It’s been a long, hard road, but it all comes down to this. Has the Gators’ careful pacing and thorough preparation finally led them back to the top of the medal stand?
This afternoon, they’ll face the LSU Tigers, the Cal Bears, and the Utah Utes in a showdown no one expected to shake out like it did. In the semifinals, both the reigning Oklahoma Sooners and former champs the Alabama Crimson Tide were forced to count three falls each, taking them out of the running entirely and clearing the way for the Gators and Utes to advance, provided they could keep a clean meet going.
That kind of fluke won’t happen again, and Florida knows that, so they didn’t take it for granted – they still fought for every tenth in semifinals, as practice for tonight when it will count the most. I said in my preview earlier this week that if they made finals, the Gators’ directive would be to do exactly what they did in semis, just better. Make necessary adjustments based on what they saw throughout semis, both in their gymnastics and errors from other teams, and go absolutely lights out, leave it all on the floor. Let’s talk about what that looks like, rotation by rotation.
Rotation 1: Contrary to what I expected, the Gators actually will start on vault tonight, since they had the highest NQS of the qualifiers in Semi II. Olympic order may be a blessing, but as we saw with Oklahoma in semifinals, it doesn’t automatically make for an easy way forward. They were the best team on vault in semifinals; they’ll need to do it again here. Carbon copies would be great, improvements from Victoria Nguyen and Danie Ferris would be even better. Utah will be on bars, one of its worse events, and Cal will be on beam, its most inconsistent event, so if the Gators can have a normal day on vault, they may be able to come out ahead of both after the first rotation. LSU, however, goes to floor, its best event. Florida will hope to keep it close after one, because if there’s anything you can bet on, it’s that the Tigers are going to bring it on floor.
Rotation 2: Bars is the Gators’ worst event, while LSU will go to vault, Cal to floor, and Utah to beam – all their second-best events. The hope for bars is that they can hit six for six (really hoping Lazzari is good to go, and if she’s not, that Disidore is), stick their dismounts, and keep things close. If they’re within a tenth or two at the halfway point, there’s still hope.
Rotation 3: Beam is where the Gators can battle back – it’s their best event, while LSU will go to bars, which hasn’t been its best this season, and Cal to vault, its worst event. Utah, however, will go to floor, which is also its best event, so Florida needs to be on its game to not get overtaken as it’s trying to overtake others. Stay on the beam, absorb the extra bounce of the podium, and pretend like they’re at home in their own little orange and blue bubble – it mostly worked at semis, now they need to replicate it here. Again, Lazzari needs to be good to go, but if everyone can have an on night at the same time, this should be a great moment to make a move toward first.
Rotation 4: Finishing things out on floor, I think the Gators will do exactly what they did on Thursday – put up the six who warm up the best. Scores on Thursday overall felt a little nonsensical, but especially on floor – Ferris’s score was the team’s second-best, but she was the bounciest as far as landings went. If everyone can dial in their landings just a little bit more, floor could be a huge score, especially because scores often inflate over the course of the meet. It could be exactly the push Florida needs to pass LSU and Utah on their worst events, beam and vault respectively, and Cal on its best event, bars.
It’s a tall order, but the Gators have taken all the right steps, made all the right moves. They’ve figured out how to tune out the rest of the arena, with freshman Anya Pilgrim saying that the chaos going on with other teams on Thursday was “none of [her] business. I can only control what I do, and I’m probably turned around, because that’s just none of my business.” If they can stick to that attitude, stay in their Gator bubble, and just be 1% better than Thursday – maybe 5%, if that’s not pushing it too much – this championship could be theirs.
It all starts at 4pm ET on ABC, but if you can’t make it to a TV or miss anything along the way, we’ll have every routine right here! There will be a preshow at 3:30, and I’ll share any relevant tidbits from that with y’all as well.
3:39pm: An interview with LSU HC Jay Clark begins by Sam Peszek calling LSU the favorite, but Clark says it changes nothing and negates the idea, saying there really isn’t a favorite here – any team could win it. Sounds like LSU knows where their heads need to be – it’s going to be a fight to the very end.
