“ONLY GATORS GET OUT ALIVE.”
The
A MAD SCRAMBLE, A SHARP CLOSEOUT AND A FLOOR DIVE HELPED SEAL FLORIDA’S THIRD NCAA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
By Max Bernstein Sports Writer
Florida is in the lead, leading by two with less than 20 seconds on the clock.
One possession for the title of national champion.
Following Houston’s final timeout, the Cougars inbounded the ball from under their own basket. UF graduate student
guard Alijah Martin pressed while the rest of the Gators stayed back. Houston graduate student guard L.J. Cryer passed to junior guard Miles Uzan, who returned the ball to Cryer. Martin retreated, awaiting Cryer’s arrival at the half-court line.
Fifteen ticks to go.
Standing in front of Cryer, UF junior guard Will Richard dropped into his defensive stance. Behind him, there was a moment of hesitation — it was clear Houston was trying to set up a specific play. Cryer swung his right arm. Uzan broke away from Martin and received a pass just to the right.
Eleven seconds left.
Houston senior forward Ja’Vier Francis set a slight slip screen, but his original defender, sophomore forward Thomas Haugh, slid over. Now, Florida had two defenders on the ball near the baseline.
Uzan pulled back and reset with Cryer. Richard stayed tight on him. But then, from just right of the paint, a movement sparked — Houston redshirt junior guard Emanuel Sharp darted toward the ball. Cryer lofted it over. The staggered gate set the Cougars ran had worked. Their shooter was open.
Five and a half seconds left.
The moment Sharp — a 41% 3-point shooter during the season — caught the ball, UF senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. bolted toward him. Sharp rose for the potential game-winner, aiming to give the Cougars their first-ever national championship. Clayton launched from the baseline, reaching the 3-point arc in a blink. Both men soared.
Four and a half seconds left.
Clayton’s closeout altered the shooter’s trajectory — and crucially, ensured no foul would be called.
“We work on that in practice, closing out and jumping to the side so you don’t foul,” Clayton said in the post-game press conference.
Sharp pump-faked, trying to avoid contact, but the ball slipped from his hands and bounced to the floor. If he touched it, it would be a surefire double dribble.
“Clayton made a great play on that, but that’s why you gotta shot-fake and get it into the paint,” Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said.
Just to their right, Richard jumped, trying to draw the officials’ attention. Sharp, knowing he couldn’t touch the ball, boxed Clayton out as the ball kept bouncing.
Two ticks on the clock.
Francis and Florida sophomore forward Alex Condon lunged
toward the ball, each with different goals. For Francis, it was one last chance at glory. For Condon, it was a chance to seal the win, and UF’s third national title along with it. Both players hit the floor, giving everything they had to get the ball.
“Condo did what he does a lot, which is get physical, dive on the floor, [and] make a winning play,” UF head coach Todd Golden said.
Condon reached out his right arm, and the ball bounced under it. It skipped forward slightly before the 6-foot-11 Gator stretched with all his might and secured it. He passed it to Clayton, who stood above him.
Zero seconds left on the clock.
The buzzer sounded.
Florida secured the 2025 national championship title — it’s first in 18 years and third in program history.
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Noah Lantor // Alligator Staff
Florida Gators guard Will Richard (5) and guard Alijah Martin (15) celebrate with a hug after winning the National Championship against the Houston Cougars in the NCAA Tournament on Monday, April 7, 2025, in San Antonio, Texas.
Gators basketball’s chicken tender takeover
By Sofia Meyers Alligator Staff Writer
Fresh off their national championship victory, a trio of Gators men’s basketball players traded jerseys for Raising Cane’s uniforms on April 10 as they took over the registers at one of the chain’s locations just across the street from UF campus.
In a homecoming “shift” that blurred the line between fast food and fandom, Walter Clayton Jr., Thomas Haugh and Alijah Martin served up meals — and Gator spirit — to a line of more than 100 hungry fans. Decked out in orange and blue gear and waving foam fingers, students and Gainesville locals crowded the sidewalk, eager for a chance to be served a chicken tender basket by the national champs.
“We’re all pulling in, get this job done,” said senior guard Alijah Martin when asked about bringing teamwork from the hardwood to the fryer.
Among the fans in line was Sydney Hilt, a 22-year-old UF marine science senior, who came with friends in hopes of being served by one of the players.
“If I was them, I’d be doing everything I can, too,” she said. “Thank you for serving me chicken. Thank you for winning the natty.”
Briana Vanoordt, a 21-year-old UF biology junior, said it’s been a long time since UF has had this level of pride in Gator sports. Vanoordt said she felt like she was “on a high” while waiting in line.
“I feel like the guy that was on the light post on Monday,” she said. “Just excited jumping up and down.”
The players clocked in around 10:30 a.m. to film promotional videos and answer media questions before doors opened and the first wave of fans flooded inside.
Sporting Raising Cane’s caps and branded blue T-shirts, they took orders, signed autographs and handed out meals.
Ethan Faerman, a 20-year-old
UF civil engineering sophomore, rushed the Stephen C. O’Connell center court after the Gators’ victory and carried that celebration straight to Raising Cane’s. At first, Faerman and his friend were skeptical of the event.
“We were like ‘Do we really want to be at Cane’s at 10 o’clock?’” he said. “Then we’re like, ‘Well, Walter Clayton Jr. is going to hand us our chicken, so.’”
As the players worked the register, they simultaneously served up selfies, signed autographs and posed for pictures while opening and closing styrofoam to-go boxes, imitating the Gator chomp.
When their shift ended, the players exited to roaring cheers, high-fiving fans on their way out. They took the stage in front of a velvet rope-lined setup framed by a basketball hoop to address the
crowd.
“Gator boys stay hot,” Clayton said.
A couple seconds later, the crowd burst into a chant: “It’s great to be a Florida Gator.”
Outside, fans kept the celebration going as players signed hats and shirts and posed for more photos.
William Judge, an 18-year-old UF economics freshman and Gainesville native, said he’s been coming to Gainesville’s Raising Cane’s location since it opened in 2023. Judge had his order taken by Clayton Jr. — though every fan in line was given the same box combo of chicken tenders, fries, toast and coleslaw.
“To get served by Walter Clayton — that’s the best server I’ve had for sure,” Judge said.
Shaan Mistry, a 19 year-old UF industrial engineering freshman, admitted the pressure of ordering from a basketball star threw him off.
“I was scared I was gonna ask him for the wrong thing, like chicken nuggets or something,” Mistry said.
But behind the scenes, Raising Cane’s was ready. Seneca Cook, the location’s restaurant leader, said staff prepared for the quick turnover by having their staff, most of which are students, tune into the game and pivot in case of a potential collaboration, even before the Gators
“One of my responsibilities as a restaurant leader is to really have a real big ear down to the community and what we have going on,” Cook said. Cook said he and his staff were up to date with the final games, and during the national championship, prepared to have food ready for the crowds to feast on when the buzzer sounded April 7.
“When events like this happen, we have to really make a big pivot on the fly,” he said. “We were right in the midst of the massive tsunami of people that came from downtown and came out to celebrate. It was absolutely amazing.”
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Kade Sowers // Alligator Staff
Walter Clayton Jr. at Raising Cane’s on West University Ave on Thursday, April 10, 2025.
‘IT MAKES US FEEL YOUNG’
Senior citizens show out for slam-dunk championship game
Hundreds
ABy Pristine Thai Alligator Staff Writer
s fans swamped Midtown bars and the Stephen C. O’Connell center reached maximum decibel levels on April 7, another Gator watch party was brewing a few miles away — quieter, and with a much earlier bedtime, but no less spirit.
At Oak Hammock, a Gainesville retirement community, more than 400 residents broke out in orange and blue gear to cheer on the Florida Gators men’s basketball team in their faceoff against the Houston Cougars for the NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship title.
“It’s hard not to be a Gator in this town,” said 83-year-old Ann Elnicki, who earned her master’s in occupational therapy from UF in 1982. “It makes us feel young.”
Her 86-year-old husband, Dick, a former UF information systems and operations management professor, doesn’t just watch the games — he analyzes them. He even checked the betting odds that morning, but wasn’t putting any money on it.
His only prediction? “Nobody here is going to die because of the way the game comes out.”
For 84-year-old Jim Dodge, a long-time college basketball enthusiast, the Gator spirit still makes things feel like a party.
“The culture here is absolutely mind-bending for us,” said Dodge, who moved to Florida more than 20 years ago. “It’s loud, it’s a continual thing — during the whole game, before and after. It’s amazing.”
His wife, 85-year-old Peggy Dodge, chimed in enthusiastically.
“It’s been fun to be on the winning side,” she said, confident in the Gators’ victory even before tipoff. “As a new resident, I
just can’t get over the spirit.”
Though neither of the Dodges attended UF, they proudly sported orange and blue, joining their Oak Hammock neighbors for a championship-themed buffet. Tables at the bar and dining hall featured alligator trinkets and pompoms in UF colors.
Oakley, the
assistant, got in on the festivities. Sporting an orange-andblue tie sticker, the wheeled waiter glided from room to room, diligently bringing residents beer and wine.
Not everyone in the room was a lifelong basketball fan. Jeani Valter, an 80-year-old recent Gator convert who dressed head-to-toe in orange and blue, confessed she’s more of a football girl.
“I’m in love with Tim Tebow,” she said, her Gator earrings swinging. “I have a life-size cardboard cut-out of him in my apartment.”
Still, she spent the past two weeks diving into basketball, doing her homework and sticking to her game day tradition of drinking out of her lucky cup.
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“I always have to have a Gator tumbler,” she said.
Pat Kelley, an 81-year-old former lawyer and Smathers Library night guard who attended UF in the 1960s, didn’t have any lucky rituals.
“We’re too old to be superstitious,” he said. Plus, he was confident the Gators would win, and chance had nothing to do with it.
“Only because they are a deeper team,” Kelley clarified, agreeing with other seniors that Florida is a “second-half team” that would pull through later in the game after wearing Houston out — which they did.
Some residents admitted they might not make it through the 8:50 p.m. game, setting their DVRs just in case. But 84-year-old Donna Wagner had no plans to miss a second of the showdown.
“I’m going to wait for the blast at the end,” said Wagner, who studied at UF from 1959 to 1961 and holds season tickets for nearly every Gator sport.
Though she considered watching the game in the common area’s dedicated screening room, the comfortable chairs of her own home — and its looser rules — were tempting.
“There’s so many rules here,” she said. “We’re trying to get [them] changed so we can party all the time.”
@pristinethai pthai@alligator.org
CHAMPIONS
Greatest moments from Florida basketball’s national championship run
A look back at some of the most memorable games from this season
By Max Tucker Alligator Staff Writer
The Florida Gators men’s basketball team was ranked just inside the preseason AP Top 25 Poll at No. 21 in October. However, when the final buzzer sounded in the national championship game, the Gators were the last team standing.
On April 7, the Gators climbed the ladder at the Alamodome in San Antonio after a barrage of orange and blue confetti fell amid the initial celebration. The result sent Florida fans in Gainesville into a celebratory frenzy.
Nevertheless, Florida’s run through the NCAA Tournament was historic and will be remembered by nostalgic alumni and sports fans for years to come. But UF’s March Madness games aren’t the only ones worth remembering. The Gators tied the record for most wins in a single season in program his tory with 34. Here’s a timeline of some of Florida’s most notable games and moments from this season.
Dec. 17: Florida 90, North Carolina 84 against a Power Four opponent. With
that came a high-flying back-and-forth affair against North Carolina in a notso-neutral site game played in Charlotte. The Gators shot 53% in the first half and built a 17-point lead, though the Tar Heels stormed back.
UNC ripped off an 11-0 run to open the second half and closed within a point of the Gators before UF sophomore forward Alex Condon gave Florida some breathing room with a 3-pointer to push their lead to seven. From there, the Tar Heels fought back once more, this time taking the lead with under eight minutes left via an and-one layup by senior guard RJ Davis.
Just as Florida was on the brink of being handed its first loss of the season, senior guard Alijah Martin buried a game-tying 3-pointer in the game’s final minutes and made two free throws at the 1:49 mark to tie the score once more. Then, UF sophomore forward
ally a lot more aggressive defensively and then trying to get downhill driving the ball in the second half.”
Jan. 7: Florida 73, Tennessee 43
The Gators hit a bump in the road after losing two of their first three games in SEC play to Kentucky and Missouri. To avoid dropping a third, Florida was tasked with taking on the then-No. 1 Tennessee Volunteers. The Vols also brought in the nation’s top defense. However, it was Florida who smothered top-ranked Tennessee into 21% shooting from the field and just 13.8% from 3-point range.
It was never close — and the Gators never trailed. UF held the Volunteers to 31 points below their season average and throttled UT in front of a crazed crowd 73-43 at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. It was the most lopsided defeat of a No. 1 team in the AP poll in 57 years, and marked just the third time in program history that Florida knocked off a team atop the rankings.
