Florida Gators

The No. 1 University of Florida (14-0-1, 5-0-1 SEC) gymnastics team finished off its two-meet road trip to the West with a 197.25-191.725 win over Boise State (6-10) Sunday afternoon in front of a Taco Bell Arena crowd of 660.

The Gators finished the meet with a school-record performance on the balance beam, as UF tallied a 49.575 Sunday. The previous record of 49.525 was turned in three times during the 2004 season. Florida's final four competitors all turned beam marks of 9.90 or better Sunday. Junior Ashley Reed claimed her fifth balance beam title Sunday with a collegiate- and Gator-season best mark of 9.975. That mark ties for second on the Gators All-Time chart.

“It just felt like the right place, right time. I felt like it (the routine) had been coming. I've been having little mistakes here and there and I just finally put it all together,” Reed said. “I've never been flashed a 10.0 before. That was the most awesome feeling!”

Sophomore Corey Hartung was runner-up with her second 9.925 beam mark of the weekend. Melanie Sinclair and Amanda Castillo shared third with their marks of 9.90. Senior Breanne King also added a 9.875 toward the record beam performance.

“It seemed like everyone clicked really well with the beam,” Reed said. “Everybody just went out there with a lot of confidence and hit their routines one after another.”

UF Head Coach Rhonda Faehn was pleased with the strong finish by the beam lineup.

“The gymnasts really seemed like they were having fun up there today on beam. They were very relaxed. This team continues to amaze me. They keep getting better and better, especially when we are finishing on balance beam. They just aren't letting anything affect them. Once again, I'm very proud of them on that event. They work for it,” Faehn said. “That definitely was the best beam routine I've seen Ashley (Reed) do with the stuck landing. It was great for her get that score and even one of the judges gave her a 10. I think that will help her confidence heading into the post-season.”

Reed was one of four different Gators to claim an event title Sunday. Freshman Rebekah Zaiser also had a collegiate-best mark of 9.90 to claim her second vault title of the last three meets. Sinclair used a 9.90 to claim her seventh uneven bars title of 2007. Sunday's floor competition was claimed by senior Samantha Lutz with a season-best 9.90. Florida did not have an all-around competitor on Sunday.

Other Gators among the top three event finishers Sunday included Savannah Evans and King sharing second on vault with Boise State's Kristin Aldrich and DeAvera Todd at 9.85. Evans also shared second on floor with Tiffany Murry at 9.875. Junior Nicola Willis (9.875) and Lutz (9.85) completed the UF bars sweep.

Florida began the weekend by posting a 197.05-196.725 win at No. 7 Utah Friday evening. This two-meet road swing is planned to help the team prepare for post-season action.

“We wanted our team to use this meet as a chance to prepare for the back-to-back days of competition at the NCAA Championships. We want to prepare our athletes mentally and physically for nationals,” Faehn said. “It also gave us the opportunity to put some new faces in the lineup. We rested some athletes today and at least half of our vault and floor lineups were different. It was wonderful to get those other athletes out there and give them more experience. We even had two make their first appearances ever as Gators, as Ashley Kerr (vault) and Courtney Gladys (beam) appeared as exhibition competitors. They work so hard and our team was uplifted by their performances.”

Faehn did see areas the Gators will continue to work on when they return to the practice gym.

“Again, it is kind of a blaring sign to us that we still need to improve in the little areas before SECs and nationals. We can't afford to miss handstands on bars, miss stuck landings on any event and we could show more expression on floor,” Faehn said. “Each time we get out there on the competition floor, it gives us an opportunity to try to correct those things.”

Next up, the Gators close 2007 regular-season action by playing host to No. 24 Michigan State (10-6) on Friday, March 16 for Senior Night. Meet time is set for 7 p.m. in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Florida's five seniors, the first recruiting class for Gator Head Coach Rhonda Faehn, will be honored at Friday's meet. The first 1,500 fans through the door Friday receive a water bottle, compliments of the Hilton.