COLUMBIA, Mo. – No. 5 Florida gymnastics lost 196.925 – 196.70 at No. 20 Missouri Friday evening in front of a Hearnes Center crowd of 1,811.
It was the first loss in the 23 all-time meetings between the two programs.
About the Meet:
The Gators started Friday's competition with a solid uneven bars rotation.
Alex McMurtry took the win at 9.95. Sophomore
Rachel Gowey took third at 9.90.
McMurtry also took the event title on the Gators' next rotation with her vault mark of 9.925.
Marks of 9.925 from
Alicia Boren and
Alyssa Baumann led the Gators on floor to share the evening's event title. The Gators were forced to count a fall on floor exercise when Gowey and
Jazmyn Foberg both had trouble on their second tumbling passes. The Gators went into the final rotation trailing the Tigers by 0.075.
No falls were recorded in UF's balance beam rotation, but enough wobbles and breaks dinged the Gators' scoring potential on the final rotation. Florida's beam scores couldn't keep up with Missouri's floor marks, as no score lower than 9.825 counted toward the Tigers' floor total. McMurtry anchored Florida's beam lineup with the evening's winning mark of 9.95. Boren was second on beam at 9.925.
Boren claimed her fifth consecutive all-around at 39.50.
GATOR NOTABLES:
- For the second consecutive meet, McMurtry won three event titles. Tonight's wins ups her season totals to seven for bars, six for vault and three on beam.
- Boren now has won five consecutive all-around and six for 2018.
- Two Gators equaled their collegiate-best floor marks Friday – Baumann (9.925) and senior Grace McLaughlin (9.90). It was McLaughlin's first appearance on floor this season.
- Florida was without two lineup regulars Friday. Kennedy Baker underwent surgery Monday to repair her torn Achilles tendon suffered in the Feb. 23 dual versus Arkansas. Rachel Slocum was left behind in Gainesville due to a virus.
HEAR FROM THE GATORS:
Meet Overview:
"There were some great performances tonight, but also some missed opportunities. I don't think we took advantage of what we had going on from the second event going into the third event. We had a few new competitors back in the lineup and it hit us a little bit tonight. Those mistakes are not going to happen again." – Florida Head Coach
Jenny Rowland
You won each event you competed in tonight. What did you think of your performance?
"I did well, but it is a team sport. I wanted to do well for the team and help the team score. It was tricky tonight due to the holes without Kenn [Baker] and [Rachel] Slocum so my personal goal tonight was to be loud for the team. I'm excited to push my team." – senior All-American
Alex McMurtry
Alicia Boren's sixth all-around win of the season
"An important part is the 'why' they do what they do. Alicia said 'I got this for the team' and the team knows she is going to deliver day in and day out. That's how she trains and that's how she's been competing. Just really proud of her consistency, her belief in herself and her perseverance to compete in the all-around week after week."– Florida Head Coach
Jenny Rowland
What will the team take from this loss?
"I think we need to take our mistakes and bring them into the gym. There are little kinks here and there are some areas we can gain more confidence in ourselves. With Kennedy [Baker] being out with an injury and [Rachel] Slocum being sick, that did bring our confidence down a bit. We need to believe in each other. We all have a job to do and we know we are capable of doing that job. We'll be ready for next week."– junior All-American
Alicia Boren
"This meet wasn't our best. We are down a couple of team members and I think it was a good reality check. We will use this to fuel the fire going forward." – freshman
Alyssa Baumann
"It is easy to get a little down after a loss. I thought we kept it together and the team showed a lot of fight. There were some performances we weren't thrilled with, but we saw each other fight through every rotation. Even on beam, we had some wobbles, but everyone stayed on. There are mistakes we can definitely improve upon. It will light the fire when we get back into the gym." – senior All-American
Alex McMurtry
Y
ou matched your collegiate best on floor. How did it go for you?
"I thought it went well. It was a little bit stressful going after two falls so I tried to do what I do in the gym [in training] and bring some energy to it. I was happy with how it went." – freshman
Alyssa Baumann
RECORDS: Florida (7-2, 5-2 SEC), Missouri (6-6, 2-5 SEC).
THE SERIES: Florida leads the series 22-1.
ROAD TO NATIONALS RANK:
Florida – The Gators are No. 5 in the
Road to Nationals rankings.
Missouri – The Tigers are No. 20 in the
Road to National rankings.
UP NEXT:
Home action concludes next Friday when No. 16 Nebraska visits the
Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Meet time is set for 6:45 p.m.
It is Senior Night! Come out to support Florida's four seniors –
Kennedy Baker,
Grace McLaughlin,
Alex McMurtry and
Rachel Slocum – at the post-meet ceremony.
Can't be in the O'Connell Center Friday? Find the live stream on
SEC Network + with Daniel Gillman and Stacey Gleim calling the action.
Here's the plan for Friday's fans:
- Giveaway: 1,000 Poster Puzzles
- UF Alumni Association Night: Present a valid UFAA ID at the ticket office & receive BOGO general admission tickets!
- Gator Boosters Night: Gator Booster members receive BOGO general admission tickets by showing their Booster Membership card at the Ticket Office.!
There are still general admission tickets available for the 2018 Senior Night.
| 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 |
No. 5 Florida at No. 20 Missouri
Final Team Totals |
| March 2, 2018 – Hearnes Center (1,811) |
| Team |
Vault |
Bars |
Beam |
Floor |
Total |
| Missouri |
49.200 |
49.275 |
49.075 |
49.375 |
196.925 |
| Florida |
49.225 |
49.425 |
49.225 |
48.800 |
196.700 |
