They weren’t at full strength. They weren’t competing against the sorts of teams they will see as the season progresses. And they were only starting a season that comes with expectations as big as they can be.
But last Friday night, the Florida Gators gymnastics team put on as fine a debut as they ever have.
The Gators started their 2022 season out with a bang, posting their highest-ever season-opening score in the O’Dome — an impressive 197.675 — and cruising to a win over Rutgers, Northern Illinois, and Texas Woman’s.
Sloane Blakely picked up the first all-around win for a freshman in their collegiate debut since Kytra Hunter in 2012 and super-seniors — graduate students, really — Megan Skaggs and Alyssa Baumann hit or increased their collegiate bests on floor with a 9.