GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida freshman gymnast Kayla DiCello stuck an absolutely flawless landing to wrap up her uneven bars routine in the Friday night win against Missouri.
She beamed with joy and a smile from ear to ear as teammates rushed to greet her with high-fives, throwing up both hands to signal a perfect 10 routine.
Were they predicting the judges' scores? Maybe.
"I honestly didn't think [a] 10," DiCello said.
DiCello, in the fourth home meet of her brief college career, did what she usually does after any of her bar routines. She waited for the scores.
Finally, the time was here. The black rectangular scoreboard lit up in big font. The first screen read: Judge No. 1. As it quickly flashed to the score, the number 10.0 appeared.
"When the first score popped up, it really caught me by surprise," DiCello said.
The sold-out crowd of 9,691 at the O'Dome cheered, anticipating the second judge's score as the seconds seemed like hours between the flashing screens.
Finally, the score was in – a perfect 10.
DiCello had a perfect routine from start to finish.
"The second score was a 10, and I was so stunned," said DiCello, the 2021 World Championship all-around bronze medalist. "I was really happy with myself."
Kayla DiCello performs her floor routine on Friday night at sold-out Exactech Arena in Florida's win over Missouri. (Photo: Emma Bissell/UAA Communications)
DiCello was instantly embraced by the injured graduate student Savannah Schoenherr as the rest of her teammates swarmed her with screams. The electric energy from her teammates trickled to Gator Nation.
The crowd roared as pink pom-poms danced through the air to celebrate DiCello, who recorded the first perfect score of her collegiate career.
As the team celebrated with DiCello, Schoenherr snapped a picture on the Gators Gymnastics disposable camera to capture the moment.
It was a moment that captured more than DiCello's first collegiate 10—she became the first freshman in the nation to get a perfect score during the 2023 season.
"I've always wanted a 10, and I knew if I did the same bar routine that I always do in practice, that it would come," she said.
With the excitement surrounding DiCello's first perfect score, it did not catch graduate student Trinity Thomas, who has witnessed DiCello chase perfection in this routine during practice, off guard.
"That's no surprise at all," Thomas said.
Thomas, who earned a 10 on the beam marking the 24th perfect score of her career, is no stranger to feeling perfection.
And on Friday night, the veteran got to witness the three-time SEC Freshman of the Week have a taste of what a perfect score feels like and its impact on the home crowd.
"I am so proud of her, and like I said, it's the first, but it's definitely not the last," Thomas said.
DiCello was a star throughout the undefeated Gators' win over Missouri. She tied her vault career high with a 9.900, scored a 9.975 on the beam and recorded a 9.875 on her floor routine, in addition to her flawless performance on the uneven bars.
Gators head coach Jenny Rowland said that 'let it shine' was the theme throughout the week leading up to the meet. And DiCello not only shined bright, but she also radiated throughout every routine.
While illuminating the O'Connell Center, DiCello finished the night with a 39.75, the highest all-around score for a freshman across the nation in 2023.
"We know the potential of Kayla," Rowland said.
DiCello's future is looking bright as she continues to improve each week, and based on her the trajectory of her scores, this is only the beginning.
"She still has more to give," Rowland said. "I know she still has more to give."
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