Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Home and Southeastern Conference action for the Gator gymnastics team opened Friday with a 197.60–196.95 win over Kentucky in front of 7,683 at the Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
 
That total is the tops for the Gators to open the SEC season and the third highest to start home action. And again like in Sunday's season opener at North Carolina State, the Gators showed that with the sharpening that should come as the season progresses, the potential is there for the score to grow.
 

Florida Event Winners Friday
Vault:	Rachel Slocum	9.95
Uneven Bars:	Alex McMurtry	9.95
Balance Beam:	Alicia Boren	9.925
Floor Exercise	Kennedy Baker	9.925
All-Around	Kennedy Baker	39.575

A Gator took at least a share of each event title Friday, including senior All-American Kennedy Baker sharing the all-around win at 39.575 with Kentucky freshman Mollie Korth. It was the second title of the season for both gymnasts.
 
Junior Rachel Slocum introduced herself to the O'Connell Center crowd with a bang, as her collegiate-best 9.95 won the vault. It was also her first appearance in a Gator lineup, as she turned in 9.925 in an exhibition performance Sunday in the season opener at North Carolina State.
 



Junior All-American Alex McMurtry is now two-for-two in uneven bars titles in 2017. Today, she used a season-best 9.95 to take her eighth career title on the event. The balance beam win again went to sophomore All-America Alicia Boren, as she equaled her season-best of 9.925 to take her second consecutive title on the event.
 
It was a three-way tie for first at 9.925 in Friday's floor exercise competition, as Baker shared her second win of the season with UK's Korth and Sidney Dukes.

GATOR PERFORMANCE NOTES:

• Slocum's mark of 9.95 is the highest ever for a Gator making her first appearance in the vault lineup. The previous high was 9.925 by Bridget Sloan on Jan. 4, 2013. It is the second-highest ever for a Gator vaulter in their first appearance in the O'Connell Center. The highest? McMurtry's 10.0 in Florida's 2015 home opener.
• Today was Baker's fifth all-around win of her career, with all the wins (including the 2016 SEC title) coming since the midway point of the 2016 season.
• McMurtry now owns eight uneven bars titles, with seven wins coming in the last 13 meets.
• Eleven of Florida's 24 routines Friday came from newcomers to the 2017 roster. One freshman competed in the all-around, with Amelia Hundley's 39.50 taking third overall.
• Just two meets in, Florida has already equaled its vault high of a season ago. The Gators' 49.50 is the nation's second-highest on the event so far this young season.
• Tonight's crowd of 7,683 is the third-largest home opener in school history (10,013 vs. Georgia in 2014 and 8,119 at the Super Six Challenge in 2005).

A NEW VAULT FOR ALEX
Alex McMurtry anchored the vault lineup with a Yurchenko layout with double twist. The vault, which has a 10.0 start value, took second overall at 9.925.
 
It is believed the first performed by a Gator. McMurtry is one of just a handful of gymnasts in the nation with this high-level vault in her repertoire.
 
In McMurtry's first appearance in the O'Connell Center in 2015, she equaled Florida's vault record with her 10.0 for her Yurchenko full. The vault was devalued from a 10.0 to a 9.95 start value for the 2016 season. She did have success with the Yurchenko full over the last two seasons, winning seven vault titles as a freshman and six as a sophomore. But McMurtry wanted to challenge herself and asked to start training the double full this fall.

COACH ROWLAND ROLLS IN
During Florida's balance beam rotation, UF Head Coach Jenny Rowland arrived on the competition floor. Rowland, who is also a Category 3 International Brevet level judge, was in Indianapolis this week for a required seminar to review the scoring code and to be tested. This happens after every Olympics Games.
 
That seminar ended this afternoon and Rowland headed back to Gainesville, hoping to make it before meet's end. She followed the SEC Network + video stream and the scores on Twitter.
 
Adrian Burde and Owen Field, Florida's assistant coaches, assumed her coaching duties during this week's training and Rowland knew the team would be fine with her checking in from the Midwest.
 
"We train in a way that the girls are prepared and self-sufficient. They come to a meet and are ready to go," Rowland said. "They're golden, they're confident, and they did a fabulous job tonight."
 
"They're my wingmen, we all work together as a team very well," Rowland continued on about Burde and Field. "We have each other's backs just like the team has each other's backs. I can't thank them enough."
 
RECORDS: Florida (2-0, 1-0 SEC); Kentucky (1-1, 0-1 SEC).
 
THE SERIES: Florida leads the series 81-1.
 
HEAR FROM THE GATORS:
On the team's performance:
"I think the performance was fabulous tonight overall for freshmen and the returners. Overall, I'm really looking forward to an amazing season. This team is so talented, so motivated, so dedicated and really, the sky's the limit." – Florida Head Coach Jenny Rowland
 
On winning all-around for the second week in a row:
"It's cool but I always compete for my team. Winning all-around is always nice, but to get the team win was more important to me. But for myself, it felt really good. Just building that confidence for next week." – junior Kennedy Baker
 
On her O'Connell Center debut:
"My heart was beating like a million miles a minute but I knew my team had my back so I just went out there and did the best I could. I just felt so honored." – junior Rachel Slocum
 
On moving into the competitive lineup tonight:
"It felt amazing. I think just knowing that my coaches and my team believed in me enough to put me in lineup this week was just an amazing feeling. I just wanted to go out there and do the best for my teammates." – junior Rachel Slocum
 
On her debut at the O'Connell Center:
"I was really excited. It was surreal standing back there and looking out at the crowd. The lights got dim, and I started to get the chills. But going out there, I just tried to take a deep breath and take it all in. I'm just really appreciative and honored to be here. It was just a great experience and having my team behind me was even better." – freshman Amelia Hundley
 
On her floor routine:
"I just try to take it one routine at a time and try not to get overwhelmed by everything. On my floor, I tried to just go one pass at a time and just enjoy it. I could hear my teammates screaming for me on my last pass. Landing that pass and having my teammates and the fans go crazy was an amazing feeling." – freshman Amelia Hundley
 
On competing at the new Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center:
"Wow. I think we're a little spoiled. They did an amazing job. I just want to thank the people that contributed. For us to be able to experience the O'Dome was amazing, but this is on a whole new level. It was amazing." –sophomore All-American Alicia Boren
 
On competing in the new Exactech Arena:
"I've always loved competing in the O Dome, but just competing in that version of the O'Dome was outstanding. I mean, there were so many people there and it just kept getting more and more full. Running out of the Gator head, I had chills, just seeing all the lights up and the graphics. Everything is so much better." – junior Kennedy Baker
 
National Rank:
Florida – Florida is No. 3 in the first Road to Nationals poll.
UK – The Wildcats are No. 14 in the Road to Nationals poll.
 
UP NEXT:
Florida returns to the Tar Heel State to face North Carolina on Friday, Jan. 20. Meet time is set for 7 p.m. in the Carmichael Arena.
 
The meet will be streamed via FloGymnastics and to access, the subscription cost is $19.97 monthly or $147 yearly. Visit the FloGymnastics Events Page for complete information. 
 

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

 
 

No. 3 Florida versus No. 14 Kentucky Final Team Totals
Jan. 13, 2017 – Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center (7,683)
Team	Vault	Bars	Beam	Floor	Total
Florida	49.500	49.475	49.300	49.325	197.600
Kentucky	49.200	49.300	49.125	49.325	196.950