Gear up, gymnastics fans! We’ve got another SEC showdown on our hands, and the Gators are again the favorites. Ranked in the Top 10 in every event, the Gators have maintained the overall top spot in the nation. Top competitor Oklahoma faltered last week, slipping to No. 3, while LSU was able to maintain a 197+ score, bringing it up to No. 2. However, LSU will not have a chance to improve their average this week, as its meet against Auburn has been postponed due to COVID-19 protocols. This gives the Gators a unique opportunity to increase their lead over the rest of the nation with a solid performance this week.
They’ll face the Missouri Tigers, the lowest-ranked SEC team, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be pushovers. Freshman Amaya Marshall and sophomore Sienna Schreiber are top 30 in the all-around, and for individual events Schreiber and Hannah McCrary both rank in the top 25 for beam and floor, respectively. Also keep an eye out for Alisa Sheremeta and Belle Gottula, whose floor routines can really get a crowd engaged.
However, the Gators have the upper hand in every statistical measure. Megan Skaggs and Trinity Thomas both rank in the top 15 in the all-around, and event-wise, Florida has 4 athletes on vault, 1 on bars, 4 on beam, and 3 on floor all in the top 25. Comparatively… it’s really not a contest.
That said, we have seen some mistakes from the Gators this season. Thomas has had errors on beam two weeks in a row now, and bars has not been the solid strength for the team that it has been in past years. One mistake from the Gators can open the door for an upset, so no one should be lulled into a false sense of security here.
All the action is on SECN tonight, but if you can’t watch live, stay right here with me – I’ll have every moment play-by-play throughout the meet!
The Gators have planned a pride meet tonight! The social media presence on it has been… lackluster… so I’m not sure how heavy the theme will be tonight, but I hope the planning has been led by Sav and Jeremy and any other LGBTQ+ identifying student-athletes on the team that we may not know about and that they feel supported and celebrated.
6:54pm: Just waiting for Paul Finebaum to finish up. Follow along with live scores HERE.
6:55pm: Here’s Missouri’s projected lineups for this evening:
7:01pm: Vault Lineup
7:02pm: Sounds like Jenny made a great pride-centered pep talk for the meet tonight.
Richards, VT: FTY, small foot adjustment. Even my husband could tell she was hesitating, I think she’s ready for that Y1.5 again.
Swanson, UB: Maloney to pak looks good, if a little leg sep. Short on low bar handstand. Full in, stuck! A good start for them.
7:04pm: Lazzari, VT: FTY, couldn’t see body position bc they went to the under-the-vault-table camera angle… slide back on the landing.
Patrick, UB: Long wait for her while they score Swanson.
Hecht mount, love to see that. First handstand good. Jaeger is good, hard to see amplitude from this angle. Bail looked loose. Short on last handstand. DLO dismount, gorgeous hollow body position but step back.
7:07pm: Skaggs, VT: FTY, so clean in the air, great amplitude and flare. Slide back. Would love to see the stick here soon, but so far they’re keeping the landing errors small.
Christensen, UB: Tkachev was a little low, can’t tell handstands from this angle. Bail a little floppy, short on last handstand. Blind full to double tuck and has to stumble forward to stay on her feet.
7:09pm: Schoenherr, VT: Y1.5, bounds forward. Better than the underrotation last week but needs to zero in on that landing.
Marshall, UB: Good first handstand. Blind change maybe a little late? Jaeger is gorgeous, straight to overshoot, at least her legs are clean. Full in is so floaty! Little hop on the landing.
7:11pm: Reed, VT: Y1.5, just one step forward. She’s getting closerrrrr! Huge amplitude as always though, wow.
Sheremeta, UB: Great first handstand, blind change maybe a little early. Jaeger is HUGE wow, little shy on those middle handstand. Love her dismount! Don’t see a lot of those twisting dismounts in NCAA, so it’s nice to see some variety.
7:13pm: Thomas, VT: Y1.5, ittttty bitty hop forward. One of her best for sure!
Schreiber, UB: Little shy on low bar handstand. Maloney to bail is solid, that’s the first bail of the rotation I’ve actually thought was fully straight. DLO dismount STUCK! Has to swim for it a little, but that’ll still be a great score.
AFTER ONE: UF 49.375, MIZ 49.05
Looks like freshman Ellie Lazzari will be getting her chance on floor! Baumann out – this suggests that maybe she is having something going on more than just the cramps we were told changed the lineup last minute last week?
Bars lineup for the Gators:
7:23pm: Rotation two!
Schreiber, VT: FTY, clean in the air, little pike at the end and little bounce back.
Richards, UB: Maloney to bail, a little legs on the Maloney. Good last handstand. DLO, little adjustment back.
7:25pm: Patrick, VT: FTY, little knees in there. Small bounce back, but better distance than Schreiber.
Gallentine, UB: Good first handstands. Maloney, legs perfectly glued together. Gorgeous pak, wow. Great last handstand. DLO, stuck! That’ll be a great one for her.
