Jan. 17, 2026, 7:00 p.m. ET
Florida Gymnastics opened the 2026 season with wins in consecutive weeks, ascending to the No. 1 spot in the country, according to the Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association.
The Gators climbed from a preseason No. 3 ranking (1,804 points, four first-place votes) to the top spot in the country. A quad-meet victory vaulted the Gators to No. 1 for the first time since 2021, when the Gators held down the position all season long. Florida followed up with a close win over No. 4 Alabama, led by senior All-American Selena Harris-Miranda for a second straight week.
Expectations are high once again for Florida, especially with a pair of national team talents returning from injury in Skye Blakeley and Kayla DiCello, both of whom suffered Achilles injuries at the U.S. Olympic Trials. 17-year-old sophomore Ly Bui has also stood out early in the season.
Let’s take a look at Florida’s hot start to the 2026 campaign.
A strong start to the season
The season started on Friday, Jan. 9, with a quad-meet win over No. 24 North Carolina, Temple and West Virginia. Florida posted a 197.725 to win Kids Night presented by GFL Environmental, 0.025 points shy of a program record for an opening meet.
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Ly Bui tied her collegiate best of 9.925, winning her first vault title, and Selena Harris-Miranda set a high mark for the season with a 9.95 on uneven bars and tied the season high of 9.975 on beam. Riley McCusker (9.95)and Kayla DiCello (9.90) also had standout performances on uneven bars. Jayla Booker made her collegiate debut with a 9.90 on floor.
Harris-Miranda was named the SEC Specialist of the Week.
“I would say the Gators showed up and showed out today,” head coach Jenny Rowland said. “That was their intention this week. And really, we had 28 routines, and we had 28 hit routines. That’s not too bad. We intentionally didn’t have too many all-arounders. We ended up having one tonight, and just a lot of new faces on different events.
“Extremely proud of this team for coming together and just truly supporting each other, celebrating the wins tonight. It was a solid performance from the Gators, and really excited to see where the season is going to go.”
Florida opens SEC schedule with win over Alabama
After moving to the No. 1 spot, Florida kicked off SEC play with a 197.425-197.275 win over No. 4 Alabama on Friday at the O’Connell Center, drawing a crowd of more than 7,500 fans. The meet came down to the final routine, with Florida winning or sharing three event titles.
Harris-Miranda won a second-straight balance beam title with a 9.95 and shared the vault win with a 9.925. Taylor Clark and Amelia Disidore shared the floor exercise title with two Alabama gymnasts at 9.90.
Minor steps hurt Florida on vault, putting the Gators behind from the start. The Orange and Blue bounced back on uneven bars, posting a season-high 49.55. All five counting routines scored 9.90 or higher, including 9.925s from McCusker and Anya Pilgrim. Alabama only led by 0.025 halfway through the meet.
Strong balance beam performances put Florida ahead by one-tenth going into the final rotation, floor. Freshman Jayla Booker opened with a 9.875 and Disidore’s 9.90 secured the victory.
“Welcome to the SEC competition,” Rowland said after the narrow win. “Grateful that Gator Nation came and showed out for our team. We’re extremely grateful for all of their support and the energy that they bring. I know our athletes thrive off of the energy that is brought to the arena. That was a lot of fun tonight.
“Really, really proud of this team. We showed a lot of heart, a lot of grit. Made some mistakes and remained calm and confident throughout the rest of whatever it is they were doing. If it was that individual performance or the next person up, they were ready to reset and continue doing gymnastics, just like we do in the gym. So really proud of them.”
Florida’s next meet is Jan. 23 at Auburn, which will air on the SEC Network at 8:45 p.m. ET, followed by a home meet against Arkansas, which fans can tune into on ESPN2 Jan. 30 at 7:15 p.m. ET.
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