Fresh off their 13th conference title, the Gators are headed to the 2026 NCAA Tempe Regional Final after a star-studded second-round outing. No. 3 Florida topped three other programs in Thursday’s Session II in Arizona, led by renowned performances across the board.
The Gators hoisted a 198.125, which bested No. 14 California, No. 20 Penn State and Arizona State. The Golden Bears trailed Florida by 1.450, but will compete in Saturday’s Regional Final as the runner-up of the session.
The Gators, as the highest-seeded team, selected their vault routine to lead off on, despite it being their weakest by a wide margin.
However, Florida’s ninth-ranked vault rotation provided a solid foundation for the night. It added a 49.600 after the first go-around and notched its season-high in the event. The Gators led the rest of the pack right off the bat and set the tone for Thursday’s competition.
Igniting Florida’s strong Tempe arrival was senior Selena Harris-Miranda. The 5-foot-1 Las Vegas native started off her night with a season-high 9.975. She was Florida’s lone all-around gymnast of the night, totaling 39.825 across her outing. Her successful vault routine also joined Kayla DiCello’s collegiate-best 9.950 and Skylar Draser’s season-best 9.900.
Desert Financial Arena was a familiar venue for Jenny Rowland, as was the success the fixture brought Thursday. Florida’s 11th-year head coach kick-started her collegiate gymnastics career in Tempe with Arizona State in 1993. Her freshman campaign brought the program’s first-ever perfect 10.0 on the uneven bars.
Rowland earned All-America honors with the Sun Devils and watched on as seven gymnasts of her own were awarded the same title. Danie Ferris, Skye Blakely, eMjae Frazier, Riley McCusker, Anya Pilgrim, DiCello and Harris-Miranda each boasted All-American crowns following the SEC championship meet.
The group picked up right where they left off, posting yet another impressive rotation on the uneven bars. The Gators watched as Blakely earned her first perfect score in the event, extending their lead to .975 heading into the back half of the night.
Despite undergoing an uncharacteristic fall in warmups, Harris-Miranda added a 9.975 ahead of McCusker’s 9.925 to close out the second rotation. Florida’s bars lineup, ranked No. 1 in the country, looked as untouchable as it has all season long.
While the Gators’ 49.450 carried its lowest score of the night, it continued to prove dominant over the competition. The score topped any of the remaining programs and opened up Florida’s already large lead.
UF exploded to a 1.050 edge heading into the final rotation. Harris-Miranda’s 9.950 score as the anchor on beam led the remainder of Florida’s crew.
The All-American in both beam and bars also showed out in the final event of the night. While Florida had little to no leaderboard pressure, Harris-Miranda’s routine was crucial to its success.
The 22-year-old notched a 9.925 to secure the Gators’ fourth consecutive meet with a score of 198 or higher, which extended the 2026 record across the nation.
Florida will face the top two finishers from Thursday’s Session I, including a familiar crew. The Gators will square off against No. 6 Georgia Saturday after having defeated it twice in the last six weeks.
The third installment of the rivalry comes just 15 days removed from Florida’s SEC title in Tulsa. It bested the Bulldogs 198.175-197.45 for its third conference championship in five years.
On the other end of Saturday’s final stands No. 11 Michigan State. The Spartans hold a 197.103 national qualifying score while their No. 7 vault ranking stands two spots ahead of Florida’s.
Joining the three teams is the Golden Bears, who eye their third NCAA Championship appearance in four years. California remained tight with Penn State before pulling out in front thanks to a 49.375 on floor, which sent it to the Regional Final alongside Florida.
Saturday brings yet another storyline to the table as Frazier spent her first three seasons at Cal, earning 10 All-America honors while being named the 2024 Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association West Region Gymnast of the Year.
The top two programs to emerge in Saturday’s competition will make their way to Fort Worth for the NCAA Championships April 16-18. The Gators eye their fourth national title and 18th final appearance.
Contact Riley Orovitz at rorovitz@alligator.org. Follow her on X at @rileyorovitz.
Riley is a sophomore sports journalism student in her second semester at The Alligator. She is the beat reporter for Gators Gymnastics and Swim & Dive while also contributing to the Gators Football Beat. She previously served in the same role in her first semester with the newspaper. Riley is an avid South Florida sports fan and enjoys playing/following all sports in her free time.
