Freshman Anya Pilgrim felt the electricity of the Stephen C. O’Connell Center for the first time in her career Friday night. For the first time in orange and blue, Pilgrim highlighted the Gators’ season-opening quad meet with the top slot in vault, bars and floor competitions.
Her graceful execution on each exercise earned her the all-around award, a celebration of her overall 39.525. She claimed the top slot in vault and bars with a 9.875. But her best performance of the night was in the final floor apparatus, where she secured a 9.925.
“[What] I especially liked about her performance is that I saw her perform just how she trains on a daily basis and believe that consistency is key,” Florida head coach Jenny Rowland said about Pilgrim’s performance. “[Consistency is] something that we look for in a member of the lineup.”
The Florida Gators gymnastics team (1-0) dominated in their season-opener against Fisk University (0-1), George Washington (0-1) and Talladega College (0-1) with a final 197.100. The Gators won each apparatus with a 9.875 or higher for an all-around sweep.
“I think the takeaway from this week is that it's just going to elevate their confidence even more and make them even more hungry and more excited for what’s to come,” Rowland said.
Florida freshman Skylar Draser opened the Gators’ 2024 season strong. For UF’s first performance of the season, Draser presented a seamless vault routine to clinch a 9.850. Junior Bri Edwards flew through her run to record the second 9.850 for the Gators.
But it was Pilgrim who shined in the apparatus. In her debut, she matched junior Leanne Wong’s score of 9.875. Florida swept the vault with all top-four slots snatched by the Gators’ 9.8 or higher scores.
The Gators struggled to hold their momentum on the uneven parallel bars in the second rotation. Junior Sloane Blakely ran through her routine and stumbled on the landing to gain a 9.575.
Freshman Alyssa Arana struggled in her premiere performance. Despite two falls, the freshman boasted a third successful attempt and collected an overall 8.450.
Pilgrim fared equally well on the bars as she did the vault. She topped the apparatus against all five of UF’s gymnasts and secured the highest score on bars with a 9.875.
Senior Victoria Nguyen, freshman Gabby Disidore and Wong lined up with the third, fourth and fifth spots on the rankings. Each of them boasted a 9.825 score or higher on the bars.
Junior Morgan Hurd’s first performance of the night featured two straight straddles but slipped with numerous wobbles and a sidestep. Hurd’s mistakes cost her when she received deductions on the beam with a final 9.8.
However, senior Ellie Lazzari refused to keep the Gators down for long. She breezed through her run with a double back and ended on a stuck landing to earn just short of a perfect 10, recording a 9.975.
Wong kept the heat going with a promising rhythmic routine on the beam. Her performance concluded with a stuck landing and tallied the Gators’ second-highest score on the apparatus with a 9.925.
Florida completed the third rotation in the lead with a 147.650 but George Washington wasn’t too far behind, only 2.275 behind from the lead.
UF left the O’Dome mesmerized in the floor apparatus. Pilgrim stuck both landings in her first floor performance. Her routine left audiences in awe with a graceful execution that promised her a 9.925 and tied her with senior Victoria Nguyen for the top slot.
Despite the floor routine being one of her weakest performances, Pilgrim was extremely proud of her performance tonight.
“So for [floor] to be my stand out tonight, it was really great,” Pilgrim said.
Nguyen dazzled in her performance with a seamlessly choreographed routine. Her clean landings secured the Gators’ second 9.925 and a victory in the apparatus. Sophomore Lori Brubach racked up another solid performance with a 9.875. Hurd followed behind to mirror her score and ended the floor exercise with a 49.450.
Florida will begin SEC competition on the road Jan. 19 at 6 p.m. against the Auburn Tigers. The meet will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
Contact Krisha Sanghavi at ksanghavi@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter at @krishasang.
Krisha Sanghavi is a third-year public relations and economics major. In her free time, she loves cheering on Miami sports teams and spending time with her friends.
