Coach Rhonda Faehn used three all-around gymnasts against Arkansas to help Florida register its highest balance beam and floor marks of the season.
Freshman Bridget Sloan and All-Americans Ashanee Dickerson and Marissa King were featured in each of the four events on Friday.
The trio helped the Gators post season-high scores of 49.45 on beam and 49.275 on floor.
The season-high scores on the beam and floor helped No. 1 Florida defeat No. 22 Arkansas 197.575-196.175 at the Barnhill Arena in Fayetteville, Ark.
Prior to their matchup with the Razorbacks, the Gators ranked fourth in the NCAA in balance beam and seventh in floor with average scores of 49.056 and 49.169, respectively.
With Dickerson and Sloan competing together for a second consecutive week, Florida improved both event scores.
Against Auburn on Jan. 25 in the O’Connell Center, UF improved its beam score by .10 and floor by .025 from its meet against Missouri on Jan. 18.
With Dickerson and Sloan competing all-around again against Arkansas, that improvement nearly doubled with scores of .175 and .050.
Injuries to Kytra Hunter (foot) and Alaina Johnson (sore back) have proven challenging for Florida’s depth early.
Despite having an injury, Hunter still competed on Friday. However, the normal all-around competitor was limited to just the bars.
But the lineup combinations put forth by Faehn have helped UF battle through with an injury-ridden roster.
"No matter what is thrown at them, no matter what the circumstances, no matter what the lineup, everyone is capable of going out and doing a phenomenal job," Faehn said.
Florida’s next five opponents will be No. 5 Alabama, No. 8 Georgia, No. 16 Kentucky, No. 10 Minnesota and No. 9 Utah. Last season, the Gators held a 6-1 record against those teams.
If the Gators expect to contend for a national title again this year, they’ll have to carry the same energy used to beat the Razorbacks.
"Ashanee had our word of the meet, which was passion," Sloan said. "We really showed how much passion we had for each other and for the team."
Freshman Bridget Sloan performs her beam routine in Florida’s 197.65-196.025 win against Auburn on Jan. 25 at home.
