2016 home action for the three-time defending NCAA champion Gators begins Friday. Florida plays host to No. 5 UCLA at 6:45 p.m. in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
Top-10 gymnastics matchup Friday in O'Connell Center - No. 3 Gators vs No. 5 UCLA
Wednesday, January 13, 2016 | Gymnastics
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – 2016 home gymnastics action starts with a top-five match-up as No. 3 Florida plays host to No. 5 UCLA Friday. Meet time is set for 6:45 p.m. ET in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
In the 34-year history of the NCAA Championships, six teams have claimed the NCAA team title. UCLA won the first of its six NCAA titles at the 1997 NCAA Championships held in the O'Connell Center. The Gators, winner of the last three NCAA titles, won its first title at the 2013 NCAA Championships at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion. This meet is the nation's only top-10 contest of the weekend.
The first 1,000 fans Friday receive a light-up championship ring. After Friday's meet, the entire Gator team will sign team posters. Tickets for Friday's meet are $5 for adults, while children 17 and under and UF students with a Gator1 card are admitted free.
In the Gators' Season Opener:
Florida opened the 2016 season last Friday with a 196.825-191.45 win at Texas Woman's University. The final team score ranks as Florida's fourth-highest season-opening total in program's 44-year history and is the third-highest in the nation after the opening weekend of action. The Gators swept the individual event titles. Bridget Sloan claimed a share of three titles, including winning her 19th all-around title of her career with the nation's season high of 39.50. She also won the uneven bars (9.875) and shared the floor exercise crown with Kennedy Baker at 9.90). The vault win went to Alex McMurtry. Two Gators shared their first collegiate balance beam wins at 9.90 –Ericha Fassbender and freshman Alicia Boren.
SEC Honors for Sloan:
Sloan's performance at Texas Woman's University earned her a share of the first Southeastern Conference Gymnast of the Week award for 2016. It was the eighth SEC Gymnast of the Week honor for Sloan, as she picked up the award twice in 2013 and five times in 2014. She did not perform as an all-arounder in 2015 regular season action due to a sprained ankle, but did claim the first and final SEC Specialist of the Week honors after a 10.0 on vault at Ball State and an uneven bars 10.0 versus TWU.
About the Bruins:
UCLA opened the season with a 196.30-196.175 win over preseason No. 3 Alabama Sunday in the Pauley Pavilion. UCLA made its 31st NCAA Championships appearance in 2015, placing 11th overall. The Bruins return four All-Americans in 2016, including redshirt junior Christine Peng-Peng Lee, who won 2015 NCAA Regional vault, bars and beam titles. She was also runner-up in 2015 Pac-12 beam competition. Redshirt junior Sadiqua Bynum also was Pac-12 floor runner-up in 2015.
National Rank:
Florida – Florida is No. 3 in the first Road to Nationals poll.
UCLA – The Bruins are No. 5 in the Road to National poll.
New Season & New Coach for Gators:
The new season is also the debut for Florida head coach Jenny Rowland. UF quickly zeroed in on Rowland as a top candidate to replace Rhonda Faehn, who resigned after 13 seasons with the Gators to become Senior Vice President of USA Gymnastics. Sixteen days after Faehn's announcement, Rowland was named the seventh head coach in the program's 43-year history. Rowland came to UF after five seasons with Auburn, serving as associate head coach since March of 2013. She shared the 2015 National Assistant Coach of the Year honor after helping the Tigers reach their first NCAA Super Six team final in 22 years. During her gymnastics career, Rowland was a USA National Team member from 1985-90 and part of the U.S.'s 1989 World Championships team. As a collegiate, she earned uneven bars All-America honors in 1993 for Arizona State. Rowland is also a Category 3 International Brevet level judge and was on the judging panel for the past two U.S. Olympic Trials.
Gators Return Five All-Americans in 2016:
The Gators return five gymnasts in 2016 (Kennedy Baker, Claire Boyce, Bridgette Caquatto, Alex McMurtry and Bridget Sloan) who own a total of 18 All-America honors. The Gators won the NCAA Morgantown Regional and NCAA Championship team titles last year. In 2016, Florida returns 17 of 24 routines it competed in the 2015 NCAA Championships.
Freshman Class Again Ranks Among Nation's Top:
The Gators' 14-member roster includes five freshmen. Peyton Ernst (2013-14, 2012-13) is a former U.S. Senior National Team member. Alicia Boren won the Junior Olympic Level 10 all-around title each of the past four years and also accumulated five event titles. Lacy Dagen won the 2014 Junior Olympic balance beam title in 2014. She will be sidelined in 2016 with a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Ashley Hiller was runner-up to Boren in 2015 Junior Olympic – Senior D vault competition and Amanda Cheney took fourth on beam at the same meet. This class ranks No. 2 on the 2015-16 CollegeGymFans.com Top Recruiting Classes list. In the last seven years, Florida's recruiting classes have ranked No. 1 five times and No. 2 once.
