Coaches throughout college sports often tell their athletes to enjoy senior night since you only get it once.
Riley McCusker disagrees with that. Her contributions to Florida gymnastics is so large she receives the honor of being celebrated twice.
McCusker is one of four seniors the fourth-ranked Gators will celebrate before its meet with No. 2 LSU Sunday, along with eMjae Frazier, Selena Harris-Miranda and Lori Brubach.
The Gators class represents a unique, but normal, blend in 2026 collegiate sports.
Frazier and Harris-Miranda transferred to UF from Cal and UCLA, respectively. Even though they’ve only been in Gainesville for one and two years, respectively, coach Jenny Rowland said it means just as much.
But Brubach and especially McCusker represent a final link to the past, having played with program legends like Trinity Thomas and Alyssa Baumann.
“There is a flood of memories with thinking that this is my last,” Rowland said. “It’s something that I believe Riley has never taken for granted.”
Part of the reason McCusker takes all moments for granted is the devastating injury suffered in the middle of her collegiate career.
McCusker was a second team All-American in 2023 and looked forward to a massive role in the youthful 2024 squad, but she injured her ankle in November 2023.
The injury and ensuing ankle surgery forced her to miss the entire 2024 campaign. With one year remaining, it looked unlikely McCusker would return to her previous highs.
It took McCusker all of one season to exceed her 2023 play. It came on a legendary night in the SEC Championship last March – where McCusker’s 10 on bars helped UF generate a score of 49.850 – a new NCAA record.
Rowland attributed it to her love for gymnastics and for the Gators. The Bradenton native committed to Florida when she was 13.
Bars is McCusker’s first love, to the point it isn’t leaving her when she goes to medical school after the season.
“I was trying to think ‘What else can I do outside gymnastics that’s bars?’” McCusker said. “Because bars are really my first love.”
She was granted a fifth year due to the injury that held her out of her junior year. McCusker hasn’t wasted that opportunity as she’s scored a 9.900 or better in five meets this season – including two 9.975s.
Can she finally score her first 10 at home in her last chance? McCusker thinks the team build positive momentum in last week’s quad meet that’ll carry over to LSU.
The Gators cruised past Arizona State, Texas Women’s and Fisk in Denton, Texas. It looked like many of UF’s other wins this season, though. Unbelievable performances on bars and beam and struggles on vault.
Florida tallied a 49.600 on bars and a 49.800 on beam – a new program record – but the total score dropped to a 48.875 on vault.
It was UF’s third vault score lower than a 49 in its eight meets. Rowland acknowledged a lineup change as the reason for the vault struggle. Despite a season-high vault score of 49.425 vs. Georgia on February 20, Rowland removed Skye Blakely in favor of Taylor Clark.
Clark actually scored a 9.825, but Skylar Draser and Anya Pilgrim each suffered falls.
“Our expectation as a staff is that when they raise their hand, it’s going to be like how it is in practice, but it’s sports and sometimes that doesn’t happen,” Rowland said.
The week before in Athens, UF orchestrated its most balanced performance. Similar consistency is going to be needed vs. the Bayou Bengals, with even higher scores.
LSU might be No. 2 to Oklahoma’s No. 1, but the test remains just as tough as the meet three weeks ago vs. the Sooners.
The Tigers season began slow with a loss at Georgia on January 16. The loss seemed to light a fire in the team. LSU hasn’t scored below a 197.525 since and are coming off back-to-back wins over No. 3 Alabama. The lone loss was a tight 198.125-197.975 loss at OU.
The Gators, though, have had LSU’s number in the O’Connell Center. They have won four straight over the Tigers at home, with the last loss in 2016.
Noah Ram covers Florida Gators athletics and Gainesville-area high school sports for The Gainesville Sun, GatorSports.com and the USA TODAY Network. Contact him at nram@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X @Noah_ram1 and on Instagram @Ramreporter. Read his coverage of the Gators’ national championship basketball season in “CHOMP-IONS!” — a hardcover coffee-table collector’s book from The Sun. Details at Florida.ChampsBook.com.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida gymnastics’ Riley McCusker yearns to continue LSU home success on senior night
Reporting by Noah Ram, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
