Gators Gymnastics To Host Auburn For Link To Pink Meet

Florida gymnastics’ 19th annual Link to Pink meet Friday night will feature a top 25 showdown between the No. 3 Gators and the No. 12 Auburn Tigers. The Gators are looking to rebound after an upset loss on the road last week to No. 15 Arkansas. Meanwhile, the Tigers pulled off an upset of their own over No. 11 Georgia.

Gators Fall Short

The Gators suffered a heartbreaking 197.175-196.625 loss last week to Arkansas on the road. Florida was leading by .650 heading into the final rotation, but several costly mistakes on beam resulted in the Razorbacks’ second upset of the No. 2 team this season.

Despite disappointment on beam, the Gators had three other great rotations. They matched their season high on bars with a near-perfect 9.950 from Leanne Wong and a 9.900 from freshman Ly Bui in her bars debut.

Selena Harris-Miranda had another stuck vault, for which she was rewarded her second straight 9.950 on the apparatus.

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 coach Jenny Rowland knows her team didn’t perform to the best of their ability last week, but the Gators are focusing on turning the page and focusing on Auburn.

She noted that no major changes need to be made to the routines, just minor adjustments to maximize scoring potential. Rowland also sees it as a positive that the Gators haven’t put out their best scores on all four events, because that would mean they aren’t peaking at the right time.

Tigers Down Dawgs

Last week in Neville Arena, Auburn bounced back from a loss to Kentucky by upsetting No. 11 Georgia 197.300-197.200.

The Tigers’ best rotation was definitely floor, where they counted four scores at 9.900 or above. Sophia Groth highlighted the rotation with a 9.950.

Auburn did not have a gymnast compete in the all-around competition against Georgia, which could prove to be Florida’s advantage. The Gators typically have three or four athletes in the all-around.

Link to Pink

The Gators typically have good luck at their Link to Pink meets. Last season Florida hosted Arkansas when Wong scored a perfect 10.0 on bars. It was also a strong showing for sophomore Anya Pilgrim, who posted three scores at 9.900 or above.

The Link to Pink meet presents a unique opportunity for the gymnasts to compete for something bigger than themselves. Friday’s cause of raising awareness about the prevention and treatment of breast cancer means a little more to sophomore Skylar Draser. Her grandmother Patricia is a breast cancer survivor and will be in attendance for Friday’s meet.

Florida 19th annual Link to Pink meet will start at 8:15 p.m. Friday in the Stephen C. O’Connell center and will air on the SEC Network.