“We just wanted to protect our home
Noah Lantor // Alligator Staff
Florida Gators center Rueben Chinyelu (9) shoots a layup during the National Championship game against the Houston Cougars in the NCAA Tournament on Monday, April 7, 2025, in San Antonio, Texas.
Noah Lantor // Alligator Staff
Florida Gators guard Alijah Martin (15) flies through the air before a dunk during a basketball game against the Auburn Tigers in the Final Four round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, April 5, 2025, in San Antonio, Texas.
Florida Gators guard Will Richard (5) celebrates after a dunk during a basketball game against UConn in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, March 23, 2025, in
UF partners with ICE, international students face visa revocation
OVER 900 STUDENTS HAVE HAD THEIR VISAS REVOKED ACROSS THE U.S.
By Vivienne Serret & Vera Lucia Pappaterra Alligator Staff Writer
During a time of political uncertainty, international students find themselves at the crossroads of legislative changes.
For one student, who was granted anonymity for fear of jeopardizing her U.S. residency, the crackdowns on F-1 visas have made it difficult for her to drive around town, as she fears being pulled over and detained, she said. She refuses to post political opinions on social media or speak out against the Trump administration in fear of getting her visa canceled.
She’s only been in the U.S. for a year, she said.
“I’m scared. Even [if I don’t do anything] there is a possibility,” she said. “[Of] going back to [my] home country or going to jail.”
UF is partnering with U.S. Immi-
gration and Customs Enforcement, UF spokesperson Cynthia Roldan confirmed April 10. UF Police Department signed a 287(g) agreement, which allows local law enforcement to collaborate with ICE for immigration enforcement.
“International students encountering any problems or concerns regarding their immigration status are encouraged to reach out to one of the center's international student advisors for guidance,” Roldán said in an email statement.
The partnership comes almost two weeks after immigration enforcement officers detained UF student Felipe Zapata Velásquezafter he was arrested for driving under an expired license. Other Florida colleges, including the University of South Florida and Florida Atlantic University, have signed similar agreements, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
Rafael Solórzano, a UF professor in the Center for Latin American studies, learned about Zapata Velásquez’s situation through his students.
“Even before Felipe, my students
UF graduate union pushes for livable wages after stalled negotiations
Union seeks $44K minimum stipend as university delays proposals
By Shaine Davison Alligator Staff Writer
After more than 18 months at the bargaining table, UF’s graduate student union said it's still waiting for what it sees as a fair deal — and a liveable wage. Graduate Assistants United, the union representing UF’s more than 4,000 graduate workers, has been negotiating with university officials since September 2023 for higher stipends, which are fixed compensation packages encompassing raises and waivers for transportation and healthcare fees.
So far, union leaders say the university has rejected at least five proposals for stipend adjustments.
Despite a successful negotiation for salary raises in 2023, talks have stalled. UF hasn’t offered a new stipend proposal since September, according to GAU’s lead negotiators.
Austin Britton, GAU’s co-chief bargainer and a 27-year-old UF geography doctoral student, said contract renegotiations typically take between six months to a year, but the university is playing “hardball.”
At an April 4 bargaining session, union
leaders said they were prepared to receive a new proposal from UF. That didn’t happen. Instead, UF’s chief negotiator, Patrick Keegan, said the union’s proposed language around eliminating graduate fees was too strong.
“We’re in a strange spot. You almost want us to reassert language we don’t like.” Keegan said during the meeting.
“It’s going to look like a very aggressive proposal.”
In the closing minutes, Keegan said he would draft a response but indicated that expanding fee relief was unlikely.
UF spokesperson Cynthia Roldan
declined to answer questions about the negotiations, saying that “the university will address stipend negotiations through the bargaining process.”
The drawn-out deliberations have tested the patience of union leaders, who argue the university has the money — it just isn’t prioritizing graduate workers. Britton, the GAU bargainer, pointed to a $588 million increase in UF’s assets in fiscal year 2024. Still, the base stipend for graduate assistants on 12-month contracts remains $25,600. “It just comes off as disrespectful,” Britton said. “We need to see that money come down to the grads.”
GAU is pushing for stipends to match the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's
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Madilyn Gemme // Alligator Staff
Students gather in Turlington Plaza to protest for the UF student who was recently detained by ICE on Wednesday, April 9, 2025.
Today’s Weather
Venturing beyond the Swamp: Navigating non-student friendships in Gainesville
GAINESVILLE LOCALS SHARE HOW THEY’RE MAKING FRIENDS AND FINDING THEIR PEOPLE
By Annie Wang Alligator Staff Writer
Julie Mauerman met her best friend under unusual circumstances.
The 30-year-old crossed paths with her now-best friend McKenzi at their local church congregation. The two of them instantly clicked, she said, with McKenzi mentioning how rare it was to meet someone who was also married without kids.
The catch? Mauerman was actually pregnant at the time.
“I was like, ‘Oh yeah, crazy,’” Mauerman said. “[I had to] figure out how to tell this person I really want to be friends with that, ‘No, I'm pregnant.’”
Making friends in Gainesville as a non-student can be tough, Mauerman said, especially because so many people come and go for college.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly 26,000 people moved out of Alachua County in 2020, with 30,000 moving in — meaning the county’s population is constantly cycling out. Among Florida counties with at least
65,000 residents, Alachua County ranks third for the number of residents leaving annually relative to its population.
Still, Mauerman believes it’s worth pushing beyond familiar boundaries for the opportunity to build connections with people who eventually become family. Stepping outside of your comfort zone, attending events and sharing intrusive, complimentary thoughts is the key to unlocking new friendships, she said.
“There's no comfort in the growth zone and no growth in the comfort zone,” Mauerman said.
After leaving Gainesville in 2018, Rigoberto Hernandez moved back to the city in October to be closer to his mom. The 32-year-old said making friends has been a different experience on both occasions.
From 2011 to 2015, Hernandez was in college and made most of his friends through classes. But now, in his 30s, he no longer has that built-in method of meeting new people.
This pushed Hernandez to explore new events and try out different activities. He’s found ecstatic dance events to be especially helpful, he said. The events are sober, judgment-free spaces where participants aim to reach a state of ecstasy through freeform movement and dance.
Jea Nace // Alligator Staff
What are the different ways that people in Alachua County make friends?
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Hernandez also takes part in events hosted by the Wild Twin Community Folk School, which organizes storytelling gatherings on a farm. The stories are often mytho-poetic, such as the Arabian story “Layla and Majnun” or a Celtic tale about a wolf goddess.
“Find communal hobbies,” he said. “Find hobbies that are social if you don't already have them. If you do already have them, find people doing that. Go out. Find groups of people doing stuff you're interested in doing.”
While Hernandez said he hates the necessary evil of looking at Facebook for events, that's where he’s found most of the organizations he’s a part of.
“Once you find a couple threads in the social network, you can sort of let the Facebook tie off,” he said.
Lindsey Yost was born and raised in Gainesville. The 25-year-old met her best friend, 24-year-old Jordan Dienell, two years ago on the job. Working as first responders, the pair quickly bonded while partnered together at work — Yost as a paramedic and Dienell as an EMT.
The two of them started to meet new people through their church and have built friendships with others their age through worship and small group activities, Yost said.
In regard to establishing lasting relationships, Dienell said she’s found cracking jokes and casually making conversation helpful.
“Don't be afraid to get involved even though you're extremely uncomfortable,” she said. “Odds are, someone else is just as uncomfortable as you are, too … being out of your comfort zone will get you further than you think.”
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International students fear ICE activity, visa revocation
are already feeling scared, and this really magnifies it,” he said. “We’re seeing a chilling effect.”
International students who have come to UF to receive an education are scared to share their opinion, not only in public spaces, but in the classroom as well, Solórzano said.
“I think it's important for us to really contextualize what's happening right now at UF,” Solórzano said. “This particular student, Felipe, represents many students across the United States. If it could happen to Felipe… it could happen to any student.”
Student visas
According to Roldan, eight UF student visas were revoked as of April 10.
The reasoning for the revocations remains unclear and faculty cannot disclose student information shielded by FERPA laws. Under current regulations, the U.S. Department of State can revoke non-immigrant visas, including F-1 visas, for people arrested for driving under the influence or similar offenses.
The F-1 visa allows someone to “enter the United States as a full-time student at an accredited college, university…or other academic institution or in a language training program,” according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration services website.
Over 900 international students have had their visas revoked at about 170 colleges and universities, according to Inside Higher Ed.
Several schools, such as Harvard and Columbia, have told various news outlets they were not given notice or reasoning for student visas being revoked.
Though being on an F-1 visa does not mean a person is undocumented, the rise of ICE personnel has heightened fear among those who are, according to edtrust.
A 2025 report by edtrust detailed “undocumented students and students with undocumented family members…are experiencing a heightened fear of deportation due to the rhetoric and policies of the Trump administration.”
The report further noted “there are approximately 408,000 undocumented students currently enrolled at public and private higher education institutions,” with Florida being among the highest of undocumented populations.
Protesting ICE
More than 90 people gathered in Turlington Plaza April 9 to protest the deportation of Zapata Velásquezand advocate for the inclusion of an immigration attorney within the scope of Student Legal Services, The Alligator previously reported.
Zapata Velásquez, a 27-year-old food and resource economics junior international student, was taken into ICE custody after being arrested for driving under an expired license March 28.
Zapata Velásquez is now in Colombia, according to a statement his mother shared.
“At this time, Felipe is undergoing a physical and emotional recovery process, and we are prioritizing his well-being and overall health,” she wrote.
Free Felipe! ICE Off Campus, organized by the UF Young Democratic Socialists of America, began in Turlington Plaza at 12:15 p.m. and culminated in an unsuccessful attempt to deliver a petition to Tigert Hall. Students and faculty members held signs reading “Support international students” and “Keep ICE off campus” as the crowd chanted “stand with Felipe.”
Aron Ali-McClory, a 22-year-old UF political science and anthropology senior, led the protest from Turlington to Tigert Hall. The UF YDSA cochair spoke to the crowd about what they called an injustice on the part of both the U.S. government and the university.
“[We are here] to fight back against the idea
INFORM
that U.S. students in the U.S. community will let this happen to one of our own,” Ali-McClory said.
In the week leading up to the protest, UF YDSA collected signatures for a petition demanding the expansion of Student Legal Services to include legal representation for immigration matters. Student Legal Services offers a variety of different services to meet the legal needs and representation of eligible UF students, but it doesn’t cover immigration services. The group intended to deliver the petition to UF administration at Tigert Hall but the doors were locked with signs prohibiting entrance to protesters.
The regulations preventing protesters from entering a campus building generally apply to students, so UF YDSA sent community and faculty members, Ali-McMclory said. “UF administration and police still denied them that opportunity to have student body voices heard,” they added.
“The truth is that this kind of arrest and detention can happen to any number of people that we know,” Ali-McClory said. “It is imperative that we show up for each other.”
Steven Sykes, a 19-year-old philosophy, political science and economics sophomore, has been part of UF YDSA for two years and organized the protest. He said UF failed Zapata Velasquez by not providing immigration legal services before the student was ever arrested at a traffic stop.
“We're seeing the consequences of their inaction, and we have to fight back,” Sykes said. “The university, somewhere along the line, failed to protect him.”
The UF International Center offers international student advisers and urges students to seek advice to avoid potential visa status issues. While it provides an emergency line for students on F-1 or J-1 visas, it does not offer direct access to immigration attorneys.
The center did not respond to The Alligator's email inquiries in time for publication.
on Wednesday, April 9, 2025.
Gemma Egan, a 21-year-old UF history senior, had never participated in an on-campus protest before. But when she walked out of her midday lecture in Turlington Hall, she was compelled to join the protesters in their cause, she said.
“I had no idea about this,” she said. “But I agree with their statement, and I agree with what they're saying, and I agree that ICE is ruining our country.”
Students and UF should be protecting their own instead of protecting the government, she said.
U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL), a member of the House Oversight Committee, condemned Zapata Velásquez’s detention in a written statement shared April 7, and said Trump and ICE were “running a government-funded kidnapping program.”
“Felipe Zapata Velásquezis just the latest victim of Trump’s disgusting campaign against immigrants,” Frost said.
@vivienneserret vserret@alligator.org @veralupap vpappaterra@alligator.org
Madilyn Gemme // Alligator Staff Students gather in Turlington Plaza to protest for the UF student who was recently detained by ICE
Graduate students negotiate for livable wages
GAU, from pg. 7
living wage estimate for Alachua County: $44,947 per year for individuals with no children. That figure is more than $19,000 above UF’s current minimum for graduate students.
The disparity is growing. In 2017, UF graduate students were paid about 95% of MIT’s estimated minimum living wage. Last year, that figure hovered around 60%.
GAU co-president Cassie Urbenz, a 24-year-old graphic design graduate student, said members are increasingly struggling to make ends meet — especially with soaring rent costs in Gainesville and shrinking availability for on-campus housing.
