Two weeks ago, the Gators posted a 197.775, the
highest team total in the country at the time.
UF took the nation’s best score up a notch Friday
night.
Dynamic performances from its two all-around
competitors and supporting cast helped No. 4 Florida (7-1, 3-1
Southeastern Conference) defeat No. 14 LSU (2-7, 2-3)
197.850-196.850 in its annual Link to Pink meet in
the O’Connell Center.
The 197.850 is Florida’s fifth-highest total in
school history and gives UF two of the nation’s top team scores in
its past three meets.
“I wasn’t even paying attention (to the score), and I
don’t think any of the girls were,” junior Randy Stageberg said.
“So when you hear it, it’s even that much better because you’re not
expecting it.”
Junior Ashanée Dickerson scored a 39.60 to win her
second all-around title of the season in a performance that was
almost deja vu of two weeks ago. Dickerson also scored a 39.60
against top-ranked Arkansas in Florida’s home quad-meet win on Jan.
27.
“She is just so calm,” coach Rhonda Faehn said. “She
worked really hard this week, especially on her landings and her
polish, and I think that it was wonderful to see that in her
performance [Friday night]. She’s a machine.”
After losing her balance on a vault landing and
scoring a 9.725 early, junior Marissa King rebounded with an
all-around total of 39.40 to share third with LSU’s Rheagan
Courville.
“I went on bars and was like ‘forget what happened on
vault, start new, start fresh,’” King said.
Freshman Kytra Hunter impressed Friday night in her
first collegiate meet not competing as an all-arounder.
She scored a career high and national best with a
9.975 on floor exercise.
Hunter also recorded a 9.925 to tie for the balance
beam title with Courville, who edged out Hunter for the most recent
SEC Freshman of the Week honor.
In addition, Hunter placed third on vault (9.9).
Sophomore Alaina Johnson tallied a 9.95 on vault to
win the event title, while Courville came in second with a
9.925.
Four UF gymnasts – Dickerson, King, Johnson and
sophomore Mackenzie Caquatto – tied with a 9.90 to win the uneven
bars title. The victory is Caquatto’s third consecutive bars
win.
For the night, Florida won at least a share of all
five individual titles.
After suffering its first loss of the season to
defending national champion Alabama last weekend in Tuscaloosa,
Ala., UF proved it learned from its mistakes and avoided falling
into an early hole by scoring a season high on vault (49.40).
In front of 8,112, the seventh-highest home crowd in
program history, the Gators carried momentum from their first
rotation and posted their second-best season totals on bars and
beam.
To finish off the match, UF notched its highest score
of year on floor (49.625).
“They were all contributors in the success [Friday
night],” Faehn said. “They see that’s important that every little
bit adds up.”
