Moving on!: Florida gymnastics secures NCAA Finals berth as Trinity Thomas returns

It didn't come without drama, but the second-ranked Florida Gators gymnastics team advanced to the NCAA finals Thursday afternoon, posting a top-two finish from the first session from Fort Worth's Dickie Arena.

The Gators were edged by the sixth-ranked LSU Tigers in the session, 197.4750-197.4000.

But all that matters is the fact that Florida sat in second place, which secured the Gators a spot in Saturday's Final Four.

Trinity Thomas: Back like she never left

Florida fifth-year senior Trinity Thomas abruptly ended her floor routine on March 31 during the Gators' regional semifinal in Pittsburgh after suffering a lower-leg injury.

And ever since then, gymnastics fans have wondered if they'd seen the last of Thomas, who won the NCAA's all-around national title last year.

Turns out, they hadn't.

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"I've been working so hard to get as much treatment and physical therapy in as I can," Thomas said in an interview with ESPN after Thursday's session. "When I came here for practice day, I swung some bars and did dismounts for the first time."

After initially being omitted from the lineup, Thomas competed in both the uneven bars and vault and appeared sharp in both.

Thomas' turn on bars was her first event since her injury and after her turn, one might question if there was any injury at all. After executing a double layout, Thomas stuck her landing and earned a 9.950 − a mark that led the entire session.

Heading into Thursday's meet, there was a hunch that if Thomas competed, it would likely only be on bars. So when Thomas readied herself for vault, it came as a pleasant surprise.

"Running down the vault runway (in practice), we weren't sure," said Thomas, adding that her teammates or coaches didn't pressure her either way.

But the reigning NCAA all-around champion knows her body best. And she felt she was good to go.

Thomas would notch a 9.90 from vault, tying for third place.

Following the session, Thomas was asked if she would be competing in any other events on Saturday.

"I honestly don't know at this point in time," Thomas laughed. "I'll keep ya updated."

Rocky trip to the balance beam puts Florida in danger

After posting a 49.4875 on the uneven bars during their first rotation, the Gators sat in first place with California on their heels.

However, a turbulent time on the balance beam would result in the Gators free falling to last place.

Florida senior Payton Richards would post an uncharacteristic 9.2750 on the balance beam, which forced the Gators to count Riley McCusker's score of 9.6125.

Gators sophomore Sloane Blakely, who was coming off a fall on the uneven bars, took to the balance beam with redemption on her mind and posted a team-high 9.9375, which tied as the session's second-best.

Florida freshman Kayla DiCello would also come away with a solid score of 9.9250.

However, Blakely and DiCello's performances weren't able to prevent the Gators from falling into dangerous territory.

Florida takes the floor by storm

While Florida struggled on the balance beam, LSU and California prospered on floor and vault, respectively, putting the pressure on the Gators as they approached the the floor for their third rotation.

Fortunately for Florida, it looked as though the Gators were built to have their backs against the wall.

Florida junior Victoria Nguyen opened the Gators' floor pass with 9.900, which served as a sparkplug for the gutsy Gators.

Blakely and graduate transfer Rachel Baumann followed Nguyen's routine with a 9.8500 and 9.8375, which set the stage for Richards to bounce back from her iffy beam pass.

Richards went on to post a 9.9250 from the floor, which was a NCAA championships high for the senior, who is still mulling over returning for her fifth season.

Wong and DiCello anchored Florida's floor rotation, scoring a 9.9625 and 9.8875, respectively.

Wong's mark tied LSU's Aleah Finnegan for the top mark from the floor. But more importantly, Wong and the Gators' trip to the floor boosted Florida back to the top spot.

Gators clinch spot in the finals after vault

With momentum favoring them, the Gators looked for a solid vault performance to keep them out front.

Leading Florida's charge was Thomas with her 9.90 mark, which tied for third. Behind Thomas, was a trio of Gators in Wong, Richards and Nguyen, who all posted scores of 9.8625.

The Gators combined for a team score of 49.30, which wasn't enough to hold onto first place as LSU worked its way back out front with nice showing from the uneven bars.

Gators turn their eyes to Saturday night

Following Thursday afternoon's performance, the Gators punched their ticket to the NCAA Finals, where they're slated to meet No. 6 LSU and the top two finishing teams from Thursday night's session, which featured No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 2 Utah, No. 5 UCLA and No. 7 Kentucky.

"I came back for this team," Thomas said of returning for her fifth year. "We are so special. I hope you can feel that, even from the outside. We honestly just need to go out there on Saturday and be us. Simply be us."

Saturday's action is slated for 4 p.m. and can be watched on ABC.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida gymnastics: Trinity Thomas returns, Gators advance to NCAA finals