Two Gators Gymnasts Earn National Recognition

Gators senior Selena Harris-Miranda and sophomore Skye Blakely earned national and conference recognition Tuesday. 

No. 2 Florida gymnastics defeated Arkansas 198.05-195.975 on Friday, putting forward high-level performances on all four events.

Harris-Miranda received her first SEC Gymnast of the Week honor this season, previously winning the SEC’s specialist award twice. The UCLA transfer earned the highest recognition three times last season.

Harris-Miranda competed in the all-around competition Friday for the first time this season. She scored a 39.675 to become the No. 2 all-around gymnast in the country. 

Floor was the only event she waited to compete in despite finishing top-10 in the nation last year. 

“Honestly, it felt like the right time to come back and do all around and do floor,” Harris-Miranda said. “My body felt a lot better, I felt a lot healthier and I also felt a lot more confident on floor.” 

Harris-Miranda credited associate head coach and vault and floor coach Adrian Burde for knowing when she was ready.

“Usually I don’t feel like that, but I think Adrian did a good job knowing his timing,” she said. “It felt good, and I feel more confident than ever.”

Harris-Miranda has yet to score below a 9.9 on a single event this season. Her highest was a 9.975 on beam in Week 1. 

For recording three career bests against Arkansas, Blakely earned SEC Specialist of the Week and Inside Gymnastics’ National Gymnast of the Week. The two weekly awards are the first of her career. 

Blakely ruptured her Achilles at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, prohibiting her from full competition as a freshman and limiting her to just bars. 

“Injuries happen, and they’re awful, and they’re hard, and they’re challenging,” coach Jenny Rowland said. “And not just physically challenging but mentally challenging too, and there’s a lot that goes into it from the time you’re injured to the time you start competing again. So I am extremely proud of her. She shows so much resilience and strength and confidence and just really is a light on this team that a lot of the girls look up to.”

She scored a 9.95 on bars last week to win the event title with Harris-Miranda. She now ranks seventh nationally on the apparatus.

Blakely lit up the floor exercise last week, recording a 9.975. 

“I do love floor,” Blakely said. “I like performing, but coming back, especially after getting injured on that event, it’s just nice to go out there and just have fun.”

She also notched a 9.95 on beam to win the event with junior teammate Kayla DiCello. Vault is the one event in which Blakely has not made a lineup as a Gator, but it is only a matter of time.

The Gators compete at No. 7 Missouri on Friday at 9 p.m.

Category: Gator Sports, Gators Gymnastics, Gymnastics, NCAA, SEC