For those who do have interest in our National Champion Gator Gymnastics team, a major setback occurred yesterday. All-everything junior gymnast Bridget Sloan appeared to have seriously hurt her ankle during the floor exercise. I was watching the stream of the meet and what she did to hurt it wasn't evident; she landed a tumbling pass and then suddenly could not finish her routine. Apparently the medical staff has to evaluate it today.
The Gators' next (and last) event after floor was the balance beam, and it was obvious the ladies were a bit shaken after Sloan's injury. In spite of having to count a fall on beam, the Gators still scored an excellent 196+ for the entire meet thanks in part to the perfect 10 Sloan received for her vault. There's a lot of depth in this team (Faehn signed the #1 recruiting class and all participated and they could still manage to repeat, but Sloan and Hunter are unquestionably the superstars on this team and losing just one of them hurts badly. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Shane Ford <[email protected]> Date: Sun, Jan 11, 2015 at 10:13 AM Subject: [gatornews] [SUN]: Two-defending champs excited for new season To: GatorNews <[email protected]> Two-defending champs excited for new season Senior Kytra Hunter and the two-time defending national champion Gators begin their season on the road at Ball State. *Matt Stamey/Staff photographer/File* By Jim Harvin Gainesville SUN Correspondent Published: Sunday, January 11, 2015 at 6:01 a.m.Last Modified: Saturday, January 10, 2015 at 9:40 p.m. One year after opening the 2014 season as the defending NCAA champions for the first time in program history, the Florida Gators open the 2015 season as the two-time defending NCAA champs for the first time when they take on Ball State in Muncie, Ind., Sunday at 1 p.m. FactsUF gymnastics *Who:* No. 1 Florida (0-0) at Ball State (0-0) *When:* Sunday, 1 p.m. *Series record (all-time):* UF leads 3-0. *Last meeting:* The Gators won the 2013 season opener over the Cardinals, 196.575-190.55. Despite the loss of All-Americans Alaina Johnson and Mackenzie Caquatto to graduation, UF returns a bevy of talent from last year's championship squad, led by senior All-American Kytra Hunter and junior All-American Bridget Sloan. They head a deep, 13-athlete roster that includes nine experienced returnees and a group of four freshmen ranked as the top recruiting class in the nation. “Oh my goodness, we're so excited,” coach Rhonda Faehn said. “This is what we wait for. It's a very long fall, and this is the exciting time. “Our athletes just love to perform. That's what they've grown up doing, and they're ready to get out there in front of a crowd and show what they've been working so hard for.” While there are unknowns every year, Faehn has two proven stars in Hunter and Sloan, the 2012 and 2013 NCAA all-around champions and Honda Award winners as the nation's top gymnasts, respectively. “I am really excited,” said Hunter, who set a UF single-season record with six perfect 10s in 2014 (four on floor exercise, two on vault) and is one of four seniors along with classmates Rachel Spicer, Kiersten Wang and Jamie Shisler. “I honestly cannot wait. I think this year has been the most relaxed one for me because it is my senior year and I don't want to overwhelm myself with everything. Just being able to go out there, relax and just have fun is the main mentality that I'm going to have this year.” Sloan, who had a pair of 10s of her own last season (one balance beam, one floor), heads a junior class that includes All-American Bridgette Caquatto, Bianca Dancose-Giambattisto and Morgan Frazier, while sophomore Claire Boyce returns after an impressive freshman campaign in which she also earned All-America honors. In addition, this year's top-ranked freshman class of Kennedy Baker, Grace McLaughlin, Ericha Fassbender and Alex McMurtry marks the fifth time in the last six seasons UF has topped the recruiting charts. “It's a completely different team,” Faehn said. “This first competition, there is always a question mark. You don't know how the new athletes are going to perform, and you have different lineups and different routines. “Our goal is always to just go out and compete aggressively and also to be safe with the new things we're putting out there and use it as a starting point.” Florida, which shared last year's NCAA title with Oklahoma, is ranked No. 1 in the preseason GymInfo poll for the second consecutive time. Last year, the Gators became the first team to open at No. 1 and finish as the national champion since Georgia did so in 2009. UF, however, will certainly be tested. Following Sunday's action, the Gators have a short turnaround before hosting No. 12 Auburn in their home and SEC opener in the O'Connell Center at 6:45 p.m. Friday. They eventually face road meets at No. 2 Oklahoma (March 6), No. 3 LSU (Feb. 20), No. 4 Alabama (Jan. 23) and No. 13 Arkansas (Feb. 6) in addition to a home date with No. 7 Georgia (Jan. 30). The 2015 SEC Championships are in Duluth, Ga., March 21, with NCAA Regionals set for April 4. This year's NCAA Championships are in Fort Worth, Texas, April 17-19. “I think we're definitely ready and we're looking forward to it, but it's not going to be easy,” said Sloan, a Pittsboro, Ind., native who is expecting a large contingent of family and friends in attendance Sunday at Ball State's John E. Worthen Arena. “We have a huge target on our back right now. We had a huge target on it last year, but we made it work, and I think this year we have a little bit more experience with myself, Kytra, Spice, Claire, Bridgey — there's a lot of depth that we have on this team. It's just going to again take a lot of hard work and dedication and that same drive.” Sent From Shane's iPhone Go Gators! & Skål Vikes! 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