Amelia Hundley is among the Gators gymnasts who consider the SEC Championships their favorite meet of the season. (Photo: Erin Long/UAA Communications)
Gators are Pumped for Always-Festive SEC Championships
Friday, March 22, 2019 | Gymnastics
It is the favorite meet of the season for many Gators gymnasts. They say the Southeastern Conference Championships is a unique event.
So many competitors, so many familiar faces. The SEC's showcase meet brings together gymnasts who have known each other their entire career. Gymnasts who have trained together and traveled across many miles to compete at club meets.
All those hours together built strong bonds.
Those longtime friendships will pause for a few hours Saturday night. Focus shifts to team goals and every program competing at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans wants the same thing: an SEC title.
Florida coach Jenny Rowland has emphasized to her team that every meet is a chance to get better and improve.
But this week's meet is especially important when it comes to school pride.
"This team has their closest friends on the floor across from them, but yet it's go time, it's game time," Rowland said. "It's for an SEC title and really they take a lot of pride in that."
The last time the No. 4 Gators brought home the title from the SEC Championships was in 2016, Rowland's first year in Gainesville.
Seniors Alicia Boren and Amanda Cheney are the only two Gators on the current Florida roster that were part of that team.
"It meant a lot before," Boren said. "To win it now, wow, I would really understand what it's like to be a part of the SEC."
This meet is especially exciting for Boren, a senior from Franklin Lakes, N.J. She will be competing against three gymnasts who were part of her same club team at North Stars Gymnastics Academy: Rachael Lukacs and Sami Davis from Georgia and Alonza Klopfer from Alabama.
"I would call it a friendly rivalry because after the meet, I will talk and catch-up," Boren said. "But it's definitely still a rivalry because I want to beat them for sure."
And while she wishes her former teammates the best, she will be competing hard for her own team in her final performance in the event.
"My mom always told me, 'you can be friends with them after the meet,' " Boren said.
Junior Amelia Hundley, who also knows many other gymnasts around the SEC, will be going up against one of her best friends and long-time club training partner, LSU senior Lexie Priessman.
The Gators traveled to LSU and earned one of their biggest wins of the season in January.
"It's definitely like a rivalry," Hundley said. "We want the best for everyone because they are our friends, but when that flag goes up and when it's time to compete, we are just for our team. When it's time to compete, the Gators are going to be in their zone and ready to compete."
To add even more competitiveness to the meet, LSU claimed the No. 1 seed in the SEC Championships in their last meet of the regular season, taking it away from Florida, which had held the top spot all season.
"Seeing that we're not at the top right now like we were a few weeks ago, I think that's good for us. It's motivated us," Hundley said. "It kept us pushing each other in the gym and outside the gym."
Florida was the 2019 SEC regular-season champions for the first time since the team with the league's best dual-meet record began being recognized in 2017.
Hundley said having all eight SEC teams in one place brings out the competitive fire in everyone.
"SECs, we always say, is the most competitive, the most fun, the most energetic and you feel that. You feel that on the training day. Even at the hotel seeing the teams, you feel those vibes," Hundley said. "It's definitely the most fun."
For freshman Trinity Thomas, this will be her first time competing at the SEC Championships. Thomas has heard how fun it is from her older teammates.
She's also excited that this meet will be on podium, meaning all of the apparatuses will be elevated, which is something she is more comfortable with from her career as an elite gymnast for USA Gymnastics.
"I'm normally on podium in the meets I do in elite." Thomas said. "You're the center of attention up there. You're not the only one going like a regular dual meet but it's kind of special because you're up above."
Junior Megan Skaggs, who competed in the all-around for the first time this season in Florida's regular-season finale against No. 25 Penn State, said the team is feeling super energized and ready to go.
Their favorite meet of the year can't get here fast enough.
"SECs is the best meet of the season because it's the SEC," Skaggs said. "We all have so much respect for our conference and we compete for the SEC with such pride. There is so much build up, it gives me chills just thinking about the night.
