Gator Country

Florida Randy Stageberg does a flip while competing on the balance beam in Friday's win against Georgia. / Gator Country photo by Saj Guevara

Photos by Saj Guevara

A total of 118 Gator Country exclusive photos from the Gators' win against Georgia in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center on Friday.

When Marissa King’s bare feet met the mat on her balance beam dismount, she didn’t move.

She waited a full five seconds, holding her place, before she peeled her toes from the floor to celebrate with her teammates.

After getting a wink and a smile from one of the judges, the junior ran to coach Rhonda Faehn for a tight hug following her stunning 9.95 routine.

King said she over exaggerated her stuck landing so there wouldn’t be a drip of doubt in anyone’s mind about the strength of her performance. That, Faehn said, was an exemplification of pure confidence.

“It helps the girls,” Faehn said of King’s move. “It gets them fired up, too. She really helps with the energy and the whole mental side of it out there.”

No. 1 Florida shined mentally, physically and numerically in the confines of the O’Connell Center Friday night against No. 3 Georgia for a 197.525-196.825 victory. While King’s performance on balance beam nabbed her the top spot for the event, Florida gymnasts swept the rest of the events of the dual meet, as well.

To read the complete story on the meet from Gator Country’s Elizabeth Rhodes, click here.

To view the photo gallery from Gator Country’s Saj Guevara, click here.

DIRECTORY OF GATOR COUNTRY PHOTO GALLERIES

More Other Sports | RSS