GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 5 Florida closes Southeastern Conference regular-season action Friday at No. 20 Missouri. Meet time is 8 p.m. ET at the
Hearnes Center.
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How to Follow the Gators:
The meet is available live on
SEC Network + with Ben Arnet and Missouri gymnastics alumna Blair Elmore call the action.
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In the Gators' Last Meet:
It was strong start with a heartbreaking end in Florida's final home SEC meet, a 197.725 – 196.875 win over then No. 11 Arkansas. Florida started the meet with season-high team totals of 49.525 for both vault and uneven bars, and then equaled the program's fourth-highest beam total (49.575). But the floor exercise rotation ended with the O'Connell Center crowd of more than 8,300 sitting in stunned silence as senior All-American
Kennedy Baker was carried from the floor after suffering a season-ending Achilles tendon tear during her second tumbling pass.
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Florida did sweep the meet's event titles, as junior All-American
Alicia Boren took her fourth consecutive all-around at 39.525. She also took her third floor win of 2018 after equaling her collegiate best of 9.95.
Alex McMurtry shared each of the meet's opening three events with a Gator named Rachel. She and fellow senior All-American
Rachel Slocum tied at 9.95 for the vault win. For McMurtry, it was her second perfect mark for her Yurchenko full (9.95 start value) this season. Florida's other Rachel, sophomore
Rachel Gowey, shared the uneven bars (9.925) and balance beam (9.95) titles with McMurtry.
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Twelve season- or collegiate-best marks by seven different Gators were turned in Friday. Florida's team total of 197.725 stands No. 12 in the nation in 2018. It was the 12
th Annual Gators Link to Pink meet and both teams wore pink to show support for the fight against breast cancer.
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SEC Weekly Honor for Skaggs
Florida's
Megan Skaggs picked up the
SEC Freshman of the Week award on Tuesday. She turned in collegiate-best marks of 9.90 for both bars and beam in the Gators Link to Pink meet.
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She is the third Gator to claim SEC Freshman of the Week honors in 2018.
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About the Tigers:
Missouri competed twice on the road last weekend. The Tigers lost 197.10 -195.125 at No. 9 Kentucky on Friday evening. On Sunday, the Tigers bounced back with their season-best team total to take a triangular win at Illinois (Missouri - 196.6250, Illinois-Champaign 195.40, Illinois-Chicago 194.10). Sophomore Aspen Tucker took the triangular all-around at 39.325.
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National Rank:
Florida – Florida is No. 5 in the eighth
Road to Nationals standings.
Missouri – The Tigers are No. 20 in the
Road to Nationals standings.
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