Florida Gators

The No. 5 University of Florida gymnasts (9-4, 2-3 SEC) reset the second-highest team score in school history for the second time this season Friday evening in front of a Stephen C. O'Connell Center crowd of 2,428 to claim a dual meet victory over No. 17 Arkansas (5-4, 2-3 SEC). The Gators posted a 197.375, while UA turned in a team total of 195.925. Florida's team score Friday bumps UF's previous season-best of 197.225 set Jan. 23 to third on the Gator All-Time Scores list.

Junior All-American Erinn Dooley claimed the first all-around title of her Gator career Friday with a collegiate- and UF season-best total 39.575. Freshman Breanne King, who was out of the Gator's all-around lineup for the last two meets due to an injured ankle, finished second with a total of 39.35. Dooley was surprised when her name was announced Friday as the all-around winner.

"Anyone will go out and expect to win but I really don't think about it," Dooley said. "It's just icing on the cake to win the all-around."

Head Coach Rhonda Faehn wasn't surprised by Dooley's performance, though.

"It's so well deserved. She is so humble and such a hard worker. She should get it every time out. She is so talented," Faehn said. "I guess she struggled her freshmen year with injuries but she came back last year and performed well and has really built on that this year. It is really nice to see her do so well."

A Gator claimed every event title Friday. Freshman Katie Rue earned the first event title of her collegiate career Friday when she took top honors in the vault with a collegiate-best mark of 9.925. Two Gators - Orley Szmuch and Chantelle Tousek - shared second in the final vault standings with Arkansas' Kathy Thompson at 9.85.

Florida swept the top three in both the uneven bars and balance beam Friday evening. Three Gators - Kristen Stucky, Erin Pendleton and Dooley - shared top honors as each matched the Gators' 2004 best bars mark of 9.925. Stucky led the Gator sweep on the beam with her winning mark of 9.925. The win was her fifth beam title of the season and the 10^th of her collegiate career. Joining her on the award's stand was Dooley at 9.90 and King at 9.875.

Dooley used her second collegiate-best event score of the evening to claim her first floor exercise crown (9.925) of the season. UF freshman Samantha Lutz also turned in a collegiate-best floor mark Friday, sharing second overall with UA's Thompson at 9.90.

Florida's uneven bars team total of 49.575 was just a tenth away from the school record set last season and ranks No. 2 all-time for UF. Stucky said the Gators' high bars score was the result of emphasizing the details.

"We've been focusing on our handstands and our landings in practice. Randy (Asst. Coach Randy Lane) emphasized how each tenth counts," Stucky said. "So we have worked at the beginning of every practice on our landings especially because every tenth counts."

Florida used five freshmen in its floor lineup Friday and turned in a 49.40, which shares the No. 5 position on the Gators' all-time chart.

Faehn said the Gators were looking to put up a strong score after three consecutive dual meet losses.

"When we came back from Auburn, we were frustrated. We thought we did a good job but we didn't win. That motivates you," Faehn said. "We analyzed every little thing. We asked the athletes what their scores would be without deductions on landings. It came to something like 197.50-198.00 and their eyes got wide because they know we can do that.

"I honestly think that a big help was having Bre (Breanne King) back in the lineup tonight. She brings confidence and a great demeanor to the lineup. We had her lead off three events so she could help pace the rest of those rotations," Faehn continued. "But the upper classmen as well as the freshmen were huge tonight. Erinn Dooley is the hardest worker in the program. She has increased her difficulty in almost every event this season. To see her nail that new dismount on bars was exciting. So it was a combination of a lot things that lead to the high score tonight."

Next weekend, Florida competes in two road meets. The Gators finish Southeastern Conference dual meet action at Kentucky on Friday, Feb. 27 at 7:30 p.m. Then UF travels to Lincoln, Neb., for the Master's Classic featuring No. 9 Nebraska and No. 24 Arizona State on Sunday, Feb. 29 at 3:00 p.m. (ET).