Gators Gymnastics Enter Regionals as Top Seed

After the SEC Championship in Huntsville, Alabama, the NCAA announced the seeding of the four regional competitions for women’s gymnastics. In the announcement video on Monday evening, the NCAA revealed that the Florida Gators will go to the Athens, Georgia, Regional as the top-seeded program.

Competition Format

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Nine different teams will make the trip to Athens to compete for a spot at the National Championships in Ft. Worth. The two lowest-seeded teams, North Carolina State and Western Michigan, will compete on Thursday to earn a spot in the Regional Semifinals. From there, the eight remaining teams will compete on Friday. The top four teams will advance to the Regional Final, where the top two teams will earn a spot in Nationals.

The Gators will only compete against one team that they have faced this year: the hosting Georgia Bulldogs. Besides the ‘Dawgs, the field of teams features programs from across the nation. Denver will hope to keep their momentum going after upsetting Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship. Minnesota is the highest-ranked team besides the Gators, entering the competition as the No.8 team in the nation.

Bouncing Back From SECs

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In the team’s last meet before regionals, Florida came in third place at the SEC Championship. After this result, the team will hope to rebound and show the nation why the team is the top-seeded team in the nation. The two teams that the Gators placed behind, Alabama and LSU, are competing in Tuscaloosa and Salt Lake City, respectively. The three SEC powerhouses will have to wait until Ft. Worth for a potential rematch.

One key storyline to follow with the team is the health of junior Trinity Thomas. After injuring her ankle while warming up for a meet against Alabama, Trinity has been limited ever since. The five-time All-American was ruled out of the Alabama meet, and only competed in one event at the SEC Championship. If the Gators want to push for their first national championship since 2015, Thomas’ health will be crucial.

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