Florida Gators

LEXINGTON, Kentucky - A 10.0 from Florida's Bridget Sloan finished a solid road performance for the Gators Friday at the University of Kentucky Memorial Coliseum. The Florida gymnastics team took a 197.525 - 196.65 win to finish 2016 Southeastern Conference regular-season action.

Florida Event Winners Friday
Vault:	Alicia Boren	9.950
Uneven Bars:	Bridget Sloan	9.950
Balance Beam:	Bridget Sloan	10.00
Floor Exercise:	Bridgette Caquatto	9.950
All-Around	Bridget Sloan	39.65

The 10.0 from Sloan as Florida's final competitor of the meet completed a good road performance for the Gators. Florida opened the meet with a 49.50 on uneven bars - just a tick off its season best of 49.525. Three Gator seniors scored a 9.90 or above on the event. Sloan won the title at 9.95 while Bridgette Caquatto and Bianca Dancose-Giambattisto each had 9.9s.

Freshman Alicia Boren equaled her collegiate best of 9.95 to take the vault win. Sloan and sophomore Alex McMurtry also earned vault marks of 9.90.

Caquatto used her season-best 9.95 on floor exercise to take the win. In her second collegiate appearance, McMurtry matched her mark of 9.9 set last Friday in her floor debut.

Florida closed the meet on balance beam. Problems with the first two Gator beam performances didn't impact the rest of the lineup. The final four all turned in marks of 9.9 or better, including collegiate-bests from Ericha Fassbender (9.90), McMurtry (9.95) and Sloan (10.0). Boren also turned in a 9.90 on the event.

Three Gators competed as all-arounders Friday and each of the three posted totals which stand among the nation's best of 2016. Sloan's 39.65 just edged McMurtry (39.625) for the title. Boren was third at 39.575.

GATOR PERFORMANCE NOTES

• Sloan now has seven perfect marks in her collegiate career (three beam, two bars, one vault, floor), making her the Gators' career leader for 10.0s.
• The Gators' career leader in beam 10.0s is Sloan. She scored one on the event earlier this season in the Alabama dual meet. Her first beam 10.0? That also came in Kentucky's Memorial Coliseum, making her perfect for her two beam performances in the venue.
• Across the nation in 2016, a 10.0 has been turned in 12 times. Of the three 10.0s on balance beam this season, two have been posted by Sloan.
• The vault win was the third for Boren, as she has used a collegiate-best 9.95 to collect each of the titles.
• Caquatto's winning floor mark of 9.95 was a season best. She also won the Kentucky dual floor title last year in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center with a collegiate-best 9.975.
• Sloan's three event wins tonight (bars, beam, all-around) push her collegiate total to 85. She is now third on the Gators' All-Time Event Titles chart and is one away from tying Melissa Miller (1986-89) for second at 86.
• Six Gators turned in a total of seven season- or collegiate-best marks Friday
• Of the nation's top 15 team scores of 2016, Florida now has a third of those totals.

Nation's 10.0 Marks (thru 3/4/2016)
Evnt	Score	Date	Gymnast	School	Site	Opponent
V	10.00	1/22/2016	Ashleigh Gnat	LSU	H	Kentucky
	10.00	1/30/2016	Ashleigh Gnat	LSU	A	Quad meet
	10.00	2/26/2016	Lauren Beers	Alabama	H	Georgia
UB	10.00	1/29/2016	Alex McMurtry	Florida	H	Alabama
BB	10.00	1/29/2016	Bridget Sloan	Florida	H	Alabama
	10.00	3/4/2016	Bridget Sloan	Florida	A	Kentucky
	10.00	2/5/2016	Chayse Capps	Oklahoma	A	Quad meet
FX	10.00	1/29/2016	Kennedy Baker	Florida	H	Alabama
	10.00	1/9/2016	Nina McGee	Denver	H	Tri Meet
	10.00	2/27/2016	Nina McGee	Denver	H	Quad Meet
	10.00	2/19/2016	Ashleigh Gnat	LSU	H	Auburn
	10.00	3/4/2016	Ashleigh Gnat	LSU	H	Alabama

RECORDS: Florida (7-2, 5-2 SEC); Kentucky (6-5, 1-6 SEC).

THE SERIES: Florida leads 79-1.

Friday's score of 197.525 is the highest ever for the Gators in Lexington. Florida's previous high of 197.25 came in the 2004 dual held in Memorial Coliseum.

TUNE IN TO WATCH:
The Florida at Kentucky dual airs on ESPNU on Monday, March 7 at 5:30 p.m. ET.

The meet is also available on WatchESPN for 30 days.

HEAR FROM THE GATORS
On tonight's performance:
"It was a solid performance tonight. The meet got off to a great start on bars. I liked the stuck landings we saw from several in the lineup. Also saw some wonderful performances on vault and floor.

"We had a rough start on beam, but the final four were lights out. I really liked how they performed calmly and in control. They didn't let those early issues reflect down farther into the lineup.

"We rested Kennedy Baker on floor and I thought those who stepped into the lineup performed well. Tonight was Alex McMurtry's second collegiate all-around performance and what a great job she did in her first road all-around competition.

"We did what we wanted to tonight - perform well and achieve a good road score. I'm proud of what the team did tonight." - Florida head coach Jenny Rowland

A 10.0 for Bridget Sloan tonight. Nice way to end the meet.
"What a way for Bridget to finish the meet. It was especially nice since so many friends and family made the trip from the Indianapolis area to be here to support her tonight. I know she hasn't been happy with her last two meets, but there was never any doubt she would bounce back strong." - Florida head coach Jenny Rowland

Another 10.0 tonight. What was your focus going into that routine?
"I didn't have in my mind to get a 10.0. I wasn't striving for that as I was focusing a doing a good routine and to bounce back from the rough past two weeks I've had. I was able to come out with an incredible routine and a routine our team needed. It was definitely a great night." - senior All-American Bridget Sloan

On the Gators' performance tonight:
"I think the Gators showed that they can bounce back. We had two rough first routines on beam and we were able to completely turn it around and have season or near season-highs by the rest of the lineup.

"It was definitely an improvement. Jenny [Rowland] always says we don't have to be perfect, just do our best. And that's what we did." - senior All-American Bridget Sloan

National Rank:
Florida - Florida is No. 2 in the Feb. 29 Road to Nationals rankings.
Kentucky - Wildcats No. 23 in Feb. 29 rankings

UP NEXT:
The Gators finish 2016 regular-season action on Friday, March 11 with a dual meet versus North Carolina. Meet time is set for 6:45 p.m. ET in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.

It is Florida Senior Day and the careers of Gators Bridgette Caquatto, Bianca Dancose-Giambattisto, Morgan Frazier and Bridget Sloan will be celebrated in a post-meet ceremony.

The first 500 fans Friday receive a pair of high socks, just like what the Gators wear.

Tickets for Friday's meet are $5 for adults, while children 17 and under and UF students with a Gator1 card are admitted free. Visit a participating Gainesville Chick-fil-a to receive a coupon code for buy one, get one free tickets.

Check the promotions page for a complete list of happenings for the Florida-UNC meet.

The meet will stream on SEC Network .

North Carolina is at William & Mary on Saturday for a dual meet.

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

No. 2 Florida at No. 23 Kentucky Final Team Totals
March 4, 2016 - Memorial Coliseum (6,660)
Team	Vault	Bars	Beam	Floor	Total
Florida	49.375	49.500	49.325	49.325	197.525
Kentucky	48.925	49.250	49.150	49.325	196.650