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  • WGYM Liveblog: National Championship Session I ft. No. 2 LSU, No. 3 Cal, No. 7 Arkansas, No. 8 Stanford

    WGYM Liveblog: National Championship Session I ft. No. 2 LSU, No. 3 Cal, No. 7 Arkansas, No. 8 Stanford

    Today’s the day! Whether they’re ready or not, the athletes will take the floor in two sessions today to determine who will make Four on the Floor to compete for the national championship on Saturday.

    The first session will feature some familiar faces to Gator fans in conference rival LSU and frequent opponent Arkansas, as well as some teams that we don’t cover very often here – Cal, who the Gators faced last at Regionals last year, and Stanford, who faced Florida last in 2016 at the Cardinal’s last appearance at Nationals.

    If you’ve read other liveblogs or the SEC preview this year, you’ll know about LSU – the Tigers are contenders, as much this year as any year previously. Senior Haleigh Bryant just won the AAI Award, one of the most prestigious awards in the sport given to the top senior athlete, and she’s backed by a duo of fellow all-arounders to be reckoned with – Kiya Johnson and Aleah Finnegan – and some stellar specialists who can flex into three-eventers when needed, like freshman phenom Konnor McClain and former Gator Savannah Schoenherr. They’re commentator John Roethlisberger’s pick to upset Oklahoma, if anyone is even capable of such a feat.

    Cal, too, will be a formidable force in Fort Worth, led by all-arounders Ella Cesario, Mya Lauzon, eMjae Frazier, and Madelyn Williams. The four core Bears have been supported this season by some stellar two-eventers, like Andi Li and Gabby Perea on bars and beam, as well as Kyen Mayhew on vault and floor. They have the highest non-OU score of the season – a 198.55 – so they could also be strong contenders. But which Cal will show up – the team who won their regional with a dominant performance or the one that choked at conference championships to finish third behind a team that didn’t qualify to regional finals? If they’re able to pull off qualifying, as seems likely, it will be their first National Final appearance in program history!

    Arkansas has been many fans’ dark-horse pick for a few seasons now, with a strong coaching shift in the hiring of Jordyn Wieber and her decorated coaching staff in 2020. Finally, with a home regional and a little luck, the Razorbacks have made their return to the Nationals stage for the first time since 2018. With no real all-arounders to speak of, Arkansas instead uses three-eventers like Lauren Williams (VT/BB/FX), Leah Smith (VT/UB/FX), Hailey Klein (VT/BB/FX), and Maddie Jones (UB/BB/FX) to bolster their lineups and supplements with some strong specialists, like transfer Sirena Linton on beam, fifth-year Jensen Scalzo on bars, and superstar Frankie Price on vault and floor. They’d need a lot of help to make it to finals, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility – Arkansas last made finals in 2012.

    To quote Kathy Johnson Clarke, we all love a good “Stanford pulling a Stanford” moment. The Cardinal somehow edged out Denver and Arizona State to make it to Nationals for the first time in eight years by doing what it is known for – sneaking up behind its competitors and pulling out a great meet when it counts after being underestimated by everyone. If they can do that here, it might just get them to finals. They’re led by fifth-year all-arounder Chloe Widner, who has qualified to Nationals as an individual before, as well as a host of former international elites – Anapaula Gutierrez, Ira Alexeeva, and Brenna Neault, just to name a few. Claire Dean, Sienna Robinson, and Anna Roberts are also strong underclassmen for the Cardinal who you won’t want to overlook. But can Stanford pull a second consecutive Stanford and somehow make its way to finals? We’re about to find out!

    Action begins at 4:30 on ESPN+ or ESPN2, but we’ll have all the routines here for you play by play in case you can’t make it to your TV or miss something along the way.

    4:37pm: Let’s go, rotation 1!

    Gutierrez, Stan UB: Blind change is sharp. Jaeger to overshoot, good amplitude. Sticks her dismount cold!

    KJ Johnson, LSU VT: Yfull, hop back – honestly pretty unusual for her.

    Gamiao, Ark BB: Standing loso loso, that’s fun, very steady. Side somi, super clean. Switch leap to split jump, great 180 positions. Full turn is fine. Roundoff 1.5 twist, little hop forward. A good start.

    Williams, Cal FX: Front lay to Rudi, super clean twisting, very tight. Landing is fine. Dance series is clean, good positions in the air, doesn’t travel much. 1.5 to front lay, well controlled as she dances out of it. Also a good start.

    Brock, VT: Y1.5, great distance but a big lunge forward on the landing.

    Sorrento, UB: Good low bar handstand. Maloney, misses her hand and falls! Oh god, that’s such a scary fall because your momentum is so high. Terrifying, what great air awareness to get to her back midair like that and fall safely. Remounts to low bar, repeats the skill, gets it. Pak is also clean. Went for the low bar pirouette but comes off again – oof. DLO as she remounts, very squatty but it hardly matters at this point.

    Jones, BB: Front aerial to bhs loso, gorgeous triple series there. Split to stag jump, strong positions on those. Sticks her dismount!!

    Drayton, VT: Y1.5, a little short, step back, though she did good to keep it small.

    Kane, FX: First pass is clean, the twisting form on this team is fabulous. Switch side to wolf half I think, a little awkward in the wolf jump but masks it well. 1.5 to front lay, very floaty, well controlled.

    Swaney, BB: Cat leap to front aerial, very clean. Bhs loso, looked like she wanted to wobble but locked it down. Dance series is lovely, nice toe point. Just a little scoot back on her 1.5 dismount.

    Neault, UB: Maloney, some leg sep, to pak, again leg separation. Low bar half pirouette is strong. Double tuck dismount to finish is stuck! A good reset for the Cardinal.

    4:45pm: Schoenherr, VT: Y1.5, great amplitude, swims for it a little, just a little shift with one foot. That’s a great vault though, their best one so far.

    Cesario, FX: 1.5 to front full, well controlled. Gorgeous extension in her dance series. Double tuck to finish, a little slide back on her front foot.

    Weaver, BB: Bhs loso, breaks at the hips but somehow stays on?? Split to stag, much better. Full turn is clean. Sticks her dismount! Arkansas bringing the heat on beam.

