Erinn Dooley is Southeastern Conference Gymnast of the Week
Tuesday, March 2, 2004 | Gymnastics
University of Florida junior All-American Erinn Dooley (Gaithersburg, Md.) was named the Southeastern Conference Gymnast of the Week, the league office announced Tuesday. This is her first SEC Gymnast of the Week honor of her career and she is the second Gator to claim the award this season. Junior Orley Szmuch was named the SEC Gymnast of the Week on Jan. 20. In the five-year history of the award, a Gator has picked up the honor seven times. Former Gator All-Americans Chrissy Van Fleet (two times in 2000), Hilary Thompson (once in 2001), and Szmuch (one time in 2002, '03 and '04) also earned the award.
Dooley was awarded the SEC Gymnast of the Week after collecting three event titles in last weekend's two road competitions. Dooley claimed the second consecutive all-around title of her career at Kentucky on Feb.27 with a total of 39.45. She turned in the same total on Sunday, Feb. 29 at the Master's Classic in Lincoln, Neb., to take third. Dooley also shared first on the balance beam (9.925) and floor exercise (9.875) at the Master's Classic. Over the course of the weekend, Dooley also turned in four other top-three finishes. At Kentucky, Dooley was runner-up on both beam (9.90) and floor (9.875). She took third in both the Kentucky and Master's Classic uneven bars competition with identical marks of 9.875.
Dooley has finished among the top three all-arounders in each of her six all-around performances this season (two wins, three runner-ups, one third). In the March 1 national rankings, Dooley is No. 12 in the all-around (regional qualifying average = 39.425) and tied for eighth in the balance beam (RQS = 9.915). She has turned in the Gators' top 2004 scores for all-around (39.575), uneven bars (9.925), and floor (9.925). Dooley is second among the 2004 Gators with nine event titles.
Dooley and the rest of the No. 7 Gator gymnastics team play host to No. 9 Arizona on Friday, March 5 for Mardi Gras Madness. The first 500 fans receive alligator beads and feather masks. 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. Live, steaming video of the meet will also be available. For more information, click on the GatorVision Online button at www.gatorzone.com, the official website of the Florida Gators.