She said university officials “refuse to take ownership or responsibility” for helping students combat the effects of inflation.
GAU, the largest graduate student union in Florida, is also supporting parallel fights at Florida State University and the University of South Florida, where
graduate workers are entering their own stipend negotiations.
The union said its contract will set a precedent across the state.
“These final few sessions will have statewide implications by setting the tone for how Graduate Assistants across the state ‘won’t back down’ and will continue fighting for liveable wages and a better life,” GAU said in a statement.
Union leaders are expected to return to the bargaining table on April 18, where they expect UF to bring a counterproposal. They say they aren’t ready to walk away.
“We're pretty happy with the progress we've made,” Britton said. “But we're not happy enough to say we can settle.”
@shainedavison sdavison@alligator.org
‘The harder you work, the luckier you get’: Innovative businessman Bob deRochemont dies at 86
The National Vacuum owner’s impact on the Gainesville community extends beyond a simple transaction
By Autumn Johnstone Alligator Staff Writer
On Friday nights, after a long week of hard work and a cool breeze in the air, Bob deRochemont led his family of employees at National Vacuum to go on endless motorcycle rides throughout Alachua County.
With a twinkle in his eyes, deRochemont convinced everyone in the store to purchase motorcycles so all employees were included in a night of fun. It didn’t matter whether he had to loan his employees money to purchase them; he just wanted everyone to experience that same joy he felt while riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
Although deRochemont wasn't a familiar face to all Gainesville residents, the weekly messages he left behind on National Vaccum’s marquee were. DeRochemont passed away on March 31 from liver cancer. He was 86.
Even now, after Bob deRochemont’s passing, not only will the witty quotes continue to shine light onto Gainesville, but his memory will live on through his beloved community.
Not many people can say they worked for the same boss for 42 years, but 61-year-old National Vacuum manager Rick Bernal can. The day deRochemont passed, Bernal honored deRochemont’s legacy by putting up “The man behind the sign” in huge bold letters on the company’s marquee.
In his final years battling cancer,
deRochemont relied on Bernal to help him run the company. They did almost everything as a team, Bernal said. Today, the business keeps up with current events so National Vacuum’s sign is relevant to the public, just like it was when the first sign was put up in 1979 about the Iran hostage crisis.
DeRochemont would stay up every night watching “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” just to find the perfect phrase to put up on his sign the next day.
“The sign will carry on as long as all of us [employees] can do it,” Bernal said. “I won’t tell you we’ll be as good at it as he was, but we’ll do our best.”
After graduating high school in 1956 and spending four years in the Navy, deRochemont became a boilermaker, making as little as 20 cents an hour in grueling working conditions. DeRochemont lived by a “work hard, play hard” mentality, driving him to later guide all of his employees to success.
He began his business by selling vacuums door-to-door in his hometown in New England after discovering he could make more money as a salesman while also helping people. In 1970, deRochemont came down to Gainesville to visit his sister and never went back.
While continuing to sell vacuums throughout the city, deRochemont realized instead of knocking on doors and convincing people to buy his cleaning supplies, he could create a place where people could come
to him with things he could fix. He then opened National Vacuum in 1977.
In 1983, Bernal was 19 when he first met deRochemont while trying to land a job with his company. Bernall knew deRochemont was incredibly enthusiastic about his career and clearly cared about what he could do for others’ lives. Bernal was hired shortly after.
When people come into National Vacuum, they usually walk in with a problem related to cleaning, whether it’s a vacuum malfunction or a need for a better tool, Bernal said. The employees of the store know what they sell isn’t glamorous, but as deRochemont used to say, “Dirt never stops showing up, and thank goodness for that.”
Listening to what the customer needs is what kept National Vacuum alive, Bernal said. DeRochemont believed if you lead a person to where they needed to go, they would keep coming back. After all these years, the community surrounding the company is proof of how a little bit of kindness goes a long way.
“If you were trying, he would help you to do better no matter who you were,” Bernal said. “From a waiter at a restaurant right up to anybody that he met, his character was, ‘If you want to work hard, I can help you do better by my own experience.’”
DeRochemont’s son, 65-year-old Robert deRochemont Jr., remembered his father as a man who frequently rendered service to others
at no cost. DeRochemont treated others just the way he wanted to be treated, and when the time was right, he played just as hard as he worked.
One of deRochemont’s life inspirations came from a book written by Dale Carnegie called, “How to Win Friends and Influence People.”
DeRochemont Jr. believed his father to be a “walking example of what that book was,” because he put other people first. Even to those who knew him very briefly, he left a lasting impression on them.
“He was generous to people without others looking,” deRochemont Jr. said. “Even some things I didn’t know about until [recently] that he did for my mom after they separated. He would say, ‘A good smile improves your face value.’”
Excellence was one of the things deRochemont valued most, and everything he did, he did it with full force, deRochemont Jr. said. Every morning, he would ride a bicycle for up to 12 miles, and even when his son decided to ride with him, deRochemont Jr. could only keep up for the first three miles.
He also loved dancing in social settings, which pushed him to open the first ballroom in North Central Florida in 2012, which is named after his late wife, Rena.
Another man who deRochemont helped succeed was 55-year-old Judd Carlisi. In 1992, Carlisi was working at a local Gainesville grocery store as a janitor. deRochemont believed in the man’s potential and
later hired him as a salesperson for National Vacuum.
As a businessman, Carlisi described him as intense, because he was “really good” at what he did. deRochemont encouraged him to listen to the customers and frequently reminded him that “God gave us two ears and one mouth.”
“It was like watching a master at work,” Carlisi said. “It wasn’t just like ‘Look at how good I am,’ it was ‘How do I get you to this spot?’” deRochemont was happy to see others succeed. Carlisi said he knows for certain deRochemont impacted more people than he could ever have dreamt of.
Even though Carlisi doesn’t work for National Vacuum anymore, he has now been a sales manager for more than 30 years at a different company because of the “infectious” encouragement he received from deRochemont all those years ago.
Through the Gainesville community’s reflection and gratitude, deRochemont was more than just a salesman, he was a father figure to his son, his employees and Alachua County at large.
“He had a great life,” Rick Bernal said. “He fought a heck of a battle. We went [to] over 140 doctor’s visits together. I know he’s resting now and not fighting anymore. [For] a kid that worked on a farm at 7 years old, he was told ‘If you don’t work, you ain’t gonna eat, so you better get to work.’ And that’s what he did.”
Jea Nace // Alligator Staff
Members of Graduate Assistants United bargain with the University of Florida.
Fourth generation of UF supercomputer, HiPerGator, approved with sustainability in mind
is concealed in a separate wing. Along with another 2,000 gallons used to fill the array of pipes connected to the bunker, the water continuously circulates to cool the air used to cool the technology.
By Rylan DiGiacomo-Rapp Alligator Staff Writer
The UF Data Center seemed unexceptional, ordinary in every sense of the word — at least from the outside. Clad in red brick, it was wedged into the interior of a near-empty parking lot where Erik Deumens, UF Information Technology Research Computing senior director, stood patiently.
The building’s signature UF brick and windows were all fake, an elaborate disguise.
UF’s supercomputer, HiPerGator, was tucked safely inside: 5,000 square feet of technology running around the clock, uninterrupted in this concrete bunker fit to withstand a Category 4 hurricane.
Since its creation in 2013, HiPerGator’s four generations have moved onto east campus. The UF Board of Trustees approved the latest version in December to the tune of $24 million. The supercomputer was designed and fitted by NVIDIA, a technology company co-founded by a UF alum and the namesake of Malachowsky Hall, and the first shipment of HiPerGator’s newest AI arrived in January. As installation continues through the summer, the question of sustainability lingers.
In June 2021, HiPerGator ranked second on the Green500 list, which includes the world’s most energy-efficient supercomputers. However, UF’s third-generation system sank to slot 54 by last November.
As HiPerGator’s fourth generation is brought to life, Deumens said the new version is estimated to compute seven to 10 times faster using the same amount of energy, ensuring the supercomputer won’t be any worse for the environment after upgrades.
As for the future, he said the root of the problem lies in engineering more powerful technology without the added size and heat, an enigma that hasn’t been solved quite yet.
“We’re trying with the available technology to do the best we can, and I think we did a really good job,” Deumens said.
The bunker
On the other side of the threshold to the outside world, HiPerGator’s machinery rumbles up to 120 decibels, similar to the scream of a jet engine.
A 12,000-gallon water tank lined with the same insulating foam used in space shuttles
Chilled gusts rise through the perforated tile floor, which was raised several feet above the concrete foundation as an air circulation channel. It counteracts the intense warmth radiating from HiPerGator’s rows of towering black stacks. Without continuous airflow, the supercomputer would overheat and malfunction in just four minutes, Deumens said.
The structure’s backup generators are fit for an industrial cruise ship and equipped with enough electricity to power about 600 homes, Deumens said. They should spring to life within two minutes and last up to five days, after which they could be replenished by truckloads of fuel. Air and water flow would be restored so the supercomputer doesn’t “burn itself up.”
Though Deumens joked “Gainesville has more serious problems than trying to get HiPerGator back up and running” if replacement fuel couldn’t be trucked in, the supercomputer has contributed to research during crises, including Hurricane Helene.
While the Category 4 storm whirled through North Florida in September, HiPerGator — protected by the bunker — ran simulations of Jacksonville’s susceptibility to flooding.
“Everybody has ideas, and the projects are just raining upon us,” he said.
Over half of UF’s $1.26 billion annual research budget is allocated to projects involving the supercomputer, which Deumens said also costs about $6 million to run every year.
The supercomputer, separated into HiPerGator and HiPerGator AI, can assist with everything ranging from simple calculations to the uncharted territory of artificial intelligence.
Most recently, this exploration manifests in the form of digital twins, or AI-generated copies of physical objects or systems — like the city of Jacksonville during Helene.
Beyond the physical components of HiPerGator, the research it contributes to from within its concrete oasis could very well contribute to environmental progress, including UF’s recent springboard into finding more efficient ways to manufacture semiconductor chips.
“Whenever we see an opportunity, we look at it, and then we work on it,” Deumens said.
“We have sustainability in mind all the time.”
The ‘latest and the greatest’
The first unboxing of new AI equipment happened Jan. 23 as polar vortex events were
Rylan DiGiacomo-Rapp // Alligator Staff
UFIT Research Computing Senior Director Erik Deumens leads a tour of UF’s supercomputer, HiPerGator, on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2025.
overrunning much of the country, and Winter Storm Enzo gifted Gainesville with an unexpected chill.
A white semi truck inched its way toward the building, caught in a maze of curbs and cars and people desperate to rip open its doors. HiPerGator staff formed a puddle around the UF Data Center’s garage, craning their necks to get a peek into the truck.
Originally shipped from Asia, the delivery truck made its way to Mississippi, where it was briefly held hostage by snow delays. It finally pulled into Gainesville the night before and was to be unloaded bright and early that gray Thursday.
The truck, which likely carried millions of dollars in technology, was escorted by a hidden security team, according to a UF spokesman.
UF Chief Information Officer Elias Eldayrie made his best attempt of snapping the truck’s lock with a wee set of wire cutters, swearing light-heartedly. He chuckled as a man handed him a much larger pair. The lock cracked in half, and from there, it was a frenzied unloading.
HiPerGator’s third generation currently processes about 1.2 billion calculations per second, Eldayrie said, but the fourth would far outrun it within the same energy envelope.
“The computer is very impressive, but what’s more impressive is our faculty,” he told the crowd. “It also allows our students to have access to the latest and the greatest, especially in this AI world that we all live in.”
Eldayrie helped slot the first rack of HiPerGator’s latest AI, adorned with a gold-faced
NVIDIA nameplate.
Once more parts are installed, the upgraded supercomputer will likely be able to sustain a small number of users by July before becoming fully operational by September, according to UFIT.
As long as the supercomputer continues running, the system produces no waste. But once HiPerGator’s fourth generation retires previous versions, those parts will no longer be of use.
That’s where recycling comes into play, Deumens said. Some pieces of generation two are promised to the engineering department, which will pilot studies to decrease the supercomputer’s carbon footprint, like finding more efficient water-based cooling systems. Once those parts are no longer needed, he said they’ll be handed off to the UF Surplus Department, which specializes in selling and donating used materials.
The remaining scraps can then be sent for recycling, picked apart for the motherboards, steel and heavy metals needed to construct new computer parts. The effort could keep at least some of HiPerGator out of landfills.
Though reducing emissions and waste products is on the forefront of his mind, Deumens said it could still be overshadowed by the need for advancement.
“The thing that is our highest priority is serving the mission of the university, right?” he said. “We are doing it in a way that is sustainable as possible.”