    Alexeeva, UB: Piked Jaeger, lovely! Pak, both just gorgeous, switch kip is weird though. Sticks her dismount!

    Kiya Johnson, VT: Yurchenko double, just a hop back. Some piking in the hips in the slow-mo.

    Mayhew, FX: Punch double full to front lay, wow! Big difficulty there. Switch ring to switch half, lovely split positions and toe point. Final pass is clean too – well done.

    Klein, BB: Side aerial loso, another break at the hips but did not touch. Dance series was clean. Stuck dismount – she fought for it.

    Bryant, VT: Handspring pike half, opens so high but the distance is not good compared to some of her teammates and some of her past outings.

    Roberts, UB: Pak to van Leeuwen, both had some leg sep. DLO is stuck though!!

    Linton, BB: They need a good one here. Double wolf, lovely. Bhs bhs loso, little wobble but keeps it smaller than her teammates. Leap series – has to touch the beam to stay on! That’s at least a 3-tenth deduction, I think Arkansas might be out of this right off the bat. Sticks her dismount but what’s done is done.

    Lauzon, FX: Double full to punch front, love the difficulty. Dance series is excellent, good amplitude. 1.5 to front layout, really well controlled. Another clean, excellent routine from Cal!

    Smith, UGA indiv: Yfull, a little lock-legged and piked on the landing.

    Widner, UB: Gets such great air on her release, wow. Bail is dead on in handstand. DLO, tries to swim for it but ends up taking a step.

    Herring, PSU indiv: Front toss to bhs, very steady, well connected. Side somi, also very steady. Beat to straddle 3/4, that’s challenging, good for her. Just a little hop on her 1.5 dismount, well done.

    Frazier, FX: This should be excellent, y’all. DLO, absolutely gorgeous. The extension on her leap series!! Wow. Casual ring jump in the corner giving us welllll above a 180 split and a great head position. Punch front through to double tuck, maybe a little front foot movement but that’s maybe the only deduction I saw. Should be a fabulous score.

    Blackson, Boise indiv: Bail is dead on. A Markelov release! Wow, you don’t see those anymore, last one we saw was Brandie Jay at Georgia almost ten years ago. She gets great amplitude on it too, love that. And she sticks the dismount! That’ll be a great score.

    Killough-Wilhelm, UW indiv: Front double full, dances right out of it, riiiight to the line but does not go over. Switch leap to switch ring, head position maybe leaves something to be desired. Really showcasing her flexibility in this choreography section, has the arena to herself right now, love this for her. 1.5 to front lay to finish, good control coming out of it. What a great moment for her!

    AFTER ONE: CAL 49.4125, LSU 49.325, STAN 49.25, ARK 48.8125

    So vault is tight, but LSU was also missing their landings more than usual. Stanford came up big on bars to keep things close, and beam is clearly quite bobbly – all teams moving forward will need to be more cognizant of the extra bounce. Cal was outstanding on floor, but can they keep it up?

    5:08pm: Williams, Cal VT: Yfull is stuck! What an opening!

    Jeffrey, LSU UB: Releases looked fine. Opens her double arabian quite high, just shifts a little bit.

    Dean, Stan BB: Side aerial loso, breaks at the hips. Dance series is clean. 1.5 dismount, little adjustment it looked like.

    Gamiao, Ark FX: Double pike to start, looked well controlled but the angle made it hard to tell. 1.5 through to back double full, very clean twisting form. Not the biggest amplitude on her dance series but hits 180 fine. Double tuck to finish, controlled lunge. Trying to restart the momentum here.

    Mayhew, VT: Y1.5, just a small little hop in place. Excellent start for Cal.

    Cowan, UB: Huge Ray to overshoot, great amplitude. DLO, little bounce in place.

    Robinson, BB: Bhs loso, super steady, good for her. Switch to split, solid 180 positions there. Hitchkick to side aerial to beat jump, love a good mixed series. Roundoff 1.5, just a little hop. A good reset.

    Klein, FX: Layout through to double back, managed to stay in bounds somehow. Double pike, a little slide of that front foot. Not much to this routine, but decently clean.

    Frazier, VT: Yurchenko double, big lunge back but great amplitude.

    Kiya Johnson, UB: Maloney to bail, a little floppy but does hit handstand. High bar handstands are alright, maybe some hip angle? DLO is stuck!

    Neault, BB: Bhs bhs loso, very patient with it. Dance series is excellent, strong positions in the air. Full turn is clean. Roundoff 1.5, little hop forward.

    5:15pm: Jones, FX: Front double full, well controlled single step as she finishes. Dance series is gorgeous, excellent extension throughout. 1.5 to front lay, also quite clean. Double back to finish – lots of three pass routines here from the Razorbacks.

    Lauzon, VT: Y1.5, just a little hop. Another good one for Cal.

    Alexeeva, BB: Double wolf turn to start, very even-keeled. Bhs loso, so solid, locks those arms down. Switch half, little check with an arm swing. Switch to split, gorgeous. Sticks her dismount!

    McClain, UB: Gorgeous piked Tkachev to pak, fantastic amplitude, toes pointed throughout. Little hop on her dismount. Another great one for LSU!

    Silver, VT: Y1.5, oh no! She stumbles back and has to sit it down. First sign of weakness.

    Smith, FX: Immediately OOB on first pass, very bouncy as she lands it. Dance pass is fine. Crunchy landing on the double pike, perhaps overcorrecting from her double tuck earlier.

    Widner, BB: Gorgeous leap series, so far over split. Bhs loso, very steady. Wobbles on a mixed connection but somehow keeps moving through, I agree with Raisman, I think she’ll get it. Sticks her gainer full!

    Schoenherr, UB: Huge Jaeger, great handstand work after. Bail is dead on. Great final handstand and blind change, little step on her double front half out.

    Cesario, VT: Just a Yfull, clean leg form, just a little hop in place. They needed that in order to drop Silvers’s fall.

    Roberts, BB: 1.5 wolf turn, that’s different. Switch to split, may have broken that connection, wouldn’t be surprised to see a backup series come out just in case. Series is steady enough. Side aerial to split jump, excellent. Sticks her dismount – will they give her the connection? She may be missing her compositional requirement otherwise!

