NCAA Championships competition next for No. 1 Gator Gymnasts
Tuesday, April 16, 2013 | Gymnastics
The No. 1 seed Florida gymnastics team (15-2, 6-1 SEC) wants to bring back a golden souvenir from its West Coast trip this weekend. The Gators look to become the fifth team to claim the NCAA Championship at the 2013 competition which begins Friday in the New Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles.
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| NCAA Championships Meet Info: | ||||||||||
| No. 1 Florida (15-2, 6-1 SEC) at NCAA Championships Date & Time: April 19-21, 2013
Friday, April 19 Team Semifinal Semifinal I – 3 p.m. (ET) Florida, Georgia, Illinois, LSU, Minnesota, Stanford Semifinal II – 9 p.m. (ET) Alabama, Arkansas, UCLA, Michigan, Oklahoma, Utah Saturday, April 20 at 7 p.m. (ET) NCAA Super Six (team final) Sunday, April 21 at 4 p.m. (ET) Individual Event Finals Television: Meet airs tape-delayed on ESPNU April 30 at 8 p.m. ET | ||||||||||
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To move ahead to Saturday's Super Six final where the national team champion is determined, the Gators need to be among the top three teams in its semifinal session on Friday. Florida starts Semifinal I competition on the floor exercise. Start time for Semifinal I is set for 3 p.m. ET.
Florida has qualified for the NCAA Championships 31 times, missing only the 2000 event. The Gators advanced to the 2013 national stage by winning the Gainesville Regional, held April 6 in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. This is the third time Florida entered the NCAA Championships as No. 1, as UF was the top seed in 2012 and shared the No. 1 seed with Utah in 2007.
In the tightest NCAA Super Six between the top three teams in the meet's history, Florida was runner-up in 2012 at 197.775. Alabama claimed its second consecutive title at 197.85 and UCLA was third at 197.75. The runner-up finish equals UF's 1998 placing as the program's highest ever in NCAA competition. The NCAA Super Six format began in 1993 and Florida's advanced to the team final round 10 times. Seven of UF's NCAA Super Six appearances have come since Rhonda Faehn took over the Gator program for the 2003 season.
| NCAA Championships Field | |||||
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Seed |
School | Region Score |
RQS |
NQS |
Region Result |
| 1 | Florida | 198.400 | 197.840 | 396.240 | Gainesville champ |
| 2 | Oklahoma | 197.375 | 197.570 | 394.945 | Norman champ |
| 3 | Alabama | 197.400 | 197.415 | 394.815 | Tuscaloosa champ |
| 4 | Georgia | 197.425 | 197.260 | 394.685 | Corvallis champ |
| 5 | LSU | 197.275 | 197.180 | 394.455 | Columbus champ |
| 6 | UCLA | 196.950 | 197.200 | 394.150 | Columbus runner-up |
| 7 | Michigan | 196.725 | 197.235 | 393.960 | Morgantown champ |
| 8 | Minnesota | 197.100 | 196.615 | 393.715 | Gainesville runner-up |
| 9 | Stanford | 196.800 | 196.710 | 393.510 | Norman runner-up |
| 10 | Utah | 196.400 | 197.105 | 393.505 | Tuscaloosa runner-up |
| 11 | Arkansas | 196.950 | 196.435 | 393.385 | Corvallis runner-up |
| 12 | Illinois | 196.025 | 196.210 | 392.235 | Morgantown runner-up |
| Shading denotes teams in Florida's semifinal session (April 19 – Semifinal I) | |||||
Some notes about the Gators' 2013 season:
►Florida is the NCAA Championships' top-seed for the second consecutive year after winning the NCAA Gainesville Regional with the nation's leading regional total of 198.40. That total also ranks behind 1998 Georgia's 198.575 as the second-highest ever in NCAA Regional action.
►Of the nation's top eight team totals of 2013, five were turned in by the Gators in their last seven meets. Those totals include No. 1 198.425 (3-1-13), No. 2 198.40 (4-6-13), No. 5 198.10 (2-8-13), No. 6 (198.00 (3-23-13) and No. T7 197.875 (3-16-13).
►Twenty-nine times this season, a nation's gymnast has posted an all-around total of 39.65 or better. Twelve of those marks, or 41 percent, came from a Gator. Defending NCAA all-around champion sophomore Kytra Hunter has won half of her eight all-around competitions. Her winning totals rank No. 1 (39.80), No. 2 (39.775), No. T8 (39.70) and No. T12 (39.675) among the nation's gymnasts. She also posted a 39.65 which shares No. 19 nationally. Freshman Bridget Sloan's SEC winning total of 39.75 (which she has achieved twice in March) is No. T3. She also has totals ranking No. T8 (39.70) and No. T12 (39.675 2x). Seniors Ashan?e Dickerson and Marissa King share No. 19 (39.65) on the list.
►Florida returns five gymnasts with a total of 29 All-America honors. Hunter and Johnson were the only gymnasts in 2012 NCAA Championships' competition to earn the maximum of five All-America honors. Other returning All-Americans include Mackenzie Caquatto, Dickerson and King.
► Florida led all programs with five gymnasts earning a total of 13 honors on the first-ever National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches/Women (NACGC) All-America list. All-Americans are determined by their final RQS standings in the GymInfo rankings entering NCAA Regional competition. Florida's All-Americans include Mackenzie Caquatto (2 honors), Dickerson (2x), Hunter (4x), King (1x) and Sloan (4x).
