Florida Gators women's gymnastics

Florida Gators women's gymnastics
Founded 1973
University University of Florida
Head coach Jenny Rowland (3rd season)
Conference SEC
Location Gainesville, Florida
Home arena O'Connell Center (Capacity: 12,000)
Nickname Florida Gators
Colors Orange and Blue[1]
         
National championships
1982 (AIAW), 2013, 2014, 2015
Super Six appearances
1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
NCAA Regional championships
1981 (AIAW), 1982 (AIAW)
1984, 1985, 1987, 1997, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
NCAA Tournament appearances
1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
Conference championships
1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1989, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2016

The Florida Gators women's gymnastics team represents the University of Florida in the sport of gymnastics. The team competes in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Gators host their home matches in the O'Connell Center on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus, and are currently led by head coach Jenny Rowland. The Gators women's gymnastics program has won nine SEC championships, and four national championships: the 1982 AIAW national tournament and the 2013, 2014, and 2015 NCAA championships.

History

The University of Florida first fielded a women's varsity gymnastics team in the fall of 1973. Gymnastics was one of the first women's sports added at the University of Florida and achieved early success by winning the 1982 Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) championship (the AIAW was the governing body for women's college sports from 1971 to 1982). Since the NCAA assumed sponsorship for women's sports championships in 1982, Florida has advanced to the NCAA championships (top twelve) every year but one. The Gators have advanced to the "Super Six" finals of the NCAA championships nineteen times. Florida has finished twice as runner-up (1998 and 2012)[2][3] and won NCAA championships in 2013, 2014, and 2015.[4]

Ernestine Weaver was the head coach of the Gators gymnastics program from 1980 to 1992 and was responsible for much of the team's early success in AIAW, NCAA, and SEC competition. Under Weaver, the Gators won five SEC championships, the AIAW national championship in 1982, and appeared in thirteen consecutive NCAA championships; Gators gymnasts won five AIAW and NCAA individual national championships. Judi Markell succeeded Weaver as head coach in 1993 and her teams qualified for nine NCAA championships in ten seasons, including three Super Six appearances and a second-place finish in 1998; Markell's Gators won three individual national championships.

The Gators were coached by Rhonda Faehn from 2003-2015; they won four SEC championships and appeared in the NCAA championships every year, including ten Super Six appearances, a national runner-up performance in 2012, and three straight national championships from 2013-2015. The 2014 NCAA championship team scored the highest total ever at an NCAA championship with a 198.175.[3] Faehn's Gators won nine individual national championships. Marissa King won the vault title in 2011, Kytra Hunter won the all-around and vault title in 2012 and the all-around and floor titles in 2015, Alaina Johnson won the uneven bars title in 2013, and Bridget Sloan won the all-around and balance beam titles in 2013 and the uneven bars title in 2014.

After Faehn's resignation following the 2015 national championship, Florida hired Auburn assistant Jenny Rowland to be the new head coach. In Jenny's first year as head coach she led the Gators to their 10th SEC title and fourth in seven years.

Individual national champions

Ten Florida Gators gymnasts have won a total of twenty-three individual national college championships, including Ann Woods (1982 AIAW all-around, floor exercise, uneven bars), Lynn McDonnell (1982 AIAW balance beam), Maria Anz (1984 NCAA floor exercise), Susan Hines (1997 NCAA vault; 1998 NCAA vault), Betsy Hamm (1998 NCAA balance beam), Marissa King (2011 NCAA vault), and Kytra Hunter (2012 NCAA all-around and vault title, 2015 all-around and floor title), Alaina Johnson (2013 NCAA Bars), Bridget Sloan (2013 NCAA all-around, beam; 2014 NCAA Bars; 2016 NCAA All-Around, Bars, and Beam), Alex McMurtry (2017 NCAA all-around and bars; 2018 NCAA vault)

2019 Roster

Below is a roster of gymnasts on the team for the 2019 season.