@rylan_digirapp
rdigiacomo-rapp@alligator.org
Students and faculty unsure about intellectual freedom survey’s true intentions
LACK OF TRUST HAS LED TO MINIMAL RESPONSES IN THE THREE YEARS OF THE SURVEY
By Michael Angee Alligator Staff Writer
UF students and professors are once again expressing concerns — and annoyance — over the political implications of the state’s “Intellectual Freedom and Viewpoint Diversity Survey.”
The survey, part of a 2021 state law backed by Republican lawmakers, aims to gauge how students feel expressing political views on campus and in classrooms. It asks questions like “How often have you not spoken up on campus because you thought your opinion would be unwelcome?” and “Have you lost friends on campus because of your political beliefs?”
Jane Bambauer, a UF law professor specializing in the First Amendment, said the survey could be a good-faith measure to promote intellectual freedom on college campuses but questioned whether its results will only serve to benefit conservative students and professors.
“There’s some legitimate efforts to increase viewpoint diversity, but
there are efforts which I would also view as illegitimate to suppress what are seen as progressive or left-leaning ideological positions,” Bambauer said.
Gov. Ron DeSantis described the law mandating the survey as a response to some parents’ worries students were being “indoctrinated” during lectures and classroom debates.
“It used to be thought that a university campus was a place where you’d be exposed to a lot of different ideas,” DeSantis said in 2021. “Unfortunately, now the norm is really these are more intellectually repressive environments.”
Students haven’t been as enthusiastic about the survey. When it was first administered in Spring 2022, only 2.4% of students filled it out during the five-week availability period. The responses indicated college campuses weren’t hot beds for left-wing indoctrination; only about one-fourth of students who took the survey agreed professors were using class time to express their own political beliefs while ignoring others.
Engagement jumped to 14.5% last year — a 504% increase — when universities in Florida offered respondents an entry into a sweepstakes for a $500 gift card to campus libraries. That round of questioning
revealed the amount of students who felt professors were expressing political beliefs in the classroom ticked up to 30%.
The state university system’s Board of Governors suspended the survey in 2023, citing a miscommunication about response deadlines.
Some students have criticized the survey for being politically partisan.
“To my understanding, it’s skewed conservatively,” said Kathryn Holmes, a 21-year-old UF public health junior. “I’ve heard that they’re not really a fair survey — they’re biased.”
Juan Osorio, vice president of UF College Democrats, warned the survey could be used to justify meddling in curriculum and student activist efforts. He said he’s more concerned about this year’s survey, as the Trump administration has used Florida as a blueprint for pursuing action against institutions viewed as promoting liberal ideas, such as Columbia University.
“We were really the breeding ground for this type of action — seeing how far they could take it here,” Osorio said. “What they could do, what they could get away with, how they could target universities here in Florida and create a bit of a roadmap for themselves for doing that nationwide.”
Peter Rosa, president of UF’s Turning Point USA chapter, didn’t respond to an interview request. Another conservative campus organization, Young Americans for Freedom, also didn’t respond for comment.
Cassie Urbenz, co-president of Graduate Assistants United, said she and other members of the union didn’t fill out the survey, citing concerns that its questions were vague and responses could be used to further the state’s efforts to dismantle diversity initiatives.
“This is very, very vague and can be twisted for any political bias,” Urbenz said. “I just don’t think it was fair for our members to go into that blind, especially with the amount of aggressive messaging from the state.”
Faculty engagement is similarly low. In 2022, 9.4% of employees in Florida responded to the survey — nearly identical to the response rate for staff at UF. Of these respondents, 79% agreed or strongly agreed with the statement “I rarely inject my own political beliefs into my classes.” This same question was not asked in the 2024 survey.
The United Faculty of Florida sent out an email advisory March 16 urging its members — including those in the union’s UF chapter — not to take the survey, citing concerns it in-
cluded leading questions that imply existing issues with viewpoint diversity and “an unwelcome surveillance culture.”
UFF unsuccessfully sued the state over the law mandating the survey, arguing it limited professors’ freedom to “teach, feel, think and believe whatever they deem best, in both their personal and professional lives,” according to a statement.
Politics aside, some students see the survey as just another email in their inboxes. Saanvi Kodiganti, a 20-year-old biomedical engineering junior, said even though she’s received texts and emails about the survey, she has no intention of filling it out.
“I don’t really know what they are, I’ve never opened the link,” Kodiganti said. “It doesn’t seem to be worth my time.”
This year, the state has issued at least a half dozen requests to students asking for them to complete it.
“I’m kind of getting spammed,” said Isabelle Torres, a 22-year-old sports management student. “With all the other noise and all the other emails I’m getting from advisers, people in my college and what not, I just kind of ignore them honestly.”
mangee@alligator.org @michaelangee
Anti-aging clinics seize growth opportunity in Florida
LONGEVITY CENTERS PROVIDE INTERVENTIONS TO OPTIMIZE HEALTH
By Natalie Kaufman & Avery Parker Alligator Staff Writers
Time is unforgiving, but there may be ways to slow its march. A burgeoning medical field promises graceful aging and solutions to traditional care’s shortcomings.
Trust in public health crashed during the COVID-19 pandemic. As Americans soured on standard medicine, interest in alternatives soared. Enter longevity clinics.
These health centers, which exploded across the U.S. in the early 2020s, offer specialty treatments and personalized medical protocols to slow aging and extend life. One estimate suggests there are as many as 800 longevity clinics nationwide.
Most longevity clinics provide preliminary diagnostic tests, including full-body MRI scans and DNA testing, to pinpoint potential health issues. Then, they use the data to craft tailored health plans. Standard interventions at these clinics involve hormone replacement therapy, blood plasma transfusions and stem cell therapy and other biohacking procedures.
Some patients, from athletes to elders, are reaping the benefits, but many medical professionals outside the longevity field find these services dubious.
Promises of vitality
Gainesville’s Azena Health & Longevity provides concierge medical care. CEO Daniel White said he founded the clinic two years ago to bring holistic care to North Florida at a consumer-friendly price. Azena offers an annual membership for $1,800, which grants access to in-depth consulting and lab interpretation,
periodic follow-ups and discounted advanced labs. After a one-time $550 lab fee, its alternative plan is $150 a month.
Azena’s medical provider, Morgan Burns, said she treats about 120 clients monthly, many of whom are athletes looking to enhance their performance. She often creates personalized nutrition plans and administers hormone replacement therapy to help them achieve their goals.
The clinic is preparing to expand its services to include blood plasma transfusion, which is designed to clear toxins that contribute to aging from the bloodstream. Burns said Azena may add ozone therapy, which is intended to increase the body’s oxygen content, to its list of services.
Burns said she strives to help patients wean off medications, improve their physical fitness, lose weight and improve cognition.
“My goal is to get the body to where it heals itself by creating [an] optimal environment for it to do that by taking away things that may cause it to fire back and become inflamed,” she said.
Like Azena, the Jacksonville-based Anderson Longevity Clinic provides plasma transfers and hormone replacement therapy. Its founder and medical director, Brian Anderson, said his top priority is patient safety. He works in tandem with traditional medical providers to provide patients with comprehensive care.
He also ensures potential treatments are up to scratch by consulting literature in the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine.
“There are things maybe outside of our wheelhouse, so we would refer those to other physicians,” Anderson said.
The A4M, as it’s commonly known, was established in the early 1990s to research longevity medicine and holistic care. It’s not affiliated with groups like the American Medical Association, which sets health industry standards.
Kyle Hulbert, chief operating officer of The
Longevity Center FL, also emphasizes safety in his practice. His clinic has plasma replacement, vitamin IV therapy and hair restoration, all of which undergo rigorous testing prior to client use, Hulbert said.
“We test on myself first,” he said. “If we like the safety profile and the data surrounding it and the effects that we get, we offer it to patients.”
Doubts and concerns
Longevity clinics operate largely unregulated, a red flag to some aging specialists. Some of the more experimental services clinics offer are considered dangerous, with the potential to cause lung damage, infection and excess hormone buildup. Experts regard even less controversial treatments like stem cell therapy as risky.
Karyn Esser, chair of the UF department of physiology and aging, said she questions whether longevity clinics can guarantee results.
“I am not aware of any high-quality, really good, randomized clinical trials – or even really sound, rigorous pre-clinical research – that would provide a strong argument that these therapeutics are actually capable of doing what [longevity clinics] say they want them to do,” Esser said.
Treatments like peptide therapy, plasma transfusions and hormone therapy have proven somewhat effective, she said, but mainly in studies on mice and under conditions impractical for real-life application.
She said many commonly used therapies may merely act as placebos. But she wasn’t willing to condemn the practices as dangerous, as she hasn’t heard of adverse reactions to them.
“I feel like they oversell the benefits,” Esser said.
But she’s concerned clinics advertise treatments without certainty in their effectiveness. Financiers and consumers haven’t wavered.
Wellness, but at what cost?
Venture capital investment in longevity clinics more than doubled between 2021 and 2022.
The Longevity Science Foundation, a global nonprofit headquartered in Miami, is an intermediary between venture capitalists and researchers. It collects money from private donors and distributes it to scientists studying longevity science and chronic disease.
The foundation’s president and CEO, Joshua Herring, said its ultimate goal is to make advanced health treatments more mainstream and affordable.
Custom medical care isn’t yet accessible to the masses. Most longevity clinics cater to wealthy, health-conscious clients, with ultralux memberships sometimes costing more than $100,000 annually.
“You’re dealing with people that are playing with a larger capital pool,” Herring said. “So right now it’s…very privatized.”
Health insurance doesn’t cover many longevity services, which aren’t considered standard medical care.
That’s why Fountain Life, a longevity center with locations in Orlando and Naples, caters to affluent, employer-insured people, said Roisin Branch, the company’s chief marketing officer.
Fountain Life’s APEX membership package, which includes around-the-clock care and AI-powered diagnostics, among other premium services, costs $21,500 annually.
“It has to start with people who are able and willing to go outside of the [existing] health care system and pay more out-of-pocket,” Branch said.
@Nat_Kauf nkaufman@alligator.org @AveryParke98398 aparker@alligator.org
MONDAY, APRIL 14, 2025
www.alligator.org/section/the_avenue
A look inside the UF musical theater program
STUDENTS DISCUSS THE BENEFITS
OF HAVING ONLY SIX MEMBERS
By Rachel Mish Avenue Staff Writer
When Tony Mata, the UF musical theater director, first arrived on campus 30 years ago, the program supported just five students. Over the course of his tenure at the school, it’s grown to accept 24.
The Mexican-American performer first fell in love with musical theater when his local civic center in Laredo, Texas, performed “Oklahoma!”, and his admiration endured. He went on to study under Stephen Sondheim, meeting the prolific composer during his time at San Diego State University.
Mata took the first of many big risks to boost his career and asked the lyricist to answer a few questions for his thesis. From there, a mentor-mentee relationship emerged, which Mata still remembers fondly. Mata said Sondheim believed deeply in mentorship, and he could see Sondheim’s eyes water at the mention of him being a teacher.
“I remember asking him, ‘Why are you meeting with me? I’m nobody,’” Mata said. “And Sondheim said, ‘Because you are one of the people that will be the future of musical theater.’”
The 62-year-old director and UF musi-
FOOD & DRINK
cal theater professor began this future after Melissa Hart, the previous director and Broadway performer, resigned after half a decade of building the program. Mata said Hart believed the program needed his influence.
Over the next three decades, Mata cultivated the program to become what it is today — an intimate and personalized program that intertwines with the acting and dance programs at the university. Mata admitted the funding was limited at first, but he wanted to see what he could do.
For Mata’s first several years as director, he was the only member of the staff retained for the musical theater program. He said talented graduate students ran vocal lessons as the staff was built up, and as grateful as he is for those years, he’s glad to have Matt Morgan and Andrew Cao by his side now. The two additions, vocal coach Morgan and Broadway dance teacher Cao, have been instrumental to the program’s success.
Ianna Velazquez, a 20-year-old musical theater sophomore, said Morgan and Cao were a huge part of why she chose UF. She met Cao at a recruitment event when she was 14 through Roxy Performing Arts Studio, and her reasons for coming to UF grew from there. She sees the comparatively small size of the program as a benefit and said she feels she could’ve gotten lost at bigger schools like New York University or The Juilliard School.
“It’s just easier to communicate exactly what I want out of the program, and it’s just very flexible,” Velazquez said.
Velazquez said most schools have large cohorts that can be as many as 40 people, and she was uninterested in the possibility of falling through the cracks. At UF, she feels like she’s receiving the education best suited to her future.
Delaney Hagist, a 19-year-old UF musical theater freshman and Velazquez’s mentee, also finds the individualized nature of the program supports her needs. Hagist already performed in her first college performance in the fall as an ensemble member in a week-long run of “The Music Man.” Hagist said the small program size allows each student more opportunity, and even freshmen can score lead roles.
“You get a lot more eyes on you because it’s a smaller program, so there’s less people to look at,” Hagist said.
