GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The buzz inside the O'Dome on Friday night was unmistakable, even for a building that, on five Friday nights each winter, becomes the cheeriest joint in town.
The No. 2-ranked Gators welcomed No. 5 Auburn in the most-anticipated meet of this youthful NCAA gymnastics season. The star power inside equaled those hanging in the sky outside on an unusually chilly night as a cold front swept through the region.
The reigning NCAA all-around champion (Florida's
Trinity Thomas) and the reigning Olympic all-around champion (Auburn's Suni Lee) were the main attractions, both receiving hearty applause from the sold-out crowd during introductions. Gators fans are accustomed to Thomas' magnificent skills, but it was their only chance to see Lee on the Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center floor. A sophomore, Lee has announced that after her 2023 season with the Tigers, she is turning her attention to the Paris 2024 Olympics to see if she can recapture the glory she achieved in Tokyo.
The scene did not escape Gators head coach
Jenny Rowland, who, as a teenager, was part of the U.S. National Team and competed collegiately for Arizona State. In those days, sold-out crowds and a national TV audience were unfathomable.
But the sport has grown tremendously in popularity since then, and Rowland bounced around the competition floor Friday night, stoking her team as the Gators beat Auburn in the Southeastern Conference opener.
"It was an emotional night for me watching,'' she said. "This arena was just filled with a lot of talent, a lot of big names. I see a lot of big names, I see a lot of talent, but I just see a lot of young women with big hearts doing what they love to do. It's so fun to be by their side. That's why we do what we do."
Gators sophomore Leanne Wong soars through the air during her performance on the uneven bars on Friday night at Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center. (Photo: Hannah White/UAA Communications)
Thomas and Lee did not disappoint. Thomas electrified fans with a 10 on her floor routine, the 22nd perfect score of her career and extending her program record. Meanwhile, Lee flashed her vast array of skills to finish third in the all-around. Lee's performance was not a signature one of her career, but her formidable presence and world-class talent added a special aura to the evening.
Here is where this story takes a turn. They call this burying the lede, but in this case, the technique is appropriate to set the stage for the unexpected.
Thomas and Lee are great, but a
5-foot-1, soft-spoken sophomore from a Kansas City suburb roared that she is every bit as talented as they are in a breakout performance.
Let's not kid anyone.
Leanne Wong has world-class credentials. She is recognized as an elite talent in the world of gymnastics. Still, as fans poured through the doors Friday night, few would have guessed it would be Wong as the headliner instead of Thomas or Lee.
Wong, the 2021 all-around silver medalist at the World Championships, won the all-around with a score of 39.825, the highest score in the nation so far this season. She was magical at nearly every turn, posting perfect scores on the uneven bars and balance beam. She narrowly missed a third 10 by equaling her career-best 9.975 in the floor exercise.
Wong is one of only three gymnasts in history to compete collegiately between stints on consecutive U.S. teams in the World Championships. She was part of the American squad that won the 2022 World Championship in November in England. The first gymnasts to do so in 1979, former U.S. star Kathy Johnson Clarke, was in the building Friday as an analyst for ESPN2.
Clarke could barely contain her excitement following Wong's double-twist dismount on the beam.
"What a night,'' she said. "This is unbelievable."
Wong etched her name into program history by joining Thomas and Alex McMurtry as the only Gators to earn two perfect 10s in a single meet. Thomas has done it four times, and McMurtry did it once. This is the second time Thomas and Wong combined for a trio of 10.0s in a single meet, as in the 2022 NCAA Auburn Regional final, Thomas was perfect on vault and floor while Wong posted her first vault 10.0.
Afterward, seated next to Wong at the postmeet press conference, Thomas reveled in her bashful teammate's excellence.
"I watch her every single day in the gym, and I'm in awe,'' Thomas said. "I'm absolutely obsessed with her gymnastics. She's amazing."
Wong is a combination of grace and skill, a blend of precise execution and remarkable poise.
On her uneven bars routine, Wong stuck a double-layout dismount. On the balance beam, before the dismount that had Clark ready to jump from her seat, Wong navigated a series of tricky leaps on the four-inch wide apparatus. And on the floor, Wong nailed a difficult new Arabian double pike on her first tumbling pass, a move that drew a roar from the crowd.
In typical fashion, Wong kept her soundbites to a minimum when asked about her big night.
"There's always room for improvement,'' she offered. "But after a routine, it's just really nice to feel good about your performance at that moment."
Wong does most of her talking on the arena floor. She is a budding star in the sport, who, in 90 minutes Friday night, doubled the number of perfect scores in her collegiate career.
"I had one [at Arizona State]. I thought that was a big deal,'' Rowland said. "What an electrifying night."
Yes, it was.
Thanks to Thomas, thanks to Lee, and thanks to a pair of the country's top teams.
But mostly thanks to a quiet young woman whose humility appears to be greater than her talent.
"I'm just taking my experiences I learned from last season into this season, taking it one meet at a time," Wong said. "I'm enjoying every moment."
So are we, Leanne. So are we.
