SEC teams advance in NCCA women's gymnastics championships

ATHENS -- Three Southeastern Conference teams Florida, Alabama and LSU swept the first session of the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships on Thursday. <br /> <br /> Florida won the afternoon session with a 196.875 score. Alabama scored 196.65, and LSU 196.575. For the Bengals, it was their first time in 20 tries to advance to Friday's Super Six finals. <br /> <br /> ``I haven't had a monkey on my back, I have had a gorilla,'' said LSU Coach D-D Breaux. <br /> <br /> LSU led the meet at the halfway point but was deflated after team ace Ashleigh Clare-Kearney scored a season-low 9.775 on the vault. She won the regionals two weeks ago with a perfect 10 and averaged 9.95 over the season. <br /> <br /> Clare-Kearney bounced back with a 9.95 on the uneven bars, best of the day along with Florida's Melanie Sinclair. <br /> <br /> Clare-Kearney fell off the beam on the final routine of the day, but LSU had already clinched the third spot in the Super Six, led by Susan Jackson's 9.85 on the beam. Jackson was second in the all-around with 39.5 points. <br /> <br /> Oklahoma finished fourth at 196.075, followed by Arkansas at 195.825 and Oregon State at 195.475. <br /> <br /> The Gators were led by Sinclair, the meet's all-around best performer. She turned in a near flawless 9.95 on bars en route to a 39.525 score. <br /> Both Amanda Castillo and Ashley Reed scored 39.425s, and Corey Hartung scored 39.4. <br /> <br /> Hartung, Castillo and Alabamas Morgan Dennis had the highest floor scores at 9.925. Alabama missed two routines, but still got strong all-around performances from Dennis, 39.4, and Ricki Lebegern, 39.2. <br /> <br /> Morgan's 9.925 on floor was matched by teammate Kassi Price on bars. <br /> The best vaulters of the day were Michelle Stout of Arkansas and Kayla Hoffman of Alabama with 9.9s. <br /> <br /> Nebraska's Emily Parsons, competing as an individual, led the beam scores with a 9.875.