7:27pm: Gottula, VT: FTY, off to the side, good height but distance didn’t quite match. Slide back.
Skaggs, UB: Longish wait for her for some reason. 9.925 for Gallentine! Wow!
Ok, Skaggs actually starting now. Great first handstand, Huge Tkachev straight to pak, lovely. Good last handstand. DLO stuck COLD! Just drops it in like a dart. That’s going to be an excellent score!
7:29pm: Marshall, VT: FTY, pikes down early, but stuck! Good for her.
Schoenherr, UB: First handstand looked good from that angle. Handstand a little off on the blind change, Jaeger is huge as always. A little floppy on the bail. STICKS HER DOUBLE FRONT HALF OUT! She never gets that stick, WOW!
7:31pm: Swanson, VT: Y1.5, big step forward, not enough control there.
Thomas, UB: Hoooolds that first handstand showing off how perfect it is. Maloney to uprise, great. Pak is good. Another held handstand, what a queen. Van Leeuwen, good. DLO bounce back. The ONLY thing to take is the dismount in my opinion, there, wow.
7:33pm: McCrary, VT: FTY, big bounce back. Wonder where that Y1.5 went, I thought she had been doing it this season.
Clapper, UB: Good first handstand. Blind change is solid, piked Jaeger maybe a little close. Bail, maybe a little arm bend but she fixes it quickly. Giant full is good! Double tuck stuck! What a great bars rotation for the Gators, they have fixed whatever problems they were having the last few weeks.
AFTER TWO: UF 98.975, MIZ 97.95
Nya on broadcast talking about all the social justice causes she stands for (and kneels for) including the LGBTQ+ community and her teammate (Sav) who’s part of it. She’s such an incredible human, I think she’ll make a great OBGYN, very compassionate.
7:43pm: Rotation 3!
Richards, BB: Leading off her third event of the night, dang girl. Triple series, little bit off at the end but she controls it. Switch to straddle, maybe a little tight on those split positions. Side aerial back full, stuck! A great start for the beam team.
7:45pm: Gottula, FX: Double tuck to start, little slide on the front foot. She’s grooving out here, love it. Second split position was a little off in her dance elements. Punch front half back 1.5 twist, a little low there. Looking a little winded in the last choreography section here, maybe some stamina issues? Double pike, definitely a little short. She doesn’t look super happy with that routine.
7:47pm: Johnson-Scharpf, BB: Punch front, one of her better ones! Small step forward but keeps it controlled. Bhs loso and she’s off! Oh no! She hasn’t fallen in ages, that’s rough. Full turn is good. Switch half to beat, good. Handstand to loso back full stuck! Finished strong, but hopefully they can drop that one.
7:49pm: Schreiber, FX: Double pike to open, great control and good amplitude and form. Showcasing some flexibility in her on-the-floor choreo section. Punch Rudi to super floaty loso, love that! Great positions in her dance elements. Just a two-pass routine, but a solid one.
7:50pm: Lazzari, BB: First real pressure test for her in competition. Bhs loso loso, gorgeous. Switch to split, great 180 positions and toe point. Full turn, good. Side aerial back full, little adjustment. Good for her, coming back steady after the fall from SJS.
7:52pm: Marshall, FX: Tons of drama and attitude in the first choreo section. Front through to double pike, great! Switch ring was a little funky. 1.5 to front lay to stag, great control there. Double tuck to close, a little low chest but overall a solid routine.
7:54pm: Skaggs, BB: Single wolf, little knee bend like she was losing it but kept it small. Switch to split, lovely. Bhs loso, solid. Front aerial, not a single bobble. Cat leap to switch side, great. One of the longer routines we’ve seen on this team. Side aerial back full stuck! Another great one for her.
7:56pm: Swanson, FX: Double pike to open, good power, little slide back on the front foot in the lunge. A little wonky on the wolf full position in the air. Front double full as her second pass, wow! Don’t see that often, that’s an E pass. Front lay to Rudi, slides a little on that landing too, but another good routine for Mizzou.
7:58pm: Baumann, BB: Bhs loso, balance check and swing her arms to stay centered. Switch to split is gorgeous as always. Front aerial, little check there too. Full turn is dead on. Switch half, good. Roundoff 1.5 twist, stuck! Not her best routine but a solid hit. I kinda wonder what’s going on with her to be keeping her out of floor.
8:00pm: Sheremeta, FX: Front double full to open with a big bounding step forward. Nice positions in her first set of dance elements. Rudi loso is lovely and floaty. Ooh, a fun back spin in this choreo here! 1.5 to front layout stepout, that’s cool. We love a more creative set of tumbling passes!
8:02pm: Thomas, BB: Switch to split leap, great positions there. Full turn is good. One-arm bhs to loso, SO solid. Thank goodness. Front aerial to beat to korbut, great form and connection is so smooth. Side aerial back full. Stuck! What a great comeback for her, so proud! And the Gators will drop the fall from Johnson-Scharpf, keeping their lead solid.
