Florida Gators

The No. 8 University of Florida (2-6) gymnastics team posted its season-best team score Saturday evening to win the North Carolina State dual meet in front of a Reynolds Coliseum crowd of 2,016. Florida posted a 196.475 – the highest total for UF since the 1998 season. North Carolina State (7-3) also turned in its top score of the season at 195.325.

Florida turned in season-best team totals on vault (49.025), uneven bars (49.075), and balance beam (49.25). The Gators also turned in a 49.25 on the floor exercise, marking the first time this season (and the first time since 1998) UF has gone over 49.00 on each event. During the course of the dual meet, Gator gymnasts turned in season-best marks in 13 performances – including six collegiate-high marks.

"It was a great competition," UF Head Coach Judi Markell said. "They really rose to the occasion. It was a hard week of practice, but they went out tonight and competed aggressively. We met all of our goals tonight – to get a higher team score, hit our routines, be aggressive on balance beam and count no falls.

"Three gymnasts went over 39.00 in the all-around tonight and that's great because that is half of our team score," she continued. "But a number of people stepped forward tonight. Balance beam was definitely the highlight of the evening for me. We worked so hard on that event and they went out and did it tonight. They didn't hold back and it really showed."

Junior Hilary Thompson used a school-record score and two season-best marks to claim three event titles Saturday night. She matched the Gator school-record balance beam mark of 9.95 to share top honors in that event with NC State's Monica Berry. Thompson, who also turned in a 9.95 beam mark as a freshman in 1999, shares the UF beam record with former Gators Kristen Guise and Tracy Wilson. Thompson led a Gator sweep on the floor exercise with her mark of 9.90. She also stepped up to the top of the podium for the all-around competition, after posting a collegiate-best total of 39.375. Freshman Kara Waterhouse was right behind Thompson, taking second with a 39.325. Senior Gabby Fuchs also turned in a collegiate-best all-around total of 39.175 to take fourth overall.

Senior Teal Chiabotti picked up her first event title of the season Saturday, winning the vault with a mark of 9.875. In Saturday's competition, two additional Gator gymnasts competed vaults valued at 10.0. Each received collegiate-best marks for their vaults, as Fuchs turned in a 9.825 and Waterhouse received a 9.775. The Wolfpack's Kelli Brown turned in the evening's top mark of the uneven bars (9.90) competition, while UF's Waterhouse (9.875) and Fuchs (9.85) finished second and third.

The Gators now return home to play host to a two-meet homestand. UF will meet No.5 Michigan and Auburn next Friday, Feb. 2 for the SunTrust Disco Explosion. Meet time is set for 7 p.m. in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.

Team Totals