After a record-breaking regular season, No. 1 Florida couldn’t clinch the 2014 Southeastern Conference Championship title.
The Crimson Tide came between the Gators and their third consecutive SEC title, winning by 0.175 points.
Alabama turned in a 197.875, and Florida scored 197.70 overall. LSU took third (197.325), Georgia came in fourth (197.15). Auburn (195.55), Kentucky (195.075), Arkansas (194.90) and Missouri (194.65) followed in the fifth through eighth spots of the eight-team field.
“It was just finishing up; we could have been a little bit stronger,” coach Rhonda Faehn said in a release.
“But even if we had done our absolute best, it would have been a real push.”
After the first three rotations (vault, uneven bars, balance beam) the Gators led all of their competitors. A 10th-of-a-point deduction for an out-of-bounds mistake on floor by UF, plus the Tide’s meet-high score (49.65) on the uneven bars, won it the lead and the title.
“We know that winning this conference is so hard. You cannot afford to count a mistake because that will take you down in the rankings,” Faehn said.
“This result is just going to fuel our athletes to come out fighting really hard at regionals and nationals.”
This wasn’t the first time Alabama defeated Florida in 2014. During the regular season, UF’s only loss was to ‘Bama on Feb. 28 (197.675-197.40).
“We did come in with a target on our back,” Bridget Sloan said in a release. “I think it is better to come in with a target on your back and know that teams want to beat you.”
Sloan was one of two Gators who captured individual wins. The sophomore defended her all-around title with a 39.70. Junior Kytra Hunter won the balance beam (9.925) title and tied for a win on floor (9.95) with Alabama’s Diandra Milliner and LSU’s Lloimincia Hall.
Sloan, Hunter and senior Alaina Johnson rounded out UF’s tournament lineup as the team’s three all-around competitors. Junior Rachel Spicer set her career best on vault with a 9.90.
Claire Boyce was the only freshman to compete for the Gators. Boyce’s 9.200 on floor was the second to last out of 48 gymnasts who competed on floor and the lowest individual score of any Gator.
If Florida had taken home the SEC title, it would have been the 10th in the program’s history — a fitting way to end a record-breaking season in which the Gators have scored eight perfect 10s so far. But Faehn maintains this loss is now the motivation her team needs.
“I think it is going to be a great fuel,” she said. “It will motivate them to train hard for the next couple of weeks to get ready for regionals and come out fighting really hard.”
Florida’s focused on the final two meets of the year. At 3 p.m. today, the NCAA will announce the six sites for the Regional Championships. The top two teams from each regional competition will advance to the NCAA Championship in Birmingham, Ala., on April 18-20.
“This result definitely fuels our motivation,” Hunter said in a release. “We will go home, watch film, critique ourselves and be hard on ourselves. Because that’s what needs to happen to win a NCAA title.”
Follow Erica A. Hernandez on Twitter @EricaAlyssa
Kytra Hunter performs a balance beam routine during Florida’s 198.125-197.625 over LSU on Feb. 21. Hunter won the balance-beam title at the Southeastern Conference Championships, but the Gators finished in second — behind the Crimson Tide.
