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The No. 5 Utah’s gymnastics team huddled together and chanted,
“Utes rock the house all the way down.”
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But the Gators were the ones who left unshaken.
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No. 1 Florida capped off their regular season with a 197 to 196.75
victory against the Red Rocks in company of a record setting crowd
of 15,558 in Utah’s Huntsman Center.
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Although it was a full house, the UF gymnasts didn’t experience the
usual jeers from fans they’ve endured from previous away
competitions against LSU and Georgia.
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fact, this road meet was served with a spoonful of sugar.
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Because it was Utah’s Senior Night, they treated Florida seniors
Maranda Smith and Alicia Goodwin to red roses.
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“The crowd here is known for being appreciative of great
gymnastics,” coach Rhonda Faehn said. “We always enjoy coming out
here.”
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The meet was a 180 from last week’s loss against Arkansas, where
the athletes were noticeably off beat, as Alaina Johnson and
Ashanée Dickerson both fell in their beam routines.
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Against Utah, it was a different story.
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Despite Johnson slightly stumbling on her landing, she received a
solid 9.8 on her routine. The score, blended with her three-way
first place finish on bars, four-way tie for first on vault and 9.8
on floor, propelled the freshman all-arounder to the Most Valuable
Performer for Florida.
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She placed second in the all-around with a total of 39.425.
"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman;">“I
stayed in the moment,” Johnson said. “There was actually a huge
crowd, which I like. The bigger the better.”
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Dickerson three-way tied for first on beam with a 9.875.
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Sophomore Marissa King joined Dickerson and Johnson in the
all-around category, marking King’s all-around debut for the
season. The senior hasn’t performed in the spot due to foot and
shoulder injuries suffered earlier in the season.
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“Marissa is a fighter,” Faehn said. “Her beam I thought was
wonderful. That was great again, the first time hitting her routine
since before hurting her arch.”
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Ending the season on this high note is far different than the aura
of the team’s only loss a mere seven days ago.
"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman;">“I
think that last week was a great kick in the pants,” Faehn said.
“It showed tonight. They came out with renewed focus and passion.
They were very hungry.”
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