    Williams, FX: Double pike to start, well controlled. 1.5 to front lay, lovely. Double tuck to finish, really well controlled to finish. That’s a great 5-spot routine.

    Killough-Wilhelm, UW indiv VT: Yfull, just a little hop.

    Bryant, UB: Big Jaeger, doesn’t quite get the straddle position I’d like but the amplitude is great. Transition is clean, handstands fine. Double front half out, little shuffle back.

    Nikki Smith, MSU indiv BB: Big bobble on her series off the top. Dance series is lovely, her toe point is fabulous. Roundoff double tuck dismount, STUCK COLD! You love to see it. The individuals have such a challenging job here and it’s so hard for any of them to make a mark –

    Price, FX: DLO to start was basically stuck, incredible. Great amplitude and positions throughout all three straddle elements in her dance series. Nails her final pass, front full to front lay – that’s an excellent score.

    Smith, UGA indiv UB: Maloney to bail, legs just pasted together, like they’re sewn together practically. Gorgeous handstand positions. Sticks her dismount!

    Campbell, UCLA indiv FX: Huge full in to open, sooo high. Really giving the performance of her life out here, showing why UCLA choreo is unmatched in the NCAA. Incredible height on her dance series, great positions in the air too. Front lay to front full, clean leg form, well controlled as she finishes. Double tuck to close, textbook lunge. I’d put money on that being the best routine we see all session, if not all weekend. Wow.

    AFTER TWO: LSU 98.8, CAL 98.775, STAN 98.5625, ARK 97.95

    Beam proving to continue to be a problem – LSU will need to be careful, and the second session teams had better be paying attention. Floor scoring continues to confuse me, as Chae Campbell somehow is not tied for the leading score right now! Vault also has stayed focused on the landings, so Arkansas will need to find those, and fast. Bars feels like the loosest scoring so far, but not by very much?

    5:39pm: Rotation 3!

    Weaver, Ark VT: Yfull, STUCK! Wow!

    Lauzon, Cal UB: Maloney to pak, lovely swing, legs together. Catlike on that dismount, finds the stick. Well done.

    Ballard, LSU BB: Bhs loso, strong. Sissone to switch half, split position is fine. Front toss, little arm swing but doesn’t move her feet. Roundoff 1.5 dismount, stuck! A great start, and she knows it – running off the podium screaming and beating her chest.

    Dean, Stan FX: Rudi to open, clean. 1.5 to front lay, strong. Dance series to finish is solid.

    Smith, VT: Yfull, another stick! No way! She’s so straight in the air too, slow mo shows no flaws.

    Cesario, UB: Jaeger to overshoot, great amplitude on both. DLO is stuck! Another excellent hit for Cal.

    Schoenherr, BB: Front aerial to start, just lays it in, very nice. Bhs loso, super steady. Beat to split 3/4, good connection, challenging too. Roundoff double full, finds the stick! She’s had herself a day.

    Zeng, FX: Front lay to Rudi, very strong. Double back, nice and high. A little wild in her straight jump full to finish her dance series at the end? But overall a good routine.

    Price, VT: Yfull, great amplitude, just a little shift back.

    Li, UB: Suuper high straddle Jaeger. Pak is nice, switch kip is… fine. Stuck dismount!

    McClain, BB: Switch to switch half, absolutely gorgeous. Front aerial to bhs, gorgeous. Wolf jump is sheer perfection. Full turn is clean. Side aerial, little arm swing. Gainer full to finish, looked like she stuck it from here. That’ll be another great score.

    Cluck, FX: DLO, very short, has to crunch it and step forward. Combo pass is clean. Double back is much better, but the damage may be done.

    Essenpries, VT: Y1.5, way overpowers it, big crossover step. With Y1.5s like that, they might as well put up a clean full instead.

    Kiya Johnson, BB: Series is nice and steady. Switch leap to another switch leap, maybe shy of 180 on the second? Front toss is dead on. Roundoff double full is stuck – LSU having no problems with this beam.

    Frazier, UB: Maloney to pak, pretty clean. Good handstand work. DLO is stuck!

    Klein, VT: Y1.5, just a small step – much better!

    Neault, FX: Double pike to open, well controlled lunge. Rudi is clean, excellent twisting form. 1.5 to front lay to finish – that’ll be another good score, but I’m not sure Stanford is going to get high enough to compete.

    Bryant, BB: Front aerial to bhs, very steady. Dance series excellent, very calm. Standing punch front, dead on. Punch front 1.5 dismount is stuck – that’s a huge score for sure.

    Perea, UB: Pak salto is lovely, van Leeuwen clean. DLO, little bounce back.

    Williams, VT: Y1.5, just the smallest step forward. Some knees in the air.

    Finnegan, BB: Bhs loso loso, fabulous series, very steady. Dance series is excellent, gorgeous split positions. Full turn is lovely. Front aerial, little bobble, arm swing. Sticks her gainer full!

    Roberts, FX: Front lay to Rudi, excellent control. Combination pass is very clean, lovely. Finishes out with kind of a wolf turn up to standing? Not sure if that’s meant to be an element or choreo.

    Anaya Smith, ASU indiv VT: Y1.5, stuck! Wow!

    Williams, UB: Maloney to pak, very clean. Little bounce back on the dismount – this will be an excellent event score overall for Cal.

    Lily Smith, UGA indiv BB: Front aerial to bhs bhs, very patient with it, nice and steady. Pike front toss, so solid. Sticks but couldn’t hold it?

    Widner, FX: I’m obsessed with this routine. Front double full to open, lovely. Really elegant throughout this choreo section. Gorgeous tour jete half. Double pike, well controlled. Dance series to finish, excellent amplitude – that’s a fabulous score that Stanford really needed.

    Killough-Wilhelm, UW indiv UB: Good opening handstand work. Piked Jaeger is gorgeous. Transition to low is clean. Sticks her dismount!! Fabulous.

    Schulte, MSU indiv FX: This will also be a stunning routine, just wait. Full in to open, well controlled lunge, very clean in the air. Headspring in her choreo section here, that’s SO hard. Dance series is fabulous, very precise in both positions and rotation. Punch through to double tuck, two foot stick! That may take the lead for the floor title away from Cal’s Frazier. Aww, and Stanford gave her their stick stick, that’s so cute.

