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  • MBB: Gators can’t close (again); fall to 1-3 in SEC play

    MBB: Gators can’t close (again); fall to 1-3 in SEC play

    FINAL: MISSISSIPPI STATE 71, FLORIDA 68

    1st 2nd OT FINAL
    GATORS 34 34 X 68
    MISS STATE 36 35 X 71
    Photo by Rich Graessle / Getty Images

    Starkville, MS – Florida has prided itself on their team defense all year. It’s been the only consistent part of their play this season. Even when the team goes through excruciating droughts offensively, they almost always have a chance to win thanks to the championship level defense they play.

    Tonight is not a good example of that. Yes, the Gators only gave up 71 points against #24 Mississippi State on Tuesday. However, they couldn’t rely on their defense to make a single stop at the end of the game. Instead, the Gators fell on the road and in the SEC standings.

    Head coach Mike White elected to have the Gators stay in a 1-2-2 zone that had been exposed for the latter part of the second half, and then watched as Quinndary Weatherspoon drove the length of the court, easily passing freshman Noah Locke and scoring the game winning bucket. Florida forward Kevarrius Hayes added a foul on the play to make it a three point play.

    Instead of trending up in conference play, the Gators fall to 1-3 in SEC play. Somehow, this team is only a few possessions from being 4-0 in the conference slate.

    Game Trends:

    It’s amazing it even got to this point. The Gators looked finished well before the scoreboard read 0.0. The Gators decided to go into a scoring funk after KeVaughn Allen drilled a three-point to give Florida a five point lead with 2:55 to play. Weatherspoon actually tied the game at 66 with 1:27 to play, but Florida too often attempted deep threes that were way too early in the shot clock.

    With just twenty four seconds left in the shot clock Weatherspoon found Aric Holman wide open (three Gators defenders attempted to guard Weatherspoon, leaving Holman unattended), the Gators got ball and had an opportunity to tie or take a lead.

    Freshman guard Andrew Nembhard took an ill-advised three pointer with 14 seconds still on the game clock. It wasn’t a good look. In fact, Abdul Ado partially blocked it. Nick Weatherspoon come down with the rebound but in attempting to save the ball left it loose under the basket, Locke picked up the ball and layed it in to tie the game with 10.2 left on the clock.

    And this is where White must be held accountable. Allowing a true freshman to guard a potential conference player of the year candidate is a lose-lose situation. Staying in a 1-2-2 allowed for the path to open and give Weatherspoon an easy route to the basket.

    The Gators still had almost four seconds to get down court and make something happen. Instead Allen was left with the ball still in his hands when the buzzer sounded (it wouldn’t have mattered, the shot didn’t go in).

    Fast Facts

    • KeVaughn Allen led the Gators with 17 points on 5-12 shooting.
    • Freshman Andrew Nembhard added 13 points and 8 assists.
    • Noah Locke added 12 points, but only made 1-4 from behind the three point line.
    • Fellow freshman Keyontae Johnson finished with 11 points on 4-6 shooting off the bench.
    • Kevarrius Hayes finished with three blocks that moved him past Andrew Declercq and into sole possession of fourth place in program history (178).
    • The game featured 12 ties and 11 lead changes.

    TEAM STATS:

    GATORS MISS STATE
    FG % 42 53
    3-PT % 32 59
    FT % 80 82
    Offensive Rebounds 12 8
    Total Rebounds 29 30
    Assists 18 19
    Steals 7 7
    Blocks 4 5
    Turnovers 11 15

    What’s Next

    Florida will travel to Athens to face Georgia on Saturday at noon. The Bulldogs are 9-7 overall and are also 1-3 in SEC play.

    Georgia opened league play with a 96-50 road loss to Tennessee. The Bulldogs suffered their third 15+ point loss on Tuesday as Kentucky topped Georgia 69-49.

  • FB: 2020 4-star WR Leonard Manuel commits to Gators

    FB: 2020 4-star WR Leonard Manuel commits to Gators

    Photo by Andrew Ivins / 247Sports

    Dan Mullen and the Florida Gators landed a major commitment from one of the top prospects in the 2020 recruiting cycle.

    4-star WR Leonard Manuel announced his commitment to Florida via Twitter Monday evening.

    Manuel who plays high school ball in nearby Ocala at Vanguard is ranked as the #36 prospect in the nation according to the 247 composite rankings. He is also regarded as the #6 player in the state of Florida.

    The 6’4, 200 lb wide out has previously been committed to both Tennessee and Miami, but found himself attending numerous Florida games this fall thanks to his comfort with the UF staff.

    Manuel is high school teammates with a pair of UF 2021 commits, Trevonte Rucker and Bryce Langston and is the eighth commitment the Gators have picked up in the 2020 class.

  • BSB: Gators ranked #6 in D-I Baseball preseason rankings

    BSB: Gators ranked #6 in D-I Baseball preseason rankings

    Photo via Getty Images

    Florida has grown accustomed to being highly regarded heading into the college baseball season.

    Since the inception of the D1Baseball.com preseason poll (2015), the Gators have entered the season ranked either first or second.

