GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida gymnastics’ season-best total was boosted Friday by the first 10.0 for Florida freshman Kayla DiCello and the 24th perfect mark for Super Senior Trinity Thomas. There were plenty of other big Gator scores contributing to its 198.35 – the nation’s second-highest total of 2023. Missouri posted a 196.625 in Friday’s Southeastern Conference dual.
Friday’s Gators Link to Pink meet sponsored by UF Health was held in front of a sellout Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center crowd of 9,691 – highest since the venue reopened in 2017 after renovation. It was Florida’s eighth consecutive sellout.
TONIGHT’S MEET
Florida was led on vault with a pair of 9.9s by Kayla DiCello and Trinity Thomas, which took second overall. Vault was the only event title claimed by the Tigers, with Jocelyn Moore taking the win at 9.925.
DiCello’s 10.0 highlighted Florida’s season-high uneven bars total. The 49.675 ties Oklahoma for the nation’s high on the event in 2023. She is the nation’s first freshman with a 10.0 in any event this season. Completing the Gators bars sweep was Thomas and Leanne Wong at 9.95.
Thomas earned her second balance beam 10.0 of the season for her 18th win on the event. DiCello was just a fraction behind, upping her collegiate best to 9.975.
Three so-close-to-perfect scores helped the Gator tally the nation’s season leading floor exercise total of 49.725. The trio of 9.975 came from Wong, Thomas and sophomore Sloane Blakely.
Florida went one better than last week’s all-around sweep, taking the top four spots – Thomas (39.825), DiCello (39.75), Wong (39.55) and Blakely (39.55). Thomas’ win gives her Florida’s career all-around wins record. More on that below:
THOMAS SETS FLORIDA ALL-AROUND RECORD
Trinity Thomas adds another Gator career record tonight with the all-around win. She earned her 28th all-around win, moving her past Gator Great Bridget Sloan who won 27 all-arounds during her Gator career.
Thomas set Florida’s events wins record in 2022 and her three wins tonight pushes that record out to 128.
Florida Career All-Around Victories (top 5)
Name
Years Competed (RS)
Victories
FR
SO
JR
SR
GR
Trinity Thomas
2019-present
28
6
8
4
8
2
Bridget Sloan
2013-16
27
7
10
1
9
Elfi Schlegel
1983-86
26
10
6
7
3
Melissa Miller
1986-89
23
4
3
11
5
Kytra Hunter
2012-2015
21
6
4
2
9
GATOR PERFORMANCE NOTES:
* Florida’s 198.35 is the nation’s No. 2 total of 2023. It is the sixth-highest total in the program’s 51 seasons.
* Florida sold out 14 of the last 17 meets and the last eight consecutive. Tonight’s crowd of 9,691 is the top crowd since the Exactech Arena reopened in 2017 after an O’Connell Center renovation and fourth highest in program history.
* Two Florida event totals equal or set the national high of 2023 – uneven bars (49.675 – shares first) and floor exercise (49.725 – sets season high)
* Trinity Thomas’ all-around total of 39.825 shares the nation high. Wong set the high with her win on Jan. 13. Oregon State’s Jade Carey and Auburn’s Sunisa Lee also posted a 39.825 in 2023.
* It was a night for DiCello – setting or equaling collegiate bests for every event – uneven bars (10.0), balance beam (9.975), vault (9.90), floor exercise (9.875) and all-around (39.75).
* 39.75 is the high all-around among the nation’s 2023 freshmen
* 10.0 on uneven bars is first by a freshman on any event in 2023
* Nine of the nation’s 25 perfect scores in 2023 are by a Gator – Wong & Thomas (4 each) and DiCello (1).
* Three different Gators with a 2023 10.0 leads the nation
* Nine 10.0s leads the nation’s programs in 2023
* At least one 10.0 has been scored by a Gator in five of the six meets of 2023. Nine 10.0s from Wong (2 bars, 2 beam), Thomas (2 beam, 1 each for vault, floor), DiCello (1 bars)
* Florida now has 77 10.0s in program history (16 vault, 21 bars, 14 beam, 26 floor)
* Of the nation’s five perfect marks on uneven bars this season, three belong to the Gators – Leanne Wong Jan. 13 & Feb. 3) and Kayla DiCello (Feb. 10).
* Collegiate bests equaled or set tonight:
* Chloi Clark – 9.85 (vault)
* Kayla DiCello – 9.90 (vault), 10.0 (bars), 9.975 (beam), 9.875 (floor), 39.75 (all-around)
* Victoria Nguyen – beam (9.875)
* Trinity Thomas – 10.0 (beam)
* Leanne Wong – 9.975 (floor)
ABOUT LINK TO PINK:
Tonight was the 17th Annual Gators Link to Pink meet. These meets are part of a Southeastern Conference initiative and most of the league’s teams will participate in a “pink” meet this season.