    AFTER THREE: LSU 148.375, CAL 148.3, STAN 147.85, ARK 147.275

    6:10pm: Last one! Let’s go!

    Zeng, Stan VT: Yfull, just a little bounce back.

    Swaney, Ark UB: Looked like she had to recast at one point maybe? It was a long routine. But the DLO was stuck!

    Li, Cal BB: Front aerial loso, that’s fun. Split to ring jump, good position. Sticks her dismount!

    McClain, LSU FX: DLO, gorgeous to start things off. Little Beyonce mix going on here, fun. Gorgeous split positions throughout her dance passage, just textbook. 1.5 to front full to finish, super clean. That’s a great leadoff.

    Dean, VT: Another Yfull, another little hop.

    Pratt, UB: Good release to start. Pak is clean. Bounce back on the dismount.

    Williams, BB: Wolf turn, steady. Front aerial to split, good connection. Bhs loso, solid. Switch leap to split, good extension. Bhs gainer full off the side, swims for it but does not move her feet!

    Drayton, FX: DLO to open, just lets it flyyyy. Punch front through to double back, just the smallest of shuffles. Dance series is excellent – another good one for the Tigs.

    Neault, VT: Yfull-on, back pike off I think? That’s something you don’t typically see at this level, very cool. Not great amplitude, small step on the landing.

    6:15pm: Cesario, BB: Full turn is fine. Bhs loso and she’s off! John jinxed her! Switch to switch half as she remounts, very floaty. Roundoff 1.5, stuck, but they’ll want to drop that one.

    Drotar, UB: Great opening handstand work. Maloney to bail, legs glued together. Sticks her dismount! Well done!

    Widner, VT: Yfull, just a little bounce back.

    KJ Johnson, FX: Full in to open, big amplitude, just a small lunge so she doesn’t go over the line. 1.5 to front lay, well controlled. Switch side to Popa, great straddle positions. Double back, basically a two-foot stick, just steps into the lunge because she can. Another excellent score for LSU.

    Park, UB: Good opening handstand work. Ray is niiice and high. Lovely pak, great amplitude. Little bounce on her landing, but another good one.

    Frazier, BB: Full turn to open, clean. Front aerial to loso, a little arm swing but stays tight. Split to ring, good extension. Cartwheel 1.5 dismount, single step forward. A good reset for the Bears, they’ll need that.

    Gutierrez, VT: Y1.5, sticks it! That’ll put some pressure on Cal.

    Finnegan, FX: Double arabian, suuuper high, to immediate stag, keeps it in bounds. Really giving this choreo everything she’s got. 2.5 to punch front to finish, fabulous amplitude, great form.

    Lauzon, BB: Fun tick-tock mount sequence, that’s great. Wolf turn to open, lovely and steady. Bhs bhs loso, just lays it in, so patient with it. Switch to split, hits 180 fine but a little tighter than we’re used to seeing her. Roundoff double full like a dart into the mat! Wow!

    Scalzo, UB: Jaeger to overshoot, barely caught that but found a way! Sticks her dismount too – Razorbacks fighting for every tenth here.

    Roberts, VT: Y1.5, STUCK COLD! What a great way for Stanford to finish!

    Bryant, FX: Double front is sooo high, pretty clean. Dance series is strong, good amplitude Front lay to Rudi, well controlled. That should be plenty to qualify, even before Johnson goes.

    Perea, BB: Wolf turn to open, pretty steady. Front toss to back tuck, little arm swing. Side somi to back tuck 1.5 off the side – Cal is going to finals!

    Jones, UB: Gorgeous releases, great amplitude. DLO, deep knee bend and had to hop forward.

    Silberman UMD indiv VT: Yfull-on, back pike off, little step back. Great to see her here!

    Kiya Johnson, FX: Full in is soooo high, but she still controls it quite well when she lands. Combo pass is very clean, almost floaty. Double pike, fabulous amplitude, well controlled. A great performance for them going into Saturday.

    Killough-Wilhelm, UW indiv BB: Front aerial to bhs bhs, gorgeous. Switch to split, lovely extension and toe point. Bhs 1.5, single step forward. She has so much to be proud of – one of her best AA performances in my opinion.

    Mangahas, ASU indiv UB: Gorgeous opening handstand work. Piked Jaeger to overshoot, great amplitude, quick connection. Full in, stuck cold. Man, the ASU individuals really did their jobs, competing really strongly for their individual events.

    Lily Smith, UGA indiv FX: Front double full, some crossed feet but clean leg form. 1.5 to front lay, she’s almost like a pencil twisting in the air. Dance series is kinda wonky, the wolf element gets no rise and she’s off axis. Rudi to straddle jump to finish, very clean. A lovely routine, but pretty blah in my opinion. She’ll have a really great AA score for today though.

    FINAL: LSU 198.1125, CAL 197.7125, STAN 197.075, ARK 196.475

    LSU and Cal will qualify to Saturday, likely to face Oklahoma and one more team from tonight’s second session.

    Leading the individual titles right now are Haleigh Bryant of LSU (AA – 39.7125), Anna Roberts of Stanford (VT – 9.95), a five way tie for bars at 9.925 (Bryant, Boise State’s Blackson, UGA’s Smith, UW’s Killough-Wilhelm, and Arkansas’s Drotar), a tie for beam at 9.95 (Bryant and Cal’s Lauzon), and Aleah Finnegan of LSU (FX – 9.9625).

    This meet ends here, but don’t go far! We’ll be back at 9pm with another liveblog of Session II where the Gators will face their toughest challenge yet this season – a full meet of opponents who are also all former or reigning national champions. Can they make it through? We’ll see you back here to find out!

  • Tyler Shelnut’s Unusual Path to UF

    Tyler Shelnut’s Unusual Path to UF

    Photo by Jay Biggerstaff | Getty Images

    The definition of what it means to be a Florida Gator. Tyler Shelnut embodies the ultimate team player.

    Shelnut grew up less than an hour away from the University of Florida, so naturally he grew up a UF fan. 

    The Lake City native committed to UF in high school, his dream school. But, when COVID-19 hit, things changed. There was no space on the roster for what would be his freshman year. Many players ended up returning to the program, leaving no room on the roster for the incoming class of freshmen.

