Gators Gymnastics’ Good Luck Charm? Florida’s Prime Rotation Order for NCAA Semis
Can Florida gymnastics do it again?
During the SEC Championships, the Gators competed within a rotation order they had never seen before. One that allowed them to soar to the top of the leaderboard, clinching the SEC Championship for fourth time under coach Jenny Rowland.
The Gators now face the same rotation order during the NCAA Semifinals on Thursday (Beam, Floor, Vault, Bars) that took them from underdogs to champions. In the semifinals, Florida takes on No. 2 LSU, No. 6 Georgia and No. 7 Stanford in the harder of the two sessions. The top two teams from each session move on to the finals, where one team will come out victorious.
Last year, No. 3 Florida failed to reach the finals and finished seventh overall. However, could this year, this team, this rotation be the key to Florida’s success during the postseason?
Throughout this season, Florida has posted the nation’s top scores on both the beam and bars rotations. During the SEC Championships, where the Gators ended on bars, they posted their top score of the season (49.8) and the second-highest score in SEC history. Though their beam score wasn’t a season-high, they still notched a respectable 49.525. Starting and ending the meet on their strongest events was the key to their success as they beat No. 1 Oklahoma (who they previously lost to) and No. 2 LSU.
Going into the semifinals, Florida has beaten two out of the three teams it faces (it hasn’t faced Stanford this season), but this rotation order will hopefully provide a cushion. The biggest threat the Gators face is LSU’s Kailin Chio, as she scored two perfect 10’s during the second round of regionals for LSU.
However, last time Florida faced this rotation order, senior Selena Harris-Miranda posted a perfect 10 on the final rotation (bars) to secure the win for her Gators. In addition, sophomore Skye Blakely has been consistent for Florida, as she scored a 10 on the uneven bars during the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
This year, the NCAA implemented a new rule for the championship season, which changes how event order is determined, with the team with the highest National Qualifying Score (NQS) choosing its rotation order first and the team with the second highest NQS following. In session 1 of the semifinals, LSU had the highest NQS and chose the typical Olympic rotation order (vault, bars, beam, floor). Florida has the second NQS and instead of choosing the typical order for a second-place team (bars, beam, floor, vault), it chose the rotation with proven success.
If Florida moves onto the finals alongside the other top three ranked teams, it would earn the third pick for rotation order. If Oklahoma and LSU (who’re ranked above Florida) choose the Olympic order and the order that starts with bars, Florida has a guaranteed chance of getting their ideal order in the final as well.
There might be some historical precedent there.
The last time Florida won the Gymnastics National Championships was in 2015. Coincidentally, in 2015, the Gators faced the exact same rotation order (beam, floor, vault, bars) that’s powered this year’s group. Additionally, when Florida won its first national championship in 2013, it once again rotated in the same successful order. This rotation order isn’t just good luck for Rowland’s team this year, but a good luck charm for Gators’ gymnastics as a whole.
Besides the event order, these three teams have one thing in common: their success on the bars. Although Rowland’s team is successful on both the bars and beam, arguably its best and most consistent event is the uneven bars. Similarly, the 2013 and 2015 championship teams were most successful on the bars. Though beam wasn’t as successful for the other two teams, they were strong on other events that pushed them to the trophy.
If the Gators make it to the finals and face the exact same rotation order, the team could be looking at their first national championship since 2015 and their first under Jenny Rowland. Not only is this rotation a success for this team, but for previous Florida teams, proving it to be a sign of something a little bigger.
How to Watch
Semifinal competition begins Thursday at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, where Florida will compete in the afternoon session, which airs live at 4:30 p.m. ET. The second semifinal round is set for 9 p.m. ESPN2 covers both semifinals and the NCAA team final is on ABC at 4 p.m. Saturday.
Category: Feature Sports News, Gators Gymnastics, Gymnastics
