Kentucky at Florida

Recap

The Big Storyline: Alyssa Baumann made her first competition appearance on bars since the 2016 P&G Championships. Her collegiate debut on bars and season debut on vault led her to a win in the all around. Baumann was one of seven athletes competing in the all around in this competition. Florida was able to take home the win despite missing four athletes due to COVID protocols and that make up 37% of its lineups to remain undefeated in 2021. The Gators excelled on beam for an NCAA season-best that was led by Leah Clapper’s perfect 10. Kentucky had a solid showing and has found consistency on beam in recent weeks. The Wildcats had four 10.0 start values on vault, which gave them an advantage over Florida with none.

Implications: Florida’s lineups looked different tonight with the absence of Trinity Thomas, Nya Reed, Savannah Schoenherr and Sydney Johnson-Scharpf, but the team was able to test its depth and give opportunities to other athletes. Baumann’s event win on bars could make a case for her to be a permanent contributor in the lineup. Despite its success tonight, Florida will want to put forth its top lineups in the coming weeks to remain on-top of the rankings. Kentucky seems to have found consistency across all four events and could thrive if a top team falters. Bailey Bunn is flying under the radar, but has hit every single routine she’s competed for Kentucky in her freshman year. 

Records: Florida scored an NCAA-best on beam this season with a 49.675. Bailey Bunn scored a career high 9.925 on beam. Leah Clapper scored her first 10 on beam. Baumann made her all around debut with a 39.650 and her collegiate debut on bars with a 9.925.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 15 Kentucky at No. 1 Florida 

Why You Should Clear Space on Your DVR: These programs are coming off of season high scores last week. Florida was able to defeat the No. 2 team in the country with a 198.150 and Kentucky reached 197.000 for the first time this year. The Gators annual Link to Pink meet is always an exciting night of gymnastics, and don’t expect anything less from this one. Floor could be the highlight of the night as Kentucky has really engaging choreography with solid tumbling, and Florida is looking to put together its top six athletes on the event for postseason. 

You Can Fast Forward, but not Through This: Trinity Thomas scored a 39.900 in the all-around last week with a perfect 10.0 on floor. However, she has yet to get her 10.0 on vault to complete the gym slam. This could be the meet where Alyssa Baumann makes her long awaited appearance on bars. Prior to the bye, head coach Jenny Rowland indicated that this could be the competition for the debut. Additionally, Baumann has not competed on vault in competition yet this season, but an all around appearance could be up her sleeve. Kentucky’s Bailey Bunn is quietly having a stellar freshman season. After starting the year on just two events, she has made her way into the all-around competition for three consecutive meets. Raena Worley has also been a consistent competitor for Kentucky. The sophomore has improved on all four events and has a sky high full-in on floor. Sydney Johnson-Scharpf is dealing with a pulled hip flexor muscle, but was seen training beam earlier in the week.