Florida Gymnastics Comes Up Just Short at LSU

The No. 7 Florida gymnastics team took on the defending national champion LSU Tigers on the road Friday. The Gators fell 197.55-197.45, a margin of just 0.1, and it came down to the last routine of the night.

Starting off the Meet

With home-arena advantage, the No. 2 Tigers began the night on vault, while the Gators took to the uneven bars.

After a fall from her sister Sloane in the leadoff, freshman Skye Blakely put up a 9.775 in just her second competitive routine since tearing her Achilles at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials. Senior Leanne Wong scored the highest in the Gators’ bar rotation with a 9.85.

9.850 for our ceo pic.twitter.com/sxieSvYYfr

— Gators Gymnastics (@GatorsGym) January 18, 2025

The Tigers started off the night with a 9.775 from freshman Lexi Zeiss, followed by a near perfect 9.95 by Aleah Finnegan. Sophomore Amari Drayton and back-to-back SEC Freshman of the Week Kailin Chio wrapped up LSU’s time on vault with a 9.875 and 9.925, respectively.

Ending the First Half

Sophomore Anya Pilgrim put up a stuck landing and a 9.925 to get the Gators started on the vault. After two scores of 9.85, Wong achieved a 9.925. The SEC Co-Specialist of the Week Danie Ferris hit a 9.825 before UCLA transfer Selena Harris-Miranda got a 9.9 to end off the rotation for Florida.

On the bars, Alexis Jeffrey scored a 9.9 before Chio had a fall in the fourth spot in the lineup. Finnegan and sophomore Konnor McClain came back with a 9.825 and 9.925 to end the rotation for the Tigers.

The Gators narrowed LSU’s previous lead of 0.325 to 0.175 with their highest team vault score of the season (49.45).

Rotation Three

Fifth year Victoria Nguyen led off Florida’s floor rotation with a 9.9. Ferris competed floor for the first time this season and put up a 9.875. Sloane Blakely had a near perfect 9.95 routine with her sister cheering her on in the corner of the floor, receiving a 10 from one judge. In Harris-Miranda’s Gator debut on the event, she scored a 9.9 to finish off her team’s highest floor score of the season (49.5).

https://twitter.com/GatorsGym/status/1880430460079337979

LSU sophomore Kylie Coen competed in her first collegiate routine on the beam Friday night. She matched fifth-year Sierra Ballard‘s leadoff 9.875. Chio and McClain put up a 9.925 and 9.9 before fifth-year Honda Award winner Haleigh Bryant scored a 9.95. Bryant is coming back from an elbow injury, limiting her to beam and floor for the meet.

The Tigers’ 49.525 on the rotation is their highest score on the beam this season. LSU remained on top with a 0.2 advantage over the Gators going into the final event of the night.

Wrapping Up

Florida’s sophomore Skylar Draser found herself back in a lineup Friday night. Her leadoff performance on beam earned a 9.85. Sloane Blakely posted a 9.95 in the two-spot for the Gators. Wong, the No. 1 beam worker in the country, started her routine with a significant bobble, resulting in a 9.775. However, Harris-Miranda finished off the night with a 9.875 for Florida.

This floor rotation by the Tigers was the lowest score they have put up on the apparatus so far this season (49.375). Ballard’s leadoff routine is a consistent score head coach Jay Clark looks upon for LSU. After some subtly rocky landings, she scored a 9.825. With a low score on the event by Drayton (9.75), Finnegan and Bryant brought their experience and high scores of 9.95 and 9.9 to clinch the meet for the Tigers in front of the third-largest crowd in their arena’s history.

Final

Harris-Miranda and Finnegan tied for the all-around title with scores of 39.5. This is Harris-Miranda’s first time in all four events and first event title as a Florida Gator. Finnegan, however, won her second all-around title of the season.

Finnegan was given the crown for highest vault score on the night (9.95). McClain won the uneven bars with her 9.925 in just her third competition back since tearing her Achilles in May 2024. Sloane Blakely tied for a victory on the beam and floor with scores of 9.95. Bryant was awarded co-winner on beam, while Finnegan shared a piece of the floor title.

https://twitter.com/LSUgym/status/1880444234664407100

Florida’s improvement is one head coach Jenny Rowland was looking to see after a 196.675 in last week’s home quad meet. The Gators did just that by scoring the sixth best team score in the country this year.

The Gators will be back at home next week to face the Georgia GymDogs. The red and black, now led by Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles’s coach Cécile Canqueteau-Landi, put up a 196.825 Friday to defeat Boise State.