LOS ANGELES — Florida won its first NCAA gymnastics championship
Saturday night by edging past Oklahoma and Alabama, last year’s national
champion.
Florida posted a 197.575 for the title. Oklahoma was second at
197.375 and Alabama came in third at 197.35. UCLA was fourth at 197.10,
followed by LSU 197.05 and Georgia 196.675.
Alaina Johnson capped the championship run on bars with a 9.95 for a team score of 49.475.
Bridget Sloan, the NCAA champion in the all-around Friday, had three 9.950s on the vault, beam and floor and a 9.900 on bars to lead coach Rhonda Faehn's team to the title.
The Gators got off to a poor start, falling twice on the beam.
But the Gators recovered thanks to Bridgette Caquatto’s 9.950 on her floor routine to give the Gators a 49.725 score, the best in Super Six history and a school record.
At the halfway point, Florida trailed Alabama 98.750 to 98.600.
Florida had four vaults of 9.9 or better to go 49.5 to make a run with a 148.100 as a team score entering the last rotation on the bars. After an Alabama rotation, the Tide led Florida by .025 heading into the final turn with the Gators on bars and the Tide on the beam. The two teams battled to the final routine for the title last year with the Gators coming up .075 short.
Alaina Johnson capped the championship run on bars with a 9.95 for a team score of 49.475.
Bridget Sloan, the NCAA champion in the all-around Friday, had three 9.950s on the vault, beam and floor and a 9.900 on bars to lead coach Rhonda Faehn's team to the title.
The Gators got off to a poor start, falling twice on the beam.
But the Gators recovered thanks to Bridgette Caquatto’s 9.950 on her floor routine to give the Gators a 49.725 score, the best in Super Six history and a school record.
At the halfway point, Florida trailed Alabama 98.750 to 98.600.
Florida had four vaults of 9.9 or better to go 49.5 to make a run with a 148.100 as a team score entering the last rotation on the bars. After an Alabama rotation, the Tide led Florida by .025 heading into the final turn with the Gators on bars and the Tide on the beam. The two teams battled to the final routine for the title last year with the Gators coming up .075 short.
