Florida’s athletic year brought a little of everything in Part 2 of the Gainesville Sun’s report card, from a men’s basketball team that piled up wins but still left room for disappointment to a women’s cross country group that helped power a rare triple crown.
For a school that measures success in championships, simply making the NCAA postseason is never the finish line. That standard frames the way Florida’s 2025-26 seasons were graded, with records, conference finishes and postseason results all feeding into the evaluation.
Men’s basketball earned an A- after going 27-8 overall and 16-2 in the SEC. The defending national champs stumbled early with losses to Arizona, Duke and UConn, then flipped the script by going unbeaten in league play to claim their first regular-season title since 2014.
That run also gave Florida a second straight No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. The finish was harsher: an upset in the SEC tournament and another in the second round of March Madness.
Still, the year brought plenty of hardware, with Todd Golden named SEC Coach of the Year and the frontcourt trio of Thomas Haugh, Rueben Chinyelu and Alex Condon collecting honors of their own. With roster retention already building buzz, the expectations for next season are only going up.
Volleyball landed at B- in Ryan Theis’ first season after taking over for Mary Wise. The Gators went 16-12 overall and 9-6 in SEC play, finishing fifth in the conference.
Florida also went 4-6 against Top 25 opponents and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament. Five different players earned all-conference recognition, a solid sign of progress as the program moves into a new era.
Women’s cross country was one of the brightest spots of the entire athletic year and received an A. The Gators claimed their second SEC title in three years and helped anchor Florida’s eventual triple crown across cross country, indoor track and outdoor track, making the school the second program in 30 years to pull off the feat.
Senior Hilda Olemomoi and Judy Chepkoech delivered the headline performances, with Olemomoi placing third at the NCAA championships and Chepkoech finishing second at the SEC meet. Florida’s recent SEC and NCAA results reflect that rise: first at the 2025 SEC meet and fifth at the 2025 NCAA meet.
Men’s cross country was a different story, finishing with a C+. Florida’s NCAA championship drought continues - the Gators haven’t reached the meet since 2013 - but Kelvin Cheruiyot gave the program a jolt in a memorable freshman season.
The runner from Kenya won both the SEC Men’s Championship and the South Regional Championship, then placed 14th at the NCAA championship. As a team, Florida finished seventh out of 27 squads in the regional, its best showing there in five years, but slipped to 11th at the SEC meet.
In Other News...
Florida Seniors Suddenly Have More Eligibility Than Gators Fans Expected
A new NCAA age-based eligibility model is quietly reshaping Floridas roster outlook, and a handful of Gators who once looked headed for a straightforward final chapter now have a little more runway. Under the updated rules, student-athletes can play five seasons within a five-year period if they enroll no later than the academic year after their 19th birthday, a shift that changes the calculation for players entering what would have been their true senior season in 2026-27.
For Florida, the ripple effect reaches six players, including Bryce Thornton and Eric Singleton Jr., both of whom now fit into a conversation the program did not expect to be having this soon. The old redshirt framework still matters, but the new setup opens the door for key contributors to remain in Gainesville longer than planned, with some potentially carrying their eligibility into 2027-28 and altering how the Gators think about continuity, depth and future roster planning. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Is Testing How Much The Swamp Still Means To Students
Floridas student section is getting a closer look this year, not because the noise inside The Swamp has changed, but because the price of getting in has. The University of Florida has raised student football season ticket prices by about 50%, pushing the total cost to roughly $376.25 with fees, a jump that has turned a once-routine campus purchase into a bigger commitment for students.
Even with the increase, demand has held up. The University Athletic Association said more than 15,000 student season tickets have already been sold, including nearly 7,000 in the first 24 hours, and it pointed to rising athletic department expenses along with resale data showing the market still has plenty of pull. The real test now is whether that early momentum lasts once students weigh the higher price against the chance to lock in a seat all fall. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Still Has One Line Decision Fans Should Be Worried About
Floridas offensive line remains one of the few major questions hanging over a roster that is otherwise set for 2026, and the center spot is right at the heart of it. Junior transfer Harrison Moore arrives from Georgia Tech with real game experience and the kind of background that usually gives a lineman a leg up in a new room, especially after the departure of Jake Slaughter left a noticeable opening down the middle.
Moores comfort with people around the program from his Tech days should help his case, but the Gators still have work to do before that interior order feels settled. Spring camp did not exactly answer every question up front, and with the starting five still taking shape, the center battle figures to be one of the most important decisions Florida makes before the season gets here. [Read more 🡒]