Although she does sometimes wonder if the program is competitive enough compared to other musical theater programs, Hagist said she is nevertheless grateful for the benefits that accompany its size, such as voice lessons with Matt Morgan. Included in the tuition price, these lessons are a selling point on their own.
Morgan chooses songs catered specifically to each student and presents them as suggestions for songs to learn for their “book,” a collection of pieces prepared for auditions. Hagist said Morgan has always
chosen well for her voice and performance type, even finding a song well-suited to her and a duet partner.
Through the musical theater program, Hagist also has the opportunity to strengthen her dancing with dance professor Andrew Cao. Although she hasn’t enrolled in his courses yet, she said she’s excited the class teaches real Broadway choreography, and she knows the positive impact it will have on her education.
Cooper Lamontagne, a 19-year-old UF musical theater sophomore, said the program’s faculty was the reason he chose the school. If they weren’t here, he wouldn’t be here, he said.
The sophomore didn’t plan to pursue acting in college until late high school, and when he began receiving acceptances from universities, he realized it was a real possibility. Students’ acceptances to the program are personal, Lamontagne said. The program wants that specific student, and will strictly send out six offers. Lamontagne said he loved this personal aspect, and the relationship he cultivated with the professors encouraged him to study at UF.
“Another thing that I think makes this program so great is the energy all the teachers create,” Lamontagne said. “They’re the biggest factor of why I chose this school specifically.”
@mish_rache62827 rmisch@alligator.org
We might be in Gainesville, but Guy Fieri took this bakery to Flavortown
LOCAL UPPERCRUST BAKERY WILL BE FEATURED ON “DINERS, DRIVE-INS AND DIVES”
By Corey Fiske Avenue Staff Writer
It’s December, and the bakers at Uppercrust Bakery are gearing up for a busy holiday season. But on Dec. 14, at the height of the holiday season, Uppercrust was closed. A cherry red 1968 Camaro was parked outside.
A few weeks earlier, Uppercrust owner Ben Iacomini-Guzick received an email he was almost sure was a scam.
A producer of “Diners, DriveIns and Dives” wanted to know if Uppercrust would like the chance to be featured on the show, but Iacomini-Guzick said skepticism was the first thing to creep into his mind.
“Both our office and I, at first, were like ‘There’s no way,’” he said. “I mean, in the age of spam, this has just got to be wrong.”
But the email was real, and on April 18, Uppercrust Bakery will be featured on a new episode of the Food Network’s “Diners, DriveIns and Dives,” a TV show exploring America’s best local and lesser known eateries. Uppercrust’s episode will highlight the artichoke barigoule rose, a croissant topped with Gruyère and white wine braised artichokes; and reine de saba, a French chocolate almond cake.
The show will also feature five other Gainesville restaurants across different episodes. These include Bingo Deli & Pub, Fehrenbacher’s Meats & Eats, Germain’s Chicken Sandwiches, Humble Wood Fire Bagel Shop and The Paper Bag Deli.
Iacomini-Guzick said the experience has been “surreal.” After the
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first email, he had to answer a series of questions from the production team in what he described as the audition process. He guessed “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” discovered the bakery through Reddit and Instagram.
Shooting the episode took place across two days in December. A cryptic Instagram post from Dec. 6 revealed Uppercrust’s main location would be closed twice for a “private event.”
In truth, a production crew of five men visited the store Dec. 10, where they got footage of the bakery and went through every step of the recipes Iacomini-Guzick presented.
On Dec. 14, Guy Fieri visited Uppercrust. Although he was only there for about an hour, Iacomini-Guzick said it felt like a “blur.”
“There was so much adrenaline and nerves that I just remember things in flashes,” Iacomini-Guzick
said.
Shanna Phu was one of two servers present while Fieri was at the bakery. She was there to help set up the store like a normal day and assist Fieri’s production crew if they needed anything.
“I got to watch the process of them filming Guy, and it was so cool, because you could tell they worked with Guy for a very long time,” Phu said. “You could see that they really love seeing him work his magic.”
Some of Uppercrust’s customers were also involved, whether as extras or interview subjects.
Amanda Allen is a 42-year-old director at Yoga Pod, a yoga studio in the same shopping plaza at Uppercrust, and a frequent customer for over a decade. Allen plans to tune in to the April 18 episode not only to see how the menu comes to life, but also to see her coworkers as extras on the show.
Los estudiantes internacionales temen la actividad del ICE y la revocación del visado. Leer más en la página 17.
Many members of Allen’s family pick up baked goods from Uppercrust, she said, and her dad even rides his bike to the store.
“The people that work here are super nice and friendly, like they remember your name,” Allen said. “The food is really great.” Her favorite thing to order is the “cragel,” or croissant bagel.
For Iacomini-Guzick, the spotlight on Uppercrust is “vindicating.” He said he is a longtime fan of “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” and hoped it will recognize the work his team does each day.
“I just think it’s so cool what the show does — celebrating these independent small businesses doing this heroic work behind the scenes and the fact this show has a really unique lens and spotlight to showcasing that effort,” he said.
@coreyfiske7 cfiske@alligator.org
Caimán
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National champions: A Gator legacy
Only a person drunk off of jubilation, and maybe a few drinks, would shimmy up a grease-slicked light pole in an act of celebration and stupidity to commemorate UF’s tantalizing national championship victory.
The risk of falling seemed worth it if it meant contributing to the spectacle of the night. But, that’s what winning does to a person. Winning isn’t always just about scoring more points than your opponents.
For players, the achievement marks a gold star on their legacy. For fans, it’s a source of pride and forever a bragging point to be rubbed in the faces of their rivals. But for a university like UF, it’s something deeper — an affirmation of identity, culture and resilience.
Championships become mythologies woven into the fabric of campus lore and alumni pride. At UF, winning doesn’t just decorate the trophy case — it defines an era, elevates the institution and echoes through every “Go Gators” shouted across the country.
UF’s men’s basketball team won the national championship the evening of April 7, its first since 2007. The win brought together students, faculty, staff and fans across the university.
UF sports management professor Kyriaki Kaplanidou has seen an increase in congratulatory calls and emails, reflecting the impact this win has had across the country.
This win has brought together a diverse and unexpected group of supporters, creating a shared sense of pride across the community.
“Being a fan of a sports team cuts across color, race and ethnic backgrounds,” she said. “We just think that we are all fans, this is our community and this is our common identity.”
She said the pride students, faculty and staff feel comes from their connection to the university and its nationally recognized achievement.
For UF sports management master’s second-year Breyonn Davis-Carter, this
year’s victory holds personal significance.
Isis Snow opinions@alligator.org
“Walter Clayton Jr. is from the same area I am from, and I used to play against him,” he said. “Seeing someone from Polk County in those big moments particularly stood out to me.”
His connection to the player highlights how this win resonates on a deeper level, strengthening the bond between fans, their hometowns and the university community.
Since the win, pride has been visible across campus, he said. Students wear their Gators gear more often, and the team is a common topic brought up in class, in the dining halls and walking through Turlington.
The championship has become a common thread between students who seemingly have nothing in common except the school they attend.
Sports management program assistant at UF’s Department of Recreation Sports Anthony Crowe has noticed a change on campus.
“I think a sense of unity formed around campus that I personally had never seen or felt in my four years here,” he said. “Obviously, sports bring people together but for that night after the win, it seemed like everyone was the same thing: a Gator fan.”
In the end, the celebration wasn’t just about the final score or the confetti. It was about what the win represented — unity, pride and a reaffirmation of what it means to be part of the Gator community.
For the students who were here to witness it, this championship will be a lifelong memory. A moment forever etched into their college experience and the legacy of UF.
Isis Snow is a UF journalism and sports media junior.
A letter to Gainesville educational leaders
It’s been over a week since UF students learned ICE detained their fellow classmate Felipe Zapata Velasquez near campus. Velasquez is just one of many international students affected by immigration enforcement at universities and school campuses.
These were the cruel procedures and the toxic culture spread throughout universities — a part of a bigger political fear brewing in the country, and now in the form of U.S. Immigrant Customs and Enforcement officials.
As a Florida resident and student, I know something about distress and fear for my safety on school campuses — from gun violence on school grounds to censorship in textbooks. But today, immigrant families are again feeling distress, and the bully is someone else.
Indeed, President Donald Trump’s rhetoric of immigrant criminality with the rise of immigration enforcement has made its impact on the lives of all students. Children of immigrants, and immigrant children, are no longer just fearful of the inequalities outside of school; it has followed them into their classrooms. Indeed, other bullies are entering our school grounds.
In its Freedom of Expression statement, UF states, “To achieve our goal of independent inquiry and vigorous academic deliberation, UF will not stifle the dissemination of any idea…” It adds, “UF will ensure that individuals expressing such ideas are able to do so free from bullying, violence, threat of violence or any other type of disruptive behavior.”
According to its website, Alachua County Public Schools is “committed to providing an educational setting that is safe, secure, and free from bullying and harassment for all students.” It says, “Bullying due to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, age or any other reason will not be tolerated.”
School administrators have these protocols and regulations in place to ensure the safety and well-being of the children. Yet, their hands are tied when it comes to protecting school children, specifically immigrant families and their children, from the biggest bullies on campus. ICE.
The views expressed here are not necessarily those of The Alligator.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers now have access to our students and our schools. Under federal and state orders, ICE officers can now enter school campuses to interrogate and remove students without a warrant.
UF will not address Velasquez’s detainment. It isn’t releasing any information regarding his situation that would help clarify what his detention means for the future of all international students at UF.
FERPA privacy protections are concealed from everyone who doesn’t have a subpoena. Alachua County Public Schools doesn’t keep records of a student’s immigration status; no records can be obtained without parental consent, a warrant, subpoena or court order, and it has become clear these records are safer than the actual students.
While the student’s school records remain concealed and secured, the students themselves must risk their safety to cooperate with a political agenda that is meant to strike fear in immigrant families.
Principals and teachers may ask for proof of a warrant and may request permission to notify parents if their child is being interrogated. But, the county’s anti-bullying guide does not apply to the biggest bully — ICE.
Educators are forced to temporarily shift from educator to bystander and allow ICE to sweep into what was once a safe space for our children and youth.
We’ve been so concerned with a threat inside schools that we’ve left the doors open and allowed these bullies to walk right in. Who are we protecting if not the students? To truly provide a safe and educational setting, we must confront the biggest bullies on campus.
On behalf of the student body, we ask for more protection for our students within schools. We ask for someone to be their voice in situations where they are positioned not to be.
Ximena Villegas is a part of Chispas, a student-led immigrant right and advocacy organization at UF.
The Alligator encourages comments from readers. Letters to the editor should not exceed 600 words (about one letter-sized page). They must be typed, double-spaced and must include the author’s name, classification and phone number. Names will be withheld if the writer shows just cause. We reserve the right to edit for length, grammar, style and libel. Send letters to opinions@alligator.org, bring them to 2700 SW 13th St., or send them to P.O. Box 14257, Gainesville, FL 32604-2257. Columns of about 450 words about original topics and editorial cartoons are also welcome. Questions? Call 352-376-4458.
Ximena Villegas opinions@alligator.org
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1. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: What do you call a person who has lived to the age of 100 years?
1. MEASUREMENTS: How many inches are in a mile?
2. HISTORY: When were cigarette commercials banned from American television?
3. MOVIES: Whose life is depicted in the movie "Raging Bull"?
2. ASTRONOMY: What does the acronym SETI mean to the scientific community?
4. U.S. STATES: In which state are the Catskill Mountains located?
5. TELEVISION: Which long-running TV drama was set in Cabot Cove, Maine?
3. LANGUAGE: What does the Latin prefix “sub-” mean in English?
6. MEASUREMENTS: How long is the ancient measurement called a cubit?
7. FOOD & DRINK: What is a dish called Cullen Skink?
8. CHEMISTRY: A diamond is composed of which single element?
4. U.S. PRESIDENTS: Who was the only president to serve two nonconsecutive terms?
9. GEOGRAPHY: What country is home to the Baffin, Victoria and Ellesmere islands?
10. ANATOMY: What is another name for the condition called "piloerection"?
5. LITERATURE: Which 20th-century movie star penned the autobiography “Me: Stories of My Life”?
6. HISTORY: What was the first National Monument proclaimed in the United States?
7. GEOGRAPHY: Where is the island of Luzon located?
8. MOVIES: Which sci-fi movie has the tagline, “Reality is a thing of the past”?
1. Dan Gable, a freestyle wrestler who won gold at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, hailed from what U.S. state?
2. Name the Major League Baseball first baseman/outfielder who wrote the 1994 book "I Ain't an Athlete, Lady ..." and penned an ESPN.com column titled "Chewing the Fat."
9. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: What was the name of the United States’ first nuclear-powered submarine?
10. GAMES: What are the four railroad properties in Monopoly?
3. Who was crew chief of the Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 car driven by Jimmie Johnson that won seven NASCAR Cup Series championships from 2006-16?
