The No. 3 Florida gymnastics team (6-1, 4-1 SEC) used the nation's top total of the 2008 season to defeat No. 6 LSU (8-2, 3-2 SEC) Friday evening in front of a Stephen C. O'Connell Center crowd of 6,705. Florida's total of 197.925 also ranks as the third-highest in school history. The Tigers turned in their second-highest total of 2008 at 196.325.
A total of 10 collegiate-best marks were set or matched Friday by Gator performers. Sophomore All-American Amanda Castillo used a collegiate-best of 39.575 to collect her first all-around title of the season and the third of her Gator career. She just edged a pair of All-American teammates, as junior Corey Hartung and sophomore Melanie Sinclair shared second at 39.55. That total ranks as collegiate-best for Sinclair.
Castillo, who finished third in the 2007 NCAA all-around competition, is the fourth Gator to earn an all-around title this season. She had competed as an all-around in five previous meets, finishing second once and third once. UF Head Coach Rhonda Faehn knew tonight's performance by Castillo was just a matter time.
| Did You Know… |
| The all-around title has gone to a Gator in each of Florida's seven meets of the 2008 season. Amanda Castillo picked up her first title tonight versus LSU. Other UF all-around winners include Melanie Sinclair (vs. Illinois-Chicago), Corey Hartung (vs. Georgia, vs. Arkansas, at Pittsburgh) and Ashley Reed (at Auburn, at Kentucky). |
“For the first couple of meets, Amanda didn't quite put it all together, which caused her to doubt herself. She is doing better in the (practice) gym than last year, so it was just a matter of letting it happen,” Faehn said. “So tonight she just let it happen. After her floor, I whispered in her ear 'Amanda's back.'” And it's just in time for when we need to start pushing for the end season.”
A little mental pep talk helped Castillo focus for tonight's meet.
“I feel like I've been second guessing myself all season and I wasn't going to have any more of that. So I cleared my head, came in here and did what I do in the gym. I gave myself a pep talk,” Castillo said. “There's nothing you can do, really. You have to put everything behind you and go out there and do it. You practice so hard and so many times with so many numbers in the gym. You just have to tell yourself that it's just another routine in the gym.”
Castillo anchored the Florida floor exercise lineup with a winning mark of 9.95 – matching her collegiate-best for her fifth title for the event of the season. Hartung and senior Nicola Willis each turned in a season-best 9.925 to tie for second in the final floor standings. Castillo, Sinclair and Willis shared the uneven bars title with a Gator season-best of 9.95. That mark also stands as a collegiate-best for Castillo and Willis. Hartung led all competitors to take her fourth balance beam title of 2008 with a mark of 9.90. The evening's vault title went to LSU's Susan Jackson, who turned in a collegiate-best of 9.975. Three tied for second on the event at 9.95 – Sinclair, Tiffany Murry and LSU's Ashleigh Clare-Kearney. The 9.95 vault mark is a collegiate-best for Sinclair and Murry.
The meet was tight at the midway point, as Florida held just a two-tenths advantage. But an out-of-bounds on floor and a fall on beam hurt LSU's score. Florida turned in season-best totals on its final three events – uneven bars (49.625), balance beam (49.40) and floor exercise (49.55). Sinclair said the team has been training hard for a performance like tonight's.
“I felt that the whole team was together tonight,” Sinclair said. “All the training we've done showed out there tonight. It's always great to have a high team score. It's exciting and it builds your confidence.”
Tonight's meet was the Second Annual Gators Link to Pink, part of the Southeastern Conference's initiative to help raise awareness about breast cancer. The Gators wore bright pink leotards and much of the crowd wore pink to show their support for the fight against breast cancer.
“We want to have this meet every year,” Faehn said. “It was so inspiring for the team to be welcomed into the arena by a tunnel of breast cancer survivors. We want to do whatever we can to help raise awareness in the fight against breast cancer. We couldn't be more pleased with the support showed in the arena tonight.”
Next weekend, the Gators travel to Chapel Hill, N.C., to meet the No. 19 North Carolina Tar Heels. Meet time is set for 7 p.m. in the Carmichael Arena.
| Final Team Standings |
| No. 3 Florida vs. No. 6 LSU – Feb. 15, 2008 – Stephen C. O'Connell Center (6,705) |
| | Team | Vault | Bars | Beam | Floor | Total |
| 1. | Florida | 49.35 | 49.625 | 49.40 | 49.55 | 197.925 |
| 2. | LSU | 49.475 | 49.30 | 48.625 | 48.925 | 196.325 |