This event is well supported by the Gainesville community. Seven of the top 17 crowds in the program’s history are Link to Pink events, including tonight’s sellout crowd of 9,691.
COACH ROWLAND SAID:
“It was a let it shine moment for the Gators tonight. That was our focus for the week. It was really something that we committed to for the week. Let it shine can be different for everybody but in the grand scheme of things, really making the most of a moment, celebrating, supporting, lifting up all the warriors that were here tonight in support for them and doing our best to make Gator Nation proud.
“The staff is incredibly excited about tonight. There were some really good moments, little details here and there, things that we've been working on - things that I'd like to say we're tweaking. There's nothing major that we feel needs to happen in order to continuously get better week after week. The little tweaks and little landings and just things here and there. It was really great to see a great step in the right direction for this team.” – Florida Head Coach Jenny Rowland
RECORDS: Florida (8-0, 5-0 SEC), Missouri (4-3, 1-3 SEC)
THE SERIES: Florida leads 32-1.
National Rank:
Florida – Florida is No. 3 in the Feb. 6 Road to Nationals rankings<https://roadtonationals.com/results/standings/season/2023/1/0/5>
Missouri – The Tigers are No.<https://roadtonationals.com/results/standings/season/2023/1/0/5> 15
UP NEXT:
A top-10 road match-up is next for the Gators when they compete at No. 9 LSU. The Tigers were on the road Friday, dropping a 197.75 – 197.50 meet at No. 5 Auburn.
When: Friday, Feb. 17 at 9 p.m. ET
Venue: Peter Maravich Assembly Center <http://www.lsugym.com/maravich-center>
TV: ESPN2
Stream: ESPN2 <https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/ff156038-df63-456c-9b65-359181e80d99>
Live Scores: StatBroadcast<http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=437578&vislive=fla>
Tickets: $12-7 general admission<https://lsusports.evenue.net/cgi-bi...9737&dataAccId=757&locale=en_US&siteId=ev_lsu>
No. 3 Florida versus No. 15 Missouri
Final Team Totals
Feb. 10, 2023 ● Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center (9,691 - sellout)
Team
Vault
Bars
Beam
Floor
Total
Florida
49.350
49.675
49.600
49.725
198.350
Missouri
49.050
49.225
49.150
49.200
196.625
Friday’s Gators Link to Pink meet sponsored by UF Health was held in front of a sellout Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center crowd of 9,691 – highest since the venue reopened in 2017 after renovation. It was Florida’s eighth consecutive sellout.
TONIGHT’S MEET
Florida was led on vault with a pair of 9.9s by Kayla DiCello and Trinity Thomas, which took second overall. Vault was the only event title claimed by the Tigers, with Jocelyn Moore taking the win at 9.925.
DiCello’s 10.0 highlighted Florida’s season-high uneven bars total. The 49.675 ties Oklahoma for the nation’s high on the event in 2023. She is the nation’s first freshman with a 10.0 in any event this season. Completing the Gators bars sweep was Thomas and Leanne Wong at 9.95.
Thomas earned her second balance beam 10.0 of the season for her 18th win on the event. DiCello was just a fraction behind, upping her collegiate best to 9.975.
Three so-close-to-perfect scores helped the Gator tally the nation’s season leading floor exercise total of 49.725. The trio of 9.975 came from Wong, Thomas and sophomore Sloane Blakely.
Florida went one better than last week’s all-around sweep, taking the top four spots – Thomas (39.825), DiCello (39.75), Wong (39.55) and Blakely (39.55). Thomas’ win gives her Florida’s career all-around wins record. More on that below:
THOMAS SETS FLORIDA ALL-AROUND RECORD
Trinity Thomas adds another Gator career record tonight with the all-around win. She earned her 28th all-around win, moving her past Gator Great Bridget Sloan who won 27 all-arounds during her Gator career.
Thomas set Florida’s events wins record in 2022 and her three wins tonight pushes that record out to 128.
Florida Career All-Around Victories (top 5)
Name
Years Competed (RS)
Victories
FR
SO
JR
SR
GR
Trinity Thomas
2019-present
28
6
8
4
8
2
Bridget Sloan
2013-16
27
7
10
1
9
Elfi Schlegel
1983-86
26
10
6
7
3
Melissa Miller
1986-89
23
4
3
11
5
Kytra Hunter
2012-2015
21
6
4
2
9
GATOR PERFORMANCE NOTES:
* Florida’s 198.35 is the nation’s No. 2 total of 2023. It is the sixth-highest total in the program’s 51 seasons.
