GAINESVILLE, Fla. - The new gymnastics studio in the O'Connell Center is still under construction, but the preseason third-ranked Florida Gator gymnastics team is fully equipped to compete for a national championship.

The Gators finished the 2012 season a mere tenth of a point away from bringing the school's first gymnastics national title back to Gainesville, but were bested by SEC rival Alabama in the final rotation at the National Championships.

Head coach Rhonda Faehn looks fondly to opportunities like intrasquad scrimmages to get her team prepared for the competition of the regular season.

Florida will open the year hosting Ball State in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center on January 4th, 2013.