The last time Florida gymnastics won the national championship, Uptown Funk ruled the charts.
The 4,017 days since have been filled with close call after close call, but all that can cease to matter.
If the Gators can get the job done Saturday at Dickies Arena.
UF is in the NCAA Team Final for the fifth time in the last six years, but this time feels different.
Florida is on a roll and carried a streak into Fort Worth of five straight meets over a 198. That came to an end in the semifinals narrowly, but the Gators still defeated the likes of LSU and Georgia to win first place in the afternoon session.
Oklahoma, winners of three of the last four titles, outscored UF in the evening group with a 198.300 and still look strong.
While Florida has looked stronger than LSU in recent meets, the Tigers won this title two years ago and showed resilience in coming back to defeat Georgia – momentum in hopes to carry into Saturday’s final.
Even Minnesota, the Cinderella of the group, upset UCLA to storm into the final and is playing freely with no expectations.
This is a tough field, but the Gators are back after a one-year absence and with all the confidence on their side.
“We can say there’s no been regrets with this team,” coach Jenny Rowland said. “Team 54 has brought a lot of joy to this team, and I am incredibly excited to continue dancing and compete one more day with this team.”
Here’s live updates for the meet:
Florida gymnastics in NCAA Championship live meet updates
This section will be updated.
Florida gymnastics in NCAA Championship starting lineups
(In order of competition)
Balance beam
Floor
Vault
Uneven bars
What channel is Florida gymnastics at the NCAA Final?
TV Channel: ABC
Streaming: ESPN.com or the ESPN App
The NCAA Semifinals will be broadcast on ABC. Olympians Samantha Peszek, Aly Raisman and John Roethlisberger calling the action and Taylor Davis providing sideline reports.
What time is Florida gymnastics at the NCAA Final?
The Gators will compete with No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 2 LSU and No. 13 Minnesota.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida gymnastics NCAA Championship meet live updates as Gators seek title
Reporting by Noah Ram, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
