Special report on the Florida Gators gymnastics team:
LEXINGTON, Ky. – No. 5 Florida gymnastics wasn’t in a sharing mood.
UF’s win over No. 6 Kentucky Sunday afternoon at the Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center gives Florida sole possession of its sixth consecutive Southeastern Conference regular-season title.
Florida’s season-high 198.225 took the win as Kentucky posted a program-record 198.10 Sunday.
SEC TITLE CLINCHED:
For the third consecutive year, the Florida-Kentucky dual meet included a SEC regular-season title storyline. And in the 2024 version, there were three teams involved in that narrative.
Florida clinched at least a share of its sixth consecutive title with its win last week versus No. 2 LSU. Two other teams had the opportunity to share the 2024 title with wins in their SEC regular-season finale. LSU claimed a home win over Alabama on Friday. Kentucky needed a win over Florida to have three teams tied at the top with 5-2 records.
To claim sole possession of the 2024 title, Florida needed to come back Sunday after trailing the Wildcats by 0.25 at the meet’s midpoint.
Florida’s season-best floor exercise total of 49.725 – which included a 10.0 by freshman Anya Pilgrim – put the Gators up 0.30 heading into the final rotation. What the team needed to seal the win was a solid balance beam performance as the Wildcats rotated to floor exercise, their strongest scoring event.
The Gators got just that, posting their second-highest beam total (49.575) of the season to hold off Kentucky’s season-high performance on floor exercise.
Leanne Wong anchored the beam lineup with a near-perfect 9.975. She used the same mark to win uneven bars. Wong won all-around at 39.775 – her fifth of the season and fourth consecutive.
Pilgrim made it a one-two Florida all-around finish, as she upped her collegiate high and the nation’s top freshman total to 39.675 to take second.
THIS AFTERNOON’S MEET
Three marks of 9.9 or better were used toward Florida’s 49.425 on uneven bars. Gabby Disidore and Anya Pilgrim posted 9.9s and Wong anchored the lineup with a near-perfect 9.975.
Collegiate bests of 9.95 by two freshmen – Skylar Draser and Danie Ferris – led the Gators on vault. Sloane Blakely also turned in a 9.9 as Florida posted its second-highest vault total (49.50) of the season.
Florida trailed by 0.025 at the meet’s midpoint.
Five consecutive floor exercise marks of 9.9 or better tallied up to Florida’s season-high total of the season (49.725). That included Pilgrim’s 10.0, making her the only freshmen among the 15 different gymnasts across the nation with a perfect floor mark. Morgan Hurd and Wong both earned a 9.95, Blakely a 9.925 and Victoria Nguyen a 9.9.
Four marks of 9.9 or better helped UF earn its second-highest beam total of the season (49.575). Wong closed the lineup with her third near-perfect 9.975 of the season. Pilgrim was just behind at 9.95, with Blakely and Ellie Lazzari earning 9.9s.
Apparatus winners:
Makenzie Wilson, UK 10.00 Vault
Leanne Wong, UF 9.975 Uneven Bars
Leanne Wong, UF 9.975 Balance Beam
Anya Pilgrim, UF 10.0 Floor Exercise
Raena Worley, UK 10.0 Floor Exercise
SEC TITLE:
* Florida claims sole possession of its 16th SEC gymnastics title and sixth consecutive (1982, ’83, ’84, ’85, ’89, ’07, ’10, ’12, ’13, 16, ’19, ’20, ’21, ’22, ’23, ‘24). This is the eighth year awarding a regular-season SEC gymnastics title. From 1981-2016, the winner at the SEC Championship meet was considered the league champion.
* This is the third time in Florida’s last four SEC regular-season titles it needed to earn sole possession of the title at the current No. 2 team’s arena.
* 2021: Florida (7-0) won 197.425 – 197.225 at Alabama (5-2)
* 2022: Florida (6-0-1) and Auburn (5-1-1) tied at 198.575
* 2024: Florida (6-1) won 198.225 – 198.10 at Kentucky (5-3)
* Florida has won four SEC titles in 2023-24 – women’s cross country, gymnastics, men’s & women’s swimming & diving. The Gator program has 265 SEC titles and add in the 11 conference titles won by Florida lacrosse, the Florida program has claimed 276 conference titles. Florida’s picked up at least one SEC team title for 46 consecutive seasons – the league’s longest current streak
SEC Standings (as of March 3, 2024)
School
SEC Record
Overall
Florida
6-1
11-1
LSU
5-2
8-3
Kentucky
4-3
7-4
Alabama
3-3-1
9-3-1
Arkansas
4-2-1
7-5-1
Missouri
2-5
8-5
Auburn
2-5
6-7
Georgia
1-6
2-6
TOP WEEKEND FOR TOP-10 DUALS
March opens like a lion with a season-high four top-10 duals across the nation.
