Gator Country

Alaina Johnson was named the 2011 SEC Freshman of the Year and is one of four gymnast returning that combined foe nine All-American honors last season. / Gator Country file photo by Tim Casey.

For the second consecutive season, the University of Florida gymnastics team enters the 2012 season No. 3 in the preseason poll released by GymInfo Thursday morning. The Florida Gators have ranked among the preseason top 10 each year since the polls began back in 1992.This is the sixth consecutive year Florida appears among the top four teams in the preseason poll, including second in 2008, third in 2007, 2009 and 2011, and fourth in 2010.

The 2010 and 2011 defending national champions claimed the top two spots in 2012 preseason list. UCLA the 2010 NCAA team champion earned the No. 1 spot overall in the 2012 poll while the 2011 defending national champion Alabama is No. 2. Oklahoma and Utah wrapped up the top-five as the Sooners are No. 4 and the Utes picked up No.5.

The Florida Gators gymnastics team finished seventh in the 2011 NCAA Championships last season. The Gators returns four gymnasts for the 2012 campaign whom tally up a total of nine All-America honors, including 2011 NCAA sophomore vault champion Marissa King, 2011 SEC floor exercise champion junior Ashanee Dickerson and 2011 SEC Freshman of the Year Alaina Johnson.

The Gators will face eight ranked opponents in the 2012 campaign in the dual meet action, including four in the preseason top 10. Four of Gators’ meets in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center will host an opponent among the preseason top 12, including No. 5 Utah on March 16, No. 9 Georgia on Feb. 24, No. 11 Arkansas on Jan. 27 and No. 12 LSU on Feb. 10 for the Florida Gators Link to Pink meet.

Season tickets for the 2012 Florida Gator Gymnastics are now available for $16.00 at the Gator Ticket Office link or by phone through the Gator Ticket Office at 1-800-34-GATOR from 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

GymInfo 2012 Women’s Pre-Season Coaches Poll
Rank Team Points First-Place Votes Date with UF
1 UCLA 932 8
2 Alabama 926 17 Feb.3-away
3 Florida 903 8
4 Oklahoma 879 2
5 Utah 806 1 March 16-home
6 Nebraska 741 0 March 4-away
7 Oregon State 725 1
8 Stanford 702 1
9 Georgia 687 0 Feb. 24-home
10 Michigan 641 2
11 Arkansas 617 0 Jan. 27-home
12 LSU 539 0 Feb. 10-home
13 Penn State 496 0
14 Boise State 449 0
15 Illinois-Champaign 371 0
16 Washington 343 0
17 Auburn 324 0 Feb.17-away
18 Ohio State 246 0
19 Arizona 233 0
20 Denver 214 0
21 Kent State 202 0
22 Minnesota 154 0
23 Kentucky 144 0 Jan. 20-away
24 Iowa State 122 0
25 Iowa 120 0

Gator Country reporter Elizabeth Rhodes can be reached at .

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