Cinderella just wasn't feeling orange and blue.
The No. 5 UF gymnastics team, running on a two-thirds-full tank of gas, finished fourth at the NCAA Championships in Lincoln, Neb., with a 196.725.
Georgia won the national championship for the fifth straight year with a 197.825.
The Gators team was depleted for its postseason meets but managed a third-place finish at the Southeastern Conference Championships and an NCAA Regional win to get to Lincoln.
"We feel that they performed better than they have ever at a national championship as a team," UF coach Rhonda Faehn said.
The Gators finished fourth for the second year in a row, this time with eight gymnasts after four athletes - Amanda Castillo, Kailey Tissue, Rebekah Zaiser and Nicole Ellis - suffered season-ending injuries.
"A lot of people were doubting us, and to come out here is such an amazing accomplishment," Melanie Sinclair said.
Given the circumstances, Sinclair said the team was happy just to finish as high as it did.
With one-third of the team unable to compete, the workload increased for UF's eight available gymnasts. Maranda Smith, Courtney Gladys and Elizabeth Mahlich were all promoted to all-around roles, joining established all-around competitors Corey Hartung and Sinclair.
Hartung, a senior, ended her UF career with an all-around score of 39.6 on Friday in the Super Six competition. She tied her college best on floor exercise with a 9.95 . She also turned in a 9.9 on vault. She finished third on floor on Saturday in the individual event title competition.
"Feels good to end that way," Hartung said. "I could never have ended with a better NCAA (Championship meet) under my belt."
She said the team was fueled by the idea of proving its doubters wrong and was determined to not fold despite injuries.
"We want to prove to everybody that we can still be the best gymnastics team out there with what we have," Hartung said.
Sinclair trailed Hartung closely and finished with a 39.4 in the all-around category. She also qualified for the individual uneven bars competition and finished seventh. Teammate Alicia Goodwin, who qualified for the bars final with a 9.775 on Friday, claimed third in the event. She posted a 9.9, just .025 shy of her college best.
"That was great to see, especially for her. It's going to continue to help build her confidence," Faehn said. "Three and a half weeks ago, she couldn't walk," Faehn said, referencing the sprained knee Goodwin suffered in practice the week of the SEC Championships.
Smith, who was the Gators' top performer in Session 1, contributed consistent scores on Super Six day, including a 9.9 on floor.
A day after falling twice during her floor routine Thursday, freshman Amy Ferguson rebounded with a 9.825 floor score on Friday.
Gladys was another dependable scorer for the Gators in the Super Six, never leaving the 9.8-9.85 range. Ashley Kerr, who also filled in because of injuries, provided a fallback score of 9.6 on vault after Mahlich hiccuped on her vault routine and posted a 9.45. Mahlich scored a 9.8 on bars and a pair of 9.825s on balance beam and floor.
It wasn't a first-place finish, but it wasn't a fully healthy team, either.
"This team, without a doubt, accomplished something far greater than it ever could have imagined," Faehn said. "We definitely feel, as a team, that this was a winning championship season for us."
