The No. 1 seeded Florida gymnastics team moves ahead to
Saturday’s NCAA Super Six team final after taking second in Friday’s second
semifinal session. Florida was just edged for the session’s top position by
defending NCAA champion Alabama, 197.675-197.650.
The other advancing team also comes from the Southeastern
Conference, as Arkansas makes its second Super Six appearance after taking third
at 197.15.
Rounding out Session II team results were Ohio State (196.525),
Georgia (196.50) and Oregon State (196.475).
Saturday will be a SEC vs. Pac-12 event. The top three
teams from Session I (UCLA/197.40, Utah/197.20 and 197.125) face the three SEC
teams on Saturday to crown the national champion in the NCAA Super Six at 4
p.m. (ET) in The
Arena at Gwinnett Center. Saturday’s competition will be streamed
live on ESPN3.
Friday’s mission for Florida was simple. To advance to
the program’s 10th NCAA Super Six appearance and the Gators
completed that goal with Florida’s highest total ever in NCAA Championships
competition.
There is only one NCAA title determined in NCAA semifinal
competition – the all-around- and that crown went to Gator freshman Kytra
Hunter. She used a collegiate-best total of 39.725 to become the first
Gator to win the NCAA all-around.
Hunter is now two-for-two for all-around competitions in
The Arena at Gwinnett Center, as she also claimed the Southeastern Conference
title on March 24.
Keeping things light with her team helped Hunter tonight.
“I am really honored to get
the all-around title. I went to each event as a new event. I just stayed in my
bubble and the team’s bubble and we just had fun,” Hunter said. “Tomorrow is a
new day and I am just honored to be in the Super Six with my team.”
Hunter equaled her
collegiate-best of 9.975 on vault to open competition, and added marks of 9.90
on bars and beam and posted a 9.95 as the Gators’ final competitor of the
evening on floor exercise.
Florida head coach Rhonda
Faehn said Hunter’s focus is always on the team.
“So far, as a freshman, to
win the SEC and the NCAA all-around title is absolutely incredible. It also
shows her work ethic,” Faehn said. “She’s so incredibly humble and all she
thinks and cares about is what she’s doing for the team. It’s never about
herself, and that’s why it’s so exciting for her to achieve these results. She
just wants what’s best for Florida and for the program. I know there’s going to
be even greater things for her to come.”
Hunter and sophomore Alaina
Johnson both picked up the maximum number of All-America honors available
in a season – five – on Friday, making them just the second and third Gators to
post the tally. Kristen Guise, who was just inducted into the Gator
Athletics Hall of Fame on April 6, was the first in 1996.
On Friday, the Gators opened
up on vault with their highest total ever – 49.575 – in NCAA competition. The
final four competitors each turned in marks of 9.90 or better – Ashanée
Dickerson and Alaina Johnson (9.90), Marissa King (9.95) and
Hunter (9.975).
Florida also performed well
on bars, with three Gators posting scores of 9.9 or higher. Johnson anchored
the lineup by matching her season-best of 9.95, while sophomore Mackenzie
Caquatto turned in a 9.925 and Hunter’s posted a 9.90.
The Gators were steady on
the balance beam, with all six competitors earning marks of 9.825 or higher as
they turned in a total of 49.35. Hunter and Johnson led the Gators on the event
with identical marks of 9.90.
Florida finished on floor
exercise and two step-outs held UF’s team total back to a 49.275. Hunter’s 9.95
led all semifinal II floor competitors. Dickerson earned a 9.875 while Johnson
and senior Amy Ferguson posted 9.85s.
For Faehn, now the focus
fixes on Saturday’s NCAA Super Six, where the Gators will seek their first NCAA
team title.
