A speedo-wearing, half-naked WVU men’s swim and dive team. A bedazzled celebration toilet plunger. A Sunday tri-meet.
It was a weekend full of surprises for Florida, which faced a team they competed against in last year’s Nationals for the second time this season in its first tri-meet since 2023.
“The atmosphere’s been great,” Florida’s head coach Jenny Rowland said during her midgame interview. “Love [that] the swim team’s here.”
The Gators, who watched Utah’s final beam performance with bated breaths, clinched a first-place win with 197.575 points over No. 4 Utah (197.425) and WVU (195.475). This is also the first time this season UF beat one of the previous year’s Final Four teams this season, dropping a close meet against LSU, the defending national champions.
Senior Leanne Wong placed first in the meet’s all-around results and first in the uneven bars. Junior Selena Harris-Miranda, who was named Inside Gymnastics’ National Gymnast of the Week and Co-SEC Gymnast of the Week, tied for first in the vault results. Senior Sloane Blakely finished first in floor.
The Gators were victorious, but their win came amid messy rotations and balance issues.
Graduate Victoria Nguyen couldn’t find her balance in both of her rotations. After one of her jumps on the floor, she nearly fell and ended her performance with a 9.650. It didn’t count for the Gators, as their lowest score was dropped. Nevertheless, it was her worst performance this season.
Then, on the beam, Nguyen wobbled, though she didn’t fall. She landed her dismount with a small step forward, posting a 9.800, another season low.
Florida stability issues continued outside of Nguyen. On vault, Blakely lost control of her rotations in the air. She tumbled forward, somersaulting toward the ends of the mat. She walked it off, smiling. Her score, 9.200, didn’t count, but it forced the rest of the team to try to recover their performances.
Despite being the No. 1 team in the NCAA on beam, the Gators struggled, and, as a result, the judges docked points.
Harris-Miranda started her beam rotation gracefully. However, after one of her movements, she wobbled, sticking out an arm and leg to try to not fall off the beam. She lost .35 points for that as well as her inability to stick the landing. Luckily for UF, her score of 9.650 did not count toward the total rotation score.
Wong, who posted a 9.900, was the bright spot in the beam rotation. She decided to switch from her jumping start, which she failed to nail in the Gators' last meet against No. 13 Georgia. As a result, she completed her entire routine without large errors.
On bars, the Gators put up a dominant performance. Four of the five scores were at least 9.900, with Wong clinching a 9.925. Sophomore Anya Pilgrim, who also scored a 9.925, tied her season high.
“Really proud of this team,” Rowland said after mentioning how the Gators started the meet with high scores compared to their slow beginning in the previous meet against Georgia.
Harris-Miranda scored a 9.900 in her performance on the uneven bars. After landing on the mats with a large smile, she stuck her tongue out before her teammates surrounded her with high-fives and hugs.
Senior Riley McCusker continued to improve on her routine. McCusker, who had only hit the 9.800s on bars in the Gators' last meet against No. 13 Georgia, snagged a season-best 9.900.
This score allowed Florida to drop Skye Blakely’s 9.825. The freshman struggled on her dismount, unable to rotate enough to stick her landing.
Rowland said that the meet created “great momentum to build off of.”
The Gators travel to Arkansas next to face the Razorbacks in an SEC showdown at 7 p.m. EST on Friday.
