GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The 2023 Florida gymnastics season starts this Friday. Preseason No. 2 Florida opens the campaign with a home quad versus Ball State, Lindenwood and West Virginia.
The meet starts at 6:45 p.m. in the Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center<https://www.oconnellcenter.ufl.edu/events/gymnastics-vs-ball-state-lindenwood-west-virginia/>. Gates open at 5:30 p.m.
Florida opens 2023 with a home quad meet for the second consecutive season. The Gators used the program’s top season-opening total to start the 2022 season.<https://floridagators.com/news/2022/1/7/preseason-no-2-florida-gymnastics-opens-with-quad-meet-win.aspx>
Arrive Early to Cheer Your Gators
Be in your Exactech Arena seat by 6:45 p.m. to take in the new floor projection show which leads into the Gators first entrance for the 2023 campaign. Get ready to raise your phone with Gator Lights during the floor projection.
Here’s some tips to expedite your trip to the Exactech Arena Friday:
Getting TO the Arena:
* Season parking holders can enter the O’Connell Center lot off Lemerand Drive OR SW 2nd Avenue.
* Public parking is available in the O’Connell Center parking garage on first-come basis. Those wishing to park in the garage must enter lot off SW 2nd Avenue.
* A complimentary parking shuttle transports fans from which originates at Garage 109 (located at corner of Archer Road and Lemerand Drive. to the O’Connell Center. The parking shuttle begins at 5 p.m. Parking map for Gator Gymnastics<https://floridagators.com/sports/2015/12/10/_facilities_parking_gymnastics_.aspx>
* Use the Waze app<https://www.waze.com/live-map/directions?to=ll.29.6517704%2C-82.3508596> to provide the best route to parking shuttle.
* For 5-10 minutes following Gator gymnastics meets, Lemerand Drive will close for north and south bound traffic from University Avenue to Stadium Road to provide pedestrians a safe exit.
* More information at 2023 Meet Guide<https://floridagators.com/sports/2015/12/10/_gameday_gymnastics_.aspx>
Getting IN the Arena:
* To get tickets ahead of Friday’s meet, visit the FloridaGators.com ticket site<https://floridagators.com/sports/2015/12/10/_tickets_gymnastics_.aspx> or stop by the Gator Ticket Office (open Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.).
* Click here to get half-price general admission tickets for Friday’s opener!<https://offer.fevo.com/gymnastics-vs-ball-st-lindenwood-west-virginia-oazddx1-db68cd8?fevoUri=gymnastics-vs-ball-st-lindenwood-west-virginia-oazddx1-db68cd8%2F>
* The O’Connell Center ticket windows open at 5 p.m., with the gates opening at 5:30 p.m. Gates 1 and 2 will be open for each gymnastics meet. UF students should enter at Gate 3.
* All Gator Athletics tickets are mobile. Visit Mobile Ticketing Guide<https://spark.adobe.com/page/0oiC6OLlbeGQN/> to help expediate your entrance into the arena. To help zip through the entrance, be sure to add your tickets to your digital wallet in case of possible connectivity issues outside the gate. Then have tickets up on device to present for scanning.
* Bags are checked before entering the building. Everyone will go through the O’Connell Center metal detectors when entering. When using the metal detectors fans need to empty their pockets prior to screening, then walk through the detector. After that, tickets will be scanned and then you are ready to cheer your Gators!
Friday’s Promotions:
* Gator Scrunchie – First 1,000 fans Friday receive a free Gators Gymnastics scrunchie.
* GNV Night – Performances from local youth gyms and elementary schools at Friday’s opener. Gators welcoming gymnastics clubs from around the state.
* Student Tailgate – Arrive early at Gate 3 to enjoy a Chick-fil-a Nugget Bar (first 200 students)!
* Student Fanny Packs – Gators gymnastics fanny packs for first 1,000 UF students in attendance.
* Gate 1 Giveaways – Be sure to pick up 2023 Gators Gymnastics season poster, schedule magnet and 10.0 fan cards when you enter at O’Connell Center Gate 1.
* Kid’s Corner – Located on the Practice Courts near Gate 4, kids can get a free t-shirt, temporary tattoos, play games, make posters, get a shot taken in the SEC Championship Trophy photo booth, meet the mascots & Dazzlers, and more!
How to Follow the Gators:
Follow the action live:
* SEC Network +<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/1ddc8d47-677e-4cc4-92e1-e3d526fff75d> – action called by Kyle Crooks and Gator gymnastics alumnae Sydney Johnson-Scharpf.
* Live scores<http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=438596>
The 2023 Gators:
Florida returns two of the five Gators who earned 17 All-America honors in 2022 – Trinity Thomas (9 honors) and Leanne Wong (8 honors). Thomas is the just the sixth since 2000 to return as the sports reigning Honda Award winner. In addition, Thomas won three titles in 2022 NCAA (all-around, uneven bars, floor exercise) and SEC (all-around, vault, floor) Championships competition.
Florida equals the national high with five gymnastics with 10.0s on the 2023 roster – Rachel Baumann – floor 1x, Sloane Blakely – floor 1x; Leah Clapper – beam 1x, Thomas – vault 3x; bars 1x, beam 1x; floor 7x; Leanne Wong – vault 1x, bars 1x. Thomas’ 12 10.0s topped all in 2022 action and is second all-time in a NCAA season.
More on 2023 Gators:
* The 17-member 2023 Gator team includes five All-Americans with 40 All-America honors.
* UF returns 16 of the 24 routines from its 2022 NCAA runner-up performance.
* Four newcomers join the Gators – two freshmen and two transfers.
* Headlining the returners is 2022 Honda Award winner and three-time NCAA champion (2022 all-around, uneven bars, floor exercise) Trinity Thomas. She is joined by three others competing for their fifth season with the Gators – Halley Taylor and All-Americans Leah Clapper and Savannah Schoenherr. Payton Richards is the Gators only senior.
* The junior class includes Chloi Clark, Alex Magee and All-American Ellie Lazzari.
* Sophomores include Sloane Blakely, Bri Edwards, Riley McCusker and All-American Leanne Wong. Morgan Hurd looks to make her Gator competitive debut as injury sidelined her in 2022.
* Freshmen Gators are Lori Brubach (Apopka, Fla.) and Kayla DiCello (Boyds, Md.).
* Both transfers join the Gators from Georgia – Super Senior Rachel Baumann (younger sister of Gator All-American and 2022 Super Senior Alyssa Baumann) and junior Victoria Nguyen.
* A national-high four among the 2023 Gators earned World Championship’ individual or team medals for the U.S. – DiCello (2021 World all-around bronze), Hurd (2017 World AA champion, beam silver; 2018 beam silver, floor bronze, team gold), McCusker (2018 team gold) and Wong (2021 AA silver; 2022 team gold)
Florida in 2022:
A NCAA Championships’ runner-up finish concluded the Gators’ outstanding 2022 season. Florida swept Southeastern Conference regular season and championship meet titles. A team record of 198.775 – which also stands as the nation’s No. 3 team total all-time – in the NCAA Auburn Regional final advanced Florida to its 38th NCAA Championships. UF set or matched four team scoring records in 2022: 198.775 (team), 49.725 (vault), 49.725 (bars) and 49.75 (beam).
