Florida
Florida Gymnastics Falls to No. 1 Oklahoma After Scary Injuries – ESPN 98.1 FM / 850 AM WRUF
It was a heartbreaking Friday night in Norman as the No. 5 Florida Gators gymnastics team fell to the No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners 198.075-196.625. Two pillars of the Florida program went down with scary injuries – Anya Pilgrim and Sloane Blakely.
The Gators tried to bounce back, but the injuries cast a shadow. Resultant lineup changes saw Ly Bui and Riley McCusker competing on beam. Unfortunately, they both fell, resulting in Florida matching its lowest team score of the season.
Meanwhile, the Sooners had their best meet of the season, breaking 198 for the first time. The No.2 all-arounder in the country Faith Torrez capped off the night with a perfect 10.0 on the floor – Oklahoma’s first perfect score of the season.
Heartbreak for Florida
Instead of Florida’s performance being headlined by perfect 10.0s like last week, Friday’s meet saw scary injuries for the Gators.
In Florida’s first routine of the night, Anya Pilgrim peeled right off the bars and laid on the ground for several minutes while her coaches checked on her. The sophomore eventually finished her routine with the audience’s encouragement. However, she did not return to the competition.
Then, in the third rotation, reigning SEC Specialist of the Week Sloane Blakely suffered a lower leg injury on her first tumbling pass on floor. She immediately hopped off into the locker room, and her younger sister Skye was seen crying to the side before joining Sloane. Floor was the very event Sloane scored her second career perfect 10.0 on last week.
She eventually rejoined her teammates on crutches and in a boot. She appeared to be holding back tears as she hugged associate head coach Adrian Burde.
The Bright Side
Before her sister’s injury, Skye Blakely redeemed herself on bars after a fall last week with a stuck landing, matching her career-high with a 9.900. SEC Co-Gymnast of the Week Leanne Wong then followed with a 9.9 of her own.
GO OFF @skyeblakely_ 🤩
◼️ Skye earns a 9.900 on bars! pic.twitter.com/5GmQmcGgxr
— Gators Gymnastics (@GatorsGym) February 22, 2025
The Gators also proved their resiliency on floor, bouncing back from Sloane’s injury. Wong posted a 9.925 before a 9.9 from the other SEC Co-Gymnast of the Week, Selena Harris-Miranda.
Sooner Success
Starting on vault, the Sooners proved why they are ranked No. 2 in the country on the apparatus. They counted three scores at 9.9 or above, highlighted by a stick and a 9.950 from Torrez.
Oklahoma also counted three scores at 9.9 or above on bars. Senior Jordan Bowers anchored with a 9.925 after 9.9s from Torrez and Audrey Davis. The three veterans helped the Sooners extend their lead 98.900-98.650 halfway through the meet.
They lost a little momentum on beam, their only score above 9.9 coming from Torrez (9.925). But that didn’t matter because Oklahoma came back lights out in the final rotation on floor. The Sooners didn’t see a single score under 9.925. They ended with perfection from Torrez, helping Oklahoma break 198 for the first time this season.
FAITH TORREZ IS PERFECTION ON FLOOR 🤩
She scored the first 10 for Oklahoma this season 👏 pic.twitter.com/QHbLlM6Noj
— espnW (@espnW) February 22, 2025
This was the first meet this season the Gators didn’t take at least a share of a single event title. Oklahoma’s Faith Torrez won every event except for bars, which went to Jordan Bowers.
Looking Ahead
The Gators will return home and try to bounce back next week as they host No. 8 Missouri for Equality Night. The status of Pilgrim and Blakely will likely be the storyline, but new faces may have to step up in their absence. On the bright side, Florida has immense depth, something the Gators will have to use to their advantage in the coming weeks.
Florida
Deadly July 4th shooting arrest; South Florida man accused of Miami stabbing attack
Florida
South Florida’s top deals: Davie school building sells for $16M
🏆 Residential: The top home sale to hit records was in Pinecrest, where a home at 5865 Southwest 96th Street changed hands for $7.8 million. The sellers were Luis and Liz Messianu, who purchased the 7,800-square-foot property in 2024 for $7.3 million. The buyer was Bunny S Sunshine Haven LLC. The home went on the market in February for $8.2 million. Judith and Nathan Zeder with Coldwell Banker Realty had the listing, and Dennis Carvajal with One Sotheby’s International Realty brought the buyer.
🏆 Commercial: The most expensive recorded commercial deal was in Davie, where a school building sold for $16 million at 3367 North University Drive. The seller was 3367 N University Holdings LLC; the buyer was JSI N University LLC. The building measures about 46,000 square feet.
📊 Residential: Matthew and Nadia Weaver purchased a newly built home at 299 Northeast Seventh Street in Boca Raton for $6.8 million. The seller was a company managed by Marco Capoccia. Built this year, the home measures 5,800 square feet and has five bedrooms and five and a half bathrooms. The sale breaks down to about $1,200 per square foot. Jacqueline Feldman with One Sotheby’s International Realty represented both sides of the transaction.
