Gators Gymnastics Season Opens Friday
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Florida gymnastics starts the 2025 season this Friday. Preseason No. 3 Florida opens the campaign with a home quad versus preseason No. 11 Michigan State, No. 23 Nebraska and Northern Illinois for GNV & Club Gym Night presented by Cox.
The meet starts at 6:45 p.m. in the Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center<https://www.oconnellcenter.ufl.edu/events/gymnastics-vs-michigan-state-nebraska-northern-illinois/>. Gates open at 5:30 p.m.
About Friday's Meet:
Friday's meet is the season opener for Florida and Northern Illinois. Michigan State opened with a 196.85 - 194.675 home dual meet win over Western Michigan on Saturday. Nebraska opened with a 194.475 to take fourth at Saturday's American Gold Collegiate Gymnastics Classic in Nashville versus No. 1 Oklahoma (197.55), No. 17 Auburn (195.55) and BYU (194.625).
Friday's quad includes two defending regular-season conference champions. Florida won its sixth consecutive Southeastern Conference regular-season title in 2024 with a 6-1 record. Michigan State took its second straight Big Ten regular-season title with a 9-0 record and then claimed its first Big Ten Championships meet title at the 2024 league event in East Lansing, Mich. This is Florida's first opening meet versus a top-15 team since its 197.50-195.725 win at then No. 14 Auburn to begin the 2021 campaign.
Arrive Early to Cheer Your Gators
Be in your Exactech Arena seat by 6:45 p.m. to take in the new floor projection show which leads into the Gators first entrance for the 2025 campaign.
Here's some tips to expedite your trip to the Exactech Arena Friday:
Getting TO the Arena:
* Season parking holders can enter the O'Connell Center lot off Lemerand Drive OR SW 2nd Avenue.
* A complimentary parking shuttle transports fans from which originates at Garage 109 (located at corner of Archer Road and Lemerand Drive to the O'Connell Center. The parking shuttle begins at 5 p.m. Parking map for Gator Gymnastics<https://floridagators.com/sports/2015/12/10/_facilities_parking_gymnastics_.aspx>.
* Use the Waze app<https://www.waze.com/live-map/directions?to=ll.29.6517704,-82.3508596> to provide the best route to parking shuttle.
* Check the Parking Lot Availability Tracker<https://floridagators.com/sports/2015/12/10/_facilities_parking_gymnastics_.aspx> to see your options in real time.
* For 5-10 minutes following Gator gymnastics meets, Lemerand Drive will close for north and south bound traffic from University Avenue to Stadium Road to provide pedestrians a safe exit.
* More information at 2025 Meet Guide<https://floridagators.com/sports/2015/12/10/_gameday_gymnastics_.aspx>
Getting IN the Arena:
* To get tickets ahead of Friday's meet, visit the FloridaGators.com ticket site<https://floridagators.com/sports/2015/12/10/_tickets_gymnastics_.aspx> or stop by the Gator Ticket Office (open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.).
* Gates 1 and 2 will be open for each gymnastics meet. UF students should enter at Gate 3.
* Check out the Exactech Arena's new apparatus layout for 2025 season<https://floridagators.com/sports/2024/2/21/gymnastics-tickets.aspx>.
* All Gator Athletics tickets are mobile. Visit Mobile Ticketing Guide<https://spark.adobe.com/page/0oiC6OLlbeGQN/> to help expediate your entrance into the arena. To help zip through the entrance, be sure to add your tickets to your digital wallet in case of possible connectivity issues outside the gate. Then have tickets up on device to present for scanning.
* Bags are checked before entering the building. Everyone will go through the O'Connell Center metal detectors when entering. When using the metal detectors fans need to empty their pockets prior to screening, then walk through the detector. After that, tickets will be scanned and then you are ready to cheer your Gators!
Friday's Promotions:
* New Look for Your Lunch Bag - First 500 children age 12 & under receive a Gator gymnastics lunch bag!
