"This long and comprehensive list of upgrades will enhance not only the gameday experiences but also day-to-day environments for our student-athletes, coaches and staff. All these projects give us an opportunity to enhance our success as we enter a new age for our institution as part of the Big 12."

- Terry Mohajir

VP & Director of Athletics

UCF Athletics

Around The Horn.

• A new basketball court, renovations to practice facilities and other significant updates are coming soon to Addition Financial Arena, the Venue and the surrounding Knights Plaza. The enhancements are part of the Mission 12 fundraising initiative focused on bringing UCF’s facilities up to speed with the Knights’ new counterparts in the Big 12 Conference, which the program joins officially July 1.
• The field is set for the 2023 NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Tennis Championships after 64 teams were placed in each tournament draw on Monday evening. The tournament action will begin on May 5, with super-regional competitions on May 12 and May 13 ultimately deciding the eight teams from each draw that will make the trip to Lake Nona's USTA National Campus to battle for the title. Adding to the significance of the post-season finale is the historic nature of the event in Orlando. For the first time in NCAA tennis history, the national championships for all three divisions will be held at the same site.
• The 2023 National Indoor Soccer League (NISL) Post-Season Tournament is set. Both men’s and women’s divisions will crown champions in play-off action scheduled for Sunday, May 14 in Orlando, FL. In the men’s division, the expansion Central Florida Crusaders will enjoy a first round bye before competing against the winner of the two-seed, Memphis Americans, and three-seed, Tampa Bay Strikers, also in their first season.
• The 15-day spring entrance window for the NCAA transfer portal closed April 30 and the Knights have received two oral commitments from players in the portal. QB Will Bohn, following one season with the Knights, the reserve walk-on quarterback is moving on with three years of eligibility remaining.
• Bol Bol’s highlight-reel-worthy plays earned a nickname from the Orlando Magic’s broadcast team that also encapsulated his 2022-23: the ‘Bol-er Coaster’. For as high as the highs were for Bol, when he flashed the potential and skillset that made him a 5-star recruit in the 2018 class, the lows were just as apparent in his first season receiving consistent playing time since being drafted 44th in 2019.
• Five players from Gus Malzahn’s program signed as undrafted free agents with NFL organizations while two more received invitations to rookie minicamps. OL Ryan Swoboda, Detroit Lions; OL Sam Jackson, Jacksonville Jaguars; DB Divaad Wilson, Jacksonville Jaguars; LS Alex Ward, Los Angeles Rams.
• Jacksonville University forward Omar Payne announced on social media he is transferring to join the Knights for their inaugural season in the Big 12 Conference. The transfer to UCF is a homecoming of sorts for the Kissimmee native. A 4-star in the 2019 recruiting cycle, Payne played high school basketball at Osceola before enrolling at Montverde Academy.
• Cole Anthony knew changes were needed going into his third season with the Orlando Magic. He knew he’d have to become stronger and more efficient as a scorer and shooter offensively — which he kept in mind for his offseason work leading into 2022-23. Anthony embraced and adapted to the changes, including playing as a reserve after starting in 99 of 112 games in his first two seasons.
• John David, Chief Strategy Officer of USA BMX, the World’s Largest Sanctioning Body for the Olympic sport of bicycle motocross racing, has been named the new President & CEO of Sports ETA, the only trade association for the sports events and tourism industry, replacing Al Kidd, who will retire on June 30.
• The first episode of the Major League Fishing General Tire Team Series Bass Pro Shops Championship Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches, the culmination of the General Tire Team Series that was filmed on the Clermont Chain of Lakes in Lake County, Florida, will premiere nationwide this Saturday, May 6, on the Outdoor Channel from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

In The News.

• “May the Fourth be with you” has become a common way of greeting fellow Star Wars fans on the annual celebration of the galactic franchise, May 4. What started as a grassroots observance and a clever pun has now been transformed into a global holiday to highlight Jedis, the force and all that George Lucas started with the Star Wars franchise. Fans can immerse themselves in a galaxy far, far away by visiting Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, but there are plenty of other Central Florida options as well.
• On April 26, Winter Park Commissioners approved plans submitted by Rollins College to build a new art museum and to expand the Crummer Graduate School of Business. The two projects are part of a larger “Innovation Triangle” that will transform an entire block near the private school’s Alfond Inn. The museum currently has 6,000 pieces in its collection and oversees what is on display at Alfond Inn as well.
• Pride Month is coming up in June and a collection of “Love is Universal” merchandise was recently put on sale at Universal Orlando Resort with 100% of profits from sales being donated to local LGBTQ+ organizations, including Zebra Youth, The Center Orlando, and onePULSE Foundation. The donation period will last from now until the end of August.
• The City of Orlando will install a protected pop-up bike lane and walking path along Corrine Drive in celebration of National Bike and Roll to School Day. This will be the second time the City of Orlando has installed a pop-up lane along the busy road’s northside parking lane, the first being last year.
• Disney Parks around the world celebrated the transformative power of a wish on World Wish Day. It was a particularly memorable celebration for Walt Disney World as they teamed up with Make-A-Wish America to help grant the 150,000th Disney-inspired wish to 16-year-old Mikayla from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida who began her battle fighting cancer three years ago.
• The famous first image of a black hole just got two times sharper. A research team used artificial intelligence to dramatically improve upon its first image from 2019, which now shows the black hole at the center of the M87 galaxy as darker and bigger than the first image depicted. As the technology has become more powerful, AI algorithms have begun helping astronomers tame massive data sets and discover new knowledge about the universe.

