SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The No. 5 Florida gymnastics team finished its 2009 regular-season schedule with a 197.075-196.00 loss at No. 2 Utah Friday evening before 15,082 fans at the Jon M. Huntsman Center.
Although the Gators fell to 6-4 with the loss, Florida head coach Rhonda Faehn was pleased with the fight the Gators showed.
“I was so proud of the team by how it competed and performed,” Faehn said. “Despite everything that was thrown at us, they just kept fighting. Amanda (Castillo), Maranda (Smith) and Melanie (Sinclair) did a great job. Amanda just stung her ankle during her floor routine and wasn’t able to go on beam tonight. We were going to go with five on the beam, but Ashley Kerr said ‘Put me in.’ That was wonderful to see.”
It was the Utes’ Senior Night and their pair of senior All-Americans led the team. Kristina Baskett won the all-around (39.675), uneven bars (9.975) and floor exercise (9.925). Nina Kim claimed the balance beam title at 9.95 and was runner-up in the all-around at 39.60. Annie DiLuzio claimed the evening’s vault title at 9.95.
In the first rotation, Florida was led on the uneven bars by Melanie Sinclair’s 9.825, which placed third overall. In the next event, junior Courtney Gladys stuck her vault landing to earn a mark of 9.925. She took second overall Friday and the mark also sets her collegiate-best for the event.
Florida’s final two floor competitors, Sinclair and Maranda Smith, turned in marks of 9.875 and 9.90, respectively, to lead Florida in the event. Smith shared second on floor with Utah’s Nina Kim. During her floor routine Friday, Castillo aggravated her left ankle. The bursitis in her left ankle has kept her out of the all-around lineup for most of the 2009 season. She will be examined by team doctors upon return to Gainesville this weekend.
Already short-handed due to injuries, Faehn took Castillo out of the lineup for the team’s final event, the balance beam. Only five Gators at the meet had experience as part of a Florida beam lineup during their collegiate careers, but junior Ashley Kerr approached the UF coaches and said she was ready. All six Gators hit their beam routines Friday and sophomore Alicia Goodwin led UF for the second consecutive meet on the event, matching her collegiate-best mark of 9.875 to share third overall with Utah’s Baskett.
Senior All-American Corey Hartung did not compete again Friday evening due to the third-degree strain of her soleus muscle in her left calf. The team hopes to have her back in perhaps two events at next Saturday’s Southeastern Conference Championships in Nashville, Tenn.
“We know we are going to get Corey (Hartung) back and we need to have Amanda rest a little bit. We are going to be OK,” Faehn said. “But for what they experienced tonight and to battle through it, I thought they did a great job.”