FORT WORTH, Texas \u2014\u00a0The Gators gymnastics team is returning to the NCAA Finals after a year away.<\/p>\n
No. 3-seed Florida won the NCAA Semifinals Session I on Thursday afternoon at Dickies Arena, beating No. 2-seed LSU 197.7875-197.4375. Georgia (197.2625) finished third, and Stanford (196.9375) placed fourth. Florida and LSU will be two of the four teams in Saturday’s NCAA Championships.<\/p>\n
“I’m extremely proud of this team, this journey, this story they have written this season,” head coach Jenny Rowland<\/a> said. “No regrets. We can say there have been no regrets this year. I’m incredibly excited to continue dancing.”<\/p>\n The Gators, wearing their football-themed leotards named in honor of former UF football coach Steve Spurrier<\/a>, started on beam and were in second place after the first rotation, after eMjae Frazier<\/a> led the way with a 9.9250 beam score.<\/p>\n Frazier’s impact remained a constant theme. She posted Florida’s highest score on floor with 9.9375, and Florida’s team score of 49.4375 lifted the Gators past LSU into first place at the midway point. By the end of the third rotation, the Gators were still in first place with a 49.2250 vault score. You guessed it, Frazier had the highest individual UF mark with a 9.8750 vault.<\/p>\n With the Gators prepared to finish on uneven bars, their strongest event, they were in good shape entering the final rotation as Southeastern Conference rivals Georgia and LSU battled for the runner-up spot and berth in Saturday’s finals.<\/p>\n Florida closed the meet with four consecutive 9.9000s or best on the uneven bars, highlighted by Riley McCusker’s<\/a> 9.9875 in the Gators’ final performance of the night.<\/p>\n McCusker didn’t know it at the time, but the Gators had clinched a spot in the national championship, fulfilling a promise the team made at the start of the season.<\/p>\n “Last year, it was the whole reason we created ‘The Promise,’ ” McCusker said. “I really don’t think without what happened last year that we would be where we are.”
\n<\/p>\n What it Means
Gator All-Americans \u00a0<\/p>\n Gator Performance Notes<\/p>\n
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\n<\/p>\n
\nThe Gators opened on beam in Thursday’s NCAA semifinals, marking only the third time since 2011 that Florida started the national semifinals on beam. The last two times? In 2011 and 2025. Those are the only seasons the Gators have failed to advance from the semifinals at the NCAA Championships. The Gators rewrote that script Thursday with a 49.4625 beam score, finishing the first rotation in second place behind LSU.\u00a0
\n\u00a0
\nIn the Spotlight
\nFrazier, a graduate transfer from Cal, rose to the occasion in her first national semifinal appearance for the Gators. She was steady throughout and finished second in the all-around standings. Frazier’s 39.5625 all-around score was second to LSU’s Kailin Chio (39.6125).
\n\u00a0
\nStaggering Statistic
\nThe Gators have an opportunity Saturday to clinch the program’s fifth national championship on Saturday (one AIAW (1982), three NCAA (2013-15). If they do it, it will be the 50th team national title in Florida Gators history.<\/p>\n
\n\u00a0
\n<\/p>\n
\nSix Gators earned 15 All-America honors in Thursday’s NCAA semifinal competition.
\n\u00a0
\n
\n\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t2026 Gator All-Americans
\n\t\t
\n\t
\n\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tName
\n\t\t\tEvent
\n\t\t\tSemi I Score
\n\t\t\tAll-America Team
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tSky Blakely
\n\t\t\tUB\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
\n\t\t\t9.975
\n\t\t\tFirst
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tBB
\n\t\t\t9.9125
\n\t\t\tSecond
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tKayla DiCello<\/a>
\n\t\t\tAA
\n\t\t\t39.5375
\n\t\t\tFirst
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tV\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
\n\t\t\t9.8625
\n\t\t\tSecond
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tUB
\n\t\t\t9.900
\n\t\t\tSecond
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tBB
\n\t\t\t9.8875
\n\t\t\tSecond
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\teMjae Frazier<\/a>
\n\t\t\tAA
\n\t\t\t39.5625
\n\t\t\tFirst
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tV
\n\t\t\t9.875
\n\t\t\tSecond
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tBB
\n\t\t\t9.925
\n\t\t\tFirst
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tFX
\n\t\t\t9.9375
\n\t\t\tFirst
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tSelena Harris-Miranda<\/a>
\n\t\t\tAA
\n\t\t\t39.4625
\n\t\t\tSecond
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tUB
\n\t\t\t9.925
\n\t\t\tFirst
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tBB
\n\t\t\t9.8875
\n\t\t\tSecond
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tRiley McCusker<\/a>
\n\t\t\tUB
\n\t\t\t9.9875
\n\t\t\tFirst
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tAnya Pilgrim<\/a>
\n\t\t\tUB
\n\t\t\t9.875
\n\t\t\tSecond
\n\t\t
\n\t
<\/p>\n
\n\tFlorida’s five All-Americans on uneven bars matches the program’s all-time high for number of All-Americans on an event at the NCAA Championships. Florida also had five earn All-America honors in 2022 for floor exercise.
\n\tSkye Blakely’s<\/a> 9.975 on uneven bars matched the Gators’ all-time uneven bars high score in NCAA semifinal action (set by Trinity Thomas in 2022). A new high was set three competitors later when Riley McCusker<\/a> anchored the lineup at 9.9875. Those scores are the No. 2 and No. 3 highest bars scores ever in NCAA semifinal action across all teams.
\n\tFlorida’s total of 197.7875 is No. 4 all-time for Gators in NCAA semifinal competition.
\n\tUF’s bars total of 49.6625 is No. 2 all-time among all teams in NCAA semifinal competition.
<\/p>\n
\n\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tNCAA Championships Coverage:
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tWhen:
\n\t\t\tNCAA Team Final | Saturday, April 18 at 4 p.m. ET
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tVenue:
\n\t\t\tDickies Arena |<\/a> Fort Worth, Texas
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tTV\/Stream:
\n\t\t\tNCAA Team final live on ABC.
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tOlympians Aly Raisman, Samantha Peszek and John Roethlisberger call the action with Taylor Davis providing sideline reports.
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tFinal<\/a>
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tLive Scores:
\n\t\t\tVirtius Final<\/a>
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tTickets:
\n\t\t\tTickets<\/a>
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<\/p>\n
\n\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tNo. 3 Florida in NCAA Semifinal Championships Semifinal I
\n\t\t
\n\t
\n\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tTeam Totals
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tApril 16, 2026 \u2013 Dickie’s Arena (5,170)
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tTeam
\n\t\t\tVault
\n\t\t\tBars
\n\t\t\tBeam
\n\t\t\tFloor
\n\t\t\tTotal
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tFlorida^
\n\t\t\t49.225
\n\t\t\t49.6625
\n\t\t\t49.4625
\n\t\t\t49.4375
\n\t\t\t197.7875
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tLSU^
\n\t\t\t49.475
\n\t\t\t49.1875
\n\t\t\t49.250
\n\t\t\t49.525
\n\t\t\t197.4375
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tGeorgia
\n\t\t\t49.325
\n\t\t\t49.150
\n\t\t\t49.250
\n\t\t\t49.5375
\n\t\t\t197.2625
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tStanford
\n\t\t\t48.875
\n\t\t\t49.2875
\n\t\t\t49.525
\n\t\t\t49.250
\n\t\t\t196.9375
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