“You can expect that the Gators are out to play. We’re hungry,” Alyssa Baumann announced after the team’s annual Orange and Blue intrasquad last night, but it had already been said – the performances throughout the event said it all. From start to finish, both teams showed off the makings of an incredible season for Florida, beginning with the fact that they have enough gymnasts routine-ready on each event to make two whole lineups. That’s ten gymnasts per event, for anyone who’s counting.
Vault started out a little slow, with Trinity Thomas showing a downgraded Yurchenko full just to be cautious and preserve her strength for the season and Nya Reed overpowering her Yurchenko 1.5 with a big bounding lunge out of her landing. Thomas did confirm that she will go back to the 1.5 for season though, so don’t worry. But the second team of vaulters really showed that the Gators are trying not to let this event be their weakness this year, as Baumann, Savannah Schoenherr, and Payton Richards all showed strong Y1.5s and Sierra Alexander practically took flight with huge height and distance on her FTY. Counting Thomas as a 1.5, the Gators will have six FTYs and five Y1.5s on the team come January. With only six lineup slots available, this creates lots of competition within the squad, which Baumann said “pushes the team to get even better.”
Best Guess for Vault Lineup 2020: Alexander, Richards, Reed, Baumann, Thomas, Schoenherr
Could Sneak In Week to Week: Skaggs, Hundley
Bars was one of Florida’s best events in 2019, and 2020 should be no different. Though Maegan Chant did not compete last night due to a minor hand injury, she is “doing great work on bars” according to head coach Jenny Rowland, meaning the Gators will have 11 options on this event as well. There is still some work to be done, with Jazmyn Foberg not doing her dismount to her feet yet and some skills still being spotted by bars coach Owen Field, but last year’s standouts only seem to have gotten better. Thomas, Schoenherr, and Megan Skaggs promise to be a 1-2-3 punch to close the lineup with great scores once again, with all three of them earning 9.9 or higher last night. Seniors Amelia Hundley and Rachel Gowey are also likely to carve out comfortable positions in the lineup, and Baumann has worked all summer on getting her Ray release ready for competition. Richards and Clapper also look like they could be good options, given some more time and competition experience.
Best Guess for Bars Lineup 2020: Hundley, Baumann, Gowey, Schoenherr, Thomas, Skaggs
Could Sneak In: Foberg (once healed), Clapper, Richards
Despite being ranked No. 3 on beam at the end of 2019, the Gators’ performance on beam last year was wildly inconsistent. This year, there has clearly been an effort to correct that issue, as anyone who bobbled last night showed some fight to stay on. The “best save of the night” award goes to Halley Taylor, the final beam performer of the evening, who bent at the hips after her acro series but somehow managed to stay on, turning all the way around on the beam until she was facing the other way. And an honorable mention has to go to Schoenherr, who missed her punch on her dismount and somehow still pulled a full twist out of what was supposed to be a double full. It’s clear that the desire to fight for every tenth is there, when last year it was questionable in places.
Despite some bobbles, the Gators still look to have a strong beam squad on their hands. Baumann and Gowey were sharp and elegant as always, Thomas had some new composition and two elements she brought from elite to her college routine, and Leah Clapper reminded everyone why she was chosen to step in during injuries last year. Skaggs showcased her finesse and attention to detail, while Hundley was an absolute pro, locking it down when a less experience gymnast might have bobbled. Richards and Sydney Johnson-Scharpf also showed promise, though the former has some of her routine still to figure out and the latter did fall. Again, the Gators have two full lineups’ worth of options here, so it’ll be a fight to see how the final lineup shakes out.
Best Guess at Beam Lineup 2020: Hundley, Clapper, Skaggs, Thomas, Gowey, Baumann
Could Sneak In: Richards, Johnson-Scharpf
Floor this year has upped the ante in a major way. Rowland called all the floor routines an upgrade, saying, “I think everyone’s floor routine is an upgrade, if you can believe that! I thought everyone’s floor routines were fabulous last year, but this year really just knocks the socks off of everybody.” Volunteer assistant coach and choreographer Jeremy Miranda revealed that they spent an enormous amount of time conceptualizing the routines this year, spending until September on music selection before beginning to choreograph. For only three months in their muscle memories, these routines looked fantastic. Each one has an individual personality that matches the gymnast performing it, but they also feel like a cohesive unit, with a thread of drama running through each one connecting it to the last.