    The Gators will enter the 2019 season ranked #6, though the expectations in Gainesville remain the same.

    See Also: New Baseball Stadium to break ground in February

    The Gators finished the 2018 season with a 49-21 record and have established McKethan Stadium as a true home field advantage, compiling a 31-6 mark in the park despite facing top competition.

    Florida will rely on junior RHP Tyler Dyson to lead the pitching staff and OF Wil Dalton to power the offense this season.

    D1Baseball.com is the third publication to release their preseason poll as Collegiate Baseball (6) and Perfect Game (9) have Florida ranked inside the Top-10.

    Image via D1Baseball.com
  • WBB: Gators upset Mizzou on Washington’s buzzer beater

    WBB: Gators upset Mizzou on Washington’s buzzer beater

    FINAL: FLORIDA 58, MISSOURI 56

    1st

    2nd

    3rd

    4th

    OT

    FINAL

    MIZZOU

    16

    14

    15

    11

    X

    56

    GATORS

    12

    9

    15

    22

    X

    58

    Gainesville, FL– The Florida Gators earned their first conference win with a come from behind effort that was capped by a Delicia Washington driving layup as the time expired on Sunday.

    Florida moves to 5-12 overall on the season and 1-3 in SEC action. Missouri suffered their first conference loss of the season and fell to 14-4 for the year.

    Game Trends

    The Gators got off to a slow start and trailed 30-21 at half. The Gators shot 35% from the field and made 3-9 from beyond the three-point line.

    The Tigers led by as many as 14 (41-27) with 5:40 to play in the third period, but the Gators would claw back. By the end of the period, Florida only trailed by nine (45-36).

    Mizzou raced out to an 8-5 advantage in the fourth frame before the Gators changed the momentum.

    Danielle Rainey hit a three-pointer to push Florida to within nine. Zada Williams and Delicia Washington each hit a pair of free-throws to bring the Gators within five points.

    Sophie Cunningham hit a layup with 3:28 remaining that would prove to be the Tigers last made field goal. A free-throw from Cierra Porter put Mizzou up 56-48 with 2:48 in regulation.

    Freshman Ariel Johnson knocked down a trey with 2:30 left in the game. Johnson also assisted on Washington’s layup with 1:27 remaining. Florida had closed the gap to two (56-54).

    Kiki Smith forced a foul on Cunningham and made both of her shots from the charity stripe to tie the game with :47 remaining.

    Washington stole the ball from Hailey Troup and went on to make the final layup to seal the victory for the Gators.

    Fast Facts

    • Danielle Rainey finished with a career high 16 points on 5-11 from the floor.

    • Delicia Washington added 11 points for Florida and made 5-7 from the charity stripe.

    • Kiki Smith finished with 10 points on 3-4 from.the field.

    • Missouri defended UF leading scorer Funda Nakkasoglu extremely tight, oftentimes double-teaming her, forcing her into a 1-6 game from the field and only two points.

    • Florida only turned the ball over 11 times and forced the Tigers into 12.

    TEAM STATS:

    MIZZOU

    GATORS

    FG %

    44

    41

    3-PT %

    42

    37

    FT %

    67

    69

    Offensive Rebounds

    9

    11

    Total Rebounds

    30

    32

    Assists

    17

    10

    Steals

    4

    5

    Blocks

    4

    0

    Turnovers

    12

    11

    What’s Next

    The Gators will travel to Oxford, Mississippi to face the Rebels of Ole Miss on Sunday 1/20. Mississippi is 7-11 on the season and 1-3 in conference play under new head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin. The Rebels did upset #16 Kentucky on the road with a fourth quarter comeback on Sunday for their first conference victory.

  • MBB: 2020 5-star SG Brandon Boston on Official Visit to UF

    MBB: 2020 5-star SG Brandon Boston on Official Visit to UF

    Photo via Holiday Hoopsgiving

    Five-star SG Brandon Boston, Jr is on his official visit to the University of Florida. Boston made it to campus in time to see the Gators take on #3 Tennessee this evening.

    The 6’7, Class of 2020 recruit, is being joined in campus by Florida signee, Tre Mann and The Rock School sophomore Lynn Kidd, per Corey Evans of Rivals.com.

    But is there more to this visit than meets the eye?

    Its not very often that a highly rated prospect takes all of his official visits during his junior year in high school. Boston has had official stops at Alabama, Auburn, and Duke, but would also like to take a trip to Ohio this spring.

    A recruit taking all his OV’s before his senior year is really suspicious to me, perhaps Mike White is aiming for reclassification. I reached out to Corey Evans of Rivals.com to confirm the rumors of a possible reclassification, however have received no response in time for the publication of the article, therefore I can not confirm that Boston is reclassifying.

    But if I’m Florida, and I’m Mike White, that’s exactly how I am recruiting him, as a 2019 recruit. I would insist that he could be a part of something special, the best recruiting class in Florida history. Boston is considered a top-10 recruit in the nation, and could join five stars Scottie Lewis and Tre Mann, and four star Omar Payne in Mike White’s 2019 dream class.

    Note: With Chase Johnson transferring to Dayton earlier this week, Florida has one open scholarship for the 2019 recruiting cycle.

