Off the competition floor, Amelia Hundley is never without her trademark smile.
Before practice each week, she dances and jokes around with her teammates and has a knack for brightening a room.
But while the Hamilton, Ohio, native likes to have fun, she is a serious and fierce competitor once her feet hit the mat.
Affectionately nicknamed “Meels” by her teammates and coaches, the standout gymnast was named the SEC Freshman of the Week after she turned in her best performance of the season on Friday against Missouri, which earned her the second all-around title of her season.
Between her and her teammates Alex McMurtry (Gymnast of the Week) and Rachel Slocum (Specialist of the Week), Florida swept all of the SEC’s weekly awards.
“I went out this weekend and really competed for the team, and that’s what I put first and foremost,” Hundley said. “Just getting that award is icing on the cake.”
She posted a career best on floor (9.95) against the Tigers, and her all-around score of 39.625 tied Florida’s second-highest all-around total of the season, trailing only Alicia Boren (39.725).
Hundley is also the first Florida freshman to win two or more all-around titles in a single season since former Olympian Bridget Sloan in 2013.
However, while she was able to put four solid routines together, that wasn’t the most exciting part of the meet for her.
It was two men sitting in the crowd, sandwiched between her parents.
Two of Hundley’s three brothers, Conor and Steeler, made the trip to Gainesville for the first time and sat front-row as their sister shined.
“I’ve been talking about them coming for months now,” Hundley said. “I think they really had fun, and got into (it) as much as we did. Well, kinda. As much as a brother can.”
It’s no surprise that just like her, her family is also athletic.
Conor was a running back at the University of Akron from 2012 to 2015, while Steeler played baseball at St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati.
Her mom, Sharon, owns a dance studio, which is where Hundley got her start.
The athletic gene was obviously not lost on her.
And though she couldn’t have asked for much of a better start to her collegiate career, which has included competing all-around in every meet this season, she isn’t satisfied.
“I think I’ve had good events each week, but I haven’t put all four of my best events up yet,” Hundley said. “I’ll just keep doing what I’ve been doing and put up the best routines that I can.”
Contact Lauren Staff at lstaff@alligator.org or follow her on Twitter @lstaff27
UF gymnast Amelia Hundley performs a routine during Florida's win against Georgia on Feb. 10, 2017, in the O'Connell Center.
