Dr. Blackwell was awarded the Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award for both the College of Nursing and the University of Central Florida on Wednesday at UCF’s Annual Founder’s Day Ceremony. Although Blackwell has won the Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award multiple times during his career at UCF, this win is his first win at the University level.
Photo/Story appears courtesy of UCF Athletics. Video courtesy Big XII Conference.
For 36 minutes and six seconds, the UCF Citronauts controlled the game on Saturday afternoon. And by the final buzzer inside Addition Financial Arena, there was no mistaking where they belong, as UCF knocked off No. 11 Texas Tech in a decisive 88-80 victory.
The victory lifts the Citronauts to 17-4 overall, the most wins through the month of January in program history, and 6-3 in Big 12 play, while Texas Tech slips to 16-5 and 6-2. UCF asserted itself on the glass with a double-digit rebounding advantage (35-23) and matched that presence with tight ball security, forcing 13 turnovers while surrendering only six, an effort that underscored their control throughout.
The Citronauts’ defense wasted no time making its presence felt, clamping down on Texas Tech in the opening stretch to force a three-minute scoring drought and race out to a 7-2 lead by the 16:51 mark. Despite giving up four early turnovers and the slow offensive start, the Red Raiders eventually found their footing on the defensive end of the hardwood, forcing back-to-back stops on the Citronauts. That, coupled with a trio of jumpers from JT Toppin, knotted the game at 20 with 10:05 left in the opening frame.
Space U found its answer to the surge behind John Bol, who dominated the early minutes with eight points on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting effort while hauling in five rebounds in the opening nine minutes. Bol, who tallied a career-high 14 points on the day, was a major force for the ‘Nauts throughout the game, spearheading the team’s efforts on the glass to record his second double-double of the season with 10 boards.
Even with Texas Tech’s best effort to push itself out in front of the ‘Nauts, it soon found itself suffocated once more by UCF’s defensive pressure, falling into yet another three-minute scoring dry spell. Using the offensive lull to their advantage, the Citronauts built their lead back out to seven, 34-27, sparked by back-to-back three-pointers from Carmelo Pacheco and Riley Kugel with just over five minutes to play before halftime. A steal in the final minute from Kugel, followed by two free throws from Jamichael Stillwell, gave the Citronauts a four-point edge, 44-40, headed into the break.
Stillwell made his presence in the paint equally as known, bringing in 10 rebounds and 10 points for the ‘Nauts. Marking the third time this season, two players have had a double-double in a single game (Fulks/Stillwell vs Oakland, Fulks/Bol vs FAU).
Momentum stayed firmly on UCF’s side to open the second half, as Bol scored five quick points to stretch the lead to seven, 57-50, just five minutes in. Texas Tech responded with urgency, however, forcing a brief Citronauts scoring drought while knocking down six consecutive field goals to pull within four, 66-62, with 11:29 left. But the ‘Nauts refused to relinquish control, as free throws from Kugel and a timely layup by Themus Fulks restored a six-point advantage, 75-69, with just under seven minutes remaining.
Fulks, remained at the heart of the ‘Nauts offense pouring in a team-high 21 points, while dishing out seven assists. Jordan Burks also added in double-digits of his own, contributing 17 points on an efficient five-of-seven mark from the floor.
The Red Raiders made one final push late, trimming the deficit to two with 1:55 to go, but the Citronauts delivered the decisive blow, as Chris Johnson threw down a dunk in the final moments, putting an exclamation point on the final score and sealing the 88-80 victory as UCF knocked off No. 11 Texas Tech in Orlando.
UCF has now won three consecutive Big 12 games for the first time since joining the conference ahead of the 2023-24 season. The victory also marks the program’s first win over a No. 11-ranked opponent, snapping an 0-6 mark in such matchups before Saturday afternoon. Video highlights linked below:
Dr. Christopher Blackwell has been named as the recipient of the 2026 Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award by the College of Nursing at the University of Central Florida (UCF). The award serves to recognize outstanding graduate-level teaching. Dr. Blackwell will officially receive the award at UCF’s Founder’s Day Convocation on April 1st, 2026.
The UCF Knights (12-1; 1-0 Big XII) opened their conference play with a HUGE win against the #17 Jayhawks of Kansas. As reported by UCF Athletics:
ORLANDO – “J-Mike [Jamichael Stillwell] and I were telling him during the game, ‘Bro, your time is gonna come. You’re going to get a big shot for us,’” said UCF point guard Themus Fulks about Jordan Burks in the minutes following Saturday evening’s matchup against No. 17 Kansas.
And he was right. With the game tied at 72 and under a minute remaining, Burks delivered when it mattered most. UCF and Kansas had battled every second, each team vying to start the Big 12 season 1-0. But Kansas’ hopes were dashed as Burks pulled up from the long range in the final moments, sinking a clutch three-pointer to lift the Knights to an 81-75 upset at Addition Financial Arena.
