FORT WORTH, Texas — Several things that so many Gators fans care about ended Saturday afternoon inside Dickies Arena.
The curtain closed on the 2023 NCAA Gymnastics Championships. The Gators' quest for their first title since 2015 fell short by the slimmest of margins. And, of course, the collegiate career of UF superstar
Trinity Thomas concluded dramatically.
Add them all up, and you might expect the mood in the Orange & Blue corner of social media to be similar to the football team's loss at Vanderbilt or, say, the baseball team getting swept. You would be disappointed.
Sure, there was grumbling that Oklahoma, which for the second consecutive season edged the Gators for the national title, always gets favorable judging. That is up for debate. But the general sentiment mainly seemed one of appreciation for what the Gators did this season, how they did it, and what Thomas accomplished in her final time in a Gators leotard.
They say there are no moral victories in sports, and perhaps that is true, but that doesn't mean you can't appreciate the performance of a national runner-up.
Gators head coach
Jenny Rowland certainly can.
"The Gators left everything out on the floor,'' she said afterward on the confetti-littered arena floor. "I couldn't have asked for anything more. This is what we talk about on a daily basis, to not have any regrets.
"Any four of these teams could have won a national championship."
In what has become a tradition over the last decade, the Gators and Sooners rise to the occasion when a national championship is up for grabs. They tied to share the national title in 2014, the only co-champions in the event's history. Factor in the last two seasons and three of the top nine slimmest margins in NCAA Championship history involve the Sooners and Gators.
Oklahoma beat the Gators 198.3875 to 198.2375 on Saturday despite Florida posting program-record scores at the NCAA Championships on beam (49,525), vault (49.575) and uneven bars (49.7125). Florida's cumulative score was also a program record for the NCAA Finals.
Trinity Thomas reacts after her landing on the vault, which resulted in the 28th perfect 10 of her college career. (Photo: Emma Bissell/UAA Communications)
The Gators refused to call what happened a disappointment. They performed too well on the collegiate sport's biggest stage to hang their heads and cry over what-ifs.
"We did everything we could,'' said freshman
Kayla DiCello. "I'm really proud of each and every single person on this team. We really just showed everybody our gymnastics. We showed everybody what we do in the gym."
DiCello was clutch time after time, highlighted by her 9.9750 on uneven bars, second in school history only to Alex McMurtry's perfect score in the championship round in 2017. The Gators' weakest rotation was the floor exercise, and without the dynamic Thomas in the event, they missed out on points they usually would have.
Now that we've covered what happened in the team standings, let's get to Thomas, one of the most decorated student-athletes ever to represent the Gators.
She thrilled fans in the arena and those watching live on ABC with a perfect 10 on vault, the 28th perfect score of her career to tie the NCAA record.
"That feels incredible. It's not something I've been focused on. It's been something that I have been hearing about, but something I have been trying to push away. Now that I'm done, that's really freaking cool."
When the Gators landed in Texas on Tuesday afternoon to prepare for the championships, no one was certain Thomas would even compete after suffering a lower right leg injury in the regional semifinals two weeks ago.
"If Trinity did nothing this weekend for the Gators, we would have been extremely proud of all she's accomplished," Rowland said. "Not any given moment defines who you are as a person. She has given her heart and soul to this team for five years. To finish off with a 10 and 9.9 on bars … just shows her grit, her love for the Gators, and her passion to be the best she can be."
Thomas basked in the moment after finishing on uneven bars in her last collegiate routine. She waved to the Gators section in the stands and then did a Gator Chomp. All eyes were on her all week.
When it was over, she discussed the difficulty of the past two weeks and the satisfaction of being able to go out on the competition floor.
"We weren't sure of what I was going to be able to do, and, obviously, that was upsetting for me," Thomas said. "But I was trying just to be positive and keep working on what I could do. My team had my back the whole time. They were super helpful.
"I worked with the doctors, the trainers, and we were getting all the treatment in the world, and thankfully that treatment and all that hard work got me out here on two events. Obviously, I would have loved to have been out there on all four events. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. But I knew that my teammates could step up and do amazing things."
Thomas returned for her fifth year of eligibility to have a chance to win that elusive national title. The Gators have been oh-so-close throughout her career.
They came up short, but Thomas hung around longer than usual afterward to take photos and share one final post-meet celebration with her teammates and coaches. She isn't sure what she will do next, but you can bet Thomas will score more 10s in the eyes of judges.
"We did come out here and do exactly what we thought we were going to do,'' she said. "We left it all out here until the very end. In my heart, we won, just because of everything we've put in, everything we've done together."
The Sooners won their sixth title in nine years. Florida finished second, followed by Utah and LSU.
It's not the ending the Gators or their fans wanted, but sometimes second has to be good enough. Thomas' perfect vault routine helped reconcile some of the disappointment.
"It was very inspirational. I look up to her so much,'' DiCello said. "She is amazing. Ending her college career like this is something truly amazing."
What did the Super Senior think of her record-setting vault performance?
"That moment was incredible because warmups were not going so hot, and I was getting a little bit upset," she said. "I knew all I had to do was press myself and that I could do it. That's exactly what my teammates were reassuring me. That's exactly what my coaches were reassuring me. And I did it, so I'm really proud of myself."
She should be.
Thomas is an instant Gator Great. Her departure undoubtedly leaves a void. But not just as a competitor. Thomas' agile approach to being in the spotlight deserves as much recognition as what she did in a leotard.
She didn't win that elusive national title, but she walked off the arena floor with no regrets and assured the program was in good hands.
"My time at Florida has been the best time of my life," Thomas said. "I came in a little kid. I was 17 years old. I've grown so much. I'm just so proud of myself because the little girl that came in is not the little girl that's leaving.
"They're going to win. They have all the talent in the world. They have the grit. They have the passion. I'm proud of how far this team has come, and I know they are going places."
Only three words left to say: Thank you, Trinity.
