GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A big win for Florida gymnastics Friday enlarged to a league title about an hour and half after the final roar of the sellout Exactech Arena crowd of 8,884.
With No. 5 Florida's upset tonight over No. 2 LSU combined with No. 16 Arkansas' win over No. 6 Kentucky, the Gators are guaranteed at least a share of the 2024 Southeastern Conference regular-season title. It is Florida's sixth consecutive SEC regular-season title.
Florida pushed its season best to 198.15 to take the win over LSU (197.95). The Tigers' total was their 2024 road high.
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 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].
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.
TONIGHT'S MEET
Five consecutive 9.9 or better marks tallied to Florida's season-best vault total (49.60). The two Gators who competed at the 2023 World Championships –
Anya Pilgrim and Wong – led UF with season-bests of 9.95.
Some execution deductions dinged the Gators uneven bars scores as Florida tallied its second-lowest total (49.225) of the season. Wong anchored the bars lineup with the evening's winning mark of 9.95.
Two near-perfect 9.975s from Pilgrim and Wong led Florida on balance beam as UF posted its season-high of 49.625. Junior
Victoria Nguyen set her collegiate beam best of 9.95.
Nguyen and Pilgrim opened Florida's floor lineup by matching their collegiate bests of 9.925. Freshman
Kaylee Bluffstone, making her first lineup appearance in front of the home crowd, equaled her best of 9.875 for the second consecutive week. Junior
Sloane Blakely posted a season high of a near-perfect 9.975 before Richards' shortened routine due to injury. A hit routine was needed from UF's anchor and Wong delivered with her first collegiate floor 10.0. The 49.70 for floor was Florida third season-best team total of the evening.
In addition to Wong's all-around win, Pilgrim was third with the nation's top 2024 freshman total of 39.65. Florida's other two all-arounders – Blakely (39.60 – season best) and
Victoria Nguyen (39.55 – collegiate best) also turned in impressive all-around performances among an evening with some of the nation's best all-around totals. LSU's Haleigh Bryant was second at 39.75 and Kiya Johnson turned in a 39.55.
Apparatus winners:
Amari Drayton, LSU 9.975 Vault
Leanne Wong, UF 9.950 Uneven Bars
Anya Pilgrim, UF 9.975 Balance Beam
Leanne Wong, UF 9.975 Balance Beam
Leanne Wong, UF 10.0 Floor Exercise
Aleah Finnegan, LSU 10.0 Floor Exercise
SEC TITLE:
- Florida claims at least a share of its 16th SEC gymnastics title and sixth consecutive (1982, '83, '84, '85, '89, '07, '10, '12, '13, 16, '19, '20, '21, '22, '23, '24). This is the eighth year for the awarding of a regular-season SEC gymnastics title. From 1981-2016, the winner at the SEC Championship meet was considered the league champion.
- Tonight's win ups Florida athletics overall SEC total to a league-high 263 titles. Add in lacrosse's 11 league titles, the Gator program has claimed 274 conference titles.
- Gymnastics claims Florida athletics second SEC title of 2023-24, joining women's cross country. Florida's picked up at least one SEC team title for 46 consecutive seasons – the league's longest current streak
| 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 |
|
|
|
2024 SEC regular-season action closes next weekend.
Friday, March 1
Alabama at LSU
Auburn at Georgia
Sunday, March 3
Florida at Kentucky
Arkansas at Missouri
LEANNE WONG COMPLETES GYM SLAM:
With her 10.0 on floor exercise,
Leanne Wong joins the "Gym Slam" club.
She is the 15th overall in the nation to finish a Gym Slam and second of the season. Haleigh Bryant became LSU's first in the club with her balance beam 10.0 on Feb. 9 at Georgia.
The Gators now have four with a Gym Slam (
Bridget Sloan, Alex McMurtry, Trinity Thomas) to lead the nation.
Wong has eight 10.0s – four uneven bars, two balance beam, one each vault and floor exercise.
