Trinity Thomas & Kayla DiCello Claim SEC Honors
Mary Howard
3/22/2023
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida’s Trinity Thomas claims her third Southeastern Conference Gymnast of the Year honor and teammate Kayla DiCello is the SEC Freshman of the Year, the league announced today. A vote of the league coaches determines the SEC award winners.
Trinity Thomas: SEC Gymnast of the Year
- Nation’s top all-around total (39.80) in 2023 conference championships competition successfully defended SEC title
- One of two in league history with two 10.0s in a single SEC Championships. Defended floor exercise title with 10.0 and completed 2023 Season Slam with uneven bars 10.0. Part of All-SEC team
- Owns nation’s No. 3 (39.85), No. 4 (39.825) and No. 5 (39.80) all-around totals in 2023 – the most of any SEC gymnast.
- Seven 10.0s shares nation’s 2023 high with Oregon State’s Jade Carey. Career 10.0s (27) is one behind the all-time collegiate leaders
- Three titles in 2023 league championship meet pushed SEC career event titles total to seven, which shares No. 3 all-time among league leaders
- Leads Florida with 28 event wins (9 floor, 7 bars, 5 all-around, 4 vault, 3 beam)
- Owns Florida’s career events titles record (141)
- Finalist for AAI Award (given to nation’s top senior gymnast)
Thomas joins Alabama’s Andreé Pickens (2002, 2001, 2002) as the only three-time SEC Gymnast of the Year recipients since the honor began in 1993. Thomas also earned the honor in 2020 and 2022. She is among five Gators ever to be named SEC Gymnast of the Year and the only one with multiple honors.
Kayla DiCello: SEC Freshman of the Year
- Shared second in Southeastern Conference balance beam and floor exercise with marks of 9.95.
- Top freshman all-arounder at SEC Championships, placing sixth overall (39.60)
- One of five freshmen to earn 2023 All-SEC honors
- Nation’s first freshman to earn a 10.0 in 2023 (uneven bars - Feb. 10 vs Missouri). One of three freshmen with a 10.0 in 2023.
- Set league record for number (8) and consecutive (6) SEC Freshmen of the Week accolades. Week 2 Specialist of the Week.
- Collegiate bests: 10.0 (bars 1x), 9.975 (beam 2x), 9.95 (vault 1x, floor 2x), 39.75 (all-around)
- All-around best of 39.75 is No. 2 among nation’s 2023 freshmen.
- Seven event wins – bars (3), beam (2), all-around & floor (1)
DiCello is the 10th Gator voted SEC Freshman of the Year and first since Thomas in 2019.
All-SEC Teams Criteria
All-SEC Criteria: Top two event scores (including ties) in each session of the SEC Championships made up the All-SEC team. The freshmen with the top event score (including ties) in each SEC Championships’ session filled out the SEC All-Freshman team.
All-SEC Gators
Florida, Auburn and Missouri led all programs with five each on the 2023 All-SEC team.
Sloane Blakely – Sophomore
2023 All-SEC
All-SEC qualifying events: Vault
- Shared SEC vault title at 9.95
- Ninth Gator to win SEC vault
- First All-SEC honor
Kayla DiCello – Freshman
2023 All-SEC
All-SEC qualifying events: Balance Beam & Floor Exercise
- Shared second on balance beam and floor exercise with marks of 9.95
- Also earned spot on SEC All-Freshman team
- Top freshman in SEC Championship meet all-around
Victoria Nguyen – Junior
2023 All-SEC
All-SEC qualifying events: Uneven Bars
- Shared second on uneven bars with mark of 9.95
- 9.95 equals collegiate bars best
- Also earned All-SEC honors as a Georgia sophomore in 2022
Trinity Thomas – Graduate
2023 All-SEC
All-SEC qualifying events: All-Around, Uneven Bars & Floor Exercise
- Qualified for 2023 All-SEC honors by winning three events outright - all-around (39.80), uneven bars (10.0) and floor exercise (10.0)
- Second consecutive season with three SEC event titles. Joins Gator Great Melissa Miller (1988) as only Gators with three SEC individual titles in a single SEC meet
- Fourth All-SEC honor (2019, 2020, 2022, 2023)
Leanne Wong – Sophomore
2023 All-SEC
All-SEC qualifying events: Balance Beam & Uneven Bars
- Qualified for 2023 All-SEC honors by winning second consecutive balance beam title (9.975) and tying for second on bars (9.95)
- One of three Gators to win consecutive SEC beam titles (Lynn McDonnell - 1981 &1982; Alyssa Baumann - 2018, 2019, 2021). One of seven in meet history to repeat as beam champ.
- Second All-SEC honor (2022, 2023)
All-SEC Team
| Luisa Blanco | Alabama |
| Gabby Gladieux | Alabama |
| Lilly Hudson | Alabama |
| Shallon Olsen | Alabama |
| Norah Flatley | Arkansas |
| Frankie Price | Arkansas |
| Cami Weaver | Arkansas |
| Lauren Williams | Arkansas |
| Aria Brusch | Auburn |
| Derrian Gobourne | Auburn |
| Olivia Hollingsworth | Auburn |
| Gabby McLaughlin | Auburn |
| Cassie Stevens | Auburn |
| Sloane Blakely | Florida |
| Kayla DiCello | Florida |
| Victoria Nguyen | Florida |
| Trinity Thomas | Florida |
| Leanne Wong | Florida |
| Haley de Jong | Georgia |
| Vanessa Deniz | Georgia |
| Soraya Hawthorne | Georgia |
| Shealyn Luksik | Kentucky |
| Isabella Magnelli | Kentucky |
| Haleigh Bryant | LSU |
| Aleah Finnegan | LSU |
| Bryce Wilson | LSU |
| Amari Celestine | Missouri |
| Helen Hu | Missouri |
| Jocelyn Moore | Missouri |
| Sienna Schreiber | Missouri |
| Alisa Sheremeta | Missouri |
SEC All-Freshman Team
| Gabby Gladieux | Alabama |
| Reese Drotar | Arkansas |
| Frankie Price | Arkansas |
| Cami Weaver | Arkansas |
| Lauren Williams | Arkansas |
| Kayla DiCello | Florida |
| Naya Howard | Georgia |
| JaFree Scott | Georgia |
2023 SEC Gymnastics Awards
| Gymnast of the Year | Trinity Thomas, Florida |
| Specialist of the Year | Derrian Gobourne, Auburn |
| Freshman of the Year | Kayla DiCello, Florida |
| Scholar-Athletes of the Year | Cassie Stevens, Auburn |
| Coach of the Year | Tim Garrison, Kentucky |
Next Up
No. 2 seed Florida heads to Pittsburgh, Pa., for NCAA Regional action. The Gators begin regional competition on Friday, March 31.
Coverage for all four NCAA Regionals can be found on ESPN3.
