This is it.
In the next 48 hours, the Florida gymnastics team has the potential to do what only two other teams have ever done before.
They’re going for a three-peat, an accomplishment that hasn’t happened since Georgia took five consecutive titles from 2005-2009.
But don’t tell them about what they’ve already accomplished.
They’re not focusing on the past.
"Not once has anyone said, ‘Gosh, we’re going into nationals as two-time national champions,’" said junior Bridget Sloan.
And with the top-12 teams in the country competing for the same title in Fort Worth, Texas, this weekend, the end of the road will be anything but easy.
But to Sloan, that extra bit of competition is what makes her look forward to the postseason.
"Nationals is just one of the most exciting times," she said. "I mean, the best of the best teams are there from every single conference."
In order to win it all, No. 2 seed UF will first need to finish in the top half of its six-team semifinal field, a grouping that includes No. 3 Utah, No. 6 Michigan, No. 7 UCLA, No. 10 Georgia and No. 11 Stanford.
From there, should they advance, UF and the other two teams will advance to Saturday’s Super Six along with the top three teams from the second semifinal — which, barring some unforeseen occurrence, will be No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 4 LSU and No. 5 Alabama.
All three of those teams accomplished one major feat this season that no other team has done: They all have outscored Florida.
On top of that, LSU and Alabama did it twice.
But right now, the Gators aren’t focusing on the wins or the losses. Those are in the past.
The goal right now is to finish the season on a high note.
The rest will come.
"We’re at the point where we not only need to hit our routines," Sloan said. "But we need to make them as perfect as possible."
Added coach Rhonda Faehn: "We’re not doing anything different than we normally do. This is just the excitement of heading into what we consider the most fun part of the season, what we’ve been looking forward to."
The Gators’ road to Fort Worth has been anything but smooth.
They saw Sloan and Jamie Shisler go down in the season opener. The former, a seven-time NCAA All-American, sprained her ankle during the final tumbling pass of her floor routine and sat on the sideline for the next five meets. The latter, a senior who Faehn planned to use sporadically throughout the season, ruptured her Achilles’ tendon prior to her floor exhibition, effectively ending her gymnastics season and career.
They saw the falls, two on the balance beam during the Southeastern Conference Championships and another one on bars during the NCAA Regionals.
And in 12 meets, the Gators have used 12 different lineups, swapping pieces here and there depending on who was available and who was underperforming.
But to Faehn, the struggles and the adversity only made the team stronger.
Now, the pieces are coming together right when they need to.
"This team, they’re used to pressure," Faehn said. "They’ve been used to heavy, hard situations all season long, so this is something they’re familiar with."
And through the pressure came greatness.
Florida finished off the regular season with at least a 197.90 score in three straight meets.
Sloan returned from injury and became the rock she had been the last two years, finishing the regular season second in the country on the uneven parallel bars with a 9.960 regional qualifying score.
Two of her seven bars routines resulted in perfect 10s.
Freshman trio Kennedy Baker, Ericha Fassbender and Alex McMurtry all stepped up their games.
Baker became the third UF gymnast in four years to earn the SEC Freshman of the Year honor, joining teammates Sloan and Kytra Hunter.
McMurtry finished the regular season leading the country on vault and earned a perfect 10 on the event in just her second career meet.
Add in sophomore Claire Boyce; juniors Bridgette Caquatto and Bianca Dancose-Giambattisto; and a trio of seniors in Hunter, Rachel Spicer and Kiersten Wang, and Florida has the potential to be a deadly force on all four events.
"We have a good mix," Sloan said.
If all goes well for the Gators, they could walk out of the Lone Star State with their third national title in as many years.
But that’s not the main talking point.
Everything’s been business as usual.
"It’s been very relaxed," Sloan said. "That helps a lot."
Follow Jordan McPherson on Twitter @J_McPherson1126
Bridget Sloan celebrates after scoring a 10 on the uneven parallel bars during the Southeastern Conference Championships on March 21, 2015, in Duluth, Georgia.
