Gator Tales 214: NCAA Gymnastics Three-Peat
Thursday, April 30, 2020 | General, Gymnastics
Each of Florida's NCAA Gymnastics team titles came in different ways. Hear from the Gators who were part of those crowning moments.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Three consecutive NCAA Gymnastics team titles.
Each win had a distinct path to victory. Host Adam Schick revisits those performance with individuals who were part of those seasons that ended with the NCAA Championship trophy hoisted high.
2013:
After missing the 2011 NCAA Super Six and taking second in 2012, the 2013 seniors were focused on having their finish include a confetti celebration. The Gators freshmen class included Bridget Sloan - the first World all-around champion to compete as a collegiate.
Florida won its NCAA Semifinal session to earn the less than-desirable-rotation of opening Super Six competition on balance beam. In the previous 20 years of Super Six format, only twice had a team opening on beam won the title.
It was rough start, as the Gators were forced to count a fall on its beam rotation. The last team to count a fall and win the title was Utah in 1994. But the Gators came off bye to set the NCAA Championships' floor exercise team total record (49.725). That momentum carried them through the final two events as Florida moved from last to first to win its first title with a two-tenths cushion.
2014:
Winning the first title is hard. Winning the second is also hard in a different way as the team and coaches navigated raised expectations.
Florida lost both its regular-season and SEC Championships meeting to Alabama – both held in the Yellowhammer State. With the NCAA Championships set for the same arena as the league championships, the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex, the Gators would need to snap a 29-year losing streak to the Tide in their home state.
Besides the Tide, tied would play a key role in Florida's pursuit of its second NCAA crown. Florida and Alabama shared first in NCAA Semifinal action, with UF winning the tied-breaker. That win gave Florida the desired Olympic rotation for the NCAA Super Six team final.
The Super Six midway point had Alabama (99.15), Florida (99.05) and Oklahoma (99.025) separated by just fractions. Any of the three teams were in position to take the title on the final rotation. The Tide was forced to count a fall on beam, putting the focus on Florida and Oklahoma. The Sooners finished on vault and its final total of 198.175 set the NCAA Super Six record. Florida knew it needed big scores from its final two floor performers to match OU's total. First it was a 9.95 from Kytra Hunter and then another 9.95 from floor anchor Bridgette Caquatto.
Then there were a few minutes of confusion. Both Florida and Oklahoma finished at 198.175. What now?
It was a tie! NCAA rules do not break Super Six team totals. It was the first title tie in the NCAA Championships' 33-year history. With the tie, Oklahoma became the sixth team to win a NCAA Gymnastics team title.
2015:
Florida's hopes for a three-peat took a big hit in the 2015 season opener at Ball State. Junior Bridget Sloan suffered an ankle injury during her floor routine. After it was determined it wasn't broken, Sloan was focused to return to the competition floor. Florida still was among the nation's top teams, but had regular-season road losses at Alabama, LSU and Oklahoma. After opening a big lead at the midway point at the SEC Championships, a rough beam set dropped the team from first to third.
Sloan returned with a roar to all-around competition at the NCAA Regionals. Now she joined 2015 SEC Gymnast of the Year Kytra Hunter to give Florida one of the top all-around combos in NCAA history.
The NCAA Championships made its first appearance in Fort Worth, Texas, in 2015. Florida tied Utah for the top position in NCAA Semifinal I, which gave the Gators beam as their Super Six opening event. Florida opened the Super Six with a strong rotation on beam and then were lights-out on floor exercise as its total of 49.65 was more than two-tenths higher than the next highest total for the event.
On the final rotation, it was Florida and Utah locked in a battle for the team title. Both finished the meet on an event they ranked No. 1 in the nation – vault (Utah) and bars (Florida). Vault competition wrapped up and Florida had two more competitors to go. Big scores were needed and both delivered. Sloan scored a 9.95. The focus was then on freshman Alex McMurtry. She delivered, hitting a then-career high 9.95 to push Florida to the top of the team standings. Florida's winning margin of 0.05 equals the slenderest in the NCAA Championships' history.
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