4. Before his careers playing in Major League Baseball (1942-49) and broadcasting, Buddy Blattner was a 1936-37 world champion in what sport?
Answers
5. Italian brothers Piero and Raimondo D'Inzeo competed in what sport in eight straight Olympics from 1948-76?
1. 63,360 inches
6. What is the name of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball Central League team based in Hiroshima?
2. Search for extraterrestrial intelligence
3. Below or insufficient
7. Holly Manthei, the NCAA women's soccer all-time assists leader with 129, played for what college team?
4. Grover Cleveland 5. Katharine Hepburn 6. Devils Tower, 1906 7. The Philippines 8. “The Matrix” 9. The USS Nautilus 10. Pennsylvania, Short Line,
Goosebumps.
Canada.
Carbon.
Scottish soup made of smoked haddock, potatoes and onions.
1.5 feet.
"Murder, She Wrote."
Jake LaMotta (played by Robert De Niro).
Iowa.
John Kruk.
Chad Knaus.
Table tennis.
Equestrian show jumping.
The Hiroshima Toyo Carp.
The University of Notre Dame
Irish.
A centenarian.
Jan. 2, 1971.
New York.
El Caimán
LUNES, 14 DE ABRIL DE 2025
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UF se asocia con ICE, estudiantes internacionales enfrentan revocación de visas
A
MÁS DE 900 ESTUDIANTES EN TODO ESTADOS UNIDOS SE LES HA RETIRADO EL VISADO
Por Vivienne Serret y Vera Lucia
Pappaterra Escritoras
de El Caimán
En medio de un momento de incertidumbre política, los estudiantes internacionales se encuentran en la encrucijada de cambios legislativos.
Para una estudiante, a quien se le otorgó el anonimato por temor a represalias, las medidas enérgicas contra las visas F-1 han dificultado su movilidad por la ciudad, pues teme ser detenida por la policía y puesta bajo custodia, contó. Se niega a publicar opiniones políticas en redes sociales o hablar en contra de la administración Trump por temor a que le cancelen la visa.
Solo ha estado en Estados Unidos por un año, comentó.
“Estoy asustada. Incluso [si no hago nada], existe la posibilidad”, dijo. “[De] volver a [mi] país de origen o ir a la cárcel”.
La UF se ha asociado con el Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas de Estados Unidos (ICE, por sus siglas en inglés), confirmó la portavoz de la UF, Cynthia Roldan, el 10 de abril. El departamento de policía de la universidad firmó un acuerdo 287(g), que permite a las fuerzas del orden locales
colaborar con ICE para la aplicación de las leyes de inmigración.
La asociación llega casi dos semanas después de que el estudiante de la UF, Felipe Zapata Velasquez, fuera detenido por agentes de inmigración tras ser arrestado por conducir con una licencia expirada. Otras universidades de Florida, incluidas la Universidad del Sur de Florida y la Universidad Atlántica de Florida, han firmado acuerdos similares, según reportó el Tampa Bay Times.
El profesor de la UF en el Centro de Estudios Latinoamericanos y del Caribe, Rafael Solorzano, supo sobre la situación de Zapata Velasquez a través de sus estudiantes.
“Incluso antes de Felipe, mis estudiantes ya se sentían asustados, y esto realmente lo magnifica”, afirmó. “Estamos viendo un efecto disuasorio”.
Los estudiantes internacionales que han venido a la UF para recibir una educación temen expresar su opinión, no solo en espacios públicos, sino también en el aula, dijo Solorzano.
“Creo que es importante que de verdad contextualicemos lo que está sucediendo ahora en la UF”, explicó Solorzano. “Este estudiante en particular, Felipe, representa a muchos estudiantes en todo Estados Unidos. Si le pudo pasar a Felipe… le puede pasar a cualquier estudiante”.
Visas de estudiante
Según Roldan, hasta el 10 de abril se habían
revocado ocho visas de estudiantes de la UF.
La razón de las revocaciones sigue sin estar clara y el personal docente no puede divulgar información sobre los estudiantes protegida por las leyes FERPA. Bajo las regulaciones actuales, el Departamento de Estado de EE.UU. puede revocar visas de no inmigrante, incluidas las F-1, a personas que hayan sido arrestadas por conducir bajo la influencia del alcohol u ofensas similares.
La visa F-1 permite a una persona “entrar a los Estados Unidos como estudiante de tiempo completo en una universidad acreditada… u otra institución académica o en un programa de capacitación en idiomas”, según el sitio web de los Servicios de Ciudadanía e Inmigración de EE.UU.
Más de 900 estudiantes internacionales han visto revocadas sus visas en alrededor de 170 universidades, de acuerdo con Inside Higher Ed.
Varias instituciones, como Harvard y Columbia, han dicho a diversos medios que no recibieron notificaciones ni explicaciones sobre la revocación de las visas de sus estudiantes.
Aunque tener una visa F-1 no significa que una persona sea indocumentada, el incremento de la presencia de personal de ICE ha intensificado el temor entre quienes sí lo son, según edtrust.
Un informe de 2025 realizado por edtrust detalló que “los estudiantes indocumentados y estudiantes con familiares indocumentados…
están experimentando un miedo creciente a la deportación debido a la retórica y las políticas de la administración Trump”. El informe también señalaba que “hay aproximadamente 408,000 estudiantes indocumentados matriculados actualmente en instituciones de educación superior públicas y privadas”, con Florida entre los estados con mayor población indocumentada. Protestando contra ICE
Más de 90 personas se congregaron en Turlington Plaza el 9 de abril para protestar contra la deportación de Zapata Velasquez y abogar por la inclusión de un abogado de inmigración dentro del alcance de Student Legal Services, según reportó previamente The Alligator.
Zapata Velasquez, un estudiante internacional junior de economía de alimentos y recursos de 27 años, fue puesto bajo custodia del Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas después de ser arrestado por conducir con una licencia expirada el 28 de marzo.
Lea el resto en línea en alligator.org/section/elcaiman.
@vivienneserret vserret@alligator.org @veralupap vpappaterra@alligator.org
Sindicato de graduados de la UF presiona por salarios dignos tras estancamiento de las negociaciones
EL SINDICATO BUSCA ESTIPENDIO
MÍNIMO DE $44.000 MIENTRAS LA UNIVERSIDAD RETRASA PROPUESTAS
Por Shaine Davison
Escritor de El Caimán
Traducido por Avery Parker
Escritor de El Caimán
Después de más de 18 meses en la mesa de negociaciones, el sindicato de estudiantes graduados de la UF dijo que todavía está esperando lo que considera un trato justo y un salario digno.
Graduate Assistants United, el sindicato que representa a los más de 4.000 trabajadores graduados de UF, ha estado negociando con funcionarios universitarios desde septiembre de 2023 para obtener estipendios más altos, que son paquetes de compensación fija que incluyen aumentos y exenciones para gastos de transporte y atención médica. Hasta ahora, los líderes sindicales dicen que la universidad ha rechazado al menos cinco propuestas de ajustes en los estipendios.
Pero a pesar de una negociación exitosa para aumentos salariales el año pasado, las conversaciones se han estancado. UF no ha ofrecido una nueva propuesta de estipendio desde septiembre, según los principales negociadores de GAU. Austin Britton, negociador, jefe de GAU y estudiante de doctorado en geografía de la UF de 27 años, dijo que las renegociaciones de contratos suelen tomar entre seis meses y un año, pero la universidad está complicando el proceso. En una sesión de negociación del 4 de abril, los líderes sindicales dijeron que estaban preparados para recibir una
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nueva propuesta de UF. Eso no sucedió. En cambio, el negociador jefe de la UF, Patrick Keegan, dijo que el lenguaje propuesto por el sindicato en torno a la eliminación de los honorarios de los graduados era demasiado fuerte.
"Estamos en un lugar extraño. Casi quieres que reafirmemos el lenguaje que no nos gusta". dijo Keegan durante la reunión. "Va a parecer una propuesta muy agresiva".
En los minutos finales, Keegan dijo que redactaría una respuesta, pero indicó que era poco probable que se ampliara el alivio de las tarifas.
La portavoz de la UF, Cynthia Roldán, se negó a responder preguntas sobre las negociaciones, diciendo que "la universidad abordará las negociaciones de estipendios a través del proceso de negociación".
Las prolongadas deliberaciones han puesto a prueba la paciencia de los líderes sindicales, que argumentan que la universidad tiene el dinero, simplemente no está dando prioridad a los trabajadores graduados. Britton, el negociador de la GAU, señaló un aumento de 588 millones de dólares en los activos de UF en el año fiscal 2024. Aún así, el estipendio base para los asistentes graduados con contratos de 12 meses sigue siendo de $25.600, una cifra que no ha cambiado desde 2022.
"Simplemente parece una falta de respeto", dijo Britton. "Necesitamos ver que ese dinero llegue a los graduados".
GAU está presionando para que los estipendios coincidan con la estimación del salario digno del Instituto Tecnológico de Massachusetts para el condado de Alachua: $44.947 por año para las personas sin hijos. Esa cifra es más de $19.000 por encima del mínimo actual de la UF para estudiantes de posgrado.
La disparidad es cada vez mayor. En 2017, a los estudiantes graduados de UF se les pagó alrededor del 95% del salario mínimo vital estimado del MIT. El año pasado, esa cifra rondó
el 60%.
Cassie Urbenz, co-presidenta de GAU, una estudiante graduada de diseño gráfico de 24 años, dijo que los miembros están luchando cada vez más para llegar a fin de mes, especialmente con los crecientes costos de alquiler en Gainesville y la disminución de la disponibilidad de viviendas en el campus.
Dijo que los funcionarios de la universidad "se niegan a asumir la propiedad o la responsabilidad" de ayudar a los estudiantes a combatir los efectos de la inflación. GAU, el sindicato de estudiantes de posgrado más grande de Florida, también está apoyando peleas paralelas en la Universidad Estatal de Florida y la Universidad del Sur de Florida, donde los trabajadores graduados están entrando en sus propias negociaciones de estipendios.
El sindicato dijo que su contrato sentará un precedente en todo el estado.
“Estas últimas sesiones tendrán implicaciones en todo el estado al establecer el tono de cómo los asistentes de posgrado en todo el estado ‘no retrocederán’ y continuarán luchando por salarios dignos y una vida mejor”, dijo la GAU en un comunicado.
Se espera que los líderes sindicales regresen a la mesa de negociaciones el 18 de abril, donde esperan que UF presente una contrapropuesta. Dicen que no están listos para irse. "Estamos muy contentos con el progreso que hemos logrado", dijo Britton. "Pero no estamos lo suficientemente contentos como para decir que podemos llegar a un acuerdo".
@AveryParke98398 aparker@alligator.org @shainedavison sdavison@alligator.org
Síganos para actualizaciones
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MONDAY, APRIL 14, 2025
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FOOTBALL
Five-year Florida linebacker Derek Wingo prepares for life beyond Gainesville
THE LONG-TIME GATOR SERVED AS A STAPLE OF UF’S DEFENSE SINCE HIS ARRIVAL ON CAMPUS IN 2020
By Jack Meyer Sports Writer
A little less than five years ago, UF’s campus looked completely different. With everyone having just started to pick the pieces of their life back up amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Florida Gators football cautiously made its return to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Among the team was an eagle-eyed 18-year-old Derek Wingo, preparing for his collegiate debut.
Flash forward to today, and the rest of the world has seemingly returned to normal — but the landscape of college football has been flipped on its head. Players are passing through the transfer portal on an annual basis. If they aren’t declaring for the NFL Draft after their third season, there’s a good chance they’re flipping to another school — assuming they haven’t already.
But not Wingo. After having donned the orange and blue his entire career, the Fort Lauderdale native came back Fall 2024 for one final ride with the Gators. Loyalty is rare in today’s college landscape; at this point, many athletes and coaches view it as a privilege rather than an expectation. But at no point did Wingo expect to play anywhere besides Gainesville during his five-year collegiate career.
“Through two head coaches, four different
HOCKEY
position coaches, four different defensive coordinators, four different strength head coaches –it was definitely a lot,” Wingo said. “Knowing I could stay home, stay close to family, and then have a plan for my life in the future beyond football. I thought that the University of Florida was best for that.”
Wingo saw it all in his tenure at UF, from the Fall of Dan Mullen in 2021 to the rise of DJ Lagway in 2024. Through thick and thin, however, the versatile linebacker remained an ever-consistent presence in Florida’s defensive corps.
Statistically, his strongest campaign came in 2023, when he recorded a career-high 3.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks, as well as 17 tackles and a blocked kick. However, his impact on Florida’s defense went far beyond any traditional measurements.
“I would say my legacy as a Florida Gator was someone who always showed up and went to work,” Wingo said. “Someone who always was able to push the guys around me to the best of their ability. Someone who’s vocal, who spoke up, who understood what everyone was going through, but was able to be the voice for many different things.”
