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Hayden improves to All-SEC

GAINESVILLE -- Florida center Vanessa Hayden has started to reap postseason honors.

The sophomore from Orlando was selected All-SEC by conference coaches Tuesday. Senior guard Brandi McCain, a first-team selection in 1999 and 2001, was voted to the second team.

"I'm really honored by it," Hayden said Tuesday afternoon before the Gators' final practice before the SEC tournament. "It's something that I think everybody in the SEC would love to get. It's the best league in college basketball, I think, so I'm really honored."

A member of the All-Freshman team last season, Hayden leads the conference this season in rebounding (11.9 per game), blocks (4.48) and double doubles (14) and is fourth in scoring. She is on pace to break the NCAA record for blocks per game by a sophomore, 4.3.

"I'm not surprised at anything great that Vanessa does because she's all about greatness," coach Carol Ross said. "She aspires to be good; she didn't just wake up one day and become a good basketball player. ... A lot of people think it's talent and ability, but it's all about hunger and having a desire to be great, and Vanessa's got that."

HILLS' STATUS QUESTIONABLE: Former Tampa Academy of Holy Names star Sherisha Hills continues to battle injuries and is questionable for this week's SEC tournament. Hills, who is recovering from multiple knee surgeries, is listed as day to day.

"We won't make the statement that Sherisha won't be back because I don't want to close the door and we want her to be able to come back," Ross said. "If she has a good day, I want her to be able to jump in that uniform in a hurry. ... But she's got two bad wheels, it's chronic and it's not just something we can go fix. If she does feel good, we're going to be ready and if she doesn't feel good, she still brings a lot to the table."

BASEBALL CONTINUES TO RISE: Florida puts its 10-game winning streak on the line today against Siena. The game has been moved from 6:30 p.m. to 4 at McKethan Stadium.

The Gators (10-0) are off to their best start since the 1989 season, when they went 11-0.

They have 26 home runs and have outscored opponents 123-43. Alex Hart has pitched 13 straight scoreless innings, is 4-0 and hasn't allowed an earned run in 25 innings.

Florida has moved up to No. 6 (from 11th) in the Collegiate Baseball America poll, is ranked No. 6 in the Baseball Weekly/ESPN coaches' poll and is No. 12 in the Baseball America poll.

Florida faces a huge challenge this weekend when Baseball America No. 1 Florida State comes to town for a two-game series at McKethan Stadium (6:30 p.m. Friday, 3 p.m. Saturday). The series concludes Sunday with a 2 p.m. game in Tallahassee.

ROBERSON AN ALL-STAR: Future UF basketball player Anthony Roberson was named to the EA Sports High School All-America team. Roberson, a 6-foot-2 guard from Saginaw, Mich., has signed to play with the Gators next season.

Recent EA All-Americans have included Eddy Curry and Kwame Brown, two of the first four picks in last season's NBA draft.

The EA Sports All-Star Game is scheduled for 7 p.m. March 26 at the United Center in Chicago.

-- Antonya English covers Florida athletics. She can be reached at (813) 226-3389 or

english@sptimes.com.

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