Clutch performance propels Gators over Bulldogs

Posted Feb 20, 2010 by Aaron Oberlin

Updated Mar 12, 2010 at 03:56 PM

While tens of millions of viewers watched the Winter Olympics on Friday night, a little more than 6,000 lucky spectators witnessed a memorable showdown in Gainesville.

The script could’ve come straight out of Hollywood.

Two nationally ranked, top-ten rivals facing off. The home team in need of a great performance to win. The victory resting on the “new” girl’s shoulders.

University of Florida freshman gymnast Ashanée Dickerson walked onto a chalky, gray mat at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center, needing at least a 9.85 on her floor exercise to beat the five-time national champs Georgia Bulldogs. This coming after a Gator slipped on the beam, and then UGA’s 2004 U.S. Olympian Courtney McCool finished her balance-beam set with a season-best 9.975, giving the No. 7 team in the country a total 197.15.

But Dickerson stuck her routine, scoring a 9.925, the highest floor mark of the competition. The score pushed No. 4 Florida (5-2, 4-1 SEC) up to 197.25, edging the Bulldogs (3-4, 2-3 SEC) by a tenth of a point for UF’s first home dual meet win over the rival in 20 years.

“It came right down to the wire, and I think that is what made it so exciting, seeing our athletes feed off that. They did not buckle to any sort of pressure on knowing how close it really was,” said UF coach Rhonda Faehn. “I think once again this shows the mental toughness and the mental maturity of this very young team. I was really proud of them.”

Dickerson wasn’t the only freshman who helped the Gators win. The judges gave Marissa King a 9.875 on the bars, well enough for the individual title. But Dickerson owned the evening.

She competed in every event, posting her highest total of the season, 39.625, for her fourth all-around win of the season. She also picked up her fourth vault title of the season, with a 9.95, and her third floor victory.

“It was lots of fun tonight,” Dickerson said. “I felt the energy from the crowd the moment we stepped onto the floor. It feels so good. We just did what we do every day in practice: Stick our landings, make sure we hit our handstands on bars and try to minimize the wobbles on beam.”