Our “bring the house down” award goes to Hundley, whose classic rock routine is going to be a huge hit with the enormous crowd in the O-Dome. Honorable mentions would go to Skaggs, whose routine feels mysterious and powerful, and Reed, whose drumline-inspired music brings a massively contagious energy to her dance. The tumbling was strong too, with Baumann, Alexander, Richards, Thomas, and Reed all showing very realistic double layouts, though some were spotted by assistant coach Adrian Burde, and Taylor showing a new full-in. Gowey also showed off new routine construction, with only two passes – a front layout to Rudi and a double tuck – which should greatly help the stamina issues she’s had in past year. The event wasn’t without its issues though: Johnson-Scharpf is still doing a double arabian which leaves something to be desired on the landing, and Schoenherr sat her new front double full. She’s competed the skill before, but not in college, and she’s still not the most confident with it. If she can fix it before season, she’ll be in the lineup for sure, but for now, it’s probably the only thing holding her back. Rowland will want to have the six gymnasts who best balance performance and tumbling to fill her lineup, which means they may not necessarily be the ones with the most difficult skills.
Best Guess at Floor Lineup 2020: Skaggs, Richards, Hundley, Reed, Baumann, Thomas
Could Sneak In: Alexander, Gowey, Clapper
In terms of all-around, the Gators lost one of their best all-arounders last year in Alicia Boren. This year, there are a whopping eight gymnasts who have the ability to compete on all four, which is huge. Thomas will obviously get the nod again this year, with Hundley and Baumann strong possibilities as well. Hundley will need to prove her Yurchenko full is the best of the bunch in order to make the vault lineup, which is the only lineup she’s not projected to make off the bat. Baumann, on the other hand, is likely to feature in all four, but she’ll need to keep her Y1.5 just as she showed it last night and make sure her bars stay up to snuff. Once Foberg is healthy, she could very possibly knock Baumann out of the top six, leaving Baumann just shy of being in the all-around.
Overall, the prospects for the Gators are bright once again this year. They are trying to leave last year’s disaster in the past and push forward, using the hashtag #NOW as their season slogan, reminding themselves that they have to leave everything out on the floor in order to make it happen. This final intrasquad before season demonstrated that they are fully capable of big skills and strong scores, and that they deserve to still be in the conversation for the national title.
Janoris Jenkins (corner) is now a New Orleans Saint.
The 2016 Pro-Bowler was waived by the New York Giants and claimed by the Saints, as he’s had one of the best seasons among players at his position. The 31-year-old is in the top 10 in interceptions (four) and passes defended (14) despite missing two games.
Jenkins was released by the Giants just days after he used a slur in an exchange with a fan on Twitter. The fan was critical of the team’s and Jenkins’ performance following an overtime loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football, and Jenkins responded by saying “I can only do my job… retard.”
Giants coach Pat Shurmur said that Jenkins’ use of the slur and refusal to acknowledge it as inappropriate language was the “determining factor” in his release.
enkins’ new teammate, rookie Chauncey Gardner-Johnson (corner, New Orleans Saints), had a nice performance in a 34-7 win over the Indianapolis Colts. Gardner-Johnson had eight tackles (six solo), two tackles for loss and one pass defended.
It was the most tackles of his young career, but Gardner-Johnson suffered a concussion and is questionable to play in Week 16 against the Tennessee Titans.
It wasn’t as good of a week for Jacoby Brissett (quarterback, Indianapolis Colts), who had to face Gardner-Johnson and the Saints defense. He managed just 18 completions on 34 passes (52.9 completion percentage) for 165 yards. He also ran just one time for seven yards.
Quincy Wilson (corner, Indianapolis Colts) left the loss with a shoulder injury, and he is questionable to return next week against the Carolina Panthers.
Two-time Pro-Bowler Carlos Dunlap (defensive end, Cincinnati Bengals) eclipsed six sacks and six passes defended for the season after a 34-13 loss to the New England Patriots. Dunlap brought down Brady for his only sack of the game, and he also deflected a pass. He also totaled six tackles (three solo).
Eddy Pineiro (kicker, Chicago Bears) was perfect in his place-kicking duties in a 21-13 loss to the Green Bay Packers. He hit two field goals – one from 30 yards in the second quarter and one from 27 yards in the fourth quarter – in addition to an extra point. Pineiro has now hit his last six field-goal attempts.
Mark Stine is a contributing writer to Chomp Talk. Follow him on Twitter @mstinejr.
The Florida women improved to 7-3 on the season with a 70-51 defeat of Mercer on Tuesday.
