Florida Gymnastics Advances with Dominant Tempe Regional Semifinals Performance
With a 198.125, Florida gymnastics advances to the Tempe Regional Final alongside No. 14 California (196.675), while Penn State (196.2) and Arizona State (196.05) saw their seasons come to an end.
This was the No. 3 Gators’ fourth straight team score above a 198, and they did so in dominant fashion in the Desert Financial Arena.
Senior Selena Harris-Miranda, Florida’s sole all-arounder for Thursday night, secured the Tempe (Ariz.) Regional all-around title with a 39.825, including a 9.975 on both vault and bars.
“I’m just super proud that we came out here and just were free and relaxed, and we did everything that we talked about during the bye week,” Harris-Miranda said. “We’re ready to bring that into day two.”
While Harris-Miranda came close to another perfect mark in her career, sophomore Skye Blakely was able to notch her second-career perfect 10, her first on bars, the event she specialized in while recovering from an Achilles injury last year.
After showing inconsistency on vault all season, Florida was able to put it together for a season-high by more than a tenth (49.6). No Gator scored below a 9.875, and Harris-Miranda topped it off with a 9.975, the best of her final season.
Following a 49.8 on bars to secure an SEC Championship, the Gators responded with a 49.625 in Tempe. On top of Blakely’s perfect and Harris-Miranda’s near-perfect scores, fifth-year Riley McCusker wrapped up the rotation with a 9.925.
Florida held nearly a one-point lead over California, which sat in second place, halfway through.
The Gators, the No. 1 beam team in the country, scored lower than in recent weeks, posting a 49.45 that included a Harris-Miranda 9.95. Regardless, the Gators expanded their lead, while the Golden Bears had a more clear shot at advancing to the third round.
The Gators finished the night with a 49.5 performance on floor, highlighted by freshman Amelia Disidore and Blakely’s 9.9s before Harris-Miranda scored a 9.925.
With the top two from each regional semifinal advancing, Florida and California take on No. 6 Georgia and No. 11 Michigan State on Saturday at 8 p.m. (ESPN+) for a chance at the NCAA Championship semifinal on April 16.
Tempe Regional Individual Winners
Vault – Nikki Smith (Michigan State) – 10.0
Bars – Skye Blakely (Florida) – 10.0
Beam – Selena Harris-Miranda (Florida) – 9.95
Floor – Nyla Aquino and Harley Tomlin (Georgia) and Nikki Smith and Gabi Ortiz (Michigan State) – 9.95
All-Around: Selena Harris-Miranda (Florida) – 39.825
Category: Feature Sports News, Gators Gymnastics, Gymnastics
