No. 8 Gator Gymnasts Face No. T-1 Arkansas, No. 24 Maryland & Bridgeport Friday in O'Connell Center
Wednesday, January 25, 2012 | Gymnastics
The No. 8 Florida gymnastics team (3-0, 1-0 SEC) puts its 18-home dual meet win streak up against the nation's top-ranked team Friday, Jan. 27 when the Gators play host to a quad meet. Friday's competition includes No. T-1 Arkansas (6-0, 2-0 SEC), No. 24 Maryland (3-2) and Bridgeport (2-1). Meet time is set for 7 p.m. at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
| Friday's Meet Info: |
| No. 8 Florida (3-0, 1-0 SEC) versus No. T-1 Arkansas (6-0, 2-0 SEC), No. 24 Maryland (3-2) and Bridgeport (2-1) Date & Time: Friday, Jan. 27 at 7 p.m. Television: meet airs tape-delayed on ESPNU Thursday, Feb. 2 at 6:30 p.m. (Gainesville/Ocala channel 251) Series Records (all-time): UF leads Arkansas 24-3 in all meetings. Last meeting, Arkansas won the NCAA North Central Regional at 196.55 and Florida was runner-up at 196.425. UF leads Maryland 16-0 in all meetings. Last meeting, Florida was runner-up in the 2003 NCAA Southeast Regional at 194.95 while Maryland was fourth at 193.825. First meeting between Florida and Bridgeport. 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: Gatorade Tumbler - The first 750 fans Friday receive a free reusable tumbler courtesy of Gatorade. Gainesville Sun 2-for-1 ad - Look for the advertisement in the Jan. 25 Gainesville Sun for a buy one, get one free general admission coupon; Junior Cheerleading Youth Clinic – Kids 8th grade and under can sign-up for the Junior Cheerleading Youth Clinic from 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. All attendees will perform prior to the start of the gymnastics meet. For more details and cost information, contact the Gator Spirit Office at candir@gators.ufl.edu; UF Alumni Night - UF Alumni Association members with valid I.D. receive buy one, get one free general admission (regular-priced tickets are $4); City of Gainesville & Chamber Night - City of Gainesville Employees and Gainesville Chamber of Commerce members can contact the UAA Marketing Office at 352-375-4683 x. 6600 for buy one, get one free general admission passes. Visit the meet's promotions page to see a complete list of promotions/activities for Friday's meet. |
The first 750 fans Friday receive a free reusable tumbler courtesy of Gatorade. In honor of Glee? night, fans will have the opportunity to hear songs from the hit television show and enjoy a performance from the UF Men's Glee Club. Look for the advertisement in the Jan. 25 Gainesville Sun for a buy one, get one free general admission coupon. Tickets for Friday's meet are $4 for adults while children 17 and under and UF students with Gator 1 cards are admitted free.
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.
In last Friday's Southeastern Conference opener at Kentucky, the Gators swept the top three individual spots in each of the five events, as No. 8 Gators posted a season-best 196.275 to take the win over UK's 194.075. Kytra Hunter's performance at Kentucky earned her the current SEC Freshman of the Week honor. She picked up at least of share of four event titles at Kentucky, including collecting her third consecutive all-around title with a collegiate-best total of 39.475. She joins teammate Ashan?e Dickerson (2010) as the only Gators since 1987 to open their collegiate careers by claiming the season's first three all-around titles. Hunter also used collegiate-best marks to take three other event wins – vault (9.925) and balance beam (9.85). She shared the evening's uneven bars win at 9.875 with junior All-American Marissa King. King also shared the evening's floor exercise title with junior All-American Ashan?e Dickerson at 9.85.
Arkansas brings its highest ranking ever in the program's 10-year history into Friday's quad meet. Arkansas has opened the season with three of the nation's top 11 scores of 2012, including the fifth-highest total of 197.225 set in front of a Barnhill Arena record crowd of 5,537 last Friday versus then No. 25 LSU. That total also is a Razorback school record. Sophomore All-American Katherine Grable set the Arkansas all-around record of 39.725 in the meet after using a pair of 9.95 marks to share the floor and vault titles. She also anchored the beam lineup with a winning mark of 9.925. Her performance earned her the SEC Gymnast of the Week honor. Senior Jaime Pisani used 9.95 marks to share the floor title and claim the bars win. Last season, the Razorbacks posted a pair of wins over Florida, handing then No. 1 Florida its first loss of 2011 in Fayetteville, Ark., (196.70-196.10) on Feb. 25 and winning the NCAA North Central Regional (196.55-196.425) in Denver, Colo., on April 2.
Maryland comes into Friday's meet after using a 193.95 to take the tri-meet title last Friday in home action over Bridgeport (192.60) and Alaska Anchorage (185.90). The Terps posted their top total of the season (194.225) to take third in the West Virginia triangular on Jan. 8. Junior Ally Krikorian used her career-best and the Terps' season-high total of 38.80 to take second in the all-around title last Friday. Maryland's assistant coach is Gator Great Erinn Dooley, who picked up seven All-America honors during her Florida career from 2002-05.
The Bridgeport Purple Knights also competed in the Maryland triangular last Friday, finishing second with a season-best 192.60. Junior Monica Mesalles Sallares won the meet's all-around title with a season- and Purple Knight 2012 best of 38.95. Bridgeport won its third consecutive USA Gymnastics Collegiate Team National Championship last April and Mesalles Sallares was runner-up in the USAG Collegiate all-around. This is the first meeting between Florida and Bridgeport.