If you like this digest, you can get it even earlier — every evening — by subscribing to TRD Data, here.
Florida
Why the Red Sox are sending Roman Anthony to Florida (and to another doctor) – The Boston Globe
ANAHEIM, Calif. — In sending Roman Anthony to Fort Myers, Fla., to continue his injury rehabilitation, the Red Sox have assigned him one blunt goal: Make it back to Boston.
The geographic reassignment is “a very good opportunity,” interim manager Chad Tracy said, for Anthony to not have to deal with much other than figuring out a way to return from a partially torn ligament in his right ring finger, which continues to impact his hand/wrist — and, thus, his ability to swing a bat.
“His focus, a singular focus now, is if you’re in Florida, it’s to get yourself healthy and not have to deal with all the other stuff that goes with it,” Tracy said before Sunday night’s series finale against the Angels. “So it’s a singular focus, very focused on getting himself healthy and getting back to us.
“We want him. We want him in the lineup. So I’m going to keep in touch with him frequently and see how he’s doing, with the hope that we get him back.”
And “other stuff” refers to what?
“Just the day-to-day of being at Fenway,” Tracy said. “He’s going to get asked questions about it constantly. And for him being there, his focus is on one thing right now: That’s get yourself healthy.”
When Tracy first mentioned Saturday that the Sox decided Anthony would be based out of their Fenway South spring training/minor league facility indefinitely, he presented it as logistical. The home clubhouse at Fenway had grown crowded because of the number of injured players, he said, so moving Anthony was a way to open space — as the Sox had done with a handful of pitchers previously.
On Sunday, Tracy added: “It’s also a very good opportunity for him to go and get away from” the “other stuff.”
Anthony has been out since May 4, when he got hurt on a seemingly random swing.
Nine weeks later, he has not resumed a hitting program as he and the Sox navigate the highly unusual baseball injury.
This week, Anthony will visit a new doctor: Gary Lourie in Atlanta. Lourie is a hand specialist, the Braves’ head team physician, and a partner at The Hand & Upper Extremity Center of Georgia.
“Just for peace of mind,” Tracy said. “I expect we’re going to be in a good spot. But really just about getting him in a spot where he can focus each day on just pounding away at getting that hand healthy.”
Casas set back again
The latest in the plight of Triston Casas: He has suffered from a wrist issue in recent days, Tracy said, so he is shut down from hitting again.
The Red Sox will “check on that” before letting Casas resume anything bat-related, per Tracy.
For Casas, 26, it is another in a string of injuries. He hasn’t played since having knee surgery 14 months ago, and for the past three months he had been trying to return from an abdominal issue.
“He’s gone through a lot,” Tracy said. “Between the knee, he had a little hamstring flareup, obviously the oblique, and then he’s coming back from that, and now there’s a wrist that’s popped up.
“So, just dealing with different things. Having not played in a while, things have popped up. So we’ll keep an eye on him, and once he’s able to, keep progressing as we can.”
Early update
Connelly Early’s second opinion, also this week, will be with Dr. Keith Meister in Arlington, Texas, the team said. Meister is a leading orthopedic and sports medicine surgeon who specializes in elbow problems.
Following his early exit Tuesday, Early got an MRI and was diagnosed with posterior elbow inflammation but no structural damage, the Red Sox said Wednesday.
Singling out Seigler
Anthony Seigler batted leadoff for the fourth time in five games. Tracy called him “a logical choice for it” because of his ability to swing at strikes, not swing at balls, and work lengthy at-bats. “He puts the bat on the ball,” Tracy said, “and help hopefully get the game started off right for us” … Masataka Yoshida was the DH, just his second start in a stretch of seven games (amid a run of the Sox facing more lefthanded starters than usual) … The Sox’ next rotation decision is Thursday. They could go with Sonny Gray (on turn), Patrick Sandoval (for his long-awaited team debut), or somebody else against the White Sox.
Tim Healey can be reached at timothy.healey@globe.com. Follow him @timbhealey.
-
Delaware5 minutes agoDelaware County commissioners criticize Marion County prosecutor
-
Florida12 minutes agoDeadly July 4th shooting arrest; South Florida man accused of Miami stabbing attack
-
Georgia15 minutes agoPoll shows Georgia Democrats ahead in senate, gubernatorial races
-
Hawaii20 minutes ago$5 deal for National Fried Chicken Day
-
Idaho27 minutes ago
An Idaho mother who said her toddler twins died after vaccinations has been charged with murder
-
Illinois30 minutes agoSevered arm in Illinois lake: Court records say body parts found in freezer, half-brother claimed self-defense
-
Indiana35 minutes agoIndiana Black Expo to present award to Mathew Knowles for health advocacy
-
Iowa42 minutes agoIowa Democrats and Republicans gain voters, independent voters decrease