COLUMBIA, Mo. – The nation's fifth-highest total of 2016 gave the University of Florida gymnastics team a 197.75 – 196.65 win over Missouri Friday evening in front of a Hearnes Center crowd of 1,830.
Florida now has the nation's No. 1 (198.175), No. 5 (197.75) and No. 6 (197.675) scores of 2016. Tonight's score is Florida's top road total of 2016.
The Gators swept Friday's event titles. Senior
Bridgette Caquatto opened her competition Friday by equaling her collegiate-best of 9.95 to take her first uneven bars win of the season. Another Gator senior also turned in season-bests on the next two rotations to take the vault and floor win.
Bridget Sloan used a 9.925 for her first vault win of 2016 and also won floor exercise with the evening's high mark on any event (9.975).
Sophomore
Alex McMurtry finished the meet by equaling her collegiate best of 9.95 to claim the balance beam win.
The Gators went one-two in the evening's all-around competition. Sophomore
Kennedy Baker won her first collegiate all-around title at 39.575. Freshman
Alicia Boren took second at 39.45. Missouri's Morgan Porter took third at 39.425.
Kennedy Baker's total of 39.575 Friday gives her the first all-around title of her collegiate career. GATOR PERFORMANCE NOTES- Baker's win marks the second consecutive meet a Gator won her first all-around title. Boren won her first title last week in home action versus Arkansas. The three Gators who have competed as all-arounders this season (Baker, Boren, Sloan) have combined to win the event title in six of Florida's seven meets of 2016.
- Sloan used a season-best 9.925 to win her first vault title of the season. She also matched her season-best of 9.975 for the second time in the last four meets to win floor.
- Caquatto took her first uneven bars title of season by matching her collegiate-best of 9.95 for the seventh time of her career.
- McMurtry set her collegiate beam best of 9.95 in last Friday's win versus Arkansas and used that mark again to take her second straight and third overall win on the event.
- Sloan's two wins tonight gives her 82 for her collegiate career. She is currently fourth on the Gators All-Time Career Wins chart and is one away from tying Kytra Hunter's third-place total.
- A total of nine season or collegiate-best marks were posted by the Gators Friday.
RECORDS: Florida (6-1, 4-1 SEC); Missouri (5-7, 1-4, SEC).
THE SERIES: Florida leads 17-0.
This was the Gators' fifth visit to Columbia since 1984 and second since the Tigers joined the SEC in the 2012-13 academic year.
TUNE IN TO WATCH AGAIN:The Florida at Missouri meet re-airs on the following dates/times:
| Date | Time (ET) | Network |
| Feb. 20 | 5 a.m. | SEC Network |
| Feb. 21 | 7 p.m. | SEC Network |
| Feb. 22 | Noon | SEC Network |
| Feb. 23 | 10 a.m. | SEC Network |
| Feb. 23 | 1 p.m. | ESPNU |
The meet is also available on
WatchESPN for 30 days.
Nation's Top 10 Team Scores
(as of Feb. 19, 2016) |
| School | Score | Site | Date |
| Florida | 198.175 | H | 1/29/2016 |
| Oklahoma | 197.925 | A | 2/5/2016 |
| Oklahoma | 197.900 | H | 2/7/2016 |
| LSU | 197.825 | H | 2/19/2016 |
| Florida | 197.750 | A | 2/19/2016 |
| Florida | 197.675 | H | 1/15/2016 |
| Oklahoma | 197.675 | A | 2/12/2016 |
| Oklahoma | 197.550 | A | 1/30/2016 |
| Alabama | 197.525 | A | 1/29/2016 |
| Georgia | 197.525 | H | 2/13/2016 |
HEAR FROM THE GATORSOpening Statement:"Very happy with the team's performance. We've been working on a lot of little details in the gym. I noticed some of them carried out to the competition floor and some of them did not. And you know what? That is expected and that's normal. We're taking baby steps. There is still a lot we can improve upon and work on, but overall this team supports each other. They had each other's back and they did a great job from start to finish." – Gator head coach
Jenny Rowland A lot of strong performances from individual Gators tonight, including the first all-around win for Kennedy Baker."There were so many strong performances tonight as each of our lead-off gymnasts turned in season bests.
Grace McLaughlin has been such a solid starter on floor this season. That was a beautiful routine and believe the 9.9 is her collegiate best. Bridgey [Caquatto] also had a season-best to start us on vault.
"Kennedy did a great job today. For each road meet, Kennedy starts us off on the first and final events. We can always count on her to get up there and do her best. Today, she is one that I noticed carried what we've been working on in the gym onto the competition floor. Her beam performance was actually a little more aggressive than I've seen her do, which is a good thing. And now it is time to control those landings and continue to be a little more aggressive in the gym so we can carry that over to competition." – Gator head coach
Jenny Rowland How does it feel to claim your first all-around win?It feels amazing. I just went out there and did my best. That resulted in the win, so that was cool.
"I think I had better landings and also was a bit calmer when competing than I have previously." – sophomore All-American
Kennedy Baker You won bars and had a season-best on vault. How did the meet go tonight?"Tonight was really exciting. The whole team did super well – that's a great road score for us. For me individually, it felt good to get out there, feel like my normal self and contribute to the team this meet." – senior All-American
Bridgette Caquatto Your assessment on the team's performance tonight?"I think the team was amazing tonight. That is our best road score of the season. The energy was great and we did really well." – sophomore
Kennedy Baker What led to the change in freshman Peyton Ernst's beam routine tonight?"Peyton was one of my highlights tonight. She did a brand-new beam routine and actually put her hands down on the beam during her series. That is actually a big deal for her as she had [shoulder] surgery nine months ago. We constructed her previous routine to not have her hands on the beam at any point other than her mount.
She was released this week by the doctor and did a fantastic job on beam tonight. You could see a smile light up her face when she landed that series. We are looking forward to improving on that and moving forward." – Gator head coach
Jenny Rowland There was a good turnout of Gator fans here in the Show Me State. 'It was a lot of fun to have such a good turnout of Gator fans. We definitely fed off of them as there was lots of energy from them." – senior All-American
Bridgette Caquatto Looking forward to finishing February with a home meet?"It is always really exciting to compete in the O'Connell Center especially against a top team like LSU. I know the team is super pumped and it's going to be a great meet." – Gator head coach
Jenny Rowland National Rank:Florida – Florida is No. 2 in the Feb. 15
Road to Nationals rankings.
Missouri – Tigers No. 19 in Feb. 15 rankings
UP NEXT:The Gators return home on Feb. 26 to play host to their fourth top-10 team of 2106 - No. 6 Louisiana State. Meet time is set for 6:45 p.m. ET in the
Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
The first 500 fans in attendance will receive a Gators Gymnastics tumbler!
Tickets for Friday's meet are $5 for adults, while children 17 and under and UF students with a Gator1 card are admitted free. Buy One, Get One tickets available to those showing a UF Alumni Association or UF Gator1 identification.
Check the
promotions page for a complete list of happenings for the Florida-LSU meet.
The meet airs live on the SEC Network and will also stream on
SEC Network +.
In a match-up of Tiger teams Friday, it was the LSU Tigers taking the 197.875 – 197.125 win over Auburn in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
No. 2 Florida at No. 19 Missouri
Final Team Totals |
| Feb. 19, 2016 - Hearnes Center (1,830) |
| Team | Vault | Bars | Beam | Floor | Total |
| Florida | 49.375 | 49.500 | 49.300 | 49.575 | 197.75 |
| Missouri | 48.975 | 49.075 | 49.225 | 49.375 | 196.65 |
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