When two of the top five teams in the nation face off, every little thing matters.
In front of the sold-out O'Connell Center crowd, No. 5 Florida delivered one of their best performances of the season. Despite a pair of early slips on the vault and two miscues on the floor, the Gators posted an impressive 197.575.
But against the No. 1 team in the country, Oklahoma, any mistake is a costly one. The Sooners delivered an excellent performance, highlighted by sophomore Addison Fatta's picture-perfect 10.000 vault.
Ultimately, Oklahoma bested Florida 198.075-197.575, handing the Gators their second consecutive meet defeat. It marked the first time OU defeated UF in Gainesville, with the Gators winning the previous seven meetings against the Sooners with the home advantage.
For the Sooners, it was the fourth meet this season that they had posted at least a 198.000 score. The rest of the country has only reached that feat three times.
Despite the loss, Florida's talented team showcased why it is among the nation's top teams.
Senior Selena Harris-Miranda finished just short of Fatta for the all-around title, finishing the meet with a 39.425.
Her 9.975 on the floor wasn't just the top score of the meet in the event, but also marked her season-best. She also posted a 9.950 on the beam.
Behind Harris-Miranda, both senior eMjae Frazier and junior Kayla DiCello competed all-around, posting 39.250 and 39.200 scores, respectively.
The latter completed her night by competing on the floor for the first time since 2023. She also posted a season-best 9.950 on bars.
Other standouts included senior Riley McCusker, who nailed her bars routine for a 9.975 score just one week after she failed to stick her landing in the event.
McCusker helped propel the Gators to a 49.650 on the bars, their best single-event performance thus far in 2026. That score was made even more impressive since UF posted a 48.475 on the event last week, its lowest score on the bars since January 2010.
Sophomore Skye Blakely was also excellent for the Gators, scoring 9.900 or better on all three of her events. That included a sparkling 9.950 score on the floor, which came in right behind Harris-Miranda for the top score on the event.
For Oklahoma, the ever-dependable senior Faith Torrez was up to her usual standards, posting 9.950 on the beam and 9.925 on the vault.
The best beam score of the evening belonged to the Sooners' freshman Ella Murphy, who posted a near-perfect 9.975.
While the action on the floor was impressive, there was more to the contest than just that. Friday night marked Florida's 20th annual Link to Pink meet for Breast Cancer Awareness. The Gators donned pink leotards and honored cancer fighters and survivors before the meet began.
Florida's schedule doesn't get any easier going forward, as the Gators face No. 6 Georgia Feb. 20 at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Georgia.
Contact Max Bernstein at mbernstein@alligator.org. Follow him on X @maxbernstein23.
Max is a junior sports journalism student in his seventh semester at The Alligator. He serves as The Alligator's assistant sports editor and football beat coordinator. He previously served as The Alligator's sports editor and as a reporter for football, women's tennis, volleyball, lacrosse and sports enterprise. He also has made multiple appearances on the Paul Finebaum Show. Max wants to shoutout his cats, Scooter and Zoe, and niche former Florida Panthers players (shoutout Maxim Mamin).