Junior point guard Kiara Smith scored a career high 21 points and tied a season high by grabbing ten rebounds. Meanwhile, freshman Lavender Briggs recorded her fourth double-double with ten points and eleven boards.
How it happened
Despite turning the ball over eight times in the opening quarter of play, the Gators put up 24 points. They shot 10-18 in the first quarter and knocked down 4-8 from distance.
Florida stretched its lead to 44-26 by half thanks to nine points from Kristina Moore.
The Gators scored the first six points of the second half to make it 50-26. From there, Florida went into cruise control to take the dominant victory.
Guard Ariel Johnson added ten points while coming off the bench and freshman Faith Dut contributed a career high of five points in a reserve role.
Nina Rickards made her first career start, logging 24 minutes of action.
Game Stats:
FG% – 37
3FG% – 32
FT% – 79
Reb+/- – +21
Assists – 10
TO- 13
Bench Points – 21
What’s Next:
Florida will head to the West Palm Beach Invitational where they will face Xavier (1-8) and Wake Forest (5-4).
The contest with Xavier is scheduled for December 20 at 4:45 PM.
New York – In what was perhaps their best all-around effort of the season, Florida routed Providence 83-51 in the Air Force Reserves Basketball Hall of Fame Invitational on Tuesday.
The Gators improved to 7-3 on the season while the Friars fell to 6-6.
How it happened
Just 79 seconds into the game, Providence’s Kalif Young knocked down a jumper to tie the game at two. The tie would last eighteen seconds until Noah Locke knocked down a jumper. The Friars would never get that close again.
Florida built a 22-10 lead by the midpoint of the first half and held a 37-22 lead at the intermission.
The Gators made their first four shot attempts (two three-pointers) in the second half to increase its lead 47-28.
From there, Florida coasted to victory.
Ten Gators saw action on the court but no one had as much of an impact as sophomore Keyontae Johnson.
Johnson led all scorers, finishing with 19 points and also added a team high ten boards.
Tre Mann (13) and Ques Glover (10) each reached double-figures in the scoring column off the bench whole Noah Locke added 11 on 3-4 shooting from beyond the three-point line.
Game Stats:
FG% – 51
3FG% – 44
FT% – 71
Reb +/- – -4
Assists – 15
TO – 10
Bench Points – 30
What’s Next:
The Gators will head to Sunrise, Florida for a contest against Utah State in the annual Orange Bowl Classic.
The Aggies are 10-2 this season and will face USF in Houston on Wednesday.
It’s official – gymnastics season is right around the corner! Tonight we’ll get our first full look at the Gator Gymnastics squad for the 2020 season, and fans should expect big things tonight. The Gators lost two gymnasts last year, which only meant four post-season routines, but they regain Jazmyn Foberg from injury and gain a new freshman in Payton Richards. Tonight we’ll discover who will carry the bulk of the responsibility in replacing the perennial 9.9s Alicia Boren used to bring in, as well as how the team has grown and improved since last year.
The 2019 season ended rather abruptly for the Gators when they shockingly failed to qualify to the national championships, but this year, they’re hungry for revenge. Key players to watch will be Rachel Gowey and Amelia Hundley, the senior duo who have 8 combined All-American honors between them, as well as Alyssa Baumann and Trinity Thomas, 2019 SEC beam champion and SEC Freshman of the Year, respectively.
Competition starts in just 15 short minutes! Keep a tab open right here at ChompTalk.com to see the latest updates every few minutes, and check out our Instagram story after the meet for interviews with the gymnasts and head coach Jenny Rowland.
5:50pm: We have lineups for tonight! Your teams are Orange vs. Blue, and you’ll see every single Gator on the team out there.
5:53pm: Alicia Boren is our emcee tonight! Jenny teases her about being modest and points out that her picture has been added to the national champion wall behind where everyone is sitting. They’re taking questions from the audience while the girls get ready after warmups.
5:56pm: For those eagle-eyed fans out there, there are eight – count ’em, EIGHT – all-arounders on the Florida team this year: Megan Skaggs, Amelia Hundley, Sydney Johnson-Scharpf, Trinity Thomas, Payton Richards, Alyssa Baumann, Rachel Gowey, and Savannah Schoenherr.
6:00pm: Walkout is getting ready to happen! Another note for those looking at the lineups – Jazmyn Foberg is only competing on bars tonight. She’s recovering from a season-ending injury last year, so the conservative attitude is understandable, but this is a far cry from the reports we had from the Thanksgiving intrasquad saying she was competing on everything except beam.
