There are two names on the Florida gymnastics roster that will send a crowd into a frenzy — Kytra Hunter and Bridget Sloan.
Hunter, who scored a perfect 10 on vault, and Sloan led No. 2 UF (7-0, 5-0 Southeastern Conference) on Friday as it defeated No. 3 LSU (7-3, 3-2 SEC) 198.125-197.625.
Coming into Friday’s meet, the Gators faced the challenge of beating one of the top teams in the nation, which has also recorded its own perfect scores of the season.
LSU’s Rheagan Courville came into the matchup earning a 10 on the vault at Arkansas on Feb. 7. Courville was also the reigning SEC Gymnast of the Week after she tied the nation’s best all-around score, and UF gymnast Bridget Sloan’s, with a 39.750.
Friday, the O’Connell Center was packed with 9,197 roaring fans who were rewarded with an eventful night.
Hunter was one of the athletes to make the night one to remember when she started out the matchup by scoring her second consecutive 10 on vault.
It was the junior’s fourth perfect score of the year.
With her 10, UF has posted a perfect score in each of its last five meets. Hunter’s vault and a solid performance from five other Florida gymnasts in the event helped Florida top their season-best vault with a score of 49.525. It was the eighth highest in Florida history.
Hunter said that her practices have become more focused on sticking her vault landings.
“Honestly, since last week I’ve been getting these stuck landings in practice,” Hunter said.
“I mean, I won’t move on from vault unless I get two perfect stuck landings.”
However, Hunter wasn’t alone in her success.
Sloan also had a momentous night, winning the all-around title for the week and putting up a near-perfect 9.95 on floor.
“It doesn’t matter (about) the scoring. It’s all about how you feel, and after floor, I felt amazing,” Sloan said. “My first pass was great, my second pass was the best second pass I’ve ever done in my life, and those are the little moments you need to cherish.”
Even with a strong vault performance, Florida fell behind after the uneven bars rotation. But it was UF’s near-perfect floor routines and a series of sloppy beam routines by LSU that propelled the Gators above the Tigers.
“It definitely pushes us, and we honestly need that pressure especially experiencing it now before post-season,” Hunter said.
“They did a wonderful job, and we gave each other competition. That what makes it so fun and makes the score so tight and makes the audience even more excited to watch us.”
Coach Rhonda Faehn was impressed with Florida’s night on the floor.
“It was everything that we were looking for,” Faehn said. “Our athletes just really feed off of that [crowd].”
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Kytra Hunter performs a floor routine during Florida’s 198.125-197.625 win against LSU on Feb. 21 in the O’Connell Center. Hunter landed six perfect scores (four on floor and two on vault) during the 2014 season.