3:43pm: Stream team commentator (and Gator alum) Bridget Sloan saying to keep an eye out for Leanne Wong – so true! We do have three elite athletes either qualified or hoping to qualify to Paris 2024 in this final – Wong for Team USA, Utah’s Amelie Morgan for Team Great Britain, and LSU’s Aleah Finnegan for Team Philippines.
There’s a segment coming up where each member of the stream team will teach floor correspondent Taylor Davis a little Gymnastics 101 on their respective events! I have high hopes for this, I recommend tuning in now if you can. Gator alums Sloan and Kennedy Baker will feature, too!
Yeah, if they post clips of that on social media, I’ll be using it in future content on here – what great information for newer or more casual fans!
It is officially 4:00 so we will be starting any minute!
4:07pm: It’s the Gator skin leo for Florida tonight!
Rotation 1, let’s go!
Draser, UF VT: Y1.5, single step forward, better distance than Thursday.
Smith, UU UB: Pak to van Leeuwen, both pretty clean. Toe on pike half dismount, looked like a small adjustment?
Li, Cal BB: Front aerial loso, very solid. Switch to split, lovely. Ring jump, excellent. Gainer tuck full, has to swim for it but stays stuck!
McClain, LSU FX: DLO to open, reeeeally gets the rise today, gorgeous. Switch leap to switch full, excellent extension. Missed her choreo cues just a hair before this last pass. 1.5 to front full, well controlled. A great start for the Tigers.
Nguyen, VT: Y1.5, little step back but great distance. We can’t take many more of those.
Zirbes, UB: Good first handstand. Ray to pak, very aggressive combo, some leg sep on the pak. Maybe short on last handstand? Full in dismount, single step.
Williams, BB: Wolf turn to start, fine. Front aerial to split jump, excellent, well connected, toes pointed. Bhs loso, nice and solid, locks those arms in. Switch to split jump, strong. Bhs gainer full off the side, little slide back.
Drayton, FX: DLO, even better rise than McClain, wow. 1.5 through to double tuck, lunge looks well controlled. Switch ring to switch half, clean, as she finishes into her tiger paw choreo.
Pilgrim, VT: Y1.5, great air in the form, small hop forward. Better, but they need things a little more dialed in if they’re going to stay close to LSU.
Morgan, UB: Maloney to Bhardwaj, looked a little slow to twist but got it around. Toe on tuck half, looked like a little bounce in place.
Cesario, BB: Little check on her series, but stays on, doesn’t lift her feet. Switch to switch half, maybe not quite 180 on the second split, a little wiggle. Roundoff 1.5 is stuck!
KJ Johnson, FX: Full in, gorgeous amplitude but her front foot shifts some. 1.5 to front lay, sits it down! Missed her punch somehow. That opens the door, wow. Double tuck is a two-foot stick! She wanted to finish strong, good for her.
Ferris, VT: Y1.5, the tiniest of shifts forward. That’s better.
4:15pm: Frazier, BB: Front aerial to loso, locks it down. Split jump to ring jump, maybe a little low on the ring position. Roundoff 1.5 is stuck!
O’Keefe, UB: Maloney to pak, sizable leg sep there. Great last handstand. Double front dismount is stuck!
Finnegan, FX: Double arabian to stag jump, almost went out but crossed her foot over on the landing of the jump kept her in. Dance series is gorgeous. 2.5 to punch front, nearly stuck, just stepped into a small lunge because she could.
Wong, VT: Yhalf pike half off, tried too hard for the stick and had to step forward, chest was kinda low.
Lauzon, BB: Triple series, little lean. Dance series is clean, well connected. Roundoff double full, stuck! Cal is on FIRE.
McCallum, UB: Pak salto, didn’t connect but van Leeuwen is clean. Stuck dismount – will her start value be high enough?
Bryant, FX: Double front, great amplitude, well controlled. Dance series looks great, good amplitude. Front lay to Rudi, front foot moves, that’s unusual.
Lazzari, VT: Y1.5, little bounce forward.
Perea, BB: Front toss, big bobble, to her back tuck, to another back tuck – had to find a series somehow. Standing full what??? The most difficult skill you’ll see today on beam. Dance series is clean. Back tuck 1.5 off the side of the beam, little bounce in place.
Sabado, UB: Jaeger to overshoot, good amplitude on both. Sticks her dismount – Utah off to a good start.
Kiya Johnson, FX: Full in, very high but big bounce as she lands. 1.5 to front lay, much better control there, very clean. Super precise in her leap sequence, great split positions. Double pike, also very bouncy, let’s hope she is adequately deducted.
AFTER ONE: LSU 49.6125, CAL 49.475, UU 49.4375, UF 49.25
That is… not what Florida needed. It was overall a pretty normal rotation, but for some reason, Lazzari and Nguyen were scored much more harshly than I expected. Hopefully, vault stays relatively tight over the rest of the meet, and hopefully, floor stays loose, considering LSU was not properly deducted for any of their landing issues.
4:33pm: Broadcast is back, let’s go for rotation 2!
KJ Johnson, LSU VT: Let’s see if she can bounce back. Yfull, great amplitude but has to take a step back.
Blakely, UF UB: Good opening handstand. Maloney to pak, pretty clean. Good final handstand, double front dismount is STUCK COLD! The Gators are fighting back!
Morgan, UU BB: Triple series to start, very steady. Switch to switch half, definitely short of 180 there. Needle scale to low beam choreo is lovely. Full turn is fine. Front gainer full off the side is stuck! A good leadoff for the Utes.
Williams, Cal FX: Front lay to Rudi, has to shift a little in the lunge. A little awkward as she comes down from her second dance element, a switch ring half I think. 1.5 to front lay, great control. Not sure what they’ll do with that dance weirdness.
Finnegan, VT: Y1.5, single step forward, but decent size. Big distance though.
Nguyen, UB: Good opening handstand. Maloney to pak, some small leg sep on the pak. Gorgeous low bar handstand!! Great final handstand too. DLO, maybe just a small shift back. One of her cleanest routines all season though, wow.
Smith, BB: Bhs loso, solid. Beat to straddle 1/4, a bobble. A little moonwalk choreo there, fun. Carthweel gainer full, looked maybe a little off balance as she saluted?
Cesario, FX: 1.5 to front full, basically stuck, very nice. Dance series is clean. Double tuck, very bouncy on her landing.
Drayton, VT: Y1.5, stutter step back, oop.
McCallum, BB: Triple wolf turn, pretty steady. Triple series, solid. Split leap to switch leap, great splits there. Stuck dismount – Utes doing what they need to do to keep it close.
Lazzari, UB: Good opening handstand. Ray is solid. Pak, yes, clean. Full dismount, stuck! So glad she is back in the mental game.
Schoenherr, VT: Y1.5, hop forward.
Mayhew, FX: Front double full to front lay, takes it riiiight to the line. Switch ring to switch half, great amplitude. 1.5 to front full – missed her punch and sits it down. Oof.
Paulson, BB: Series is clean, but little bobble on her switch leap. Switch leap to split jump, think she repeated that sequence, not sure if that was planned but very smart. Gainer full off the side is stuck.
Pilgrim, UB: Maloney to pak, legs together perfectly. Low bar pirouette is excellent. Handstand maybe a little shy? Stuck her dismount cold though, yes!
Kiya Johnson, VT: Yurchenko double full, big leg sep off the table, big stutter step back.
Li, FX: Double tuck, lunge is kinda big out of that. Really showcasing her flexibility in this choreo section here, wow. Front full front lay, great control. Switch ring half is fine.
O’Keefe, BB: Side aerial loso, super solid. Dance series was clean. Couldn’t quite hold the stick on the dismount, but should still be a decent score.
Bryant, VT: Handspring pike half, shift back. Should be a big score.
Draser, UB: Maloney to pak, fantastic. Very patient swing. Great final handstand. DLO, holds the stick so long to show that she has control.
Gantner, BB: Bhs loso to straddle jump, that’s fun. Switch half to beat jump, maybe a little shy of 180 there. Punch front full off the end.
Lauzon, FX: Front double full to punch front, very floaty, well controlled. Dance sequence is fabulous, great extension and amplitude. 1.5 to front full, super clean. That should put Cal in a great position.
Wong, UB: Gorgeous low bar handstand. Maloney to pak, legs together. Great handstand there! van Leeuwen is fabulous too. DLO stuck like GLUE. Throw the 10! Do it! That is perfection right in front of your eyes.
Frazier, FX: Double layout, finessed it into a two-foot stick essentially, dances out maybe a little quickly but, wow. Switch ring to switch half to split half, travels a little bit but not terribly. Ring jump position is great, would’ve loved maybe the head thrown back just a bit more? Punch through to double back, well controlled – that’s a fabulous routine.
AFTER TWO: LSU 99.0125, UU 98.9125, CAL 98.85, UF 98.725
Anya Pilgrim has been consistently underscored all season and I will not be silenced! It is a crime against this sport and someone has got to have a conversation with judges as to why it’s happening so it doesn’t keep happening the rest of her career. Because it isn’t her gymnastics. So what is it???
5:02pm: Rotation 3!
Jeffrey, LSU UB: Maloney to pak was clean. Full in, sticks it.
Williams, Cal VT: Yfull, small hop back. An okay start.
Draser, UF BB: Bhs loso, very steady. Switch to switch half, very clean. Full turn is fine. Roundoff 1.5, little hop forward.
Smith, UU FX: Front double full, strong. Rudi to back layout to straight jump, very close to the line but stays in. Rudi to straddle jump, travels just a little bit.
Mayhew, VT: Y1.5, just a little shuffle. Good for her after her fall on floor!
Blakely, BB: Front aerial to bhs, strong. Switch half to beat, clean. Gainer full is stuck! What a pro.
Cowan, UB: Ray to bail, doesn’t quite hit handstand? DLO dismount is stuck, though she has to swim for it.
Zirbes, FX: Front double full, great control as she comes out. Dance sequence is excellent. Combo pass is very clean, stag jump as she goes into her final choreo.
Frazier, VT: Yurchenko double, just a little hop, and cleaner leg form than Johnson earlier. Great job!
Pilgrim, BB: Bhs loso, just lays it in, so calm. Front aerial, little check. Switch to split leap, gorgeous extension. Bhs gainer full stuck! Well done.
Kiya Johnson, UB: Short of first handstand, Maloney to bail, some knee bend in her handstand position. Stuck dismount.
Lauzon, VT: Y1.5 stuck! Had to swim for it but hung on!
Paulson, FX: Punch through to 2.5, control looked good. Combination pass, well controlled there as well. Dance sequence is clean. 1.5 to front lay two foot stick! Utah fighting for it out here.
Nguyen, BB: Onodi, bobble. She’s going to have to repeat. Onodi to bhs, another quick check but better connected. Switch leap to split jump, excellent. Hop on the dismount – they need to drop that to stay in this.
McClain, UB: Great first handstand. Piked Tkachev is great. Pak salto, some leg separation. Pirouette is lovely. Little shift back on the dismount.
Silvers, VT: Y1.5, little hop forward and off to the side.
Gilstrap, FX: Front lay to Rudi, looked a little out of control on that landing but masked it well. Travels wildly on that first set of dance elements, even though positions in the air are lovely. Front lay to front full, great control.
Wong, BB: Switch to split leap, gorgeous extension and toe point. Bhs loso, little lean but does not show any sign of lack of control. Front aerial – and she’s off! This may be the meet for Florida.
Schoenherr hits bars, didn’t see the specifics in the midst of Wong’s fall.
5:15pm: Cesario, VT: Yfull, just a little hop back.
O’Keefe, FX: Double pike, little slide of the front foot. Front full front lay, basically two foot stick. Dance sequence is fine. 1.5 to front lay – that should be a huge score for her. What a way to finish her career.
Lazzari, BB: Big check on her series but stays on. Switch to split, good split positions. Split 1/2 from side stand, lovely. Stuck dismount!
Bryant, UB: Great first handstand. Jaeger is clean, bail goes to handstand. Deeep squat in her dismount, and a step forward.
McCallum, FX: Big full in to open, control is decent. Dance series is fine I guess, the flexed feet kill me every time. Front lay to Rudi, clean.
AFTER THREE: UU 148.5, LSU 148.4625, CAL 148.35, UF 147.9625
Unless all three other teams also count a major miss, Florida is probably out of it. But as we saw in semis, anything can happen, so you can bet these Gators are going to keep fighting.
5:28pm: Last rotation!
Winger, UU VT: Y1.5, sits it! Oh god.
Lauzon, Cal UB: Maloney to pak, legs perfectly together. Oop, has to recast on her low bar pirouette. Has to pause on the low bar and rest her hips there. Finishes the rest of the routine, but oh my god, is this not over actually??
Ballard, LSU BB: Bhs loso, very solid. Sissone to switch half, did not make 180 on that split. Front toss is dead on. 1.5 is stuck!
Nguyen, UF FX: Front double full to sissone, one of her good ones! Switch ring switch half, lovely. Y turn is great too. 1.5 to front lay, excellent! That’s a great leadoff for the Gators.
Zirbes, VT: Y1.5, landed awkwardly and a big lunge forward, almost fell onto her hands. Is Utah going to have an Oklahoma meltdown??
Cesario, UB: Blind change is excellent. Jaeger to overshoot, floats it. Great final handstand. DLO is stuck! A good reset for the Bears.
Schoenherr, BB: Front aerial, textbook. Bhs loso, solid. She falls onto the beam on her dance series! Oh god. Split to straddle 3/4, clean. Roundoff double full, little hop in place. That’s tough, to fall on her last routine.
Lazzari, FX: Front double full, single step forward, solid. Dance series is excellent. 1.5 to front lay, well done! They are still fighting! Stay in that bubble, Gators!
Glynn, VT: Y1.5, just a single step forward, huge distance. They needed that.
Li, UB: Great opening handstand and blind change. Jaeger, gets good air. Pak is floaty. Maybe a little shy on last handstand? Double tuck is stuck.
McClain, BB: Switch to switch half, great split positions, the best switch half we’ve seen today. Front aerial to bhs, well connected. Side aerial, so calm. Gainer full is stuck – another big score for LSU.
Pilgrim, FX: 1.5 through to double tuck, very aware of how far back she is, stays in bounds. Dance series is clean. Orphan front tuck, okay fine. Double pike, maybe a front foot slide.
Smith, VT: Yhalf on front pike, little bounce. Very flat in amplitude though.
Kiya Johnson, BB: Bhs loso, clean. Switch leap to switch leap, split positions better today. Piked front toss, dead on, nice. Roundoff double full and the crowd going WILD for her!! What a way to end her career.
Frazier, UB: Maloney to pak, very clean leg form. DLO stuck cold!
Blakely, FX: Punch front through to double tuck, little bouncy on that landing. Switch to switch ring half, gorgeous ring position. 1.5 to front full – what a great routine!
Rucker, VT: Y1.5, little step back.
Bryant, BB: Front aerial to bhs, steady, clearly trying to stay calm. Full turn is clean. Standing front, that’s so hard, and she lands it so strong. Sticks her dismount!
Perea, UB: Great opening handstand. Pak just floooats, low bar handstand maybe a little shy. van Leeuwen is great. DLO is stuck!
McCallum, VT: Yhalf on tuck half off, little bounce on the landing.
Ferris, FX: Full in, good control, just maybe a hair of a slide. Switch side to Popa, maybe the best I’ve seen her do, so precise. 1.5 to front lay to finish, fabulous. Celebrating as she comes off the floor, what a great year she’s had!
Finnegan, BB: Bhs loso loso, fabulous. Switch to split, gorgeous. Front aerial, absolutely textbook, the definition of cool and collected on beam. Gainer full is stuck – that should be LSU’s first title, wow.
Williams, UB: Pak to Maloney, super clean. Great final handstand. DLO is stuck! Erases the near-fall from Lauzon, good for them.
Wong, FX: For some reason we aren’t seeing her. The main broadcast wasn’t showing her routine, so I switched broadcasts. DLO was apparently a good one, according to Baker commentating. Dance series is gorgeous. Whip half to front full, perfectly controlled. What a way to fight to the very end. The Gators should be proud of their fight.
FINAL: LSU 198.225, CAL 197.85, UTAH 197.8, UF 197.4375
After all that with Utah, somehow Florida still ended up in fourth… seems fake.
But congrats to the LSU Tigers on a long-deserved win – they were fantastic tonight.
Here’s hoping that scoring gets fixed in the offseason this year, and that with the addition of the younger Blakely, the rest of our incoming freshmen, and the return of DiCello that Florida will be back here even stronger next year. Thanks for being here this season and always, Gator fans. See you soon!
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