    Johnny Wiggs is the head baseball coach at Santa Fe and a former Gator baseball player, himself.

    He had known Shelnut because he was a local kid and “had the privilege to work with him a little bit at the youth camps.”

    Wiggs said that he tried not to get too excited at the opportunity of getting Tyler because of the circumstances, but “knew what kind of kid he was getting.”

    And that kid was a great competitor and great teammate.

    Wiggs talked about how Shelnut never let his situation get in the way of his performance on the field and thought that Shelnut handled it extremely well.

    “[I] never saw his mentality affect his playing,” he said.

    Shelnut played infield at Santa Fe, primarily second base. He more than excelled there, most notably his sophomore year. 

    Wiggs said, “[he] made a great jump freshman year to sophomore year.” That became obvious as he tied the Santa Fe program home run record with 19 in his sophomore season.

    Because of his continued success, he was offered by UF after his sophomore season at Santa Fe, and he didn’t hesitate to commit.

    In his first year as a Gator, his junior year, he played in 53 games, starting in 50. Even though he had primarily been an infielder his career, there was an opportunity in the outfield. Shelnut took advantage of that opportunity and started the final 29 games of the season in the outfield. 

    He was a key member of the 2023 College World Series team, hitting .277 at 173 at bats and seven home runs.

    This year, Shelnut is currently hitting .276 on the season with 10 home runs. 

    Tuesday night against Jacksonville, he recorded his first career multi-homer game with two. He also had a career-high five RBIs on the night.

    Shelnut said postgame on his performance and at-bat approach, “…just sticking to your plan, going one pitch to the next, one at-bat to the next, just focusing on the small things that carry over and turn into big things.”

    He also spoke on the team’s recent struggles and the significance of every game this season, “…Every game means something, whether its JU on a Tuesday or Vandy on the weekend…you can’t take a day off, you can’t take a pitch off…”

    It’s evident as Coach Wiggs said, “He’s a great competitor.”

  • WGYM: “Winning Second Place” or A Return to the Summit? A Nationals Preview for Gator Gymnastics

    WGYM: “Winning Second Place” or A Return to the Summit? A Nationals Preview for Gator Gymnastics

    When asked about what the Gators need to do to make that final step over the line this weekend after coming in second two years in a row, commentator/Olympian Aly Raisman said “I like to say ‘winning second place’ because I think there’s so much pressure in our society to win, and we’re so focused on who’s going to be the national champion… but I also think it’s really important to take a moment and recognize that consistency and how impressive it is.”

    A lot of people in the gymnastics fandom would agree with her, particularly after what happened to Simone Biles with the pressure to win in Tokyo… but does that mean the Gators, or their fans, want a win any less?

    Though in her first season of commentating, Raisman hit the nail on the head with what we’re all wondering. “I think that it comes down to – on that day, which team is mentally the most together, feeling the most calm, and just does what they do every single day in the gym? It’s so much easier said than done.”

    This has been the problem that has plagued the Gators all season. The first truly complete meet we saw from them in 2024 was at regional finals, where their dominant performance sent them cruising ahead to nationals without a hitch. At every other meet this season, the Gators had a score 9.75 or below they needed to drop in at least one rotation, often more than one, and they’ve only had three meets without a single fall. It’s been hard for them to find a groove, whether that’s because they’ve been struggling with focus, dealing with illness or injury, or simply striving too hard for perfection.

    However, Raisman’s co-commentator, Olympian John Roethlisberger had great insight for what Florida might do to flip the script that’s expected for this weekend: “Florida’s going to have just pretend they’re in the O-Dome! They perform so well at home, they performed so well at Regionals – they’re going to have to repeat their Regional performance.”

    If the Gators can indeed repeat what they did at Regional Finals, a dominant 198.325, that’s less than a tenth behind Oklahoma’s Regional Final performance in Ann Arbor. Florida will be in an excellent position to compete with the Sooners… but once again, even their best could still not be enough. In Roethlisberger’s words, is this really just a “wait til next year” year?

    The Gators are missing many key pieces of what one might consider their championship team. Last year, they still had Trinity Thomas and Kayla DiCello, and Riley McCusker was healthy enough to compete. This year, Thomas has graduated, DiCello is deferring for Paris, McCusker is injured, and that’s not taking into account the deferment of superstar commit Skye Blakely. They’ll never get Thomas back, but with those other three athletes next year, the Gators’ chances will be better – so why all the hard work now? Why the careful pacing, why the new approach, why the different prep methods we discussed in our Regionals preview?

    Raisman actually may have said the answer without realizing it: consistency.

    Even if this team doesn’t win this year – and I’m not saying it’s not possible, because it absolutely is – everything they do now will be strong preparation for an even better attempt next season. Jenny Rowland has talked before about getting 1% better every day, but that doesn’t just apply within a season or a school year. That applies within an athlete’s career, and within her own career as well. Every new tactic, every new challenge, every new choice this year is better preparing all of these athletes and the coaching staff to fight harder for each and every tenth when the moment comes, whether that’s this year, next year, or some year down the line.

    If it’s going to be this year… let’s talk about what needs to happen, rotation by rotation.

    Semifinals: Floor, Vault, Bars, Beam

    Every team in this semifinal is at least a three-time national title winner. Only two of them can make it to finals. The Gators have no room for error.

    Rotation 1: Floor is the one place the Gators have not started yet this year in any meet, so this will be one of the few situations where their preparation has a gap. It’s also the event where things have varied the most this season, and where we still have the most question marks as far as a final six for the lineup.

    Podium training today and warmups tomorrow will likely largely be focused on figuring out who is coping with the podium changes the best, and those will be the six that make the lineup. This team can’t afford having someone bounce out of bounds or trip on their dance series as has happened in past seasons’ podium outings, because their semifinal is the more competitive one by far. They need to put in the most sure bets for the best chance at a good floor score – Blakely, Pilgrim, Wong, and Nguyen all feel like locks. The final two will be chosen from Lazzari, Brubach, Bluffstone, Hurd, Ferris, and Richards if she’s feeling up to it. After two solid showings on floor at Regionals, Lazzari feels likely, but the sixth will almost certainly be a tossup based on who is warming up best.

