● ● LEXINGTON, KY. Date: Friday, Jan. 31 / 7 p.m. ET No. 2 Florida Gators No. 12 Kentucky Site: Memorial Coliseum (8,500) Head Coach: Jenny Rowland Head Coach: Tim Garrison Television: none Career (5th season): 58-12 Career (103-119) Video: SEC Network + At UF: same At UK: same Live Stats: FloridaGators.com Tickets: Reserved - $10; General admission - $8 – 2020: 3-0 / 3-0 SEC 2020: 5-1 / 2-0 SEC adult; $5 children and seniors. Contact UKAthleticstix.com What’s Happening? Series History UF leads 87-1. Last meeting: UF was Another top-12 matchup awaits No. 2 Florida this Friday at No. 12 Kentucky. In the 88 previous meetings (all-time): second in 2019 SEC Championships between these two teams, only three were top-10 matchups. Friday’s meeting is the fourth top-10 matchup in the (197.75) and UK was seventh (196.225). last six meetings between these programs. Florida used the nation’s top total of 2020 for a 198.375 – 197.775 win over No. 8 LSU. That total stands No. 3 Florida Gators Gymnastics all-time for the Gator program. A big score is fueled by big scores and both teams provided plenty for the soldout Florida Gators Exactech Arena crowd of 9,332. Gator sophomore Trinity Thomas’ 10.0 on uneven bars was her first perfect mark of her collegiate career. LSU freshman Kiya Johnson also earned a 10.0 collegiate 10.0 for her beam win. @GatorsGym Florida trailed LSU by 0.025 after the opening rotation, but posted team totals of 49.65 or better on bars, beam @FloridaGators and floor to claim the win. Florida is the third program in collegiate history to post event totals of 49.65 or better on @JennyRowlandUF three events. The 49.675 equals Florida’s beam record set in 2018. gatorsgym Thomas nearly perfect floor mark of 9.975 shared the event title with Johnson. That pair also posted big all- floridagators around totals, with Thomas taking the win at 39.775 – the nation’s No. 3 total of 2020. Johnson was second at 39.725. Three other Gators had near perfection with marks of 9.975 – Alyssa Baumann (beam), Rachel Gowey (beam) and Savannah Schoenherr (bars). Collegiate-bests were set or match 13 times by the Gators, including freshman Payton Richards’ 39.50 all-around total. That is the third-highest by a Gator making their collegiate all- Florida Communications Contact: around debut. Mary Howard Phone: 352-375-4683 x6100 The Southeastern Conference Gymnast of the Week honor went to Thomas after her performance versus LSU. It Email: [email protected] was her second honor of the season and fifth of her career. Florida Head Coach Jenny Rowland begins her fifth season with the Gators in 2020. In her first four seasons, the Gators won the 2016 Southeastern Conference Championships and the 2019 SEC regular-season titles. The Florida continues action versus top 20 teams this Friday in team reached the NCAA team final in her first three season, finishing fourth (2016) and third (2017 & 2018). Lexington, Ky. Eleven Gators collected 40 All-America honors in NCAA competition in the last four years, including winning seven NCAA event titles (Bridget Sloan: 2016 all-around, uneven bars, balance beam; Alex McMurtry: 2017 all- 1-10 No. 19 Arkansas W, 197.35-194.40 around, uneven bars; 2018 vault; Alicia Boren: 2019 floor exercise). 1-17 @No. 19 Missouri W, 196.85-195.60 1-24 No. 8 LSU W, 198.375-197.775 Kentucky is 5-1 in 2020 and undefeated in league action after wins versus Missouri (196.525-195.50), Arkansas 1-31 @No. 12 Kentucky 2-7 Vs No. 5 Denver & (196.750-196.650) and at the Kentucky quad (196.375). The Wildcats only loss came at the season opener at No. 16 Iowa State then No. 5 Utah (195.35-196.425). UK has won its last five home meets (dating to 2019) with a 7-0 record in that 2-14 @No. 18 Auburn span. Senior Mollie Korth set Kentucky’s season-high all-around of 39.625 to claim wins versus Missouri and at 2-21 Vs No. 7 Alabama Arkansas. She claimed the Week 1 SEC Gymnast of the Week award. 2-28 @No. 13 Georgia The Gators missed advancing to the 2019 NCAA Championships after taking third in the NCAA Corvallis Regional final. It was the second time in the NCAA Championships’ 38-year history Florida didn’t advance to the. Boren claimed a share of the NCAA floor title, becoming the third Gator to win the floor crown. NCAA Championships. Four Gators advanced as individual competitors to the 2019 NCAA Championships, with Boren and then freshmen Savannah Schoenherr and Trinity Thomas earning All-America honors. Florida returns six with 17 All-America honors - Alyssa Baumann, Rachel Gowey, Amelia Hundley, Savannah Schoenherr, Megan Skaggs and Trinity Thomas. Twenty Gators routines return from the 2019 NCAA Regional final. For the third time in the program’s 48-year history, just one freshman joins the Gator roster for the 2020 season (also one freshman in 1984 and 1990). Payton Richards of Mokena, Ill., shared the 2017 Junior Olympic Level 10 Senior A beam title and was runner-up in all-around and bars. She recorded three top-four individual finishes in 2018 JO Senior D competition - floor exercise (tied for third), all-around (4th) and uneven bars (T4th). 