Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – An eruption of cheers is the sound that followed senior gymnast Ellie Lazzari on Sunday evening after each event.

In the NCAA Gainesville Regional Championships at Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center, Lazzari competed in the all-around for just the third time this season and tied freshman teammate Anya Pilgrim for the all-around title with a score of 39.650, surpassing her collegiate best of 39.525 to help the Gators advance to the NCAA Championships for the fourth consecutive season. 

Lazzari anchored for the Gators on two rotations: beam and vault. While some may see the pressure of being an anchor intimidating, Lazzari viewed it as a chance to do her job.

"Really, it doesn't matter what place you are in the lineup. You just got to do your job, no matter if you're first, last, or in the middle," said Lazzari. "I just knew that I just had to be me and be confident and own it just like I do in practice, and transfer it over and just have fun because everyone does so much better when they're just loose and themselves.

"So, I'm really proud of the whole team and being able to put it all together."

Lazzari rounded off an incredible first rotation on beam for the Gators by earning the highest score of the night, a 9.950, the closest she has gotten to her collegiate best of 9.975 last earned in the 2024 season opener. The Gators' intensity nearly burst through the roof after their beam rotation, and Lazzari's score was icing on the cake as they recorded a 49.650 for the apparatus.

The night did not stop there for Lazzari as she competed behind floor lead-off Victoria Nguyen for the second rotation. Lazzari has only started competing on floor again this season after tearing her Achilles during warm-ups at Georgia in the first month of the 2022 season. "It's been a really long time coming. Obviously, the recovery process, there's ups and downs and a lot of learning experiences, and I've definitely grown so much as a person. As an athlete, I really learned what I need individually in order to be successful in the gym and outside of the gym. And as well, on the competition floor," said Lazzari. "I really just worked on my confidence preseason, and it's all coming together, and I'm super, super happy where I am. I feel so mentally and physically strong, stronger than ever in my entire gymnastics career. It's really cool to see where I am right now and how far I've come."

Sunday was just Lazzari's fourth time competing on floor since the 2022 season-ending injury, and the senior from Wheaton, Ill., earned a solid score of 9.900, helping maintain the Gators' achievement of scoring a 9.900 or better for all gymnasts the first time this season in the event.

The Gators competed on vault for their third rotation of the night, and Lazzari outdid herself, resetting her collegiate best to 9.925. It seemed the stars aligned for Lazzari, as vault has been an event she has struggled with over the course of the season.

"It was a fantastic vault rotation, and really, we were all extremely excited for this one [Lazzari] as well," said Rowland. "Her journey back on vault, it has been a process just like everything else. We see her day in and day out in the gym just nailing one and a halves, and you know what, you've got to go through the process to get those little kinks out. To see her have that success and do what she does in practice just really validated the hard work that she's put in."

You could tell that this was a massive vault for Lazzari by the reaction of her coaches and teammates, who immediately started celebrating with fist pumps, hugs and a lot of jumping around.

The energy in the O'Dome was bubbling over as the Gators knew they were headed to Fort Worth, Texas, but that wasn't enough for them. Lazzari and the team faced bars for their last rotation, an apparatus that gave many of the previous teams some trouble earlier in the meet.

In Friday's Second Round action, Lazzari turned in a 9.725 on bars, but put that performance behind her in Sunday's final. Lazzari finished her day with a 9.875 for her routine.

It was a long journey from the 2022 Achille's injury to Sunday's performance that earned Lazzari a share of her first collegiate all-around win. She shared it with her friends, family and Gators fans one last time this season in the O'Dome before heading to the NCAA Championships.

"I am just so grateful that we had another opportunity to compete in the O'Dome. This is the best way to end our season in the O'Dome. It was just magical tonight. It was awesome. Energy was amazing," said Lazzari. "This team continues to amaze me. People keep stepping up when the team needs them, and we're going all the way and I'm so excited for what's to come.

"I just love being a Gator."