Tag: Kayla DiCello

Gators gymnastics catches injury bug at Olympic Trials

A pair of Florida gymnasts have made early exits at the US Olympic Trials following injury.

Three Florida Gators made it to the US Olympic Trials in Minneapolis, Minnesota, but [autotag]Leanne Wong[/autotag] is the only one still standing (literally) after one day of competition.

Incoming freshmen [autotag]Skye Blakely[/autotag] and [autotag]Kayla DiCello[/autotag] are done due to Achilles injuries. Blakely went down during floor exercises on Wednesday and DiCello was helped off the floor shortly during the opening event.

“Thank you so much for all your love and support,” DiCello wrote in a letter on social media Saturday. Unfortunately, I ruptured my Achilles on the opening event at Olympic Trials. While this is not the result I envisioned, there’s so much to be proud of.

“… As I begin my healing journey, I’m thankful for your prayers and good wishes. This is not the end of my story.”

DiCello was a reserve for the Tokyo Olympic Games. She has since been a “stalwart of the U.S. squad,” medaling at the 2021 World Championships and winning the 2023 U.S. World Championships as an alternate.

Last season, she earned All-American second-team honors and was named the 2023 SEC Freshman of the Year at Florida.

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Pair of Gators gymnasts competing at U.S. Gymnastics Olympic Trials

Kayla DiCello and Leanne Wong will be fighting on behalf of the Florida Gators this weekend at the U.S. Gymnastics Olympic Trials.

Florida gymnastics standouts [autotag]Kayla DiCello[/autotag] and [autotag]Leanne Wong[/autotag] are slated to compete this weekend in the U.S. Gymnastics Olympic Team Trials at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Unfortunately, Florida freshman [autotag]Skye Blakely[/autotag] will not be able to partake in the events after suffering a right Achilles tendon injury during a training session on Wednesday.

The 2024 Trials features 16 women competing to be among the five-member team for the U.S. Olympic Team. Both DiCello and Wong were replacement athletes for the 2020 Olympics. The U.S.’s gold-medal 2023 World Championships team included the Gators trio (DiCello – replacement athlete) while Blakely and Wong won gold with Team USA at the 2022 Worlds.

Wong and Oregon State’s Jade Carey competed each of the last three seasons with their respective universities. DiCello was the 2023 Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year with Florida and then took a gap year in 2024 to train for the Olympics.

Since 1980, 75 different gymnasts have represented the United States at the Olympics, with six earning berths after competing in a collegiate season.

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Trio of Gators stand out at U.S. Gymnastics Championships Day 1

The U.S. Gymnastics Championships are currently cooking in San Jose, California.

Three current members of the Florida gymnastics program are currently competing in the U.S. Gymnastics Championships in San Jose, California, which kicked off on Friday, Aug. 25.

Incoming signee [autotag]Skye Blakely[/autotag] and junior [autotag]Leanne Wong[/autotag] came in third and fourth, respectively, on Day 1 of the competition. Sophomore [autotag]Kayla DiCello[/autotag] also logged in the day’s fourth-highest floor exercise score (13.50) but struggled in some other events.

A part of the Team USA Champions Series, the U.S. Championships determines the women’s U.S. champions and U.S. National Team. Scores from Friday and Sunday’s competitions are combined to determine the U.S. Championships event champions. The women’s competition helps determine invitees to September’s Pan American Games/World Championships selection camp.

DiCello and Wong were among four in the U.S. Championships on Friday who also competed in the 2023 NCAA Championships — putting them among the 10 since 2000 who competed at the NCAA Championships and then the U.S. Championships in the same year.

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PHOTOS: Highlights from Florida gymnastics Leanne Wong’s sophomore season

Get a gander at one of Florida’s best gymnasts this season.

Florida’s gymnastics program is coming off yet another spectacular season as the team makes another deep run in the NCAA championships. The Gators have benefitted from a roster chock full of talent, including season award-winners [autotag]Trinity Thomas[/autotag] and [autotag]Kayla DiCello[/autotag].

However, the squad would not be where it is today if not for the efforts of sophomore [autotag]Leanne Wong, [/autotag]who put together an impressive campaign in 2023 that included four perfect 10s. She managed to score 10.0 twice in a meet two times this year, including a double against the Auburn Tigers that made her first in the nation for the second consecutive season to earn a perfect score on uneven bars.

Wong earned three Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association regular-season All-America honors, making the first team for all-around and uneven bars and the second team for the balance beam event. She repeated as the SEC beam champion while sharing second in uneven bars, earning her inclusion on the All-SEC team.

Take a look below at highlights Leanne Wong’s standout sophomore season with the Orange and Blue.

 

PHOTOS: Highlights from Kayla DiCello’s SEC Freshman of the Year campaign

Check out some highlights from Florida gymnastic’s SEC Freshman of the Year award winner.

The Southeastern Conference announced its gymnastics awards on Wednesday in which two Gators were named. One of those standout gymnasts was [autotag]Kayla DiCello[/autotag] who earned the SEC’s Freshman of the Year honor after a spectacular season to open up her collegiate career.

DiCello was the top freshman all-arounder at SEC Championships, placing sixth overall and was one of five freshmen to earn 2023 All-SEC honors in 2023. She was the nation’s first freshman to earn a perfect 10 — which came on the uneven bars against the Missouri Tigers — while setting the league record with eight total and six consecutive SEC Freshmen of the Week awards.

She is the 10th member of Florida’s gymnastics program to be voted SEC Freshman of the Year and the first since [autotag]Trinity Thomas[/autotag] earned the accolade in 2019. Take a look below at some highlights from DiCello’s award-winning season, which is hopefully the first of many for the Orange and Blue.

Florida gymnastics has a signee and commit make Team USA

Florida’s Trinity Thomas announced that she wouldn’t compete for a spot on Team USA. But these two UF signees and commit did this weekend, with a pair earning a trip to Tokyo.

USA Gymnastics star Simone Biles hauls in most of the attention and headlines for good reason. She’s one of the best gymnasts the world has ever seen. But Florida also made noise at the U.S. Gymnastics Olympics Trials this weekend.

The Gators had two signees and one commit vying for a spot to represent the Red, White and Blue at the Tokyo Olympics. When they announced the roster for this year’s games, Florida signee Leanne Wong and commit Kayla DiCello made the Team USA roster as alternates. Riley McCusker, another UF signee, competed Saturday and Sunday only on the uneven bars, but she did not make the team or the roster as an alternate.

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Alternates travel with the team to Tokyo and fill in for any gymnast that can’t compete.

Wong competed in the all-around competition where she finished eighth. DiCello is a rising senior from Maryland and tallied a sixth-place finish in the all-around.

Gators fans can watch these future Florida gymnasts attempt to secure another gold medal for Team USA. Their journey to Tokyo starts July 25 with the women’s qualification.

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