UF Athletics Boasts Five Teams Ranked Top Five

The University of Florida has earned its title as an everything school. In the fall, the football team managed to pull through in November with two of the most exciting wins of the year. Now in the spring, the Gators have five teams ranked in the nation’s top five for their respective sports. 

Florida Basketball: Fantastic

Florida men’s basketball is now No. 2 in the nation, just behind the Auburn Tigers. Although the Gators beat the Tigers in the Jungle on the road, the Tigers have retained a superior SEC record. However, ESPN still projects Florida as a 1-seed in the Big Dance.

With just six games left in the regular season, the Gators will have a chance to face three more ranked opponents. In two weeks, Florida will tip-off against No. 4 Alabama for what may be their biggest game left in the season. Gators’ fans hope to see sophomore forward Alex Condon and junior forward Sam Alexis back on the court for this game, despite the excitement of junior center Micah Handlogten’s return. 

Gators Swinging Softball

Opening the season 13-1 has allowed the softball team to maintain its position as No. 3 in the nation. Its first loss of the season came against No. 14 Duke on Sunday. This game came on the tail end of UF’s six-day playing streak. The team will have a chance to get back in the win column Wednesday at North Florida. 

top-3 heading into week 3! #GoGators pic.twitter.com/Yl8oQHXGSf

— Gators Softball (@GatorsSB) February 18, 2025

Gymnastics Fanatics

Although gymnasts compete individually, the Florida gymnastics team has come together to form the No. 3 squad in the country. This week alone, three members of the team received SEC Honors. Senior Sloane Blakely earned the title of SEC Specialist of the Week after posting the second 10.000 floor routine of her career on Friday against Auburn. Blakely was questionable coming into the meet because of a concussion she suffered during practice two weeks ago. Although she usually competes in the all-around for UF, she only participated in the floor and beam during the Valentine’s Day event.

This week, junior Selena Harris-Miranda and senior Leanne Wong share the title of SEC Gymnast of the Week. Wong also picked up a national honor from Inside Gymnastics on Monday when she was named National Gymnast of the Week. These awards come after her perfect 10 performance on the beam.

Women’s Swim and Dive-ing into the Championship

This week, the No. 5 women’s swim and dive team is competing in the SEC Championship. Starting on Monday, sophomore Camyla Monroy earned the first gold medal of the championship. She finished with a 350.45, which is just short of the UF program record. The team hopes to bring home its third straight SEC title. 

Winning moments ✨ #GoGators pic.twitter.com/SwVF4Tyd56

— Gators Swimming & Diving (@GatorsSwimDv) February 17, 2025

Lucky Lacrosse

The No. 5 Gators lacrosse team boasts a 2-1 record after playing two ranked teams to begin the year. In its season opener, UF beat No. 11 Johns Hopkins by one goal 12-11. On Saturday, it lost to No. 3 North Carolina 14-9, but will look to rally tonight as Florida travels to Tampa. This will be the Gators first time facing the USF Bulls in the regular season, as this is the first season USF has had a Division I lacrosse program.

In 2024, Florida ended the Learfield Directors’ Cup standings in the top 10. This year, the Gators hope these teams will help them finish even closer to the top of the leaderboard. This system measures the success of a college’s overall athletic success, and it is known as the all-sports trophy. If UF were to win, the school would be awarded with a Waterford Crystal trophy.