GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Big scores through all rotations led to a tremendous final score Friday as the Florida gymnastics team took the win versus Georgia. The Gators' 197.975 is the second-highest total in the nation so far this season. Georgia posted a total of 196.525 in their second loss of 2017.
See highlights from #Gators win over Georgia in @OConnellCTR in @SECNetwork recap.
— Gators Gymnastics (@GatorsGym) February 11, 2017
UF's 197.975 is nation's No. 2 total of 2017#GoGators pic.twitter.com/9p36ulUK1x
Friday's crowd of 8,355 at the Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center is the eighth largest in program history.
Three Gators set or equaled their collegiate bests Friday to give Florida a sweep of the event titles.
Junior Alex McMurtry's 10.0 on uneven bars is her first perfect mark of 2017 and the fourth of her career. She was the nation's only gymnast to turn in multiple 10.0 bar marks in 2016 and her score Friday gives her three for her career. She also scored a vault 10.0 in 2015.
She's got 4 collegiate 10.0s.
— Gators Gymnastics (@GatorsGym) February 11, 2017
Add those together, move the decimal back & that equals her GPA-a 4.0!
Take a look at @alexmcmurtry routine pic.twitter.com/KFUGleijeV
McMurtry took her second event title of the evening on balance beam, equaling her collegiate-high of 9.95 for the second time of 2017 and the seventh time of her career.
Junior Rachel Slocum got the Gator crowd revved up for big scores Friday with her performance on Florida's first event. She stuck her handspring pike-front half vault and the crowd's anticipation was raised when they caught a glimpse of a 10.0 from one judge. The other judge posted a 9.95 and that average gave Slocum a collegiate-best 9.975.
Sophomore Alicia Boren's collegiate-bests on vault (9.95), bars (9.90) and floor (9.95) plus a season-best on bars (9.925) pushed her all-around total to a collegiate and team-season high of 39.725. It is her second all-around win of the season, with both coming in the last four meets. That total equals the nation's fifth-highest total of 2017. She anchored the floor lineup to take her second event win of the evening.