* Gate 1 Giveaways - Be sure to pick up 2025 Gators Gymnastics season poster, schedule magnet and 10.0 fan cards when you enter at O'Connell Center Gate 1.
* O2B Kid's Corner - Located on the Practice Courts near Gate 4, kids can get free giveaways, temporary tattoos, play games, make posters, meet the mascots & Dazzlers, and more!
How to Follow the Gators:
Follow the action live:
* SEC Network +<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/1c8cd491-13f4-497e-b186-f3a757e22c09> - action called by Kyle Crooks and Gator gymnastics alumnae Stacey Abbott Gleim.
* Live scores
The 2025 Gators:
* The 19-member 2025 Gator team includes a national high eight All-Americans with 50 All-America honors. Nineteen team members is the highest in the program's history.
* UF returns all 24 routines from its 2024 NCAA team final performance (fourth-place finish).
* Two All-Americans - Ellie Lazzari and Victoria Nguyen - are back as Super Seniors.
* The senior class includes Bri Edwards and a trio of All-Americans - Sloane Blakely, Riley McCusker and Leanne Wong. Wong is the defending NCAA uneven bars champion.
* The junior class doubled in size this summer. Joining Lori Brubach in the class is All-American Selena Harris-Miranda, who joins the Gators after competing at UCLA the last two seasons.
* The Gators biggest class are the seven sophomores - Alyssa Arana, Kaylee Bluffstone, Gabby Disidore, Skylar Draser, Danie Ferris and All-American Anya Pilgrim. Returning to the Gators after a gap year to pursue a 2024 Olympic berth is All-American and 2023 SEC Freshman of the Year Kayla DiCello.
* It's a freshmen quad for the Gators in 2025 - Skye Blakely (Frisco, Texas), Lily Bruce (Kingwood, Texas) and Taylor Clark (Orange Park, Fla.). Ly Bui, who signed with Florida in November, finished high school early and enrolled at UF for the spring 2025 semester.
* Of the 16 gymnastics earning a spot in the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials<https://usagym.org/usa-gymnastics-announces-rosters-for-2024-olympic-team-trials-gymnastics/>, seven are on 2025 collegiate rosters. Florida's three - Skye Blakely, DiCello and Wong - leads all as no other program has more than one. Blakely<> and DiCello<> suffered Achilles tears at Olympic Trials and were unable to compete. Wong was named a replacement athlete and traveled to Paris for the 2024 Summer Games.
* A national-high four among the 2025 Gators earned World Championship' individual or team medals for the U.S. -Skye Blakely (2022 and 2022 team gold), DiCello (2021 AA bronze; 2023 team gold), McCusker (2018 team gold) and Wong (2021 AA silver; 2022 team gold, 2023 team gold)
* Seven Gators have been a part of U.S. Senior national teams - Sloane Blakely (2018-19), Skye Blakely (2021, 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25), Bui (2024), DiCello (2019-20, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025), McCusker (2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20, 2021), Nguyen (2016-17), Wong (2018-19, 2019-20, 2021, 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25)
* Five Gators own collegiate bests of 10.0 -Sloane Blakely (floor), DiCello (bars), Harris-Miranda (vault, bars), Pilgrim (floor) and Wong (vault, bars, beam, floor)
Florida in 2024:
Florida placed fourth in the Gators' 40th NCAA Championships' appearance in 2024. Florida claimed its sixth consecutive Southeastern Conference regular season in 2024.
Two Gators turned in three 10.0 marks - Anya Pilgrim (floor) and Leanne Wong (uneven bars / floor). Wong's 10.0 floor mark concluded her Gym Slam (a 10.0 on each event). Florida added two this season with collegiate 10.0s on their competitive resumes. Sophomore Kayla DiCello earned two uneven bars 10.0s as a Gator freshman in 2023. She took a gap year in 2024 to train for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. Junior Selena Harris-Miranda, the 2024 Pac-12 Gymnast of the Year, earned five 10.0s while with UCLA - four on vault and one on bars. She transferred to Florida last summer.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Florida gymnastics starts the 2025 season this Friday. Preseason No. 3 Florida opens the campaign with a home quad versus preseason No. 11 Michigan State, No. 23 Nebraska and Northern Illinois for GNV & Club Gym Night presented by Cox.
