College Volleyball Sidelines lose another legend: Florida’s Mary Wise Retires

College Volleyball loses another legend with Florida’s Mary Wise

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A week after Nebraska coach John Cook stepped down, legendary Florida Women’s Volleyball Head Coach Mary Wise has announced her retirement. This decision comes after 34 historic seasons in charge of the Gators in which Wise maintained consistent excellence.

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In 1981, Wise was given the head position at Iowa State at only 21 years old, making her the youngest in Division 1 history at the time. After four seasons with the Cyclones, she spent the next five at Kentucky as an assistant before taking over the Florida program in 1991. 

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34 years, 987 wins, 25 SEC championships, and eight Final Four appearances later, the icon is leaving Gainesville as the longest-tenured coach in the University of Florida Athletics’ history and the all-time winningest female head coach in Division 1.

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Who will Florida turn to now? With superstars like Kennedy Martin and Alexis Stucky returning, along with incoming transfers Flormarie Heredia Colon from Miami, Jordyn Byrd from Texas, and Aniya Madkin from Arkansas, the Gators’ selection will be critical to their success in 2025.

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