    Oklahoma will start on vault, Alabama on bars, and Utah on beam. If Florida is in third to start, that’s okay – the Crimson Tide are starting on their best event, so they’ll expect to start out in front, or at least close behind Oklahoma, who are also quite strong on vault. Florida just needs to do whatever it takes to make the gap between second and third as small as possible, and preferably keep Utah in its dust.

    Rotation 2: Vault just needs to be a repeat from Regionals – sticks or small shuffles, six 10.0 starts, the cleanest form they can muster while maintaining good air awareness and preparation for the landing. Again, they cannot have anyone sitting or stumbling; the lineup needs to be the surest bets they have. Lazzari feels like a bit of a risk to me, but there has to be a reason Blakely didn’t vault at Regionals. Draser, Nguyen, Pilgrim, Ferris, and Wong all should belong to the “sure bet” group, so it’ll be a matter of who warms up best between Blakely and Lazzari as to who the sixth is. If anyone is having a shaky warmup, I also wouldn’t put it past AC Burde to put Bri Edwards in, whose full is almost always good for a 9.8-9.85. It’s a lower ceiling than everyone else on the list, but she’s incredibly consistent.

    At the halfway point, the Gators need to shift into second – Oklahoma will go to bars, perhaps its best event, while Alabama goes to beam and Utah to floor. Floor is Utah’s best event, but vault is also Florida’s best. The Gators want to be ahead of Utah after their best events to feel the most comfortable about qualifying, although I doubt they’ll be breathing any sighs of relief until the very end.

    Rotation 3: Bars is another question mark: somehow, it’s been Florida’s worst event this year, when historically, it’s been one of the program’s best. Everyone will need to be on their game and in their bubble – no goofs on pirouettes, no missed hands on release catches, no brushing the floor with feet on paks, and certainly no mistimed dismount pings. They can’t afford any silly errors, and if at all possible, dismounts need to be stuck. Judges have proved this season that that exclamation point on a routine can help erase other minor mistakes earlier in the set.

    The lineup was sorely missing Gabby Disidore at Regionals, so hopefully she’ll be back in, because this team needs a few more sure bets, and she’s been maybe the most consistent member of the squad this season. The six here seem locked – Blakely, Nguyen, Lazzari, Disidore, Pilgrim, Wong – provided Disidore is alright, but if she is ill or injured and that’s what kept her out of Regionals, then Draser seems her likeliest replacement. However, per the Gators Gymnastics Instagram story, Alyssa Arana also warmed up bars today, so she could also step in if someone isn’t warming up well. She seems like a riskier choice, with her only competition hit coming in an exhibition routine, but crazier things have happened.

    Facing Oklahoma beam, Utah vault, and Alabama floor, the Gators will hope to be in second still after the third rotation, as Utah and Alabama will also be on their weakest events. The goal is to maintain whatever lead they have after the second rotation as best they can – give up as little as possible on bars and hope that the Utes and the Tide have a harder time with their worst apparatuses.

    Rotation 4: The Gators will finish the night on beam, which could either be a really good thing or a really bad thing. It could be an exceptional rotation if they’re able to stay in their bubble all night, stay focused, not try too hard, and just do their normal… and it could also be exceptional if they give up a little too much on bars and have to fight their way back into second in the final six routines. However, if the pressure gets to be too much, things could go south very quickly. We’ve seen what this team is like when they get in their heads.

    This lineup is perhaps the most solidified. Blakely, Draser, Nguyen, Lazzari, Pilgrim, and Wong are the clear six here, even despite some issues from Lazzari on and off this year. When she’s on, she is ON; her score ceiling is too high to leave her off, and if the lineup is arranged right, the likelihood of a mistake from her cascading into the rest of the lineup is very low.

    In this final rotation, Alabama will go to vault, Utah to bars, and Oklahoma to floor. Floor is the Sooners’ worst event, so if they’re going to have a flub, it’s probably there, but they’re not exactly mistake-prone. Vault is Alabama’s second-worst event, as is bars for Utah, so with one of the more positive beam scenarios, Florida should theoretically be able to pull ahead of both of them in the end. They don’t have to beat OU, they just have to qualify. Pacing has been everything for this team, so it isn’t time to give that up – save enough gas in the tank for a knockout performance on Saturday.

    Finals: Bars, Beam, Floor, Vault

    As long as they do qualify, the directive for the Gators in finals will be more of the same, just better. Make necessary adjustments after whatever occurs in semifinals, and then have an absolutely lights-out competition to make it a fight to the finish.

    I’m not going to rehash the goals or lineups for each event, so let’s look at how the likely qualifiers stack up rotation-by rotation. If we go event by event by NQS after the regular season, we get a little something like this:

    Rotation 1Rotation 2Rotation 3Rotation 4Final
    OklahomaVault: 49.545
    Place: 2    		Bars: 49.7
    R2 Total: 99.245
    Place: 2    		Beam: 49.725
    R3 Total: 148.970
    Place: 1    		Floor: 49.690198.660
    CalFloor: 49.635
    Place: 1    		Vault: 49.435
    R2 Total: 99.070
    Place: 3    		Bars: 49.640
    R3 Total: 148.710
    Place: 3    		Beam: 49.630198.340
    LSUBeam: 49.530
    Place: 3    		Floor: 49.725
    R2 Total: 99.255
    Place: 1    		Vault: 49.510
    R3 Total: 148.765
    Place: 2    		Bars: 49.570198.335
    FloridaBars: 49.425
    Place: 4    		Beam: 49.530
    R2 Total: 98.955
    Place: 4    		Floor: 49.565
    R3 Total: 148.520
    Place: 4    		Vault: 49.485198.005

    Florida’s chances are… not great, at least by the numbers. But as Raisman said, it all comes down to who has it all together and can hit when it counts. Can that be the Gators? We’re about to find out.

    —

    Join me tomorrow at 4:30pm for Session I and 9pm for Session II featuring the Gators – I’ll be liveblogging both sessions here for all of you! Hopefully I’ll be back for Four on the Floor on Saturday as well, but only if the Gators qualify.

