Road to a Three-Peat for Seniors Goes Through Morgantown Regional
Friday, April 3, 2015 | Gymnastics
By Britnee McCoy
GatorZone.com Writing Intern
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – As they prepare for the final stretch of their decorated college careers, they still have goals – big ones – dancing in their heads.
They get a shot at the first one on Saturday.
If the Gators gymnastics team can finish in the top two at the NCAA Morgantown Regional, then Kiersten Wang, Kytra Hunter, Rachel Spicer and Jamie Shisler have a shot at a three-peat.
When the foursome arrived at UF, Florida's gymnastics program had been knocking on the door of a national title for several years. However, the Gators could never get through the door.
UF seniors Rachel Spicer, top, and Kytra Hunter hope more high-fives are in their future.
Wang, Hunter, Spicer and Shisler, who has missed the season due to an injury, helped knock the door down.
The seniors have the honor of accomplishing more in their careers than any senior class in program history.
During their time at UF the seniors have won back-to-back NCAA titles in 2013 and 2014 and helped their team win the SEC title in 2012 and 2013. Hunter was recently named SEC Gymnast of the Year, the first Gator to take that honor in 15 years.
They are in the last chapter of their careers with the ending still uncertain.
The best ending of all: three-peat as NCAA champions.
Gymnastics is a sport filled with personality and enthusiasm, and for this Gator team, those attributes follow them beyond the mat.
Wang says that when she first arrived at Florida, she had no prior connections with the school or the incoming freshmen.
However, that all changed when she walked through the doors of the team facility and met her new teammates.
Wang was floored by the team's hospitality, an instant bond she had never experienced before. From the coaching staff to the gymnasts, Wang said she immediately felt a part of the family and those bonds have not faded one bit over the past four years.
“We never knew each other prior to here. We probably all met once at the same meet, but we all just got here and ended up meshing really, really well,” Wang said. “Being on this team is like having sisters. We have bonded through all of the ups and downs and it creates a bond that you can't get from anywhere else.
“It's like a family that you can't get rid of.”
That connection blossomed as the Gators turned the program's close calls into championships. At this weekend's Morgantown Regional at the West Virginia Coliseum, the Gators seek to rebound from a third-place finish at the SEC Championships last month.
The seniors would like to finish their careers the way they said goodbye to the O'Connell Center last month.
The seniors participated in their last home meet March 13 against Texas Women's University. They did not disappoint.
Florida's dominant win capped a perfect 28-0 record at home for the four seniors.
But with all of their success, Spicer didn't even realize that they had accomplished the milestone. The realization hit her later that night.”
“When I got home and saw the highlight video on Facebook, I was like 'wow, I can't believe that it was my last time competing in there.' Coach Rhonda [Faehn] does such a great job with letting us know that we're not done yet. We have the best part in front of us, which is the postseason.”
The postseason started in grand fashion at the SEC Championships on March 21. The Gators were cruising after the first two rotations but beam troubles derailed their title bid.
They are seeking to rebound at the regional in hopes of advancing to the NCAA Championships April 17-19 in Fort Worth, Texas.
Faehn said the Gators took advantage of the two-week break after the SEC Championships to heal their bruises and refocus mentally.
“We've had a great week of training,'' Faehn said. “It's been a very long season and we've had so many challenges here and there. We are heading into the most important time of our season, but it's also the most exciting time of our season. This is what our athletes look forward to the most.”
The seniors can't wait.
