Florida freshman Anya Pilgrim proved to be a star during the NCAA Semifinals Thursday night. She kept the momentum high and uplifted her teammates as they competed at high measures.
In her NCAA debut, she handled each routine with a positive attitude, remaining calm throughout. Where the stakes were high she managed to make every one of her landings solid and executed a perfect dismount in each one.
Pilgrim’s most impressive was on the vault as she gained the right amount of height, allowing her to compose an upright landing.
The No. 4 Florida Gators (27-4, 6-1 SEC) placed second against the No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners (35-0, 4-0 BIG 12), No. 8 Alabama Crimson Tide (12-4-1, 3-3-1 SEC) and No. 5 Utah Utes (15-4, 6-1 PAC-12) Thursday night in Fort Worth, Texas at Dickies Arena in the second round of the NCAA Semifinals.
Utah placed first with an overall score of 197.9375, while UF claimed an overall score of 197.8750. Oklahoma placed third with a 196.6625 and Alabama scored a 195.4125.
UF senior Victoria Nguyen effortlessly leaped across the floor in her routine, opening for the Gators in their first apparatus. She earned a 9.875, shining on the floor. Senior Ellie Lazzari kept the momentum at an all-time high in her performance with her shift in flips and turns earning her a 9.825.
Pilgrim dazzled on the floor in her routine, perfecting a double tuck to match Nguyen. Junior Sloane Blakely worked her magic on the floor beaming with a smile as she swayed her hips and leaped into the air earning her a 9.8875.
Junior Leanne Wong closed out the apparatus with a double layout to classical music and earned the highest score amongst her teammates with a 9.925.
Oregon State junior Jade Carey, an individual competitor with the Gators, showcased her floor routine with a double layout. But in this case, she added a twist and scored her high with a 9.950.
Florida finished the first routine with a 49.4500 overall score.
Freshman Skylar Draser opened up for the Gators on vault and excelled as she kept her composure by making a clean, well-structured landing earning a 9.875. Nguyen ran through her vault routine earning a slight deduction due to her foot overstepping on her landing. She recorded a 9.85.
Pilgrim shined once again in her routine on vault as she effortlessly jumped into the air, sticking a perfect landing with her hips aligned. She grinned with excitement, earning a 9.9125.
Wong earned the highest score with a 9.9375, gracefully leaping into the air and landing on both of her feet.
Carey displayed a known olympic style vault routine as she showcased a double twist landing earning a 9.9.
Florida finished out its second routine with a 98.9500 as they moved to the uneven parallel bars.
Blakely opened up on the bars for the Gators and sparkled in her routine, bouncing between bars to gear a strong landing earning her a 9.85. Nguyen outshined her opponents as she gracefully soared between bars, landing a perfect dismount. She earned a 9.9125 and ran into the arms of her assistant coaches and teammate junior Morgan Hurd.
Pilgrim brought back the Gators momentum as Lazzari’s performance caused a slight setback with her 9.1625.
Wong kept her fiery momentum, scoring a 9.9625 on her bars routine. She executed the perfect dismount landing upright on her feet.
Florida placed second on the leaderboard as they headed into the final apparatus with an overall score of 148.4000.
Draser opened on the beam with a 9.9, keeping her movements composed and her feet balanced, not swaying towards the sides or overstepping on her landing. Pilgrim dazzled on the beam, conducting high flips while keeping her feet measured on the beam. However, an overstep on the beam forced a slight deduction of a 9.9125.
Wong scored a 9.8875 on her final performance of the meet. Lazzari struggled in her routine, scoring a 8.975. However, despite an unfortunate mistake, the Gators placed second following Utah in first place.
UF will now advance to the NCAA Championships on Saturday at 4 p.m.
Contact Alyssa Britton-Harr at abritton-harr@alligator.org. Follow her on X @abrittonharr.
Alyssa Britton-Harr is a second-year journalism major and a sports reporter for The Alligator. In her free time, she enjoys cheering on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and spending time with her friends.