Stay Engaged.

• The Greater Orlando Sports Commission is honored to be recognized among the Orlando Business Journal's Diversity in Business Awards. Hosted on May 11, the awards cover excellence in all areas of diversity, including age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, race and religion, as well as highlighting diverse organizations and individuals across a wide variety of industries.
• USTA National Campus is hosting a number of community events in conjunction with the NCAA Division I, II & III Men's and Women's Tennis Championships this month in Lake Nona. Check out the full calendar here!
• Opera Orlando will be performing a family-friendly musical revue called Baseball: A Musical Love Letter at Harriett’s Orlando Ballet Centre in Ivanhoe Village the weekend of May 19. The musical “weaves together the history of baseball with music from every corner of the American songbook: opera, musical theater, and jazz.”
• Mexican hotdog slinger, Cholo Dogs will be bringing back its hit belly flop contest on May 6 in Baldwin Park. The event premiered last year at Hourglass Brewing in Longwood but will be hosted in the heart of Baldwin Park.
• The 32nd annual Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival will celebrate this year’s festival opening on Tuesday, May 16, at 7 p.m. at a special ribbon-cutting ceremony. Orlando Fringe Festival will return to Loch Haven Park and run through May 29, 2023.
• At Walt Disney World Resort, Epcot is bringing on spring with fantastic food and beverages, live entertainment, and more at the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival. Now through June 5, guests will enjoy fresh cuisine, colorful gardens, playful topiaries and vibrant entertainment.
• SeaWorld Orlando is serving up a bounty of fresh flavors, ice-cold beverages and electric live entertainment as part of its Seven Seas Food Festival. The festival runs through May 7, and is a voyage to stir the soul!
• The Melrose Center at the downtown branch of the Orange County Library System will be hosting a special Melrose Pop Festival on Saturday, June 10. The name of the event is an homage to the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival which celebrated the music of the decade.
• Florida Residents can save up to $65 on select multi-day tickets at Universal Orlando theme parks when buying online. Click here for current offers.
• Florida residents can save big while visiting Walt Disney World Resort theme parks. Click here to view the current list of special offers.

GO Sports President & CEO Jason Siegel and wife Sarah Grafton attended the Polasek Museum Paint Out this week, pictured here with WESH-2 General Manager John Soapes and his wife Jules.

GO Sports Executive Vice President Jennifer Lastik attended the DOP's Golden Brick Awards and accepted the winning golden brick for the opening ceremony of the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games alongside Kay Rawlins from the Orlando City Foundation.

Congratulations to GO Sports board members Allen Johnson and Craig Borkon from Orlando Venues who walked away with 2 Golden Bricks of their own. They accepted the awards along with colleagues Kurt Wingerson, Mike Weeman, Charlie Leone Jr., Kevin Brown and Clyde Boutte.

GO Sports President & CEO Jason Siegel attended the White Rose Tribute Fundraiser for the Holocaust Museum for Hope and Humanity, along with GO Sports board members Suzanne Gilbert and Ronnie Bitman.

GO Sports President & CEO Jason Siegel attended the Big 12 Conference Meetings and Banquet earlier this week along with UCF AD Terry Mohajir and Head Football Coach Gus Malzahn.

Players and staff of Orlando City SC received their championship rings this week to celebrate last year's US Open Cup Championship. Congrats to incoming GO Sports Board Chair Caesar Lopez, pictured here with colleagues Ricardo Moreira, Luiz Muzzi and head coach Oscar Pareja.

GoSports CFO Gary Cohen helped manage The Lifeboat Project’s ninth Charity Poker Tournament held at their Apopka, Fl headquarters. Funds raised benefit human trafficking survivors.

GO Sports Senior VP Brent Nelson presented to the CFHLA Downtown Hoteliers Luncheon, pictured here with the group including CFHLA President Robert Agrusa.

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Fun & Games.



• Disney Wallpaper: May The Fourth be with you
• Things to do in Orlando: Beyond Theme Parks