GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 4 Florida gymnastics seeks its fourth NCAA team title this week at the NCAA Championships. Semifinal action begins Thursday at the Dickies Arena<https://am.ticketmaster.com/dickiesarena/ism/TkNBRzIy> in Fort Worth, Texas.
Florida is the NCAA Championships’ second semifinal on Thursday, April 18 at 9 p.m. ET. A top-two team finish advances the Gators to Saturday’s four-team NCAA team final. The Gators advanced from semifinal to team final competition in 16 of the Gators’ last 18 NCAA appearances, including taking second in 2022 and 2023.
NCAA Championships Info:
Six of the top eight teams seeds advanced to 2024 NCAA Championships’ final site.
2024 NCAA Championships Field
Seed
School
Region Final Score
Region Final Result
1
Oklahoma
198.400
Ann Arbor champion
2
LSU
198.250
Fayetteville champion
3
California
198.275
Berkeley champion
4
Florida
198.325
Gainesville champion
5
Utah
197.575
Gainesville runner-up
8
Alabama
197.575
Ann Arbor runner-up
12
Arkansas
197.825
Fayetteville runner-up
19
Stanford
197.575
Berkeley runner-up
^ denotes teams in Semifinal II
Seeds set prior to NCAA Regional hold through NCAA Championships
NCAA Championships Start Events
April 18 – Semifinal I 4:30 p.m. ET
Vault
No. 2 LSU
Bars
No. 19 Stanford
Beam
No. 12 Arkansas
Floor
No. 3 California
April 18 – Semifinal II 9 p.m. ET
Vault
No. 1 Oklahoma
Bars
No. 8 Alabama
Beam
No. 5 Utah
Floor
No. 4 Florida
April 20 – Team Final at 4 p.m. ET
Vault
Semi II, Team 1
Bars
Semi II, Team 2
Beam
Semi I, Team 2
Floor
Semi I, Team 1
For the first time in the 42-year history of the NCAA Championships, teams with a national championship in their history fill a semifinal session field. Joining the Gators (3x champion) in NCAA Semifinal II are Oklahoma (6x), Alabama (6x) and Utah (9x). The 2021 NCAA Final contained three champions – Florida, Oklahoma and Utah – with Michigan becoming the seventh program to win a NCAA Gymnastics title in that meet. Four semifinals in the Super Six format (2017, 2016, 2015, 2014) featured four NCAA title teams among the six-team field.
In addition to the eight teams, 19 gymnasts who advanced as an individual all-arounder or event qualifier compete in Thursday’s semifinal action. 2020 Olympic floor exercise gold medalist Jade Carey of Oregon State joins Florida to compete as an individual all-arounder. Carey and UF’s Leanne Wong were both on the U.S.’s gold-medal team at the 2022 FIG World Championships.
Florida NCAA Championships History<https://floridagators.com/sports/2020/4/25/gymnastics-history-ncaa-championships.aspx>
How to Follow the Gators:
Find NCAA Championships action on television or via stream.
U.S. Olympians Aly Raisman and John Roethlisberger call the action with Taylor Davis providing sideline reports.
Date
Competition
TV
Stream
Scores
April 18
4:30 p.m.ET/Semi I
ESPN 2
ESPN2<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/c84b9e05-4d5d-43c8-8cb7-7bd472292e07>
Live Scoring
April 18
9 p.m. ET/ Semi II
ESPN 2
ESPN2<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/a5d75ad7-d1aa-4b8d-a3cf-3342824b7c4f>
Live Scoring
April 20
4 p.m. NCAA Team Final
ABC
ESPN+<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/39a9dce3-d1f6-48e6-9bde-228acb8ae147>
Live Scoring
April 20
6 p.m. NCAA Trophy Presentation
ESPN+<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/bd83c6e9-79cb-4aef-b993-61189dba0543>
Apparatus video stream available with Olympic medalist & Gator Great Bridget Sloan (vault & beam), Gator All-American Kennedy Baker (bars & floor), Samantha Peszek (vault & beam) and Anastasia Webb (bars & floor) calling the action.
