Riley McCusker is set for a final salute at the O'Dome on Sunday against LSU, her favorite meet of the season. (Photo: Hannah White/UAA Communications)
One Last Routine: Riley McCusker Embraces Senior Night Against LSU
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — She will chalk up the same way she always has, but this time it will mean something more. Sunday will be the last time Riley McCusker puts on her grips inside the O'Dome.
With family and friends in the stands, the fifth-year senior will compete at home one final time, doing so in the nation's top meet of the weekend as the UF gymnastics team faces No. 2-ranked LSU. Senior Night is always emotional. Add one of the sport's fiercest rivalries, and the stage becomes even bigger.
A big stage would frighten many, but not McCusker.
"LSU is actually my favorite team to compete against," McCusker said, smiling at the thought of the electric environment.
She thrives on the energy, the noise and the intensity that come with an LSU rivalry. While many might expect sad emotions to overwhelm a senior in her final home competition, McCusker is excited for the opportunity to compete and celebrate her career.
Head coach Jenny Rowland describes the matchup this way: "Iron sharpens iron."
Fifth-year senior Riley McCusker worked her way back from ankle surgery during her collegiate career to become a mainstay in the UF lineup. (Photo: Madilyn Gemme/UAA Communications)
Rowland understands exactly what kind of meet this will be. It will be high-level and pressure-packed, with heightened emotions. She called senior night "bittersweet," explaining that the sweetness comes from celebrating everything the seniors have poured into the program. The bitterness comes afterward, when the realization settles in that there will be no more warmups in the O'Dome and no more final landings in front of a home crowd.
For Rowland, McCusker's journey makes this weekend especially meaningful.
McCusker suffered an ankle injury in 2023 that required surgery and sidelined her for the 2024 season. She committed herself to rehabilitation and has made a strong return. Because she missed the 2024 season, McCusker was granted an additional year of eligibility, a fifth year she chose to embrace.
Reflecting on that decision, Rowland said, "It's special for me to see and know that she wants to be here again."
That decision meant more than simply taking another year of eligibility. It meant committing once again to physical therapy, to the daily grind of training, and to trusting the process. It reflected McCusker's belief in the program and in the culture Rowland has built, something Rowland is extremely proud of.
A five-time member of the U.S. Senior National Team during her elite career from 2016 to 2021, McCusker arrived in Gainesville with international experience and medals.
Elite gymnastics demands individual excellence. Athletes chase the highest possible start value while maintaining near-perfect execution. College gymnastics asks for something different. It requires athletes to compete for the lineup, for the team score, and for one another.
That mindset shift became one of the most important lessons of McCusker's collegiate career. She explained that, throughout her college career, she learned the importance of working together as a team and relying on each other for support.
On uneven bars, her "first love," McCusker has been a steady presence. Graceful, precise, and calm under pressure, she has earned multiple near-perfect scores this season and continues to chase the perfect 10 she captured last year.
Soon, she will hang up her grips for good, a reality that still feels surreal. She admits she will miss uneven bars tremendously. Generating speed and flying through the air while holding and releasing a wooden dowel creates a satisfaction that cannot be replicated elsewhere.
Beyond the event itself, she will miss the everyday moments that defined her college experience. Traveling, training, eating and spending nearly every hour with teammates who became her closest friends will not be a reality next year.
This semester, McCusker is completing a research internship with the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York City, studying women's sports medicine and recovery.
She is currently applying to medical schools with hopes of becoming a physician who continues research in women's athletics. Rowland has no doubts about what comes next.
"She is going to be a great doctor," Rowland said, pointing to McCusker's compassion and her genuine care for others.
Riley McCusker, who set her collegiate best of 10.0 to win the 2025 Southeastern Conference Championship meet title, earned her first of two near perfect 9.975 uneven bars marks of 2026 at Auburn (above). She earned the Southeastern Conference Specialist of the Week for her performance at Auburn. [Photo: Hannah White/UAA Photography]
Sunday will be emotional. It will be loud. It will be the biggest meet in the country this weekend. For McCusker, it will also be a celebration of resilience, of growth, and of choosing to come back one more time.
This time, when she grips the bars in the O'Dome, it will not just be another routine at home. It will be the final salute, the final dismount and the final time she hears her name announced as a competitor inside this arena.
Knowing this, McCusker is carrying excitement rather than sadness into the meet, ready to face LSU for the last time at home and prepare for the next chapter of her life.
