Coach Rhonda Faehn has fewer and fewer changes to make to her squad as the season progresses.
The Gators are just one meet away from the halfway mark of the regular season, and her 2014 team has already outperformed her 2013 NCAA National Champion squad.
Florida’s latest victory against then-No.1 Oklahoma only confirmed what Faehn and other members of the squad have been saying all season: This team is even better than last year’s title winner.
“We knew going in it was going to be our toughest challenge so far this season,” Faehn said. “Normally, I don’t look at rankings, but I think it was a great testing point at that time, No. 1 against No. 2.”
Florida’s takedown of Oklahoma was UF’s third win against a top-ranked team since 2010.
“Our team really rose to the occasion,” Faehn said. “I think it was certainly our best overall competition as far as consistency.”
With three times the amount of perfect 10s and consistently higher scores compared to this time last season, there is no denying UF has momentum. Now it is a matter of maintaining that momentum and the health of UF’s gymnasts.
Faehn mentioned she plans on resting some of her athletes at the midway mark of the regular season, Friday’s away match against Kentucky.
“We’re really looking forward to heading out to Kentucky and giving a little bit of an opportunity for some of our athletes to rest up a little bit,” Faehn said.
“(We will) possibly change up some of our lineups and give other people some opportunity.”
She said Mackenzie Caquatto likely will not compete on floor in an effort to rest her ankles and legs. In the 2013 season, as Caquatto battled injuries and soreness, she only exhbitioned her floor routine once and did not compete it a single time in the regular or post season.
Resting some upperclassmen will make an opening for freshman Silvia Colussi-Pelaez to finally do more than just exhibition routines.
“If she trains well this week, I don’t see why she wouldn’t be in the floor lineup,” Faehn said.
Colussi-Pelaez has exhibitioned in all four events at least once, and she competed in floor for the first and only time so far this season on Jan. 17 against Auburn.
Jamie Shisler may also be stepping up to the vault in the coming weeks.
Shisler exhibitioned her floor routine against Oklahoma for the first time this season after undergoing foot surgery in the fall to correct a navicular fracture she sustained during the summer.
Follow Erica A. Hernandez on Twitter @EricaAlyssa
Kytra Hunter performs a balance beam routine during Florida’s 197.875-197.225 win against Oklahoma on Friday in the O’Connell Center. Hunter notched the first consecutive 10s on the floor in UF history.
