Rotation 6:
For the Gators, it never got better than a 9.85 on the vault, an event they usually put up higher scores on. The event scores brings their total to 196.9, which is good enough to win session one.
Despite walking away with a win, the Gators will need to step it up tomorrow to claim the championship on Day 2.
LSU and Alabama round out the top 3 and will both advance to the Super Six.
Rotation 5:
As usual, UF dominated on the floor posting a 49.525 and four gymnasts had scores of at least 9.9.
Amanda Castillo and Hartung both finished with the top totals for the Gators both getting 9.925. Tiffany Murry, who led off for UF, had the lowest score of the Gators, and it would have been the best score for both Oregon State and Arkansas on the event.
After three events, the Gators have the highest total of any team 197.8, .05 higher than the next best LSU.
Oregon State and Arkansas have both finished with scores of 195.475 and 195.825, respectively. Both teams will need a miracle to advance to the next day.
The Gators will be competing on the vault to finish off their first day at NCAAs.
Rotation 4:
Not too much happened in the fourth rotation. Oregon State had the highest score of the round on the bars with a 49.15.
Alabama had a solid performance on the vault and are in the best position of the teams who competed in three events to advance to the second day. Arkansas and Oregon State will be done for the day after the next rotation.
The Gators have come back out to the arena and will be competing on the floor, one of their better events.
Rotation 3:
Once again the Gators have problems on the beam. Even though they did not have a fall, the scores never got higher than a 9.85, which was posted by Sinclair and Ashley Reed.
Corey Hartung was the only other Gator to put up a score over 9.8. UF escaped the event with a 48.95, which is the best team total on the beam up to now.
At the halfway point, UF's 98.25 is second just behing LSU's 98.3. The third-place team is another Southeastern Conference team, Alabama.
The Gators will have their second bye of the day to regroup for the floor.
Rotation 2:
In their first event, the Gators started off to a little slow start on the bars with two 9.8s by Smith and Nicola Willis. Then, the four all-arounders came up and stepped up the scores with Melanie Sinclair capping it off with a 9.95.
UF finished with a 49.3 on the event, which is good enough for the best event total so far, just ahead of LSU's 49.25 on the floor. The Tigers got a solid 9.9 out of Ashleigh Clare-Kearney, who will is one of the favorites to win the individual all-around competition.
Now, the Gators will head to the balance beam. If they can get past this event with a decent score, they should be locks to advance to the second day.Rotation 1:
While the Gators and LSU were waiting in the locker room with a first-rotation bye, four other kicked off the 2008 gymnastics championships. After the first turn, Arkansas has the lead with a 49.125 on the uneven bars.
No. 4 seeded Alabama got off to a poor start on the beam but are still tied in second with Oregon State, who was on the floor, with 48.85 total.
Bringing up the rear with a 48.775 is Oklahoma.
Right now the teams are warming up for rotation 2. UF will be starting off on the bars with Maranda Smith as the leadoff.
