NASHVILLE, Tenn. – In perhaps their guttiest performance of the season to date, the injury-plagued No. 6 Florida gymnastic team pulled out a surprising third-place finish at the 29th Southeastern Conference Championships in the Sommet Center.
With Alabama’s stunning defeat of top-ranked Georgia for the overall title claiming the top headlines, the inspiring performance of coach Rhonda Faehn’s Gators wasn’t exactly knocked off the front page. With five of its 12 team members sidelined, Florida still managed to finish at 196.75, trailing only the Crimson Tide’s 197.30 and the 196.925 recorded by the Lady Bulldogs, who couldn’t overcome falls on the balance beam by their first two performers. LSU (196.55), Auburn (196.35), Arkansas (195.65) and Kentucky (195.10) followed the top three.
“I told the team that as a coaching staff this is the proudest we’ve ever been of any team we’ve ever coached,” Faehn said. “They just put everything out there. They showed so much heart and so much fight. After so many injuries, everyone was counting us out and had no expectations. But the team competed with such passion – it was just awesome, just absolutely phenomenal.”
Despite losing junior All-American Amanda Castillo, the two-time SEC floor exercise champion, with a partial Achilles tendon tear and sophomore Alicia Goodwin with a sprained knee in the last week, the Gators rallied with the help of senior All-American Corey Hartung.
“We are short some athletes on some of the events, but everyone supported each other,” Faehn added. “I don’t even have the words to describe how happy I am for the fight and desire this team showed. Those injuries would have devastated any other team but not this team. They are not giving up.”
Hartung, who was held out of the last two meets and was limited to just bars and beam in the Feb. 28 dual at Georgia due to a third-degree strain of her left soleus muscle, led Florida in the all-around with a total of 39.50, her best total of the year. She finished fourth and junior All-American Melanie Sinclair was fifth at 39.45.
“I am so happy for Corey. Her performance tonight just showed her passion and her fight,” Faehn said. “She willed herself to do as well as she did despite the limited training she had.”
Florida opened competition on the vault and posted a solid 49.20 team total. Hartung, performing her first vault since the Feb. 20 dual versus Alabama, led Florida with a season-best mark of 9.90, which tied for third overall. Florida also received vault marks of 9.85 from Sinclair and junior Maranda Smith.
Florida’s uneven bars lineup consisted of only five gymnasts, so clean routines were vital and each Gator came through. Sinclair and Hartung each posted scores of 9.95 to share second place as Florida turned in a 49.375 in the event – its highest in seven meets.
The Gators were cautious on the balance beam, finishing with a 48.825 team score. Sinclair and junior Courtney Gladys led the Gators with marks of 9.80 to tie for seventh overall. Freshman Elizabeth Mahlich earned a 9.775.
Then in the floor exercise, Florida had its second-best effort (49.35) of the season. Four Gators had scores of 9.85 or higher, with Hartung leading with her 9.925 effort, which was good for fourth. Smith was sixth at 9.90, while Sinclair and freshman Amy Ferguson finished with marks of 9.85.
Olympian Courtney Kupets of Georgia, a senior, won the all-around title at 39.775 to garner 2009 SEC Gymnast of the Year honors. Kupets earned at least a share of each of the event titles. She won the uneven bars (9.975), shared the vault with Alabama’s Morgan Dennis (9.95) and shared the beam title at 9.90 with LSU’s Susan Jackson and Arkansas’ Casey Jo Magee. Kupets, Dennis and LSU’s Ashleigh Clare-Kearney shared the floor title at 9.95.
Florida finds out Monday its destination for one of the six NCAA Regional sites on April 4. The top two teams in each regional make up the field for the NCAA Championships at the University of Nebraska April 16-18.