SIX BITS: Gators weekend wrap-up 4/9 – 4/11

Florida Gators athletics took home two titles and 10 overall victories this past weekend from Fri., April 9 to Sun., April 11. Get all the details…after the break!

1 » GYMNASTICS: No. 4 Florida Gators gymnastics captured the 2010 NCAA North Central Regional Championship.

– Hoping to earn an appearance in the 2010 NCAA Championships, Florida accomplished just that on the heels of a season-best team total of 197.675 at the NCAA North Central Regional. This total, the sixth-highest in team history, earned the Gators the title and a berth in the NCAA Championships, which will be held at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville, FL, from April 22-24.
– This is the team’s sixth consecutive NCAA Regional title (11th overall).
– Freshman Ashanée Dickerson captured four event titles (all-around, uneven bars, balance beam, floor exercise), the most by a Florida student-athlete since 1984.

2 » BASEBALL: No. 8/9 Florida Gators (23-8, 8-4 SEC) baseball took two of three games at the Tennessee Volunteers (16-17, 3-9 SEC).

– Friday, sophomore starter Alex Panteliodis (6-1) put together a career-high eight-inning performance to lead the Gators over the Volunteers 4-2. Junior closer Kevin Chapman (S6) grabbed the final three outs, saving Panteliodis’ game which was powered by sophomore outfielder Daniel Pigott (1-3) who drove in two runs.
– Tennessee bounced back Saturday, drubbing Florida 12-4 to even the series. Junior first baseman Cody Hawn (2-4) led the Vols with four RBI; Gators freshman 1B Austin Maddox was the team’s lone bright spot, going 3-5 with two solo home runs. Freshman Brian Johnson (3-2) picked up the loss after giving up three earned runs in 4.1 innings. Sophomore reliever Justin Poovey let the rest of the game get away from him, surrendering eight earned runs in 3.2 innings of work.
– Florida got back into its groove in the rubber match, pulling away 9-1 on the back of a career-high eight strong innings by freshman starter Hudson Randall (3-3). Standouts on offense for the Gators included sophomore third baseman Jerico Weitzel (3-4, two runs) and junior second baseman Josh Adams (1-5, three-run homer).

3 » WOMEN’S TENNIS: No. 4 Florida Gators women’s tennis (20-2, 10-0 SEC) won two, captured Southeastern Conference regular-season title.

– Facing No. 16 Tennessee (12-7, 6-3 SEC) on Friday, Florida pulled off a 6-1 victory with singles wins by freshman No. 9 Allie Will, freshman No. 14 Lauren Embree and senior No. 79 Marrit Boonstra. The No. 5 doubles pair of Boonstra and Will uncharacteristically lost their match.
– However, Boonstra and Will bounced back Sunday in doubles, grabbing a win while simultaneously winning their singles matches (as did Embree). The Gators’ victory over the No. 14 Georgia Bulldogs (12-6, 8-2 SEC) clinched the SEC regular-season title.

4 » SOFTBALL: No. 4/5 Florida Gators softball (30-4, 12-2 SEC) swept the Arkansas Razorbacks (24-16, 8-4 SEC) in a three-game series.

– In a Saturday doubleheader, Florida took 9-5 and 12-3 victories over Arkansas on the road. Junior Stephanie Brombacher (20-4) picked up the win in the first game, while freshman Ensley Gammel (8-0, S2) earned a save in the opening contest and a win later in the day. Junior 2B Aja Paculba (3-7) put together six RBI, three runs and two doubles while extending her hitting streak to a career-long 13 games.
– Sunday, Paculba broke the Gators’ all-time run record, adding two to total 167 for her career as UF swept the series with a 6-1 win. Gammel (9-0) earned the win in relief of Brombacher, who started her second game in as many days.

5 » MEN’S TENNIS: No. 6 Florida Gators men’s tennis (16-3, 8-1 SEC) split the weekend with a tough loss and a solid victory.

– The Gators got off to a rough start Friday, losing their first conference game to the No. 4 Volunteers (21-1, 9-0 SEC) 4-3. The No. 12 doubles pairing of redshirt senior Antoine Benneteau and junior Alexandre Lacroix fell; No. 7 Lacroix would win his singles match, while Benneteau dropped his.
– Sunday was better for Florida, as they took down No. 8 Georgia (17-5, 9-1 SEC) 5-2. Benneteau and Lacroix uncharacteristically lost a second-consecutive doubles match, but each picked up singles victories.

6 » LACROSSE: Newly No. 20-ranked Florida Gators lacrosse (9-5, 1-2 ALC) also split its weekend with a win Friday and loss Sunday.

– Continuing its outstanding season, lacrosse took down the Le Moyne Dolphins (7-4) 15-3. Freshmen midfielders Caroline Chesterman and Kitty Cullen each scored four goals Friday, propelling their team to the win.
– The team was not as lucky Sunday, falling to the Colgate Raiders (8-6, 3-1 ALC) 12-11 in double overtime. Chesterman and sophomore attacker Caroline Cochran each scored three goals in the loss.