Florida Gymnastics Delivers Statement Win Over Arkansas With Season-Best Performance
The Florida Gators weren’t just good Friday night-they were dominant. In front of a home crowd at the O’Connell Center, No.
3 Florida posted a 198.05 to topple No. 6 Arkansas, 198.05-195.975, tying the second-highest score in the nation this season.
It was a performance that not only avenged last season’s stumble in Fayetteville but also reaffirmed why this team is a serious national contender.
Let’s break it down.
Redemption Run: Harris-Miranda Leads the Way
Senior Selena Harris-Miranda had a personal reason to circle this one on the calendar. Last year’s meet at Arkansas marked the first fall of her collegiate career.
This time? She stayed solid, delivered across all four events, and walked away with the all-around title after tallying a 39.675.
That’s consistency at an elite level-every score above a 9.9, capped with a 9.925 on floor that helped push Florida over the 198 mark for the first time this season.
“It felt amazing,” Harris-Miranda said. “I was very pleased with the score that we had as a team and that I stayed on the beam.”
She wasn’t alone in the spotlight.
Blakely’s Breakout Night
Sophomore Skye Blakely had herself a night-and then some. She matched her career-high 9.95 on bars, then turned around and posted a new personal best on floor with a near-perfect 9.975. That’s the kind of performance that can shift momentum for a team mid-meet, and it clearly did.
And there was a little extra motivation in the building: her sister, former Gator standout Sloane Blakely, was in attendance. Sloane knows a thing or two about floor excellence-she’s recorded two perfect 10s on the event in her Florida career.
“I do love floor. I like performing,” Skye said.
“Coming back, especially after getting injured on that event, it’s just nice to go out there and just have fun. And my sister was also here today, so feeling like I’m just doing that for her too and for the team.”
DiCello’s Steady Climb
Junior Kayla DiCello continues her comeback tour from an Achilles injury, and Friday was a major step forward. She posted season-highs on all three of her events: a 9.9 on vault, 9.925 on bars, and a 9.95 on beam. She hasn’t competed in the all-around yet this season, but based on how she’s trending, it’s only a matter of time.
“I will say that this was the best I felt overall going into this meet and throughout the meet,” DiCello said. “I think it was just leaning on my teammates so much.”
DiCello also stepped into the leadoff spot on vault for the first time in her college career, a move that paid off as the Gators bounced back from a rough outing on the event last week at Auburn. Florida had posted one of its lowest vault scores in recent memory (48.6), but this time they responded with a 39.75-one of the top team vault scores in the country this season.
All-Around Depth Returns
Florida hadn’t fielded an all-around gymnast in its last two meets-something that hadn’t happened since 2013. That changed Friday night, with both Harris-Miranda and senior eMjae Frazier competing on all four events for the first time this season.
Frazier made her presence felt with a 9.95 on floor, her highest score as a Gator. It was a reminder of the depth and versatility this Florida squad has when fully healthy.
Event Dominance Across the Board
There’s a reason Florida is ranked No. 1 in the country on bars-and they showed it again with a 49.6, the second-highest bars score in the NCAA this year. That event continues to be a major weapon in the Gators’ arsenal.
But it didn’t stop there. Florida also notched season-highs on beam (49.5) and floor (49.575), showing a level of balance that few teams in the country can match right now.
Arkansas Struggles to Keep Pace
For Arkansas, it was a tough night. The Razorbacks posted their lowest team score of the season and struggled to find rhythm, with only two routines breaking the 9.9 mark.
Senior Morgan Price was the bright spot, delivering a 9.9 on bars and a meet-high 9.925 on vault. But a fall on floor summed up the night for the Hogs-flashes of brilliance, but not enough to challenge a surging Florida squad.
What’s Next
With this win, Florida moves to 6-0 overall and 3-0 in the SEC, staying perfect at home against Arkansas. The Gators now await the updated Road to Nationals rankings before heading to face No. 7 Missouri next Friday.
If Friday night was any indication, Florida is hitting its stride-and the rest of the country should be paying close attention.