GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 2 Florida gymnastics used its season-best to defeat No. 17 Georgia in front of another sold out Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center crowd.
Florida's 197.90 stands as the nation's fourth-highest of the season's first month. Georgia's 196.85 is its second-highest total of 2023.
Boosting the Gators' team total was a
Trinity Thomas 10.0, a pair of near perfect uneven bars marks by Thomas and
Leanne Wong and season-high event totals for vault and balance beam.
The result moves Florida to the top of the Southeastern Conference regular-season unbeaten record. More on that streak below:
FLORIDA SETS SEC REGULAR-SEASON UNBEATEN RECORD
All Southeastern Conference teams began facing each league team in regular-season action in 1992.
With its win tonight versus the last team to defeat UF in regular-season action (UGA win on Feb. 22, 2019), Florida now owns the Southeastern Conference regular-season unbeaten streak record.
| Streak |
School |
Started |
Ended |
| 24-0-1 |
Florida |
3/1/19 @ Arkansas |
current |
| 24-0 |
Georgia |
1/19/92 vs LSU |
3/1/96 @ Alabama |
| 23-0-1 |
Georgia |
1/20/06 vs Arkansas |
1/15/10 @ Alabama |
| 19-0-1 |
Georgia |
1/19/97 vs Florida |
3/4/00 @ Alabama |
| 19-0 |
Georgia |
1/25/02 @Auburn |
2/4/05 vs Florida |
| 17-0 |
LSU |
2/19/16 vs Auburn |
1/11/19 @ Auburn |
TONIGHT'S MEET
Thomas opened her evening with her third 10.0 of the season, this time on vault. It gives Thomas her fourth career Gym Slam, as she is the only collegiate gymnast ever with at least four 10.0s on each apparatus. Wong and freshman
Kayla DiCello shared second at 9.875 with Georgia's Naya Howard. Florida's 49.425 ups its season vault best by more than a tenth.
A near-perfect uneven bars mark of 9.975 was posted first by Thomas and then by Wong in the anchor position. Sophomore
Sloane Blakely set her collegiate bars best of 9.925 to complete the Gator sweep of the event.
Wong anchored UF's beam set with her winning mark of 9.925. Blakely led off the lineup with a season-best beam mark of 9.9, sharing second with DiCello, UGA's Haley de Jong and Vanessa Deniz. Florida's 49.475 equals its season high.
Junior transfer
Victoria Nguyen, who competed for Georgia in her first two seasons, set her collegiate floor exercise high of 9.925 to share the event title with Thomas.
Wong took the all-around win at 39.65 – her second win of 2023 and fifth of her career.
X4 CAREER GYM SLAM
With her 10.0 on vault,
Trinity Thomas now has at least four 10.0s on each apparatus. She is the only gymnast in NCAA history with enough career 10s for four Gym Slams.
Of the 12 gymnasts with a Gym Slam, Thomas is one of three with enough 10.0s in each apparatus to register multiple Gym Slams:
- Trinity Thomas – Florida (4)
- Kyla Ross – UCLA (2)
- Maggie Nichols – Oklahoma (2)
| Gym Slam Gymnasts |
| Name |
School |
Career |
V |
UB |
BB |
FX |
T |
| Trinity Thomas |
Florida |
2019-present |
4 |
4 |
4 |
11 |
23 |
| Kyla Ross |
UCLA |
2017-20 |
5 |
11 |
4 |
2 |
22 |
| Maggie Nichols |
Oklahoma |
2017-20 |
9 |
4 |
7 |
2 |
22 |
| Karin Lichey |
Georgia |
1996-99 |
9 |
8 |
1 |
3 |
21 |
| Kristen Kenoyer |
Utah |
1990-93 |
3 |
1 |
3 |
4 |
11 |
| Alex McMurtry |
Florida |
2015-18 |
3 |
4 |
1 |
1 |
9 |
| Heather Stepp |
Georgia |
1990-93 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
9 |
| Bridget Sloan |
Florida |
2013-16 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
8 |
| Courtney Kupets |
Georgia |
2006-09 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
8 |
| Ashley Kelly |
Arizona State |
2003-06 |
3 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
8 |
| Missy Marlowe |
Utah |
1989-92 |
1 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
7 |
| Kristen Maloney |
UCLA |
2001-05 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
5 |
GATOR PERFORMANCE NOTES:
- Florida's 197.90 is the nation's fourth-highest of the first month of the season.
- Florida sold out 13 of the last 16 meets and the last seven consecutive. Tonight's crowd of 9,586 is No. 6 since the Exactech Arena reopened in 2017 after an O'Connell Center renovation.
- In the last eight meets she competed, Thomas earned nine 10.0s - 2022 NCAA Regional Second Round (UB, FX), NCAA Regional final (V, FX), NCAA Semi (FX), NCAA Final (FX), 2023 opener (BB), 2023 vs Auburn (FX) and 2023 vs Georgia (V). There's a Gym Slam in the span.
- Thomas now takes sole possession of the No. 4 position among the nation's 10.0 leaders with a career total of 23 perfect marks.
- The three event titles pushes Thomas' school-record total of wins to 125. She is the only Gator with more than 100 event wins.
- This is the second consecutive season Thomas and Wong posted 9.975 on uneven bars versus Georgia. It is a familiar bars score for Thomas in dual action vs the GymDogs, earning the near-perfect mark in 2019, 2020, 2022 and 2023.
- Nguyen shared the floor win with Thomas tonight – her first event win as a Gator and first floor victory of her collegiate career.
- Collegiate bests equaled or set tonight:
Cheering the 2023 Gators Friday were members from Florida's past 50 teams. The gathering included gymnasts from each of Florida's 14 SEC title teams.
COACH ROWLAND SAID:
"It was just a really fun night tonight in front of a great crowd. We were really grateful to have a lot of the alumni here tonight. The Gator team takes a lot of pride and just has a lot of respect for all of those athletes who have paved the way to have what we have today and become who we are today. So really grateful for the 40 alumni who showed up tonight to celebrate the current Gators and the legacy that they are creating and establishing.
"So extremely proud of this team tonight. It was really relaxed, so much fun. Great, great score and we know we left some things out there tonight and that's okay. Fourth opportunity this year to compete and third opportunity in front of Gator Nation. Really excited for this entire team as some new players stepped up. " – Florida Head Coach
Jenny Rowland
RECORDS: Florida (6-0, 3-0 SEC), Georgia (5-4, 1-2 SEC)
THE SERIES: Georgia leads 93-63-1.
National Rank:
Florida –
Florida is No. 2 in the Jan. 23 Road to Nationals rankings
Georgia – The GymDogs are
No. 17
UP NEXT:
Florida opens February action next Friday at No. 23 Arkansas.
When: Friday, Feb. 3 at 7:45 p.m. ET
Venue: Bud Walton Arena
Stream: SEC Network +
Live Scores:
StatBroadcast
Tickets: $5 Adult; $3 Youth
No. 2 Florida versus No. 17 Georgia
Final Team Totals |
| Jan. 27, 2023 ● Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center (9,586 - sellout) |
| Team |
Vault |
Bars |
Beam |
Floor |
Total |
| Florida |
49.425 |
49.575 |
49.575 |
49.425 |
197.900 |
| Georgia |
49.200 |
49.350 |
49.075 |
49.125 |
196.850 |
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