"We're ready."
So many competitors, so many familiar faces. The SEC's showcase meet brings together gymnasts who have known each other their entire career. Gymnasts who have trained together and traveled across many miles to compete at club meets.
All those hours together built strong bonds.
Those longtime friendships will pause for a few hours Saturday night. Focus shifts to team goals and every program competing at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans wants the same thing: an SEC title.
Florida coach Jenny Rowland has emphasized to her team that every meet is a chance to get better and improve.
But this week's meet is especially important when it comes to school pride.
"This team has their closest friends on the floor across from them, but yet it's go time, it's game time," Rowland said. "It's for an SEC title and really they take a lot of pride in that."
The last time the No. 4 Gators brought home the title from the SEC Championships was in 2016, Rowland's first year in Gainesville.
Seniors Alicia Boren and Amanda Cheney are the only two Gators on the current Florida roster that were part of that team.
"It meant a lot before," Boren said. "To win it now, wow, I would really understand what it's like to be a part of the SEC."
This meet is especially exciting for Boren, a senior from Franklin Lakes, N.J. She will be competing against three gymnasts who were part of her same club team at North Stars Gymnastics Academy: Rachael Lukacs and Sami Davis from Georgia and Alonza Klopfer from Alabama.
"I would call it a friendly rivalry because after the meet, I will talk and catch-up," Boren said. "But it's definitely still a rivalry because I want to beat them for sure."
And while she wishes her former teammates the best, she will be competing hard for her own team in her final performance in the event.
"My mom always told me, 'you can be friends with them after the meet,' " Boren said.
🐊🤸♀️ in NOLA for @SEC Championships!
— Gators Gymnastics (@GatorsGym) March 22, 2019
🗓️ Saturday, March 23
🕗 8pmET
📺 ESPN2
📱💻 https://t.co/gyxmMI5voa#WeChomp#GoGatorshttps://t.co/l92w8DAGEs
Junior Amelia Hundley, who also knows many other gymnasts around the SEC, will be going up against one of her best friends and long-time club training partner, LSU senior Lexie Priessman.
The Gators traveled to LSU and earned one of their biggest wins of the season in January.
"It's definitely like a rivalry," Hundley said. "We want the best for everyone because they are our friends, but when that flag goes up and when it's time to compete, we are just for our team. When it's time to compete, the Gators are going to be in their zone and ready to compete."
To add even more competitiveness to the meet, LSU claimed the No. 1 seed in the SEC Championships in their last meet of the regular season, taking it away from Florida, which had held the top spot all season.
"Seeing that we're not at the top right now like we were a few weeks ago, I think that's good for us. It's motivated us," Hundley said. "It kept us pushing each other in the gym and outside the gym."
Florida was the 2019 SEC regular-season champions for the first time since the team with the league's best dual-meet record began being recognized in 2017.
Hundley said having all eight SEC teams in one place brings out the competitive fire in everyone.
"SECs, we always say, is the most competitive, the most fun, the most energetic and you feel that. You feel that on the training day. Even at the hotel seeing the teams, you feel those vibes," Hundley said. "It's definitely the most fun."
For freshman Trinity Thomas, this will be her first time competing at the SEC Championships. Thomas has heard how fun it is from her older teammates.
She's also excited that this meet will be on podium, meaning all of the apparatuses will be elevated, which is something she is more comfortable with from her career as an elite gymnast for USA Gymnastics.
"I'm normally on podium in the meets I do in elite." Thomas said. "You're the center of attention up there. You're not the only one going like a regular dual meet but it's kind of special because you're up above."
Junior Megan Skaggs, who competed in the all-around for the first time this season in Florida's regular-season finale against No. 25 Penn State, said the team is feeling super energized and ready to go.
Their favorite meet of the year can't get here fast enough.
"SECs is the best meet of the season because it's the SEC," Skaggs said. "We all have so much respect for our conference and we compete for the SEC with such pride. There is so much build up, it gives me chills just thinking about the night.
"We're ready."
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