Today’s the day! The sun is shining, the tank is clean – Gator Gymnastics is BACK, y’all!
Florida will open their season tonight with Equality Night against the two HBCU programs, Fisk and Talladega, and George Washington. Tonight will be Talladega’s first meet ever, and it will surely be one to remember with the energy of the O-Dome surrounding them. Fisk and Florida also have a special connection, as the Gators donated a spring floor and several sets of leotards to jumpstart their program’s collection when they first began competing two seasons ago.
The 2024 gymnastics season is already off to a running start, with the usual suspects kicking off their seasons with strong scores last week. Oklahoma holds the No. 1 spot, with Utah, Missouri, Alabama, and LSU filling out the top five, although there is a large gap between the Sooners and the Utes.
A win tonight should be a foregone conclusion, but Florida will be more focused on their score. The Gators will need to post a solid 197+ to be among this top group, but it’s still early in the season, so if tonight doesn’t go as planned, they’ll have plenty of time to drop this score.
To reach that 197+, the Gators will have a bit of a hill to climb that we covered in-depth in our season preview: they’ll be replacing nine postseason routines they lost last season, with Trinity Thomas and Rachel Baumann graduating and Kayla DiCello deferring to try for Paris. The majority of that slack will likely be made up by freshmen, with six new Gators added to the team with a variety of strengths. Live scoring indicates that most of them will see action in at least one event tonight, with Skylar Draser, Anya Pilgrim, Danie Ferris, Gabby Disidore, and Alyssa Arana all slated to compete. Ferris was out of the later intrasquads in preseason with a wrist injury, but if she’s vaulting tonight, we’ll have an opportunity to see just how well that’s healed. At full strength, she could be an anchor-level performance on both vault and floor.
Additionally, senior Ellie Lazzari and junior Morgan Hurd both appear healthy after struggling with injuries the last two years and should serve in increased roles this season. Lazzari has the potential to compete all four events, while Hurd is focusing on beam and floor, where she feels she can make the most impact for the team. Seeing where they stand and how many events they compete will give fans a better idea of what to expect from the Gators this season as far as depth. Lazzari, however, bruised a foot late in preseason and did not compete at Orange and Blue. Lineups tonight indicate she will rest another week before we see just what she’s capable of in her senior campaign.
Finally, let’s review our bullet points from the preview to see how to gauge tonight’s performance:
- Ferris’s return: earlier is always better, but she needs to be healthy – we’ll find out tonight just how healthy she is!
- Lazzari’s expanded presence: starting in AA seems likely, but not longterm – we’ll have to wait another week on this one
- Hurd’s confidence and consistency on her two events: no wobbles, no random switch ring half at the end of her floor routine – we’ll see tonight how she’s grown in a competitive setting after struggling with stamina and consistency in the few routines she competed last season
- the adjustment of the freshmen to collegiate pacing: their introduction to more events earlier, especially if they score well, will be a good sign – five out of six feels very encouraging, but we’ll have to see how they handle the pressure and lights when their names are called
- the addition of Disidore to the bar lineup with a repeatable, stickable dismount – it looks like she’ll be in tonight, so we’ll see how the dismount looks
Use this as your scorecard tonight, in addition to actual scores (which can be found here), and we’ll circle back at the end of the night!
7:06pm: Draser, VT: Y1.5, small hop forward. That’s a great first vault for her, very strong. Some knees in there, but that’ll get better with time.
Wiggins, Fisk UB: Maloney, solid. Good handstand work, if a little loose. Bail isn’t quite to handstand. Final handstand also a little short. Full in, little hop on the landing.
Strong work from this Talladega gymnast on beam – we’re not going to be able to see landings, it seems, this angle does not facilitate that.
Pilgrim, VT: Y1.5, nice and straight in the air, small hop forward on the landing. Great amplitude too. That’s going to be really great as the season continues!
7:10pm: Rosby, Fisk UB: Maloney, to bail, better handstand than the previous. Toe on front pike half dismount, love that!, Little step on the dismount it looked like.
Burke, GW FX: Double back to open, a little short. Start of her leap pass looks good and then we cut away.
Williams (I think? Gymnast IDs are not really happening), TAL BB: Strong presence here, mostly choreo so far. Switch leap, misses her connection into the split jump, neither is 180. Punch front full dismount, can’t see the landing from here.
Wong, VT: Yhalf on, pike half off, little slide back, very open body position and solid height.
York, GW FX: Front double full to open, goes OOB. 1.5 to front full, much cleaner here. Double back to finish, a little shy – three pass routine! Those will be rare tonight.
