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GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In the nation's top meet of the weekend, the Florida Gators claimed a 198.175 – 197.525 win over the Alabama Crimson Tide in front of a Stephen O'Connell Center crowd of 8,867 - the program's sixth-largest gymnastics crowd. Three perfect scores from Alex McMurtry, Bridget Sloan and Kennedy Baker gave the Gators a team score that leads the nation in 2016 and is tied for seventh-best in program history. The Tides' total also is the nation's top in road competition.
 

Florida Event Winners Friday
Vault:	Kennedy Baker	9.950
	Alicia Boren	9.950
Uneven Bars:	Alex McMurtry	10.00
Balance Beam:	Bridget Sloan	10.00
Floor Exercise	Kennedy Baker	10.00
All-Around	Bridget Sloan	39.775

There was no question it would be a great competition. Both teams brought top-five rankings into Friday's meeting – No. 1 Florida and No. 5 Alabama. The last five NCAA team titles went to these two programs (Alabama 2011, 2012; Florida 2013, 2014-tie with OU, 2015) as well as the last seven Southeastern Conference crowns (Alabama 2009, 2011, 2014, 2015; Florida 2010, 2012, 2013).
 
UF came out firing on all cylinders on the vault. The Gators achieved two season-best scores from Baker and Alicia Boren with a 9.95. The Orange and Blue were able to post their season high total on vault (49.50).
 
The perfection began on the uneven bars with McMurtry securing her career-best 10 on the apparatus and her second uneven bars event title. The Gator sophomore grabbed her fifth event title of the 2016 season.
 
Sloan anchored the Gators' beam set with an O'Connell Center first – a 10.0. On four previous occasions, a gymnast turned in a beam mark of 9.975 in the O'Connell Center, but Sloan's mark tonight is the first on the apparatus. On the final rotation, Baker posted her first 10.0 on any event with her floor mark Friday. She twice had posted a 9.975 as a freshman in 2015.
 
It was the nation's most competitive all-around contest of the season, as three gymnasts turned in totals at or above the nation's leading mark. Sloan, who owned the previous nation's high of 2016 of 39.65, upped her best to 39.775 for her fourth consecutive win. Baker and Alabama's Lauren Beers shared second at 39.65.
 
TEN FACTS ABOUT FLORIDA'S THREE 10.0s

• Three 10s by three different Gators on three different events is a program first. Twice in UF's 44-year history the Gators earned a pair of 10s in a single meet (Kristen Guise, Amy Myerson – bars/March 22, 1996 & Sloan, Kytra Hunter – floor/Jan. 24, 2014) but both marks of perfection came in the same event.
• The 10s from McMurtry (uneven bars) and Sloan (balance beam) were the nation's first on those events of 2016. Heading into this weekend, one gymnast (Denver's Nine McGee) had scored a floor 10.0.
• Only three beam 10s have been earned in Florida's history and Sloan has two of them. Her first beam 10.0 came at Kentucky on Feb. 7, 2014.
• Baker's floor 10.0 was the first of her career. Five Gators have turned in a total of eight floor 10.0 marks in the program's history. Kytra Hunter, who leads with four floor 10.0 marks, was the last Gator to earn the score on the event with her performance at Missouri on March 14, 2014.
• McMurtry now has perfect marks in two events. She opened 2015 home competition with a vault 10.0. She is one of three Gators to earn perfect marks on multiple events (Hunter – vault, floor & Sloan – vault, bars, beam, floor).
• Sloan, who finished her collegiate "GymSlam" (a 10.0 on each event) in 2015, now has a total of six 10.0 marks as a Gator. She turned in two 10.0s as a sophomore (floor, then beam) and finished her "GymSlam" during her junior season (vault, then twice on bars). She is the eighth collegiate gymnast to earn a 10.0 on each event and first since 2009.
• McMurtry's mark is the 10^th time a Gator has scored an uneven bars 10.0. She is the seventh Gator to earn an uneven bars 10.0.
• Florida now has 30 10.0 marks in the program's history (vault – nine; bars – 10; beam – three; floor – eight).
• Tonight's performance brings the nation's total of 10.0 marks to five. In the month of January, two other 10s were scored (LSU's Ashleigh Gnat – vault & Denver's McGee – floor).
• Sloan's six perfect marks equals Hunter's total (two vault; four floor) as Florida's career 10.0 leaders.

