2016 University of Florida Gymnastics Meet Notes 2013, 14 & & 15 NCAA Champions ● Nine-Time SEC Champions ▪ 1982, ’83, ’84, ’85, ’89, ’07, ’10, ’12, ‘13
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2016 University of Florida Gymnastics Meet Notes 2013, 14 & & 15 NCAA Champions ● Nine-time SEC Champions ▪ 1982, ’83, ’84, ’85, ’89, ’07, ’10, ’12, ‘13 This Week’s Event: What’s Happening? No. 2 Florida (0-0, 0-0 SEC) at Texas Woman’s University (0-0, 0-0 No. 2 preseason Florida opens the program’s 44th season with a road meet at Texas Woman’s Midwest Independent) University. The Gators will make their second appearance in the Lone Star State in the last 35 years, Date & Time: Friday, Jan. 8 at 8 p.m. ET with both coming in back-to-back meets. Florida closed the 2015 season by claiming its third Site: Kitty Magee Arena (1,800) consecutive team title at the NCAA Championships held in the Fort Worth Convention Center. Television: none Series Record (all-time): UF leads 1-0. Last meeting, Florida won Since 1980, Florida has opened the season on the road 12 times and owns a road-season opening 197.90-193.40 in O’Connell Center on March 13, 2015. record of 20-16 in that span. That includes a 196.925-193.70 win at Ball State in Florida’s first Video Stream: live video stream available at FloGymnastics; live stats appearance in the state of Indiana to open the 2015 campaign. available on FloridaGymnastics.com Tickets: $7 for adults; $5 for children age 13-17 & senior citizens. The new season is also the debut for Florida head coach Jenny Rowland. UF quickly zeroed in on Children 12 & under free. Check the TWU ticket site for more Rowland as a top candidate to replace Rhonda Faehn, who resigned after 13 seasons with the Gators information. to become Senior Vice President of USA Gymnastics. Sixteen days after Faehn’s announcement, Rowland was named the seventh head coach in the program’s 43-year history. Rowland came to UF Florida Gators Gymnastics after five seasons with Auburn, serving as associate head coach since March of 2013. She shared the 2015 National Assistant Coach of the Year honor after helping the Tigers reach their first NCAA Super Florida Gators Six team final in 22 years. During her gymnastics career, Rowland was a USA National Team member from 1985-90 and part of the U.S.’s 1989 World Championships team. As a collegiate, she earned @GatorsGym uneven bars All-America honors in 1993 for Arizona State. Rowland is also a Category 3 International @FloridaGators Brevet level judge and was on the judging panel for the past two U.S. Olympic Trials. @JennyRowlandUF Last season, Florida won its third consecutive NCAA Championship, edging Utah 197.85-197.80. The winning margin of 0.05 equals the slimmest in the meet’s 34-year history. Then senior Kytra Hunter won a NCAA title each day of the 2015 event. She shared her second NCAA all-around title with UCLA’s Samantha Peszek on the meet’s opening day, helped the Gators win the NCAA team title during the NCAA Super Six and won the floor exercise crown in the NCAA Individual Event Finals. Florida Communications Contact: Mary Howard Texas Woman’s University was 9-12 in 2015 and took fourth in the USA Gymnastics Collegiate Office: 352-375-4683 x6100 National Championships held April 11 in Philadelphia, Pa. The Pioneers return nine in 2016, including Email: [email protected] sophomores Alyssa Kelly and Schyler Jones who both earned 2015 USA Gymnastics Collegiate All- America honors. Did You Know… Texas is the home state for six Gators – junior Claire Boyce, sophomores Kennedy Baker, Ericha Fassbender and Grace McLaughlin plus freshmen Peyton Ernst and Ashley Hiller. The Lone Star Florida’s Top 10 Season Opening Scores state is known for producing some of the nation’s top gymnasts. In the 2015 NCAA Championships, 31 Date UF Score Meet Site of the competitors across the 12 teams were from Texas. Of the preseason top 25 teams, all but five 1/11/08 197.125 Illinois-Chicago H have at least one resident of Texas on their roster. The top two teams in the preseason poll – 1/11/15 196.925 Ball State A Oklahoma and Florida – lead with six Texas gymnasts each. 1/7/11 196.925 Nebraska H The Gators return five gymnasts in 2016 (Kennedy Baker, Claire Boyce, Bridgette Caquatto, Alex 1/11/14 196.650 UCLA A McMurtry and Bridget Sloan) who own a total of 18 All-America honors. The Gators won the NCAA 1/4/13 196.575 Ball State H Morgantown Regional and NCAA Championship team titles last year. In 2016, Florida returns 17 of 24 1/11/03 196.575 Super Six Challenge A routines it competed in the 2015 NCAA Championships. Boyce will sit out 2016 season after undergoing hip dysplasia surgery in the summer of 2015. 