Thomas still limited as No. 1 Gators gymnastics team heads to SEC Championship meet
Graham Hall
Special to The Sun
Having dominated the field this season, the No. 1-ranked Florida gymnastics team turns itsĀ attention to asserting said supremacy over the SEC once again when itĀ competes at SEC Championships in Huntsville, Alabama, beginning with Session I of the meet at 3:30 p.m. todayĀ before Session II at 8 p.m.
The Gators are in the latter half of the dual-meetĀ along with LSU, Alabama and Arkansas. Florida, as the top seed, has the Olympic rotation today, meaning UF will compete in the order of vault-uneven bars-beam-floor.Ā
The preparation doesnāt change, possibly because itās nothing new for the Gators (8-0) ā UF has won three consecutive SEC regular-season titles. But the anticipation does, and it isnāt just because Florida, like all spring and winter athletes, couldnāt see through the 2020 campaign.
āThis meet I would say we prepare very similar to any dual-meet we have throughout the regular season. However, itās something that I would say, this team, the excitement is elevated times five,ā UF coach Jenny Rowland said. āBeing on podium, I think thatās the biggest difference for this team. They love competing on podium.ā
But the abrupt end to last season does come into play, too; the Gators had spent countless hours fine-tuning and perfecting their craft without a chance at realizing their goal, let alone the conference championship or even the final regular season, which would have been Senior Night for four gymnasts who never put on a orange and blue leotard again on Floridaās competition floor.Ā
Thereās undoubtedly some elation in knowing these Gators will see the season through.Ā
āItās something that this team was not able to experience last year,ā Rowland said. āSo weāre looking forward to definitely making the most of it.ā
The Gators arrive in Huntsville having registered three of the top-10 scores in the nation, including the No. 1 mark of 198.275 in the home finale Feb. 26 against Auburn.Ā
Though it sounds as if UFās top gymnast, junior Trinity Thomas, will be limited for Saturdayās session after sheĀ didnāt compete in Floridaās win March 5 at Alabama due to a pre-meet ankle injury she suffered in her uneven bars warm-up.Ā
āTrinās doing OK. Sheās making baby steps everyday,ā Rowland said. āI canāt guarantee ā I donāt foresee her doing everything this weekend, but we still have a couple more days of practice, and when Trinity feels good and she gives us the green light, itās a go.ā
It may not be Saturday, however, so UF once again must be ready to compete regardless, a decision her teammates and head coach fully support.Ā
āIf itās this weekend, great. If itās just continuing to move in the right direction and be ready for (NCAA) Regionals, thatās great as well,ā Rowland continued. āI know sheās got the teamās back, the teamās got her back, but weāve got a couple more days.āĀ
Without her two weeks ago ā though her presence was surely missed ā the Gators hardly missed a beat in their last trip to the state of Alabama.Ā
Alyssa Baumann claimed her second win on floor of the season with a 9.975, equaling her collegiate best, while Megan Skaggs shared the beam win with Bamaās Luisa Blanco; the latter would go on to win the all-around title, while Skaggs scored a 39.575, good for second and just shy of her collegiate best, too.Ā
When it comes to stepping up when someone goes down, the Gators havenāt missed a beat this season.Ā
The depth and talent are apparent, but the cohesion is arguably the collectiveās best asset, and itās one the Gators will rely on when the spotlights come on Saturday night.Ā
āWeāre really emphasizing the fact that the consistency of this team is unbelievable,ā Rowland said. āThe confidence that this team has in each other is really unbelievable, and really continuing to be mindful to focus on the details as we go throughout our season and now into the postseason.āĀ
Note:Ā Georgia pulled out of the competition because of COVID-19 issues within the program ... SEC Network will provide TV coverage for both sessions.
Sent fromĀ ShaneāsĀ iPhone
Go Gators!Ā
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GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY!
1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions |
Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007)
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We had a disaster on bars and finished third, from floridagators.com:
Ā
UNTSVILLE, Ala. ā Florida came to the Southeastern Conference Gymnastics Championship meet looking for its second trophy of 2021. The Gators, the 2021 SEC regular-season champions and the meet's top seed, finished third after some struggles Saturday in the Von Braun Center. Ā Florida never led Saturday as the Gators had a fall or major break on each rotation. Ā Alabama claimed its 10thĀ title and first since 2015 at 197.875. LSU was second at 197.775. Florida was third with a season-low 196.975. Rounding out Saturday's results were Kentucky (196.825), Auburn (196.275), Missouri (196.125) and Arkansas (195.60). Ā LSU led all teams on vault (49.625) and floor (49.50). Alabama had top total on bars (49.425) and Florida again led on beam (49.525). Florida was forced to count a fall on bars for the first time since 2010. Ā Florida'sĀ Trinity Thomas, the nation's top all-arounder, was limited to just uneven bars Saturday. She injured her ankles during uneven bars warm-up at Alabama on March 5. Ā Gators Event Winners: A pair of Gators were among a four-way tie for first on beam. Ā
Third consecutive SEC beam title for seniorĀ Alyssa Baumann, becoming the first in the event's 40-year history to win three beam titles. Her winning marks were 9.975 (2018) and 9.95 (2019, 2021).
FreshmanĀ Ellie LazzariĀ is the first freshman to claim a share of the beam title since Baumann won 2018 title.
SEC Honors Four Gators earned All-SEC or SEC All-Freshman in Saturday's competition. Ā The All-SEC Team is comprised of the student-athletes with the top two event scores (including ties) in each session of the SEC Championships. The All-Freshman team is comprised of the freshmen student-athlete with the top score (including ties) on each event in each SEC Championships' session. Ā
