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No. 2 Gators Gymnastics was upset on the road by No. 15 Arkansas Friday night 197.175-196.625. Despite leading by 0.650 through three rotations, a disastrous beam performance from Florida gave the Razorbacks their first win over the Gators since 2011. This is Arkansas’s second time beating the No. 2 team in the nation this season after beating LSU two weeks ago. Florida’s lowest team score of the season also helped the Razorbacks remain undefeated at home.
Disappointment on Beam
Florida put up its worst beam score of the season with a 48.250, despite being ranked No. 1 in the country on the apparatus. Both Ellie Lazzari and Selena Harris-Miranda had unfortunate falls. The nerves seemed to affect the rest of the lineup, as Wong and Skylar Draser had the highest scores of the rotation with 9.800s.
Notably absent from Friday’s meet were Sloane and Skye Blakely – the first time this season neither have competed.
Some Bright Spots
Before mounting the beam, the Gators looked solid. They even matched their season high on bars (49.525), which they set last Sunday in their win over No. 4 Utah and West Virginia.
Alyssa Arana made her season debut with a collegiate-best 9.875 shortly before freshman Ly Bui posted a massive 9.900 in her bars debut.
BUI BARS DEBUT
Ly with a 9.900!!
📺https://t.co/WVah9hqXfq pic.twitter.com/O112ud8l0U
— Gators Gymnastics (@GatorsGym) February 8, 2025
The high score of the rotation came from Leanne Wong with a season-high 9.950. The last time the Gators visited Bud Walton Arena, Wong posted two 10.0s – one on bars and one on beam.
Selena Harris-Miranda followed close behind with a 9.925.
Uncharacteristically, Florida’s vault lineup was somewhat inconsistent. A slight under rotation from Bui and Danie Ferris resulted in a 9.775 and 9.750, respectively.
However, the rest of the lineup was lights out. Ellie Lazzari posted a season-high 9.900 to match Wong’s score. Harris-Miranda repeated her stuck vault from last weekend, earning another 9.950.
CLOSING OUT STRONG⚓️
◾️@selena_harriss with a 9.950 on vault
📺https://t.co/WVah9hqXfq pic.twitter.com/hX47CLUAgJ
— Gators Gymnastics (@GatorsGym) February 8, 2025
Florida was just shy of matching its season high on floor with a 49.475. Freshman Taylor Clark put up a career-high 9.925 before Wong (9.925) and Harris-Miranda (9.900) closed out the rotation.
Eyes on the GymBacks
Meanwhile, Arkansas posted a season-high team score of 197.175, breaking 197 for just the second time.
The Razorbacks had a solid rotation on vault, counting four scores at 9.850 or above and earning a season high. Ja’Leigh Lang had the top score for the Razorbacks with a 9.900 after a huge stick.
Arkansas also put up a season high on bars. Maddie Jones posted a season-high 9.925 before a 9.950 from Mati Waligora, matching her career high. The two helped Arkansas eat into Florida’s lead after two rotations 98.900-98.700.
The Gymbacks’ best rotation was floor. They counted all scores at 9.850 or above, with the highlight coming from Waligora and Frankie Price (9.925).
Welcome to the Arkansas floor party, Mati 🥳 pic.twitter.com/sEVb2ZUwEC
— Arkansas Gymnastics 🐗 (@RazorbackGym) February 8, 2025
Up Next
The Gators will have find some answers on beam before they return home next week to face Auburn in their annual Link to Pink meet. Arkansas will travel to Athens, Georgia, to take on the Bulldogs.
Event Results
Vault – Selena Harris-Miranda (9.950)
Uneven Bars – Leanne Wong, Mati Waligora (9.950)
Balance Beam – Jocelyn Roberson (9.900)
Floor – Taylor Clark, Leanne Wong, Mati Waligora, Frankie Price (9.925)
All-Around – Leanne Wong (39.500)