1/5/07 196.55 Super Six Challenge A 1/9/09 196.50 Oklahoma H The Gators’ 14-member roster includes five freshmen. Peyton Ernst (2013-14, 2012-13) is a former 1/6/12 196.025 NC State A U.S. Senior National Team member. Alicia Boren won the Junior Olympic Level 10 all-around title 1/9/04 196.95 Super Six Challenge A each of the past four years and also accumulated five event titles. Lacy Dagen won the 2014 Junior Olympic balance beam title in 2014. She will be sidelined in 2016 with a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Ashley Hiller was runner-up to Boren in 2015 Junior Olympic – Senior D vault competition and . Amanda Cheney took fourth on beam at the same meet. This class ranks No. 2 on the 2015-16 CollegeGymFans.com Top Recruiting Classes list. In the last seven years, Florida’s recruiting classes have ranked No. 1 five times and No. 2 once. ABOUT THE GATORS: 2015 Notables… Meet Coach Rowland Location: Gainesville, Fla. NCAA champions for third consecutive year. Jenny Rowland, one of the nation’s rising coaching President: Dr. W. Kent Fuchs First program since Utah (1982-86) to win first talents, is in her first season as University of Florida’s head gymnastics coach. Rowland is the Athletics Director: Jeremy Foley three NCAA team titles in consecutive years. Winning margin of 0.05 over Utah equaled the seventh head coach for the Gator program, which Senior Women’s Administrator: narrowed in the 34-year history of the NCAA begins its 44th season in 2015-16. Lynda Tealer Championships Rowland brings experiences from the sport’s highest Conference: Southeastern 2015 marked the 33rd NCAA Championships level to Florida. She is a former U.S. National Team Enrollment: 49,878 appearance by UF in the 34-year history of the member, a collegiate All-American and was named a Nickname: Gators event 2015 National Collegiate Assistant Coach of the Five gymnasts collected a meet-high 13 All- Colors: Orange & Blue Year. America honors in NCAA Championships Six earned 10 All-America honors in the third Rowland’s Coaching Career: UF GYMNASTICS QUICK FACTS: NACGC regular season awards At Auburn: 2016 Record: 0-0, 0-0 SEC Five (Kennedy Baker, Bridgette Caquatto, Rowland comes to Florida after spending the last five 2015 Record: 12-5, 5-2 SEC Kytra Hunter, Alex McMurtry and Bridget seasons at Auburn. She joined the Auburn coaching Sloan) advanced to NCAA individual event staff as an assistant coach in October of 2010 and 2015 SEC Finish: 3rd (197.40) finals. was elevated to associate head coach in March of st 2015 NCAA Finish: 1 (197.85) For the fifth consecutive year, a Gator claimed 2013. Rowland worked with all aspects of the Auburn a NCAA individual title. Senior Kytra Hunter gymnastics program, coordinating all of the won a share of the all-around title and became program's community outreach efforts and COACHING STAFF: interactions on campus as well as playing an integral the first Gator since 1984 to claim the NCAA Head Coach: Jenny Rowland role in recruiting and in-gym activities. floor exercise crown. Her four NCAA individual Career & School Record/Years: first season titles set the Gator career record. Assistant Coaches: Adrian Burde, Owen Field She was named co-National Assistant Coach of the Three Gators – Kytra Hunter (vault, floor Year in 2015 after helping Auburn reach the NCAA Volunteer Coach: Jeremy Miranda exercise), Alex McMurtry (vault) and Bridget Super Six for the first time in 22 years. Sloan (uneven bars, balance beam) – collected RETURNING NCAA EVENT CHAMPIONS: SEC event titles. They were joined on the All- She served as the lead balance beam coach, as the SEC team by Kennedy Baker, Claire Boyce Tigers put up the top beam totals of 2015 Bridget Sloan (2014 uneven bars; 2013 all-around, and Bridgette Caquatto. Southeastern Conference and NCAA Semifinal II balance beam) Hunter named Honda Award winner for competition. Three Tigers earned beam All-America gymnastics, marking the second time she was honors in 2015. She also worked with the Tigers’ RETURNING NCAA ALL-AMERICANS: picked as a season’s top collegiate gymnast floor exercise and routine construction. Rowland, who is a Category 3 International Brevet judge, Kennedy Baker (2015 floor exercise – first team) (also in 2012). Also named SEC Gymnast of the Year – first such honor for Gators since offered her judging expertise through video breakdown of Auburn's routines. 2000. Claire Boyce (2014 floor exercise – second) NCAA Morgantown Region champion Coaching Career Start in Sooner State: (197.475). Rowland coached Elite gymnasts at Bart Conner Bridgette Caquatto (3x - 2014 uneven bars – Gators turned in national leading marks in two Gymnastics Academy in Norman, Oklahoma, for five second; 2015 floor –first, bars - second) individual events a total of four times: vault years and then joined the Oklahoma coaching staff (10.0/Sloan & McMurtry) and uneven bars in June of 2001.