 
GATOR PERFORMANCE NOTES

• The bars win was the first of the 2016 season for McMurtry and just the second of her career. The Gator has now grabbed five event titles in 2016, with 13 in her young, Gator career. 
• Sloan's two event wins tonight pushes her career total to 77. Only five Gators in the program's 44-year history have 70 or more event titles.
• Baker's floor win was her fourth consecutive for the event.  
• The 10.0 floor routine gave Baker her 10^th event title of her collegiate career (1 beam, 3 vault, 6 floor).
• Florida's event totals for vault (49.50), beam (49.525) and floor (49.675) were team season highs.
• Sloan's all-around win was the 22^nd of her career, moving her into sole possession of third all-time for the Gators.
• Vault marks of 9.95 by consecutive Gators were also the team's high on the event in 2016. Freshman Alicia Boren shared her first vault win with Baker. 

TOP-10 MEETINGS: Tonight was Florida's third consecutive meet versus a top-10 team. The Gators opened home action with a 197.675-196.925 versus then No. 5 UCLA. Last Friday, Florida opened SEC action with a 197.075-195.90 win at then No. 8 Auburn.
 
RECORDS: Florida (4-0, 2-0 SEC); Alabama (2-3, 2-2 SEC).
 
THE SERIES: Alabama leads 71-39-2. Since 2003, each regular-season meeting between these two teams has gone to the home team.
 
RE-AIR DATES:
The Florida versus Alabama meet airs again on the SEC Network Saturday, Jan. 30 at 9:30 a.m. and Sunday, Jan. 31 at 8:30 p.m. Also airs Tuesday, Feb. 2 at 1 p.m. on ESPNU.
 
HEAR FROM THE GATORS
On Florida's performance:
"I really don't know what to say other than tonight was a very memorable night. I think not only for me, but for our entire team. These three over here that got perfect 10s (Bridget Sloan, Alex McMurtry and Kennedy Baker), I can't say enough about them. Their leadership on the team and putting forth the effort and putting in the work inside and outside the gym for this team. It is like no other.
 
"But really, we haven't been working on being perfect in the gym or anything. It so nice see them and when they are in the gym, they do a great job. It is great to see them move everything from the gym onto the competition floor and just shine and have fun. It is showing in their gymnastics." - Head Coach Jenny Rowland
 
On her perfect 10 on the uneven bars…
"I was surprised by the 10. I am kind of terrified of bars. This routine gave me some confidence with the new release move and a new routine. When I stuck that landing, I thought I hit a good routine, but I didn't think it was a 10.0 until they flashed the scores." - sophomore Alex McMurtry
 
On her perfect 10 on floor…
"I didn't go into it thinking that I was going to get a 10. Then, I did the first pass and thought 'eh, that was good'. I did the second pass and thought 'oh that was better' and then I landed it and was thinking 'hopefully.' Then they flashed the scores and I was really happy." - sophomore Kennedy Baker
 
On her perfect 10 on the balance beam…
"I go last on the beam and it's a long wait. Before I was going, I was super relaxed and calm. I thought I was just going to go up there and rock this. Jenny said 'let's just end this with a boom'. I thought 'OK'.
 
"I bet no one noticed but I kicked the beam really hard on the very first move I did. I stood up on the beam and was like 'oh my gosh my toe.' It really just took me away from my actual thought process. It is amazing what happens when you don't think and just let your body take over. I was just going through my routine and thinking 'oh that was good' and I landed my dismount.
 
"I remember the first 10 I got on beam and it was during my sophomore year at Kentucky. I did my beam routine and thought there was no way that they could take anything off. I felt very similar this week. Again, it was an incredible night." - senior Bridget Sloan
 
National Rank:
Florida – Florida is No. 1 in the Jan. 25 Road to Nationals rankings.
Alabama – Tide No. 5 in Jan. 25 rankings
 
UP NEXT:
The Gators open action for the second month of the season when they are at No. 13 Georgia on Friday, Feb. 5. Meet time is set for 7 p.m. in the Stegeman Coliseum.
 
Georgia finished a two-meet road stretch Friday with a 196.275-195.025 win at No. 23 Kentucky.
 
The meet airs live on the SEC Network and will also stream on SEC Network +.
 

	Florida Gators Gymnastics Florida Gators		@GatorsGym @FloridaGators
			@JennyRowlandUF (Jenny Rowland)

 

No. 1 Florida versus No. 5 Alabama Final Team Totals
Jan. 29, 2016 - Stephen C. O'Connell Center (8,867)
Team	Vault	Bars	Beam	Floor	Total
Florida	49.500	49.475	49.525	49.675	198.175
Alabama	49.200	49.325	49.550	49.450	197.525