Report on the Florida Gators gymnastics team:
FORT WORTH, Texas - The University of Florida gymnastics team is on to the NCAA Super Six team final after winning NCAA Semifinal I Friday. The three-time defending NCAA champion Gators looks to add a fourth title in Saturday’s Super Six, which begins at 9 p.m. ET in the Fort Worth Convention Center Arena<http://www.ncaa.com/championships/gymnastics-women/nc/venue-info>. The event airs live on ESPNU. Florida won its NCAA Semifinal session for the fourth consecutive year. Florida topped the afternoon semifinal at 197.475. As the first-place team in Semifinal I, Florida starts on balance beam for Saturday’s NCAA Super Six team final. Florida wins its semifinal session for the sixth time in the program’s history (also won session in 2015, 2014, 2013, 2008 and 2004). That total equals Florida’s fourth-highest total ever in NCAA Championships’ Semifinal competition. Joining Florida from semifinal I in Saturday’s Super Six is LSU (197.3375) and Georgia (196.725). Stanford (195.575), Auburn (195.10) and Minnesota (194.9875) rounded out the first semifinal’s results. Notes: * Bridget Sloan led the all-around competitors in Semifinal I with a total of 39.70. The NCAA all-around champion is determined by combining all-around results from both of Friday’s semifinals (Semifinal II begins at 7 p.m. ET). Sloan won the NCAA all-around in 2013 as a freshman. * Three Gator all-arounders (Sloan, Kennedy Baker, Alex McMurtry) earned All-America honors Friday. This is the fifth time three or more Gator all-arounders earned All-America honors in a single NCAA Championship. * Florida’s total of 197.475 is the second consecutive year the Gators have earned that total in NCAA Semifinal competition. * Although this is the fourth straight year Florida has won its NCAA Semifinal session, it is the first time since 2013 the Gators didn’t tie. Florida tied Alabama for first in NCAA Semifinal II in 2014 and shared first with Utah in 2015 Semifinal I action. ALL-AMERICA HONORS CAREER RECORD: Sloan’s five All-America honors earned this afternoon pushes her career total to 16 - setting the school record for All-America honors earned in NCAA competition. The previous record of 15 was set by Kytra Hunter during her career (2012-15). Sloan’s five All-America honors were all first team. She is the only Gator to claim five All-America first team honors in a single NCAA Championships’. Hunter and Johnson each earned five All-America honors in 2012, but there were some second-team honors mixed in. GATORS EARNING ALL-AMERICA HONORS: Five Gators earned a total of 14 All-America honors Friday. 2016 Gator All-Americans Name Event Semi I Score All-America team Kennedy Baker All-Around 39.4875 Second Vault 9.90 First Bars 9.8875 Second Floor 9.90 First Alicia Boren Beam 9.8875 First Bridgette Caquatto Bars 9.95 First Alex McMurtry All-Around 39.525 Second Vault 9.90 First Beam 9.8875 First Bridget Sloan All-Around 39.70 First Vault 9.90 First Bars 9.95 First Beam 9.95 First Floor 9.90 First All-America honors based on finish in NCAA Semifinal. Places 1-4 (plus ties) = first team Places 5-8 (plus ties) = second team QUOTES Opening Statement… “Every team that makes it to the Super Six is a good team, they would not have gotten there if they were not. I think tomorrow is going to be absolutely incredible. You are going to see the best of the best in college gymnastics. I think it is going to be a great day” - Florida Head Coach Jenny Rowland On being the head coach… “It is a dream, I pinch myself every day. It is an opportunity that I am grateful for every day. It has been an amazing season being able to take on a team filled with energy, filled with passion and get to know them a little better one-on-one. We have only had a couple of months to build bonds and relationships. It has been an amazing process.” - Florida Head Coach Jenny Rowland On confidence before the session… “Absolutely, yesterday was probably one of the best trainings that we had on podium. After yesterday’s practice I knew this team was ready to go today.” - Florida Head Coach Jenny Rowland On how things went today… “I could not have asked for more today, it was a team oriented competition and we hit 24-for-24, we had some mistakes. We didn’t have a perfect meet I do not think anyone can say they had a perfect meet.” - - Florida Head Coach Jenny Rowland On excelling on bars… “Bars has been one of our better events but it was nice getting floor and vault out of the way. We were super hype going into vault and floor. Before we walked out for bars I said, ‘all right guys let’s do this’. You could tell in every one of my teammate’s eyes that they wanted it. It was awesome seeing that as an upper classman, looking at the freshmen. Alicia (Boren) did not have the best vault day of her life but she had an incredible bar, incredible beam. It is really awesome knowing when I leave I can think back and realize that this team is so full of talent.” - Florida Senior All-American Bridget Sloan “We can always do better, gymnastics is a sport unless you are getting 10s on everything, even if you get a 10 you think, I can do a little bit better. I really couldn’t have asked for a better performance but at the same time there are things that I can work on and I think it is just how prelims goes. In prelims you want to hit 4-for-4 you want to hit all six routines and having my team behind me really has helped this entire season.” - Florida Senior All-American Bridget Sloan WORTH NOTING * Florida advances to its 14th NCAA Super Six team final (1994, 1997, 1998, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016). UP NEXT: NCAA Super Six team final is set to begin at 9 p.m. ET in the Fort Worth Convention Center Arena. ESPNU will broadcast the meet live. On ESPN3, fans can find video streams of the event, along with a stream of each apparatus. Find all the links here<http://floridagators.com/news/2016/4/13/gymnastics-ncaa-championship-live-on-espnu-features-apparatus-streams.aspx>. Florida at NCAA Championships * Semifinal II Final Team Totals April 15, 2016 ● Fort Worth Convention Center Arena Team Vault Bars Beam Floor Total Florida 49.3500 49.4750 49.3500 49.3000 197.4750 LSU 49.3375 49.3250 49.3000 49.3750 197.3375 Georgia 49.2750 49.3750 49.1125 48.9625 196.7250 Stanford 49.1500 49.0250 48.4750 48.9250 195.5750 Auburn 48.9625 49.0875 48.1500 48.900 195.1000 Minnesota 49.0375 47.6625 49.2500 49.0375 194.9875