Lauren Embree’s list of collegiate accomplishments is nothing short of astounding.
She is more than simply one of the most successful women’s tennis players in program history; Embree deserves mentioning in conversations discussing Florida’s best athletes, in any sport, of all time.
I’m talking the greats: Tebow, Wambach, Noah, Spurrier, and the rest.
That’s why Embree’s performance this week is nothing short of shocking.
With the Gators in contention for their third consecutive national championship — Embree hand-delivered the previous two championships with match-clinching victories against Stanford in 2011 and UCLA in 2012 — the expectation was the nation’s No. 1 player would finish her storied career by riding off into the sunset with another piece of hardware.
But reality often scoffs at fairy-tale endings.
Florida fell into a 3-0 hole against Stanford in the semifinals. The Gators battled back before Alex Cercone lost in a three-set war of a match to end UF’s season. But the writing was on the wall when Embree walked off the court with her first loss in an NCAA dual match.
Read that again: Embree walked off the court with her first loss in an NCAA dual match. Before falling 6-0, 6-1 to No. 13 Nicole Gibbs on Monday, Embree had won all 15 of her matches in NCAA dual competition.
No surprise, but that stands as a program record.
During Embree’s four seasons — a career capped with the ITA naming her National Senior Player of the Year on Tuesday — UF never fell short of the semifinals. .
Literally, with a few more breaks — or better bounces — the Gators could have won four straight titles and become nothing short of a dynasty. Instead, they will have to settle for two championships — still enough to be considered the most successful program at UF as of late.
Florida’s four-year run with Embree was nearly flawless. But it won’t be repeated, no matter how many blue-chip prospects coach Roland Thornqvist can convince to come try to recreate Embree’s magic.
Contact Phil Heilman at pheilman@alligatorg.org.
Lauren Embree reaches for a backhand against Georgia at the USTA/ITA Southeast Regional Singles final on Oct. 24, 2011. Embree lost her final dual match as a Gator in Florida’s 4-3 loss to Stanford in the NCAA semifinals on Monday.
