Florida Gators
Super 6 Challenge
Gator Gymnasts Second at the Super Six Challenge
Saturday, January 10, 2004 | Gymnastics
The No. 7 University of Florida gymnasts (4-1) took second overall at the fifth-annual Super Six Challenge, held Friday in front of a Coleman Coliseum crowd of 9,817. The finish is the highest ever for the Gators in the prestigious regular-season competition. ESPN2 will air the meet tape-delayed on Sunday, Jan. 11 at 6:00 p.m.
Alabama won the meet with a 196.725, while the Gators turned in a 195.95 – the second-highest opening score ever for UF. Georgia was third at 195.55, followed by Oklahoma (195.275), Oregon State (193.85) and Denver (193.60). The Gators' finish marked the first win over perennial power Georgia since the 1997 NCAA Southeast Regionals and first regular-season victory over the GymDogs since the 1990 campaign.
Florida gained momentum as the meet progressed, as UF moved from fourth to second during the meet's final two events.
"I'm pleased with how we did. We knew coming that 12 of our 24 routines were going to be brand-new routines. With that, there is always a bit of a question how it is going to turn out," UF Head Coach Rhonda Faehn said. "Our first four performers of the meet were freshmen and I thought they did a phenomenal job. This is a daunting atmosphere for your first collegiate competition with almost 10,000 fans. We did have a few mistakes on floor that we had to count, but we showed much improvement on vault. We came off of bye to turn in two strong scores on bars and beam, which showed the depth and mental strength of this team.
"There are several performances that stand out, but I would have to mention our final four competitors on the balance beam – Breanne King, Erin Pendleton, Erinn Dooley and Kristen Stucky," she continued. "They were aggressive and hit their routines – which was vital after we had a miss. I also was happy with Breanne (King). To hit like she did as a freshman and to take third in the all-around was impressive. She carried herself so well out there tonight and established herself as one of the league's top freshmen this season."
The Gators came off a first-rotation bye to open the meet on floor exercise. The Gators were led by junior Erinn Dooley's 9.825 and freshman Breanne King's 9.80. Florida then moved to the vault, where the team turned in a 48.775. Junior Orley Szmuch turned in Florida's top vault mark of 9.85, while King started off the Gators with a 9.775.
The Gators scoring started to heat up in the fifth rotation, as UF turned in the evening's second-highest uneven bars team total of 49.075. Junior Kristen Stucky led UF with a mark of 9.875, which tied for fifth overall. Szmuch also posted a 9.85, which tied for seventh.
Florida outscored all team on the balance beam with its total of 49.45 – a total that was almost four-tenths higher than the next highest beam total of the evening. Five Gators finished among the evening's top six beam performers, as UF used no score lower than 9.85 toward its beam total. Stucky won the beam title with a meet-record beam mark of 9.95, bettering the previous Super Six record of 9.925 set by Alabama's Jeana Rice at the 2003 meet. Dooley matched her collegiate-best of 9.925 to share second overall. Szmuch started the Gators' beam set with a 9.875, which tied for fourth overall. Senior Erin Pendleton and King shared sixth at 9.85.
Two Gators finished among the evening's top three all-arounders. Szmuch took second at 39.275, while King was third at 39.225. Oklahoma's Brittney Koncak won the meet's all-around title with a 39.40.
Other event winners Friday included Alabama's Jeana Rice and Ashley Miles sharing the vault title with Georgia's Chelsa Byrd at 9.925. Miles and Rice also shared first on floor with identical marks of 9.95. OU's Kasie Tamayo won the bars with a 9.925.
"It was amazing (the atmosphere tonight)," King said. "I've never had so much fun and I'm so excited for the rest of the year. Our team is amazing – it can only get better. I was a bit nervous before the meet, but once I was out there I had fun with it and the team support was so good. Our slow start just motivated us as the meet progressed. We were saying that after beam we all had chills because we did so well and brought ourselves up the standings.
"I am so looking forward to competing at home next Friday," she continued. "I saw how loud it was when Alabama was competing and upperclassmen were saying how it would be the same for us next week at home. I can't wait. I am ready to compete right now – let's go!"
Up next, the Gators play host to No. 10 Louisiana State University for their home opener on Friday, Jan. 16. 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 and under plus UF students with ID are admitted free.
| No. 7 Florida the Super Six Challenge | ||||||
| Coleman Coliseum (9,817) – Tuscaloosa, Ala. – Jan. 9, 2004 | ||||||
| Vault | Bars | Beam | Floor | rank | Total | |
| Alabama | 49.375 | 48.725 | 49.025 | 49.600 | 1 | 196.725 |
| Florida | 48.775 | 49.075 | 49.450 | 48.650 | 2 | 195.950 |
| Georgia | 49.025 | 49.075 | 48.075 | 49.375 | 3 | 195.550 |
| Oklahoma | 48.675 | 49.225 | 48.450 | 48.925 | 4 | 195.275 |
| Oregon State | 48.30 | 48.225 | 49.075 | 48.175 | 5 | 193.775 |
| Denver | 48.650 | 47.775 | 48.225 | 48.950 | 6 | 193.600 |