  • BSB: Gators Run-Rule Dolphins in Midweek Action

    BSB: Gators Run-Rule Dolphins in Midweek Action

    Photo by James Gilbert | Getty Images

    The Gators showed no signs of midweek struggle Tuesday night as they run-ruled Jacksonville 12-1 in seven innings with Head Coach Kevin O’Sullivan getting his 700th career win. The offense surged past the Dophins thanks to two home runs from Tyler Shelnut and a 500-foot bomb from Jac Caglianone. The pitching staff combined for eight strikeouts on the night.

    The Gators got on the board first off a throwing error by the pitcher that allowed Caglianone to score and take a 1-0 lead. Tyler Shelnut then blasted a two run home run to left field to increase the lead to 3-0.

    In the second, the Dolphins loaded the bases, but starting pitcher Jake Clemente left them stranded with back-to-back strikeouts.

    Frank Menendez took over on the mound in the top of the third, ending Clemente’s day. He threw 44 pitches in two innings, striking out five batters.

    The Gators offense added on another run with a RBI single from Donay to score Kurland. Gators now up 4-0.

    Caglianone continued his home run streak to seven consecutive games with a blast that cleared the scoreboard at an estimated 516 feet. Gators up 6-0.

    In the fifth, the Dolphins finally got on the board, making it a 6-1 contest.

    The Gators kept pulling away, adding six runs in the fifth, thanks to a three run home run from Shelnut, his second of the day. It was his first career multi-homer game. Gators with a large 12-1 lead.

    Landon Russell made his pitching debut, closing the game for the Gators. They win 12-1 in seven innings and improve to 19-17.

    The Gators will travel to Nashville for an SEC series against Vanderbilt. The first game of the series is set for Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

  • SB: Gators stave off sweep with Sunday win

    SB: Gators stave off sweep with Sunday win

    The No. 9 Gators fended off a sweep by the No. 14 Missouri Tigers with a one-hitter by starting pitcher Keagan Rothrock.

    It was Rothrock’s third complete game one-hitter and 18th win of the season. She threw seven innings with zero earned runs, one walk and three strikeouts, but Mizzou (33-11, 7-8 SEC) scored an unearned run after a passed ball and RBI groundout.

    The Tigers got on the board in the sixth inning, but not before the Gators (35-9, 10-5 SEC) secured a lead in the second inning.

    Ava Brown went yard for the tenth time on a two-run blast to center field in her first at bat.

    The Gators claimed another run when Jocelyn Erickson hit an RBI single to score Skylar Wallace.

    Florida will be back in Gainesville to host No. 23 South Carolina for a three-game series this weekend.

  • BSB: Gators Avoid Sweep With 11-9 Win in Series Finale

    BSB: Gators Avoid Sweep With 11-9 Win in Series Finale

    Photo by Morgan Engel | Getty Images

    The Gators avoided a series sweep against South Carolina (25-11, 8-7) Sunday afternoon, thanks to 14 hits from the offense, three of which were homeruns. Caglianone provided a solid outing in way to a 11-9 win.

    The Gamecocks got on the board first in the second, but the Gators had a quick response in a two run homerun from Donay, his fifth of the season, for the 2-1 lead.

    The Gators let their frustrations out on the bats, continuing to add on homeruns. Evans had a two run homerun followed by a solo blast from Caglianone. It marked the sixth game in a row that Caglianone had homered.

    South Carolina added on two more runs from a homerun on their own. Gators up 5-3.

    Kurland got in on the offense party with an RBI single, scoring Shelton to make it 6-3.

    Luke McNeillie took over in the sixth, ending Caglianone’s day. Caglianone threw 101 pitches in five innings, striking out five batters.

    The Gamecocks added on two runs off of McNeillie, making it a one run game, 6-5.

    The Gators kept battling back offensively with back-to-back RBI singles from Evans and Caglianone to make it 8-5.

    Colby Shelton drove them both in with an two RBI double. Shelnut then followed up with an RBI double of his own. Gators with a 11-5 lead.

    Cade Fisher took over in the eighth. Through two innings, McNeillie threw 45 pitches and struck out two. Fisher was replaced by Jameson after loading the bases and the Gamecocks added on two runs to make it 11-7.

    The Gamecocks wouldn’t go down without a fight, hitting a two run homerun to make it 11-9 in the top of the ninth.

    Final, the Gators win 11-9 and improve to 18-17 overall, 7-8 SEC.

    Head Coach O’Sullivan said on the win, “It’s a big win, puts us one game under the league and you start looking at the standings, except for a few teams everybody is kind of bunched together, so you know obviously today is a big win for us.”

    The Gators will take on Jacksonville at home Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. They will then travel to Nashville for a series against Vanderbilt starting Thursday.

  • Orange and Blue Takeaways: Lagway shines, defense shows progress

    Orange and Blue Takeaways: Lagway shines, defense shows progress

    Photo by James Gilbert | Getty Images

    Saturday’s annual Orange and Blue Florida Football Spring Game was the true kickoff to the Florida Gators 2024 season, and the scrimmage showcased the gradual improvement the Gators have already made in Year 3 under Billy Napier.

    Many eyes were on highly-touted true freshman quarterback DJ Lagway, who was the signal caller for the Orange Team.

    Lagway looked made to wear the Florida orange as he threw two touchdowns in the first half and nearly led his team to a victory.

    The five-star freshman is not challenging the incumbent, Graham Mertz, for the starting job this season, but he showcased he is ready to play his role in Year 1, especially in specialty packages.

    Mertz also showcased some immense chemistry with wide receiver Eugene “Tre” Wilson III, who had 8 catches for 128 yards and a touchdown.

    With the loss of top receiver Ricky Pearsall to this year’s NFL Draft, Wilson is expected to assume the role as the top Gator offensive weapon, and he showcased Saturday he absolutely has the ability to do so.

    Another position of focus was in the backfield, as Florida looked to fill the hole left by Trevor Etienne’s departure. While Montrell Johnson was quiet in the matchup, freshman Jadan Baugh was electric, racking up 77 yards on 12 carries.

    Meanwhile, juco transfer Ja’Kobi Jackson had 60 yards for the Blue team, showcasing how despite the loss of arguably the unit’s most talented back, UF has added far more depth at the position.

