Special report on the Florida Gators gymnastics team:
LEXINGTON, Kentucky – A 10.0 from Florida’s Bridget Sloan finished a solid road performance for the Gators Friday in front of 6,660 at the University of Kentucky Memorial Coliseum. The Florida gymnastics team took a 197.525 – 196.65 win to finish 2016 Southeastern Conference regular-season action.
Florida Event Winners Friday
Vault: Alicia Boren 9.950
Uneven Bars: Bridget Sloan 9.950
Balance Beam: Bridget Sloan 10.00
Floor Exercise: Bridgette Caquatto 9.950
All-Around Bridget Sloan 39.65
The 10.0 from Sloan as Florida’s final competitor of the meet completed a good road performance for the Gators. Florida opened the meet with a 49.50 on uneven bars – just a tick off its season best of 49.525. Three Gator seniors scored a 9.90 or above on the event. Sloan won the title at 9.95 while Bridgette Caquatto and Bianca Dancose-Giambattisto each had 9.9s.
Freshman Alicia Boren equaled her collegiate best of 9.95 to take the vault win. Sloan and sophomore Alex McMurtry also earned vault marks of 9.90.
Caquatto used her season-best 9.95 on floor exercise to take the win. In her second collegiate appearance, McMurtry matched her mark of 9.9 set last Friday in her floor debut.
Florida closed the meet on balance beam. Problems with the first two Gator beam performances didn’t impact the rest of the lineup. The final four all turned in marks of 9.9 or better, including collegiate-bests from Ericha Fassbender (9.90), McMurtry (9.95) and Sloan (10.0). Boren also turned in a 9.90 on the event.
Three Gators competed as all-arounders Friday and each of the three posted totals which stand among the nation’s best of 2016. Sloan’s 39.65 just edged McMurtry (39.625) for the title. Boren was third at 39.575.
GATOR PERFORMANCE NOTES
* Sloan now has seven perfect marks in her collegiate career (three beam, two bars, one vault, floor), making her the Gators’ career leader for 10.0s.
* The Gators’ career leader in beam 10.0s is Sloan. She scored one on the event earlier this season in the Alabama dual meet. Her first beam 10.0? That also came in Kentucky’s Memorial Coliseum, making her two beam performances in the arena during her collegiate career perfect.
* The vault win was the third for Boren, as she has used a collegiate-best 9.95 to collect each of the titles.
* Caquatto’s winning floor mark of 9.95 was a season best. She also won the Kentucky dual floor title last year in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center with a collegiate-best 9.975.
* Sloan’s three event wins tonight (bars, beam, all-around) push her collegiate total to 85. She is now third on the Gators’ All-Time Event Titles chart and is one away from tying Melissa Miller (1986-89) for second at 86.
* Six Gators turned in a total of seven season- or collegiate-best marks Friday
RECORDS: Florida (7-2, 5-2 SEC); Kentucky (6-5, 1-6 SEC).
THE SERIES: Florida leads 79-1.
Friday’s score of 197.525 is the highest ever for the Gators in Lexington. Florida’s previous high of 197.25 came in the 2004 dual held in Memorial Coliseum.
TUNE IN TO WATCH:
The Florida at Kentucky dual airs on ESPNU on Monday, March 7 at 5:30 p.m. ET.
The meet is also available on WatchESPN<http://es.pn/1VEwD1s> for 30 days.
HEAR FROM THE GATORS
On tonight’s performance:
“It was a solid performance tonight. The meet got off to a great start on bars. I liked the stuck landings we saw from several in the lineup. Also saw some wonderful performances on vault and floor.
“We had a rough start on beam, but the final four were lights out. I really liked how they performed calmly and in control. They didn’t let those early issues reflect down farther into the lineup.
“We rested Kennedy Baker on floor and I thought those who stepped into the lineup performed well. Tonight was Alex McMurtry’s second collegiate all-around performance and what a great job she did in her first road all-around competition.
“We did what we wanted to tonight – perform well and achieve a good road score. I’m proud of what the team did tonight.” – Florida head coach Jenny Rowland
A 10.0 for Bridget Sloan tonight. Nice way to end the meet.
“What a way for Bridget to finish the meet. It was especially nice since so many friends and family made the trip from the Indianapolis area to be here to support her tonight. I know she hasn’t been happy with her last two meets, but there was never any doubt she would bounce back strong.” – Florida head coach Jenny Rowland
National Rank:
Florida – Florida is No. 2 in the Feb. 29 Road to Nationals<http://roadtonationals.com/results/standings.php#pages/national.php?nat=1&week=15> rankings.
Kentucky – Wildcats No. 23 in Feb. 29 rankings
UP NEXT:
The Gators finish 2016 regular-season action on Friday, March 11 with a dual meet versus North Carolina. Meet time is set for 6:45 p.m. ET in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center<http://www.oconnellcenter.ufl.edu/eventprofile.asp?eventid=2609>.
It is Florida Senior Day and the careers of Gators Bridgette Caquatto, Bianca Dancose-Giambattisto, Morgan Frazier and Bridget Sloan will be celebrated in a post-meet ceremony.