3 NCAA Championships ● 12 SEC Championships ● 9 with 20 NCAA Individual Titles MEET INFORMATION MEET 6 GAINESVILLE, FLA. Date: Friday, Feb. 19 / 6:45 p.m. ET No. 1 Florida Gators No. 15 Kentucky Site: Exactech Arena at the Stephen C Head Coach: Jenny Rowland Head Coach: Tim Garrison O’Connell Center (2,200). Career: 70-12 / sixth season Career: 108-125-2/ 10th season Television: SEC Network with Courtney Lyle and At UF: same At UK: same Gator Great and Olympian Bridget Sloan calling the action 2021: 5-0 / 4-0 SEC 2021: 3-2 / 3-1 SEC Video: SEC Network + Live Stats: FloridaGators.com What’s Happening? Tickets: Sold Out. The 15th Annual Gators Link to Pink sponsored by UF Health is an event to show support for the fight against Series History Florida leads 88-1. Last meeting: UF won breast cancer. (all-time): 197.80-196.60 in Lexington, Ky. (Jan. 31, The Florida-UK dual airs live on SEC Network. Gator Great Bridget Sloan and Courtney Lyle call the action 2020). Friday beginning at 7 p.m. GATOR SOCIAL In the nation’s top dual of 2021, it was No. 1 Florida taking the 198.15 – 198.05 win at No. 2 Louisiana State on Feb. 12. The two teams put up the nation’s No. 2 and No. 3 totals of the season and the result marked the first Florida Gators Gymnastics time two SEC teams scored above a 198 in the same meet. Trailing the Tigers through the opening three Florida Gators rotations, the Gators used the nation’s 2021 leading balance beam total of 39.65 to move to the top of the final standings. There has been 20 duals between No. 1 and No. 2 since 1995. Florida’s result at LSU is the first @GatorsGym visiting team win since 2008. @FloridaGators There were many strong scores posted by the Gators at LSU, as UF recorded season-best team totals for vault @JennyRowlandUF (49.55), beam (49.65) and floor (49.55). Junior Trinity Thomas’ 39.90 all-around set Florida’s record and shares gatorsgym No. 5 all-time in NCAA history. It is the nation’s highest total since Oklahoma’s Maggie Nichols also had a 39.90 floridagators against Arkansas Jan. 20, 2020. The three highest all-arounds of 2021 (39.90, 39.75 twice) belong to Thomas. She won at least a share of each event title – vault & bars (9.975), beam (9.95) and floor (10.0). The perfect mark is her second floor 10.0 and the fifth 10.0 of her career (beam and floor – 2x; bars – 1x). Freshman Ellie Lazzari shared the beam win (9.95) as that mark equals her collegiate best. In all, four Gators posted eight collegiate Florida Communications Contact: bests at LSU. Mary Howard The Gator junior duo of Thomas and Nya Reed claimed their third weekly SEC honor of 2021 after their Phone: 352-375-4683 x6100 performances at No. 2 LSU. Thomas claimed her 14th overall SEC Gymnast of the Week honor after her UF Email: [email protected] record and 2021 leading all-around total (39.90). Scores of 9.925 on vault (collegiate best) and floor earns Reed the SEC Specialist of the Week honor. DID YOU KNOW? No. 15 Kentucky is coming off its season-high total (197.00), set in its home win versus No. 5 Arkansas Florida plays host to its 15th annual Gator Link to Pink (196.675). Like Florida, the Wildcats overcame a third-rotation deficit (0.15) to secure last Friday’s win. UK’s Josie presented by UF Health meet on Friday, Feb. 19. Angeny won the all-around with her season-best total of 39.50. UK’s Bailey Bunn shares the current SEC Freshman of the Week honor after posting the top all-around (39.35) among the league’s newcomers in last Events aimed to raise awareness about breast cancer week’s competition. prevention and treatment will be included at Friday’s In the 2020 pandemic shortened season, Florida claimed its second consecutive SEC regular-season title. meet. These meets are part of a Southeastern Florida’s 7-0 SEC record was its first undefeated record since all league teams began meeting in regular-season Conference initiative and most of the league’s teams action for the 1992 season. Florida ended the season with a 10-0 record and No. 2 in the final national rankings. will participate in a “pink” meet this season. Team In 2020, Trinity Thomas became the fifth Gator named the SEC Gymnast of the Year. Of the three to earn the colors are set aside as the teams wear pink to show maximum of five All-America honors in 2020 Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) regular- their support for the breast cancer fight. season awards, Thomas is the only returner for 2021 season. All-America honors were claimed by three other Gators in 2020 – Alyssa Baumann (beam, floor), Rachel Gowey (beam) and Savannah Schoenherr (bars). Florida Head Coach Jenny Rowland is in her sixth season with the Gators in 2021. Rowland swept all 2020 coaching honors, as she was named WCGA National, Region 5 and SEC Coach of the Year. In her first five seasons, the Gators won the 2016 SEC Championship and the 2019 & 2020 SEC regular-season titles. The team reached the NCAA team final in her first three season, finishing fourth (2016) and third (2017 & 2018). Eleven Gators collected 40 All-America honors in NCAA competition under Rowland, including winning seven NCAA event titles (Bridget Sloan: 2016 all-around, uneven bars, balance beam; Alex McMurtry: 2017 all-around, uneven bars; 2018 vault; Alicia Boren: 2019 floor exercise). UF returns four with 18 All-America honors - Alyssa Baumann, Savannah Schoenherr, Megan Skaggs and Trinity Thomas. From the final regular SEC meet of 2020 (at Georgia), UF returns 17 routines. Four freshmen join the Gators in 2021. Chloi Clark (Denver, Colo.), Gabrielle Gallentine (Iron Station, N.C.) and Ellie Lazzari (Wheaton, Ill.) all competed at Junior Olympics Level 10 National Championships. Lazzari won 2019 J.O. Junior F all-around, beam and floor titles. Gallentine took third in 2017 J.O. Junior B all-around and Clark tied for fourth in 2019 J.O. Senior B vault competition. Both Gallentine and Lazzari competed as Junior International Elites. Alex Magee was third on bars and fourth in both all-around and floor in 2019 Florida L10 State Championships. MEET COACH ROWLAND 2021 GATOR GYMNASTICS ROSTER Jenny Rowland, one of the nation’s rising coaching talents, is in her sixth season as NAME EVTS HT CL HOMETOWN (CLUB) University of Florida’s head gymnastics coach. Alyssa Baumann AA 5-1 SR Dallas, Texas (WOGA) Rowland is the seventh head coach for the Leah Clapper AA 4-11 JR Ann Arbor, Mich. (Gym America) Gator program, which is in its 49th season in Chloi Clark AA 5-2 FR Denver, Colo. (Colorado Gymnastics Inst.) 2021. Jazmyn Foberg AA 5-2 SR Bayville, N.J. (MG Elite) Gabrielle Gallentine AA 5-0 FR Iron Station, N.C. (Everest Gymnastics) Sydney Johnson-Scharpf V, BB, 4-11 JR Clermont, Fla. (Brandy Johnson's Global Rowland swept 2020 coaching awards – Women’s Collegiate FX Gymnastics) Gymnastics Association (WCGA) National, Region 5 and Ellie Lazzari AA 5-0 FR Wheaton, Ill. (Legacy Elite Gymnastics) Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year. She also shared the Alex Magee AA 5-4 FR Orlando, Fla. (Orlando Metro) 2016 SEC Coach of the Year honor with Arkansas’ Mark Cook. Nya Reed AA 5-3 JR Landover, Md. (Capital Gymnastics NTC) Payton Richards AA 5-1 SO Mokena, Ill. (Aerials Gymnastics) Rowland’s experiences from the sport’s highest level are the same Savannah Schoenherr AA 5-3 JR Columbus, Ga. (Georgia Elite) as many current Gators. She is a former U.S. National Team Megan Skaggs AA 5-3 SR Marietta, Ga. (Gymnastics Academy of member, a collegiate All-American and was named a 2015 National Atlanta) Collegiate Assistant of the Year. Halley Taylor AA 5-2 JR Tampa, Fla. (LaFleur’s Gymnastics Tampa) Trinity Thomas AA 5-3 JR York, Pa. (Prestige Gymnastics) Rowland is a Category 3 International Brevet level judge. She served on the judging panel for the 2008, 2012 and 2016 U.S. Staff: Pronunciation Guide: Olympic Trials. Head Coach: Jenny Rowland Alyssa Baumann – Baugh-man In the fall of 2019, Rowland was appointed to the NCAA Women's Assistant Coaches: Adrian Burde & Owen Field Chloi Clark – KLO-ee Gymnastics Committee. Her term runs through the 2023 season. Volunteer Coach: Jeremy Miranda Jazmyn Foberg – FOE-berg Assistant to the Head Coach: Brittany Arlington Gabrielle GALLENTINE – rhymes with Valentine Managers: Natalie Hoffman & Shea Wheeler Sydney Johnson-SCHARPF - shärpf Rowland’s Coaching Career: Athletic Trainer: Janet Taylor Ellie LAZZARI – La-zar-ee At Florida: NYA Reed – nī-uh Florida reached the NCAA Super Six team final in each of Payton Richards - Peyton Rowland’s first three seasons with the Gators, taking fourth in 2016 Savannah SCHOENHERR – Shane-hair and third in 2017 & 2018. Rowland swept all coaching awards in Halley Taylor – hAE-lee (rhymes with valley) 2020 (national, region & SEC) after the Gators finished at No. 2 with a 10-0 record in the pandemic shortened season. She claimed her Jenny Rowland – ROE-lund first SEC Coach of the Year honor in 2016 when the Gators won the Adrian Burde - bur-DAY SEC Championship meet. Florida won the last two SEC regular- season titles – 2019 (6-1 record) and 2020 (7-0).