No. 8 Florida Gymnastics Nipped by No. 6 Alabama

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 8 Florida gymnastics was edged on the final rotation by No. 6 Alabama Friday in front of a sellout Exactech Arena crowd for the Gators Alumni Night presented by GFL.

Both teams turned in season high totals Friday. Alabama won at 197.575 and Florida posted a 197.425.

Florida trailed Alabama by 0.15 at the meet’s midway point. After a season-best performance on balance beam, Florida erased that margin to even the team standings heading into the final rotation. UF’s floor exercise scores couldn’t keep pace with Alabama, who closed the meet by also tallying a season-best on balance beam to claim the win by 0.15.

Alabama’s dual meet win was its first in Gainesville since 2001. This result ended Florida’s 20 home meet win streak, which started with the 2019 home finale. The Gators earned 27 wins in that stretch.

TONIGHT’S MEET
Florida was led by Victoria Nguyen’s near-perfect 9.975 on vault on its opening event. Junior Leanne Wong set her season best (9.95) and freshman Anya Pilgrim also landed a collegiate-best 9.925. Alabama’s Lilly Hudson used the nation’s third vault 10.0 to win the event title.

In her first uneven bars performance since the 2021 NCAA team final, senior Ellie Lazzari led the Gators on the event with a collegiate-best 9.925. Wong anchored the lineup with a 9.90. Lazzari shared the uneven bars win with Alabama’s final two performers – Makarri Doggette and Luisa Blanco.

A season-best 49.525 on balance team moved Florida into a tie with Alabama after the third rotation. Florida used four marks of 9.9 or better toward its beam total, led by back-to-back 9.925s by Sloane Blakely and Pilgrim. Lazzari and Nguyen also posted consecutive 9.90s.

Blakely set her season best with her lively floor routine that includes cuts from Queen Latifah, Lil Kim and Fatman Scoop. She shared the floor title with Alabama’s Lily Hudson at 9.925.

Alabama’s Blanco used a season-high 39.70 to win Friday’s all-around. Wong was second (39.575) while Pilgrim placed third (39.525).

GATOR NOTES:

* Victoria Nguyen’s near-perfect vault of 9.975 came on just the sixth vault of her collegiate career. She’s vaulted four times as a Gator and twice in her two seasons at Georgia.
* Anya Pilgrim has turned in the nation’s leading freshman total of 39.525 in both of her all-around performances this season.
* Ellie Lazzari’s collegiate best mark of 9.925 came in her first uneven bars performance since the 2021 NCAA Team Final.
* More than 30 Gator alums returned to the O’Connell Center Friday night, spanning from the program’s first season in 1973 to Florida’s 2023 SEC champion and NCAA runner-up team. These Gators played a role in the program’s four national team championships, 15 Southeastern Conference titles, 27 national individual crowns and earned more than 500 All-America honors.
* Tonight’s meet is the 11th consecutive home sellout. With the next two SEC home meets already sold out, the Gators will have 19 sellouts in a 22-meet span. Florida’s attendance Friday was 8,896.
* Florida’s 49.525 ties for the nation’s fourth highest balance beam total in 2024.

* Three Gators equaled or set collegiate bests Friday:
* Ellie Lazzari – 9.925 (bars)
* Victoria Nguyen – 9.975 (vault)
* Anya Pilgrim – 9.925 (vault & beam), 39.525 (all-around)

HEAR FROM COACH ROWLAND:
“First of all, wanted to thank all of our alumni. Tonight was Alumni Night and we are extremely grateful for all of those strong women who have paved a path for the Gators to have what they have and experience what they do out in the O’Dome. Really grateful for all those women who came back.

“Really proud of this team tonight. A lot more free routines I saw from our team tonight. Free means competing comfortably, confidently and just owning what they do like they show every day in the training gym. Really great steps. Amazing, shining moments all throughout tonight. The Gators got better tonight. I know they will be ready to get back in the gym on Sunday to keep taking those steps forward to continue to get better.” – Florida Head Coach Jenny Rowland

RECORDS: Florida (4-1, 1-1 SEC), Alabama (5-0-1, 2-0-1 SEC)

THE SERIES: Alabama leads 76-52-1.

NATIONAL RANK:
Florida – No. 8 in the Jan. 22 Road to Nationals standings<https://roadtonationals.com/results/standings/season/2024/2/0/5>
Alabama – No. 6

UP NEXT:
Florida continues SEC action next Friday at No. 18 Georgia (1-3, 0-3 SEC). The GymDogs lost 197.95 -195.65 at No. 7 Kentucky Friday night.

When: Friday, Feb. 2 at 7 p.m. ET
Venue: Stegeman Coliseum<https://georgiadogs.com/sports/2017/6/16/stegeman-coliseum-gym>
TV: SEC Network <https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/a467b898-c04c-44e3-a21c-7b5811cdf173>
Live Stats: Stats<https://www.sidearmstats.com/ugeorgia/gym/24florida.htm>
Tickets: $10<https://georgiadogs.evenue.net/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/SEGetEventInfo?ticketCode=GS%3AUGA%3AGYM24%3A03%3A&linkID=uga&shopperContext=&pc=&caller=&appCode=&groupCode=GYMSIN&cgc=&dataAccId=756&locale=en_US&siteId=ev_uga>

No. 8 Florida vs No. 6 Alabama
Final Team Totals

Jan. 26, 2024 ● Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center (8,896 – sellout)

Team

Vault

Bars

Beam

Floor

Total

Alabama

49.400