Coming off of a strong rotation on the floor that featured vast improvements from its last meet, Florida could feel its first SEC road victory of the season forming. Twenty-four minutes later, the No. 2 Gators stared at the cheering crowd of Bud Walton Arena, having secured their second loss of the season.
What happened in that short, less-than-half-an-hour period? The beam.
Behind struggles from nearly every Florida participant, the Gators’ .650 final-rotation lead disappeared. Graduate student Ellie Lazzari scored a 9.225 that featured a dramatic collapse onto the mat, while junior Selena Harris-Miranda notched a college career-low 8.850 after falling from the beam. Due to her abnormally low score, UF was forced to count Lazzari’s poor performance.
Arkansas capitalized on Florida’s beam difficulties with a just-good-enough 49.450 performance on the floor, winning 197.175-196.550.
The Friday night victory marked the Razorbacks’ second top-five win of the season after defeating then-No. 2 LSU two weeks ago. They were led by freshman world champion Joscelyn Roberson, who finished second in the all-around with a 39.450.
Despite the loss, UF senior Leanne Wong won the all-around competition, scoring 39.600, which featured three 9.900 or higher scores. She was UF’s only performer who was relatively consistent, despite having difficulties on the beam.
Coming off of a tight 197.575-197.425 victory against Utah and West Virginia (195.475), the Gators didn’t have issues separating against Arkansas early, despite the unanticipated absences of sisters senior Sloane and freshman Skye Blakely.
The Gators opened the evening on the bars with two new participants, freshman Ly Bui and sophomore Alyssa Arana, scoring 9.900s and 9.975s, respectively. Wong led the way with an impressive 9.950, spiraling through the air and landing gracefully, as the Gators carried their momentum onto the vault.
To open Florida’s second rotation, sophomore Anya Pilgrim scored a 9.850 and Wong added a 9.900. However, Lazzari’s performance proved to be the most notable. Filling what would typically be Sloane Blakely’s slot in the vault lineup, she sprinted the length of the Arkansas arena’s floor and, less than a second later, landed with a light hop. Florida’s squad roared and swarmed her as her face glowed following her season-high 9.900.
While Harris-Miranda struggled through parts of the evening, she was the star of the vault. To conclude a strong first two rotations for the Gators, Harris-Miranda — who is fourth in the NCAA on vault — swirled through the air and smoothly hit the mat. She made eye contact with UF assistant coach Adrian Burde and immediately screamed with joy. The announcement of her 9.950 score came only seconds later.
It was an evening of improvement for UF on the floor. Graduate student Victoria Nguyen, who landed short on her final tumble last week en route to a season-low 9.650, was smooth in Fayetteville, flowing seamlessly from movement to movement. She scored a 9.875 to lead off Florida’s floor rotation.
Freshman Taylor Clark, who nearly stumbled on her first pass last week, nailed her lone rotation for UF, scoring a season-high (and therefore career-high) 9.925. After, she leaped into the arms of Harris-Miranda, taking in one of her strongest performances in her young college career. UF’s typical contributors, Harris-Miranda and Wong, each performed to their All-American-level standard, scoring 9.925 and 9.900, respectively.
As the Gators transitioned to the beam, having outscored Arkansas through the first three rotations, there was little suggestion of what was to come. Florida led the nation on beam and before its routines, Razorback graduate student Mati Waligorar fell during her performance, causing the Arkansas gymnasts who followed to perform under high pressure.
Sophomore Skylar Draser opened the rotation with a 9.800, but the rest of Florida’s lineup struggled. To accompany Lazzari and Harris-Miranda’s struggles, Nguyen and Pilgrim didn’t eclipse 9.800, sealing the loss for Florida. Additionally, Wong, who is usually one of UF’s strongest performers on the beam, seemed disoriented while her shoulder dipped during one of her acrobatics.
Arkansas didn’t outscore UF on the floor, losing by .025, but it didn’t matter. As redshirt junior Frankie Price took to the mat for the Razorbacks’ final performance, the evening was all but over for the Gators.
The Gators will return home for a Valentine’s Day date with Auburn at 8:15 p.m. EST on Friday.
Contact Noah White at nwhite@alligator.org. Follow his on X @noahwhite1782
Noah is a Spring 2025 Assistant Sports Editor and Copy Desk Chief. He's a second-year journalism major who enjoys reading and shamefully rooting for Tennessee sports teams. He is also a Liberty League Women's Soccer expert.
