Gators Gymnastics Drops to No. 2 in National Rankings

Consistency continues to be the Florida Gators gymnastics teams calling card, as updated Road to Nationals rankings show Florida remaining firmly in the top-five following Week 6 of the NCAA regular season.

The Gators sit at No. 5 nationally, holding steady among a group of powerhouse programs that include Oklahoma, LSU and Alabama.

Florida dropped its first meet of the season on Friday, a 197.2-196.5 loss to No. 7 Missouri after a rough opening bars rotation to produce the team’s lowest score in more than a decade on the event. The slow start made it hard to catch up, even as the Gators settled in over the final three rotations.

After the meet, coach Jenny Rowland focused on the bigger picture as the team looks ahead in the season.

“This meet does not define who this team is,” Rowland said. “I know without a doubt they will use this as momentum to catapult them forward.”

Rowland said that the Gators never lost their competitive mindset, even when things did not go as planned. She stressed that the team’s response is what matters most moving forward, not the result.

“This team attacks nothing any other way,” Rowland said. “They’re not going to get down. They’re not going to feel sorry for themselves. They’re going to look themselves in the eye and say, “What can I do to get better so this doesn’t happen again?” And then they keep going. The fight is there. The will is there. The want is there.”

Florida won’t have much time to sit on the loss, as it gets set to host No. 1 Oklahoma on Friday at 6:45 p.m. in the O’Dome.

The Sooners reclaimed the top spot in the national rankings earlier this season after Florida previously held the No. 1 position, setting up a highly anticipated SEC showdown. The meet will also serve as Florida’s Link to Pink event, honoring breast cancer awareness.

Category: Gator Sports, Gators Gymnastics, Gymnastics, NCAA