    Florida is considered to be a serious contender to land the services of Brandon Boston, Chomp Talk will continue to track this story and keep you up to date on the situation as it develops.

  • WGYM: Slow Start for Gators Leads to Victory

    WGYM: Slow Start for Gators Leads to Victory

    To quote head coach Jenny Rowland, tonight’s performance was “super normal.”

    Being normal is a concept that the Gator gymnasts have focused on for over a year now, and Rowland finally thinks that they’ve done it. There are obviously still improvements to make, after a rough vault rotation and some missed opportunities on dismounts, but she said that “if this is what jitters looks like, it’s going to be a spectacular year.”

    Jitters there certainly were, though. The Gators were actually behind after the first rotation – not because Missouri did anything crazy stellar, but because the team had too much adrenaline on vault. Trinity Thomas, Nya Reed and Savannah Schoenherr all overdid it on their Yurchenko 1.5s, leading to some big bounds forward and a possible knee graze from Schoenherr. Alicia Boren was the only one to perform a Y1.5 that didn’t overdo it, and she was rewarded with a share of the vault title, scoring 9.875. Missouri’s Hannah McCrary was the other vault winner, showing off her own Y1.5, a vault Mizzou doesn’t see very often.

    What made it such a great night was that the team realized and was able to slow down and get rid of the jitters during bars. It wasn’t the best it could have been, but a huge one-two punch of Thomas and Megan Skaggs at the end of the lineup demonstrated that things were getting back to normal. Thomas ended up winning the event with a 9.95 – and remember, this is only her first collegiate meet! Bars for Missouri was good, not great – most performances were middle of the road, but they are definitely dialing in on their landings.

    Beam had a few bobbles, but the girls took them in stride and didn’t let them cascade or get out of control. Alicia Boren is known for her steadiness, so she’s often in the middle of the lineup to serve as a built-in reset button if things start to get out of control. Tonight, she cut it off before it got that far and earned a 9.9 to tie for the event title. Teammate Rachel Gowey was the other event winner, who immediately followed Boren and debuted a new punch front tuck in her routine, a risky skill that has been known to cause falls at the most inopportune times. It was flawless, and she too earned a 9.9. Beam was a little lackluster for Missouri, with two scores in the 9.7s, but Britney Ward was a highlight, with unique skills and great presence that earned her a 9.85.

    But the real highlight of the night was floor, where Reed, Boren and Thomas all had the crowd screaming on their feet after each of their routines. Reed and Boren both earned 9.925s for their sassy showings, while Thomas went the more dramatic route for a 9.9. All three talked about the process of choosing their floor routines (and how long it took them), but all seemed to agree that their routines very much suit them and that they’re incredibly fun to perform for the crowd. Floor was a great showpiece for Missouri as well, though they seemed a bit intimidated by the size of the audience. Their star was Aspen Tucker, who used the crowd to her advantage and gave an electric performance for a 9.875.

    Boren wasn’t emotional at all about tonight being her last first meet, saying “it’s just another meet!” And statistically, she’s right – it was another cleanup kind of night for her, as she’s done many nights before. She took the all-around title with a 39.575 and tied for three of the four event titles. She and coach Rowland were both incredibly proud of the freshmen who stepped up to perform tonight, and Rowland told them: “Really, it only goes up from here.”

  • WGYM Liveblog: Florida vs. No. 11 Missouri

    WGYM Liveblog: Florida vs. No. 11 Missouri

     

     

    What a way to start the season! If you haven’t already make sure you check out our 2019 Season Preview and our breaking news about Alyssa Baumann yesterday to be sure you’re up to date on all the Gator Gymnastics news. For tonight’s meet, check out our Instagram story to see warmups live, and then we may have a post-meet surprise for viewers on our Facebook! Make sure you like and follow us to get all the updates.

    Tonight, your favorite Florida Gators will face off against SEC opponents, the Missouri Tigers. The Gators were off last week, still preparing, but the Tigers took on a quad meet at Arizona State, earning a 195.450 to earn the No. 11 spot in the first week of national rankings. Of course, that’s a relatively low bar to clear for Florida, who hasn’t scored below 197 at home since February 2013.

    The stars of the show tonight will likely be the freshmen, as they’ve been named the top recruiting class in the nation and should feature prominently on every event. Expect to see big routines from Trinity Thomas, Nya Reed and Savannah Schoenherr, in addition to upperclassmen like Alicia Boren, Rachel Gowey and Amelia Hundley.

    Missouri, on the other hand, is very upperclassman-heavy, with its top scorers in the senior and junior classes. Keep an eye on Aspen Tucker, Madeline Huber and Britney Ward – they had the top scores on each event for the Tigers last week.

    Warmups should start around 5:00 or so, so I’ll see you guys on Instagram then!

