UF's Air Force ROTC swept the board for push-ups and sit-ups and almost clinched first place in the soccer tournament in overtime.
But in the end, the Gators couldn't hold off the University of South Florida in Saturday's Lime Cup competition.
UF AFROTC hosted five Florida universities in a competition designed to encourage competitiveness and foster friendship among Florida's college ROTC units. The Lime Cup competition featured a trivia round, physical training exercises and team sports tournaments.
USF took home the Lime Cup trophy and earned bragging rights for the next year.
UF and Florida State University tied for second place, but during the closing ceremony, UF AFROTC member Maureen Hartney announced that ties go to the home team.
Hartney, a UF history and political science senior, was UF's wing commander last semester and planned the event. She said she started planning in November and spent about 100 hours working on it.
From 1981 to 1991, the Lime Cup was held annually, and UF won the first seven years. The competition was brought back briefly in 2000 and didn't appear again until Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University hosted it last year in Daytona.
Austin Lohman, a UF political science senior and AFROTC wing commander, said UF applied to host the Lime Cup this year, and FSU will plan it next year.
Lohman said UF AFROTC spent about $1,000 on the event, which students raised by volunteering at football games and paying dues.
As he watched 12 students panting and shaking as they completed as many push-ups as they could in two minutes, Lohman said the Lime Cup is more about building friendships and sharing ideas than competing.
Christopher Thorn, a UF sophomore, said he enjoyed catching up with people he hadn't seen since last year's competition.
"It's nice just having camaraderie with people you'll be in the military with, getting to already butt heads with them," Thorn said.
While the camaraderie is there, Michael Bowen, a UF family, youth and community sciences senior, said the usual in-state tensions persist.
"This is definitely going to be the start of an ROTC rivalry," Bowen said. "A healthy rivalry at that."