Swaby, TAL BB: Strong series to start. Switch to switch half, and she falls – ouch. Leap was also not quite 180. Front toss, a little unsteady but handles it. 1.5 twist dismount, couldn’t see the landing.
Sheremeta, GW FX: Front combo pass is strong, if a little off axis. Some fun choreo before we cut away!
Blakely, VT: Y1.5, well controlled! And good power, that’s a great improvement for her – let’s see if she can keep that up all season.
Smith, Fisk UB: Strong release to pak here. Double twist off the bar, another fun dismount! Little adjustment it looked like.
7:20pm: Chuy, TAL BB: Bhs loso, she didn’t absorb it enough and she pops right off. Gets back on, cat leap to front aerial to scale, that’s lovely! Punch front tuck full dismount, not sure if she meant to tuck but the knees definitely bent, little hop on the dismount.
Ferris, VT: Y1.5, great distance, two small stutter hops as she lands. So much power!
Richmon, Fisk UB: Piked Jaeger, that’s lovely! Handstand following is little shy. Transition down is good. Dismount looked stuck from here!
Butler, TAL BB: Little wobble on her turn but keeps it small. Dance series is nice. Side aerial, steady. Gainer full off the side is stuck! Great reset button for her team, well done.
Edwards, VT: Announcer is mistaken, she’s the Gators’ sixth vault. Just a Yfull, which is what I expected, little hop in place. She’s a placeholder right now for one of the other Y1.5s that should be ready sooner or later.
Whitman, GW FX: Oh this is a fun routine! Closes with a front double full basically stuck – wow. That should be an excellent score for GW.
Maldonado, TAL BB: Great front toss to start. Gorgeous series, very steady. Switch leap to straddle 1/4, great split positions. Gainer full off the side – she’s going to be a STAR for this team, wow.
7:30pm: Zois, GW FX exh: Double pike to open, that’s strong. Leaps maybe a little shy of 180? 2.5 twist, clean in the air and well controlled – that should go in the lineup for sure.
Johnson, TAL BB exh: Bhs loso, completely misses her feet, catches her ankle on the beam – lands with one foot on the floor and one foot stuck on the beam. Falls again shortly after – it’s good practice for her to get in front of a crowd this loud but that’s rough. She finishes out cleanly and the dismount is great.
AFTER ONE: UF 49.275, GW 48.5, FISK 48.075, TAL 47.15
Florida should be pretty pleased with that opening rotation of the season. No one’s trying too hard to stick, but no one is bounding out of control. Five out of six vaults are 10.0 starts, and everyone looks comfortable and confident with the vaults they’re competing. That’s a great place to start from as the season moves forward, especially with Lazzari, Nguyen, and Richards not in the lineup yet.
7:40pm: Rotation two!
Disidore, UB: Maloney to pak, legs pasted together. Strong final handstand, DLO with a little step forward. What a great first routine for her!
Wiggins, Fisk BB: Full turn, strong. Bhs loso, nice and steady. Bhs 1.5 twist dismount, little hop forward.
Bryant, TAL FX: Double pike to open, went OOB. Dance series is nice. Punch front through to Rudi, strong finish!
Silverman, GW VT: Yfull, little hop on the landing.
Blakely, UB: Maloney, some legs sep to pak, legs glued together. Great following handstand, another great one on high bar. Blind change is good, double front, big bound forward, looks like she opened too late.
Taylor, Fisk, BB: Series is strong. Side aerial to jump, clean. Switch to straddle 1/4, nice 180 positions. Punch front full, can’t see the landing.
Whitman, GW VT: Handspring pike half, that was nice!
Nguyen, UB: Great opening handstand, Maloney and pak are gorgeous. Great final handstand! DLO, just a little step back.
Some delay regarding someone’s SV – not sure whose.
Katz, GW VT: Yhalf, only a small adjustment on the landing. Really clean in the air!
Chuy, TAL FX: Giving us a Taylor Swift routine! Front double full to open, big step forward but stays in bounds. Now a Beyonce moment, love this. Combination pass to finish is excellent.
Pilgrim, UB: Maloney to pak, gorgeous toe point, legs together the whole way. Great handstand on high bar. Full in, just a little hop forward. Good for her!
Price, Fisk BB: Front aerial to split jump, lovely. Switch leap to split jump, great 180 positions. Stuck dismount!
Williams, TAL FX: Front lay to front double full it looked like? That’s hard! Standing back tuck in the corner, that’s… a choice. Punch layout front half, nice and clean. This is great choreography for their very first season, I’m loving this.
