Defending NCAA gymnastics champion Florida opens at Ball State
Saturday, January 10, 2015 | Gymnastics
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 1 preseason Florida gymnastics team opens the program's 43rd season with a road meet at Ball State. Meet time is set for 1 p.m. ET in the Irving Gym of the Jo Ann Gora Student Recreation and Wellness Center.
| Sunday's Meet Info: | |
| No. 1 Florida (0-0, 0-0 SEC) at Ball State (0-0, 0-0 MAC) Date & Time: Sunday, Jan. 11 at 1 p.m. ET | |
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| @UFCoachRhonda (Rhonda Faehn) | |
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It is the second consecutive season the Gators open with a road meet as Florida makes its first appearance in the state of Indiana. Since 1980, Florida has opened the season on the road 11 times and owns a road-season opening record of 19-16 in that span. That includes a 196.65-196.625 win then No. 4 UCLA for the 2014 opener in Los Angeles.
Last Year:
Florida shared its second consecutive NCAA Championship with Oklahoma, as each team turned in a NCAA Super Six record total of 198.175. It was the first tie for a team title in any sport in the 33-year history of NCAA Championships for women. In the final rotation, the Gators moved from third to a tie for first after turning in their second-highest floor exercise event total ever in NCAA competition (49.625). The NCAA Championships was the only meet of 2014 that a Gator didn't win the all-around, as then senior Alaina Johnson was edged by the slenderest of margins – 0.025 – for the win in NCAA semifinal competition. Bridget Sloan became the Gators' leader for NCAA event titles when she won the uneven bars to up her career total to three.
About the Cardinals:
Ball State was 2-13 in 2014 and took fifth in the Mid-Atlantic Conference Championship. The Cardinals return 17 in 2015, including junior Denashia Christian who led Ball State with nine event titles last season. She turned in the Cardinals' 2014 high marks for vault (9.85) and floor exercise (9.925).
Preseason National Rank:
Florida – Florida is No. 1 in the GymInfo preseason poll. It is the second consecutive and second time since the first release of a preseason poll in 1992 that the Gators top the list. Florida has appeared among the preseason top four teams each of the last nine years (2007: 3rd; 2008: 2nd; 2009: 3rd; 2010: 4th; 2011: 3rd; 2012: 3rd, 2013: 3rd; 2014: 1st)
Home for Bridget Sloan:
Indiana is the home state for Gator junior All-American Bridget Sloan. Sloan trained at Sharp's Gymnastics Academy in Indianapolis, Indiana. During her International Elite career, Sloan won the 2009 World Championships' all-around title. She is the only World Championships' all-around winner to compete as a collegiate. Sloan was the youngest member of the U.S.'s 2008 silver-medal Olympic team. She was a part of six U.S. Senior National Teams and represented the U.S. National Team in 15 international competitions.
At Florida, Sloan has won 17 all-around titles, including taking the 2013 NCAA and the last two Southeastern Conference wins. She shares UF's records for all-around (39.825), balance beam (10.0) and floor exercise (10.0). In addition to the 2013 NCAA all-around title, Sloan also has claimed the 2013 NCAA balance beam and 2014 uneven bars crowns.
Gators Return Four All-Americans in 2015:
The Gators return four gymnasts in 2015 (Claire Boyce, Bridgette Caquatto, Kytra Hunter and Sloan) who own a total of 20 All-America honors. The Gators won the NCAA University Park and NCAA Championship team titles last year. In 2015, Florida returns 17 of 24 routines it competed in the 2014 NCAA Championships.
Top-ranked Freshman Class for Florida :
The Gators' 13-member roster includes four freshmen. Both Kennedy Baker (2013-14, 2012-13) and Grace McLaughlin (2011-12) are former U.S. Senior National Team members. Ericha Fassbender was a former U.S. Junior National Team member. She and fellow freshman Alex McMurtry competed at the 2014 Level 10 Junior Olympic National Championships. Fassbender was fourth in both Senior C vault and floor exercise. McMurtry is a seven-time Level 10 J.O. event champion, which includes winning the 2014 Senior B vault. She also was the 2013 Nastia Liukin Supergirl Cup Senior all-around champion. This class ranks No. 1 on the 2014-15 CollegeGymFans.com Top Recruiting Classes list – Florida's fifth No. 1 class of the last six seasons.