    6:29pm: Hey everyone! Warmups are over and the girls have gone into the tunnel to get ready. Based on the floor order in warmup, I’m guessing the plan was to have Baumann anchor again after Boren to take advantage of the score boost, the way Jenny had it in postseason last year after Baker’s injury. However, since Baumann is out for tonight (all signs point to her being okay! She is here and doesn’t seem to be braced or anything!), it seems to be between Gowey and Skaggs as to who will replace her in the lineup. Whether or not they’ll keep the order the same is yet to be revealed. I’ll tweet lineups and include them here as soon as they’re in my hands!

    https://twitter.com/mycluttereddesk/status/1083871648384724993

    Looks like Gowey won out, so she’ll be in the AA tonight with Boren and Thomas. Some of these lineup choices confuse me, like having Boren in the 4 spot on vault and Clapper anchor on beam. Granted, I’m sure there was much finagling when Baumann went down yesterday, so that may be a product of filling those holes.

    On the Missouri side, it’s good to see Britney Ward back on vault, as she only competed beam last week while she’s normally a mainstay on both. Hannah McCrary’s vault will be a fun one to watch, and Aspen Tucker closing out floor for them should be a real treat.

    6:47pm: Here come the Gators! More cool floor projections this year, that’s always fun. Everyone really should go to a gymnastics meet in person if they can, there’s really nothing like being here live. We should be underway shortly, so stay tuned!

    6:54pm: Touch warmup happening now! Are you excited? I’m excited.

    Tucker just ate mat warming up her Jaeger release on bars. Yikes. Get all the jitters out now and let’s have a clean meet.

    7:01pm: Here we go! Here’s your lineups for the first rotation:

    7:02pm: Gowey, VT: FTY, a little flat but good, small adjustment on landing.

    Tucker, UB: Nice first handstand, Jaeger is good this time. Bail nice, in good vertical position. Last handstand a little short, pirouette is dead on though, double tuck stuck! A good answer back.

    7:03pm: Alexander, VT: SO good to see her back after her injury last year. Got some distance on that FTY, stuck the landing! Wow!

    Kelly, UB: Short first handstand. Piked Jaeger is nice, bail definitely short. Last handstand short as well, DLO dismount, little step it looked like.

    7:04pm: Thomas, VT: Crowd already cheering for her like crazy, they love her. Y1.5, gorgeous in the air but big bound forward. Uncharacteristic for her, maybe that’s why she’s in the three spot.

    Christensen, UB: Good first handstand, pirouette is nice. Tkachev has good amplitude, bail a little floppy. Short last handstand, double tuck stuck! Good to see her in competition after sitting out last year.

    7:07pm: Boren, VT: Y1.5, little knees in the air, anticipating the landing. Little slide back.

    Schugel, UB: I love that she’s taking her fifth year! They need her on this event, beautiful lines on her handstands. Piked Jaeger to overshoot is dynamic, almost comes off on her squat-on but turns it into a round-the-bar squat-on like a pro. Little adjustment on the dismount I think.

    7:08pm: Reed, VT: Y1.5, overcooks it and takes a bound and a lunge forward.

    Porter, UB: Short first handstand, just a little. Jaeger is good, following handstand short. Bail is dead on though, nice. Last handstand is better. Double front dismount drops in, she had a smile on her face like she knew she would stick before she even hit the ground. Good for her!

    7:10pm: Schoenherr, VT: Y1.5, overcooks it and may have put a knee down? Need the replay. I think that will come down to the judges, it was close. Big lunge forward regardless though.

    Huber, UB: Lovely first handstands, super high Jaeger, connects directly to overshoot. Last handstand is gorgeous. DLO pings off a little early I thought, but she gets it around with just a little hop forward on the dismount.

    Schoenherr’s score is a bit confusing… looks like maybe one judge took the fall and the other didn’t? Ended up with a 9.45. Your score after one actually has the Tigers ahead, 49.125 to Florida’s 48.925. Not exactly the start UF was hoping for.

    Agreeing with Lauren of The Gymternet on this one, Florida needs to cool it on the adrenaline and settle down, this was too frantic.

    Detailed scores after first rotation:

    7:16pm: Here’s your Gators bars lineup!

    7:20pm: Huber, VT: FTY, great height, small bounce back on the landing.

    Boren, UB: Great first handstand! Tkachev lovely, goo amplitude. Bail is dead on, hangs onto it longer than I normally see from her. She’s been working on her bars, y’all. DLO, small slide back.

    7:21pm: Gottula, VT: FTY, pikes down some at the end but sticks it! Good for her.

    Gowey, UB: Why this girl is going second beats the heck outta me, guys. Great first handstand, gorgeous Ray. Pak is lovely, though dare I say it – toes not as pointed as I’m used to?? Last handstand fine. DLO, pikes down at the end but sticks it.

    7:22pm: Porter, VT: FTY, some leg sep, but looked like a stick and less piking than the last.

    Hundley, UB: Again, this order makes no sense to me, but oh well, I guess. Great first handstand, Maloney to pak is gorgeous. Toe on is a little funky but she’s patient with it. Van Leeuwen looks good. Full in, one foot slid in but looked like a stick to everyone else, clearly.

    7:24pm: Tucker, VT: FTY, good dynamics, little slide on the landing. Still waiting for that upgrade from her, she’s been training it for a year.

