Former Gators Wambach and Torres nominated for Hall of Fame honors

Two former Florida Gator athletes earned Hall of Fame honors this past week.

On Saturday, former Gator and U.S Women’s soccer forward Abby Wambach was inducted into the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame. Likewise, former Gator and 12-time Olympic medalist Dara Torres was nominated to the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame Class of 2019 on Monday.

Abby Wambach: All-time leading scorer

In addition to being one of the most accomplished female athletes in history, Wambach holds an important title amongst all professional soccer players. With 184 goals, Wambach holds the title as the all-time leading goal scorer amongst all professional soccer players.

Furthermore, Wambach earned notable awards such as the 2012 FIFA World Player of the Year and the 2011 AP Female Athlete of the Year.

In her professional career, Wambach competed in four FIFA World Cup Tournaments (2003, 2007, 2011, and 2015). Additionally, she is a two-time Olympian, earning gold medals in 2004 and 2012.

Thank you, @AbbyWambach. ✊

On Saturday, the world's all-time leading scorer was inducted into the @soccerhof. pic.twitter.com/PtaepeJyqe

— Team USA (@TeamUSA) September 22, 2019

During her time at Florida, Wambach scored a total of 96 goals and accounted for 50 assists. In 2000 and 2001, Wambach earned the SEC Tournament Most Valuable Player and SEC Player of the Year titles.

Wambach played with the Gators from 1998-2001 and set the school’s scoring record at 96 goals.

Wambach announced her retirement from professional soccer in 2015.

Dara Torres: 5x Olympian

At age 17, Torres competed in her first Olympic competition in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Torres earned her first Olympic gold medal in the women’s 4×100 freestyle relay race.

During her career as a Gator from 1986 10 1989, Torres earned a multiple honors including 28 All-American honors. Additionally, Torres earned the NCAA Swimmer of the Year and SEC Athlete of the Year in 1988.

Torres completed her college career as nine-time NCAA national champion.

Congrats, @DaraTorres ! U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame Class of 2019 🇺🇸👏

🐊 12 Olympic medals
🐊 First American to swim in five Olympics
🐊 28-time All-American
🐊 Nine-time NCAA Champion

Details: https://t.co/lN8kxRZsa7#GoGators #GatorsAlways 🐊

— Gators Swimming & Diving (@GatorsSwimDv) September 23, 2019

Throughout her career, Torres competed in five Olympic games (1984, 1988, 1992, 2000, and 2008) earning a total of 12 medals. Torres competed in multiple events throughout her career including 4×100 medley relay, 100m butterfly, 50m freestyle, and 100m freestyle. 

Furthermore, Torres will be inducted into the Hall of Fame, alongside 14 other athletes, on Nov. 1 in Colorado Springs.