Gymnasts Meet UK for Gators Link to Pink Meet
Thursday, January 29, 2009 | Gymnastics
The No. 5 University of Florida gymnastics team (2-1, 1-1 SEC) plays host to Kentucky (1-2, 0-2 SEC) on Friday, Jan. 30 for the Third Annual Gators Link to Pink competition. School colors will be set aside for Friday's meet as both teams will wear pink (but different shades) in the meet that is dedicated to raising breast cancer awareness. This meet is part of a Southeastern Conference-wide initiative. This is the fourth breast cancer awareness competition that Florida has appeared in (2006 at Alabama, 2007 at Georgia, 2007 versus Kentucky; 2008 versus LSU).
All fans are encouraged to wear pink to show their support in the fight against breast cancer. The first 1,000 fans receive a pink t-shirt courtesy of SUN Sports. Free admission coupons for Friday's meets are being distributed per video rentals at participating Blockbuster Stores.
| Friday's Meet Info |
| Meet: Gators Link to Pink featuring No. 5 Florida (2-1, 1-1 SEC) versus Kentucky (1- 2, 0-2 SEC) Date: Friday, Jan. 30 @ 7 p.m. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Television: meet airs tape-delayed on SUN Sports Sunday, Feb. 8 at 12:30 p.m. GatorVision: live, streaming video of the meet is available on GatorVision. More information available at www.GatorZone.com WWW: live scoring available at http://www.gatorzone.com. Series Records (all-time): UF leads Kentucky 63-1 - last meeting, UF defeated UK 197.325-194.025 (3-29-08/SEC Championships) Tickets: $4.00 for adults; free for children 17 & under and UF student with identification Meet Promotions:
For a complete list of promotions for Friday's meet, please visit the Gator Outlook. |
In the current rankings, the Gators lead the nation with three listed among the nation's top 25 all-arounders - Melanie Sinclair (No. T6), Elizabeth Mahlich (No. 9) and Corey Hartung (No. 21). The Gators also have at least one gymnast among the top 10 in each apparatus. Junior Maranda Smith is No. T5 on vault and No. 3 on floor while Sinclair is No. 3 on the uneven bars. Junior Courtney Gladys is No. T8 on the balance beam and Hartung is the nation's No. 2 floor performer.
Last week, Florida saw its 0.575 lead evaporate on the final rotation when its final three balance beam performers fell at No. 8 Arkansas. The Gators lost 196.375-195.425 to Arkansas – its first loss in the 19 all-time meetings between the two teams. Mahlich turned in the third-highest total for a Gator making their all-around premiere in school history, as she took third overall at 39.325. Sinclair collected her third consecutive uneven bars title of the season with her mark of 9.90.
Kentucky is 1-2 and has opened SEC action 0-2. The Wildcats opened the 2009 season with a 191.100-187.15 home win versus Utah State. UK began its SEC slate with a 195.825-194.075 loss at then No. 6 Alabama on Jan. 16 and dropped a 196.575-195.225 home decision to No. 11 LSU last Friday. Last year, the GymKats took seventh in the SEC Championships. Junior Hillary Ferguson has twice turned in the Wildcat's season-high all-around total (39.275), including using that total to take third overall in the UK-LSU dual.
Florida and Kentucky last met in the 2008 SEC Championships. The Gators shared second with Alabama at 197.325 behind Georgia's winning total of 197.35. Kentucky was seventh in the SEC Championships at 194.025.
Tickets are $4.00 for adults, while children 17 and under plus UF students with identification are admitted free. Live, streaming video can be seen at www.GatorZone.com – just click on the GatorVision icon for more information. Kylee Small and Jared Spears will cover the action Friday. The meet will air tape-delayed on SUN Sports on Sunday, Feb. 8 at 12:30 p.m.
