Florida Gators

The No. 8 University of Florida gymnasts (5-1, 1-0 SEC) matched the fifth-highest team score in school history to claim a 197.10-195.30 win over No. 16 LSU (2-2, 0-1 SEC) Friday evening in front of a Stephen C. O'Connell Center crowd of 3,803. The Gators claimed four event titles Friday, including a sweep of the balance beam competition.

Florida opened the meet with a season-best 49.15 team total on the vault. Four Gators turned in marks 9.80 or above Friday, including freshmen Katie Rue (9.80) and Breanne King (9.85) plus juniors Erinn Dooley and Orley Szmuch (9.875). Szmuch's mark was second overall to LSU's April Burkholder, who used a 9.925 to win her second consecutive vault crown.

Florida's uneven bars team total also was a season-best, as the Gators used marks of 9.825 or above toward its total of 49.325. The Gators led the meet by .75 over the Tigers at the midway point. Senior Erin Pendleton picked up her first bars title of the season with her mark of 9.925. Szmuch and King shared third overall in the final bars standings as each turned in season-bests of 9.875.

The Gators were just .05 away from their season-best balance beam total with a 49.40 Friday evening. The awards stand was filled with Gators, as junior Kristen Stucky used a 9.925 to claim her second consecutive beam crown of the season. King turned in a steady beam set to take second with a collegiate-best mark of 9.90, while Szmuch and Rue shared third at 9.875.

Florida improved its season-best floor total by more than half a point Friday, earning a 49.225. Szmuch picked up her first floor title of 2004 with her mark of 9.925. LSU's Burkholder and Brittany Brown shared second at 9.90.

"I'm extremely pleased with how we performed tonight," UF Head Coach Rhonda Faehn said. "The team performed with a calm confidence. Everyone was a bit more situated after last week and we had more fun tonight. It was nice to see the team rise to the occasion. We still have some areas to work on, which shows we can score even higher."

Szmuch won her eighth career all-around title with a season-best total of 39.55. King and Burkholder shared runner-up honors at 39.475 - a season-best total for both gymnasts. King thought the Gators showed improvement from last week's season opener at the Super Six Challenge, where UF took second.

"I think having one competition under our belt and the experience we gained from that meet helped tonight," King said. "The home crowd was a big help too. The crowd gets you pumped up and it is just a blast."

The Florida freshmen again turned in impressive performances Friday, as 10 of their 11 routines were computed into the Gators' final team total.

"We knew when we recruited them (the freshmen class) that they were highly experienced. That is what we look for when recruiting," Faehn said. "But it goes back to the team dynamic. They fit in really well and share the same goals as the upperclassmen, which is to win a SEC title and a national title. I felt really pleased with how they performed tonight. That is what we recruited. They have all performed at a high level at the club level so we expected this from them. It was a wonderful blend with our upperclassmen tonight. The upperclassmen showed their experience and the freshmen showed the experience that they had prior to college."

Up next, the Gators continue their homestand when they play host to Illinois-Chicago, Michigan State and North Carolina State on Friday, Jan. 23. Meet time is set for 7:00 p.m. in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Tickets are $4.00 for adults, while children 17 and under plus UF students with ID are admitted free.