Florida gymnastics at No. 7 Alabama Friday
Thursday, January 22, 2015 | Gymnastics
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Teams that have taken home NCAA Gymnastics Championships in each of the last four seasons – Florida and Alabama – meet Friday in the University of Alabama's Coleman Coliseum. Two-time defending NCAA champion Florida is at Alabama for the second 2015 Southeastern Conference competition for both teams.
| Friday's Meet Info: | |
| No. T-1 Florida (2-0, 1-0 SEC) at No. 7 Alabama (1-1, 0-1 SEC) Date & Time: Friday, Jan. 23 at 7:30 p.m. ET Site: Coleman Coliseum (15,075) Television: live on SEC Network (Gainesville/Ocala Cox cable 68 or 1068) at 8 p.m. ET. Melissa Lee and Courtney Kupets will call the action and Suri Serano will be sideline reporter. Series Record (all-time): UA leads 69-37-2. Last meeting, Florida tied for the NCAA title at 198.175 and Alabama finished fourth at 197.55 Video Stream: live video stream available at SEC Network + Internet: live stats available on GatorZone.com Tickets: $10 for adults; $5 for youth. More information available at the Alabama Ticket site.
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| @UFCoachRhonda (Rhonda Faehn) | |
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Friday's competition is the 43rd consecutive meeting between the two programs (dating back to the 2002 NCAA Championships) that both teams bring a top-10 ranking. Alabama leads UF 24-17-2 in that span, but since 2007, it is even at 13-13-2.
Friday's meet is one of 21 gymnastics events to air on the SEC Network this season. Watch live beginning at 8 p.m. ET on the SEC Network (Gainesville/Ocala Cox cable 68 or 1068) or see the live stream on SEC Network+.
Last Friday in Gators' SEC Opener:
Florida opened SEC action Jan. 16 with a 197.20-195.65 win over then No. 21 Auburn in front of an O'Connell Center crowd of 6,754. Freshman Alex McMurtry anchored the Gators' vault lineup with a 10.0. McMurtry is the quickest Gator to a 10.0 in any event, earning the mark in just her second collegiate meet and is the fourth freshman to earn the perfect mark in UF history. Junior Bianca Dancose-Giambattisto upped her collegiate best to 9.95 to take the bars win. It was her second win on the event and first since 2013. Senior All-American Kytra Hunter used a 9.90 to win floor and shared her second consecutive all-around title with a season-best 39.50. It was her 14th career all-around title, tying her for eighth on the Florida Career All-Around Wins list.
Florida Freshman Claim SEC Weekly Honors:
A pair of Gators picked up SEC honors Tuesday, as McMurtry is the SEC Specialist of the Week and Kennedy Baker is the SEC Freshman of the Week. Baker made her collegiate all-around debut in the SEC opener versus Auburn, taking third at 39.35. It was the highest all-around total by a league freshman last weekend. She also tied for second in her first floor performance (9.85) and was third on vault (9.875).
McMurtry's vault mark gave Florida its second consecutive meet with a 10.0 as junior All-American Bridget Sloan set her collegiate high in the Jan.11 season opener at Ball State. After her vault 10.0, Sloan was named the first SEC Specialist of the Week for the 2015 season. Sloan, a three-time NCAA event champion, is sidelined with severe sprain to her right ankle which she suffered in Ball State floor exercise competition. Depending on her recovery, it is possible Sloan could return late in the season.
Last Year:
When the two teams met on the final day of February in 2014, Alabama handed Florida its first loss of the season, 197.675-197.40, in front of a Coleman Coliseum crowd of 12,301. Competition was tied after each of the opening three rotations but the Gators had uncharacteristic trouble on the beam which kept them from keeping up with the Tides' floor scoring. Sloan collected her seventh consecutive all-around win (39.50) at Alabama and also won vault (9.95) and bars (9.925). Claire Boyce and then senior Mackenzie Caquatto were among a three-way tie for first on balance beam at 9.925.
In 2014 meetings between the two programs, Alabama led 2-1-1. The Tide also topped Florida for the 2014 SEC title in Birmingham. At the 2014 NCAA Championships, also in Birmingham, the two teams tied in NCAA Semifinal competition. In the NCAA Super Six team final, Florida shared the 2014 NCAA title with Oklahoma and Alabama finished fourth.
Alabama in its SEC Opener:
Alabama was forced to count two balance beam falls toward their team total and that proved to be the difference last Friday in Fayetteville, Ark., as then No. 12 Razorbacks upset then No. 6 Alabama 196.325-196.175 in the SEC opener for both teams. The Tide did turn in strong team totals for vault (49.475) and floor exercise (49.45), which stand among the nation's highs for 2015. The Tide is currently the nation's top-ranked floor team with its season average of 49.375. Only sophomore Katie Bailey has competed as an all-arounder for the Tide in 2015, turning in a 39.375 in the season opener versus Arizona.
National Rank:
Florida – Florida is No. T-1 in the Jan. 19 GymInfo rankings. The current rankings are based on total season average.
Alabama – The Tide is No. 7 in the GymInfo rankings.
