Florida Gymnastics Suffers First Loss of Season Against Missouri

No. 2 Florida gymnastics took its first loss of the season Friday night, falling 197.2-196.5 to No. 7 Missouri in a top-10 SEC dual meet.

The Gators had a rough start with a costly bar rotation. Junior Anya Pilgrim scored a 9.45, and senior Riley McCusker fell on her dismount.

All-around senior gymnast Selena Harris-Miranda had an error on a release and fell, resulting in a major deduction. Harris-Miranda regrouped to stick the dismount, but the damage was done.

Missouri led 49.15-48.475 after the opening rotation, marking Florida’s lowest bars score since 2010. The performance was especially surprising for the Gators, who entered the meet ranked No. 1 nationally on bars.

Despite breaking her streak of scoring 9.9 or higher in every routine this season, Harris-Miranda helped Florida bounce back on vault, where the Gators edged Missouri by a tenth. She scored a 9.95, while junior Danie Ferris added a 9.9.

Missouri remained steady on bars with no score lower than a 9.8 and extended its lead to 98.4-97.725 at the halfway point. However, Florida refused to back down.

“This is what we’re built for,” junior Kayla DiCello said after the first two events. “We practice this every single day, so we’re relying on our practices and our trust.”

Florida was unable to replicate its season-high beam and floor scores from the previous week’s win over then-No. 6 Arkansas. While Ferris and Harris-Miranda both scored a 9.9 on floor and DiCello a 9.95 on beam, it was not enough to close the gap. 

Missouri’s floor rotation was explosive, with three scores of 9.925. Senior Addison Lawrence led the Tigers on beam with a 9.95, tying DiCello for the top score on the event. 

The win marked Missouri’s first SEC victory of the season after three straight losses to top-three programs. It is also the highest-ranked win in program history.

Florida looks to bounce back next week, as they host top-ranked Oklahoma in another conference matchup at 6:45 p.m.

Category: Gator Sports, Gators Gymnastics, Gymnastics, SEC