The meet starts at 6:45 p.m. in the Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center<https://www.oconnellcenter.ufl.edu/events/gymnastics-vs-michigan-state-nebraska-northern-illinois/>. Gates open at 5:30 p.m.
About Friday's Meet:
Friday's meet is the season opener for Florida and Northern Illinois. Michigan State opened with a 196.85 - 194.675 home dual meet win over Western Michigan on Saturday. Nebraska opened with a 194.475 to take fourth at Saturday's American Gold Collegiate Gymnastics Classic in Nashville versus No. 1 Oklahoma (197.55), No. 17 Auburn (195.55) and BYU (194.625).
Friday's quad includes two defending regular-season conference champions. Florida won its sixth consecutive Southeastern Conference regular-season title in 2024 with a 6-1 record. Michigan State took its second straight Big Ten regular-season title with a 9-0 record and then claimed its first Big Ten Championships meet title at the 2024 league event in East Lansing, Mich. This is Florida's first opening meet versus a top-15 team since its 197.50-195.725 win at then No. 14 Auburn to begin the 2021 campaign.
Arrive Early to Cheer Your Gators
Be in your Exactech Arena seat by 6:45 p.m. to take in the new floor projection show which leads into the Gators first entrance for the 2025 campaign.
Here's some tips to expedite your trip to the Exactech Arena Friday:
Getting TO the Arena:
* Season parking holders can enter the O'Connell Center lot off Lemerand Drive OR SW 2nd Avenue.
* A complimentary parking shuttle transports fans from which originates at Garage 109 (located at corner of Archer Road and Lemerand Drive to the O'Connell Center. The parking shuttle begins at 5 p.m. Parking map for Gator Gymnastics<https://floridagators.com/sports/2015/12/10/_facilities_parking_gymnastics_.aspx>.
* Use the Waze app<https://www.waze.com/live-map/directions?to=ll.29.6517704,-82.3508596> to provide the best route to parking shuttle.
* Check the Parking Lot Availability Tracker<https://floridagators.com/sports/2015/12/10/_facilities_parking_gymnastics_.aspx> to see your options in real time.
* For 5-10 minutes following Gator gymnastics meets, Lemerand Drive will close for north and south bound traffic from University Avenue to Stadium Road to provide pedestrians a safe exit.
* More information at 2025 Meet Guide<https://floridagators.com/sports/2015/12/10/_gameday_gymnastics_.aspx>
Getting IN the Arena:
* To get tickets ahead of Friday's meet, visit the FloridaGators.com ticket site<https://floridagators.com/sports/2015/12/10/_tickets_gymnastics_.aspx> or stop by the Gator Ticket Office (open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.).
* Gates 1 and 2 will be open for each gymnastics meet. UF students should enter at Gate 3.
* Check out the Exactech Arena's new apparatus layout for 2025 season<https://floridagators.com/sports/2024/2/21/gymnastics-tickets.aspx>.
* All Gator Athletics tickets are mobile. Visit Mobile Ticketing Guide<https://spark.adobe.com/page/0oiC6OLlbeGQN/> to help expediate your entrance into the arena. To help zip through the entrance, be sure to add your tickets to your digital wallet in case of possible connectivity issues outside the gate. Then have tickets up on device to present for scanning.
* Bags are checked before entering the building. Everyone will go through the O'Connell Center metal detectors when entering. When using the metal detectors fans need to empty their pockets prior to screening, then walk through the detector. After that, tickets will be scanned and then you are ready to cheer your Gators!
Friday's Promotions:
* New Look for Your Lunch Bag - First 500 children age 12 & under receive a Gator gymnastics lunch bag!
