The hype for Florida gymnastics has reached a season high.
Fresh off an NCAA Tempe Regional first place finish, the Gators have scored over 198 five meets in a row.
There is high optimism, both within the program and among national pundits, that the Gators will end their 11-year national championship drought.
“I want it so badly for them to feel that reward and earn that reward. I would definitely acknowledge and feel that reward as well,” coach Jenny Rowland said. “And just knowing where we came from and even making it to semifinals, the top eight in the country, is no joke. It’s been a journey.”
First, though, UF needs to advance to Saturday’s meet — and that means a top two finish in Thursday’s semifinals. It is something the Gators failed to do last season for the first time since 2019 and served as a large motivator.
“I definitely believe that it’s something that we all have thought about and is in our mind a little bit. I just think it is important that we don’t let that drive how we feel about this next week,” Blakely said. “But instead, use it to know that we can do it and we can advance and that this team has been amazing this whole season.”
The Gators will do battle with LSU, Georgia and Stanford. Florida defeated the Tigers and Bulldogs in the regular season and consistently topped the Cardinal.
Saturday’s final will include the top two teams in the second semifinal, which includes defending national champion Oklahoma, UCLA, Arkansas and Minnesota.
The Gainesville Sun will be providing live updates from this NCAA semifinal meet. Follow along below!
Florida gymnastics in NCAA Semifinal live updates
Rotation 1: Florida gymnastics (Beam) 49.4625; LSU (Vault) 49.475; Stanford (Floor) 49.250; Georgia (Bars) 49.150
Gators in a close second place after the opening rotation. On the beam, where Florida ranks No. 1 in the country, the Gators scored their second lowest on the event since March, but it is still soldily in second place. Skye Blakely and eMjae Frazier each tally above a 9.900, while Kayla DiCello and Selena Harris-Miranda end with a 9.8875.
Rotation 2: Florida gymnastics (Floor) 98.900; LSU (Bars) 98.6625; Georgia (Beam) 98.400; Stanford (Vault) 98.125
Gators vault into a comfortable first place thanks to a 49.4375 on floor. eMjae Frazier is the only Gator who scores over a 9.900, but Florida rallied into first behind remarkable consistency. All scores over a 9.825, with Selena Harris-Miranda’s score actually getting dropped (9.8375). LSU limps with a 49.1875 on bars, which helped Florida jump into the lead.
Rotation 3: Florida gymnastics (Vault) 148.125; Georgia (Floor) 147.9375; LSU (Beam) 147.9125 Stanford (Bars) 147.4125
It is the lowest vault score for Florida (49.225) since the meet at Texas Women’s on February 27, but the Gators still hold a comfortable lead heading into bars — where it ranks No. 1 in the country. Frazier once again gets the high score for the Orange and Blue with a 9.875, with Anya Pilgrim behind at 9.850. Skylar Draser’s score is dropped at 9.7875. UF should be able to advance as Georgia and LSU currently battle for second and a bid to Saturday’s final.
Rotation 4: Florida gymnastics (Bars)
This section will be updated.
Florida gymnastics in NCAA Semifinal starting lineups
(In order of competition)
Balance beam
Floor
Vault
Uneven bars
Exact same lineup for the Gators as the NCAA Tempe Regional Final, with the exception of Kayla DiCello in replacement of Amelia Disidore.
What channel is Florida gymnastics at the NCAA Semifinals?
TV Channel: ESPN2
Streaming: ESPN.com or the ESPN App
The NCAA Semifinals will be broadcast on ESPN2. Olympians Samantha Peszek, Aly Raisman and John Roethlisberger are calling the action with Taylor Davis providing sideline reports.
What time is Florida gymnastics at the NCAA Semifinals?
The Gators will compete as part of the afternoon session with No. 2 LSU, No. 6 Georgia and No. 7 Stanford. The evening session, which begins at 9 p.m. ET, includes No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 4 UCLA, No. 9 Arkansas and No. 13 Minnesota.
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.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida gymnastics holds lead heading into final rotation at NCAA Semifinals
Reporting by Noah Ram, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
