FORT WORTH, Texas – The Gators gymnastics team started slow with a fall on their opening routine at Thursday’s NCAA semifinals.
However, the Gators finished strong with a solid effort on vault to advance to Saturday’s NCAA Championships. The Gators finished second to Southeastern Conference foe LSU, 197.4750-197.4000 at Dickies Arena in a seesaw affair. Denver and Cal failed to advance.
Meanwhile, the Gators got a huge lift with the return of fifth-year senior Trinity Thomas on the unever bars and vault. Thomas posted a 9.950 score on bars and a 9.900 on vault.
The Gators bounced back from a fall on uneven bars to lead the meet after one rotation. They dropped to fourth following a disjointed performance on beam, and then returned to the top of the leaderboard after their floor rotation.
Finally, with their season on the line, the Gators consistently hit their landings on vault to earn a place on the podium afterward.
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – It was a nail-biter to the end but No. 2 Florida gymnastics took second in Sunday’s NCAA Pittsburgh Regional final to advance to the NCAA Championships.
California and Florida advance to the NCAA Championships, set for April 13-15 in Ft. Worth, Texas. This will be Florida’s 39th appearance in the 41-year history of the NCAA Championships.
Tonight’s Meet:
All the second session winners at each of the nation’s four region sites opened final competition on uneven bars.
Defending NCAA all-around champion Trinity Thomas sat out Sunday’s meet as she suffered a right lower leg injury in Friday’s NCAA Regional second round. Her status is day-to-day. She was on the sideline Sunday to cheer the Gators.
Florida opened the meet with five consecutive stuck uneven bar landings as UF posted a 49.575. Leanne Wong led UF with her third near-perfect 9.975 bars mark of the season. Freshman Kayla DiCello earned a 9.95 and sophomore Riley McCusker posted a 9.925.
A six-for-six balance beam set for a 49.60 gave the Gators a 0.275 lead at the meet’s midpoint. Wong again posted a near-perfect 9.975 to take the beam win. DiCello turned in her third consecutive beam 9.95 while McCusker and Payton Richards earned 9.9s.
A pair of out-of-bounds dinged the Gators’ floor exercise total of 49.325. Wong’s 9.925 led UF on floor while the team got a 9.9 from both DiCello and Richards.
Florida entered the final rotation with a slight 0.50 lead over California and a 0.250 margin for a top-two team position.
The Gators led off with a 9.9 by Wong and a 9.95 for Richards – equaling her collegiate vault best. That mark tied Richards for the afternoon’s vault win with Arizona State’s Anaya Smith. Florida tallied a 49.30 on vault and then waited to see if its 197.80 would finish among the top two.
California closed the meet with a meet’s floor high of 49.625 to take the win at 198.075.
Half of the meet’s top six all-arounders were Gators. Wong won her sixth all-around of 2023 at 39.775. DiCello was fourth at 39.675 and Richards set her collegiate high all-around (39.575) to take sixth.
SUNDAY’S EVENT WINNERS:
Vault: 9.95 Payton Richards, UF Anaya Smith, ASU
Bars: 9.975 Leanne Wong, UF
Beam: 9.975 Leanne Wong, UF
Floor: 9.975 eMjae Frazier, California
AA: 39.775 Leanne Wong, UF
GATOR PERFORMANCE NOTES:
The nation’s top two all-around totals in 2023 NCAA Regional action belong to Gators – Kayla DiCello (39.80 – NCAA Regional Second Round) and Leanne Wong (39.775 – NCAA Regional Final)
This is Wong’s second meet of her Gator career with a pair of 9.975. She had near perfect 9.975s on vault and floor in the 2022 regular-season finale at NC State quad.
Wong earned a bars mark of 9.975 in both NCAA Regional Finals she’s participated in, using that mark to also win the Auburn Regional Final in 2022.
Wong’s three balance beam 9.975s of her career won the 2022 and 2023 Southeastern Conference titles and the 2023 NCAA Pittsburgh Regional Final.
Senior Payton Richards set her all-around best (39.575), equaled her vault best (9.95) and earned her season beam high (9.9) in Sunday’s meet
A Gator has won all-around in each of UF’s 13 meets this season.
Florida’s 49.60 was the sixth balance beam total of 2023 of 49.60 or higher for the team.