    The Gator defense also showed some signs of life in the matchup. The unit, which placed second-to-last in the nation in takeaways last year, had two interceptions, as well as a number of pass deflections and pressures.

    Some standouts were South Carolina transfer linebacker Grayson “Pup” Howard, who had 6 tackles and a pass break up in the red zone, and linebacker Manny Nunnery, who had an interception and was seemingly all over the field.

    Another encouraging sign was improved play on the defensive line, especially by defensive end George Gumbs Jr., who looked nearly unstoppable against the Orange O-Line.

    A potential ares of concern came in the form of the offensive line, who struggled to keep up with the immense defensive pressure.

    Furthermore, the depth at kicker looks to me an issue. While Trey Smack was ultra-efficient, backup Hunter Smith went 0-3 on his field goal attempts.

    All in all, the Gators put on a great showing, showcasing that the talent is there to make it back to the postseason after last year’s dissapointing campaign.

  • BSB: Gamecocks Clinch Series Win Over Gators

    BSB: Gamecocks Clinch Series Win Over Gators

    Photo by James Gilbert | Getty Images

    Despite a four-run late push in the eighth inning, the No. 24 Gators (17-17, 6-8 SEC) fell just short to South Carolina (25-10, 8-6) by a score of 9-8 on Saturday. They drop their second consecutive SEC series and their sixth game in a row.

    Pierce Coppola made his first start since February 20, 2022 due to injury. Head Coach Kevin O’Sullivan said on his return, “He’s put in a lot of hard work to get back, to be able to pitch in a live game.”

    South Carolina got on the board first again with a two run homerun to take a 2-0 lead.

    Evans walked to start off the inning for the Gators and Jac Caglianone followed up with his 19th homerun of the season to make it a tie game, 2-2.

    Liam Peterson took over for Coppola in the second. Coppola threw one and one-third innings and 31 pitches, striking out three batters. The Gamecocks added three more runs to take a 5-2 lead.

    Ty Evans kept the Gators in the game with a solo homerun to left field that almost went foul, making it 5-3 Gamecocks.

    In the fourth, the Gamecocks loaded the bases, but Peterson was able to get out of the situation with no runs.

    Blake Purnell took the mound in the fifth after Peterson walked two consecutive batters. Peterson pitched two and two-third innings with four strikeouts on the day.

    With no outs and the bases loaded, Purnell allowed one run on a walk, but then struck out the next three batters. UF down 6-3.

    The Gamecock’s bats stayed hot with a two run homerun in the seventh; the Gators now down 8-3. Fisher Jameson came in for Purnell, but the Gamecocks added another run to make it 9-3. Purnell threw 30 pitches and struck out three batters.

    The Gators still had life left in them, loading the bases in the bottom of the seventh. Shelton brought in a run on a sacrifice fly to make it 9-4.

    The Gators once again found themselves with the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth, and pinch-hitter Brody Donay was able to drive in two runs on a single. Gators now down only 9-6.

    They added another on a wild pitch, scoring Michael Robertson, making it 9-7. Evans got his fourth hit of the day to bring it within one, 9-8.

    Luke McNeillie kept the Gamecocks off the board in the ninth with two strikeouts.

    Despite getting two people on base, the Gators could not rally for a win in the bottom of the ninth. They drop the series against South Carolina and are now 6-8 in the SEC, 17-17 overall.

    O’Sullivan shared his thoughts on the teams recent struggles postgame, saying, “I’ve been doing this long enough to know even though you might be winning some games and some series, that you’re not playing fundamentally clean, winning baseball…”

    The series finale will be at noon Sunday.

  • SB: Florida loses first SEC series to Mizzou

    SB: Florida loses first SEC series to Mizzou

    Struggling in Columbia, No. 9 Florida lost its third straight game and first series to No. 14 Missouri Saturday afternoon.

    In front of a all-time record of 3,607 fans at Mizzou Softball Stadium, the Gators (34-9, 9-5 SEC) took an early lead.

    Jocelyn Erickson scored two with one swing of her bat. On her ninth home run of the year, she put Florida out ahead with a two-run lead.

    However, the Tigers (33-10, 7-7 SEC) quickly answered in the bottom of the second. After back-to-back RBI doubles, which scored three together, the Tigers’ last run of the inning came on an RBI single off starting pitcher Ava Brown.

    Mizzou extended its lead on a solo home run to center field in the third.

    Ultimately, the Gators failed to rally and left a total of eight runners on base today.

    Florida will try to avoid a sweep Sunday in the series finale at 3 p.m.

  • Spring Game: Blue edge out victory over Orange

    Spring Game: Blue edge out victory over Orange

    Photo by James Gilbert | Getty Images

    The annual Florida Football Orange and Blue game took place Saturday afternoon, and it absolutely lived up to the hype.

    The bout between the Orange and Blue teams was a back-and-forth battle, but Blue prevailed 19-17 behind the leg of junior kicker Trey Smack and the arm of redshirt senior quarterback Graham Mertz.

    Orange were given a 3 point advantage as the game began, and all eyes were on their signal caller, five-star freshman quarterback DJ Lagway.

    Lagway shined in the matchup, completing 12 of his 21 pass attempts for 173 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also threw 1 interception.

    The freshman led Orange to a 17-13 halftime lead, but Orange redshirt junior kicker Hunter Smith missed two potential go-ahead field goals, allowing Blue to ride Smack’s three made kicks to the victory.

    Meanwhile, Mertz performed well, going 15-27 with 243 yards and a touchdown, as well as an interception.

    Mertz showcased his chemistry with sophomore wide receiver Eugene “Tre” Wilson III, who had 8 catches for 128 yards, which included a 60-yard touchdown.

    The Blue defense also shined with 6 total sacks. Junior defensive end Quincy Ivory and redshirt junior defensive end George Gumbs Jr. both had 1.5 sacks in the matchup.

    Both sides also had interceptions. Mertz was picked off by sophomore defensive back Sharif Denson, while redshirt senior linebacker Reggie Nunnery baited Lagway to intercept him.

    Overall, the matchup showcased how Billy Napier’s Gators have a bright future, and they will now focus on the 2024 season that kicks off with a rivalry matchup against the University of Miami.