Date
Competition
ESPN+ Links
April 18
4:30 p.m.ET/Semi I
Quad Box<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/4688649e-ba90-4c3e-94b6-38fdaabe9063>
Vault-Beam<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/91efe7d9-b902-4466-82d7-f5f7c5f6064a>
Bars-Floor<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/c2aa9b3c-2b9e-4f14-ae70-2160b3e1693d>
April 18
9 p.m. ET/ Semi II
Quad Box<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/b7961482-377c-480c-81ad-ad3ba0cfb6f1>
Vault-Beam<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/d2275bf5-81aa-4cba-8e1d-6cb77bac5d15>
Bars-Floor<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/d4afdcc4-91f3-4eb9-a2be-45a2a948a846>
April 20
4 p.m. NCAA Team Final
Quad Box<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/493144bc-65ff-427d-911e-3a922d3c7142>
Vault-Beam<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/5fa445e3-80a3-41e2-b01f-583d6b510b09>
Bars-Floor<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/097a9dca-8e9c-4df4-a411-2cf8dba87735>
Tickets: Dickies Arena<https://am.ticketmaster.com/dickiesarena/ism/TkNBRzIy>
Florida in NCAA Championships:
This is Florida’s 40th NCAA Championships’ appearance in the event’s 42-year history. Florida won the 2013, 2014 (tie) and 2015 NCAA titles.
Gators in 2024:
· Making 40th NCAA Championships appearance (second to Utah’s 42) after winning NCAA Gainesville Regional with a season-high 198.325.
· Won sixth consecutive Southeastern Conference regular-season team title (6-1). Fourth at SEC Championship meet (197.30).
· Florida has three totals among nation’s top 30: No. T15 (198.325), No. 25 (198.225) and No. 26 (198.15).
· Florida has three 2024 vault totals among nation’s top 5 – No. T4 49.60 (Feb. 23 vs LSU) and No. T5 49.575 (April 5 & April 7 in NCAA Regional).
· Two Gators claim Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) five All-America regular-season honors – Anya Pilgrim (second-team all-around and vault) and Leanne Wong (first team: uneven bars; second team – all-around, balance beam)
· Three with SEC postseason honors. Victoria Nguyen and Leanne Wong earn their third consecutive All-SEC honor. Anya Pilgrim is part of SEC All-Freshman team.
· Two Gators earned three 10.0s this season. Florida junior Leanne Wong earned her fourth uneven bars 10.0 of career on Feb. 9. Wong’s floor exercise 10.0 on Feb. 23 finished her Gym Slam – the 15th in NCAA history and the fourth Gator. Freshman Anya Pilgrim earned her first collegiate 10.0 on floor exercise at Kentucky on March 3.
· Five different Gators won all-around titles this season – Leanne Wong (5), Anya Pilgrim (2), Sloane Blakely (1), Ellie Lazzari (1) and Victoria Nguyen (1) – the largest array of all-around winners since the 2017 season.
· There are 38 gymnasts across the nation who have turned in 148 all-around totals of 39.625 or better this season. Florida leads with five different gymnasts with appearances on that list, with California and Oklahoma next with four each. The five Gators are Sloane Blakely (39.625 season high), Ellie Lazzari (39.65), Victoria Nguyen (39.625), Anya Pilgrim (39.675) and Leanne Wong (39.875).
· A Gator was recognized in five of the 11 SEC Weekly award announcements.
Gymnast of the Week: Leanne Wong (1x)
Freshman of the Week: Anya Pilgrim (5x)
· Jenny Rowland’s career coaching record now stands at 211-39-1 (nine seasons). She is the only current SEC coach with 200 or more career wins.
· Florida finished with a regular-season attendance average record of 8,702, the third highest in program history. It ranks No. 14 among all 2023-24 NCAA women’s sports. Florida drew 15,693 for the three days of NCAA Regional action, almost double of any other 2024 regional site.
In the Gators’ Last Meet:
The nation’s second-highest total in 2024 NCAA Regional action, 198.325, advanced No. 4 seed Florida to its 40th NCAA Championship.<https://floridagators.com/news/2024/4/7/gymnastics-gators-ncaa-gainesville-regional-florida-missouri-utah-michigan-state.aspx>
Florida used team event totals of 49.50 or better toward its season-best total.
Two Gators – senior Ellie Lazzari and freshman Anya Pilgrim – shared the NCAA Gainesville Regional final all-around title at 39.65. Pilgrim started and closed her 2024 Exactech Arena appearances with all-around wins. It was Lazzari’s first collegiate all-around win as she returned to the all-around this season. Lazzari competed all-around eight times as a freshman and was sidelined early in 2022 after an Achille’s tendon tear at the Georgia dual.
Through both days of NCAA Regional competition, five Gators set or equaled nine collegiate bests: Skylar Draser (9.90 bars & beam; all-around 39.50), Danie Ferris (9.925 floor), Lazzari (9.925 vault; 39.65 all-around), Pilgrim (9.975 bars) and Victoria Nguyen (9.925 floor). Florida used seven competitors in each regional round. That is the nation’s slightest number in a 2024 team meet. In the regional second round, a national season-high five Gators competed all-around.