* Florida sold out 14 of the last 17 meets and the last eight consecutive. Tonight’s crowd of 9,691 is the top crowd since the Exactech Arena reopened in 2017 after an O’Connell Center renovation and fourth highest in program history.
* Two Florida event totals equal or set the national high of 2023 – uneven bars (49.675 – shares first) and floor exercise (49.725 – sets season high)
* Trinity Thomas’ all-around total of 39.825 shares the nation high. Wong set the high with her win on Jan. 13. Oregon State’s Jade Carey and Auburn’s Sunisa Lee also posted a 39.825 in 2023.
* It was a night for DiCello – setting or equaling collegiate bests for every event – uneven bars (10.0), balance beam (9.975), vault (9.90), floor exercise (9.875) and all-around (39.75).
* 39.75 is the high all-around among the nation’s 2023 freshmen
* 10.0 on uneven bars is first by a freshman on any event in 2023
* Nine of the nation’s 25 perfect scores in 2023 are by a Gator – Wong & Thomas (4 each) and DiCello (1).
* Three different Gators with a 2023 10.0 leads the nation
* Nine 10.0s leads the nation’s programs in 2023
* At least one 10.0 has been scored by a Gator in five of the six meets of 2023. Nine 10.0s from Wong (2 bars, 2 beam), Thomas (2 beam, 1 each for vault, floor), DiCello (1 bars)
* Florida now has 77 10.0s in program history (16 vault, 21 bars, 14 beam, 26 floor)
* Of the nation’s five perfect marks on uneven bars this season, three belong to the Gators – Leanne Wong Jan. 13 & Feb. 3) and Kayla DiCello (Feb. 10).
* Collegiate bests equaled or set tonight:
* Chloi Clark – 9.85 (vault)
* Kayla DiCello – 9.90 (vault), 10.0 (bars), 9.975 (beam), 9.875 (floor), 39.75 (all-around)
* Victoria Nguyen – beam (9.875)
* Trinity Thomas – 10.0 (beam)
* Leanne Wong – 9.975 (floor)
ABOUT LINK TO PINK:
Tonight was the 17th Annual Gators Link to Pink meet. These meets are part of a Southeastern Conference initiative and most of the league’s teams will participate in a “pink” meet this season.
This event is well supported by the Gainesville community. Seven of the top 17 crowds in the program’s history are Link to Pink events, including tonight’s sellout crowd of 9,691.
COACH ROWLAND SAID:
“It was a let it shine moment for the Gators tonight. That was our focus for the week. It was really something that we committed to for the week. Let it shine can be different for everybody but in the grand scheme of things, really making the most of a moment, celebrating, supporting, lifting up all the warriors that were here tonight in support for them and doing our best to make Gator Nation proud.
“The staff is incredibly excited about tonight. There were some really good moments, little details here and there, things that we've been working on - things that I'd like to say we're tweaking. There's nothing major that we feel needs to happen in order to continuously get better week after week. The little tweaks and little landings and just things here and there. It was really great to see a great step in the right direction for this team.” – Florida Head Coach Jenny Rowland
RECORDS: Florida (8-0, 5-0 SEC), Missouri (4-3, 1-3 SEC)
THE SERIES: Florida leads 32-1.
National Rank:
Florida – Florida is No. 3 in the Feb. 6 Road to Nationals rankings<https://roadtonationals.com/results/standings/season/2023/1/0/5>
Missouri – The Tigers are No.<https://roadtonationals.com/results/standings/season/2023/1/0/5> 15
UP NEXT:
A top-10 road match-up is next for the Gators when they compete at No. 9 LSU. The Tigers were on the road Friday, dropping a 197.75 – 197.50 meet at No. 5 Auburn.
When: Friday, Feb. 17 at 9 p.m. ET
Venue: Peter Maravich Assembly Center <http://www.lsugym.com/maravich-center>
TV: ESPN2
Stream: ESPN2 <https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/ff156038-df63-456c-9b65-359181e80d99>
Live Scores: StatBroadcast<http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=437578&vislive=fla>
Tickets: $12-7 general admission<https://lsusports.evenue.net/cgi-bi...9737&dataAccId=757&locale=en_US&siteId=ev_lsu>
No. 3 Florida versus No. 15 Missouri
Final Team Totals
Feb. 10, 2023 ● Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center (9,691 - sellout)
Team
Vault
Bars
Beam
Floor
Total
Florida
49.350
49.675
49.600
49.725
198.350
Missouri
49.050
49.225
49.150
49.200
196.625
