Florida got off to a strong start on the uneven bars Friday night against N.C. State, and used it to propel the team to its fourth straight victory, 195.475 – 194.450.
The Gators registered the five best bar scores of the meet, including a pair of 9.85s by senior Amanda Castillo and freshman Marissa King.
The quick start on bars helped No. 3 Florida jump out to an early .700-point lead after one rotation, which was enough to hold off No. 22 N.C. State in Raleigh, N.C.
The Gators implemented some changes to a few routines with hopes of putting together a higher team total.
A couple of those changes paid dividends Friday night, as King tallied another 9.775 on balance beam, and sophomore Elizabeth Mahlich improved her performance on bars with a 9.80.
Freshman Randy Stageberg also recorded a 9.80 in her return on floor exercises after missing last week’s LSU meet with an illness.
Not all of the tweaking Florida did to its routines paid off, though. Freshman Ashanée Dickerson scored just a 9.20 on bars, marking this the first time this season she has scored below a 9.725 in any event.
The meet also marked the first time this year Dickerson has not finished in the top two in the all-around. She finished third with a 38.700 while N.C. State’s Brooke Barr took home the all-around title with a 38.925 and King was second with a 38.850.