Wingo’s teammates and coaches have consistently singled him out for his leadership, both on the field and in the locker room. Take redshirt senior Tyreak Sapp, who played with Wingo at St. Thomas Aquinas High School and is expected to serve as a leader along the defensive line for Florida this Fall. Sapp credits Wingo for helping shape him into the football player — and overall leader — he is
today.
“He loved the program, but even more than the program, he loved the people that he played football with,” Sapp said. “He just loves us as teammates, all the guys that he came in with and that came in right after him.”
Wingo’s strong presence on defense can be potentially traced back to his original position: quarterback. Early into his playing days, he lined up under center for St. Thomas Aquinas. There, he teamed up with 2021 NFL draftee Elijah Moore to lead the Raiders to a Class 7A State Semifinals appearance in 2017.
The following season, Wingo made the full-time switch to defense — a decision that paid dividends. In 2019, he totaled a mindboggling 18 sacks, while also recording 62 total tackles and 16 tackles for loss en route to
earning 2019 Gatorade Florida Football Player of the Year honors.
Record-breaking performances and jawdropping statlines aside, Wingo’s crowning moment with St. Thomas Aquinas came in the state championship, where the Raiders defeated the Edgewater Eagles to complete a perfect 15-0 campaign. Wingo finished the game with eight tackles, two TFL and two sacks, cementing his mark as one of the top defensive players in the Sunshine State.
Upon arriving in Gainesville, Wingo took on more of a versatile role in Florida’s defense. Whatever role needed to be filled, he would step up and take care of it. Whether he was placing himself on the line or dropping back into coverage, Wingo put his heart and soul into each snap he took.
This attitude has earned him high praise from head coach Billy Napier, who took the helm in Florida following Mullen’s firing in late 2021. Even amid all the turnover that comes with today’s college football landscape, Wingo has remained as tried and true of an athlete as they come, never backing down from whatever challenges he faced.
“One of my all-time favorites,” Napier said in an appearance on Wingo’s podcast. “I’m proud of you, man. I’ve been keeping up with you, and you’ve been doing a great job.”
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@jackmeyerUF jmeyer@alligator.org
Standout freshman Liam Lecauchois making his mark on UF hockey
THE FORWARD LED THE TEAM IN POINTS IN THE 2024-2025 SEASON
By Daniela Ortiz Sports Writer
Like countless other hockey players before him, Liam Lecauchois learned the game from his father, Xavier Lecauchois. But Xavier isn’t American, Canadian or even Russian — he’s French. Born and raised in Normandy along the gentle hills of the Paris Basin, Xavier Lecauchois played ice hockey throughout his youth. Today, the sport remains relatively niche in France; only 13 French-born players have played in the NHL.
Xavier never made it that far. When he was 19, he quit playing, choosing an education and stable job over the pipe dream of professional sports. He eventually settled in the suburbs of Chicago.
But hockey was still his passion, and he wanted to make it his family’s passion, too. He put his two boys on skates as soon as they had refined-enough motor skills.
Now, at 19, Liam Lecauchois is a standout freshman for the Florida Gators club hockey team. He led the team in points in his first year with the program, as he now aims to continue improving his game during his time in college — all while making his mark on UF hockey.
From Chicago to Gainesville
Lecauchois grew up playing a variety of sports, from baseball to soccer to lacrosse, but hockey was the only one that truly
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resonated with him.
"[My dad] never forced me to play hockey, but that was the sport where he was always the most critical of me," Lecauchois said. "That constant learning mindset I had in hockey… I still bring with me to this day."
He dropped all other sports once he reached high school and eventually joined the Chicago Hawks AA team, where he went on to serve as captain for three years.
Under his leadership, the Hawks were consistently ranked among the top teams in the nation. Though they never captured a championship — falling short to the West Dundee Leafs in Lecauchois’ senior year — Lecauchois finished his AA career as the third-highest points scorer in the franchise's history.
Jonathan Cannizzo, his coach and mentor throughout this journey, isn't at all surprised by Lecauchois’ continued success at UF.
“He just had that quiet, confident persona that really good, strong leaders have,” Cannizzo said. “He was not only a model of what [a player] should look like on and off the ice, but just a genuine teammate.”
Despite his on-ice success, Lecauchois realized he wasn't going pro midway through high school. Now, just like his father decades before him, Lecauchois was faced with a decision to make — hockey or school.
Unlike his dad, though, Lecauchois had the privilege of compromise.
UF wasn't initially on Lecauchois' radar, only catching his attention after a tour with his high school. Lecauchois said he was
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immediately attracted to the Innovation Academy program, as his education took precedence over anything else.
However, UF also had a club hockey team — and one that only practiced once a week. He could have the flexibility to prioritize his studies while still staying involved with the sport he loved.
"Hockey being your whole life for three years [in juniors], I'm sure that would be a lot of fun, but that wasn't for me," Liam said. "I love hockey, but I didn't want to make it my whole life."
Lecauchois said it took some time to adapt to the new environment, transitioning from the windy streets of Chicago to the blistering Florida heat — especially with the distance from his parents. However, forming a connection with his new teammates came easily. One of them, winger Nicholas Ho, happened to play for the rival West Dundee Leafs during high school. Lecauchois had reached out to him before the season started, and the two quickly became friends, bonding through shared car rides on the way to Community First Igloo in Jacksonville — the team’s home-away-from-home rink — but it hasn't been without some chirping along the way.
“One time, one of our teammates forgot his jersey during practice, and I had an extra one that was a Leafs jersey, and I gave it to him,” Ho said, grinning. “He was so mad.”
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@danielaortizUF dortiz@alligator.org
Follow us for updates For updates on UF athletics, follow us on Twitter at @alligatorSports or online at www.alligator.org/section/sports.
Noah Lantor // Alligator Staff Florida Gators linebacker Derek Wingo celebrates after Florida’s Senior Day victory against Ole Miss on Nov. 23, 2024.
Gators flood the streets to celebrate national championship titl
When UF’s Class of 2006 and ‘07 shared tales of what it was like to win a national title, current students brushed them off. The stories about climbing traffic lights, mounting roofs and shotgunning beers on police cars were nothing but a myth and a dream.
But on April 7, as Florida students sat on the edge of their seats, they understood anything could happen in the last few seconds of Florida’s national championship game against Houston. As Houston redshirt junior guard Emanuel Sharp went up for a 3-point shot, the air in Gainesville grew stale. When he landed on the ground, throwing the ball at the court, Gators started to cheer.
As the buzzer sounded only seconds later and UF senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. jumped into his teammates’ arms, Gator fans descended onto the streets. And they didn’t leave.
UF biology junior Max Malaussena turned 21 years old at midnight, just 45 minutes after Florida secured the title. To him, it was a birthday miracle.
“It was a little bit anticlimactic, but the 12-point comeback was amazing,” he said. “That was a great f*cking feeling, going from low to high like that.”
For the fourth consecutive game, the Gators got off to a sluggish start. UF held the lead in the championship game for a mere 63 seconds, but fans — unwavering in their Gator faith — often refer to Florida as a second-half team.
Florida and Houston combined to miss their first 13 attempts from beyond the arc, but that rate didn’t hold through the entirety of the night. When Florida started to shake off its
lethargic energy, the entire city felt it.
“It’s a party in Gainesville,” Malaussena said. “Gainesville will burn tonight.”
The Stephen C. O’Connell Center opened its doors at 7 p.m. to allow fans in for the university’s watch party, but some students were in line before 10 a.m. to ensure good seats. By 4 p.m., the line had grown 200 strong. When the doors opened, there were hundreds more shoving toward the open gates.
The arena reached — and exceeded — capacity within an hour of opening. It also broke a new attendance record with a whopping 11,355 people, surpassing the previous arena record by 100 and the 2024-2025 season record by 164, according to Mary Howard, the University Athletics Association’s senior associate athletics director.
Giselle Leon, a 19-year-old UF applied physiology and kinesiology freshman, watched the game from the arena and felt the nerves. Despite a contest that could take years off a Florida fan’s life, Leon felt the Gators would make it out alive.
“It’s going to be a close game, which I’m worried about, but we’re going to come on top, we always do,” she said. “We’re a second-half team.”
Leon took to the streets following the game. Earlier in the day, Gainesville and UF took a peculiar safety precaution: coating telephone and lamp posts in Pam cooking spray.
That wasn’t enough to stop Leon.
“I know those poles are greased, but they can’t stop me,” she said.
Gators fans of all ages showed out to support the team, and for some, there was more than one reason to celebrate.
Two lifelong best friends, 67-year-old Paul Hale and Vince Ionata, spent their 50-year friend anniversary watching the sport that brought them together half a century ago.
Both friends graduated from UF in 1980, where, over the course of their college years, they watched the construction of the O’Connell Center take place. On April 7, they sat in it together to watch Florida bring home the hardware.
When they were students, they bonded over their love for sports while watching UF basketball games in Alligator Alley.
Now, while the amount of people watching UF’s basketball games has grown exponentially, the feeling Hale and Vince get when they watch their favorite team advance in the national championships is entirely the same, they said.
“When you come back to Gainesville, it’s like coming home again, and you go on a time warp,” Hale said. “You just become ageless. I’m a hardcore Gator basketball fan.”
As students rushed the court in the arena and more ran for the streets in Midtown, lots of things were in the air — beer, champagne, fireworks, flags and even a few people crowd surfing. Perhaps most notably blowing in the wind were the chants: “It’s great to be a Florida Gator,” “Walter Clayton” and “F*ck you, Houston.”
But one thing, finally, isn’t in the air: A national championship title. After 18 long years, it came home.
This is an Alligator Staff report.
Morgan Waters // Alligator Staff
Fans cheer on the men’s basketball team at the O’Dome watch party on Monday, April 7th, 2025.
Bennett Andersen:
THE GRADUATE STUDENT RECORDED FOUR MEMORABLE POINTS DURING HIS FINAL SEASON AS A GATOR
By Hailey Hurst Sports Writer
n the chaos of Florida’s historic postseason run, walk-on graduate student guard Bennett Andersen made his way under the bright arena lights, as his two minutes of play would later resonate beyond the
It started from the end of the UF bench when Andersen was subbed in with one minute left on the clock to finish UF’s SEC Tournament semifinals victory against No. 5 Alabama. The Gators were ahead 102-80 against the Crimson Tide as all eyes locked on Andersen. That’s when he drove straight past Alabama freshman guard Labaron Philon for a smooth layup.
The Gators’ bench exploded as he capped off the victory that sent Florida to the SEC Championship. Almost two weeks later, Andersen did it again, as UF head coach Todd Golden summoned him during the Gators’ Sweet 16 victory 87-71 against No. 4-seeded Maryland.
In the closing minutes of the NCAA Tournament matchup, the graduate student grabbed an offensive rebound, spun around a defender and scored on a driving layup. The Chase Center crowd roared as Florida’s sideline came to its feet, celebrating his second “Bennie Buckets” of the postseason.
Andersen’s journey to playing on one of college basketball’s biggest stages, however, looks a little different than anyone else’s on Florida’s roster. It didn’t feature recruiting stars, but instead a laundry basket.
“I would have never thought I would have played in March Madness, especially when I was coming to UF not even knowing I was going to be a manager at this point,” Andersen said. “So, it’s just awesome, it’s just a dream come true.”
The three-time intramural champion earned his spot on the roster after spending three seasons working behind the scenes
as a team manager. He was in charge of various duties such as doing the team’s laundry or ordering a player’s takeout order, but he did it with a strong work ethic and humble mindset.
Golden introduced a high school recruit to Andersen in Summer 2023 as a team manager, but what Golden said afterward was something Andersen never expected.
“This is Bennett, he’s one of our managers,” Golden said. “We might give him a jersey next year, we’ll see.”
The Tampa native found himself with the opportunity of a lifetime, joining the team as a walk-on. He had been a Florida fan for as long as he could remember, with both his parents being alumni.
In December 2023, Andersen ran out of the tunnel in a Florida jersey, making his collegiate debut and scoring his first points as a Gator. The senior capped off a 96-57 victory against Grambling State with a baseline cut to the basket for a reverse layup.
The entire UF bench stood on its feet, jumping up and down to cheer for the walk-on, recognizing all the hard work he put in to reach that point.
“It was more self-motivation,” Andersen said. “I kind of just wanted to be a part of the program and do as much as I could.”
He appeared in four games during his first season, scoring on his lone attempt. This year, he played in nine games, recording his pair of memorable postseason baskets.
At the Gators’ practice facility on April 1, Walk-Ons Sports Bistreaux founder Brandon Landry introduced himself to the team and told his story as a Louisiana State University walk-on basketball player.
Landry emphasized how his company celebrates the heart of a walkon. All eyes turned to Andersen. A walk-on stepping on the court in a Sweet 16 game was practically unheard of, and Andersen was honored for such.
