As powerful as the Florida Gators gymnastics program is, it’s still haunted by its fair share of ghosts.
Tonight, it’ll have an opportunity to put them to rest.
Taking the O’Connell Center floor at 6:45, the No. 2 Gators (6-1, 4-1 Southeastern Conference) are slated to face No. 7 LSU (8-2, 4-1 SEC) in a dual meet between two of the nation’s premier gymnastics programs.
“We’re very excited to have the LSU Tigers on campus,” head coach Jenny Rowland said.
“Our Gators, they thrive (in these matchups). They’re always up for an SEC challenge, and this weekend is not gonna be anything different.”
The country’s only gymnastics team to have played host to top-10 opposition in each of its home meets thus far, the Gators will be looking to build off of a resounding victory over the then-No. 19 Missouri Tigers last Friday.
In spite of owning the all-time series record 66-32, Florida has struggled against LSU in recent years.
Last season, it dropped two close meets to the Tigers, the latter coming in the form of a .025-point deficit that edged the Gators for the runners-up spot at the SEC Championships.
Individually, junior Ashleigh Gnat and sophomore Myia Hambrick pose the greatest threat to Florida’s chances.
A native of Lake Mary, Florida, Gnat — the nation’s fourth-ranked floor and top-ranked vault competitor — is coming off of a performance that earned her first SEC Specialist of the Week award.
Supporting the five-time All-American is Hambrick, a three-time SEC Gymnast of the Week winner and the SEC’s 2015 vault champion.
On the Gators’ sideline, freshman Alicia Boren will look to continue her explosive inaugural season.
Possessing four top-three all-around finishes on the year, the first-year gymnast out of Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, was named to the SEC’s Weekly Honors list for the second consecutive week, winning her fourth Freshman of the Week title in her seventh week of competition.
With such a skilled freshman in the fold, the other athletes have stepped up their game to match her blue-collar style.
“She comes in each workout and works hard,” sophomore Grace McLaughlin said, “and having someone younger come in, it kinda pushes us to go in and work harder.
“It’s like we can mentor her, but really she’s kinda mentoring us in a way.”
What’s more — the Gators will be at full-strength, arguably for the first time this year.
Sophomore Alex McMurtry will be making her collegiate debut on the floor, competing in all four events for the first time as a Gator and bolstering an already strong all-around corps.
For Florida to come out of the Swamp with a win, McMurtry’s contributions will prove vital.
And with all the hype surrounding her floor debut, look for the Midlothian, Virginia, native to make some noise.
“We’ve been planning this since the middle of August,” Rowland said, “and I think nobody is more excited than Alex is.
“I know the team is really excited for her, the coaching staff is really excited for her, just to see her be able to fulfill another dream.”
Contact Alejandro Lopez at alopez@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @ajlb95.
Alicia Boren performs on the balance beam during Florida's win against Arkansas on Feb. 12, 2016, in the O'Connell Center.