Although the Knights led for nearly 27 minutes, the game was a back-and-forth battle from the opening tip. Kansas held a narrow 10-9 edge at the 16-minute media timeout, with both teams trading baskets in quick succession. Midway through the first half, though, the pace stalled as the Jayhawks went scoreless for 3:15. UCF forced three turnovers but couldn’t turn convert, hitting a two-minute dry spell of its own, and by the 9:43 mark, Kansas still clung to a razor-thin 21-20 lead.
That changed when Riley Kugel took over. His layup at the 7:21 mark gave the Knights their first lead, and a pull-up three on the next possession pushed UCF in front 27-23. Building on that momentum, Jamichael Stillwell drained a three-pointer to push Knight’s lead to seven, 36-29, their largest lead of the opening frame, with just over four minutes to go.
Kugel led the way for the Knights, finishing atop the stat sheet with 19 points on 8-of-17 shooting. Fulks and Burks also scored in double figures, contributing 16 and 14 points respectively, and each added four rebounds on the day, while Fulks piloted the offense with three assists.
Kansas made several attempts to reclaim the lead in the closing minutes of the half, but a last-second pull-up jumper from Fulks sent the Knights into the locker room with a 44-41 edge. The Black and Gold’s 44 first-half points marked the most the Jayhawks have allowed this season, after previously holding then-No. 5 Duke and then-No. 17 Tennessee to 41 points apiece.
The Knights opened the second half as strong as they ended the first, quickly extending their lead back to seven, 48-41, just 1:30 into the period. Refusing to let the game slip away, Kansas responded by clawing back to tie the game at 56 with 13:09 remaining. A three-pointer from Darryn Peterson, who ended the evening with 26 of Kansas’s total points, gave the Jayhawks their first lead since 7:21 of the opening frame, 59-58, with just over 11 minutes to play.
UCF had an answer, though – four quick free throws from Devan Cambridge gave the Knights their lead back, 62-59, with a three-pointer from Burks to follow, pushing the Knights’ advantage to six, 65-59, with 9:53 to play.
Capitalizing on that momentum, and a four-minute Jayhawk scoring drought, the Knights forced four turnovers to generate a 12-point run, taking the lead 70-61, their largest of the game, with just under five minutes remaining.
Despite continued offensive struggles, Kansas surged back with a 7-0 run in just over a minute, pulling within two, 70-68, with 3:36 left and forcing a UCF timeout. Bringing that energy out of the break, the Jayhawks tied the game at 72 with 59 seconds to play. But pressing for the Knights’ first Big 12 win, Burks delivered a pivotal three-pointer to put the Knights back on top, 75-72, with 42 seconds remaining.
Although Kansas attempted to rally with a trio of free throws in the final moments, Burks’ basket proved decisive, as UCF held on to upset No. 17 Kansas, 81-75, in its Big 12 home opener.
This is the second consecutive season the Knights have won their conference opener, and the first time they’ve beaten a ranked opponent since last year’s season home opener against then No. 13/15 Texas A&M. Dawkins, as a player and coach, is now a combined 7-3 in meetings against either Kansas or Bill Self, or a combination of both.
The Knights committed just six turnovers all evening while forcing 12 from the Jayhawks, who normally average 10.8 turnovers per game and force 9.46 themselves.
UP NEXT
Dawkins and his squad will travel to Stillwater, Okla., for their first Big 12 road contest of the season, facing the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Jan. 6 for an 8 PM tipoff.
Dr. Blackwell will present three 60-minute presentations on critical updates on HIV prevention, pneumococcal vaccination, and malpractice issues for nurse practitioners at the 2026 Annual Conference of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners in Las Vegas, Nevada. The conference will be held June 23-27. For more information, click here:
Dr. Blackwell spent last week in Washington, DC working on the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Item Writing Panel. Item writers contribute questions that appear on ANCC board certification exams. Panelists are selected with regard to practice, expertise, educational background, nursing role, practice setting, geographic location, and years of experience. Those who are selected serve for an 18 month term. Dr. Blackwell is currently serving his second consecutive term on the Panel. His prior work with ANCC includes serving as an AGACNP Field Test Examinee. He also served as Vice Chair of ANCC’s Content Expert Panel for the Adult Nurse Practitioner Board Certification Program until it was retired in 2015.
Although not entirely unexpected, sad news came today from the producers of the Broadway musical Boop! The musical will play its final performance on the Great White Way on July 13th. I have been championing this show since I saw it for the first time in April during its previews. In my opinion, the show, punctuated by an amazing performance by its Tony-nominated star Jasmine Amy Rogers, a phenomenal musical score composed by mega producer David Foster (who spent years writing the score), fantastic costumes, phenomenal choreography, and a heartwarming story, was the best show on Broadway this season.