    Schoenherr, UB: Great first handstands. Jaeger is good, caught a little close maybe. Bail is good, last handstand a little shy though. Little dismount today, full pirouette to double tuck and drops it in to a stick! She’s working a harder dismount though, wonder if/when that will show up.

    7:25pm: Ward, VT: Yhalf-on, tuck half off! I don’t think the O-Dome has seen that vault in a while. A little chest down on the landing but glues her feet for sure.

    Thomas, UB: Maloney soars. Uprise to a great handstand, pak is lovely. Toe on great, Van Leeuwen textbook – why is this girl not anchoring? DLO is nicely extended and she sticks!! Absolute beauty.

    7:27pm: McCrary, VT: Y1.5, little knees and maybe a small leg sep at the end, but better landing than most of the Gators, just a little slide back. Wow, that’s huge for Mizzou.

    Skaggs, UB: First handstand snaps into place, she’s being so aggressive. Tkachev to pak is great, flies high. Last handstand solid, DLO stuck!

    https://twitter.com/mycluttereddesk/status/1083883866908213249

    After two, Florida has taken the lead back and righted the ship, with the scores 98.425 to 98.125. This meet is probably closer than anyone expected though, so I’ll be interested to see how the back half of this meet goes.

    Also, if anyone was keeping track, Trinity Thomas won the bars title with a 9.95 and Hannah McCrary and Alicia Boren tied for the vault title with 9.875.

    7:36pm: Skaggs, BB: Double wolf turn, lovely. I love her lines here, she’s so elegant and extended. Leaps are good. Bhs loso, super steady. Cat leap to side aerial to back full, stuck! Nice!

    Bower, FX: Double pike to open, solid. Getting a little sass with the choreography but not the kind of performance level this crowd is used to. 1.5 to front lay, good. Double tuck to close, point at the judges to finish. A good lead, but won’t get the kind of scores Florida will on floor.

    7:40pm: Hundley, BB: Front aerial to split jump, good. She may get a pause deduction here for as long as she’s waiting. Bhs loso, solid. Different beam music choice from her this year. Switch side is good. Full turn is fine. Roundoff 1.5 twist dismount, takes it up to her toes but doesn’t move her feet.

    7:42pm: Nicholson, FX: Front double full to open, where did that come from?? We’re getting a little more stage presence here for sure. 1.5 to front lay, good. Leap positions are good. You can tell it’s January though, stamina is still an issue here in the dance. Rudi to close, nice! Don’t know how I missed her but she’s a great secret weapon for them.

    7:43pm: Boren, BB: Front toss, gorgeous. Bhs loso, small bobble but keeps it tight. Switch to straddle jump is good. Cat leap to gainer loso, amazing. Cartwheel to gainer full, small slide back. A good one, but she can be better.

    7:45pm: Huber, FX: Front lay to front full to open, okay. 2.5 twist for second pass, a little legs but good. Now she’s starting to loosen up in her choreography. Double pike, a little low in the chest position but otherwise fine, finishes with a huge smile. Another solid showing.

    7:47pm: Gowey, BB: Leaps are nice. Triple series gorgeous, yes! Front aerial to sissone, nice. Punch front, love seeing that in her routine now! Gainer full, little adjustment with one foot it looks like in the replay.

    7:49pm: Porter, FX: Double pike to open, better dynamics than any of her teammates so far. This music sounds like it’s from the fireworks show at Epcot, is that bad? I like it but it might be too cheesy for some, I guess. 1.5 to front lay, good. I love the tonal change, giving it that extra drama. Double tuck to close, very nice.

    7:51pm: Thomas, BB: Side aerial to beat, lovely. One-arm bhs to loso, some of the crowd noticed that. Front aerial to wolf jump, little bobble in the connection so she may not get it. Full turn is fine. Roundoff double full, little bounce. Not her best either, but a great debut for her.

    7:52pm: McCrary, FX: Front lay to Rudi, nicely done. Double pike is good too. Dance elements a little slow to be connected, but gets it there. She seems like a performer and the dance is choreographed that way, but she’s mostly just smiling. Maybe intimidated by the size of the crowd? 2.5 twist to close, WOW talk about form. Legs pasted together, super controlled in the landing.

    7:54pm: Clapper, BB: Using I Won’t Give Up as her beam music, girl after my own heart. Triple series to open, hits! Good for her. Switch to split, good. Side aerial to back full, swims for the stick! A get on-get it done-get off kind of routine, but it worked for her.

    7:56pm: Tucker, FX: Full in to open, sticks it cold! Getting a little shimmy going on here. Rudi loso for her second pass, nice and floaty. Oooh, a little Latin flavor here at the end, I love. Double pike to close, great control if a little low in the chest position. That’ll easily be their best score.

    After rotation three, the team totals stand at 147.825 for Florida, 147.325 for Missouri. Still only 5 tenths apart, good for Mizzou keeping it close. Gowey and Boren lead beam with 9.9s and Tucker floor with a 9.875.

    Here’s a few thoughts from the gymternet that I’m feeling while they’re doing some weird stunt here during the rotation break.

    https://twitter.com/fifteen366/status/1083890778269761536

    8:05pm: Bower, BB: Opens with series, bhs loso, interesting technique in those. Almost like she went in slow mo. Cat leap to front toss to beat, nice! Switch to straddle, nice and extended. Gainer full, stick!

