Never before has the young Florida gymnastics team had more fun. In front of 9,198 fans, the third largest crowd to witness a gymnastics competition at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center, the fourth-ranked Gators turned in a decisive 196.725-195.050 victory over No. 14 Louisiana State in the fourth annual Gators Link to Pink, an initiative of the Southeastern Conference to support breast cancer awareness and research.
Wearing pink and black uniforms, Florida got off to a fast start, building a .825-point lead after the first two events, the vault and the bars. That confidence soared after the Gators defeated the Tigers on the beam, the discipline in which they have struggled this season. On the floor, the Gators didn’t record a score lower than 9.85, and the crowd was cheering, “10! 10! 10!” after each of the last two performances. It was the first time this season that Florida (3-1 overall, 3-0 SEC) has swept all four events.
“We were just having so much fun, and the girls were just performing so well and feeding so well off of one another,” Florida coach Rhonda Faehn said. “There was nobody else there, in our heads. It was nice.”
The 196.725 points were the highest this season for the Gators. Florida gymnasts were the top scores in three out of the four events, including the three top scores in the floor competition.
Uncertainty surrounded the team before the season because of upperclassmen injuries and young starters, but a performance like this puts to rest some of the doubts about Faehn’s team.
Still, she said, there is a lot to work on. The beam has been an area in which Florida has struggled this season, and Faehn wasn’t happy with the top score of 9.825 in this meet.
“It is nice to see that they are continually making the improvements,” Faehn said. “We ask each week, Okay, this is what we want to see. They keep growing, they keep getting better, and they still know … Look, if you look at them individually, they’re going home tonight and thinking about what they did well but how they could have done better. That’s what’s amazing about this really young team. They are maturing.”
Facing one of the nation’s top-ranked all-around performer, LSU’s Susan Jackson, Florida freshman Ashanee Dickerson, ranked No. 2, had her stiffest competition to date. Although she fell short of the all-around victory, finishing .075 points behind Jackson, Dickerson felt good about her performance.
“I did well today,” Dickerson said. “It was a great matchup. You win some, and you lose some.”
The crowd was a huge factor for Dickerson, who is shy in person, but stunning during competition. Her biggest crowd during high school competitions in Jacksonville, she said, was close to 300 people.
“I like being in front of a big crowd,” she said. “I feed off of them.”
Redshirt senior Maranda Smith, a three-time All-American and the veteran on the young team, tied for first in the floor competition with Dickerson.
“The perfect word would be fun. From the second we walked out during warmups, our team was just full of life and energy,” Smith said. “We work hard in the gym all the time, and it seems like when we have more fun, everything goes better. It was just a really fun night, and we definitely want to see that many people there again—especially at nationals.” The NCAA Championships will be held April 22-24 in Gainesville.
“We just wanted to prove to ourselves and to everyone that we are a great team,” Smith said. “We could definitely win nationals.”
The proof is in the results.
No. 4 FLORIDA 196.725, No. 14 LOUISIANA STATE 195.050
At Stephen C. O’Connell Center, Gainesville, Fla.
Vault: 1. Susan Jackson (LSU) 9.950; 2. Ashanee Dickerson (F) 9.925; 3. Nicole Ellis (F) 9.900; 4. Maranda Smith (F) 9.850; 5. Ashley Lee (LSU) and Gloria Johnson (LSU) 9.800.
Bars: 1. Alicia Goodwin (F) 9.925; 2. Susan Jackson (LSU) and Amanda Castillo (F) 9.875; 4. Maranda Smith (F) 9.850; 5. Ashanee Dickerson (F) 9.825; 6. Summer Hubbard (LSU) and Marissa King (F) 9.800.
Beam: 1. Susan Jackson (LSU) and Liz Green (F) 9.825; 3. Samantha Engle (LSU), Marissa King (F) and Ashanee Dickerson (F) 9.775; 6. Shelby Prunty (LSU) 9.750.
Floor: 1. Maranda Smith (F) and Ashanee Dickerson (F) 9.925; 3. Amy Ferguson (F) 9.900; 4. Susan Jackson (LSU) 9.875; 5. Marissa King (F) 9.850; 6. Samantha Engle (LSU) 9.825.
All-around: 1. Susan Jackson (LSU) 39.525; 2. Ashanee Dickerson (F) 39.450; 3. Marissa King (F) 39.200; 4. Sabrina Franfeschelli (LSU) 38.700; 5. Summer Hubbard (LSU) 38.150.
Next meet: Florida and George Washington at North Carolina State, Friday, Feb. 5 at 7 p.m.