Florida Gators

A perfect 10.0 by Gator red-shirt freshman Melanie Sinclair highlighted a total of 10 collegiate-best marks that were set or matched by members of the No. 1 University of Florida gymnastics team (10-0-1, 4-0-1 SEC) Friday evening in the win over No. 22 Kentucky (3-5, 0-5 SEC). Both teams turned in season-best totals Friday, as the Gators upped their top 2007 score to 197.875 and the Wildcats posted a 194.80. Florida's total of 197.875 also ranks as the third-highest in school history and the nation's second-highest this season.

The Gators showed strength throughout the lineups of each event, but there seemed to be a standout performance by an individual on each apparatus. Sinclair became the fourth Gator to earn a school-record 10.0 on the uneven bars and the first since Erin Pendleton scored the mark Jan. 31, 2003. Sinclair has been an exceptional on the event this season, as five of her seven marks rank among the Gators All-Time Top 20. She anchored the Gators bar lineup that earned a school-record team total of 49.70 on the event, breaking the record of 49.675 set Jan. 31, 2003. Sinclair had come close to a 10.0 before, receiving a 9.975 on the event to open the season at the Super Six Challenge.

“People have said to me that I could do it and you believe you can do it, but you never really believe it until you actually do it,” Sinclair said. “It was amazing. I never thought I would get a 10. I can't explain the feeling.”

Sinclair's record mark on the bars didn't surprise UF Head Coach Rhonda Faehn.

“It was really exciting,” Faehn said. “From the beginning of the year, I've said that every time Melanie gets on the bars that she is capable of scoring a ten. Tonight, it was great for her to be able to get that and to put that routine together.”

Junior Ashley Reed led a Gator sweep of the all-around, matching her season and Gator-season best total of 39.675. She leads UF this season with three all-around wins and has now won eight in her collegiate career. She also led UF on the vault, nailing her landing to score a collegiate- and Gator season-best 9.95 on the event. It was her fourth vault win of the season and the mark improved her previous collegiate-high of 9.925 set Feb. 2. Reed also used a collegiate-best 9.95 to take second in the uneven bars competition. She also shared second in the floor exercise with freshman Amanda Castillo at 9.925.

A pair of collegiate-best marks of 9.95 from sophomore Corey Hartung led the Gators on balance beam and floor exercise. Hartung had set her previous beam best of 9.925 Jan. 19 versus Alabama and her 9.95 floor mark is the third of her career. The wins ups her season totals to three beam titles and four floor crowns, including wins in the last three floor competitions. Hartung matched her collegiate-best uneven bars mark of 9.925 to share third overall with junior teammate Nicola Willis.

Sinclair matched her collegiate-best beam mark of 9.90 for the second consecutive week to take second. She was second in the all-around (39.440), while Castillo took third (39.375). Senior Breanne King was third on both vault (9.85) and beam (9.875) Friday.

Faehn sees the team improving as the season progresses, but likes that fact that Gators are never satisfied with their performance. The desire to do better makes Florida's scoring potential even higher.

“They have a different air about them. It's confidence that I haven't seen as much in the past and this year it just overflowing. That's not only with confidence, but also with desire and hunger to keep getting better and to do better each and every time we get out there,” Faehn said. “That's what is making them perform better, and tonight we did great but we are looking at everything thinking we can score somewhere around 198.300 or 198.200 if we put everything together all at once.”

Reed said the team is always looking to reduce its deductions.

“After each meet we go into the gym for the next week and practice really hard, and we try to work on those things we did get deductions on so that when we come back to the next meet we can improve and get higher scores,” Reed said.

Friday's event was Gators Link to Pink, a meet dedicated to raising breast cancer awareness. Both teams wore leotards with the breast cancer ribbon on the front and performed in front of a Stephen C. O'Connell Center crowd of 4,025 that was largely attired in pink. The Gators were welcomed to the competition floor by a tunnel formed by cancer survivors.

“It was great, and it was so wonderful to have some of the cancer survivors down on the floor by the tunnel when our athletes came out. To be able to meet them and to be involved on Wednesday at the Hope Lodge (housing for out-of-town patient undergoing cancer treatments) with the team serving the patients dinner was really special,” Faehn said. “If there is anything that we can do as a program, as a team and as a university to help this community or help anyone, I think it is wonderful because everyone supports us so much and everywhere we go everyone is supportive. It was really nice to host the event and let Gainesville experience it. Hopefully, each year it will build on that and become a part of our program.”

Next up, the Gators travel to Baton Rouge, La., to meet No. 12 Louisiana State (6-4, 2-1 SEC) on Friday, Feb. 23. Meet time is set for 8 p.m. ET in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.