Gators Gymnastics Falls to LSU in Home Opener

The seventh ranked Florida gymnastics team hosted top ranked LSU Friday in the season home opener for the Gators and despite a good effort, the Gators fell just short against the Tigers.

Sellout Crowd

Florida’s first home meet was record-breaking. The Gators had their first sellout crowd ever. There were 9,661 fans in attendance.

https://twitter.com/GatorsGym/status/951981257210068992

Rotations

The Gators started off the night on vault. Florida’s top performers included seniors Kennedy Baker and Alex McMurtry, as well as junior Alicia Boren. Baker and Boren each scored 9.875. McMurtry led the Gators with a score of 9.90.

Florida then moved on to the uneven bars for the next rotation. Alex McMurtry came within less than a point from a perfect score, earning a 9.925. Sophomores Rachel Gowey and Amelia Hundley were standouts as well, scoring 9.825 and 9.850, respectively. The uneven bars would end up being Florida’s lowest-scoring rotation.

The third rotation for the Gators was the beam. Florida’s energy really kicked in at this point in the meet, and this reflected in their scores. Boren and Baker had scores of 9.90. Freshman Alyssa Baumann was a stand out, scoring 9.825. However, sophomore Rachel Gowey earned the top score at 9.95, setting a new career-high.

The fourth and final rotation for Florida was the floor. This would be the Gators’ highest-scoring rotation. Freshman Megan Skaggs tied with senior Kennedy Baker for Florida’s top score, earning a 9.925. Baker’s performance was high-energy and seemed to be a fan-favorite.

Mistakes

The Gators still have some room for improvement. Senior Rachel Slocum had a miscount on vault, but says it was a fluke.

Skaggs had a fall on the uneven bars. However, head coach Jenny Rowland says the team has learned a lot already from their first meet.

Rowland also says though the team is young, they have a lot of depth.

In the end, Florida fell to LSU by a score of 197.250-197.125.

What’s Next

The Gators will have another SEC match up next week. Florida will travel to Lexington to face Kentucky on Friday; the meet airs live on SEC Network at 7:00.