Florida scores the highest vault total in the Nation

Jan 26, 2013 by Brittany Norton

Florida started out with a bang on vault and carried the momentum throughout the rest of the evening. After Jamie Shisler stuck her vault, it spread like a virus and every gator after was glued to the mat. The Gators vault total of 49.65 is the nation’s highest this season, surpassing the previous high set by Alabama’s 49.45.

Kytra Hunter received a 10.0 from one vault judge finishing with a 9.975 for her Yurchenko one and a half. Hunter never scored under a 9.90 during the meet and won every event title except the uneven bars.

Hunter is now two-for-two in all-around titles and scored the second highest total of her career with a 39.70. Hunter dedicated Friday’s Link To Pink Meet to her grandmother who passed away from breast cancer.

Hunter says, “For those of us who know people who have battled with cancer or have lost someone, its fun for us to have those angels watching us compete. And I know a lot of the girls look up to those angels.”

Freshman Bianca Dancose-Giambattisto made her big splash into the collegiate world by tying the highest ever debut performance on bars and winning the event title. Her 9.925 tied with freshman Bridget Sloan.

Sloan talked about how the stuck landing impacted the team attitude throughout the meet. She said, “Obviously our routines were just spot on. We were just stickin’ all over the place and it was just a great day to be a Gator.”

Sloan made her all-around debut by scoring a 39.425. Sloan would have tied with senior Ashanée Dickerson for second place had she not stepped out of bounds on her double pike.

The Auburn Tigers put up a great fight, but the Gators scored the 13th highest team total in school history, crushing the Tigers 197.65 to 196.025.

Watch Kytra Hunter's 9.975 vault:

Watch more video of Gators Link to Pink v. Auburn on gymnastike.org