GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 8 Florida gymnastics begins February action Friday at No. 21 Georgia’s Stegeman Coliseum<https://georgiadogs.com/sports/2017/6/16/stegeman-coliseum-gym>. The meet begins at 7 p.m. ET and airs on the SEC Network.
It’s a youthful look for both competitive lineups this season. Georgia’s 46 percent and Florida’s 35 percent of 2024 competitive routines performed by freshmen leads all league teams. Florida is No. 1 and Georgia No. 3 in the 2024 CollegeGymFans.com<https://www.collegegymfans.com/news-sp-743792805/features/articles/item/13817-collegegymfans-com-top-recruiting-classes-of-2023-2024.html> annual ranking of gymnastics recruiting classes. Five of Florida’s six freshmen have performed 25 competitive routines in the Gators’ three meets of 2024. Six of Georgia’s eight freshmen performed 44 routines in four meets.
How to Follow the Gators:
Follow the action live:
SEC Network <https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/a467b898-c04c-44e3-a21c-7b5811cdf173> – action called by Jason Ross Jr. and Gator All-American Kennedy Baker<https://floridagators.com/sports/womens-gymnastics/roster/kennedy-baker/10688>
* Live Stats<https://www.sidearmstats.com/ugeorgia/gym/24florida.htm>
* Tickets<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>
Last Week – Florida:
Florida was nipped 197.575 – 197.425 by No. 6 Alabama in front of a sellout Exactech Arena crowd for the Jan. 26 top-10 meeting.<https://floridagators.com/news/2024/1/26/gymnastics-no-8-florida-nipped-by-no-6-alabama.aspx> The loss ended Florida’s 20 home meet win streak, which began with the 2019 home finale.
Florida trailed Alabama by 0.15 at the meet’s midway point. After a season-best performance on balance beam (49.525), 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.
Senior Victoria Nguyen set her collegiate vault best with a near-perfect 9.975, taking second to Alabama’s Lilly Hudson 10.0. Ellie Lazzari shared her first collegiate uneven bars win at her UF best of 9.925 with Alabama’s final two performers – Makarri Doggette and Luisa Blanco. Sloane Blakely used a season-best 9.925 to share the floor exercise win with Hudson. The Tide’s Luisa Blanco, the 2022 SEC Gymnast of the Year, won both balance beam (9.95) and all-around (39.70). Florida’s Leanne Wong (39.575) and Anya Pilgrim (39.525) placed 2-3 in all-around. Pilgrim’s total equals her collegiate-best, which stands as the nation’s second-highest freshman total in 2024.
About Georgia in 2024:
Georgia opened 2024 with a 196.20-194.225 home win over NC State.
The GymDogs started SEC action with a 197.15 – 195.35 loss at Arkansas. Georgia turned in its season high (197.05) in its league home opening loss versus then No. T12 Missouri (197.40). UGA closed January action with a 197.95 – 195.65 loss at then No. 7 Kentucky.
Lily Smith is one of six in nation with a perfect uneven bars mark 10.0. She also owns UGA’s 2023 season high marks on balance beam (9.95), floor exercise (9.925). Fellow freshman Ady Wahl has the team’s season-high marks for vault (9.925) and all-around (39.375).
Series Record:
Georgia leads Florida 93-64-1
This is the 159th meeting between Florida and Georgia. The Bulldogs are the Gators most frequent opponent in the program’s 52-year history.
