As part of the Alligator Awards recognizing the best in UF athletics during the 2012-13 season, columnists Adam Lichtenstein and Landon Watnick will debate two of the five nominees in each week’s category. Vote for the winner online at alligatorSports.org.
Adam: When the 2012-13 season began, the ceiling couldn’t get much higher for the UF women’s tennis team. Back-to-back national titles left little room to improve.
But somehow, senior Lauren Embree put up her most dominating season.
For a couple of years, Embree was the Tonto to former No. 1 singles player Allie Will’s Lone Ranger, but Will left after the 2011-12 season. She finished her career with a 109-13 mark for her career and a 30-4 record in dual-match, No. 1 singles.
The Gators needed Embree to step up, and she did.
In dual matches, Embree put up a 20-1 record, dropping only one match despite playing against opponents’ top singles players.
Embree put on a show at Linder Stadium during each meet, and finished the year as the top women’s player in the nation. On July 10, the ITA named her the top college player in the nation – a well-deserved honor.
Landon: I’m not discrediting anything Embree did last season — she’s my second choice for this Alligator Award — but I have to go with a freshman who achieved more in her respective sport than Embree did in 2012-13: Bridget Sloan.
A member of the United States’ silver-winning gymnastics squad at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Sloan exceeded already-high expectations in her first season at Florida.
As an all-around competitor, she led Florida gymnastics to its first national title in school history one year removed from a heartbreaking defeat to Alabama in the Super Six. Sloan won the all-around and balance-beam titles that weekend, too.
At the end of the year, she was awarded the Honda Sports Award for gymnastics, which is given to the country’s top collegiate female athlete in the sport.
Before 2013, UF appeared in the Super Six 17 times — not once coming home with a title. Sloan is the reason the Gators finally got over the hump.
Adam: Sloan had a great freshman year, but is she even the best gymnast in Gainesville? Kytra Hunter put up a higher all-around average and holds two of UF’s best scores compared to Sloan’s top balance-beam total.
The award is for best female athlete, not best first season.
Although Sloan was very impressive, she had a great supporting cast to carry the Gators to their first national title.
Embree lost two of Florida’s best players from her squad — Will and Joanna Mather. Sure, Embree’s supporting cast put up good numbers, but any team that loses players like that is going to suffer.
Embree had to square off against top opponents day in and day out. Sloan didn’t have to win all-around titles at every single meet, but Embree needed an A+ performance every time she competed.
Sloan was like Chris Bosh or Dwyane Wade — a great player, but not LeBron, not the centerpiece. Embree was the straw that stirred the Gators drink.
Oh, and did I mention she won two titles?
Landon: If you make any more Miami Heat comparisons, I’ll have to send a request to Matt Riva to waive you via the amnesty provision, Mike Miller-style.
Sloan guided her team to a championship this year and Embree didn’t. It basically comes down to that.
If this category was “Greatest Legacy Left By a Female Athlete at Florida,” of course Embree would win it. We wouldn’t even need a Rally to debate it.
But this Alligator Award focuses on the best female athlete in *2012-13*, and Sloan dominated her sport, even more so toward the latter half of the season. Sloan is UF’s most talented gymnast. The Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh references at this point are prehistoric (cue rimshot), and I’m tired of hearing them.
So what if Sloan didn’t achieve the highest all-around score on the team this year? For a six-meet stretch, including three NCAA meets, she did not score any lower than a 39.60. Her lowest all-around score all year was a 39.425. That’s consistency at its finest.
Sure, Hunter battled a left ankle injury throughout the regular season and dealt with the stomach flu during one meet, but she didn’t have an amazing NCAA Tournament in all-around competition. Sloan had a better postseason than both Hunter and No. 1 Embree, who fell to Stanford’s No. 13 Nicole Gibbs in singles play in the NCAA semifinals.
Adam: That’s the second time you’ve said “(cue rimshot)” in the paper this summer. Cue the hook to pull you off stage.
Embree struggled in the postseason after carrying the team to the semifinals. The first time she lost in the dual-match season was her final match of the year.
Embree is obviously one of the best female athletes in Florida’s history — scratch that, she’s one of the best athletes of any gender from UF, period.
Although her final year ended on a sour note, she still had an incredible season. She still dominated her sport more than any other Gators athlete.
And I’d like to see you try to get me released, rookie. I’m the Pat Riley of this whole operation.
Landon: Rookie? I’ve been on this paper for four semesters now.
But my argument is there for everybody to read. I rest my case.
Contact Adam Lichtenstein at alichtenstein@alligator.org. Contact Landon Watnick at lwatnick@alligator.org.
Freshman Bridget Sloan sticks a landing during Florida’s 196.575-190.55 win against Ball State on Jan. 4 in the O’Connell Center.
Senior Lauren Embree serves during a match between Florida and Georgia on Oct. 24, 2011, at the Ring Tennis Complex.
