The Gator gymnastics team is going for a four-peat this weekend in the NCAA Championships. The competition is set for April 15 and 16 at the Fort Worth Convention Center Arena. In order to move ahead to Saturday’s Super Six final and have a chance to win another NCAA title, the Gators need to be among the top three teams in Friday’s competition. The Gators will start Friday’s competition at 2 p.m. on floor exercises.
#NCAAGym Championships are here…#Gators open competition Friday 2pmET.https://t.co/nAlLbWWRer pic.twitter.com/PkHDw2nzFx
— Gator Gymnastics (@GatorsGym) April 14, 2016
In the semifinals on Friday, Florida will be competing against Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Minnesota and Stanford. The Gators are particularly excited to see LSU again after the Tigers upset the Gators earlier in the season and handed them their first loss in the O’Dome in four years. Florida has qualified for the NCAA Championships 34 times, missing only the 2000 season. This will be the sixth time the Gators enter the NCAA championships ranked No. 2. Last season they were No. 1 but Oklahoma will gain the top seed this year.
Sophomore Alex McMurtry is ready to get back to Texas and compete in the NCAA Championships for the second year after showcasing an incredible performance last year. In the last moments of the meet last year, the Gators were faced with an improbable event as they needed to land two 9.95’s on bars to win. Bridget Sloan was up first and nailed her routine, securing one 9.95, then it was up to McMurtry. A freshman in her first NCAA appearance, she approached her routine with confidence after an exchange with Sloan. What seemed to be a perfect routine, McMurtry finished her flawless performance as her team tackled her, securing the three peat as McMurtry hit her 9.95 routine.
(Video Courtesy of ESPNU)
You can watch the all the action on ESPNU this weekend.