6:03pm: They all just introduced themselves to the audience, but interestingly enough, Maegan Chant is in sweats despite being listed on the first event. Will keep you posted on that front.
6:09pm: Warmups are almost done for the first rotation. They’re taking some extra time because they can right now; Jenny’s just told them “when you’re ready.”
6:11pm: Skaggs, VT: FTY, small hop in place. Great landing for December, wow!
Richards, UB: Maloney to bail, good handstands so far. Misses her final handstand on high bar by a few degrees, DLO dismount and sticks it! What a way to start.
6:12pm: Hundley, VT: FTY, maybe a small shuffle? Less piking than last year though, she looks like she’s generating more power.
Looks like we’re skipping Chant on bars.
Baumann, UB: good first handstands, Ray for her release! love it. Spotted on her bail, DLO dismount to a stick! Her doing AA is giving me life.
6:13pm: SJS, VT: Yfull, not as dynamic as the last two but it’s good to see her on vault after being limited last year by illness.
6:14pm: Gowey, UB: Good first handstand, Ray is lovely, maybe not as big as we’re used to from her. Pak is lovely. Missed last handstand by a hair, DLO, itty bitty baby slide back.
6:15pm: Reed, VT: Y1.5, overpowered it by a LOT. Big bound out of her landing. She’ll need to reel that in for season.
6:16pm: Schoenherr, UB: Jager, good, almost goes over on a handstand but patiently corrects. Bail is fine. Double front half out is stuck! And that looks the competition landing surface, good for her.
Thomas, VT: Only a full? That’s odd. I fully plan to ask about that. It was a good full, but a downgrade for her is weird unless she’s playing it safe for some reason.
6:19pm: Warmups for rotation 2 are starting now. Scores don’t mean a lot right now, but the Blue team is winning by three tenths right now, if anyone cares. I’m gonna try and get individual scores if I can, but no guarantees.
6:24pm: Gowey, VT: FTY, deeeep knee bend in her landing, lunge back.
Clapper, UB: a little muscled into the first handstand. piked Jaeger looks effortless. Short second handstand, bail is fine. Good last handstand, that’s what some of her teammates have been missing. Full in dismount, stuck! Good for her.
6:26pm: Alexander, VT: FTY, gets SO much height. Swims for the stick and keeps her feet down! That’s excellent for this time of year.
SJS, UB: Tkachev looks way better than this time last year. Pak salto is nice, handstands a little lacking so far. DLO, lunge back. Great to see her training bars again! Some work to do though.
6:28pm: Baumann, VT: Y1.5, WOW! What an improvement from last year! Just a small hop forward and some small knee bend in the air.
Foberg, UB: Good first handstand. Opens with a pak, gets a little spot from Owen for her Maloney, immediate Gienger, cool! Not super clean but adds some flair. Just a double back dismount right now and not to her feet, but it’s a good precaution to take.
6:30pm: Schoenherr, VT: Y1.5, super quick in the air, just a small hop forward on the landing. Looks great.
Foberg did her full in dismount into the pit just now before Hundley goes, good to know she’s training it but not doing hard landings yet is slightly concerning.
Hundley, UB: Maloney to pak looks lovely as usual. Good handstands. Van Leeuwen legs look better. Slung her full in dismount out so far I couldn’t see her landing through all the people, but it sounded good.
6:32pm: Richards, VT: Y1.5, looked like she had it but ended up a little off to the side and off balance, but kept her feet and only hopped once.
Thomas, UB: Maloney to uprise, pak, all great. Van Leeuwen, lovely. DLO, ugh I couldn’t see her feet. Sounded good though.
6:33pm: Taylor, VT: FTY, chest a little low but lots of distance. That’ll be a good backup option but right now, doesn’t make the lineup for me.
6:34pm: Skaggs, UB: great first handstand. Tkachev to pak, good control. Great last handstand, DLO to hard surface, looked stuck to me! That’s the anchor routine right there for me.
Missed the team scores, but there are three individuals who have scored 9.9+ so far: Hundley 9.9, Thomas 9.95, and Skaggs 9.925 all on bars.
Thus far, I would say it’s those three plus Schoenherr, Gowey, and… Baumann or Clapper for my bars lineup. Richards could get in there if she can clean up her handstands, and obviously Foberg will compete once she has the hard landing.
