win in 2017. O'Sullivan also led the program to three consecutive appearances in the College World Series from 2010 to 2012 and four consecutive appearances from 2015 to 2018. He became the winningest coach in program history in 2021, surpassing Dave Fuller's 1975 record of 557 wins.
The Florida Gators baseball team represents the University of Florida in the sport of baseball. Florida competes in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA), and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They play their home games in Condron Ballpark on the university's Gainesville, Florida, campus, and are currently led by head coach Kevin O'Sullivan. In the 105-season history of the Florida baseball program, the team has won 16 SEC championships and has appeared in 14 College World Series tournaments. The Gators won their first national championship in 2017.
The Florida Gators softball team represents the University of Florida in the sport of softball. Florida competes in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Gators play their home games at Katie Seashole Pressly Softball Stadium on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus, and are currently led by head coach Tim Walton. In the twenty-six year history of the Florida Softball program, the team has won two Women's College World Series (WCWS) national championships, nine SEC regular season championships, five SEC tournament championships, and have made eleven WCWS appearances.
The Florida Gators women's gymnastics team represents the University of Florida in the sport of gymnastics. The team competes in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Gators host their home matches in the O'Connell Center on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus, and are currently led by head coach Jenny Rowland. The Gators women's gymnastics program has won nine SEC championships, and four national championships: the 1982 AIAW national tournament and the 2013, 2014, and 2015 NCAA championships.
The Florida Gators women's tennis team represents the University of Florida in the sport of tennis. The Gators compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They play their home matches in Linder Stadium on the university's Gainesville, Florida, campus, and are currently led by head coach Roland Thornqvist. In the thirty-nine-year history of the Gators women's tennis program, the team has won twenty-five SEC championships and seven NCAA national tournament championships.
The Florida Gators men's golf team represents the University of Florida in the sport of golf. The Gators compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They play their home matches on the Mark Bostick Golf Course on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus, and are currently led by head coach J. C. Deacon. In the eighty-nine-year history of the Gators' men's golf program, they have won fifteen SEC championships and five NCAA national tournament championships. They are the current defending national champions.
The Florida Gators track and field program represents the University of Florida in the sport of track and field. The program includes separate men's and women's teams, both of which compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Gators host their home indoor meets in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center and their home outdoor meets at Percy Beard Track, both located on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus. The Gators track teams are currently led by head coach Mike Holloway.
Michael Dwayne Holloway is an American college track and field coach. Holloway is the current head coach of the Florida Gators track and field and Gators cross country programs of the University of Florida. He is best known for leading the Florida Gators men's indoor track and field team to five National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I national championships in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2018, and 2019. Additionally, the Florida Gators men's outdoor track and field teams won the NCAA Division I national championship in 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2022, 2023, and 2024 under Holloway's leadership. In 2022, he led the women's indoor track and field team to its second national title and first in 30 years. Also in 2022, Holloway's Gators won a double NCAA title team slam, winning the 2022 men's outdoor track and field NCAA championship as well as the 2022 women's outdoor track and field NCAA championship, the first in program history.
Amanda Moore O'Leary, née Amanda Moore and also known by her nickname Mandee O'Leary, is an American college lacrosse coach and former player. O'Leary was an All-American lacrosse midfielder for the Temple Owls women's lacrosse team of Temple University, and she is a member of the US Lacrosse Hall of Fame. O'Leary was the head coach of the Yale Bulldogs women's lacrosse team of Yale University, and she is now the head coach of the Florida Gators women's lacrosse team of the University of Florida.
The Florida Gators women's golf team represents the University of Florida in the sport of golf. The Lady Gators compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They play their home matches on the Mark Bostick Golf Course on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus, and will be led by third-year coach Emily Glaser in 2014–15. In the forty-five-year history of the Gators women's golf program, the Lady Gators have won nine SEC championships and two NCAA national tournament championships.
E. Page Halpin, née E. Page Dunlap, is an American former professional golfer who was a member of the LPGA Tour for six years during the 1990s. Dunlap is best known for winning the individual NCAA Division I Championship in 1986.
Shaun Stafford Beckish, née Shaun Stafford, is an American former college and professional tennis player who played on the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) tour from 1989 to 1996. As a collegiate tennis player, Stafford won the 1988 NCAA national singles championship while playing for the University of Florida. She won two WTA tournaments in her professional career, one in singles and the other in doubles.
Thomas George Bartlett was an American college basketball and tennis player, as well as a college basketball and tennis head coach. After graduating from the University of Tennessee, Bartlett served as the men's basketball head coach for Carson-Newman College, the University of Chattanooga, and the University of Florida, and also as the men's tennis head coach at the University of Tennessee and UT-Chattanooga.
Mimi Ryan is a former American college golf coach. Ryan was the founder and long-time head coach of the Florida Gators women's golf program at the University of Florida. She is best known for leading the Florida Gators women's golfers to two back-to-back National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) national tournament championships.
Andres V. Brandi was an American college and professional tennis coach. He led Florida Gators women's tennis team to win multiple National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) national tournament championships in the 1990s.
The 2012 Florida Gators baseball team represented the University of Florida in the sport of baseball during the 2012 college baseball season. The Gators competed in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They played their home games at Alfred A. McKethan Stadium, on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus. The team was coached by Kevin O'Sullivan, who was in his fifth season at Florida. The Gators sought to build upon their appearance in the 2011 College World Series Finals, where they were eliminated by South Carolina in two games.
Dawn Alexis Buth is an American former college and professional tennis player. As a collegiate player, she played for the University of Florida and won two national doubles championships. As a professional, she played on the ITF Women's Circuit (ITF) and WTA Tour (WTA) from 1998 to 2001. She served as head coach of the women's tennis team at George Washington University (GWU) from 2004 to 2013. She is currently the Director for Government Relations at the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA).