No. 3 Florida Gymnasts Open Home Season Friday with Illinois-Chicago
Thursday, January 12, 2012 | Gymnastics
The home season opens for preseason No. 3 Florida gymnastics team (1-0) with a dual meet facing Illinois-Chicago (1-0) on Friday, Jan. 13. Meet time is set for 7 p.m. at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. The Gators are 43-8 in home openers and started the 2011 season with a 196.925-194.95 win in the O'Connell Center over preseason No. 10 Nebraska.
| Friday's Meet Info: | ||
| Preseason No. 3 seed Florida (1-0) versus Illinois-Chicago (1-0) Date & Time: Friday, Jan. 13 at 7 p.m. Television: meet airs tape-delayed on SUN Sports at 10:30 a.m. on Jan. 22 and re-airs 9:30 a.m. on Feb.5 Series Records (all-time): UF leads Illinois-Chicago 8-0. Last meeting, Florida defeated Illinois-Chicago 197.125-187.825 on Jan. 11, 2008 Internet: video stream available on GatorVision; live stats available on www.GatorZone.com Tickets: $4 for adults while children 17 & under and UF student with a Gator 1 card are admitted free. For more information, contact the Gator Ticket Office at 352-375-468 3 x6800 or visit the Gator Ticket Office on-line. Twitter: Follow the Gators' results at Friday's meet via GatorZoneGym
Promotions: Gator Gymnastics Autographs - the entire Gator team will sign team posters post meet; Florida Gators Facebook BOGO - A 2-of-1 general admission will be available for fans that visit the Florida Gators Facebook page; K-Country BOGO – A buy one, get one coupon for the meet available the K-Country website; SunTrust BOGO – SunTrust employees and customers can pick up buy one, get one free admission passes at all Gainesville SunTrust locations |
The 16-member Gator team will autograph posters post meet. Tickets for Friday's meet are $4.00 for adults, while children 17 and under and UF students with Gator1 cards are admitted free. Visit the Florida Gators Facebook page to get a 2-for-1 admission coupon.
Can't be at the O'Connell Center Friday? Watch a live video stream of the meet on GatorVision. Visit the GatorVision site for pricing information and to sign up for a subscription.
The Gators opened the program's 40th season with a 196.025-194.675 win at North Carolina State on Jan. 6. Four of the five meet's individual titles were picked up by a trio of Gators. Freshman Kytra Hunter began her collegiate career with wins in the all-around (39.30) and floor exercise (9.90). She becomes the fourth Gator freshmen in the last 25 seasons to win the all-around in the season opener. Hunter also was the only gymnast in the dual to earn a mark of 9.90 in any event. Sophomore All-American Alaina Johnson collected her sixth collegiate uneven bars win with a mark of 9.875. The balance beam title was shared by Gator junior All-Americans Ashan?e Dickerson and Marissa King along with NC State's Jess Panza at 9.825.
Illinois-Chicago also opened its season on the road last weekend, posting a 191.575-188.35 win at Northern Illinois. The Flames used their highest team total of the 2011 season to take a 195.10-193.575 win at Northern Illinois on March 1. Sophomore Cynthia Lemieux-Guillemette posted the Flames' top all-around total of 2011 (39.175). Illinois-Chicago took third in the 2011 Midwest Independent Conference Championships.
Friday will be the first home action for the Gators' five freshmen which tops the CollegeGymFans.com recruiting classes for the 2012 season. Hunter and Kiersten Wang trained with the Gators this fall. Hunter, a member of the 2009-10 and 2010-11 U.S. Senior National Teams, took fourth in all-around, balance beam and floor exercise in her last appearance at the Visa Championships in 2010. Wang took second on bars and seventh in all-around in 2011 Junior Olympic Level 10 – Senior D action. She also took eighth in the 2011 Nastia Liukin Supergirl Cup all-around.
Rachel Spicer signed a national letter of intent in November, but elected to graduate early to join UF for the spring semester. Spicer won the 2010 JO Level 10 Junior C all-around title and was third in the 2011 Supergirl all-around. Jamie Shisler and Brittany Arlington also joined the team in January. Shisler advanced to the 2011 JO Level 10 – Senior C championships and was third in 2011 USAG Florida Level 10 floor competition. Arlington was sixth in 2011 USAG Florida Level 10 all-around and advanced to the Region 8 Championships.
