Gainesville, FL

Santa Fe College Athletics is proud to shine this week's Alumni Spotlight on Lindsay Fico, former Saints Head Coach and now the Head Coach of the Mercer University Bears, as she makes her return to Gainesville for a NCAA DI Regional Softball postseason matchup, this time, against her alma mater, the University of Florida.  

Florida native, Fico is a 2006 graduate of the University of Florida where she earned a degree in Public Relations and made her mark on the field as a four-year player for the Gators. During her time at Florida she played in 206 games, was a National Fastpitch Coaches Association Scholar-Athlete all four years, earned SEC Freshman Honor Roll honors in 2003 and SEC Honor Roll in 2004, and was named team co-captain her senior season. 

After college, Fico began her coaching journey with the Santa Fe Inferno Travel Team from 2013 to 2018. She later came to Santa Fe College, taking over as head coach of the Saints softball program from 2019 to 2021. Her time with the Saints marked a successful era for the team, including a standout 31-16 season in 2020-2021, a Mid-Florida Conference Play-In game win, and the team's first FCSAA State Tournament appearance since 2017. Under her leadership the Saints also collected six Mid-Florida Conference individual awards. 

"My years at UF really shaped me but the opportunity that Santa Fe gave me to be a head coach helped mold me into the coach I am today," said Lindsay Fico. She has routinely recruited junior college student-athletes and she continues to appreciate the difference two-year colleges make in a student-athletes journey. "Junior College student-athletes are trying to get better and are looking to play the game at the highest level and aren't leaving just because they are unhappy." 

In 2022, Fico stepped into her current role at Mercer University where she has worked steadily to elevate the program. In 2025, as she led the Bears to a 38-24 record and their first Southern Conference Championship in 40 years. The title secured Mercer's first ever appearance in a postseason tournament, where they will now face off against the Tim Walton led Florida Gators. Fico played her final year under Walton and says, "I am excited to be back in Gainesville and looking forward to playing Coach and his team." 

Santa Fe College celebrates Coach Fico's accomplishments and welcomes her back to Gainesville with great pride. Her journey from Gator student-athlete to Santa Fe mentor and coach to Division I head coach is a demonstration of her passion, motivation, and leadership in women's collegiate athletics. Mercer will open up versus the Gators at 4:30 PM. on Friday, May 16.