Florida Holds Annual Banquet

The University of Florida soccer team held its annual awards banquet Thursday evening at the F-Club in the Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

The Gator Award, given to a player who does whatever is needed to help the team succeed, went to junior Caitlin Howard. Howard moved into a starting role in 2008 and started every match, leading Florida with an average of 87.3 minutes per match. Howard was also named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America/adidas Scholar All-South Region third-team.

The Leading Scorer Award went to senior Megan Kerns.  In 2008, Kerns led Florida with 35 points, 13 goals and five game-winning goals and shared first in assists (9). She was named to the SoccerBuzz.com All-America third-team, All-Southeastern Conference first team and the SEC All-Tournament team.

The Iron Gator Award went to junior Angela Napolitano for her strength and conditioning work in- and off-season. In 2008, Napolitano ranked fifth among Gators with 13 points off of five goals and three assists.

Kerns also shared the Academic Achievement Award with sophomore Meghan Berlingo. Both turned in 4.0 grade point averages for the fall, 2008 semester.  Berlingo and Kerns were among the 10 Gators named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll earlier this year.

In past seasons, a Players' Choice award is given to the athlete that makes the biggest impression both on and the field, based on a vote of the players. This year, the votes were distributed among many players, showing that the 2008 Gators' performance was the result of team effort. All members of the 2008 team received an award Thursday to commemorate their strong group effort.

During the 2008 season, Florida turned in a record of 19-4-1, which included becoming the first team to post an 11-0 record in SEC play since the league started round-robin play in 2004. The Gators advanced to the NCAA Round of 16 and won its ninth SEC title. The Gators ranked No. 10 on the final National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll.