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How is it already senior night?? Time is so fake.

Anyway, tonight we’ll celebrate seniors Sloane Blakely, Bri Edwards, Ellie Lazzari, Riley McCusker, Victoria Nguyen, and Leanne Wong. Unfortunately, we’ve just gotten word that Lazzari is now injured after vault warmups this evening, so tonight may not be the celebration she had hoped for – depends on how bad it was. And of course, Blakely is also still injured, last spotted on a scooter.

As far as the meet itself, Florida should have an edge over Kentucky, but there’s certainly no guarantee given how the Wildcats have strengthened and the Gators have stumbled a few times this season. Watch for strong performances from 5th year Skylar Killough-Wilhelm and sophomore Delaynee Rodriguez on all four, senior Isabella Magnelli on vault and beam, and Creslyn Brose on beam and floor.

For the Gators… we just need 24 for 24 tonight. And we’ll be lucky to get that, given the injuries and inconsistencies so far this season. Bars is my biggest concern, so we’ll have to see how it all goes.

It’s about to start right now on SEC+, but we’ll have all the routines for you right here!

Lazzari is out of vault at the very least, so far.

7:05pm: Pilgrim, UF VT: Yurchenko 1.5, sizable hop forward. Still, good to see her back after that shoulder thing a few weeks ago.

Rizo, UK UB: Jaeger is clean. Bail a little funky. Great final handstand! DLO is super whippy and kinda angled? But she sticks it somehow, okay?

Nguyen, VT: Y1.5, just the tiniest of adjustment to bring her heels together. WOW. Huge. Great body position, some leg sep on the table, but really really excellent.

Riegert, UB: Jaeger, a little off axis but great amplitude. Bail is clean. Sticks her dismount!

Ferris, VT: Y1.5, STUCK COLD!!! Shows off that stick, does not move a muscle. I thought she might be over the line but replay shows she’s not! That should be an EXCELLENT score – 10 from one judge! And the other!!! Danie Ferris earns her first 10.0!!

Procasky, UB: Maloney to pak, pretty clean. Good final handstand. DLO, really dropped it in like a dart.

Disidore, VT: Y1.5, biiiiig distance. Quick on the salute but I’d only take one step for lack of control there.

Davis, UB: GORGEOUS Jaeger, great amplitude, pointed toes. Bail is okay. DLO legs are GLUED together, incredible. Stuck!!

Wong, VT: Yhalf on, pike half off, little stutter step back, a little crooked in her rotation. Not her best, but fine.

Rodriguez, UB: Ray could use a little more air? Handstand work is good, breaks her line on her bail by lifting her head. Sticks her dismount though!

Harris-Miranda, VT: Y1.5, a little bit of a squat and some knee bend in the air, but stuck it colddddd. The Gators are really dialing in on vault – the big question is are they there on everything else?

Killough-Wilhelm, UB: Piked Jaeger is TEXTBOOK. Overshoot is one of the best out there. DLO – little tiny foot adjustment.

Bui, VT exh: Y1.5, little hop forward.

Noonan, UB exh: Maloney… has to recast, bail is clean. Dismount is fine but apparently this is the second week in a row she’s struggled.

AFTER ONE: UF 49.7, UK 49.3

VERY impressed with the Gators on vault, even if some of that is overscoring – they’re really dialing in those landings. 49.7 is the nation’s high score on vault this year!

7:26pm: Rotation 2!

Procasky, UK VT: Yurchenko full, big flare out, just a little step on the landing. Great dynamics and body position, a little off to the left but not over the line.

Pilgrim, UF UB: Pak is really nice. Great low bar handstand work. van Leeuwen was VERY angled but she saved it somehow. Full in dismount stuck! Shows it off for a second and salutes – no deduction there for sure.

Rizo, VT: Yfull, waits a little to twist, that’s unusual. Good layout position, little slide back.

McCusker, UB: Maloney to pak, super clean, legs just pasted together. van Leeuwen, and she comes up short of the high bar! Drops on the ground! No! Not on senior night 😦 she finishes strong with her double tuck dismount, but that’s not how you want to go out. What a bummer.

7:30pm: Wilson, VT: Handspring pike half, great power, little step back.

Blakely Jr., UB: Need a hit here. Great opening handstand work. Ricna to pak, excellent. Overdoes a handstand on the low bar but recovers well, doesn’t have to come down, just recasts. Little shift on her double front half out – she FOUGHT for that one.

Magnelli, VT: Handspring pike half, little slide on the landing. Not as much power as Wilson, but cleaner body position?

Wong, UB: Great opening handstand. Maloney to pak, just gorgeous. van Leeuwen, super clean. DLO, single step back, but we’ll take a hit.

Noonan, VT: Same vault as Wong, it looks like, but WILD entry and helter skelter rotation – ends up stepping off the mat on her landing, but somehow puts it to her feet? Scary.

Harris-Miranda, UB: Ray is gorgeous, high bar handstands are excellent. Bail is clean. Toe on directly to DLO is STUCK! That’s more like it!

Killough-Wilhelm, VT: Y1.5, a new vault for her, which is WILD to me for a fifth-year. Great body position, little hop on the landing. Love her gymnastics.

Arana, UB: Maloney to pak, pretty clean. Good final handstand. DLO is stuck! Needed that for sure, they’ll get to drop McCusker’s fall.

Busch, VT exh: Yfull, a little wild on the landing, some stumbles back.

AT THE HALF: UF 99.25, UK 98.675

Bars is still very much the weakness of this team, as I expected. Teams with weaknesses like that at this stage in the season… don’t typically win championships. Not to say it’s impossible, crazier things have happened, but feels unlikely. SECs next week are going to be a challenge.

7:45pm: Draser, UF BB: Bhs loso, looked like she wanted to wobble but was patient with it. Switch to switch half, clean. Roundoff 1.5 twist is stuck! A great start.

Procasky, UK FX: Front lay front full to open, very clean. Switch ring to tour jete full, makes it around okay. Double tuck to close, nice and high, but stumbles back just a step, couldn’t tell at this angle if she was out or not.

Pilgrim, BB: Candle mount looks effortless for her. Bhs loso, just lays it in. Cat leap to front aerial, super light on her feet. Switch leap to split leap, lovely. Bhs gainer full stuck cold – STONE cold, what a gamer she is.

Magnelli, FX: Rudi to loso, nice and floaty. Dance series is very clean, great straddle oversplit positions. Fun choreo section here in the middle. Double pike, a little stumbly and doesn’t use the whole diagonal, so odd. Straddle to finish it out – solid but not her best.

Nguyen, BB: Onodi to bhs, well connected, so flexible, so difficult. Switch leap to split jump, the most incredible split positions, like take a picture level splits. Little hop on her dismount but what a truly excellent routine.

Rodriguez, FX: Rudi to layout 2ft, very well controlled. Really having fun with this choreo section, but feels a little small, she could be performing it bigger. Double pike for her second pass is great. 1.5 to whip half to straddle is clean to finish up.

Wong, BB: Switch to split leap, perfection. Front aerial to sissone, clean. Bhs loso, super confident – she feels good tonight, I can see it in the finish in her movements. Full turn is clean. Gainer tuck full off the end is stuck!! Glad to see that landing finally materializing it for her.

Killough-Wilhelm, FX: Front double full, great control coming out of that and perfectly rotated. Doesn’t get enough arch in her ring position in her dance series. Combination pass to finish is so clean, 1.5 to front lay – just perfect leg form, well controlled as she comes out of it.

Harris-Miranda, BB: Bhs loso bhs, made us hold our breath for a minute but moved through it like it was nothing. Switch to straddle 1/4, clean. Full turn is solid. Roundoff 1.5 is stuck cold!! That should be a huge score. ANOTHER TEN!!!!

8pm: Brose, FX: Punch double pike, so incredible. Really serving this choreography. Dance series is excellent, wolf element is better than last week. Front full front lay, super clean, great toe point even as she’s tumbling. Front double full to close, which is SO hard to do, and controls it perfectly. She should also be rewarded quite well for that.

Arana, BB: Bhs loso, very patient with it, she could have taken a step back but waited to settle in. Front aerial is a little wonky but no bobbles. Switch to switch half, leg up bobble, did not hit 180 there either. Gainer full off the side is stuck! That’s six for six for the Gators!

Davis, FX: Double pike to open is strong, well controlled. 1.5 to front lay, very clean. Double back to finish is textbook, great position and rotation. An excellent routine.

Blakely Jr., BB exh: Straddle handstand rotating mount, love it. Double wolf turn, suuuper well controlled. Front handspring front tuck – we’re keeping the front series!! She did that in elite and I’m so happy she’s doing it in college too. Dance sequence is good but she bobbles as she finishes, breaks the connection into the bhs, but that’s okay. Gainer pike off the end – stuck! So exciting to see her returning to this event slowly but surely.

Rizo, FX exh: DLO, wow very starfished, but decent control as she lands. Second pass is cleaner but still a little hectic. Dance series a little wild too. Probably best she stays in exhibition. 1.5 to front lay to finish, basically stuck that, okay.

AFTER THREE: UF 148.9, UK 148.0

So, let’s say the Gators have 2 out of 3 events here figured out. Can stellar vault and beam overcome their shortcomings on bars?

8:17pm: Rotation 4!

Rodriguez, UK BB: Switch to split, great 180 positions to start off. Bhs loso loso, very solid. Full turn is fine. Side somi, actually really nice! Not squatty at all. Roundoff 1.5, stuck! A great start for the Cats.

Nguyen, UF FX: Her final performance in the O-Dome… don’t @ me, I’m emotional. Really selling the drama of this opening choreo. Front double full to sissone, some helicopter legs but well controlled landing and well rotated, which it hasn’t already been. Switch ring to switch half, very clean. 1.5 to front lay, muuuch cleaner. Y turn to full turn, so clean. Aaaaaand here come the tears. For her and for me.

Brose, BB: Punch front, lands basically upright, dead on the beam, so good. Front toss to bhs, so solid. Switch leap to beat jump, well connected. Full turn is clean. Roundoff 1.5 is stuck!! What a great routine, Cats are fighting for every tenth here.

Disidore, FX: Big Megan Skaggs energy here. Rudi to stag for her first pass, pretty well controlled, doesn’t travel much in the air during the jump. Straddle positions in her dance series are gorgeous. Not a big fan of this midle choreo section but I think she just needs more reps to sell it more and hit her musical moments. 1.5 to front lay, a solid routine!

Lee, BB: Bhs bhs loso, very steady. Switch to straddle 1/4, great 180 positions there, very sharp with her arm positions too. Full turn is clean. Roundoff 1.5, a little deep squat but gets the stick!

Clark, FX: Gorgeous straddle and strong choreo to start things off. DLO, dialing that in nicely, really good control this week. Really hitting these musical moments in the middle choreo section, and excellent straddle positions in the dance series. Front through to double tuck, so tightly tucked, drops it in and pops open at just the right time. Should be a FABULOUS score on that one, a really great routine, her best so far this season.

8:30pm: Bennett, BB: Triple series, super straight on. Front aerial, little check there. Switch leap to beat jump, good connection. Gainer pike off the end, has to step.

Wong, FX: DLO, really strong. Dance series is gorgeous as always. Whip half to front full, great control into the arabesque. The crowd is going BERSERK for her, everyone out of their seats, like it sounds like a sell out night even though it isn’t. It’s ANOTHER TEN!!!! In her final O-Dome performance!!! I’m not crying, you’re crying!!

Killough-Wilhelm, BB: Front aerial to bhs loso, so cool and calm with that, owns this beam. Switch to beat, nice and quick, good positions. Side aerial to back 1.5 is stuck! That should be a really great score too honestly.

Harris-Miranda, FX: Front through to double tuck, just pops it to the lunge because she can, it looks like. Great positions in the air and rotation around on her dance series. 1.5 to front half to stag to knee – that might be another one?? I don’t know dude, tonight has been an absolute ride.

Magnelli, BB: If there’s anyone Kentucky wants up right now, it’s her – she will be cool no matter what. Triple series, so solid. Switch to switch side, incredible split positions past 180. Front aerial, so clean. Full turn perfect. Sticks her dismount!!

Ferris, FX: Full in to open, a bit of a slide of that front foot as she lands. Straddle positions are nice but landing positions maybe a little imprecise. 1.5 to front lay, a little whippy on that last element but gets it to her feet still. That will honestly probably be the drop score.

Davis, BB exh: Switch to switch half, some flexed feet. Series is fine and steady. Beat to split 3/4 – ooh, leg up bobble, landed very straight legged but saves it somehow. Front full off the end, little hop forward. A great moment for the senior.

Pilgrim, FX exh: How blessed are we that she’s our EXHIBITION routine?? Full in to open, chest very low, that does not feel comfy to me. Dance series is gorgeous, lovely extension through her toes. Front through to double tuck to finish, overcooks it, stumbles back a bit and leans to not go out of bounds. Still, great to see her back in the lineup after her scary fall a few weeks ago.

FINAL: UF 198.625, UK 197.725

Wow… not at all what I expected from the Gators tonight, but a VERY pleasant surprise. They just need to figure out bars before next weekend… I’m not sure it’ll work? But having three out of four events dialed in like this feels much more comfortable than the issues the team was having earlier this season.

Ferris won vault, Harris-Miranda won beam, and Wong won floor all with their respective 10.0s! Harris-Miranda and Arana tied for the bars title with a pair of 9.95s, and the former also won the AA for the night with a massive 39.875.

I will see you all for SEC Championships next weekend – we are waiting with bated breath to see whether it will be Arkansas or Auburn sitting at home while the 8 other teams compete. I plan to do a regular season recap prior to then, but with my schedule the way it’s been, I can’t make any promises. Either way, thank y’all for sticking with me, and I’ll see you next week!