2019 Roster[5]
Name Height Year Events Hometown Club
Sierra Alexander5-7JRVT, FXFort Lauderdale, FLWest Broward Gymnastics Academy
Alyssa Baumann5-1SOAAPlano, TXWOGA
Alicia Boren4-11SRAAFranklin Lakes, NJNorth Stars
Maegan Chant5-3JRAAWaterdown,OntarioWorld Class Gymnastics
Amanda Cheney5-5SRAAOrlando, FLOrlando Metro
Leah Clapper4-11FRAAAnn Arbor, MIGym America
Jazmyn Foberg5-2SOAABayville, NJMG Elite
Rachel Gowey5-1JRAAUrbandale,IowaChow's Gymnastics
Amelia Hundley5-5JRAAHamilton,OHCincinnati Gymnastics
Sydney Johnson-Scharpf4-11FRAAClermont, FLBrandy Johnson's
Nya Reed5-3FRAALandover, MDCapital
Savannah Schoenherr5-3FRAAColumbus, GAGeorgia Elite
Megan Skaggs5-3SOAAMarietta, GAGymnastics Academy of Atlanta
Halley Taylor5-2FRAATampa, FLLaFleur's
Trinity Thomas5-3FRAAYork, PAPrestige
Nicole Webb5-2SOUB, BB, FXMorrisville, NCSonshine Gymnastics
  • Head Coach: Jenny Rowland
  • Assistant Coach: Adrian Burde
  • Assistant Coach: Owen Field
  • Volunteer Assistant Coach: Jeremy Miranda
  • Assistant to Head Coach: Brittany Arlington
  • Athletic Trainer: Janet Taylor
  • Student Coach: Vanasia Bradley

[6]

Future recruits

Below are gymnasts who have committed to Florida.

2019-20 Commits

  • Morgan Hurd - 2019 - First State Gymnastics - 2014, 2015, 2016 US Nationals qualifier, 2016 US team, 2017 World Champion
  • Riley McCusker - 2019 - MG Elite - 2016 US National silver medalist, 2017 National Uneven bar champion, Balance Beam silver medalist, & All-Around bronze medalist
  • Payton Richards - 2019 - Aerial Gymnastics Club - 2017 JO National beam champion

2020-21 Commits

  • Jessica Hutchinson - 2020 - Sylvia's Gymnastics LLC - Bulgarian national team member
  • Shilese Jones - 2020 - Buckeye Gymnastics - 2014-18 US National qualifier
  • Carina Jordan - 2020 - Prattville YMCA - 2017 US Classic qualifier

2021-22 Commits

  • Sloane Blakely - 2021 - WOGA - 2016, 2018 US Nationals qualifier
  • Gabrielle Gallentine - 2021 - Everest Gymnastics - 2017 Nastia Liukin Cup qualifier
  • Anna Huber - 2021 - Rochester Gymnastics Academy - 2015 Secret US Classic qualifier
  • Eliana Lazzari - 2021 - Gym Nasti - 2016 Secret US Classic qualifier

2022-23 Commits

  • Sophia Butler - 2022 - Discover Gymnastics - 2018 US Nationals qualifier

All-American selections

All-American selections through the 2012 season.[7]

Second-team All-American honors are designated with an asterisk (*).

Team Records

See also

References

  1. ↑ "UF Identity Style Guide". University of Florida. March 1, 2016. Retrieved March 19, 2016.
  2. ↑ Pat Dooley, "Top 25 Gator teams: #24 1998 Gymnastics," Gainesville Sun (June 1, 2009). Retrieved August 8, 2009.
  3. 1 2 Laura Owens, "UF gymnastics finishes second at NCAAs," The Gainesville Sun (April 21, 2012). Retrieved May 14, 2012.
  4. ↑ "National Champions: Gators Claim Program's First NCAA Gymnastics Title," GatorZone.com (April 20, 2013). Retrieved April 20, 2013.
  5. ↑ "2019 Gymnastics Roster". floridagators.com. Retrieved 4 August 2019. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  6. ↑ http://floridagators.com/roster.aspx?path=gymnastics&
  7. ↑ Florida Gymnastics 2012 Media Supplement, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 55–56 (2012). Retrieved May 14, 2012.
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