UF posts season-high score to beat UNC, Ball St.

<p>If head coach Rhonda Faehn had a few qualms about how her squad would perform in its only triangular meet of the year, it didn't take long for the Gators to assuage any fears. </p><p>Fourth-ranked UF started out strong and never looked back in turning in a season-high score of 197.550 that ranks eighth all-time to easily down the visiting squads from North Carolina (194.225) and Ball State (191.350) before 3,897 at the O'Connell Center Friday night. </p><p>The Gators (8-2, 5-1) posted season-high marks on both the bars (49.350) and beam (49.475) and added their third-best marks of the year on the vault and floor exercise en route to recording their winning mark, which is the highest of any SEC team this year, topping the previous mark of 197.450 by No. 1 Alabama. </p><p>“It was great,” said Faehn. “They were so calm and so confident at the same time. They just really kind of let their bodies take over, and I think the fact that they were relaxed really helped.” </p><p>Ashanee Dickerson tied a UF freshman record by recording her sixth all-around win, but she had to share this one with fellow freshman Marissa King. The young talent from Great Britain, with her parents in the audience, responded with a collegiate-best 39.475 score to tie Dickerson for top honors while winning her first all-around crown. North Carolina's Kara Wright (39.20) took third. </p><p>Along the way, King set collegiate-best marks in three of the four events. </p><p>“For both of us to get the all-around title is great because it keeps both of us on our toes,” King said. “For me to finally be up there with her really means a lot because she is such a great, consistent, solid gymnast. I really look up to her.” </p><p>Individually, the Gators were dominant. They took the top two spots in the vault, led by Dickerson's winning 9.95; swept the top five spots on bar; then capped the performance by claiming the top six spots on both the beam and the floor. </p><p>And while UF's “Fab Five”of freshmen Dickerson, King, Liz Green, Dali Lemezan and Randy Stageberg did their usual outstanding job, Florida's upperclassmen made sure they held their own as seniors Amanda Castillo, Rebekah Zaiser and Maranda Smith all took home event titles. Castillo and Smith shared the bars title with each posting a season-high mark of 9.90, while Zaiser was the most pleasant surprise of the meet, scoring a collegiate-best 9.95 to win the beam. </p><p>“I was super-thrilled,'' said Zaiser, who suffered a broken foot in January of 2009 and missed basically all of last season. “To be able to come back this year and finally nail a beam routine like that is something. I've been feeling really confident, so I was just glad I could really put it out there tonight.” </p><p>While Faehn was clearly pleased with her team's overall performance, it was the beam effort that had her beaming. In addition to the six athletes competing, the Gators had two exhibitions and were a perfect 8-for-8 with no falls. </p><p>“Beam is what I was definitely the most proud of,” she said. “One after another with no wobbles. Rebekah was phenomenal – no wobbles and stuck her dismount. I was just so proud of all of them.”</p>