    8:06pm: Hundley, FX: Getting into character before her music even hits. Crowd goes crazy just hearing the opening notes of Greatest Showman, haha. Opens with whip to double tuck, sad, no DLO tonight. Girl has her game face on. I love the musicality in the corner section, and then double pike for her second pass is kinda low. Hmm the floor choreography lacks a little bit of energy for me, there’s just no much for her to do. 1.5 to front lay, good. A good lead off.

    8:09pm: Tucker, BB: Missed the beginning, whoops. Bhs layout 2 feet, love! Cat leap to switch leap to standing loso, amazing. What a fun mixed series. Roundoff double full, little bounce.

    8:10pm: Johnson-Scharpf, FX: Double pike to open, chest a little low. Love the drama in this. Front lay to front full si solid, not as much rise as maybe I’d like though. Double tuck, again a little low on the landing but not as bad. Big smile on her face as she finishes with the music, since she had a little trouble doing so in warmup.

    8:13pm: Nicholson, BB: Opens with triple series, nice! Full turn is nice and controlled. Straddle to split half is waaay short of 180, yikes. Cartwheel gainer full, looked like a stick from her.

    8:14pm: Reed, FX: Crowd already getting pumped for this. DLO to open, chest up and everything, nice. Playing to the camera, giving us legacy Baker moves in the corner with that cash cha-ching. Dnace series is good. Front handspring, front lay to Rudi, nice. Shimmy and a fun shoulder cartwheel on the floor, that’s something she’ll get recognized for. Double pike to close, nails it and the crowd goes NUTS! Jenny and the team are also thrilled, they rush her a split second after she finishes.

    8:17pm: Gottula, BB: Bhs bhs loso from her as well! What’s with Mizzou and these triple series, where did they come from?? Switch to straddle 1/4 is good, straddle maybe a little shy of 180. Gainer full dismount, good. Another strong showing for them!

    8:18pm: Boren, FX: Crowd is already going nuts knowing it’s her turn. Fun MGM-song opening, hits all her musical cues. DLO to open, absolutely textbook. She flies. 1.5 to front lay for her second pass. Crowd going crazy for her dance break, totally playing the arena like they’re here just for her. Double tuck to close, good control. Gator chomp to finish and the arena is DEAFENING. Ten hands everywhere, and honestly, I don’t think I would have a problem wit that. I don’t know how she improves from here, that was a floor routine to REMEMBER.

    8:21pm: Kelly, BB: Front aerial to one-arm bhs, wow. Jump series is meh, her sheep is not good enough to keep. Missed the rest of this, my apologies.

    8:22pm: Thomas, FX: The intrigue at the beginning of this is driving everyone crazy, and I’m just like I’ve seen this twice already. DLO to open and it’s SO high and extended. Amazing. Front lay to front full, lovely. Dance break is giving me Kytra Hunter vibes again, with the worm and the oversplit. Double pike to finish. Butterfly to closing pose – she’s just so technically perfect it’s hard to take anything.

    8:24pm: Ward, BB: This is such a treat! Her beam is awesome. Fun split handstand mount. Bhs bhs loso, so controlled and steady. Switch to pike, don’t see that often. Full turn is good. Hitchkick to side aerial, little bobble but keeps it under control. Roundoff 1.5, nice!

    8:25pm: Gowey, FX: Did I just see her do front lay to front double full?? I’ll have to look at the replay. It was!! Damn girl! Double tuck for her second pass, almost goes out but kept it in like a pro. 1.5 to front lay to finish, gets good rise in that second element too.

    Final score is 197.3 to 196.45 Gators – floor was just LIGHTS OUT for Florida, that was crazy.

    For your event winners, it’ll be Boren and McCrary with 9.875s for vault, Thomas on bars with a 9.95, Gowey and Boren for 9.9 on beam, and then Reed and Boren with 9.925s on floor. Boren will win the AA with a 39.575.

    Crowd was 8,446 people tonight – that’s the second-highest attendance for a Florida season opener, but let’s be real, nothing’s gonna be last year’s opener against LSU unless they get OU or UCLA in here.

    I’ll leave you guys with this before we head to interviews:

    If you didn’t catch it, we went live on Facebook from the press room! Find it here, and then our meet recap will be up soon! See you guys next week for another liveblog!

  • WGYM Breaking News: Baumann Injured at Final Practice before Home Opener

    WGYM Breaking News: Baumann Injured at Final Practice before Home Opener

    This afternoon around 1:30 P.M., Alyssa Baumann fell on her shoulder and neck during the Gators’ final practice before their home opener against Missouri tomorrow night. She fell practicing her bars routine, which she would likely have debuted in tomorrow’s meet, which would have marked her first collegiate all-around performance. She was transported to Shands Hospital for a precautionary evaluation shortly thereafter.

