FULLERTON, Calif. — No. 3 Florida has run into a softball buzzsaw while out here in No. 2 UCLA.
First, on Wednesday, the Gators lost to UCLA 7-1.
Then on Friday afternoon as part of the Judi Garman Classic at Anderson Family Field, the Bruins two-hit the Gators in a 4-0 win. Rachel Garcia (7-0) struck out 10 to help UCLA improve to 16-0. Kendyl Lindaman had one of the Gators’ two hits, a double.
Natalie Lugo (6-1) allowed the four runs in the fifth inning. Katie Chronister came on to shut down the Bruins the final three innings for the Gators.
Florida salvaged the day with a late-night 1-0 win over No. 5 Washington behind a one-hitter from Kelly Barnhill (12-1).
UF (21-2) plays California State University-Northridge at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Women’s tennis: Florida opened its conference season with a 4-1 win over Ole Miss at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex.
Sophomore Ida Jarlskog provided the match-clinching win from court one in dramatic fashion, as she battled back for a 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 win. Jarlskog trailed 2-0 in the final set and 40-15 in the final game but played with great resilience to secure UF’s first SEC win of the season.
Freshmen Marlee Zein and Anastasia Kharitonova also added pivotal singles victories while the Gators captured the doubles point after wins by Jarlskog-Tsveta Dimitrova and Anastasia Kharitonova-Marlee Zein.
Florida (4-4) hosts Mississippi State (9-3) at 1 p.m. Sunday.
Indoor Track and Field: Florida senior Yanis David, junior Grant Holloway and head coach Mike Holloway earned regional awards from the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. David was named South Region Women’s Indoor Field Athlete of the Year, Grant Holloway won the men’s award and Mike Holloway was tabbed coach of year.
David became the fourth woman in history to sweep the horizontal jumps titles at SEC Indoor Championships, tying for the Cliff Harper Trophy (individual high points award) in the process. The Lamentin, Guadeloupe native is also the only woman ranked in the top 10 nationally in both horizontal jumps. David is the NCAA leader in the triple jump and ranks second nationally in the long jump, with both her season-best marks coming in her SEC Indoors wins.
Holloway became the fourth man in history to repeat as the region’s top runner, putting him with the likes of Tennessee’s Christian Coleman (2016-17), Georgia’s Torrin Lawrence (2009-10) and Tennessee’s Rubin Williams (2007-08).
Holloway was the brightest star of the SEC Indoor Championships, as he set the meet’s individual scoring record with 28 points and helped the Gators capture the team title. Prior to last weekend, no man had scored more than 22.5 points at SEC Indoors.
Holloway led the Gators to the eighth SEC Indoors team title in program history. It was the fourth such title under his leadership. Florida won three individual titles and tallied seven additional medal finishes at SEC Indoors. The Gators ran away from the field, winning the meet by 15 points despites scratching one of its two 200 meters finalists and its 4×400 relay team.
Florida and its 18 NCAA Indoor Championships entrants compete in Birmingham, Ala., next Friday and Saturday.
Lacrosse: No. 11 Florida (1-2) is on the road again, this time for a matchup at No. 17 Navy (3-1) on Saturday. Opening draw is set for 11 a.m. at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium and the game will be streamed on the Patriot League Network.
21 wins and only 2 lost games. It’s now time for SEC games starting with Tennessee. We have a tough SEC schedule and it starts Friday. Finally we get to see our Gators on tv and it’s about time. Go Lady Gators………🐊🐊🐊⚾⚾⚾.