Just two weeks ago, Alex McMurtry got a perfect 10 on bars against Georgia.
But as the All-American junior went to grab the bar tonight, her routine had a different ending.
Going into her release, McMurtry misjudged the distance, falling flat onto her face and into the mat.
“I think I was just trying a little too hard to be perfect on bars,” McMurtry said. “I learned my lesson.”
It took her just two rotations to redeem herself in front of the home crowd.
As soon as she stuck her last tumbling pass on floor — a double tuck — the O’Connell Center seemed to shake with excitement.
The student section chanted for a 10 and the judges obliged.
Behind McMurtry’s first career 10 on floor, the No. 3 Gators (7-1, 4-1 SEC) defeated No. 13 Missouri (8-7, 1-4 SEC), keeping Florida undefeated at home through four meets.
McMurtry is just the second Gator gymnast in school history to score perfect in three events (floor, bars, vault) behind only Bridget Sloan.
“We want to be the contenders at postseason,” McMurtry said. “Having two 10s under my belt just gives me the confidence to go out there for postseason, especially for floor. I really needed that.”
McMurtry wasn’t the only bright spot of the night, though.
Freshman Amelia Hundley had her best meet of the season, winning her second career all-around title, and finishing her night off with a career-high 9.95 on floor.
“Each event I tried to go up and do the best I could on each,” Hundley said. “I did that for the most part, still little things there and there. Really, I enjoyed the whole thing.”
The only rough part of the night for Florida was the balance beam, where the team had its second lowest score of the season.
Sophomore Amanda Cheney wobbled on the apparatus, barely avoiding a fall, and then just two gymnasts later, Rachel Gowey fell off completely.
With the exception of the balance beam, Hundley (bars), McMurtry (floor) and Rachel Slocum (vault) rounded out a event title sweep for the Gators.
Florida also scored season-highs on both vault and on floor.
“Wow, what a great night,” coach Jenny Rowland. “Some spectacular performances tonight and I think it’s a good setup for post-season.”
Contact Lauren Staff at lstaff@alligator.org or follow her on Twitter @lstaff27
Alex McMurtry (bottom right) hugs her teammates after her floor routine during Florida's win over Missouri on Jan. 24, 2017. McMurtry's routine received a perfect 10.