Florida was the only road team to win in those four duals.
Friday, March 1
No. 7 Michigan (197.325) at No. 1 Oklahoma (198.65)
No. 9 Alabama (197.325) at No. 2 LSU (198.325)
Saturday, March 2
No. 4 Utah (197.70) at No. 3 California (198.10)
Sunday, March 3
No. 5 Florida (198.225) at No. 6 Kentucky (198.10)
GATOR PERFORMANCE NOTES:
* Florida’s 198.225 is its 2024 high. The Gators are the nation’s only program to improve their team score each meet this season.
* Of the 15 different gymnasts with a floor 10.0 in 2024, Anya Pilgrim is the only freshman. She is just the second Gator freshman with a floor 10.0, joining Sloane Blakely who posted a perfect mark in the 2022 SEC regular-season finale at Auburn.
* Florida’s floor exercise total of 49.725 is a season high and ties for No. 5 in program history.
* Leanne Wong’s three titles Sunday moves her to 11th at 55 on Florida career event wins chart.
* The all-around win was her fifth of 2024, 14th of her career, fifth of the season and fourth consecutive. Wong is now tied for 10th with Gator Great Corey Hartung on UF’s career all-around victories list.
* Anya Pilgrim’s all-around of 39.675 is the nation’s leader for 2024 freshmen. Only Pilgrim has more than two totals among the nation’s 2024 freshmen leading all-around performances. Here’s how her all-around totals rank among 2024 freshmen:
* No. 1 39.675 (3-3-24)
* No. 2 39.65 (2-23-24)
* No. T3 39.60 (2-9-24)
* No. T5 39.55 (2-2-24)
* No. T9 39.525 (1-12-24 & 1-26-24)
* Three Gators equaled or set collegiate bests Sunday:
* Skylar Draser – 9.95 (vault)
* Morgan Hurd – 9.95 (floor)
* Anya Pilgrim – 10.0 (floor)
FLORIDA COACH JENNY ROWLAND SAID:
“This week, the intention has been Gators versus Gators and the Gators controlling what we can control. We keep talking about trying to get one percent better – every day and every meet. This is the eighth consecutive meet to improve our score. That is hands down a feat within itself.
“With this team, starting on day one looking back to where we are now, I couldn’t be prouder. This SEC Championship is extremely meaningful. This team has been through highs and lows and did it together. They never stopped fighting. And today we get to celebrate a sole possession of the SEC Championship. They earned every tenth we received tonight so extremely proud of them.” – Florida Head Coach Jenny Rowland
RECORDS:
Florida (11-1, 6-1 SEC)
Kentucky (7-4, 4-3 SEC)
THE SERIES:
Florida leads UK 96-1
NATIONAL RANK:
Florida – No. 5 in the Feb. 19 Road to Nationals standings<https://roadtonationals.com/results/standings/season/2024/2/0/5>
UK – No. 6
UP NEXT:
Road competition continues when Florida competes in the Ameritas Master’s Classic in Lincoln, Neb. Eastern Michigan, Lindenwood and meet host No. 30 Nebraska also compete in Saturday’s quad.
Nebraska (9-7, 4-5 Big Ten) won a home quad (197.125) versus North Carolina (195.20), Illinois State (193.65) and Southeast Missouri State (194.375) Sunday afternoon.
Lindenwood (9-7) was third at 195.40 in a Sunday quad meet at No. 11 Denver (198.025) with Air Force (194.05) and San Jose State (196.675).
Eastern Michigan (7-5, 2-3 MAC) lost 197.20-196.45 in a road meet at Kent State on Sunday.
Meet: No. 5 Florida at No. 30 Nebraska with Eastern Michigan and Lindenwood
When: Saturday, March 9 at 7 p.m. ET
Venue: Bob Devaney Sports Center<https://huskers.com/facilities/devaney-center>
TV: None
Stream: B1G+<https://www.bigtenplus.com/en-int/livestream/masters-classic-florida-eastern-michigan-lindenwood-at-nebraska/1718528>