Florida Gators
West Virginia Invitational
#8 Gymnasts Use a 197.125 to Win at WVU
Sunday, March 16, 2003 | Gymnastics
The No. 8 University of Florida gymnastics team (22-3, 5-1 SEC) matched the second-highest total in school history to win the five-meet competition Sunday afternoon in front of a WVU Coliseum crowd of 773. Florida won the meet with a 197.125 – matching the second-highest total in school history that was set Feb. 21 vs. Alabama. West Virginia was second at 195.075, followed by New Hampshire (193.925), Yale (191.50) and Cornell (189.725).
The Gators picked up scoring steam as the meet progressed, turning in their top event total of the season on vault and the second-highest floor total of 2003. Sunday's competition was the first five-team competition for the Gators since the 1993 SunBank Senior Night.
"I think the athletes did a phenomenal job. They definitely picked up more energy after the bars. Before we went to beam, Randy (Lane, UF assistant coach) asked the athletes to take it to another level. I think they did an awesome job on beam as well," UF Head Coach Rhonda Faehn said. "But definitely our performances on floor and vault were the best overall we've had on those events this season. We stuck our landings on vault and that really showed up in the scores. It was great to see this performance, especially considering this was our second competition of the weekend."
Senior Lindsey Miner led the Gators Sunday, posting Florida's season-best total of 39.65 to win her second collegiate all-around title. That total also matches the third-highest all-around total in school history. Sophomore Erinn Dooley was second in the all-around at 39.175 and senior Jenny Carow shared third with WVU's Jessica Bartgis at 39.175.
"She just did an amazing job. Lindsey just keeps getting better and stronger and more confident as the season goes on. She just really shined today," Faehn said.
"That's a shock!" Miner said after hearing her all-around total. "That's really exciting. The whole team was prepared for this meet. It was a mentally tough meet and we pushed through it. Every time the team does well, it always helps me individually.
"Bars was a little bit rough for us, but we had some people fight for their scores and I think that got us motivated," she continued. "We got more aggressive and more confident and I think that really helped get things going for us."
Uneven bars was the opening event for the Gators, as they turned in a 49.125. Miner equaled her collegiate-best bars mark of 9.875, sharing UF's top mark Sunday with juniors Kristen Stucky and Erin Pendleton. They shared the afternoon's event title with West Virginia's Jessica Bartgis.
On balance beam, Dooley led UF on the event for the second consecutive meet when she matched her collegiate-best mark of 9.925, also for the second straight meet. She shared the event title with WVU's Dinorh Boyd. Every mark that was used for UF's team score was a 9.80 or better. Miner posted a mark of 9.875 to take third overall. Carow also turned in a 9.85 and Orley Szmuch and Stucky each had marks of 9.80.
Florida turned in a strong floor exercise performance Sunday, tallying the team's second-highest total for the event this season at 49.425. The first four competitors for the Gators each posted floor marks of 9.85 – Carow, Dooley, Kimberly Schatz and Amanda Stroud. Miner led UF on the event with a 9.95 - her ninth floor score of the season that was 9.90 or better. Szmuch also posted a 9.925 to finish out the Gators' floor set. Miner was second in the final floor standings, while Szmuch was third overall. WVU senior TeShawne Jackson won the day's floor title with a 10.0.
A season-best team total of 49.325 was turned in by the Gators for the vault. Three Gators turned in season-bests on the event – Miner and Szmuch at 9.95 and sophomore Kimberly Schatz at 9.85. Miner and Szmuch shared the day's vault title with UNH's Amanda Hall and Tara Phillips.
The Gators return home to play host to perennial national power No. 7 Utah (6-4) for Senior Night on Friday, March 21. Meet time is set for 7:00 p.m. in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Tickets are $4.00 for adults while children 17 & under plus UF students with ID are admitted free. Gator gymnastics fans can get flyers offering 2-for-1 admission on Papa John's pizza boxtops March 18-20. Also, the first 500 fans for Friday's meet receive Gator gymnastics velour pouches.
Team Totals
| Vault | Bars | Beam | Floor | rank | Total | ||
| Florida | 49.325 | 49.125 | 49.250 | 49.425 | 1 | 197.125 | |
| WVU | 49.175 | 48.625 | 48.525 | 48.750 | 2 | 195.075 | |
| UNH | 49.250 | 48.775 | 47.275 | 48.625 | 3 | 193.925 | |
| Yale | 47.675 | 47.150 | 47.800 | 48.875 | 4 | 191.500 | |
| Cornell | 47.175 | 47.425 | 46.775 | 48.350 | 5 | 189.725 | |
