The Southeastern Conference's first regular season trophy is on the line this weekend when the third-ranked Florida Gators travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to take on the No. 2 LSU Tigers. With a 6-0 league record, LSU currently leads the SEC standings while Florida is second at 5-1 heading into Sunday's meet at the Maravich Center at 3:30 PM ET.

A win or tie would give LSU the 2017 SEC regular season title. A Florida win would have the title shared between the Gators and Tigers. Every road meet is challenging in SEC, but especially in Baton Rouge -- a place that is known to have the rowdiest crowd in all of college gymnastics -- the Florida Gators will have to bring their absolute best.

Last Week's Recap With LSU:

LSU competed in three meets over an eight-day period and remained No. 2 in the national poll. The Tigers defeated Auburn with a 197.675-196.100 team score last Friday night to improve to 11-1 this season. In the road victory, Ashleigh Gnat surpassed 50 individual titles for her career after scoring a 9.95 on floor and a 9.95 on vault. Sydney Ewing set a career high on balance beam with a 9.925. Lexie Priessman scored a 9.925 on uneven bars. 

Last Week's Recap With Florida:

Florida is coming off an exciting meet against Missouri in which the host Gators defeated the Tigers 197.90--196.75 in front of 6,304 at the Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Four marks of 9.975 or better were scored by Florida. Juniors Alex McMurtry and Rachel Slocum tied for vault with a score of 9.975. Freshman Amelia Hundley won uneven bars with a 9.975. McMurtry won floor exercise with a 10.0, and Hundley received the all-around title with a score of 39.625. 

ICYMI: Watch McMurtry's perfect 10.0:
Video via Florida Gators

SEC Honors:

• LSU's ​Ashleigh Gnat was named a semifinalist for the prestigious AAI Award, which is presented to the most outstanding senior women's gymnast.

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• SEC Gymnast of the Week was given to UF's Alex McMurtry
• SEC Specialist of the Week was awarded to Florida's Rachel Slocum
• SEC Freshman of the Week was awarded to the Gators' Amelia Hundley
• This is the second such honor of the season for Hundley and the first such honor for both McMurtry and Slocum. McMurtry has been honored by the SEC eight times during her career, and she's picked up Specialist of the Week seven times (including twice in 2017).

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Vault 101:

LSU posted a 49.425 on vault last week against Auburn. Florida posted a 49.550 last week against Missouri. Both schools have been strong on vault all season long.

LSU:                   
Cannamela 9.825
Finnegan 9.85
Hambrick 9.875
Ewing 9.90
Priessman 9.85
Gnat 9.95

Florida:
Gowey 9.875
Alexandar 9.8
Hundley 9.875
Boren 9.85
Slocum 9.975
McMurtry 9.975

McMurtry and Slocum are both 0.25 away from a 10.0 and have been working hard at practice to reach perfect marks on vault. Gnat has already scored a 10.0 on vault this year and is definitely capable of getting another this Sunday at home. 

How the Rivalry Runs Deep:

Consistently a top 10 matchup, this year's edition of the the Florida-LSU rivalry is a clash between the No. 2 and No. 3 teams in the country. The Tigers' win over the Gators in Gainesville last year was by a mere 0.025 points -- the sport's smallest possible overall margin of victory. Florida took event titles in vault, uneven bars, and floor, and LSU captured the balance beam title to edge UF 197.900-197.875. The loss marked the first in the regular season at home for the Gators since Jan. 18, 2008, against Georgia, which also was decided by 0.025. Of the 99 all-time meetings between the two programs, this was the 11th (and second consecutive) that was decided by a tenth of a point or less. 

Up Next:

Sunday's dual meet is the final regular season SEC matchup for both the Tigers and Gators. Next week, LSU hosts New Hampshire on March 10 while Florida takes on visiting West Virginia before heading to the SEC Championships in Jacksonville on March 18.


Related:
NCAA Gymnastics Week 9: How To Follow The Action