The preseason No. 3 University of Florida gymnastics team opens up the 2011 season on Friday, Jan. 7 with a home dual meet versus No. 10 Nebraska. Meet time is set for 7 p.m. in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.
A 2-for-1 general admission coupon is available on the University of Florida Athletics Facebook page – just print out the coupon and bring to the O’Connell Center Ticket Office. The first 2,500 fans receive Gator Gymnastics schedule keytags. Immediately following Friday’s meet, the Gator gymnasts will autograph team posters in the Gate 3 lobby.
The two teams open the 2011 season in the same venue where they each completed the 2010 season. Florida and Nebraska advanced to the 2010 NCAA Gymnastics Championships, held April 22-24 in the O’Connell Center. Florida advanced to its fifth consecutive NCAA Super Six team final, taking fifth overall. Nebraska was fourth in its NCAA Semifinal session and did not advance to the Super Six, finishing seventh overall in the team standings.
In the opening seven meets of the 2011 season, Florida will face at least one opponent who appears in the GymInfo Preseason Top 25. A total of nine opponents Florida will face in 2011 dual meet action appear in the poll, including four in the preseason top 10. Each of Florida’s five home meets includes a 2011 preseason top 25 team.
In 2010, the Gator gymnastics team claimed the Southeastern Conference Championship, won the program’s sixth consecutive NCAA Regional title and took fifth in the NCAA Super Six team final. The Gators return five gymnasts in 2011 (Ashanée Dickerson, Alicia Goodwin, Marissa King, Elizabeth Mahlich and Maranda Smith) who own among them a total of 13 All-America honors.
Four talented newcomers join the Gator team in 2011. Mackenzie Caquatto, a three-time member of the U.S. Senior National Team, joins the Gator team for the spring semester after competing for the U.S.’s silver medal 2010 World Championship team last October in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Alaina Johnson is a two-time member of the U.S. Senior National team and claimed the 2010 Junior Olympic Level 10 Senior D all-around title. Brittney Noble and Lauren Rose come from Orlando Metro, a club which as seen several of its alums go on to earn All-America honors at UF. Noble was runner-up in 2010 Junior Olympic Level 10 Senior D balance beam competition. Rose enrolled at UF for the spring 2011 semester. She won the state floor exercise title last year.
The Cornhuskers took seventh in 2010 NCAA Championships competition and placed second in the Big 12 Conference championships. This is the final season for NU to contend for a Big 12 title as the Cornhusker program moves to the Big 10 Conference in the fall of 2011. The 2011 Cornhusker roster includes four who earned All-America honors in 2010 – Lora Evenstad, Janelle Giblin, Kassandra Nathe and Brittany Skinner.
Members of the Florida coaching staff have strong ties to Nebraska. UF Head Coach Rhonda Faehn was an assistant coach at Nebraska for the four seasons prior to taking the UF head position in May of 2003. UF Assistant Coach Adrian Burde was an NU assistant coach for five seasons before joining the UF staff in the summer of 2006.
Tickets are $4.00 for adults, while children 17 and under plus UF students with Gator1 cards are admitted free.
Friday’s meet airs tape-delayed on Jan. 16 at 10:30 a.m. and Jan. 18 at 5:30 p.m. – both airings on Sun Sports (Gainesville/Ocala Cox cable channel 48 or 748). Six-time Gator All-American Melissa Miller Schubeck and Larry Vettel will call the action for Sun.