Gymnast Skye Blakely leads Gators' title quest in Texas homecoming
GAINESVILLE - Before she was old enough to compete at Florida, gymnast Skye Blakely could only watch - helpless and heartbroken - as the Gators' national championship hopes slipped away by the thinnest of margins.
Now a linchpin of coach Jenny Rowland's lineup, Blakely is determined not to let it history repeat itself. The sophomore returns to her home state of Texas this week with Florida again among the favorites to win a national title.
The Frisco native has the talent, mindset and supporting cast to finally break through in Fort Worth. She 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.
"Unfortunately, part of the sport is the ups and the downs," Blakely said. "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."
At their best, Blakely and the No. 3 Gators will be difficult to beat, beginning with Thursday's seminals. The top two finishers among Florida, LSU, Georgia and Stanford advance to Saturday's finals to face the top two from Oklahoma, UCLA, Arkansas and Minnesota.
Florida’s potential was on full display at the March 21 SEC Championships. Blakely and junior Kayla DiCello delivered back-to-back 9.975s on the uneven bars before Selena Harris-Miranda's perfect 10 sealed a narrow .025 victory over No. 1 Oklahoma.
"SEC Championships was probably one of the most memorable hands-down meets I've ever been a part of," Rowland said. "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."
Florida followed the 198.175-point effort with 198.050 at the NCAA Regionals, extending a nation-leading streak of six consecutive scores above 198.
Rowland's squad has rarely been better positioned to capture the program's first national title since the Gators' 2013-15 three-peat.
A year after the Gators didn’t reach the NCAA finals for the first time since 2019, their longtime coach carries scars from years of close-calls, culminating in 2023 when a leg injury to record-setting star Trinity Thomas limited her to just two events during Florida’s runner-up finish by .150. But the current group has shown a level of resilience Rowland believes is different.
"There have been many Gator teams over the past 10 years that have come very close," Rowland said. "It's easy when you're on. It's exciting when you're on. And when you're not, those valleys, those hard times .. this team just keeps getting back up and going again."
Blakely embodies that persistence.
She delayed enrolling at Florida to pursue the 2024 Olympics and finished second to Simone Biles in the U.S. Championships in Fort Worth, positioning her for a spot in Paris. But a ruptured Achilles tendon at the Olympic Trials ended that dream and postponed her college career.
After competing in only the bars at the 2025 NCAA Championships, Blakely has emerged this season as one of the nation's top all-around performers, capable of scoring a 10 in any event. Her 39.75 all-around mark trails Miranda-Harris’ best by just a tenth and edges DiCello’s best score by .025.
Blakely and Miranda-Harris each recorded multiple perfect 10s this season.
But athletic prowess alone won’t decide a championship.
"The talent is there," Rowland said. "But they know you can't rely on talent. They have to be the best version of themselves possible."
Blakely will chase that standard this week surrounded by a hometown crowd. Family and friends will make the short drive from Frisco to Fort Worth, along with the family’s 9-year-old Scottish terrier, Syrus.
"Little legs, but he's got a big personality," the 5-foot-4 Blakely said.
A year removed from heartbreak and remembering her days as a frustrated spectator, Blakely now stands at the center of a historic pursuit she hopes to share with her teammates.
"It would mean so much to us," she said. "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."
Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com
Up next …
NCAA Gymanstics Championships
When: 4:30 p.m., 9 p.m. Thursday
4 p.m. Saturday
Where:Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, Texas
TV: ESPN2/ESPN +, Thursday
ABC/ESPN +, Sunday
Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.
This story was originally published April 15, 2026 at 2:46 PM.