GAINESVILLE, Fla. – It’s now a familiar storyline when these two teams meet. For the third consecutive year, the Southeastern Conference regular-season gymnastics title is part of the narrative for the No. 5 Florida versus No. 6 Kentucky dual.
Florida enters Sunday’s regular-season league finale with a 5-1 record and will own at least a share of the 2024 SEC title – its sixth consecutive. Both No. 2 LSU and Kentucky bring a 4-2 record into the league’s final weekend. Wins by both this weekend would have Florida, Kentucky and LSU sharing the 2024 SEC regular-season title with 5-2 records. Sunday’s meet is the first time Florida competes in UK’s Rupp Arena. The meet begins at 2 p.m. ET and airs on ESPN2.
The SEC began recognizing a regular-season champion in 2017. Since then, that trophy went to either LSU (2017, 2018) or Florida (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024).
Sunday’s meet is Florida’s second consecutive top-10 dual and third of the season. The Gators split in those top-10 duals, dropping a 197.575-197.425 decision in Jan. 26 home action versus then No. 6 Alabama. Last Friday in Gainesville, UF won the nation’s top dual of the weekend with a 198.15-197.95 upset of No. 2 LSU.
There will be three gymnasts competing Sunday with six perfect marks this season – Makenzie Wilson – UK (vault), Raena Worley – UK (bars, floor) and Leanne Wong – UF (bars, floor).
Current SEC Standings:
SEC Standings (as of Feb. 23, 2024)
School
SEC Record
Overall
Florida
5-1
10-1
Kentucky
4-2
7-3
LSU
4-2
7-3
Alabama
3-2-1
9-2-1
Arkansas
3-2-1
6-5-1
Missouri
2-4
8-4
Auburn
2-4
6-6
Georgia
0-6
1-6
Remaining SEC Regular Season Schedule:
Friday, March 1
Alabama at LSU
Auburn at Georgia
Sunday, March 3
Florida at Kentucky
Arkansas at Missouri
Top-10 Duals:
March opens like a lion with a season-high four top-10 duals across the nation.
Half involve Southeastern Conference teams – with the three teams (Florida, Kentucky, LSU) holding league regular-season title hopes part of each of those duals.
Friday, March 1
No. 7 Michigan at No. 1 Oklahoma
No. 9 Alabama at No. 2 LSU
Saturday, March 2
No. 4 Utah at No. 3 California
Sunday, March 3
No. 5 Florida at No. 6 Kentucky
How to Follow the Gators:
Follow the action live:
ESPN2 <https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/88e52862-e97b-4756-a155-32c00310e6e6> – Olympians John Roethlisberger and Kathy Johnson Clarke call the action and Taylor Davis provides sideline reports
* Live Stats<https://www.statbroadcast.com/events/statmonitr.php?gid=kty>
* Tickets<https://ukathletics.com/ticketing/gymnastics/>
Final Rotation Comeback Concludes with a Gym Slam:
A season-best 198.15 elevated No. 5 Florida to win the weekend’s top dual held in front of a sellout Exactech Arena crowd. No. 2 LSU posted its 2024 road high of 197.95. Florida is the nation’s only team to improve its score in each 2024 meet.
The win was hard-earned, as Florida headed into the final rotation trailing by 0.15. Florida’s finish on floor exercise included collegiate or season bests from its first four competitors. Then UF’s fifth performer, Super Senior Payton Richards, opened her floor routine with a hit double layout but stopped the routine due to a right-foot injury. Florida needed a solid routine from its final performer to earn the win.
Junior All-American Leanne Wong’s walk-off floor 10.0 not only elevated her team to the win, it finished off Wong’s ‘Gym Slam’ [a 10.0 in each apparatus]. She is the 15th in NCAA history with a Gym Slam and Florida leads with four on the list (Bridget Sloan, Alex McMurtry, Trinity Thomas).
Floor was one of four event titles Wong won at least a share of Friday. She set the nation’s 2024 high of 39.875 to win her fourth all-around title of her junior season. She won bars (9.95) and shared the balance beam win with freshman Anya Pilgrim, who set her collegiate best of 9.975. Pilgrim was third in the all-around, upping the nation’s 2024 freshman high to 39.65.
Three season-best team totals for the Gators were set versus LSU: vault (49.60), balance beam (49.625) and floor exercise (49.70). The vault total ties for No. 7 and floor tally ties for No. 10 in program history.
Friday’s performance earned two Gators weekly honors:
Leanne Wong: Feb. 27 Southeastern Conference Gymnast of the Week
Anya Pilgrim: Feb.27 Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week
Kentucky in 2024:
Kentucky was one of three SEC teams to advance to 2023 NCAA semifinal action and has been among the nation’s top 10 every week this season. Kentucky set its all-time high of 197.95 in its Jan. 26 win versus Georgia. That meet also included the Wildcats’ first two 10.0s of the season – Makenzie Wilson (vault) and Raena Worley (floor). Worley added another floor and an uneven bars 10.0 in February to bring her career total to three perfect marks.
Series Record:
Florida leads Kentucky 95-1
