It’s time for our 2025 Black & Gold Banneret Awards! This week we present our nominees for each award honoring the best people, moments and performances from your UCF Knights in the 2024-25 athletic year.
Our staff has chosen the nominees for each award. We will then vote on them this week, and you the fans, can vote as well in the poll below. The winner of the fan vote counts as one vote, and in the event of a tie, the award goes to the winner of the fan vote.
Women’s Team of the Year Nominees
Rowing
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Bryson Turner- Big 12 Champions (First Big 12 Postseason Team Championship in UCF History)
- Perfect score (84 points) in Big 12 Championship
- Finished 15th in NCAA Championship (Highest in Program History
- Head coach Mara Allen named Big 12 Head Coach of the Year
- Hannah Lovejoy named Big 12 Rower of the Year and All-American Honorable Mention
- Lucy Buckingham named Big 12 Newcomer of the Year
- Six rowers named to All-Big 12 Team
Women’s Tennis
From trophies to breakout stars… it was
ADa season to remember ️ https://t.co/l6QeNVJZnL pic.twitter.com/aK1oAk1xmD
— UCF Women's Tennis (@UCF_WTennis) June 20, 2025
- Earned share of Big 12 Regular Season Title (First Big 12 Team Title in Program History)
- Advanced to Second Round of NCAA Tournament (Fifth time in program history)
- 23 wins (Most in program history since 2019)
- Finished season ranked #2 in ITA Southeast Region Rankings (Aya El Aouni named region’s Rookie of the Year)
- Olivia Lincer named Big 12 Player of the Year
- Lincer, El Aouni and Sophia Biolay named All-Big 12 Singles First Team
- Lincer and Hannah Rylatt named to All-Big 12 Doubles First Team
- Biolay and El Aouni named to All-Big 12 Doubles Second Team
- El Aouni and Olivia Bergler named to All-Big 12 Freshman Team
- Opened season with seven-match winning streak (first in program history)
Softball
A lot to love, a lot to build on pic.twitter.com/JpcDdy6B2y
— UCF Softball (@UCF_Softball) May 30, 2025
- With one of youngest teams in the country, UCF finished the 2025 season with a 35-24-1 final record, earning the program’s fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament bid and the 12th in program history.
- Final National RPI slot of 29 with 11th toughest non-conference and 25th toughest overall schedule in the country.
- UCF advanced to an NCAA Regional Final for the first time since 2022.
- Fourth 35-win campaign in the last five years under head coach Cindy Ball-Malone.
- Program single-season record-tying seven wins over top 25-ranked opponents, matching the 2022 Knights’ seven ranked wins.
- UCF got wins over then-No. 3 Florida, then-No. 4 Arizona twice, then-No. 15 Missouri, then-No. 21 Oklahoma State, then-No. 22 Florida Atlantic, and then-No. 25 Michigan.
- Earned the highest-ranked series win in program history (Arizona)
- The largest comeback win over a ranked team in program history (Missouri)
- First win over the Gators since 2021.
Women’s Golf
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Courtesy of UCF Athletics- Reached an NCAA Regional for the sixth consecutive season
- Finished season ranked #35 in the nation
- Finished 9th in Big 12 Championship and 7th in NCAA Regional
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- Show #149: The Spring Sports Equinox Is Taking Its Toll (Guest: Aline Reis)
- Aubrey Dawkins’ career-high 36 points not enough as Temple bests UCF
- UCF Men’s Hoops Enters Top 25 for First Time in Eight Years
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- UCF Takes Down #20 Cincy on Senior Knight