8:04pm: McCrary, FX: Front layout to Rudi, bounces out of bounds with one foot, oops! Double pike, good control there. Great straddle positions in her switch side to Popa. Missouri will take it, though they’ll want to fix that OOB.
AFTER THREE: UF 148.375, MIZ 147.0
Schoenherr’s girlfriend caught her entrance with the pride flag on video!
This is doable for these Gators, but they’ll need to be damn near perfect.
8:14pm: Rotation 4!
Gottula, BB: Bhs bhs loso, small check but stays steady. Straddle to straddle 1/2, good. Cartwheel gainer full, small adjustment in the feet. A good start!
8:15pm: Skaggs, FX: Love this jazzy routine on her. Double wolf turn to start, good control there. Rudi to split jump, a little extra bouncy there. Side aerial into more choreo is seamless. Tour jete half to split full, great 180 positions. 1.5 to front layout has good control there. Just a two pass routine for her, but a good start!
8:17pm: McCrary, BB: Beat to front toss, little stutter there. Bhs loso, good. Split to ring stag, good. Gainer pike off the end, hop forward. Another hit for the Tigers.
8:19pm: Taylor, FX: Big double tuck with a BIG stumble back OOB to start, oof. Roundoff 1.5 to front lay to stag, better. She’s a last minute sub for Johnson-Scharpf, wonder if she’s injured or just a mental thing to pull her out. Double pike, barely any movement there, almost a two-foot stick but low chest. Glad she’s seeing lineup time, but she should not make the final six here.
8:21pm: Schaffer, BB: Full turn, good. Bhs bhs loso, and she’s way off, falls to the side. Front aerial looked good. Switch to split has solid 180 positions. Roundoff 1.5, hop forward. They’ll want to drop this one.
8:23pm: Lazzari, FX: SO stoked for this! Ooooh, getting some drama in this beginning choreo section, love it. Double tuck to start, a little slide on the front foot, you can tell she’s working something bigger. 1.5 to front lay to sissone, great control there. Great positions in her dance elements! Double pike to close, maybe a little short but covers well. A great first outing for her!
8:25pm: Sheremeta, BB: Ooh, pretty mount here, showcasing her flexibility. Bhs loso, balance check there but is patient with it. Split to… ring jump? Yang Bo? Idk what that jump was supposed to be. Front toss is good. Full turn, lovely. Gainer pike off the end is stuck! A good bounce back, hits that reset button for the Tigers.
8:27pm: Reed, FX: Here we goooo, this should be big. DLO, little baby slide on the front foot but otherwise great. Front lay to Rudi, holds that lunge to show the control. Switch half to wolf full, good positions in the air. She’s less in the moment this week, but that doesn’t make the choreo any less fun. Double pike and she’s really far forward, tried to put it back in the lunge but it looked like it stung a little.
8:29pm: Marshall, BB: Front toss to immediate beat jump, so secure. Full turn is good. Front aerial to bhs but she misses the beam and falls! Ooh, that’ll mean Missouri will count the fall. Redoes the front aerial, bhs loso after that, so she’ll at least get her series credit. Split to straddle 1/4, another bobble but waits it out. Front aerial to front full, bouncy on the landing.
8:31pm: Thomas, FX: She’s got that smirk going, she’s going for it tonight y’all. DLO, absolutely nails it, does not move that front foot. Front full to front lay to split jump, great. Great control in her dance elements, and the split positions are perfect. Totally owning this choreography section. Double pike, pops it out into a lunge quickly, looked a lil short to me but she covers it quickly. Won’t be a 10, or shouldn’t be, but still a great one for her!
8:33pm: Long wait for Marshall’s score.
Schreiber, BB: Bhs loso loso, and she falls too! Missouri just imploding here unfortunately. Beat to split 3/4, short of 180 there and a bobble. Full turn, okay. Switch half to split to beat are all great, gainer full is almost connected and it looked stuck?
8:35pm: Richards, FX: Her anchoring here feels very much like Hundley anchoring last year – a temporary thing while they’re in the O-Dome for the energy, but won’t be this way in post. Starting with her DLO in AC/DC, and it’s gorgeous! She’s cleaned up those legs some more this week. 1.5 to front lay, good control dancing out. Good split positions in her dance elements. Double tuck to finish, good control there too and her musicality is great in the final choreo section. 10 chants from the team, I kinda doubt it, but it’ll be a great score for her.
FINAL: UF 197.85, MIZ 194.8
Unfortunate ending for Missouri, but WHAT A MEET for these Gators! Highest score from any team this season, very close to that coveted 198 mark, and it’s great to see Thomas back in form. She wins every event except bars, where teammate Skaggs just barely edges her out.
Her 39.75 AA score is the highest in the nation so far this season!!
That’s it for me tonight, folks! Follow my Twitter @mycluttereddesk for live tweets from the press conference in just a few minutes – otherwise, see you next week, and thanks for joining me!
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