Please Take The Mic, Ma'am

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The game day experience at the University of Florida would be incomplete without one of its long-standing traditions: "Mic Man."

Formerly donned by Richard Johnston Jr. for 31 consecutive seasons before being passed on to several UF students, the "Mic Man" leads 90,000 fans at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in their signature chants.

But this year's "Mic Man," UF student Drew Hingson, isn't doing it alone. He's joined by Florida's first-ever "Mic Ma'am," UF junior Abigail Eckhardt.

Growing up outside Gainesville in Newberry, Florida, Eckhardt has always bled the Orange & Blue.

Her parents, Wendy and David Eckhardt, are UF alums who received their undergraduate and graduate degrees there.

From a young age, they instilled in Abigail a passion for Gators athletics, taking her and her brother, Chris, to UF sporting events whenever possible.

"Abigail has always had a passion for Gator sports and wanted to do more to help cheer on the Gator Nation," said David. "When she saw the Mic Man role at the games, she would say to us, 'That could be me cheering on the Gators. There is a Mic Man, why not a Mic Woman that can help cheer on women's athletics?' "

With the new football season on the horizon, Eckhardt decided to take a leap of faith and apply for the "Mic Man " position, even though the position had never been given to a woman before.

"When the opportunity to try out for Mic Man came out, she was nervous but determined to put her own spin on it," said Wendy.

Weeks later, when the email with the good news arrived in her inbox, Eckhardt could not believe it.

She would be part of the game day experience, and Florida Athletics had created the "Mic Ma'am" position specifically for her.

"I read the first sentence of 'congratulations' and I just broke down in happy tears," said Eckhardt. "I can't even describe the words of how excited and honored I was that I got to be the first person to do this."

After shadowing Hingson and the UF cheer squad for the season's opening weeks, Eckhardt made her "Mic Ma'am" debut in Florida's 48-20 homecoming win over Kentucky on Oct. 19, leading the Gator fans in the signature Orange & Blue chant.

"When I walked on the field, I looked in the stands and thought to myself that this was the coolest thing ever," said Eckhardt when reminiscing on her on-field debut. "I've been in the stands cheering on the Gators my whole life and now I'm part of everyone's game day experience now, it's just so unreal."

Now cemented in history as the first-ever "Mic Mam," Eckhardt is eternally grateful for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity she has to be a role model to young Gator fans.

"It's so awesome I get to show little girls that they can do something so big because it takes a big person to be able to run out onto the field," said Eckhardt. "Being able to show any little kid that they can do something that requires a heck-ton of confidence is so rewarding."

Eckhardt is in her junior year at UF, majoring in Applied Physiology and Kinesiology. She wants to become a sports physical therapist, specifically working with female athletes.

She hopes her role as "Mic Ma'am" can bring her one step closer to her dreams.

"There's a huge spark in the popularity of women's sports right now, and this opportunity is not only introducing me to that field but allowing me to highlight it as well," said Eckhardt. "And then hopefully, in my job in the future, I'll get to highlight it in a whole different way."

Eckhardt's parents have expressed their support for their daughter's endeavors and thanked UF for establishing this groundbreaking position for her.

"We are so thankful to the University of Florida for giving her the opportunity to be the very first Mic Ma'am, and we know she will make the Gator Nation proud, cheering them on and representing our amazing university," said David.

For Eckhardt, she hopes her leap of faith can inspire others to put themselves out there and take chances.

"If you want to do anything, go for it, because you never know what might happen," said Eckhardt. "You might end up doing something that you dreamed of doing, and it's also the most perfect thing for you."