Florida Freshman Class is No. 1 by CollegeGymFan.com
Friday, January 6, 2012 | Gymnastics
The University of Florida's gymnastics freshmen class tops CollegeGymFans.com's list of the top 10 recruiting classes for the 2012 season.
| CollegeGymFans.com Top 10 Recruiting Classes | ||
| Rank | School | Number of Freshmen |
| 1. | Florida | 5 |
| 2. | Alabama | 4 |
| 3. | UCLA | 6 |
| 4. | Utah | 5 |
| 5. | Stanford | 5 |
| 6. | LSU | 4 |
| 7. | Georgia | 5 |
| 8. | Michigan | 8 |
| 9. | Nebraska | 5 |
| 10. | Auburn | 6 |
Florida's five-member freshman class includes a pair with elite experience. Kytra Hunter was a member of the 2009-10 and 2010-11 U.S. Senior National Teams, taking fourth in all-around, balance beam and floor exercise in her last appearance at the Visa Championships in 2010. Kiersten Wang qualified for senior international elite level in 2009. She 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.
A trio of newcomers joined the team in January. Rachel Spicer signed a national letter of intent in November, but elected to graduate early to enroll at 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. She's been a member of the last four JO National teams. 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.
The Gators' recruiting class will get their first exposure to collegiate competition tonight when preseason No. 3 Florida meets North Carolina State in Raleigh, N.C. Meet time is set for 7 p.m. (ET) in the Reynolds Coliseum. A video stream is available on Wolfpack AllAcess or follow the scores of the Gators Friday by following the team's Twitter feed meet via GatorZoneGym.
Home action opens on Friday, Jan. 13 at 7 p.m. when Illinois-Chicago visits the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Tickets are $4.00 for adults, while children 17 and under and UF students with Gator1 cards are admitted free.
Season tickets for the 2012 Gator Gymnastics campaign are available for the low price of $16.00. Find more information at the Gator Ticket Office link or by calling the Gator Ticket Office at 1-800-34-GATOR from 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
