Florida Gators women's gymnastics
The Florida Gators women's gymnastics team represents the University of Florida in the sport of gymnastics. The team competes in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Southeastern Conference. The Gators host their home matches in the O'Connell Center on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus, and are currently led by head coach Jenny Rowland. The Gators women's gymnastics program has won nine SEC championships, and four national championships: the 1982 AIAW national tournament and the 2013, 2014, and 2015 NCAA championships.
History
The University of Florida first fielded a women's varsity gymnastics team in the fall of 1973. Gymnastics was one of the first women's sports added at the University of Florida and achieved early success by winning the 1982 Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women championship. Since the NCAA assumed sponsorship for women's sports championships in 1982, Florida has advanced to the NCAA championships every year but one. The Gators have advanced to the "Super Six" finals of the NCAA championships nineteen times. Florida has finished twice as runner-up and won NCAA championships in 2013, 2014, and 2015.Ernestine Weaver was the head coach of the Gators gymnastics program from 1980 to 1992 and was responsible for much of the team's early success in AIAW, NCAA, and SEC competition. Under Weaver, the Gators won five SEC championships, the AIAW national championship in 1982, and appeared in thirteen consecutive NCAA championships; Gators gymnasts won five AIAW and NCAA individual national championships. Judi Markell succeeded Weaver as head coach in 1993 and her teams qualified for nine NCAA championships in ten seasons, including three Super Six appearances and a second-place finish in 1998; Markell's Gators won three individual national championships.
The Gators were coached by Rhonda Faehn from 2003-2015; they won four SEC championships and appeared in the NCAA championships every year, including ten Super Six appearances, a national runner-up performance in 2012, and three straight national championships from 2013-2015. The 2014 NCAA championship team scored the highest total ever at an NCAA championship with a 198.175. Faehn's Gators won nine individual national championships. Marissa King won the vault title in 2011, Kytra Hunter won the all-around and vault title in 2012 and the all-around and floor titles in 2015, Alaina Johnson won the uneven bars title in 2013, and Bridget Sloan won the all-around and balance beam titles in 2013 and the uneven bars title in 2014.
After Faehn's resignation following the 2015 national championship, Florida hired Auburn assistant Jenny Rowland to be the new head coach. In Jenny's first year as head coach she led the Gators to their 10th SEC title and fourth in seven years.
Individual national champions
Eleven Florida Gators gymnasts have won a total of twenty-eight individual national college championships, including Ann Woods, Lynn McDonnell, Maria Anz, Susan Hines, Betsy Hamm, Marissa King, and Kytra Hunter, Alaina Johnson, Bridget Sloan, Alex McMurtry, Alicia Boren2020 Roster
Below is a roster of gymnasts on the team for the 2019–2020 season.Name | Height | Year | Events | Hometown | Club |
Sierra Alexander | 5-7 | SR | VT, FX | Fort Lauderdale, FL | West Broward Gymnastics Academy |
Alyssa Baumann | 5-1 | JR | AA | Plano, TX | WOGA |
Maegan Chant | 5-3 | SR | AA | Waterdown,Ontario | World Class Gymnastics |
Leah Clapper | 4-11 | SO | AA | Ann Arbor, MI | Gym America |
Jazmyn Foberg | 5-2 | SO | AA | Bayville, NJ | MG Elite |
Rachel Gowey | 5-1 | SR | AA | Urbandale,Iowa | Chow's Gymnastics |
Amelia Hundley | 5-5 | SR | AA | Hamilton,OH | Cincinnati Gymnastics |
Sydney Johnson-Scharpf | 4-11 | SO | AA | Clermont, FL | Brandy Johnson's |
Nya Reed | 5-3 | SO | AA | Landover, MD | Capital |
Peyton Richards | 5-1 | FR | AA | Mokena, IL | Aerials Gymnastics Club |
Savannah Schoenherr | 5-3 | SO | AA | Columbus, GA | Georgia Elite |
Megan Skaggs | 5-3 | JR | AA | Marietta, GA | Gymnastics Academy of Atlanta |
Halley Taylor | 5-2 | SO | AA | Tampa, FL | LaFleur's |
Trinity Thomas | 5-3 | SO | AA | York, PA | Prestige |
- Head Coach: Jenny Rowland
- Assistant Coach: Adrian Burde
- Assistant Coach: Owen Field
- Volunteer Assistant Coach: Jeremy Miranda
- Assistant to Head Coach: Brittany Arlington
- Athletic Trainer: Janet Taylor
- Student Coach: Vanasia Bradley
Future recruits
2020–21 Commits
- Shilese Jones – Buckeye Gymnastics - 2018 Pan American Championships team gold medalist
- Gabrielle Gallentine ' – Everest Gymnastics – 2017 Nastia Liukin Cup qualifier
- Eliana Lazzari ' – Legacy Elite – 2019 J.O. All-Around, Balance Beam, & Floor Exercise Champion
- Sloane Blakely – WOGA – 2016, 2018 US Nationals qualifier
- Anna Huber – Rochester Gymnastics Academy – 2015 Secret US Classic qualifier
- Morgan Hurd ' – First State Gymnastics – 2017 World Champion, 2018 World Champion, 2019 Pan American Games Champion
- Riley McCusker – MG Elite – 2018 World Champion, 2019 Pan American Games Champion
- Sophia Butler – Discover Gymnastics – 2018 US Nationals qualifier
- Kayla DiCello – Hill's Gymnastics – 2019 Junior World Champion, 2019 Junior US National Champion
- Olivia Greaves – MG Elite – 2019 Junior US National Champion
All-American selections
- Maria Anz
- Mackenzie Caquatto
- Amanda Castillo
- Ashanee Dickerson
- Erinn Dooley
- Savannah Evans
- Amy Ferguson
- Courtney Gladys
- Alicia Goodwin
- Jaime Graziano
- Kristin Guise
- Betsy Hamm
- Corey Hartung
- Susan Hines
- Kytra Hunter
- Alaina Johnson
- Colleen Johnson
- Janice Kerr
- Breanne King
- Marissa King
- Samantha Lutz
- Elizabeth Mahlich
- Lana Marty
- Christina McDonald
- Lynn McDonnell
- Melissa Miller
- Lindsey Miner
- Tiffany Murry
- Amy Myerson
- Lisa Panzironi
- Ashley Reed
- Katie Rue
- Elfi Schlegel
- Melanie Sinclair
- Maranda Smith
- Tammy Smith
- Sybil Stephenson
- Kristen Stucky
- Orley Szmuch
- Hilary Thompson
- Pam Titus
- Chantelle Tousek
- Chrissy Van Fleet
- Chrissy Vogel
- Kara Waterhouse
- Nicola Willis
- Tracy Wilson
- Ann Woods
- Rebekah Zaiser
H. Boyd McWhorter Award winners are designated with a caret.