Two-time defending NCAA champion Gators open home action Friday versus Auburn
Thursday, January 15, 2015 | Gymnastics
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 3 Florida gymnastics team makes its first home appearance of 2015 this Friday when it plays host to No. 21 Auburn. All Gator home meets will start at 6:45 p.m. in 2015 and will be held in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Friday's meet is the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams.
| Friday's Meet Info: | ||
| No. 3 Florida (1-0, 0-0 SEC) versus No. 21 Auburn (1-0, 0-0 SEC)
Date & Time: Friday, Jan. 16 at 6:45 p.m. ET Site: Stephen C. O'Connell Center (10,126); gates open at 5:30 p.m.
Television: meet airs live on SEC Network (Gainesville/Ocala Cox cable channel 68 or 1068) at 7 p.m.
Series Record (all-time): UF leads 66-11. Last meeting, Florida was second in the 2014 Southeastern Conference Championships (197.70) and Auburn was fifth (195.55)
Internet: live video stream available at SEC Network +; live stats available on GatorZone.com
Tickets: $5 for adults; children 17 & under and UF students with Gator1 card admitted free. Check the Florida Ticket Office site for more information.
Parking Shuttle: A complimentary parking shuttle transports fans from the UF Commuter Lot on Gale Lemerand Drive to the O'Connell Center. More information at GatorZone.com/Gameday
Meet Promotions:
Duffel Bag Giveaway - first 500 fans will receive a commemorative Back to Back National Champion Duffel Bag; Keytag & Poster Giveaway - first 1,000 fans receive schedule keytags & the 2015 Gymnastics Poster; UF Students - Free Pizza - first 150 UF students will receive free Domino's Pizza & UF students can sign-up to win prizes at the Rowdy Reptile table at Gate 3; Buy One Get One Free Admission - Santa Fe College faculty, staff, and students are invited to receive a buy-one get-one free admission to the gymnastics meet by purchasing tickets online using the promo code SAINTS; Buy One Get One Free Admission - UF Alumni Association members are invited to receive a buy-one get-one free admission to the gymnastics meet by purchasing tickets online using the promo code UFAA; Domino's Post-Meet Autographs - join the team after the game for post-meet autographs on the practice court located between gates 3 & 4. Visit the Gator Promotions page for all promotions for Friday's meet | ||
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| @UFCoachRhonda (Rhonda Faehn) | ||
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It is also the first weekend of live gymnastics action on the SEC Network, which launched in August of 2014. The two-time defending NCAA champion Florida versus Auburn dual is the SEC Network's debut for live gymnastics action, which will air 21 meets in 2015 – including 10 live events.
The first 500 fans Friday receive a commemorative Back-to-Back National Champion duffel bag. After Friday's meet, the entire Gator team will sign team posters.
Sunday in Gators' Season Opener:
Florida opened the 2015 season Sunday with a 196.925-193.70 win at Ball State. Junior All-American Bridget Sloan wowed the Irvin Gymnasium standing-room only crowd with her 10.0 vault mark. She is the nation's first to score a perfect mark and she has now earned the mark in three events – vault, balance beam and floor exercise. She and fellow junior All-American Bridgette Caquatto shared the uneven bars title at 9.95. Caquatto also collected her first floor win as a Gator at 9.925. Sloan did injure her right ankle on her final floor tumbling pass and could not finish the set.
Sophomore All-American Claire Boyce equaled her collegiate beam best of 9.925 to take her second career title on the event. Junior Bianca Dancose-Giambattisto took Sloan's spot in the beam lineup – her first appearance in Florida's beam lineup – responding with a collegiate-best 9.9 to take second. Senior All-American Kytra Hunter used a 39.475 – which stands as the nation's second-highest total of 2015 - to win her 13th career all-around title. She has won the season-opening all-around three times (2012, 2014 and 2015 - didn't compete all-around in 2013 opener).
Sloan SEC Specialist Gymnast of the Week – Sidelined with Ankle Sprain:
Sloan's perfect mark on vault did earn her the first SEC Specialist of the Week honor. She is the only Gator in the program's 43-year history to record a 10.0 in three different apparatus.
The three-time NCAA event champion will be sidelined with the severe ankle sprain she suffered at the Ball State meet. Depending on her recovery, it is possible Sloan could return late in the season.
Last Year:
Florida and Auburn also met for their SEC openers last year in Auburn, Ala., with the Gators taking a 197.075-196.225 win. Sloan won at least a share of four event titles at Auburn, which included winning the all-around at 39.70. Sloan shared her vault win when she matched her collegiate-high of 9.95. She and Hunter were among a three-way tie for first on floor exercise at 9.90 and Sloan also claimed the uneven bars win at 9.925. 2014 Gator senior Mackenzie Caquatto won bars at 9.95.
Auburn in their Season Opener:
Auburn was also on the road last weekend for its 2015 season opener. The Tigers rallied from a midpoint deficit last Friday to take a 194.150-193.750 win at North Carolina. Caitlin Atkinson won vault (9.875), shared the balance beam with teammate Lexus Demers (9.85) while Demers shared the floor exercise title with UNC's Morgan Lane (9.825).
National Rank:
Florida – Florida is No. 3 in the Jan. 12 GymInfo rankings. The current rankings are based on total season average.
Auburn – The Tigers are No. 21 in the GymInfo rankings.
Opening Home Action with SEC Action:
This is the 13th time since the SEC began sponsoring gymnastics for the 1981 season that the Gators have opened home action versus a league opponent. Auburn has been a part of the Gators' home opener three times (1982, 1984, 2015).
Gators Return Four All-Americans in 2015:
The Gators return four gymnasts in 2015 (Boyce, Caquatto, 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.
Gator Newcomers:
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.
