Florida gymnastics dealt with serious adversity for the first time this season Friday, Jan. 16.
The Gators tallied a season-low score of 49.175 on vault to begin the meet. Alabama scored a 49.550. Was the moment too big for the youthful UF squad?
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Not in the slightest.
The Gators inched back and retook the lead by the time the third rotation ended. In the fourth, Florida weathered errors to hold off the pesky Crimson Tide.
No. 1 Florida defeated fourth-ranked Alabama 197.425-197.275 to win its Southeastern Conference (SEC) opener and move to 4-0 on the 2026 season.
Both squads struggled to stick landings on vault, which helped Florida cut the deficit to 0.025 halfway through the meet. A 49.550 score on bars helped as well, capped off by 9.925s from Anya Pilgrim and Riley McCusker.
UF kept the fiery show going into beam as eMjae Frazier tallied a 9.925 on beam. It all came down to the floor. A Gator win seemed secure as UA’s Jasmine Cawley suffered a fall to begin the Tide’s beam lineup. But then Danie Ferris fell on floor, which leveled the playing field.
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Skye Blakely needed to score a 9.600 for Florida to win. That’s a virtual guarantee for one of the best gymnasts in the country – until she stepped out of bounds.
Fans and gymnasts held their breath waiting for Blakely’s score. A 9.725 flashed on the screen.
Jubilation in the O’Connell Center, and a Gators dub.
Florida gymnastics vs. Alabama starting lineupsVault
Florida: Ly Bui, Skylar Draser, Amelia Disadore, Gabby Disidore, Danie Ferris, Selena Harris-Miranda
Alabama: Jasmine Crawley, Jamison Sears, Kylee Kvamme, Jordyn Paradise, Gabby Gladieux, Azaraya Ra-Akbar
Bars
Florida: eMjae Frazier, Anya Pilgram, Riley McCusker, DiCello, Skye Blakely, Harris-Miranda
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Alabama: Paityn Walker, Gladieux, Ryan Fuller, Natalie Pawlak, Chloe LaCoursiere, Ra-Akbar
Beam
Florida: Draser, Frazier, Blakely, Harris-Miranda, DiCello, Alyssa Arana
Alabama: Cawley, Gabby Ladanyi, Kvamme, LaCoursiere, Ra-Akbar, Gladieux
Floor
Florida: Jayla Booker, A. Disidore, Ferris, Frazier, Taylor Clark, Blakely
Alabama: McKenzie Matters, LaCoursiere, Sears, Ra-Akbar, Crawley, Gladieux
Florida gymnastics vs. Alabama live meet updatesRotation 1: Florida gymnastics 49.175, Alabama 49.550
Something just seemed off for the Gators on the vault. Until Selena Harris-Miranda’s 9.925 to end the rotation, not one UF gymnast stuck their landing. It showed as Harris-Miranda was the lone gymnast to score a 9.900 or higher. Alabama took advantage and shined on the bars, capped off by a 9.975 from Chloe LaCoursiere and a 9.950 from Azarya Ra-Akbar. It’s Alabama’s best rotation score of the season, and the Gators worst.
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Rotation 2: Florida gymnastics 98.725, Alabama 98.750
The Gators respond back in a big way with a balanced bars performance. Except for Kayla DiCello, whose score was dropped, all gymnasts scored a 9.900 or above. Anya Pilgrim and Riley McCusker each topped with a 9.925. On the other side, Alabama struggled to stick landings on vault like Florida, but strong scores from Gabby Gladieux and Ra-Akbar preserved the Crimson Tide’s slim lead. UA scored an identical 49.200 on vault last week, while the 49.550 is UF’s best score of the season.
Rotation 3: Florida gymnastics 148.200, Alabama 148.100
Gators keep the momentum going into the beam and take a lead over the Crimson Tide for the first time tonight…by a margin of 0.100 (148.200-148.100). Harris-Miranda continued her on fire meet performance with a 9.950 — the Gators highest score. Alabama only had two scores on floor above a 9.875 and none above a 9.900. This allowed UF to take the lead. Now it must hold it on the floor.
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Rotation 4: Florida gymnastics 197.425, Alabama 197.275
A dramatic, intense finish at the O’Connell Center sees the Gators secure a narrow victory over the rival Crimson Tide. Both Florida and Alabama had gymnasts suffer deductions in Jasmine Cawley and Danie Ferris. This led the meet to coming down to the final routine between UA’s Gabby Gladieux and UF’s Skye Blakely. Both suffered deductions as Blakely stepped out of bounds on the floor. In the end, her 9.725 vs. Gladieux’s 9.700 proved the difference as the Gators moved to 4-0.
Noah Ram covers Florida Gators athletics and Gainesville-area high school sports for The Gainesville Sun, GatorSports.com and the USA TODAY Network. Contact him at nram@gannett.com. Follow him on X @Noah_ram1 and on Instagram @Ramreporter. Read his coverage of the Gators’ national championship basketball season in “CHOMP-IONS!” — a hardcover coffee-table collector’s book from The Sun. Details at Florida.ChampsBook.com
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida gymnastics vs. Alabama live meet updates for top five SEC opener