JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – North Florida Athletics officially announced its partnership with Smoothie King as a part of its 904 Day initiative on Monday.

"We're incredibly grateful to Smoothie King for supporting our student-athletes with nutritious, high-quality smoothies," Director of Athletics Nick Morrow said. "Their commitment to wellness aligns perfectly with our mission to fuel performance both on and off the field."

Smoothie King has agreed to partner with North Florida Athletics by delivering between 150-200 smoothies for Osprey student athletes two to three times per week during both the fall and spring semesters. North Florida Athletics will be providing a dedicated area where these deliveries will occur, including a branded Smoothie King refrigerator.

"Smoothie King has been proud to support North Florida for more than 20 years, and this partnership levels up one of our most important commitments in Northeast Florida," said Smoothie King Northeast Florida Franchise Partner Jason Luther. "Our mission has always been to inspire people to live a healthy, active lifestyle, and we care deeply about the vital role higher education and athletics play in shaping our community. North Florida is an ascending university on the national stage, with its student-athletes leading the way, and we're honored to help fuel their success today and into the future."

The Ospreys' partnership with Smoothie King will provide more than 600 smoothies each week to fuel their performance and recovery after every workout. This investment in the North Florida Athletics Fueling Station is a commitment to the health, wellness and success of all 19 athletic programs.

Smoothie King will be referred to as the Official Smoothie Provider of North Florida Athletics and will receive appropriate digital branding within multiple facilities, along with permanent signage within both UNF Arena and Hodges Stadium.

"The generosity being provided by our friends at Smoothie King is a great example of the investment being made into all of our student athletes at North Florida," Associate A.D. for Community Engagement and Revenue Generation Josh Baker stated. "I'm incredibly appreciative of both Smoothie King, along with the UNF Athletics administration for continuing to be committed to investing into the entire experience of being a student athlete."
 
The partnership with Smoothie King highlights the enhancement of the North Florida Athletics Fueling Station. UNF Athletics also recently hired a new Team Registered Dietician after receiving feedback from its student-athletes.

"We are excited to partner with Smoothie King to enhance our fueling station options providing an improved nutritional experience for our student athletes," Associate A.D. of Sports Performance Fred Burnett added.
 
North Florida has set a goal to provide $100,000 for the newly-implemented fueling station, nutrition resources and education, and counseling each year. Another goal that has been set to maintain the enhancements in student-athlete nutrition is to reach 300 donors and raise $44,000, which will fund an entire year's worth of smoothies.