But the American Theatre Wing differed, and the show, despite being nominated for 3 Tony Awards, was completely snubbed. The show was also denied an opportunity to showcase itself during the Tony’s broadcast, which may have given it a much needed box office boost. As reported by Variety:
Boop! The Musical will play its final Broadway performance on July 13. The closing announcement is the fourth new musical in the past several weeks, following Smash, Dead Outlaw and Real Women Have Curves. All are new musicals that came to Broadway this spring, that were hoping for boosts from the Tony Awards, but did not take home any trophies. Boop star Jasmine Amy Rogers was nominated for a Tony Award this year, and the show also received nods for best costume design and best choreography. The musical, directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell, opened at the Broadhurst Theater April 5, after starting previews March 11.
The show’s storyline reimagines the cartoon character coming to life in modern day New York. Rogers was highlighted as a standout, and she won the Drama Desk Award for outstanding lead performance, an award which she shared with Gypsy’s Audra McDonald.
However, capacity at Boop! has been hovering around 70 to 80 percent for the past several weeks, and the musical has yet to crack $1 million in weekly grosses. Last week, the show brought in about $600,000, but grosses have dropped as low as about $400,000. Running costs are increasing for musicals on Broadway, which has brought added pressure to bring in audiences and also led to the recent slate of closures. Last week, Cabaret also announced it would end its run after about 14 months on Broadway.
Additionally, Boop did not perform on the Tony Awards (unlike the other new musicals) and thus did not have the marketing boost.The musical features a score by David Foster and Susan Birkenhead and a book by Bob Martin. The cast of Boop! also includes Faith Prince as Valentina, Ainsley Melham as Dwayne, Erich Bergen as Raymond Demarest, Stephen DeRosa as Grampy, Anastacia McCleskey as Carol Evans, Angelica Hale as Trisha, Phillip Huber as Pudgy the Dog, Aubie Merrylees as Oscar Delacorte and Ricky Schroeder as Clarence.
While the quality is rarely the same, let’s hope Boop! can live on in a national tour. Or better yet, perhaps a West End transfer to wow the stages of London could find itself in the works. A show this good deserves so much more success than it received.
Dr. Blackwell will be giving three live podium and two virtual presentations at the 2025 American Association of Critical Care Nurses National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Expo (May 19-21, NOLA, LA) and 2025 Annual American Association of Nurse Practitioners Conference (June 17-22, San Diego, CA). For AACN’s NTI in NOLA, Dr. Blackwell and colleagues will deliver Session A60M258 (5/19 @ 4:30pm) about clinical management of HIV in high acuity settings. Next, Dr. Blackwell will present Session A60M284 (5/20 @ 11:30am) about the latest issues in malpractice for NPs in acute care. For AANP in San Diego, Dr. Blackwell will present Session 25.3.051 (6/19 @ 9:15am) on the latest modalities in pharmacologic & non-pharmacologic prevention of HIV! Hoping to see you all @ NTI + AANP this Summer! For those attending virtually: NTI: Practice with Caution: Updates in Malpractice Issues for Nurse Practitioners in Acute Care: Session V60M284); AANP: Pharmacologic and Non-Pharmacologic Prevention of HIV in 2025: Session 25.3.01).
Dr. Blackwell’s original article, “Lenacapavir for HIV PrEP: Interim Phase III Clinical Data Evaluation” has been accepted for publication in JNP–The Journal for Nurse Practitioners. The article examines the current Phase III clinical trial data of a novel antiretroviral agent that public health scientists have declared a “game changer” for HIV incidence globally. The article will be published in an upcoming issue of the journal. The abstract appears below:
Lenacapavir is an antiretroviral medication injected every six months as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV, currently undergoing Phase III clinical trials worldwide. Interim data suggest lenacapavir is highly efficacious, distinctly being the first PrEP regimen to ever show zero infections during Phase III clinical trials. Lenacapavir is being lauded as a major advancement in the eradication of HIV as a major public health threat. This article provides an overview of current clinical trial data regarding lenacapavir, discusses its current research and development, provides comparison between lenacapavir and cabotegravir, and provides implications for nurse practitioners and other clinicians regarding PrEP.
Lady GaGa, whose new album Mayhem streets March 7, 2025, absolutely ROCKED the Super Bowl 2025 Pregame with an exhilarating and heartfelt performance of her rock ballad anthem, “Hold My Hand.” The performance was a tribute to the lives lost in the senseless terrorism event in New Orleans on January 1, 2025. Take a look at GaGa’s performance below:
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