    Baumann is a sophomore, but her wealth of experience and accolades has kept her cool and confident on the competition floor. A former U.S. national team member and 2014 World Championship team gold medalist, Baumann has made a name for herself in college gymnastics as well. She has two All-American honors to her name, as well as Academic All-American, All-SEC, and SEC All-Freshman honors. Beam is her best event, as demonstrated by the SEC event title she won as a freshman, scoring a 9.975.

    The severity of her injury is currently unknown, though we will continue to update as we learn more. It has been confirmed that she will miss tomorrow’s meet against Missouri, which could put the Gators in a rough spot. Baumann was frequently counted upon for 9.9+ scores on beam and floor last season, and it was rumored she would be making her all-around debut this season. She showed off a new vault, a Yurchenko 1.5, at last month’s intrasquad, as well as a very viable bar routine, making her push for the AA suddenly very real. This would have been a big move for Florida, having graduated two great all-arounders last year. How soon Baumann will be cleared to resume training is still up in the air, but she is apparently in good spirits as she continues to be monitored.

    Our thoughts are with Alyssa, her team, and her family. Chomp Talk will continue to monitor and update as we learn more, so make sure to follow our Twitter thread to see all updates on Baumann’s condition and tomorrow’s meet.

  • WGYM: Gator Gymnastics’ 2019 Outlook

    WGYM: Gator Gymnastics’ 2019 Outlook

    2019 has arrived, and you know what that means – it’s gymnastics season, Gator fans!

    Technically the season has already started, with many of the nation’s top teams coming out with big statement-making scores, including the highest-ever recorded opening-weekend score, a 198.050 from former national champion Oklahoma.

    The bar has been set, but there are still a number of key players biding their time who will kick off their seasons this weekend, including the Florida Gators. Bolstered by what College Gym Fans named the best new recruiting class in the country, the Gators are one of the top teams in conversation for the national championship this year.

    That road won’t be easy though, as this year marks the start of a new preseason format, which will narrow the national semifinals field to only eight teams from twelve, and Four on the Floor will replace the Super Six format of finals. This means competition will be even fiercer, but we think Florida is up to the challenge – now let’s talk about why.

    VAULT

    Since the devaluation of the Yurchenko full three years ago, teams have been pushing to have a full lineup of 10.0 start-value vaults. No one has done it yet, though many teams train six or more as the season progresses. Florida is one of those teams, having shown off six very viable Yurchenko 1.5s at the Orange and Blue intrasquad and the possibility for eight or nine total vaults valued at a 10.0. Here are the key players you can expect to see in the vault lineup this season…

    Alicia Boren: Stepping into the leadership role like a pro, Boren’s Yurchenko 1.5 is a thing of beauty, and has been for her entire college career. She’s started training a Yurchenko double full, the same incredibly difficult vault Alex McMurtry once competed, though whether or not we see it in competition is still up in the air.

    Trinity Thomas: Though a freshman, expect Thomas to sit very late in this lineup, as her Yurchenko 1.5 is straight from the textbook. Her beautiful extension, height and distance are a product of her attention to detail and the elite training that she continued even into the fall semester.

    Nya Reed: Freshman Reed is known for her power in the leg events. Her Yurchenko 1.5 explodes from the table; the only trick will be controlling her landing to keep that score high.

    Alyssa Baumann: Stellar on two events last season, this sophomore is gunning for the all-around this year, and that started with upping her vault difficulty. Her Yurchenko 1.5 is more viable than anyone really gave her credit for before seeing it at Orange and Blue, and if all of her vaults are like that one, she’ll be earning 9.9s in no time.

    Savannah Schoenherr: She may be the third Gator freshman to bring a 1.5 to the table, but don’t let the order of this difficulty parade fool you – Schoenherr is the real deal. She has an uncanny ability to put it to her feet and hasn’t missed a vault in two years of competition.

    Amelia Hundley: Whether competing her 1.5 or her full, Hundley is sure to contend for this lineup. Her full shows consistency enough for a strong leadoff performance, but if she can develop the same quality in her 1.5, she’ll be competitive for the later half of this group.

    BARS

    In the past, bars has been a strong event for Florida, but there are big shoes to fill without McMurtry’s weekly 9.9s. The blessing for the Gators here will be depth. Head coach Jenny Rowland has lots of options she can try if someone isn’t getting the scores they need. Here are those we expect to be mainstays on uneven bars…

    Amelia Hundley: This junior frequently held the #5 slot and earned many 9.9+ scores as the prelude to McMurtry’s anchor routine. She may now be called to anchor this lineup with her easy swing and dynamic release skills.

    Rachel Gowey: Completing the junior one-two punch in this lineup, Gowey’s claim to fame is finesse. Toe point, handstands, and extension through the arms are going to earn her the high scores to stake a claim to a slot in the later half of this lineup.

    Alicia Boren: Though bars may not be her best event, Boren is unmatched on this team in her ability to hit set after set, with only one fall out of 56 routines last year. Her consistency and her potential all-around score will keep her in this bars lineup for sure.

    Trinity Thomas: She shows great power on the leg events, but Thomas is also known for her elegance on bars as well. Her ability to paste her legs together and point her toes on both releases and handstands will set her apart from the remaining competitors for this lineup.