2020 GATOR GYMNASTICS ROSTER Jenny Rowland, one of the nation’s rising coaching talents, is in her fifth season as NAME EVTS HT CL HOMETOWN (CLUB) University of Florida’s head gymnastics coach. Sierra Alexander V, FX 5-7 SR Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (West Broward Rowland is the seventh head coach for the Gymnastics Academy) Gator program, which is in its 48th season in Alyssa Baumann AA 5-1 JR Dallas, Texas (WOGA) 2020. Maegan Chant AA 5-3 SR Waterdown, Ontario (World Class Gymnastics) Leah Clapper AA 4-11 SO Ann Arbor, Mich. (Gym America) She shared the 2016 Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year Jazmyn Foberg AA 5-2 JR Bayville, N.J. (MG Elite) honor with Arkansas’ Mark Cook. She joins volleyball’s Mary Wise Rachel Gowey AA 5-1 SR Urbandale, Iowa (Chow’s Gymnastics) (1991) as a Gator coach who claimed SEC Coach of the Year Amelia Hundley AA 5-5 SR Hamilton, Ohio (Cincinnati Gymnastics) honors in their first season at UF. Sydney Johnson-Scharpf V, BB, 4-11 SO Clermont, Fla. (Brandy Johnson's Global FX Gymnastics) Nya Reed AA 5-3 SO Landover, Md. (Capital Gymnastics NTC) Rowland’s experiences from the sport’s highest level are the same Payton Richards AA 5-1 FR Mokena, Ill. (Aerials Gymnastics) as many current Gators. She is a former U.S. National Team Savannah Schoenherr AA 5-3 SO Columbus, Ga. (Georgia Elite) member, a collegiate All-American and was named a 2015 National Megan Skaggs AA 5-3 JR Marietta, Ga. (Gymnastics Academy of Collegiate Assistant of the Year. Atlanta) Halley Taylor AA 5-2 SO Tampa, Fla. (LaFleur’s Gymnastics Tampa) Rowland is a Category 3 International Brevet level judge. She Trinity Thomas AA 5-3 SO York, Pa. (Prestige Gymnastics) served on the judging panel for the 2008, 2012 and 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials. Staff: Pronunciation Guide: Head Coach: Jenny Rowland Sierra Alexander – see-er-uh In the fall of 2019, Rowland was appointed to the NCAA Women's Assistant Coaches: Adrian Burde & Owen Field Alyssa Baumann – Baugh-man Gymnastics Committee. Her term runs through the 2023 season. Volunteer Coach: Jeremy Miranda Jazmyn Foberg – FOE-berg Assistant to the Head Coach: Brittany Arlington Amelia Hundley – Hund-lee Managers: Tory Cohen & Rachel Slocum Sydney Johnson-Scharpf - shärpf Rowland’s Coaching Career: Athletic Trainer: Janet Taylor Nya Reed – nī-uh At Florida: Payton Richards - Peyton Florida reached the NCAA Super Six team final in each of Savannah Schoenherr – Shane-hair Rowland’s first three seasons with the Gators, taking fourth in 2016 Halley Taylor – hAE-lee (rhymes with valley) and third in 2017 & 2018. Rowland was named the 2016 Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year after the Gators won Jenny Rowland – ROE-lund that season’s team title. Florida won the 2019 SEC regular-season Adrian Burde - bur-DAY title with a 6-1 record Returning All-Americans: Six with 17 honors Gators won NCAA individual event titles in each of the last four Alyssa Baumann 2019 – beam; 2018 – beam, floor seasons. Bridget Sloan won the 2016 NCAA all-around and shared Rachel Gowey 2018 bars, beam (NCAA & regular season that season’s uneven bars and balance beam titles. Alex McMurtry won the 2017 NCAA all-around champion and shared that season’s Amelia Hundley 2018 bars; 2017 all-around (NCAA & regular season), bars uneven bars crown. She finished her career by claiming a share of the 2018 vault title. In 2019, Alicia Boren claimed a share of the Savannah 2019 vault Schoenherr NCAA floor title. The Honda Award for gymnastics went to Sloan (2016) and McMurtry (2017), distinguishing them as the nation’s top Megan Skaggs 2019 bars collegiate gymnast. McMurtry was part of a rare double in 2017 and 2018, claiming both the SEC Gymnast (2017)/SEC Event Specialist Trinity Thomas 2019 all-around, bars, floor (NCAA & regular season), beam (2018) and the SEC Scholar-Athlete awards. Returning All-SEC: Five In Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) All- Alyssa Baumann 2019 beam@, floor America regular-season awards, 11 Gators earned 41 honors since 2018 beam@ 2016.