Gators One Win Away From Season-Long Goal

FORT WORTH, Texas — The trip offers various routes, but regardless of which path you choose, you can drive from Dickies Arena here to Tulsa's BOK Center in around 300 miles and less than five hours.

That is how close the Gators gymnastics team is to one of the most memorable moments in program history, their final-routine, nail-biting victory over Oklahoma and LSU to win the Southeastern Conference Championship four weeks ago. The victory validated what the Gators believed all along but had to prove: that they are not just one of the most talented teams in the country, but that they can beat the best on the biggest stage.

Florida can make that statement even more loudly on Saturday when it faces Oklahoma, LSU and Minnesota in the NCAA Championships (ABC, 4 p.m. ET). The Gators seek their first national championship since winning three in a row from 2013-15.

UF head coach Jenny Rowland, who took over the program in 2016, led the Gators to national runner-up finishes as recently as 2022 and 2023, but being able to say "we're No. 1" would register on a different scale.

"I think of that question a lot because it's asked a lot,'' she said. "And I feel like consistently my answer is I want it so badly for my athletes. I want it so badly for them to feel that reward and earn that reward. I would definitely acknowledge and feel that reward as well. It's been a journey. I would just be extremely grateful for our village."

The Gators advanced by winning the first national semifinal on Thursday, beating LSU, Georgia and Stanford. With the top two teams from each semifinal advancing, reigning national champion Oklahoma won the second semifinal, with Minnesota finishing second to advance to the NCAA Finals for the first time in program history.

While the Gophers earned their spot like the SEC power trio, most expect either Florida, Oklahoma or LSU to hoist the championship trophy early Saturday evening.

The last time the three were together at the SEC Championships in Tulsa, the Gators won by the slimmest of margins, knocking off the Sooners 198.175-198.150. LSU placed third with a 197.950 team score. Florida's late-season surge included a program-record five consecutive scores of 198 or more prior to their 197.7875 showing Thursday.

That was of little concern as the Gators celebrated a return to the national finals after being eliminated in the semifinals a season ago.

"I think we'll definitely be able to build off this energy going into the Finals,'' said Riley McCusker, who closed Thursday's competition by winning the individual national title on the uneven bars. "We just have to go out there and be us and do it big."

Hang around the Gators long enough, and you'll hear a few repeated phrases that they have held close all season.

They subscribed in the preseason to "The Promise," a tribute to Tim Tebow's famous speech in 2008 after a loss to Ole Miss, which ignited a run to the national championship. They want to "be normal" or focus on themselves and what they know they can do, rather than on the competition. And they always seek to "do it big," to leave everything on the competition floor and walk away without any regrets.

They passed the first test in Fort Worth.

"This team truly was unbreakable,'' Rowland said afterward. "We were coming in here, and we were not going to back down."

The Gators exited Dickies Arena with what they came for, but you could sense they also know they have more left. They started strong on beam, turned in efficient performances on floor and vault, and then closed with a dynamic routine on the uneven bars.

Oklahoma was the only team in the semifinals to score 198 or higher, with Florida's score the second-best of the eight teams in the field.

None of that matters Saturday. It's a fresh start.

"Saturday is a new day. And so, I'm sure it will bring new challenges, new results, all sorts of things," Oklahoma coach K.J. Kindler said. "The process is what we're focusing on right now."

Ditto for the Gators.

"This team just needs to get out there and do it exactly like we know how, we've been doing this whole season,'' said sophomore Skye Blakely. "Just do our normal, be calm, be bold, and just treat it like any other meet."

At this stage of the championship chase, there is nothing else to do.

The Gators have put in the work. They have cleared all the roadblocks. It's down to one day, one competition, and if they turn in the kind of performance they had at the SEC Championships, they will have a big shiny trophy to bring home.

"We're going to be authentically us,'' Rowland said. "The Gators just have to remain present, not make it bigger than it needs to be. And just enjoy their moment. That's when they're really great."

FLORIDA

Coach: Jenny Rowland (11th season)
National seed: No. 3
Notable: Florida has tasted victory against Oklahoma and LSU (see above), so the Gators know they can come home with a national championship if they stick their landings and perform up to their ability. That has been the goal since the start of the season.
Gymnast to watch: Selena Harris-Miranda finished tied for ninth in the all-around in the combined all-around scores from Thursday's national semifinals. Harris-Miranda finished with a 39.4625 score, her lowest all-around mark since a 39.425 on Feb. 13 in a home loss to the Sooners. Don't be surprised to see Harris-Miranda turn in a better score on Saturday.

OKLAHOMA

Coach: K.J. Kindler (20th season)
National seed: No. 1
Notable: The Sooners remain the team to beat and their 198.3000 score was the best of the eight teams in the semifinals. Oklahoma's deep lineup includes a pair of freshmen in Ella Murphy and Mackenzie Estep as Kindler reloads season after season.
Gymnast to watch: Senior Faith Torrez, competing for the first time this season in the all-around competition, claimed the all-around national championship on Thursday and is a huge scorer on beam. At the regional meet in Lexington, Ky., Torrez delivered a perfect 10 on beam. Torrez won the beam national title as a sophomore in 2024.

LSU

Coach: Jay Clark (sixth season)
National seed: No. 2
Notable: The Tigers rallied in the final rotation Thursday to overcome Georgia and finish second in Semifinal I to the Gators. LSU finished on the floor exercise and posted three scores of 9.9125 or better to advance in a performance Clark called far from the Tigers' best.
Gymnast to watch: Kaitlin Chio is one of the top gymnasts in the country and showed it again on Thursday, posting top scores for vault, floor and all-around in the first national semifinal. She is the 2026 SEC Gymnast of the Year.

MINNESOTA

Coach: Jenny Hansen (12th season)
National seed: No. 13
Notable: The Gophers pulled an upset in the regional by knocking out Utah. They did it again on Thursday in the second semifinal by edging UCLA for second place to advance to the NCAA Championships for the first time in program history.
Gymnast to watch: Senior Brooklyn Rowray played a huge role in Minnesota's first NCAA Finals berth by winning the individual national title on the beam. Rowray posted a 9.9625 to join Marie Roethlisberger as the only Gophers with national titles. Roethlisberger won the bars championship 36 years ago.

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