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.