For vault… Schoenherr, Baumann, Thomas, Richards… I have faith that Reed will fix her landing, so throw her in there. And Alexander would be my last pick for right now. But we’ll see how the next month shakes out.
Rotation three time!
6:45pm: Gowey, FX: Super dramatic music, a little classical in vibe. Front lay to Rudi for her first pass, onto the 8incher. Showcasing her extension and flexibility in this choreography here, there’s the chomp. Double tuck to sting mat, great. Oooooh they finally figured out how to give her a two-pass routine! That’ll help with her endurance issues from previous years.
6:47pm: Clapper, BB: Bhs loso loso, break at the hips but stays on. Forward roll to some straddle split choreo, that’s fun. Switch to split, good positions in the air. Side aerial back full stuck! A great case for her to be a lineup mainstay this year.
6:49pm: Schoenherr, FX: Her music is a dramatic Fur Elise remix into Do Your Chain Hang Low this year, which is both hilarious and amazing. Front double full to the resi pit, looked off from the takeoff and sat it down. Womp. 1.5 to front lay, beautiful. Spotted on her double pike to the sting mat. Gorgeous illusion turn to the floor and some choreo to finish. Not her strongest outing but she’ll get that under control, I think. I saw her land some good ones earlier.
6:50pm: SJS, BB: Some good confident choreo to start. Punch front – that’s an E skill this year, very difficult and worth good bonus – is dead on. Bhs loso, misses her feet and almost splits the beam, ends up falling instead. Beat to switch half, maybe a hair short? Handstand to bhs to back full, a little off kilter on the landing – is her ankle bothering her? Jenny’s having a post-mortem with her to try and chill her out, she’s clearly disappointed with herself.
Richards, FX: DLO to open, unspotted to the 8incher, WOW that height. Even she looks surprised at how good that was. Dance elements are good, nice split positions. Hitting her marks in the music well, good. Front tuck through to double tuck, coach Adrian Burde catches her but it’s just to steady her. She’s having a great night.
6:54pm: Hundley, BB: Front aerial to sissone, little bit off but she’s a pro, she corrects quickly and doesn’t let it show. Bhs loso, solid. Beat to switch side, good. Full turn looks more confident than previous years? She always looks like that’s her least favorite part of beam. Roundoff 1.5 twist stuck! Big celebration from the team, that’s gonna be a good score.
6:56pm: Baumann, FX: Opens by sliding into a split and doing dramatic floor choreo, then straight to her DLO. Spotted to the sting mat, but still looks way better than last year. Great musicality through this choreo section. 1.5 to front full, dances out of it and keeps it controlled. Part of the team chant during her routine is “Who is she? THe ice queen!” to the beat of the music and I’m in LOVE. Double pike to close, nice and high. This is it, I can feel it. This is the AA year.
6:58pm: Skaggs, BB: Double wolf, bobbles a little but stops herself before it can get bad. Switch to split, absolutely gorgeous. Her toe point is to die for. Bhs loso, it was leaning a little to her left but she held it without a wobble. Switch side, good. Roundoff 1.5, yes! If she can stay healthy, it might be an AA year for her too.
6:59pm: Alexander, FX: Opens with a double lay, BIG air but a big rebound and a little spot from Burde. All the sass in this choreography so far. Double pike to an 8incher, a little short. Gorgeous straddle positions in her dance elements. She has stepping in her choreography! Love! And it leads into the chomp, of course. Front lay to front full, well controlled, good. We might finally see her on floor in competition this year, that was great.
7:01pm: Thomas, BB: Full turn off the top, gorgeous. Attention to DETAIL here is impeccable. One-handed bhs to loso is good. Front aerial to beat to korbut, love that! That’s new. Ooh little shimmy choreography, haha. Side aerial to back full, feet apart but they stay put! She looks fine… now I’m confused.
7:03pm: Taylor, FX: full in to open, that’s new. Burde catches her on the 8incher, but she barely needs it. There’s a rockin guitar solo in this that’s super fun. Combo twisting pass ends in a stag jump, helps the control. Great splits in her dance elements. Double pike, Burde catches her again, this time on the sting mat. That looks really great, she might make a lineup or two with that.
If anyone cares about team scores, Orange is winning by two-ish tenths. 88.4 to 88.6 with some extending decimals.
Okay, last rotation! Here we go!
