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Senior Alyssa Baumann noted after the NCAA Regional in Athens, Georgia, that Regionals can be harder than the NCAA National because there is not as much excitement; teams don’t win titles at Regionals, so it is harder to get as motivated to compete at a high level, and teams can suffer because of that. As the Florida Gators entered the National Semifinal, they needed to avoid a similar situation.
The National Final was a mere 24 hours away, the meet where a national champion will be crowned. However, the Gators had not booked a ticket yet; Florida needed a top-two finish at the National Semifinal on Friday, April 16, to advance. The Gators would compete against Michigan, Cal. Berkeley and Minnesota; after another up-and-down performance, Florida did just enough to secure a spot in the National Final with a score of 197.4375.
In a season full of tests, both on and off the competition floor, the No.1 Florida Gators had reached their final test before NCAA Nationals; the team had returned to form in the second round of regionals the day before, earning the top score of both its’ session and the day. Now, the top four teams from the Regional Semifinals returned to Stegeman Coliseum to secure a spot in Ft. Worth, Texas, for Nationals.
Minnesota, Denver and NC State were the Gators competition. In a thrilling meet that Florida trailed in at times, the Gators pulled out a victory, earning a spot at Nationals with a score of 197.700.