What Florida accomplished on Saturday evening had not been done in nearly 21 years.
The top-ranked Gators traveled to Athens, Ga., and became the first No. 1 team to top the Bulldogs in Stegeman Coliseum since 1992.
No. 1 Florida (6-1, 5-1 Southeastern Conference) overcame an early deficit against No. 9 Georgia (5-5-1, 3-1-1 SEC) in a 197.3-196.175 victory in front of 9,971, to extend its winning streak to five.
The Gators appeared unable to overcome the Bulldogs’ 49.55 vault mark early as it trailed by 0.15 midway through the meet.
But with help from two Georgia falls, Florida climbed out of the hole to string together scores of 49.15 and 49.3 on floor and balance beam to capture its second road win of 2013.
UF’s uneven bars rotation produced its lowest showing since posting a 49.25 during a 196.875-196.575 loss against LSU on Jan. 11 in Baton Rouge, La.
Although the Gators fell short of their season average (49.421), it was enough to get the victory.
“What I loved is that they did not buckle after the opening two events where we felt we did not perform as we are capable of,” Faehn said.
Florida pieced together its fourth-highest total of the season, while winning only one individual event.
Freshman Bridget Sloan competed in her fourth consecutive all-around and earned her third victory with a score of 39.6.
For the second consecutive season, a Florida freshman has claimed three consecutive all-around event victories.
Sophomore Kytra Hunter accomplished the feat during the 2012 campaign.
Last week, Sloan became the only freshman this season to earn the SEC Gymnast of the Week honor.
She pinned scores of 9.925 and 9.95 on vault and bars, respectively, against the Bulldogs.
“There was a little bit of barking going on, but I think that is what fueled us,” Sloan said.
“We definitely fed off of it and I think that is why we had such a great road team score.”
Three of Florida’s next six dual meets will take place away from home or in a neutral gym as it nears the end of the season.
UF has found success on the road as of late with Saturday’s win against Georgia and a 196.575-196.175 victory against Arkansas on Feb. 1 in Fayetteville, Ark.
“They are grasping all the intangibles now — the heart, the fight, the passion,” Faehn said.
“The fight was most important tonight. I was proud of them.”
