GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 3 Florida gymnastics equaled its season-best of 198.025 to close 2019 regular-season competition with a win over Penn State Friday.
The Nittany Lions' 196.325 set their season road best of 2019.
Tonight's Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center crowd of 6,805 helped close out home action by setting a season average attendance record of 8,333. Florida's 2019 senior class was part of three teams that set UF gymnastics attendance averages (2019: 8,333; 2018: 8,304; 2016: 7,433).
Amanda Cheney (left) and Alicia Boren with family, friends and coaches at the 2019 Gator Senior Day ceremony.
SENIOR DAY CELEBRATION:
Tonight, the careers of Gator seniors
Alicia Boren and
Amanda Cheney were celebrated in a teary post-meet ceremony.
Florida's 2019 senior class notes:
● Part of Florida's last three NCAA top-four teams – 2016 (4th), 2017 and 2018 (3rd)
● Claimed 2016 and 2019 SEC team titles
● Turned in a 49-11 regular season record since 2016
● 17-3 in home action
● Performed 217 routines as part of the Gators' competitive lineup, with 91 of those scoring a 9.9 or better
TONIGHT'S MEET
The Gators took the lead after opening the meet with a season-high 49.475 on vault. That total included three collegiate-best marks –
Trinity Thomas (9.95),
Megan Skaggs and
Sierra Alexander (each 9.875). Senior
Alicia Boren also equaled her season-best of 9.925.
Florida earned the same event total on its next event, uneven bars. Junior
Amelia Hundley shared the meet title at 9.925 with Penn State's Lauren Bridgens. Three other Gators scored a 9.9 on bars – Boren,
Savannah Schoenherr and Thomas.
The Gators' top event score, 49.55, came on balance beam. That total included four Florida marks of 9.9 or better. Boren, Skaggs and Thomas shared the beam win at 9.925 and sophomore
Alyssa Baumann anchored the lineup with a 9.9.
Florida's 49.525 on floor exercise included a pair of nearly perfect 9.975s from Boren and Thomas. It is the second time this season both turned in a 9.975 floor mark, as they were also close to perfection in the Feb. 15 win at Alabama. Skaggs debuted her floor routine Friday, earning a 9.9.
A trio of Gators used collegiate-best all-around totals to sweep that event. Thomas raised her best to 39.75 for her fifth all-around win of her freshman campaign. Boren was just behind, matching her collegiate-best of 39.725. In her first all-around appearance in a year and a day, Skaggs' 39.55 is also a collegiate high.
GATOR PERFORMANCE NOTES:
- Florida's 198.025 equals its season-high set Feb. 1 at No. 1 Oklahoma. Four teams have passed the 198 mark this season – Oklahoma (three times), Florida and UCLA (twice each), LSU (once).
- Thomas' 39.75 shares the nation's third-highest all-around. It also equals the nation's highest for a freshman in 2019 (Michigan's Natalie Wojcik, 39.75 on Feb. 23).
- Boren's 39.725 shares the nation's fourth-highest all-around for 2019. Florida and Oklahoma are the only two programs with a pair of gymnasts among the nation's top 10 all-around totals of 2019.
- This is the fourth time since 2014 that Florida's season attendance average was reset.
- In her 50th consecutive all-around appearance, Boren pushed her career events titles total to 50 with shared wins on beam and floor. She is 11th all-time for the Gators in career event wins.
- Skaggs started off the Gators' vault lineup with a collegiate-best 9.875. It was her first vault appearance of the 2019 season.
- Hundley wins her first bars title of the season (9.925) and the fifth of her career.
- Collegiate best marks set or equaled Friday:
UF Athletics Director Scott Stricklin presents the 2019 Southeastern Conference championship trophy to the Gators prior to the start of Friday's meet. The Gators claimed sole possession of the 2019 SEC title with a 6-1 league record. It is the 11th SEC title for the program.
RECORDS: Florida (7-2, 6-1 SEC), PSU (5-8, 3-6 Big Ten)
THE SERIES: Florida leads the series 34-13.
HEAR FROM THE GATORS:
Opening Statement…
"This really was a phenomenal evening. We had a great time celebrating, honoring, two amazing seniors. These two amazing seniors have done a really awesome, awesome job of leading this team. First time SEC Regular-Season Champions and really just finished off our season with a bang. This is only the beginning for post-season.
"What this team showed tonight is what I know what we are capable of doing and then some. It was a great start to post-season and I know this team is going to take a lot from tonight and we're going to keep moving on. It's Senior Night but we still have a lot more to go." – Florida coach
Jenny Rowland
On her Senior Night experience…"I thought the night was really awesome. We had a great start, just starting on vault. We just immediately started awesome and I knew that was what we have been training and what we were fully capable of. We just carried that through every event. The team helped me carry that. Their confidence, their hype, their energy, their positivity, their big words helped me have a great night that I thought I was fully capable of. We just ended outstandingly and it was really fun." – senior All-American
Alicia Boren
On her Senior Night experience…"I'm just so thankful to be a Gator. This whole week I've just thought about gratefulness, and just being super in the moment, enjoying every moment. Four years have flown by. This was the perfect ending for the O'Dome, but I'm definitely excited to see what more we can do. I'm so thankful to be a Gator." – senior
Amanda Cheney
On her floor debut tonight…"(It was) awesome. I was talking to J3 (Volunteer coach
Jeremy Miranda) before and I was like 'they don't know.' It's so cool to have a floor routine that hasn't been unveiled this late in the season. It just felt great to do it in front of so many people for the first time." – sophomore
Megan Skaggs
On her performance and all-around win tonight..."I think starting on vault strong for the first time for me (helped), anyway. It gave me the confidence to get through the rest of the meet and I felt like I did pretty well." – freshman
Trinity Thomas
National Rank:
Florida – Florida is No. 3 in the ninth
Road to Nationals standings.
PSU – The Nittany Lions are No. 25 in the
Road to Nationals standings.
UP NEXT:
Florida has a week off before heading to New Orleans for the 2019 Southeastern Conference Championships on Saturday, March 23. Florida will be in the SEC Championships' second session. That session airs at 8 p.m. on ESPN2.
No. 3 Florida versus No. 25 Penn State
Final Team Totals |
| March 8, 2019 ● Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center (6,805) |
| Team |
Vault |
Bars |
Beam |
Floor |
Total |
| Florida |
49.475 |
49.475 |
49.550 |
49.525 |
198.025 |
| Penn State |
48.925 |
49.200 |
49.175 |
49.025 |
196.325 |
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