“I just wanted to come and personally congratulate you and thank you for being an inspiration for so many walk-ons,” Landry said directly to Andersen. “We also give scholarships, and you just got one.”
Andersen received an NIL deal and a $10,000 scholarship from the organization. His teammates swarmed him, shouting and jumping in celebration.
Off the court, Andersen’s achievements are just as impressive. In March, the industrials and systems engineering graduate was named to the 2025 SEC Men’s Basketball Community Service Team.
Andersen serves on the executive committee for the Gainesville chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace, overseeing fundraising. The organization builds and delivers beds to local children and families in need. In 2024, he helped raise more than $50,000 and assisted in the hands-on building and delivery of beds.
On April 4, he was recognized as the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Elite 90 winner, which is awarded to the student athlete with the highest cumulative GPA at the finals site for each of the NCAA’s 90 championships. The now-graduate earned a 3.98 GPA in his undergraduate studies and is currently in UF’s master of science in management program.
“It means a lot. I am just really grateful to have gone to the University of Florida,” Anderson said. “And to get to be a part of basketball — it’s a dream come true.”
From cheering on the Gators at home to being a part of a national championship team, Andersen has taken the basketball world by storm.
@haileyjhurst hhurst@alligator.org
Photo Courtesy to The Alligator
Senior guard Bennett Andersen smiles on the court in the Gators’ 96-57 win against the Grambling State Tigers on Dec. 22, 2023.
From zeros to heroes: How a group of overlooked recruits took Florida basketball to a national title
UF WAS COMPRISED OF NO TOP-100 RECRUITS
By Hugh Green Sports Writer
In today’s college basketball world, the media gravitates toward the teams stacked with five-star recruits. Programs like Duke, Kentucky and North Carolina have found their success over the years with one-and-done talents who enter the NBA after short-lived collegiate careers.
school recruit on its roster, becoming the first program to do so since the modern era began in 1985.
While many blue-blood sports programs bring in highly touted talent year after year and pump out NBA lottery picks each season, the same can’t be said for UF head coach Todd Golden’s group. Florida’s 2024 recruiting class was ranked 61st in the country, and its transfer ranking was No. 35, per 247 Sports.
Out of the Gators’ primary eight-man rotation, just one contributor was a four-star recruit, four were three-stars and three were
with Rick Pitino-led Iona.
He played his first two collegiate seasons with the Gaels before joining the Gators in 2023 when he earned second-team All-SEC honors. In his final year, though, Clayton became a national star, becoming the first player in UF history to earn a first-team All-American selection. He scored a program record 713 points, including an NCAA Tournament record 134 points. Clayton now projects to be a first-round pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, according to Bleacher Report.
slouches either.
Condon, who is from Perth, Australia, did not grow up playing basketball. He began his athletic career as an Australian Rules Football player, where he impressed Australian Football League teams. He signed a contract with the Collingwood Magpies of the AFL last year, which allows him to be paid until he reaches the NBA and join the Aussie team if he doesn’t.
All three players in UF’s backcourt trio who stole the show in March (and early April) grams, and only one was ranked heading into college. Senior Walter Clayton Jr. headlined
Clayton attended Lake Wales High School in Lake Wales, Florida, for his freshman and sophomore years, where he was a two-sport ceiver and defensive back in football. He received football offers from multiple schools, including UF and national powerhouses like Georgia and
tunity to continue his career on the gridiron and transferred to Bartow High School for his final two years, focusing his attention on the hardwood. Although he helped Bartow win back-to-back state
ton had just three Division I offers. The one he decided to accept was
Like Clayton, senior Alijah Martin was also unranked as a basketball recruit going into college but had offers to play D-I football. Martin was a three-star quarterback prospect out of North Pike High School in Mississippi and had offers from football programs like Tulane and Southern Mississippi.
He rejected those to pursue a collegiate basketball career at one of the few D-I offers he received, Florida Atlantic University. Martin spent four years there, leading the Owls to a Cinderella run to the Final Four in 2023. He transferred to UF this season after graduating from FAU.
He had an instant impact with the Gators and played an integral part in the team’s success down the line. In Florida’s victory over Auburn in the national semifinal, Martin scored 17 points and became the first player to ever start in a Final Four game for two different teams.
The third cog in UF’s starting backcourt machine was senior Will Richard. Unlike Clayton and Martin, Richard was a three-star recruit from Woodward Academy in Georgia. He was a part of Woodward’s state championship team during his junior year. Richard averaged 24 points per game and earned a GHSAA firstteam All-State selection as a senior.
Among the few mid-major offers Richard received, he picked Belmont. This is where he spent his freshman season before transferring to UF in 2022, becoming Golden’s first commitment in the portal as Florida’s head coach.
Richard has shined since arriving in Gainesville, making the most 3-pointers as a transfer in program history (201). In UF’s triumph over Houston in the national title game, he led the Gators with 18 points, including four made threes.
Frontcourt sophomore connection
While Florida’s backcourt stole most of the headlines during its incredible run, the original overlooked frontcourt tandem of sophomores Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh were no
The 6-foot-11 forward had a 6-inch growth spurt between his junior and senior years of high school, which directed him to focus on basketball. He received only three offers, including one from Florida. Condon impressed in his first season in Gainesville in 2024, earning SEC All-Freshman honors.
This year, Condon’s role took a big step up, as he became the centerpiece on defense and was asked to man the middle on the offensive end as well. He averaged over 10 points, seven rebounds and one block per game in 2025, earning him a third-team All-SEC selection.
Condon’s freshman-year roommate, Thomas Haugh, was huge in Florida’s success this season. Haugh hails from New Oxford, Pennsylvania, where he attended his hometown high school before enrolling at Perkiomen School to help gain more attention from D-1 schools. He had several offers from mid-major programs after his senior year but nothing from the Power Four.
After graduating, Haugh played on the Under Armour circuit along with high-level, college-ready talent. He impressed there, earning offers from Maryland, Illinois, Northwestern and, eventually, Florida. Growing up a Gator fan, there was no question where Haugh would end up.
Last year, as a freshman, Haugh scored just under four points per game in 36 appearances. While he started only five contests this season, his game took a huge leap forward. He averaged 9.8 points and over six rebounds while shooting 34% from beyond the arc. After an impressive year, Haugh is projected to go early in the second round of the NBA Draft, per Bleacher Report.
While Florida didn’t have the same bluechip talent that many other top-ranked teams had this year, the coaching, underdog mentality and togetherness of the Gators showed you don’t need a squad full of five-star recruits to rise to the top of the college basketball world.
@HGreen_15 hgreen@alligator.org
Noah Lantor // Alligator Staff
Florida Gators guard Walter Clayton Jr. (1) drives with the ball during a basketball game against the Houston Cougars in the National Championship round of the NCAA Tournament on Monday, April 7, 2025, in San Antonio, Texas.
years in the making:
A flashback to UF’s ‘06 ‘07 NCAA championship wins
GATORS PAST AND PRESENT PREPARE FOR A RETURN TO THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
By Avery Parker Sports Writer
Surrounded by a stadium packed 51,000 strong, the Gators gathered in Atlanta for the 2007 NCAA Championship game, prepared for a face off against Ohio State. Back in Gainesville, fans crowded into the popular bars of the day, anxious to see if the Gators could pull off their second — and consecutive — NCAA championship win, a feat no team had managed to achieve since the early ‘90s.
Most current UF freshmen were infants when the Gators brought home the win 18 years ago. But for alumni, the Gators’ arrival to San Antonio for a chance at another national title had them reminiscent of the 2006 and 2007 back-to-back victories.
Justin Moore, a 38-year-old Class of 2010 alum living in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, said UF’s 2006 championship team was a driving factor in his decision to transfer schools, moving from Syracuse in upstate New York to the Gainesville swamp.
UF had beat out Syracuse in the second round of a non-conference tournament that year.
“I had always said, ‘Ah, Syracuse will beat Florida in basketball,’” Moore said. “Well, Florida ended up beating Syracuse, and I got really drunk and woke up and applied to transfer the next day.”
Moore watched the 2006 game at a friend’s apartment while visiting his best friend and girlfriend, both UF students. When the Gators won, he described it as a moment of “pure joy” watching his eventual alma mater win its first NCAA men’s basketball championship title.
Meanwhile, the U.S. inching towards a major economic downturn — The Great Recession — and financial prospects were dire. But Moore said the Gators’ wins in basketball, among other sports like football and softball, alleviated concerns about the country’s financial situation.
“As students, we did not care at all,” he said. “Our teams were winning. It was electric.”
Enthusiasm touched Moore’s romantic
life as well, as he credits the celebratory atmosphere for bringing him and his now-wife together.
“I always had a reason to invite her to go do something,” he said.
Mary Lynn Brennan, a 38-year-old Jacksonville resident and 2009 UF alumna, confirmed Moore’s description of Gainesville’s jubilation during back-to-back basketball championships.
“Everyone was kind of just looking forward to the game, not a care in the world,” she said.
Brennan and Moore said they see similarities between the players who won the title 18 years ago and the players who claimed a third national title in San Antonio’s Alamodome.
“Like our 2006-2007 teams, these guys play with true heart, and no one is looking to outshine the other,” Brennan said.
For her, attending games with school honor at stake is an important part of her identity, with her father and grandfather both being UF grads. Coming out to support the Gators reminds her of the good times she had in college, and she said she still has the same feeling returning to Gainesville.
For the 2025 national championship game,
Brennan gathered with her family in Jacksonville to watch the game together. And, she noted, she preemptively scheduled a half day for work the next morning.
UF students at the time rode the wave of the 2006 victory straight into the following season. Morgan Hughes, a 38-year-old Gainesville resident and 2010 UF alumna, said the “hype” in 2007 began as soon as the men’s basketball players decided to continue playing for Florida, rather than entering the NBA draft.
“It was just like full-head, double championships — that’s what everybody talked about for the whole year. There was no other option,” Hughes said. “[That] was the theme of 2007.”
At the time, Hughes said, seeing West University Avenue shut down was an unusual sight — an ode to the game’s significance. When it became apparent the Gators had won, Hughes ran out her door towards West University Avenue. Even the police officers meant to be controlling the crowds joined in the celebration, she said.
“The whole city was running,” she said. “We were all together.”
After the Gators’ 2007 win, chaos erupted
on Gainesville’s streets. Fires broke out on West University; a police helicopter circled Anderson Hall as jubilant fans launched fireworks at its base; drunken revelers were arrested.
Gainesville was a different city then. In the early 2000s, Gator City Sports Grill stood as a pillar of nightlife. The establishment is now a remnant of the past, and even its successors like The Social at Midtown have also come and gone, with MacDinton’s Irish Pub taking its place.
Other popular game-watching venues from the time have also faded from Gainesville’s cityscape, such as JP Gators, a bar and pool hall. But some local staples like The Swamp Restaurant, which was founded in 1994, have maintained their popular appeal for decades.
One thing is certain — this year’s NCAA championship win will still be in Gator fans’ memories 18 years from now.
When the clock reached zero in the second half of the 2025 championship game, solidifying a 65-63 win for the Gators, celebration broke out across the city.
Students ran from their apartments to join an hourslong celebration on West University Avenue, which carried into the early morning. People waved flags, climbed lampposts, crowd surfed and sprayed beer into the air. The Swamp’s customers — many of whom camped outside the restaurant for a decent seat to watch the championship — cheered, hugged and threw their drinks. At the Stephen C. O’Connell Center, which reached record capacity for its broadcast of the game, fans rushed to the center of the court jumping and cheering over the team’s victory.
Hughes upheld her family’s connection to the Gators by taking her 9-year-old son to the O’Connell center for the first NCAA Gators’ win of his life.
Hughes said this game felt different than the championship victories she’d witnessed as an undergrad.
“Maybe it’s age, maybe it’s having felt the low times more acutely as an adult,” she said. “Mostly I think it’s seeing the shock and joy and awe experienced by my children.”
Hughes, Moore and Brennan all watched the championship game from different places, but before the game had even started, they all agreed: “It’s great to be a Florida Gator.”
@AveryParke98398 aparker@alligator.org
2025 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
Madilyn Gemme // Alligator Staff
Rowdy Florida fans wave flags and celebrate following the NCAA Championship Game on Monday, April 7, 2025.
Noah Lantor // Alligator Staff
The Florida Gators student section celebrates during a basketball game against the Houston Cougars in the National Championship round of the NCAA Tournament on Monday, April 7, 2025, in San Antonio, Texas.
A crowd of celebrating Gator fans gathers on W University Ave following the NCAA Championship Game on Monday, April 7, 2025.
Madilyn Gemme // Alligator Staff
One Florida fan rides a shopping cart in celebration of the Gators’ NCAA Championship victory on Monday, April 7, 2025. Madilyn Gemme // Alligator Staff
Madilyn Gemme // Alligator Staff Police attempt to control climbing Florida fans after the Gators win the NCAA Championship game on Monday, April 7, 2025.