Selena Harris joins Florida Gators after dismissal by UCLA Gymnastics amidst transfer-portal speculations

The 2024 Pac-12 Gymnast of the Year Selena Harris has joined the Florida Gators women's gymnastics team after entering the transfer portal earlier this month. The star gymnast entered the transfer portal after she was dismissed by the UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles).

On Wednesday, May 16, 2024, UCLA announced the dismissal of the ace athlete from the gymnastics team. However, the reason for her dismissal was kept under the veil by the school as well as the gymnast.

Along with securing the Pac-12 Gymnast of the Year, the 20-year-old also showed her exceptional gymnastics skills in the 2024 season by scoring a perfect score four times, proving herself as the prominent all-rounder for the UCLA gymnastics team. The exceptional gymnast, who secured the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in 2023 still has two years of eligibility remaining.

Selena Harris' dismissal and entrance into the transfer portal left the gymnastics fans in disbelief. However, the No.1 recruit recently took to social media to express her joy and excitement ahead of joining the Florida Gators. She posted a few pictures celebrating with her mother and wrote,

"what do they say again?… it’s a GREAT DAY TO BE A GATORRRR 🐊"

Selena Harris qualified for an individual event at the NCAA Championships after UCLA failed to advance

Selena Harris scored a fantastic 9.950 points on the balance beam at the 2024 NCAA Gymnastics Championships Regionals on Friday, April 5 in Berkeley, California, where UCLA scored 197.050, falling short of booking their tickets for the finals. Harris finished third place after tying on the balance beam behind Denver's Bella Mabanta and Jessica Hutchinson.

Selena Harris was the No.1 recruit during the 2023 Freshman class and went on to earn the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in her debut season. After scoring four perfect scores in 2024, she was honored with the Pac-12 all-around title at the conference championships in March.

She finished the season with the No.1 ranking in the nation in the vault. The 20-year-old proved her prospects as a promising gymnast after she joined the Olympic team silver medalist Jordan Chiles and cruised the team to nationals for the first time since 2019.

The 12-time All-American will be seen competing for the Florida Gators in the upcoming NCAA and Pac-12 calendar after leaving the blue and golden pack to join the likes of Alyssa Arana, Sloane Blakely, Chloi Clark, and the two-time world champion Leanne Wong.