Trio of 10.0s Boost No. 2 Florida Gymnastics in Win versus No. 5 Auburn

Trio of 10.0s Boost No. 2 Florida in Win versus No. 5 Auburn
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – There were plenty of storylines around Friday’s gymnastics dual featuring No. 2 Florida versus No. 5 Auburn.

* Nation’s top dual of the weekend
* Sellout crowd
* First collegiate meet with four U.S. Olympic or World Championships all-around medalists
* Plus would Florida’s Super Senior Trinity Thomas extend her streak of consecutive of meets with a 10.0?

All played a part in Florida’s 197.825 – 197.20 win in front of 9,676 – the third largest crowd since the Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center reopened in 2017 after a renovation. Sophomore Leanne Wong, 2021 World Championships all-around silver medalist, earned a pair of 10.0s to give her the nation’s early all-around high of 39.825. And Thomas did push out her stretch of 10.0 meets to six straight with her perfect floor exercise mark.

TONIGHT’S MEET
Wong and Thomas took each of Friday’s event titles. The pair went one-two in their 2023 all-around debuts, with Wong winning her fourth title at 39.825 and Thomas taking second at 39.725 – which is the nation’s No. 3 total.

Thomas is now two-for-two in vault titles, matching her winning total of a week ago (9.925) to take her 19th career win for the event on Friday. Three shared second at 9.90 – Florida freshman Kayla DiCello and Auburn’s Derrian Gobourne and Sunisa Lee.

Wong anchored the uneven bars with her second 10.0 of her career. She was the first in the nation with a perfect bars mark in 2022 and also posted the nation’s first on the event this season. Thomas took second with a near-perfect 9.975 and DiCello set her bars high of 9.925 to complete the Gator sweep.

The first double 10.0 meet for Wong came on the next event, earning her first perfect balance beam mark. She is third Gator with two 10.0s in a single meet. DiCello turned in her third season-high of the night, sharing second at 9.925 with Auburn’s Cassie Stevens.

Thomas’ 10.0 is her fifth consecutive for floor exercise – dating back to 2022 NCAA Regional Second Round action. For the second consecutive season, Thomas earned a 10.0 in her floor debut. Wong matched her collegiate-best of 9.975 to take second. Auburn’s Super Senior Derrian Gobourne took third at 9.95.

GATOR PERFORMANCE NOTES:

* Florida’s 197.825 is the nation’s second-highest of this young season.
* Three different Gators earned double 10.0s in a single meet on six occasions:
* Leanne Wong: Jan. 13, 2023 (bars, beam)
* Trinity Thomas: April 2, 2022 (vault, floor), March 31, 2022 (bars, floor), Jan. 16, 2022 (vault, floor), Feb. 26, 2021 (bars, floor)
* Alex McMurtry: Jan. 26, 2018 (vault, beam)
* Florida sold out 12 of the last 15 meets and the last six consecutive.
* In the last six meets she competed, Thomas earned eight 10.0s – 2022 NCAA Regional Second Round (UB, FX), NCAA Regional final (V, FX), NCAA Semi (FX), NCAA Final (FX), 2023 opener (BB) and 2023 vs Auburn (FX). There’s a Gym Slam in the span.
* Thomas now moves to up to a tie for No. 4 among the nation’s 10.0 leaders with a career total of 22 perfect marks.

* The two event titles pushes Thomas’ school-record total of wins to 118. She is the only Gator with more than 100 event wins.
* Collegiate bests equaled or set tonight:
* Kayla DiCello – 9.90 (vault), 9.925 (bars & beam)
* Victoria Nguyen – 9.90 (floor)
* Payton Richards – 9.925 (floor)
* Trinity Thomas – 10.0 (floor)
* Leanne Wong – 10.0 (bars, beam); 9.975 (floor)

Equality Night:
Friday was the team’s third Equality Night, with the first in 2021. The Gators celebrate all who make up the team, staff, University and Gainesville communities and fans. The team share messages of unity and inclusiveness in their words and accessories at Friday’s meet.

Coach Rowland Said:
“What an electrifying night it was in the O’Dome. Always have to give props to Gator Nation. So grateful for them coming and showing up for the Gators tonight. Really amplifies the sport’s performance and excitement level on the competition floor. It was a super fun meet today.

“This team did a great job this week. The mission was to move forward together in honor of Equality Night and for each other. I can’t say enough about the team, their grit, their passion for each other. It was an emotional night for me, watching some performances that we may not have been expecting, some performances that were just outstanding and I couldn’t be more proud for this team moving forward.” – Florida Head Coach Jenny Rowland

RECORDS: Florida (4-0, 1-0 SEC), Auburn (1-3, 0-1 SEC)

THE SERIES: Florida leads 91-10-1.

National Rank:
Florida – Florida is No. 2 in the Jan. 9 Road to Nationals rankings<https://roadtonationals.com/results/standings/season/2023/1/0/5>
Auburn – The Tigers are No. 5<https://roadtonationals.com/results/standings/season/2023/1/0/5>

UP NEXT:
It’s another top-10 dual as Florida opens SEC road action next Friday at No. 8 Alabama.

When: Friday, Jan. 20 at 7:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Coleman Coliseum <https://rolltide.com/sports/2016/6/10/facilities-gymnastics-facility-html.aspx>
TV: ESPNU<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/a9541785-630b-44bc-a10b-0e31aa929a1c>
Live Scores: StatBroadcast<http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=438472&vislive=fla>
Tickets: $10 Adult; $5 Youth<https://rolltide.evenue.net/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/SEGetEventInfo?ticketCode=GS%3AIBM%3AG23%3AG02%3A&linkID=ubama&shopperContext=&pc=&caller=&appCode=&groupCode=&cgc=>

No. 2 Florida versus No. 5 Auburn
Final Team Totals

Jan. 13, 2023 ● Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center (9,676 – sellout)

Team

Vault

Bars

Beam

Floor