7:14pm: SJS, FX: Double arabian to open, very squatty but stays on her feet. Some of the same choreo as last year but new music, I like this a lot better. 1.5 to front lay to stag, good. Love her floor choreo, it’s so dynamic. Her music mix is vintage and fun, but I’m getting a little whiplash from some of it honestly. Double back spotted to finish, that’s a good one!
7:16pm: Richards, BB: Triple series! Wasn’t expecting that from her. Jumps are good, straddle has a good position. Looks like some of the middle of the routine isn’t quite figured out yet. Side aerial to back full is good though! She should be very proud of herself tonight.
7:17pm: Skaggs, FX: I can already tell y’all are going to like this. Double pike to the resi, HUGE air, great form. Tons of sass and attitude from her in this choreo. 1.5 front lay to stag, that seems like a theme this year. A little short on her second split? That’s unusual for her. Rudi to split for her last pass, that’s a change, but I don’t hate it.
7:20pm: Schoenherr, BB: Front aerial, good. Bhs loso, bobble to the side but stays on. Split to split 3/4, interesting choice but she stays on fine. Roundoff, ooh missed her foot and only does a full twist. I imagine it’ll be a 1.5 on a better day.
7:21pm: Hundley, FX: This routine will be a crowd pleaser, I can tell. Whip double tuck for right now, and I didn’t see a DLO in warmups so I’m guessing she’s dropped that idea. Classic rock medley for her music, this is so fun. 1.5 to front lay, good control out of it. Straddle s in her dance elements are good. The last transition between songs is a little abrupt, not sure I like that. Double pike, spotted into the sting mat. Love her calypso turn at the end. Y’all are gonna like that music, it’s got Crazy Train, We Will Rock You, and a few other good ones in there.
7:23pm: Baumann, BB: Bhs loso to open, rock steady. Split leap to switch half, great. Full turn is perfect. Side aerial, great. No Onodi tonight, boooooo. Roundoff 1.5 twist, stuck cold. Ice queen indeed!
7:25pm: Reed, FX: DLO to open, HUGE air, Burde catches her a little bit. Lots of percussive moments in her choreography and music, love it. Front lay to Rudi, almost goes out but keeps it in. Oooh a drumline section, this is fun! She’s enjoying this. Double pike, perfect landing to the 8incher. Way better than warmups. That’ll be a stunner in the O-Dome.
7:26pm: Gowey, BB: Hundley cheering saying, “Take your time,” they’re so sweet together. Leap series good. Triple series is dead straight. Front aerial to split, lovely. God, that extension is just perfect. Gainer full, swims for the stick and gets it!
7:28pm: Thomas, FX: Let’s see if this can top last year’s routine. Another dramatic one, I like. DLO to the resi, gorgeous. Super expressive in her shoulder carriage and fingertips, that’s honestly hard to do with new choreography, props to her. Combo pass is good. Ooh we have a tone change, get some more bass in the music and a backbeat. Her oversplit, yes please. Double pike to finish, again into the resi. Ahh and she’s closing with her signature spirit fingers opening to reveal her face move this year instead.
7:30pm: Taylor, BB: Front toss to sissone, great. Bhs loso, bobbles several times and turns all the way around facing the other way, but she doesn’t fall. That’s some fight, well done. Switch switch to straddle, short on the split positions. Bhs gainer full dismount, college stick I think. Not her best event but it’s great that she’s training all four to back her team up.
7:31pm: Clapper, FX: Ooh I know her opening music, it’s called 1 Time but I forget who it’s by. Double pike to open, chest a little low but it’s to comp surface and without spotting so that’s a plus. Combo pass is well controlled. Violin cover finishes her music mix, I can’t place it but I know the song. Rudi to stag to finish, a little wild but keeps the position in the air well.
Well, that’s a wrap on competition! Here are my proposed lineups based on tonight’s performances.
VT: Alexander, Thomas, Reed, Richards, Baumann, Schoenherr. Alts would be Hundley and Skaggs for me, but there are so many decent fulls it’s hard to choose.
UB: Baumann, Gowey, Schoenherr, Hundley, Thomas, Skaggs. Alts Clapper and Foberg right now, Foberg probably sneaking in for Baumann once she’s healthy.
Thomas is loving her new beam routine, wanted to switch it up and show off a little more, and does plan to be back to the Y1.5 for season, 100%. The idea is to separate her from other beam routines with her switch leap mount and the korbut, give her the wow factor to hopefully up her scores and separate her from the crowd of great beamers out there.
