DULUTH, Ga. – No. 1 Florida claimed its eighth all-time
Southeastern Conference Championship in program history and its second
in the last three years, posting a score of 197.150 on Saturday in front
of 7,170 fans at The Arena at Gwinnett Center to take home the league
crown.
The Gators, who placed first on vault and took home the team title on
bars, captured their first conference title since winning the 2010 event
in Jacksonville. Alabama finished second with a score of 196.775, while
Georgia was third at 196.575. LSU (196.425), Kentucky (194.350),
Arkansas (194.175) and Auburn (194.100) rounded out the field.
“We’re really excited,” Florida head coach Rhonda Faehn said. “The team
just stayed tight; they went so aggressive in the last two events that
it was just amazing because they didn’t give up and they just competed
with so much heart, and I’m just really proud of them.”
Florida freshman Kytra Hunter, the 2012 SEC Freshman of the Year, won
the all-around event with an individual total of 39.625. She became the
first Gator to win the all-around since Kristen Guise in 1995 and was
the first UF freshman to capture the all-around since Elfi Schlegel in
1983.
“We’re in a good place right now,” Hunter said. “Rhonda told us that we
need to remember this feeling. It felt great winning the SEC
Championship and Freshman of the Year, which is an honor for me, but
we’re all going to go back to the gym and work 10 times harder now.”
Hunter also claimed the vault title with a collegiate-best score of
9.975. She became the sixth different Gator to earn the nearly perfect
mark and became the first Florida athlete to capture the event since
Ashley Reed shared the 2008 title in the SEC meet, also contested in the
Gwinnett Center.
Florida sophomore Alaina Johnson won the SEC bars title with a score of
9.925, becoming the first Gator to win the bars title since Melanie
Sinclair shared the 2008 title.
Arkansas senior Jaime Pisani, the 2012 SEC Gymnast of the Year, took
home the balance beam title with a score of 9.9. She became just the
second-ever Arkansas athlete to take home that title and the first since
Casey Jo Magee tied for the event honors in 2009.
LSU freshman Lloimincia Hall captured the floor exercise title with a
score of 9.925, becoming just the third different LSU athlete to win a
conference floor title and the first since Ashley Clare-Kearney took a
share of the 2009 crown. Hall, Clare-Kearney and Sandra Smith are the
only three athletes in LSU history to win floor titles.
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