As part of The Alligator Awards recognizing the best in UF athletics during the 2011-12 season, columnists Joe Morgan and Corey McCall will debate two of the five nominees in each week’s category. Vote for the winner at alligatorSports.org.
Joe: After three years of using only their inside voices, the Gators could scream. The Florida men’s track and field squad clinched its first-ever outdoor national championship last month on the heels of earning a third consecutive NCAA indoor title in March.
The Gators brought home three national championships during the 2011-12 athletic season, and two of them belong to coach Mike Holloway and his elite squad. Granted, Florida had a phenomenal athletic run spanning the last year in sports. However, only one team won two national titles in 91 days. No other Gators team can keep — uh, track.
Corey: You have just earned yourself a ban on puns, sir. What kind of Mickey Mouse operation are you running, oh, sorry — “John Carter” operation. With that said, now I can get on serve with my choice: women’s tennis. Honestly, you can’t go wrong with either of these teams, but for the sake of argument, let’s rally.
Roland Thornqvist’s squad recently won its second straight national title in dominating fashion, a 4-0 victory against top-seeded UCLA. In fact, the Gators didn’t allow a team point in 20 of their 28 matches. How can you say no to that much love?
Joe: I cannot deny the greatness of coach Thornqvist’s tennis squad. The Gators were dominant this season in their run to the a second consecutive national title. But did they win two championships in 91 days? In the words of @NotGregLuca, what the UF men’s track and field team accomplished this season is “out of its gourd.”
The last team to win both the indoor and outdoor national championships in a single season was Arkansas in 2003. Florida is one of just six programs to ever accomplish this feat. What this group of guys managed to achieve in 2012 is beyond ordinary. To quote @NotGregLuca again, it was “bonkers.”
Corey: I don’t believe its possible to win two championships in one year in any sport other than track. Either way you look at it, both teams proved they were the best week in week out. The only difference — besides track having the extra championship — is the tennis squad had fewer faults on their record.
They won the Southeastern Conference regular-season title with a perfect 11-0 conference record, followed by taking the SEC Tournament by force, dropping only one team point in three matches. By the time they were hoisting the hardware, their record stood at 27-1.
As I recall, the men’s track squad failed to win the SEC Championship in both Indoor and Outdoor. They may have proved they were the best in the nation when it mattered, but we are talking about best team of the year. That includes everything before the championship, even practice (ahem, Allen Iverson).
Joe: Oh, you were finished? Well, allow me to retort. What does Marcellus Wallace look like? — Okay, sorry. I just watched “Pulp Fiction” for the 100th time the other day. Here is what we are looking at right now. The men’s track and field team won its third consecutive indoor national title in March. Then, against seemingly insurmountable odds, the Gators clinched the NCAA outdoor crown. Why was this feat so incredible?
First, I will mention the mental obstacle. During the three previous seasons, Florida had fallen a combined five points short of first place. Needing a victory in the men’s 4x400 relay to clinch the national championship, the Tony McQuay-led Gators won the event in 3:00.02 to edge LSU by two points in the final standings.
Even more impressive than delivering in a must-win scenario was how a shorthanded UF won in Des Moines, Iowa. Florida competed without All-Americans decathlete Gray Horn (suspension) and sprinter Jeff Demps (hamstring). With the pressure of past failures and the absence of two key team members, the Gators delivered. #FedEx
Corey: Well, damn. You had me leaning on your side for a moment there, but then I remembered the topic we are discussing: best team of 2011-2012. What you so eloquently described takes the cake when it comes to best single performance — it certainly doesn’t hurt your argument, but it isn’t the breaking point either. Besides, I can’t help remembering those failures in the SEC Championships — not once, but twice.
On the other hand, the tennis squad had only one error — a third-week loss to second-ranked Stanford. From that point on, they played 100 days of unbeaten tennis against 22 teams, 14 of which were ranked in the top 30.
No, they didn’t have that inspiring performance, winning against all odds, overcoming mental hurtles. Instead, the national champions dominated from day one, never looking back. I believe that is what made the “Dream Team,” the “John Carter” of basketball.
Joe: Now, now. Everybody knows the true “Dream Team” is this year’s squad. Just ask Kobe.
Contact Joe Morgan at joemorgan@alligator.org and Corey McCall at cmccall@alligator.org.
Florida’s Tony McQuay reacts after anchoring his team to victory in the men’s 4x400-meter relay at the NCAA outdoor track and field championships June 9 at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa.