Gym Slam Gymnasts
(10.0 in each apparatus during collegiate career) |
| Name |
School |
Career |
Event/Date Final
10.0 Accomplished |
| Leanne Wong |
Florida |
2022-present |
FX, 2-23-24 |
| Haleigh Bryant |
LSU |
2021-present |
BB, 2-9-24 |
| Jade Carey |
Oregon State |
2022-present |
BB, 3/4/2023 |
| Trinity Thomas |
Florida |
2019-23 |
V, 1-16-22 |
| Kyla Ross |
UCLA |
2017-20 |
FX, 3-16-19 |
| Alex McMurtry |
Florida |
2015-18 |
BB, 1-26-18 |
| Maggie Nichols |
Oklahoma |
2017-20 |
UB, 3-4-17 |
| Bridget Sloan |
Florida |
2013-16 |
UB, 3-13-15 |
| Courtney Kupets |
Georgia |
2006-09 |
V, 4-4-09 |
| Ashley Kelly |
Arizona State |
2003-06 |
BB, 3-5-04 |
| Kristen Maloney |
UCLA |
2001-05 |
UB, 3-6-05 |
| Karin Lichey |
Georgia |
1996-99 |
FX, 2-23-96 |
| Kristen Kenoyer |
Utah |
1990-93 |
UB, 3-20-93 |
| Heather Stepp |
Georgia |
1990-93 |
UB, 2-12-93 |
| Missy Marlowe |
Utah |
1989-92 |
FX, 3-9-92 |
GATOR PERFORMANCE NOTES:
- Florida's 198.15 is its 2024 high. The Gators are the nation's only program to improve their team score each meet this season.
- Three season-best team totals for the Gators Friday: 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.
- Leanne Wong claimed at least a share of four event titles Friday, making her the 13th in UF history with 50 or more career event wins. She is tied for 12th at 52 with Alicia Boren (2016-19).
- The all-around win was her fourth of the 2024 and 13th of her career. She is tied for 11th with Boren on UF's career all-around victories list.
- Anya Pilgrim's all-around of 39.65 is the nation's leader for 2024 freshmen. Only Pilgrim has more than two totals among the nation's 2024 freshmen leading all-around performances. Here's how her all-around totals rank among 2024 freshmen:
- No. 1 39.65 (2-23-24)
- No. T2 39.60 (2-9-24)
- No. T4 39.55 (2-2-24)
- No. T7 39.525 (1-12-24 & 1-26-24)
- Pilgrim is the seventh Gator freshmen in program history with a near-perfect 9.975 on balance beam. Her shared win on the event is her sixth title of the season. Pilgrim now has at least one win in each of the five events.
- This was UF's 13th consecutive home sellout. The Gators had 20 sellouts in a 23-meet span.
- Four Gators equaled or set collegiate bests Friday:
FLORIDA COACH JENNY ROWLAND SAID:
"Really enjoyable night. Will start off by saying it was a little unusual warm-up tonight. A little off here and there. We went into the locker room and pointed out 'A warm-up is a warm-up.' It can be a really great evening.
"The Gators came out hungry. Extremely proud of their presence and each team member stepping up all the way through and collectively staying together through 24 routines. It was a great fight with heart, with passion and the Gators definitely got one percent better tonight. Good challenges here and there. Nobody's ever going to have a perfect meet. The Gators were outstanding tonight and that is our goal is to be us and to be outstanding." – Florida Head Coach Jenny Rowland
RECORDS:
Florida (10-1, 5-1 SEC)
LSU (7-3, 4-2 SEC)
THE SERIES:
Florida leads LSU 78-44
NATIONAL RANK:
Florida – No. 5 in the
Feb. 19 Road to Nationals standings
LSU – No. 2
UP NEXT:
Competition versus top-10 teams continues when No. 5 Florida closes Southeastern Conference regular-season action Sunday, March 3 at No. 6 Kentucky.
Kentucky (7-3, 4-2 SEC) lost 197.40 – 197.15 at No. 16 Arkansas (6-5-1, 3-2-1 SEC ) in Fayetteville, Ark., Friday night.
Meet: No. 5 Florida at No. 6 Kentucky
When: Sunday, March 3 at 2 p.m. ET
Venue: Rupp Arena in Central Bank Center
TV: ESPN2
Stream: ESPN2
Tickets: $12-$5
No. 5 Florida vs. No. 2 LSU
Final Team Totals |
| Feb. 23, 2024 ● Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center (8,884 – sellout) |
| Team |
Vault |
Bars |
Beam |
Floor |
Total |
| Florida |
49.600 |
49.225 |
49.625 |
49.700 |
198.150 |
| LSU |
49.550 |
49.275 |
49.350 |
49.725 |
197.950 |
