Gymnast Skye Blakely leads Gators' title quest in Texas homecoming

Sophomore gymnast Skye Blakely returns home to Texas with Florida among the favorites to win a national title.

Apr. 15, 2026 at 6:20pm

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A cubist, geometric painting depicting a gymnast performing on the uneven bars, with the figure broken down into sharp, overlapping planes of vibrant teal, magenta, and gold colors.Skye Blakely and the Florida Gators aim to shatter the competition and capture their first national gymnastics title since 2015.Frisco Today

Gymnast Skye Blakely, a sophomore at the University of Florida, is leading the Gators' push for a national championship as they head to her home state of Texas for the NCAA Gymnastics Championships. Blakely, who had to watch her older sister and the Gators fall just short of the title in 2022 and 2023, is determined to help Florida finally break through and win its first national championship since 2015.

Why it matters

The Gators have been among the top contenders for the national title in recent years, but have fallen just short. With Blakely leading the way, the team is poised to finally capture the championship that has eluded them. Blakely's homecoming to Texas adds an extra layer of drama and significance to the Gators' quest.

The details

Blakely, a Frisco native, has emerged as one of the nation's top all-around performers this season, capable of scoring a perfect 10 in any event. She and teammate Selena Harris-Miranda have both recorded multiple perfect 10s this year. The Gators are coming off a narrow victory over No. 1 Oklahoma at the SEC Championships, where Blakely and junior Kayla DiCello delivered back-to-back 9.975s on the uneven bars.

  • The NCAA Gymnastics Championships will take place on Thursday, April 17, 2026 and Saturday, April 19, 2026 in Fort Worth, Texas.
  • Blakely watched her older sister, UF All-American Sloane Blakely, and the Gators fall to Oklahoma in 2022 and 2023 by a little more than a tenth of a point each time.

The players

Skye Blakely

A sophomore gymnast at the University of Florida who is leading the Gators' push for a national championship. The Frisco, Texas native has emerged as one of the nation's top all-around performers this season.

Jenny Rowland

The head coach of the University of Florida gymnastics team, who has led the Gators to multiple close calls at the national title in recent years.

Sloane Blakely

Skye Blakely's older sister, who was an All-American gymnast for the University of Florida. Sloane and the Gators fell just short of the national title in 2022 and 2023.

Kayla DiCello

A junior gymnast at the University of Florida who has delivered strong performances alongside Skye Blakely this season.

Selena Harris-Miranda

A gymnast for the University of Florida who has recorded multiple perfect 10 scores this season, just like Skye Blakely.

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What they’re saying

“Unfortunately, part of the sport is the ups and the downs. Those sort of losses just drive you and build up that fire in you. Definitely has inspired me to keep pushing and wanna be a part of that for this team and encourage others so we can just reach our max potential.”

— Skye Blakely, Gymnast

“SEC Championships was probably one of the most memorable hands-down meets I've ever been a part of. We were truly so present in the moment, had no idea where the scores were, what was going on. For me to be as surprised, just like everybody else and to see this team's pure joy — that is gonna be a core memory for sure.”

— Jenny Rowland, Head Coach

“The talent is there. But they know you can't rely on talent. They have to be the best version of themselves possible.”

— Jenny Rowland, Head Coach

“It would mean so much to us. There's been so much hard work behind the scenes. I see each girl in here every day working hard through mistakes, struggles, hard days, good days, great moments. It would just truly be so heartwarming, and I would want that for each girl on this team.”

— Skye Blakely, Gymnast

What’s next

The top two finishers among Florida, LSU, Georgia and Stanford will advance to Saturday's finals to face the top two from Oklahoma, UCLA, Arkansas and Minnesota.

The takeaway

After years of heartbreak and near-misses, the Florida Gators gymnastics team is poised to finally capture the national championship that has eluded them. Led by sophomore star Skye Blakely, the Gators have the talent, resilience and determination to break through and bring home the title in Blakely's home state of Texas.