Photo: Getty Images
Tens all around! Two Black gymnasts at the University of Florida helped break a tie during a competition last week after scoring perfect 10s back to back.
Seniors Trinity Thomas and Nya Reed earned consecutive 10.0s, leading University of Florida to victory over No. 11-ranked Alabama in a narrow 197.000 - 196.925 defeat.
According to Essence, the schools were originally tied before University of Florida fell behind in the next two rounds, trailing Alabama by 0.35. The final two performances –– and UF's victory –– were placed squarely on Thomas and Reed who each delivered crowd and judge-approved routines.
Reed's high-energy floor routine featured classic romp-shaking tunes including Missy Elliott's "Get Ur Freak On," "The Jump Off" by Lil Kim, Soulja Boy's "Donk" and Kelis' "Milkshake."
"I wanted people to know that this is who I am and this is my personality and I'm showing my personality through my floor routine," Reed told Popsugar.
This was Reed's first perfect 10, beating her prior personal best of 9.975 on the floor. Thomas began her final performance having already scored a 10.0 on an earlier event that same afternoon, becoming only the 12th woman in the history of NCAA Gymnastics to earn a 10.0 on all four events during a collegiate career.
"I knew I needed a 10 on vault to finish the Gym Slam. I was like 'I'm not leaving until I get it,' so it was so special, that moment," Thomas told Gatorsports. "I was so happy to see that 10 come up."
Florida now ties with the University of Georgia with three Gym Slam wins overall. This is the third time Florida scored back-to-back 10s during competition following 1996 and 2014.
Check out Thomas' routine below.
Get the latest news 24/7 on The Black Information Network. Listen now on the iHeartRadio app or click HERE to tune in live.