| Friday's Meet Info: |
|---|
| No. 3 Florida (1-0, 0-0 SEC) versus No. 5 UCLA (1-0, 0-0 Pac 12) |
| Date & Time: Friday, Jan. 15 at 6:45 p.m. ET |
| Site: Stephen C. O'Connell Center (10,126); gates 1 & 2 open at 5:30 p.m. |
| Television: none |
| Series Record (all-time): UCLA leads 12-25. Last meeting, Florida tied for first in 2015 NCAA Semifinal I (197.475) and UCLA was sixth (196.40) on April 17, 2015 |
Streaming Video: live video stream available at SEC Network + |
| Internet: live stats available on FloridaGymnastics.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 |
| Promotions: Championship rings – first 1,000 fans receive a light-up championship ring; Keytag Giveaway - first 1,000 fans receive schedule keytags (includes gymnastics, men's & women's basketball) & 2016 gymnastics poster; Post Meet Autographs - Gators will sign posters post-meet (Gate 2); GoPro Winner - one lucky student wins a GoPro camera. Students can at Rowdy Reptiles table; UF Student Pizza Giveaway – first 300 UF students receive free Domino's pizza (distribution begins at 5:30 pm at Gate 2); Trophy Photo Booth - photo booth with Florida's three NCAA trophies at Gate 4 beginning at 5:15 pm); T-shirt throw – Florida's back-to-back NCAA champion softball team throwing "Welcome back your National Champions" t-shirts to fans during meet. |
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The first 1,000 fans Friday receive a light-up championship ring. After Friday's meet, the entire Gator team will sign team posters. Tickets for Friday's meet are $5 for adults, while children 17 and under and UF students with a Gator1 card are admitted free.
In the Gators' Season Opener:
Florida opened the 2016 season last Friday with a 196.825-191.45 win at Texas Woman's University. The final team score ranks as Florida's fourth-highest season-opening total in program's 44-year history and is the third-highest in the nation after the opening weekend of action. The Gators swept the individual event titles. Bridget Sloan claimed a share of three titles, including winning her 19th all-around title of her career with the nation's season high of 39.50. She also won the uneven bars (9.875) and shared the floor exercise crown with Kennedy Baker at 9.90). The vault win went to Alex McMurtry. Two Gators shared their first collegiate balance beam wins at 9.90 –Ericha Fassbender and freshman Alicia Boren.
SEC Honors for Sloan:
Sloan's performance at Texas Woman's University earned her a share of the first Southeastern Conference Gymnast of the Week award for 2016. It was the eighth SEC Gymnast of the Week honor for Sloan, as she picked up the award twice in 2013 and five times in 2014. She did not perform as an all-arounder in 2015 regular season action due to a sprained ankle, but did claim the first and final SEC Specialist of the Week honors after a 10.0 on vault at Ball State and an uneven bars 10.0 versus TWU.
About the Bruins:
UCLA opened the season with a 196.30-196.175 win over preseason No. 3 Alabama Sunday in the Pauley Pavilion. UCLA made its 31st NCAA Championships appearance in 2015, placing 11th overall. The Bruins return four All-Americans in 2016, including redshirt junior Christine Peng-Peng Lee, who won 2015 NCAA Regional vault, bars and beam titles. She was also runner-up in 2015 Pac-12 beam competition. Redshirt junior Sadiqua Bynum also was Pac-12 floor runner-up in 2015.
National Rank:
Florida – Florida is No. 3 in the first Road to Nationals poll.
UCLA – The Bruins are No. 5 in the Road to National poll.
New Season & New Coach for Gators:
The new season is also the debut for Florida head coach Jenny Rowland. UF quickly zeroed in on Rowland as a top candidate to replace Rhonda Faehn, who resigned after 13 seasons with the Gators to become Senior Vice President of USA Gymnastics. Sixteen days after Faehn's announcement, Rowland was named the seventh head coach in the program's 43-year history. Rowland came to UF after five seasons with Auburn, serving as associate head coach since March of 2013. She shared the 2015 National Assistant Coach of the Year honor after helping the Tigers reach their first NCAA Super Six team final in 22 years. During her gymnastics career, Rowland was a USA National Team member from 1985-90 and part of the U.S.'s 1989 World Championships team. As a collegiate, she earned uneven bars All-America honors in 1993 for Arizona State. Rowland is also a Category 3 International Brevet level judge and was on the judging panel for the past two U.S. Olympic Trials.
Gators Return Five All-Americans in 2016:
The Gators return five gymnasts in 2016 (Kennedy Baker, Claire Boyce, Bridgette Caquatto, Alex McMurtry and Bridget Sloan) who own a total of 18 All-America honors. The Gators won the NCAA Morgantown Regional and NCAA Championship team titles last year. In 2016, Florida returns 17 of 24 routines it competed in the 2015 NCAA Championships.
Freshman Class Again Ranks Among Nation's Top:
The Gators' 14-member roster includes five freshmen. Peyton Ernst (2013-14, 2012-13) is a former U.S. Senior National Team member. Alicia Boren won the Junior Olympic Level 10 all-around title each of the past four years and also accumulated five event titles. Lacy Dagen won the 2014 Junior Olympic balance beam title in 2014. She will be sidelined in 2016 with a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Ashley Hiller was runner-up to Boren in 2015 Junior Olympic – Senior D vault competition and Amanda Cheney took fourth on beam at the same meet. This class ranks No. 2 on the 2015-16 CollegeGymFans.com Top Recruiting Classes list. In the last seven years, Florida's recruiting classes have ranked No. 1 five times and No. 2 once.
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