No. 3 preseason Florida opens the
program’s 41st season Friday with a home dual meet versus Ball
State. Meet time is set for 7 p.m. at the Stephen C. O’Connell
Center. The Gators are 44-8 in home openers and started the 2012 home
season with a 196.175-191.875 win over Illinois-Chicago.
Friday’s Meet Info:
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Preseason No. 3 Florida (0-0-0, 0-0
SEC) versus Ball State (0-0, 0-0 MAC)
Date & Time: Friday, Jan. 4 at 7
p.m. ET
Site: Stephen C. O’Connell Center (10,126)
Television: none
Series
Record (all-time): UF
leads 2-0. Last meeting, Florida defeated BSU 197.55-191.35 (2010 home dual)
Internet: video stream
available on GatorVision;
live stats available on GatorZone.com
Tickets: $4 for adults;
children 17 & under and UF students with Gator1 cards are admitted free.
Contact the UF
Ticket Office site for more information.
Parking Shuttle: A complimentary
parking shuttle transports fans from the UF Commuter Lot on Gale Lemerand
Drive to the O’Connell Center. More information at GatorZone.com/Gameday
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The Gators will autograph team
posters following Friday’s meet.
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Promotions: Gator Gymnastics
Autographs
- the entire Gator team will sign team posters post-meet; Buy One, Get One
free admission – print out coupon at GatorZone.com
to get two adults in Friday for the price of one.
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Following Friday’s meet, the
15-member Gator team will autograph posters. Tickets for Friday’s meet are $4.00
for adults, while children 17 and under and UF students with Gator1 cards are
admitted free. Visit the Florida
Gators Gymnastics page to get a 2-for-1 admission coupon.
A complimentary parking shuttle
is available for all Gator gymnastics meets. Park at the UF Commuter Lot on
Gale Lemerand Drive to board the bus which drops patrons off at Gate 2 of the
O’Connell Center. Parking shuttle and other Gator gymnastics event information
can be found by visiting the Gator Gymnastics Game Day
page.
Can’t be at the O’Connell Center
Friday? Watch a live video stream of the meet on GatorVision. Visit the GatorVision site for
pricing information and to sign up for a subscription.
This is the third meeting overall between the two teams, with the
last coming in a 2010 triangular meet in Gainesville. Florida took the
triangular team title with a team total of 197.55 and Ball State was third at
191.35. A pair of then-Gator freshmen shared the 2010 triangular all-around
title at 39.475 – Ashanée Dickerson and Marissa King. Joining
the pair in a four-way tie for first at 9.875 in the floor exercise competition
was another Gator freshman, Randy Stageberg.
Last season, Florida was second
in the 2012 NCAA Championships’ Super Six team final. Alabama (197.85) edged
Florida (197.775) by just .075 in a thrilling NCAA Super Six team final. UCLA
took third at 197.75. The tenth difference between teams No. 1 – 3 was the
closest NCAA Championship team final in the 31-year history of the meet.
Freshman Kytra Hunter won NCAA
titles in both the all-around and vault. She is the first Gator to win the NCAA
all-around title and also the first UF gymnast to claim multiple NCAA event
titles in a single year. She is the third Gator to win the NCAA vault crown
(Susan Hines in 1997 and 1998; Marissa King 2011).
The Gators return five gymnasts
in 2013 (Mackenzie Caquatto,
Dickerson, Hunter, Alaina Johnson and King)
who own a total of 29 All-America honors. The Gators won the Southeastern
Conference and NCAA Raleigh Regional Championship team titles last year. In
2013, Florida returns 22 of 24 routines it competed in the 2012 NCAA
Championships.
The Gators’ 15-member roster includes four
talented freshmen, including one who joined the team for the 2013 spring
semester. Bridgette Caquatto, Bianca
Dancose-Giambattisto and Bridget Sloan trained with the
Gators this fall. Both Caquatto and Sloan have represented the U.S. at several
international meets. Sloan, the youngest member of the U.S.’s 2008 silver-medal
Olympic team, claimed the 2009 World Championships’ all-around crown. She and
Caquatto both were part of the U.S.’s 2011 Pan American Games gold-medal team.
Caquatto also took Pan Am gold for the all-around and uneven bars. Sloan and
Dancose-Giambattisto both competed at the 2010 World Championships as
Dancose-Giambattisto was part of Canada’s team. Joining the Gator freshmen
class for the spring semester is Morgan Frazier. She was a part of
the Orlando Metro club team and has competed at the Junior Olympic Level 10
Championships.