* Gate 1 Giveaways - Be sure to pick up 2025 Gators Gymnastics season poster, schedule magnet and 10.0 fan cards when you enter at O'Connell Center Gate 1.
* O2B Kid's Corner - Located on the Practice Courts near Gate 4, kids can get free giveaways, temporary tattoos, play games, make posters, meet the mascots & Dazzlers, and more!
How to Follow the Gators:
Follow the action live:
* SEC Network +<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/1c8cd491-13f4-497e-b186-f3a757e22c09> - action called by Kyle Crooks and Gator gymnastics alumnae Stacey Abbott Gleim.
* Live scores
The 2025 Gators:
* The 19-member 2025 Gator team includes a national high eight All-Americans with 50 All-America honors. Nineteen team members is the highest in the program's history.
* UF returns all 24 routines from its 2024 NCAA team final performance (fourth-place finish).
* Two All-Americans - Ellie Lazzari and Victoria Nguyen - are back as Super Seniors.
* The senior class includes Bri Edwards and a trio of All-Americans - Sloane Blakely, Riley McCusker and Leanne Wong. Wong is the defending NCAA uneven bars champion.
* The junior class doubled in size this summer. Joining Lori Brubach in the class is All-American Selena Harris-Miranda, who joins the Gators after competing at UCLA the last two seasons.
* The Gators biggest class are the seven sophomores - Alyssa Arana, Kaylee Bluffstone, Gabby Disidore, Skylar Draser, Danie Ferris and All-American Anya Pilgrim. Returning to the Gators after a gap year to pursue a 2024 Olympic berth is All-American and 2023 SEC Freshman of the Year Kayla DiCello.
* It's a freshmen quad for the Gators in 2025 - Skye Blakely (Frisco, Texas), Lily Bruce (Kingwood, Texas) and Taylor Clark (Orange Park, Fla.). Ly Bui, who signed with Florida in November, finished high school early and enrolled at UF for the spring 2025 semester.
* Of the 16 gymnastics earning a spot in the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials<https://usagym.org/usa-gymnastics-announces-rosters-for-2024-olympic-team-trials-gymnastics/>, seven are on 2025 collegiate rosters. Florida's three - Skye Blakely, DiCello and Wong - leads all as no other program has more than one. Blakely<> and DiCello<> suffered Achilles tears at Olympic Trials and were unable to compete. Wong was named a replacement athlete and traveled to Paris for the 2024 Summer Games.
* A national-high four among the 2025 Gators earned World Championship' individual or team medals for the U.S. -Skye Blakely (2022 and 2022 team gold), DiCello (2021 AA bronze; 2023 team gold), McCusker (2018 team gold) and Wong (2021 AA silver; 2022 team gold, 2023 team gold)
* Seven Gators have been a part of U.S. Senior national teams - Sloane Blakely (2018-19), Skye Blakely (2021, 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25), Bui (2024), DiCello (2019-20, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025), McCusker (2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20, 2021), Nguyen (2016-17), Wong (2018-19, 2019-20, 2021, 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25)
* Five Gators own collegiate bests of 10.0 -Sloane Blakely (floor), DiCello (bars), Harris-Miranda (vault, bars), Pilgrim (floor) and Wong (vault, bars, beam, floor)
Florida in 2024:
Florida placed fourth in the Gators' 40th NCAA Championships' appearance in 2024. Florida claimed its sixth consecutive Southeastern Conference regular season in 2024.
Two Gators turned in three 10.0 marks - Anya Pilgrim (floor) and Leanne Wong (uneven bars / floor). Wong's 10.0 floor mark concluded her Gym Slam (a 10.0 on each event). Florida added two this season with collegiate 10.0s on their competitive resumes. Sophomore Kayla DiCello earned two uneven bars 10.0s as a Gator freshman in 2023. She took a gap year in 2024 to train for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. Junior Selena Harris-Miranda, the 2024 Pac-12 Gymnast of the Year, earned five 10.0s while with UCLA - four on vault and one on bars. She transferred to Florida last summer.
