GAINESVILLE, Fla. – It's No. 1 Oklahoma versus No. 5 Florida – bringing the nation's top gymnastics dual of the weekend to
The Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Friday's meet brings the winners of the last five NCAA teams titles (Florida 2013, 2014, 2015; Oklahoma 2014, 2016, 2017) together for the their first dual meet competition since 2015.
Oklahoma is the second team to bring the No. 1 ranking to O'Connell Center in 2018, as then No. 7 Florida was nipped 197.25 – 197.125 by then No. 1 LSU at the Jan. 12 home opener.
Arrive Early to Cheer Your Gators
Florida sold out its Jan. 12 home opener and expects another big crowd Friday. The meet starts with a not-to-miss event moment – the
Exactech Arena floor projections. Make plans now to ensure you will be in the Exactech Arena at 6:45 p.m. to see Friday's edition of the floor projection and to welcome the Gators for this big home competition.
Here's some tips to expedite your trip to the Exactech Arena Friday:
Getting TO the Arena:
- Season parking holders can enter the O'Connell Center lot off Lemerand Drive or SW 2nd Avenue.
- Public parking is available in the O'Connell Center parking garage on first-come basis. Those wishing to park in the garage must enter lot off SW 2nd Avenue.
- Public parking is also available in the north end of Percy Beard Track (enter off SW 2nd Avenue).
- A complimentary parking shuttle transports fans from the UF Commuter Lot on Gale Lemerand Drive to the O'Connell Center. For more information, visit FloridaGators.com.
Parking map for Gator Gymnastics
Getting IN the Arena:
- To get tickets ahead of Friday's meet, visit the FloridaGators.com ticket site or stop by the Gator Ticket Office (open Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.).
- The O'Connell Center ticket windows open at 5 p.m., with the gates opening at 5:30 p.m. Gates 1, 2 and 3 will be open for each gymnastics meet.
Entry Gates for Gymnastics
- Bags will be checked before entering the building. Everyone will go through the O'Connell Center metal detectors when entering. When using the metal detectors, fans need to empty their pockets but can keep items in hand, raising them above head while walking through the detector. After that, tickets will be scanned and then you are ready to cheer your Gators!
Friday's Promotions:
- Alumni Night - Help welcome home some of your favorite Gator gymnasts from over the years! More than 40 Gator Gymnastics alumnae are expect Friday so arrive early to cheer them in a special pre-meet recognition.
- 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.
Complete list of Friday's promotions
How to Follow the Gators:
Friday's meet airs tape-delayed on the SEC Network. The tape-delay anchors a Friday Night Heights triple-header of action. Olympic medalists Bart Conner and Kathy Johnson Clarke call Friday's action.
On the go Friday? Follow the action on
SEC Network +.
In the Gators' Last Meet:
In a meeting between the two teams tied for No. 6 in the Road to Nationals rankings, Florida took a 196.325 – 195.95 win at Kentucky in front of a Memorial Coliseum crowd of 5,549 on Jan. 19. 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. A beam miss was tallied in the Gators' final rotation, 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. Gowey collected her second event win of the evening, sharing the beam title at 9.90. It was Gowey's third consecutive beam win of 2018.
About the Sooners:
Oklahoma opened 2018 action with two meets in the span of a week, with both winning totals ranking among the season's best. The Sooners equaled the nation's top total of this young season, 197.55, to win its opener at Georgia on Jan. 15. Then on Sunday, the Sooners posted the nation's No. 3 total of 197.525 to win a home triangular versus Iowa State and Texas Woman's University.
Half of the gymnasts who shared the 2017 NCAA uneven bars title will be competing Friday, as Florida's
Alex McMurtry tied with Oklahoma's Nicole Lehrmann and Maggie Nichols.
Friday's meet also features four who turned in 10.0 marks in 2017 competition – Florida's
Kennedy Baker (floor) and McMurtry (vault, bars) and Oklahoma's Lehrmann (bars) and Nichols (vault, bars, beam, floor).
National Rank:
Florida – Florida is No. 5 in the third
Road to Nationals standings.
Oklahoma – The Sooners are No. 1 in the
Road to Nationals standings.