Everyone we spoke to was thrilled with Richards, her adjustment to college, and her performance tonight. Head coach Rowland loves her light heart and her ability to enjoy what she does, and it’s apparently infectious in the gym – she brings that quality to some of the more “Type A” athletes, helping them find that delicate balance between being perfect and loving what they do.
Thanks for joining me tonight guys! I’ll have a recap for you tomorrow if there’s anything you missed, and we’ll see y’all back here on January 10th for the Gators’ home opener! Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ChompTalk for all your Florida Athletics news, and me on Twitter (@mycluttereddesk) for all the gymnastics updates.
Early Signing Day is this Wednesday and I thought it might be fun to take a look at a few different possibilities for Dan Mullen’s third — or technically second and a half — recruiting class. Currently, the Gators have the seventh-ranked class with 24 total commitments. With a few early enrollees already on campus, I have Florida taking up to three more commitments on ESD, for a total of 27 commitments. However, I have seen a few scenarios in which Florida can take as many as 29 commitments. For the sake of continuity and to see just how wild Wednesday could turn out, I have chosen to make several class calculations using the 29 commitment scenario.
We’ll begin with what I believe is the most likely result and continue with a little more mayhem in each mock signing. Without further ado, let’s take a look at some of the possibilities.
In the first and most likely scene, Florida receives signed letters of intent from Donell Harris, Timothy Smith, Henry Parrish, Damarcus Beckwith, and Sam Brown. I believe the commitment from Antonio Doyle to Texas A&M opened the door for the Gators to steal Harris on ESD.
Florida makes a splash during early signing day by flipping Harris and Smith while rounding out the class with Parrish, Beckwith, and Brown. In doing so, the Gators would finish with the fifth-ranked class, according to the rankings as they currently stand. In my humble opinion, this is the ceiling for this year’s class. This class finished with a team score of 278.82.
In this next scenario, I’m upping the ante just a bit. I kept things mostly realistic but I went with a couple of longshots as well. Here, the Gators receive commitments from Sam Brown, Donell Harris, Timothy Smith, EJ Smith, and Avantae Williams. The Gators are still very much in contention for Smith, the son of Gators’ legend, Emmitt Smith, but Stanford has hung around in the hunt for some time now and has a slight edge in the crystal balls.
This scene, once again, has Florida sitting at fifth in the rankings. However, they have a higher team score, checking in at 286.04. As you could imagine, the improved score stands a greater chance of holding a fifth-place finish when factoring the movement of those schools who are already ahead of the Gators but they still have a climb ahead of them.
Finally, I wanted to take a look at what a dream finish would look like. This is the absolute least likely to happen but it’s the finish that would vindicate every fan who has ever been mocked for having “sources.”
Coming in at number four with a team score of 297.96, Demarkcus Bowman, Darnell Washington, Xzavier Henderson, Donell Harris, and Timothy Smith would be the best recruiting class the Gators have had since 2013 when they finished third. Yes, if Dan Mullen managed to pull this off, he would be hoisted upon shoulders and marched from his office and down Gale Lemerand Drive amidst a storm of confetti and streamers.
Alas, we are left in the mire of reality and will be far more likely to finish with a sixth-ranked class by Wednesday evening. That’s not all bad, however. Each year, Mullen has shown improvement on the recruiting trail and on the field as well. The tides have turned in Gainesville and the Gators are closing in on the perennial powers that have so enjoyed Florida’s absence from the elite these last ten years. Regardless of which scenario plays out on Wednesday, the Gators are winning on and off the field, once again and we can hold our heads up high knowing that it’s great to be a Gator.
All the dominoes appeared to be falling to set up a potential Final Four run for Florida volleyball.
Not only did they possess a two sets to one lead over Minnesota in the Sweet Sixteen matchup on Friday, but Louisville, whom the Gators swept earlier this season, upset Texas immediately prior to their match.
Florida, however, dropped the fourth and fifth sets and saw their season end in disappointment, yet again.
How it happened
SET 1:
The Golden Gophers raced out to a 3-0 lead, but much if the set was back and forth. That is, until Florida managed a 7-2 run with the game tied at 12.
The Gators hit at a .326 clip, recording 19 kills and five errors.
SET 2:
The Gators dropped set two 25-14 as Minnesota once again got off to a fast start. The Gophers led 5-0 and 6-1 to open the set and never looked back. Florida would get as close as 9-8, but Minnesota went on a 7-1 run to put the set away.
SET 3:
Florida room set three 25-16 behind a .441 hitting percentage. The game was tied at 12 before Florida went on a 9-1 run to seal the set.
