The No. 6 University of Florida gymnastics team (12-4, 5-1 SEC) turned in its season-best road score Sunday of 196.65 in front of Pauley Pavilion crowd of 5,088, but No. 4 and two-time defending national champion UCLA (10-3) was too strong on its Senior Day, posting the nation's season-high total of 197.85.
"I thought we had a phenomenal performance. We hit every single routine today," UF Head Coach Rhonda Faehn said. "I don't think the scores reflected how well we performed. We not only hit the routines, but we performed them well and stuck our landings on vault and bars. I'm extremely proud of our athletes. I feel like we had our best performance of the year and it came at the end of a two-meet road trip (UF took second in the Utah quad meet Friday). That bodes well for us because we want to advance to the NCAA Super Six and that means competing in consecutive days."
Florida was consistent on its opening event, the uneven bars, as three gymnasts led the team with marks of 9.825. Orley Szmuch, Ashley Reed and Samantha Lutz all turned in marks of 9.825 to tie for fourth overall as the Gators posted a bars total of 49.025. UCLA senior and 2000 Olympian Kristen Maloney won the uneven bars Sunday with her first 10.0 on the event. Florida was also consistent on its next event, turning in the third-highest vault total in school history of 49.475. Freshman Tiffany Murry matched her Florida season-best mark of 9.95 to take second overall behind UCLA's Tasha Schwikert's 9.975. Reed and Savannah Evans shared third overall with UCLA's Maloney and Jordan Schwikert at 9.90.
The Bruins held a two-tenths lead at the midway point of the meet, but the lead widened to .825 after UCLA turned in its 2005 best balance beam total of 49.575 while the Gators turned in a 48.975 on floor. Evans led UF on the floor with her mark of 9.875, while both Breanne King and Murry posted scores of 9.80. UCLA's Tasha Schwikert won the afternoon's competition with her second 10.0 floor mark of the season. Florida was solid on its final event, the balance beam, turning in a total of 49.175. King, whose parents flew down from North Vancouver, British Columbia, to surprise her, posted UF's top beam mark of 9.90 to take fourth overall. It was King's third consecutive 9.90 for beam and her fourth 9.90 or better score for the event this season. Evans, competing for the first time in the Gators' beam lineup, turned in a 9.875 to stand second among the Gators Sunday afternoon. UCLA's Maloney and Kate Richardson shared the beam title Sunday with marks of 9.975.
Maloney and Tasha Schwikert shared the day's all-around title as each turned in season-best totals of 39.825. Schwikert's younger sister, Jordan, was third at 39.50. King took fourth in the all-around for UF at 39.325 followed by Reed at 39.30.
Florida takes a weekend off from competition before playing host to Pittsburgh and Yale for the regular-season finale on Friday, March 18. The March 18 meet will be Senior Night and three Gators - Erinn Dooley, Kimberly Schatz and Orley Szmuch - will be honored in a pre-meet ceremony. Former Gator All-American Kristen Stucky will also be honored March 18. Competition begins at 7 p.m. in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center and tickets are $4.00 for adults, while children 17 & under plus UF students with ID are admitted free.
