Home Boys' Lists Girls' Lists Men's Teams Women's Teams News Photos Contributors Links Help Sign-UpOnline Store
Latest News | Categories | Authors | News Archives
 
 

News & Features

College Feature
Talking with Florida's Thornqvist and Embree
Share:    

Last month, the University of Florida capped off its second straight NCAA Championship with a win over UCLA. Lauren Embree earned the decisive fourth point that clinched the championship for the second time in as many years.

Harry Cicma, who served as color analyst at the NCAA Championships in Athens, talked with Embree and Gator Head Coach Roland Thornqvist.

 

Questions and Answers

Harry Cicma (HC): The University of Florida has now won the national championship two years in a row. How does it feel to win it again this year?

Lauren Embree of Florida Clinched for Florida
courtesy, Florida Athletics
Lauren Embree (LE): It's amazing. I still can't believe it just happened again - to go back to back. I'm just so happy - and so proud of my teammates. Last year, I said it was a dream come true. Now it's another dream come true. Our team has worked so hard, and I feel like we just played so well. I'm just proud of them.

Roland Thornqvist (RT): It's much more difficult to do it the second time around - there's no question about that. I could tell that our "Gator mountains" and grass workouts paid off in the semifinals because we looked fresh in the finals. We looked fresh today - I was happy to see that. We played amazing tennis from start to finish in singles and all three doubles, and I'm really really proud of the team.

 

HC: How proud are you of Lauren Embree, winning the final match, with all the pressure, and for the title?

RT: The last ten minutes of the match, I was just hoping and thinking - and waiting (laughs). I thought that it was going to come, but those were ten long minutes.

But Lauren had been in this situation before. She always comes through on the big points, and I had all the faith in the world that she was going to come through.

 

HC: How are you both going to celebrate after this Championship?

LE: Right now we're just taking it all in. I'm not really sure what we'll do, but we'll see.

RT: They are competitors. We'll celebrate with a dinner, let it sink in, and then keep moving forward.

 

Leave a Comment

 

More College Coverage

26-Mar-2025
Wittenberg, Northeastern State Reinstate Tennis Programs
Wittenberg and Northeastern State University have recenty announced plans to reinstate tennis program on their campuses. Wittenberg will bring back both men's and women's tennis while NSU is reinstating men's tennis.

17-Mar-2025
UCF's Guarnieri Grateful for Surprise Scholarship
Donatella Guarnieri was playing club tennis at UCF when women's tennis head coach Bryan Koniecko asked her to join his team. The former four-star recruit was surprised with a scholarship last month during a team meeting.

10-Mar-2025
USTA Florida Donates to Bethune-Cookman's Facility Fund
USTA Florida donated $100,000 to Bethune-Cookman University to help fund the construction of the university's first on-campus facility. The Wildcats currently play matches and hold practices off campus.

 
 College Coverage Index |   Subscribe

 

About Harry Cicma

When it comes to college tennis, Harry Cicma is your man. Cicma covers tennis and other athletic stories for NBC Sports, writing articles and producing video segments.

He is co-founder and host of World Tennis a weekly tennis show on NESN, and host of of Tennis Live Radio's College Corner.

Cicma competed as a junior in USTA/New England and went on to play college tennis at Rutgers University. As a professional, Cicma competed at the ATP Newport tournament and the San Jose Siebel Open. He reached a career-high #75 in the ATP doubles team rankings and #1262 in the ATP Entry System.

In media, Cicma has run the gamut. He has worked for NBC, CBS, ABC, ESPN, FOX Sports Net, the Tennis Channel, and World Team Tennis. Cicma has announced NCAA sports as well as the US Open Tennis Championships on both TV and radio.

 
 YONEX USA
 
Yonex EZONE | AQUA NIGHT BLACK
 
EZONE's power makes a comeback, delivering easy power with the recognized plush and sweeter feel for players at every level. SAME POWER. NEW LOOK ...
 
See More
 
RECENT COMMITMENTS
4/10 Iva Jankovic chooses Toledo
4/10 Austin Lucca chooses Colgate
4/10 Shira Chiche chooses Milwaukee
4/09 Mckenna Snider chooses Marian (IN)
4/09 Lucas Duckstein chooses Berry
4/09 Sara Barbaric chooses NCCU
4/08 Dane Harrington chooses Whitman
4/08 Henry Kaufman chooses Whitman
4/08 Cooper Wyngarden chooses Whitman
4/08 Leah Lovato chooses Whitman

Full Listings: Boys' Commits & Girls' Commits

 
 
RECENT HEADLINES
ITA NEWS
THE LATEST FROM ZOOTENNIS
4/11 USTA Easter Bowl 12s Videos; Five Americans Reach Semifinals at J200 in Canada; Urhobo Through to W35 Boca Raton Quarterfinals; Nava Extends Win…
4/10 Urhobo, Crossley and McNeil Among Winners on Hectic Wednesday at Boca Raton W35; Top Seed Spizzirri Reaches Sarasota Challenger Quarterfinals; $65M…
4/08 San Diego ITF J300 Videos; No Change at No. 1 in ITA D-I Team and Individual Rankings; Virginia Men's Tennis to Benefit from Program Endowment;…
4/07 March Aces; Ngounoue Claims J60 in Malta; USTA Confirms Orange Bowl Move to Fort Lauderdale; Today's NCAA House Settlement Hearing; Top 10 ITF…
4/07 Wild Card Ekstrand Claims W35 Title in Jackson Mississippi; Brooksby Earns First ATP Title in Houston; Pegula Wins WTA 500 in Charleston; Auburn and…
Colette Lewis has covered topflight junior events as a freelance journalist for over a decade. Read her weekly column, follow her on Twitter, and and find more of her daily commentary at ZooTennis.
 

Page updated on Monday, March 10, 2025
Contact our web team with any corrections