Colleges

Florida seniors looking to close careers on top

By ANTONYA ENGLISH
Published March 18, 2006

GAINESVILLE - The most important thing on Sarah Lowe's mind this week was New Mexico, but like many of her Florida teammates, there was a little something else tucked neatly away in her thoughts.

The finality of their Gator careers.

When Florida (12-8) plays New Mexico (21-9) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament tonight in Tucson, Ariz., the four senior players understand the meaning of taking advantage of the moment.

"It's definitely a realization for me, personally," said Lowe, a Rhodes Scholar finalist who on Friday was selected as the 2006 Arthur Ashe Jr. Female Sports Scholar of the Year by Diverse: Issues In Higher Education. "The end is becoming a lot more real and that definitely give you a little more fire in your butt, a sense of urgency if you want to call it that."

Lowe, Dalila Eshe, Brittany Davis and Danielle Santos are the first four-year class under coach Carolyn Peck.

They hope to leave behind an example of tenacity and perseverance that the current underclassmen can emulate.

"We feel like we've accomplished a lot, but we have a bunch more to get done," said Eshe, a first-team All-SEC center who leads the team with 14.1 points and 7.1 rebounds. "The four seniors have already been there, so we can take the freshmen down the path and show them what to expect the next three years."

This class has survived the loss of the coach that recruited them and some tough, disappointing seasons (9-19 in 2003; 14-15 and a first-round loss in the WNIT last season). They have also been a part of some impressive program firsts: a win over then-No. 2 LSU and another over No. 5 Tennessee for the first time at Thompson-Boling Arena this season.

Along the way, it has been a learning process, Davis said.

"From our freshman year to now we've learned," she said. "As a senior class, we wanted to go out and show the underclassmen what to do in order to get into the NCAA Tournament and how much hard work it is. It's not guaranteed. You're not just going to walk in and say we're in the NCAA Tournament. It takes time and hard work and this team has displayed that."

Now what they'd like more than anything is a solid run in this year's tournament to cap their careers. New Mexico was Florida's opponent two years ago, the only other time this class has made the NCAA Tournament field. The Gators won 68-56 on the Lobos' home court. This time, it's on a neutral site.

Having won a national championship as a coach at Purdue, Peck knows the importance of senior leadership.

"There is nothing like having four seniors that have played in the NCAA Tournament," she said.

Florida's expectations are to win, they players said, but Davis, a Gainesville native who grew up watching the Gators, said the team is also thankful for the opportunity to be a part of the tournament one last time. They know very well what it's like to be on the outside looking in.

"A lot of seniors have already played their last game," said Davis, who averages 12.4 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. "So we definitely understand how special this is."

[Last modified March 18, 2006, 02:30:29]