On Saturday night, No. 3 Florida couldn’t escape the number three in the SEC Championship in Birmingham, Alabama. Placing third, the Gators collected three perfect scores, performing the best in the third rotation: the uneven bars. Three gymnasts, senior Leanne Wong, senior Riley McCusker and junior Selena Harris-Miranda, also collected SEC awards.
In a potential Nationals preview, Florida (197.825) lost to No. 2 LSU (198.200) and No. 1 Oklahoma (197.925), and defeated No. 7 Missouri, which finished last with 197.400.
Harris-Miranda tied for second in the all-around performance on the night, helping the Gators remain competitive. She scored the highest or second highest in all but one event, nailing her rotation on the vault to score a 10.000.
But by the end of the night, her frustration was apparent. As the team huddled together awaiting the scores from Oklahoma, Harris-Miranda stood with her arms crossed, eyes downcast and lips pressed together in a thin line.
Wong, who is normally one of Florida’s most consistent performers, oscillated between a perfect 10.000 in her uneven bars routine and Florida’s lowest score on beam, a 9.675, which didn’t eventually count toward UF’s total score.
Because of her performance in that rotation, the Gators were forced to count sophomore Alyssa Arana’s 9.775, effectively solidifying its third-place finish after it led all four teams entering the last event.
Despite UF’s grim end to the night, the team exhibited excellence on the bars. The Gators set the NCAA bars record, scoring a 49.850. McCusker helped lead the charge with a perfect 10.000. Moreover, McCusker, Arana and freshman Skye Blakely tied or earned their collegiate-bests. None of the gymnasts in UF’s rotation scored lower than 9.900, with most earning at least a 9.950. Wong and McCusker were named co-SEC Champions for their perfect performances, capping off the Gators’ dominance in the event.
On vault, only sophomore Anya Pilgrim and Harris-Miranda scored in the 9.900s. The rest lingered in the 9.800s, which was enough to keep the Gators competitive, but too little for them to have an advantage over the other contenders.
Harris-Miranda, who clinched perfection with her routine, was also named SEC vault champion. This set a positive note for UF as the team looks ahead to the rest of the postseason.
“She's always been a fierce competitor,” said associate head coach Owen Field before the Gators final regular season meet against Kentucky on March 14. “She's an athlete who loves being out on the competition floor and thrives in those pressure situations. [Selena’s] been a real blessing to our team in terms of that competitive drive and setting high standards for the team and wanting everybody to do their best.”
If there’s one positive takeaway for the Gators, it's that none of the teams in collegiate gymnastics are infallible. Florida was within .375 points of LSU and .100 of Oklahoma. In other words, there wasn’t a breakout contender.
Additionally, the Gators led for a rotation, but it was the small points that cost them the win. Sticking landings and maintaining balance can help Florida overcome its road struggles as it inches ever closer to Nationals.
“In the gym, we always like to say that perfection isn't something that's, like, super attainable,” said Victoria Nguyen on March 11. “So we know there's gonna be little mistakes here and there. That just takes a little bit of weight off everyone's shoulder, knowing that it is okay to make mistakes as long as you're working towards the little details and goals.”
Florida now awaits NCAA Regionals, where it will head to a neutral site in Utah, Washington, Alabama or Pennsylvania on April 2-6, in hopes of finishing in the top 4 and earning the opportunity to compete in Nationals in Fort Worth, Texas.
Contact Liana Handler at lhandler@alligator.org. Follow her on X @handlerliana
Liana is the Gators gymnastic beat reporter for the Alligator and a junior sports journalism major. In her free time, she likes to play dominos and listen to Celia Cruz.
