Florida graduate student Trinity Thomas had another impressive performance against the No. 8 Louisiana State Tigers.
Thomas scored another 10 to add to her history-making collection. Her all-around score of 39.850 kept the Gators close in what became a tight match. However, her efforts weren’t enough.
The No. 2 Florida Gators (8-1, 5-1 SEC) lost on the road Friday against LSU (3-5, 3-3 SEC) inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Florida came into the meet favored after its impressive finish against the then-No. 15 Missouri Tigers, but the team failed to match up.
The Gators finished with a score of 197.975 — their second highest-score of the season — but were edged out by LSU, who finished with a score of 198.100. UF won one of the four events and narrowly lost in Baton Rouge.
UF posted its second-best score of the season, but LSU registered its highest total of the season to pull off the upset.
Florida competed on uneven bars first. The Gators put up a solid performance behind Thomas’ 9.975. Almost every other gymnast scored above a 9.750, but the highest score came from Thomas.
When it looked like Florida might take the lead, the Tigers showed out in the vault. Thomas put up an impressive third-place score of 9.925.
Florida attempted to overcome the Tigers in the third rotation, floor. There was a three-way tie between Thomas, LSU sophomore KJ Johnson and UF freshman Kayla DiCello for first place. All three gymnasts finished with a score of 9.950 on the floor.
The Gators finished their night on the balance beam. Thomas secured a perfect 10, tying with LSU sophomore Aleah Finnegan for highest score in the event.
Thomas continued her hot streak as she got closer to tying the National Collegiate Athletic Association record for most 10s in a career. She sits at 25 career 10s, which puts her three away.
Florida’s next meet will be against the No. 11 Kentucky Wildcats. The teams will face off at 5:45 p.m. Feb. 24 in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. The match will be broadcast on SEC Network.
Contact Jori Rzepecki at jrzepecki@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @jorirzepecki.
Jori Rzepecki is a first-year journalism major and the Gymnastics reporter for The Alligator. In her free time, she enjoys binge-watching television shows and reading books.