    Megan Skaggs: Bounced around from event to event last season, Skaggs is a jack-of-all-trades, but bars seems to be where she fits in most strongly. Her high-flying Tkachev to pak salto combination is sure to earn her big bonus points with the judges. So even if she seems to be flying under the radar with all the other big names out there, never count her out.

    BEAM

    One of Florida’s more inconsistent events last season, beam will also benefit from its newfound depth. While many will contend for one or two lineup slots, here’s who you should expect to see week after week on this tricky apparatus.

    Alyssa Baumann: Beam is this sophomore’s signature event. Her difficulty, extension, precision and presence all add up to one absolutely stellar routine. Watch to see just how many elements she can connect: she trains far more combinations than a typical routine requires and will sometimes throw them all just for fun. Expect to see her anchor this event this season, even as an underclassman.

    Rachel Gowey: Perhaps the only teammate to give Baumann a run for her money, Gowey is beauty and grace in every beam skill. Her triple acro series and gorgeous leap positions will surely earn her high marks for yet another season – maybe even a perfect 10.0?

    Alicia Boren: Again, as Florida’s top all-around contender, Boren is a must-have on every event. Her consistency and even keel make her an important part of this Gator lineup.

    Trinity Thomas: Beam is a specialty for this freshman, whose one-armed back handspring to layout-stepout is sure to be a crowd pleaser in the O-Dome. Her confidence and precision will make her such an asset to her new team.

    FLOOR

    This event will likely be the real showpiece for this Gators team. The power underlying each routine is palpable, but in different ways – each feels like an individually crafted piece for the gymnast that really plays to each girl’s strengths. Here are the big show-stoppers you can expect to see…

    Alicia Boren: Finally a senior, Boren will take center stage as the headlining act this year. Her powerful tumbling and her ability to engage the crowd will be sure to give her the edge on anchoring the lineup this year.

    Nya Reed: With more personality in her pinky than many have in their entire bodies, Reed set the crowd abuzz at the Orange and Blue intrasquad. She’s got sass and confidence for days, and the tumbling chops to back it up.

    Trinity Thomas: Thomas has swapped the club beats and sass of most of her teammates for elegance and drama in her freshman routine, and it suits her. Her double layout soars higher than any other Gator, and if you don’t know her for her stellar 180+ degree leap positions yet, you will.

    Alyssa Baumann: As the frequent anchor post-Baker last season, Baumann knows what it takes to bring the O-Dome to its feet. Having had a full two years to recover from her elbow injury, she’s in even better shape than last season, which should hopefully mean none of the stamina issues or wild tumbling we saw last year.

    THE ALTERNATES

    Bubbling just beneath these lineup locks are a few alternate players to keep an eye on. We’re not sure which of them will end up making the final lineups, but all of them are likely to compete their events at least a few times, even if only to help their teammates rest.

    Sydney Johnson-Scharpf: This freshman is a fighter on beam and a spitfire on floor, so watch for her to make both lineups at some point this season. Her dance talent and ability to capture her audience will give her a real edge on floor, especially at home.

    Amelia Hundley: Hundley can potentially throw a double layout on floor and can typically be counted on for a decent leadoff score on beam, but with all the competition for lineup slots this season, it’s hard to call her a lock for anything but bars.

    Megan Skaggs: Again, Skaggs acted as a plug-and-play routine in most lineups last year, fitting in wherever she needed to whenever she was needed. Now, she has even more competition for lineup slots, but expect her to make the rounds through all four events over the course of the season.

    Savannah Schoenherr: She’s more than just her 10.0 vault – Schoenherr was the bars champion in her division at J.O. Nationals last year, and her tumbling on floor makes her a very viable option there as well. She’s got the chops to make more than one lineup; it’ll just be a question of which ones.

    Maegan Chant: Having competed vault and bars in the past, Chant is working a new 10.0 start value vault to try to work her way into the lineup. The handspring pike half (the same vault Slocum competed) she’s training still needs some work but could definitely be an option for postseason. And her bars are good in a pinch in case someone needs a week to rest.

    Overall, the outlook for this season is really strong for Florida. They will have competitors whose depth is also promising, including the only teams who have won a national title since Florida’s last win – UCLA and Oklahoma. But despite the smaller nationals field and increasing nationwide parity, Florida should absolutely expect to be in the conversation for the title this year.

  • SOC: GK Kaylan Marckese selected in NWSL Draft

    SOC: GK Kaylan Marckese selected in NWSL Draft

    Photo by Tim Casey / UAA

    After an outstanding career in the Orange and Blue, GK Kaylan Marckese got to hear her name called in the 2019 NWSL College Draft.

    Marckese was selected with the first pick of the fourth round and is one of only 36 athletes selected in this year’s draft.

    In 78 games for Florida over the last four seasons, Marckese has allowed an average of less than one goal per game (0.94). Marckese also set the program’s all-time shutouts mark, finishing with 39.

    Marckese will continue her career with Sky Blue FC who compete in Piscataway, New Jersey.

    Gators fans will have an opportunity to see Marckese without travelling too far. The Orlando Pride also play in the NWSL less than two hours down the turnpike.