Arana, UB: Overshot her first handstand and has to hop down – too excited. It happens though. Remounts, great first handstand! Maloney to pak, missed her catch and slammed backward, knocked the wind out of her. Stays down for a while, applause when she remounts. Finishes with her dismount, DLO is floaty as hell but she comes up a little short because she’s so winded, has to step forward.
Fisk showing a great beam routine, featuring an actually good sheep jump?? while Arana rechalks.
8:00pm: Maldonado, TAL FX: Front lay to Rudi to straddle, gorgeous. Double pike, legs just glued together, almost stuck. Super fun choreography, love this. Maybe a little shy of 180 on first dance element? Wolf position is nice though.
Wong, UB: Gorgeous legs through Maloney to pak, what a handstand! DLO, just a little bounce back – clearly not fighting for the stick tonight.
Cook, TAL FX: 1.5 to front lay, clean form and takes it right to the line, using all her space, but has plenty of control. Switch ring to tour jete half, great 180 positions. Really killing this choreo. Wolf… 1.5? Kinda wild and uncontrolled. Front lay to front full, had to squat the landing but made it work, stood it up! That’ll be a good score when she can get her stamina up.
AFTER TWO: UF 98.225, GW 97.45, FISK 96.625, TAL 94.575
Florida will not be happy with that bars rotation, but Arana’s issues were likely nerves, so it’s not the end of the world. Blakely got a 9.575, which I’m a little confused about – the dismount was a problem, but that seems more like a start value issue and I didn’t see anything egregious. They’ll want to get that straightened out before she competes again.
8:12pm: Rotation three!
Draser, BB: Front aerial to beat, solid start. Bhs loso, super steady on that series, if some bent knees. Switch to switch half, lovely 180 positions. Turn is clean. Roundoff 1.5, little hop forward. That’s a great start for the Gators and a great first beam for her!
Cromartie, Fisk FX: Punch front double full, deep squat and I think put her hand down? Dance series is gorgeous, lovely 180 positions. Really selling her choreo here. Switch ring half just randomly thrown in? Don’t love that but couldn’t really see the ring position from this angle. Aaaaand we cut away just before the last pass.
Pilgrim, BB: Bhs loso, nice and solid. Full turn is fine. Beat jump to front aerial, little bobble there. Switch to split leap, gorgeous 180 positions on both. Bhs gainer full off the side, looked stuck to me!
Hurd, BB: Stoked to see her compete tonight! Gorgeous oversplit mount. Front aerial to bhs, very steady. Beat to standing loso, gorgeous. Splits in her dance series are incredible. Roundoff double full, little hop in place – that should be a new career high for her!!
GW had to take a knee on her bar dismount, slung it out too far and rolled her ankle. Talladega has been mostly Yfulls on vault, solid from what we’ve seen.
Lazzari, BB: She’ll compete tonight after all! Bhs loso loso, just lays it back like an absolute pro. Switch leap to split jump, incredible extension as usual. Front aerial, very steady. Cartwheel to gainer full stuck! That should be the highest score of the night in my opinion.
Y1.5 for Talladega and it’s great! Not sure who that was.
Muhammad, Fisk FX: Double tuck, strong start. Gorgeous dance elements throughout this routine. I missed her last pass watching Nguyen but it was a hit!
Nguyen, BB: Onodi to bhs, gorgeous, very clean. Dance series is gorgeous. Bhs 1.5 twist dismount, scootches back. Another hit for the Gators!
Deep squat on vault for Chuy from Talladega on a handspring vault, I missed exactly what it was.
Wong, BB: Springboard mount to immediate split leap, love that. Series is solid. Double wolf turn, unusually wobbly for her, very slow to get it around but makes it. Front aerial, clean. Roundoff double full, little adjustment on the landing. Another great routine!
Fall from GW on bars, she finishes strong, although I’m not sure who that is.
Rosby, Fisk FX: Front double full to start and goes OOB, oof. Switch ring to switch half, could use just a hair more amplitude. 1.5 to front full, nice clean twisting form to finish out.
Peters, GW UB: Pretty clean transitions, although not a fan of the switch kip on the low bar. Step on her dismount.
Coleman, Fisk FX: Starting strong with her choreo! Punch front through to double pike, takes it right to the line but doesn’t go over from what I could see. Gorgeous split positions in her dance sequence. Double tuck to finish but comes up short, puts it to her hands. Finishes strong with a dip in the center of the floor – that’ll be a great routine once she can get that last pass figured out.
