Gators Gymnastics Season Opens Friday
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida gymnastics starts the 2024 season this Friday. Preseason No. 2 Florida opens the campaign with a home quad versus Fisk, George Washington and Talladega College for Equality Night sponsored by Publix.
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-fisk-george-washington-talladega/>. Gates open at 5:30 p.m.
This is the third straight year Florida opens the season with a home quad meet. The Gators used the program’s top season-opening total to start the 2023 season.<https://floridagators.com/news/2023/1/6/gymnastics-no-2-florida-sets-season-opening-high-to-start-2023-with-quad-win.aspx>
Season Opener for All – Program Start for Talladega
Friday’s meet not only opens the 2024 season for each of the four teams, it is also Talladega College’s program debut. The Tornadoes are the second Historically Black College and Universities (HBCU) program to add women’s gymnastics in the last two seasons.
Fisk became the first HBCU program with a women’s gymnastics team with its 2023 season debut. Florida helped Fisk’s launch by donating a spring floor and several leotards<https://collegegymnews.com/2022/12/14/florida-gifts-first-hbcu-team-fisk-leotards-spring-floor/>. Both head coaches for Fisk (Corrinne Wright Tarver / Georgia) and Talladega (Aja Sims-Fletcher / Alabama) competed in the O’Connell Center during their collegiate careers. Wright-Tarver became the first Black gymnast to win the NCAA all-around in 1989. Joining her on the coaching sidelines Friday is the latest Black gymnast NCAA all-around winner – Florida’s student coach Trinity Thomas (2022).
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 2024 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.
* 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.
* Check the Parking Lot Availability Tracker<https://floridagators.com/sports/2015/12/10/_facilities_parking_gymnastics_.aspx> to see your options in real time.
* 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 2024 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.).
* 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:
* Student Tailgate – Arrive early at Gate 3 to get one of the Gator Gymnastics beanies (first 500 students)!
* Gate 1 Giveaways – Be sure to pick up 2024 Gators Gymnastics season poster, schedule magnet and 10.0 fan cards when you enter at O’Connell Center Gate 1.
* O2B Kid’s Corner – Located on the Practice Courts near Gate 4, kids can get free giveaways, temporary tattoos, play games, make posters, meet the mascots & Dazzlers, and more!
How to Follow the Gators:
Follow the action live:
* SEC Network +<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/bdd95a41-5a7f-46e3-b258-5842f6eba1b4> – action called by Kyle Crooks and Gator gymnastics alumnae Stacey Gleim.
* Live scores<https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=497229>
The 2024 Gators:
* The 17-member 2024 Gator team includes six All-Americans with 20 All-America honors.
* UF returns 15 of the 24 routines from its 2023 NCAA runner-up performance.
* All-American Payton Richards is back for a Super Senior season.
* The senior class includes Chloi Clark, Michala Magee and All-American Ellie Lazzari.
* The junior class includes Bri Edwards and Morgan Hurd plus a trio of All-Americas – Sloane Blakely, Riley McCusker and Leanne Wong.
* Lori Brubach is the lone sophomore.
* Equaling the program’s second-highest incoming class, six freshmen join the Gators in 2024 – Alyssa Arana (Miami, Fla.), Kaylee Bluffstone (Lutz, Fla.), Gabby Disidore (Overland Park, Kansas), Skylar Draser (South Huntington, N.Y.), Danie Ferris (Palm Coast, Fla.) and Anya Pilgrim (Germantown, Md.)
* A national-high three among the 2024 Gators earned World Championship’ individual or team medals for the U.S. -Hurd (2017 World AA champion, beam silver; 2018 beam silver, floor bronze, team gold), McCusker (2018 team gold) and Wong (2021 AA silver, FX bronze; 2022 team gold, 2023 team gold)
* Five Gators have been a part of U.S. Senior national teams – Blakely (2018-19), Hurd (2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20, 2021), McCusker (2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20, 2021), Nguyen (2016-17), Wong (2018-19, 2019-20, 2021, 2022, 2023). Five former/current U.S. Senior national team members is the national high for the 2024 season.
* Two Gators own collegiate bests of 10.0 -Blakely (floor) and Wong (vault, bars, beam)
Florida in 2023:
A runner-up finish in Florida’s 39th NCAA Championships’ appearance concluded the Gators’ outstanding 2023 season. Florida swept Southeastern Conference regular season and championship meet titles. UF set the team uneven bars record (49.80) in 2023 and three Gators turned in nation’s high total of 14 perfect marks in 2023 – Kayla DiCello – bars 2x; Trinity Thomas – vault 2x; bars 1x, beam 3x; floor 2x; Leanne Wong – bars 2x, beam 2x. Thomas’ eight 10.0s topped all in 2023 action.
End of report
