Alyssa RoenigkESPN9:26 PM ET1 Minute Read
Reigning NCAA all-around gymnastics champion Trinity Thomas suffered a right lower leg injury during Friday night’s NCAA regional meeting in Pittsburgh and is down by the day, the University of Florida said.
After completing a solid beam routine that yielded a 9.9 score, Thomas opened on the floor with a stuck doubles layout. A few moments later, she broke the routine, put her hands on her knees and took a few deep breaths before being escorted off the floor by Florida trainer Jenny Rowland.
Thomas went to the training area under his own steam, was examined by medical staff and returned to her team before the next rotation. Replaced in the lineup by Bri Edwards, she watched from the sidelines with an ice wrap around her right calf as No. 2 Florida won the session and advanced to Sunday’s regional finals.
“There comes a time when our athletes need to have faith in what’s going on,” Rowland said. “I’m really grateful for that [Thomas] I didn’t try to be a superhero and move on and actually quit. I’m super proud of how the team reacted and stayed calm.”
Before Friday’s meeting, Thomas was a perfect 10 away from tying the 27-year NCAA record for most in a career, set by Kentucky’s Jenny Hansen in 1996 and set by UCLA’s Jamie Dantzscher in 2004. Thomas possesses 12 perfect 10 floor results.