Price, Fisk FX: Already entering the floor with such presence. Double pike to open, great amplitude, solid form in the air. Front lay front full, very clean and again great amplitude. Great musicality throughout this routine. 2.5 twist – she’s doing three passes! – but was a little off her diagonal and ended up having to step OOB with both feet. Still finishes strong. Should still be their best score of the rotation.
AFTER THREE: UF 147.65, GW 145.375, FISK 142.95, TAL 142.375
Head coach Jenny Rowland should be very happy with how this team rebounded after a rough bars rotation. Lazzari’s 9.975 was huge, and the 9.925 for Wong will also be a postseason-worthy score. Draser’s leading 9.875 should also be encouraging – that’s her first routine!
8:47pm: Last one best one! Here we go!
A hit to lead off from Silverman for GW on BB. A fall from Chuy on bars for Talladega and a scary vault from Fisk’s leadoff, not sure who that was.
Brubach, FX: Front lay to Rudi, little bound back on the landing. Dance sequence is good, hits her positions and not too bouncy. Double tuck, somehow holds onto the two-foot stick with her toes?? Wow! That’s a great leadoff from Brubach, she’s fighting to keep this spot that feels like a placeholder for right now.
Zois, GW BB: Switch leap to beat jump to split 3/4, gorgeous. Roundoff double full, can’t see the landing from here.
Richmon, TAL UB: Was going really well until she had to take a knee on her dismount, ouch.
Draser, FX: Punch front through to double tuck, really well controlled on the landing. Double wolf turn, fine. Switch leap dance series is clean, nice 180 positions. Double pike to finish, again well controlled and fully rotated. She had herself a night!
GW may miss her series, she bobbled after her front aerial and then did two back handsprings, so that won’t count if they don’t give her the connection to the aerial.
Another Talladega athlete taking a knee on a dismount. They look tired – and they have another meet on Monday!
Richards, FX: DLO to open, not her best – she needed to get it rotated a little further, landed it on her toes. Leap series is solid. Final pass is much cleaner. Afterward, she leans down to check her feet, she seems to joke about it with Burde afterward so I think she’s fine.
Talladega hitting a full routine! Release looked clean, dismount well landed. Not sure who that was though.
Pilgrim, FX: Punch front through to double tuck, super high amplitude, well landed and controlled. Gorgeous extension through all three split elements in her dance sequence. Dancing to a Rihanna mix to pay tribute to her Barbadian heritage here. Double pike to finish – very nice!
Price showing a nice Yurchenko full on vault from Fisk, that should be their highest score.
Talladega was apparently going five-up five-count on bars and their final athlete just did a flyaway dismount – not only will this not be a good score, but now I’m concerned about them getting injured because they’re pushing themselves to do a second meet on Monday.
Nguyen, FX: Front double full to sissone to open, she flies a little bit forward but the jump masks it somewhat. Really milking the classical music and choreo here. Gorgeous lines in her dance sequence, lovely Y turn in the corner. 1.5 to front full, super clean and precise as always. Another great routine!
GW BB: Bhs bhs 2-foot layout! Don’t see that series very often. Front toss, very solid. Switch to split leap, neither hits 180. And we cut away.
Hurd, FX: Front lay to Rudi, no DLO for now. Switch ring to switch half, lovely. Absolutely gorgeous choreography through this middle section, and she’s really selling it. Double pike, heel on the line but not over, so it’s in bounds, and it’s fully rotated! That should be an excellent score for her.
Peters, GW BB: Series is clean. Little bobble on her leap combination. Switch leap to immediate gainer pike dismount, looked stuck from here!
Bluffstone, FX exh: Full-in to open, a little underrotated but covers well. Punch front in the middle of choreo, so she’s only doing back tumbling I would guess. Leaps look better than at intrasquads, clean straddle positions. Front full front full, huh, I guess she is doing front tumbling, and they’re good! Love this routine – could easily go in the leadoff spot if she can clean up that opening pass.
FINAL: UF 197.1, GW 194.55, FISK 189.95, TAL 187.75
A rough night for the HBCUs, but Florida pulled out a 197+ after all! Anya Pilgrim will take home all the event crowns except beam, which goes to Ellie Lazzari with her massive 9.975. Wong also ties the floor title and Nguyen ties the floor title.
Correction: Pilgrim’s 39.525 is the highest AA score from a Gator freshman in an opening meet in program history! She’s stepping up into that early star role for this team, but classmate Draser is also showing strong scores early as well. I can see Pilgrim fitting into Thomas’s role and Draser being more of a Skaggs – a strong, steady leadoff who sets the tone for everything.
Thanks for joining me tonight! We’ll see you back here same time next week when the Gators go to Auburn at 6pm ET.
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