“I was really proud of the
way they performed. They come out with such fight and were really aggressive,
which I liked. We just need a little bit more control with that tomorrow,”
Faehn said. “I thought the whole team just stayed really close in our bubble
and didn’t get caught up in anything, which was great. We really just need to
get back, get caught up, get rested, rehab and refocus for tomorrow. It’s going
to be really exciting.”
|
Florida in NCAA Championships ● Semifinal II
Final Team Totals
|
|||||
|
April
20, 2012 ● The Arena at Gwinnett Center
|
|||||
|
Team
|
Vault
|
Bars
|
Beam
|
Floor
|
Total
|
|
Alabama
|
49.400
|
49.400
|
49.600
|
49.275
|
197.675
|
|
Florida
|
49.575
|
49.450
|
49.350
|
49.275
|
197.650
|
|
Arkansas
|
49.275
|
49.275
|
49.450
|
49.150
|
197.150
|
|
Ohio
State
|
49.175
|
48.975
|
49.225
|
49.150
|
196.525
|
|
Georgia
|
49.600
|
49.400
|
48.275
|
49.225
|
196.500
|
|
Oregon
State
|
49.050
|
49.150
|
49.300
|
48.975
|
196.475
|
|
NCAA Championships ●
Semifinal I
Final Team Totals
|
|||||
|
UCLA
|
49.275
|
49.450
|
49.325
|
49.350
|
197.400
|
|
Utah
|
49.525
|
49.225
|
49.175
|
49.275
|
197.200
|
|
Stanford
|
49.300
|
49.300
|
49.375
|
49.150
|
197.125
|
|
Oklahoma
|
49.125
|
49.225
|
49.325
|
49.250
|
196.925
|
|
Nebraska
|
49.225
|
49.150
|
49.000
|
49.250
|
196.625
|
|
LSU
|
49.250
|
48.950
|
49.250
|
49.100
|
196.550
|
2012
NCAA Championships
Competition
Rotations
Super
Six – Saturday, April 21 @ 4 (ET)
|
Rot.
|
Vault
|
Bye
|
Bars
|
Beam
|
Bye
|
Floor
|
|
I
|
Florida
|
Stanford
|
Arkansas
|
Utah
|
Alabama
|
UCLA
|
|
II
|
UCLA
|
Florida
|
Stanford
|
Arkansas
|
Utah
|
Alabama
|
|
III
|
Alabama
|
UCLA
|
Florida
|
Stanford
|
Arkansas
|
Utah
|
|
IV
|
Utah
|
Alabama
|
UCLA
|
Florida
|
Stanford
|
Arkansas
|
|
V
|
Arkansas
|
Utah
|
Alabama
|
UCLA
|
Florida
|
Stanford
|
|
VI
|
Stanford
|
Arkansas
|
Utah
|
Alabama
|
UCLA
|
Florida
|
|
Gator Notes:
|
|
●
Florida advances to its 10th NCAA Super Six team final (1994,
1997, 1998, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2012). The Gators’ top
Super Six finish is second in 1998.
|
|
●
Florida has advanced to the NCAA Super Six seven of the 10 seasons under
Rhonda Faehn.
|
|
●
Kytra Hunter wins NCAA all-around title with a collegiate-best 39.725. She is
the first Gator to win the all-around (previous high: 2nd by
Kristen Guise in 1996. Ninth freshman to win NCAA all-around title in meet
history.
|
|
●
Florida’s vault total of 49.575 is UF’s highest event total ever in NCAA
Championships’ competition. Also ranks No. 3 among all teams in NCAA
Semifinal vault competition (third to Georgia’s 49.60 in 2012 & 1995).
|
|
●
Kytra Hunter scores a 9.975 for vault for the second time in The Arena at
Gwinnett Center. She first posted her nearly perfect collegiate-best vault
mark on March 24 to win the event title at the Southeastern Conference
Championships.
|
|
●
Gators’ uneven bars total of 49.45 highest ever for UF in NCAA competition. Also
stands No. T-9 among all teams in NCAA Semifinal action
|
|
●
Alaina Johnson’s 9.95 on uneven bars equals her season-best which she earned
March 16 versus Utah.
|
|
●
Beam total of 49.35 is Florida’s second-highest in NCAA Championships’
competition (second to 49.425 in 2007 NCAA semifinal action)
|
|
●
Six Gators picked up a school record total of 16 All-America honors (previous
high was 15 in 2007 and 2008)
|
