Florida Gators

LEXINGTON, Ky. – In the meeting of the collegiate gymnastics teams ranked No. 6, it was Florida with the win Friday in front of a Memorial Coliseum crowd of 5,549. The Gators took the win, 196.325 – 195.95, over Kentucky.

The Gators trailed by 0.15 after the opening rotation but owned more than a point lead at the midway point. That lead narrowed to a point after the third rotation. The final rotation was a bit uncomfortable as the Gators had a fall at the beginning and end of the beam lineup, but the Wildcats could not close the gap.  
  Florida's two Rachels claimed the first two event titles. Sophomore Rachel Gowey used a 9.825 to win her first collegiate uneven bars title. Then senior All-American Rachel Slocum used the Gators' season-high of 9.925 to claim a share of her first vault title of 2018.
 
Senior All-American Kennedy Baker led Florida on floor exercise to tie for second at 9.90. Gowey collected her second event win of the evening, sharing the beam title at 9.90.
 
Kentucky sophomore Mollie Korth took the all-around at 39.50 and shared the vault win with Slocum (9.925). UK's Sidney Dukes won floor at 9.95 and shared the beam with teammate Alex Hyland and Gowey at 9.90.
 
GATOR NOTABLES:

• Of the 84 all-time meetings between these two programs, this was the first both teams brought a top-10 ranking.
• Florida's season-best vault total (49.375) resulted when five in the Gators' lineup turned in season-best marks. Slocum's 9.925 earned her the 11^th vault title of her career.
• Gowey won two event titles in a single collegiate meet for the first time. She took her first collegiate bars win with a 9.825. She claimed the beam title in each of Florida's three meets this season and tonight's win was her fifth beam win as a Gator.

 
RECORDS: Florida (2-1, 1-1 SEC), Kentucky (4-1, 1-1 SEC).
 
THE SERIES: Florida leads the series 83-1.
 
HEAR FROM THE GATORS:
Thoughts on tonight's meet:
"It wasn't a perfect night. We made a lot of improvements in different areas from our first road meet, which is always good to see. We worked better together as a team; the energy was fantastic. The Gators were really having a good time and that did show in a lot of ways.
 
"Our performance on vault was much better this week. We had a great floor performance. Bars was ok – a few missed opportunities here and there. Beam was a missed opportunity. It was good to see that after Kennedy [Baker] fell during the first routine, we had a freshman [Megan Skaggs] come up second and she nailed her routine. The team was able to keep their confidence up and keep moving through most of the lineup." – Florida Head Coach Jenny Rowland
 
What can you say about Rachel Gowey's performance this season? She's been so solid.
"It's been so great to see Rachel's [Gowey] confidence rise. She came in last year as such a high-level athlete but looked shy in her performances. It's been amazing to see her this season, performing with confidence. She's just been solid thus far and I'm looking forward to having this carry forward for the rest of the season." – Florida Head Coach Jenny Rowland
 
This season has been going great for you so far – such a steady performer.
"I just mentally changed – became more confident in myself. I started talking to myself more in my head, saying things like 'You do this every day in practice. Bring it out here and do the same thing'. I'm being more confident, knowing I can hit the routines under pressure." – sophomore Rachel Gowey.
 
Rachel Slocum nailed her vault tonight. How good was that to see?
"For [Rachel] Slocum to be normal again, that was great to see. We took her double layout out on floor. It was something she wasn't a 100 percent there confidence wise. I think it was affecting her demeanor in competition. So we took that out and did a meet like she did last year. Really think she needed a solid meet under her belt to get her confidence back up and we'll continue to move forward." – Florida Head Coach Jenny Rowland
 
How about your vault performance tonight?
"I was happy with my vault tonight. Obviously, these first two meets weren't what I had planned for vault, but I definitely think I brought it tonight. It really paid off." – senior All-American Rachel Slocum.
 
What did you think of the team's performance?
"I think things went pretty well. We kept the energy up and did well. Obviously, there are still some things we want to improve, but we are improving every meet," – freshman Alyssa Baumann
 
There was a fall before you on beam. What did Coach Rowland say to you before you competed on beam?
"She knows I've been in high-pressure situations before so she told me to be confident – 'you know how to do it so you can hit it'. She told me 'One routine and done. No wobble.'" –freshman Alyssa Baumann
 
What was tonight's competition like for you and the team?
"It was so great. We all had such great energy. There is so much love for each other. I can hear my teammates saying 'We know you can do it" and that helps so much. I do it in the gym everyday so to come out here and show people what I do in the gym – it's really great."
 
"Yes, we had mistakes and there are things to work on in the gym but we had so much energy going for every routine. We had so much fun out there. You could just see the joy in everyone's face when competing. It was just a really fun time for everyone." – sophomore Rachel Gowey.
 
Your mom was in the stands watching tonight. Was it fun to win with her watching?
"Yes it was. When I was in elite, she never watched me. She and my dad would always get up and leave the arena or walk around the concourse when I competed as an elite. She's finally able to watch me. She told me before the meet 'I'm going to watch you tonight' so it's great knowing she's watching me in person instead of a recording." – sophomore Rachel Gowey
 
ROAD TO NATIONALS RANK:
Florida – The Gators are No. T-6 in the Road to Nationals rankings.
Kentucky – The Wildcats are No. No. T-6 in the Road to National rankings.
 
UP NEXT:
Winners of the last five NCAA championships meet next Friday in the Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center when Florida (NCAA champ: 2013, 2014, 2015) plays host to Oklahoma (NCAA champ: 2014, 2016, 2017). The meet begins at 6:45 p.m.
 
Friday's meet airs tape-delayed on the SEC Network Friday at 10 p.m. ET. The live stream of the meet can be found on WatchESPN.
 
Here's what is planned for Friday's fans:
 

• Alumni Night - Help the Gators welcome home Gators Gymnastics Alumni and cheer on some of your favorite Gators Gymnastics from over the years! Arrive early for a special pre-meet recognition with these Gator Greats!
  Giveaway - 1,000 Pairs of Gators Gymnastics socks - just like the team wears!
  Student Giveaway - UF students can arrive early to sit in the lower level student section and receive orange and blue glow bracelets to wear during intros.

 
There are still general admission tickets available for the Florida-Oklahoma dual.
 

2018 Gator Gymnastics Season Ticket Pricing

General Admission Adult

Season $20

Single Meet $5

General Admission Youth (12 & under)

Season: Free

Single Meet: Free

UF Students w/ Gator1 ID

Season: Free

Season Parking (available to all reserved & general admission season ticket holders)

Season: $25

 
 

Florida Event Winners Friday
Vault:	Rachel Slocum	9.925
Uneven Bars:	Rachel Gowey	9.825
Balance Beam:	Rachel Gowey	9.90

 


 

No. T-6 Florida at No. T-6 Kentucky Final Team Totals
Jan. 19, 2018 - Memorial Coliseum (5,549)
Team	Vault	Bars	Beam	Floor	Total
Florida	49.375	48.950	48.725	49.275	196.325
Kentucky	49.150	48.950	49.350	49.350	195.950