SET 4:
With Florida already trailing 9-7, the Golden Gophers took control with a 7-1 run that essentially put the Gators to bed.
SET 5:
Florida opened the final set with a 3-2 lead, but as they had done for much of the night, Minnesota went on a 6-0 run to take an 8-3 lead at the side change. Despite outscoring the Gophers 8-7 after switching sides, it was too little, too late for Florida.
Statistically speaking
On the night, the Gators hit .247 with 64 kills and 24 errors.
Defensively, Minnesota’s middle blockers were the difference. The Gophers recorded 13 blocks. The Gators registered 7 blocks.
This is the end of the road for the 2019 Florida Gators. The Gators finish with a 27-5 record.
Four seniors have exhausted their eligibility. Allie Gregory, Rachael Kramer, Chanelle Hargreaves, and Morgyn Greer saw their collegiate volleyball careers end on Friday.
Florida has certainly been on a recruiting hot streak as of late and that streak continued on Friday night when Mordecai McDaniel pledged his commitment to the Gators. Although originally committed to the University of Tennessee, the St. John’s College High School star broke hearts on Rocky Top when he decommitted and chose one of the Volunteer’s most hated rivals instead.
Though I really appreciate everything that Tennessee have offered me. I must follow my heart ♥️ and with that being said …I would like to say that I will be attending the University of Florida 🐊 #GoGatorspic.twitter.com/l9S1pLap2v
The 6’1″ 195-pound cornerback is currently rated as a four-star prospect by 247Sports and boasts a 0.8946 composite rating with the popular recruiting site. Coach Torrian Gray secured the commitment over a myriad of programs vying for McDaniel’s services, such as aforementioned Tennessee, Notre Dame, Michigan, and Alabama.
The DC native had visited Gainesville in April but remained in contact with Coach Gray ever since. McDaniel is currently the 24th ranked player at his position, although 247Sports is much higher on his value, rating him as the 15th best cornerback in the cycle. With early signing day approaching, the Gators are scratching at the door to a top-five recruiting class. Florida is currently ranked sixth in the recruiting rankings.
Austin, Texas- The No. 10 seed Florida Gators (27-4) are set to meet No. 7 seed Minnesota (25-5) in Sweet Sixteen action of the NCAA Tournament on Friday.
The two programs have met five times with the Golden Gophers possessing a 4-1 record head to head. Earlier this season, Minnesota swept Florida in Minneapolis.
FLORIDA vs MINNESOTA
Friday, December 13 at 6:30 PM (EST)
Steaming using ESPN App / ESPN3
Some Fast Stats:
HITTING PERCENTAGE
Florida, .289 (No. 7)
Minnesota, .264 (No. 28
OPPONENT HITTING PERCENTAGE
Minnesota, .176 (No. 44)
Florida, .177 (No. 47)
BLOCKS PER SET
Minnesota, 2.85 (No. 8)
Florida, 2.54 (No. 37)
Who to watch for:
FLORIDA
Thayer Hall: Leads UF in kills and second in digs. All-SEC selection
Allie Gregory: Leads Gators in digs, fourth in program history.
Rachael Kramer: Top-5 in program history in hitting percentage, blocks, and block assists.
MINNESOTA
Stephanie Samedy: Leads Minnesota in kills and points, and ranks third with 20 service aces.
Alexis Hart: second on team in kills, All-Big Ten Second Team.
CC McGraw: Libero, leads Gophers in digs and service aces.
What’s on the line:
A berth in the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight.
Texas will face Louisville in the first Austin (TX) Regional Semifinal matchup at 4:00 PM EST. That match can be viewed on ESPNU.
The winners of the two matches will meet in the Elite Eight on Saturday at 8:00 PM (EST).
Dan Mullen has struck again. Just two days after decommitting from Georgia, 4-Star OL Josh Braun has committed to Florida.
Braun is a 6’6, 335 lb offensive tackle from Live Oak who attends Suwannee High.
247Sports has Braun ranked No. 231 overall in the 2020 recruiting cycle and No. 19 OT in the class.
Braun officially visited UF in May, but less than a month later opted to commit to Georgia. Braun’s decommitment came just days after UGA offensive line coach Sam Pittman took the head coaching job at Arkansas.
Braun becomes the fifth offensive lineman to commit to the Gators and is the twenty third prospect to commit in the 2020 class.
Braun’s commitment moves the Gators to No. 6 nationally and No. 4 in the SEC.
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