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Traffic around Gainesville was a doozy Friday evening.

Between the daily 5 p.m. traffic and the second-ranked Florida Gators gymnastics team selling out their seventh-consecutive home meet, the congestion around Florida’s campus was a nightmare.

“I’m not too upset about that,” Florida gymnastics head coach Jenny Rowland said with a shrug. “It’s a good problem. Not complaining.”

Well good news, coach … the Gators’ next home meet against Missouri on February 10 is already sold out.

And hopefully, when the Tigers come to town in two weeks, the Gators can come away with a similar result as they did against Georgia Friday night: a 197.900 to 196.850 victory.

Florida's score was the highest it's posted all season.

Here are takeaways.

Gators’ win a significant one

With Florida’s win over Georgia, the Gators now hold the Southeastern Conference’s regular-season unbeaten streak record with a 24-0-1 mark that dates to March 1, 2019 when the Gators topped Arkansas in Fayetteville.

And as fate would have it, it’s the Bulldogs that the Gators leaped over to secure the record-breaking mark. Georgia previously held the record with a 24-0 mark that ended in 1996 and a 23-0-1 record that ended in 2010.

"I think it's a great testament to the team," Rowland said. "How dedicated they are in the gym, how dedicated they are outside the gym and really them taking ownership of this amazing team."

Interestingly, Georgia is also the only team Florida has met every year in the gymnastics program’s 51-year history.

And while Florida earned top marks on every apparatus Friday night, Georgia freshman Naya Howard turned in a solid evening of work after appearing on each apparatus and turning in an all-around total of 39.350, which was second-best behind Florida’s Leanne Wong, who turned in the meet’s top all-around score with a 39.650.

Trinity Thomas makes history with another Perfect 10

Anytime Trinity Thomas steps up to an apparatus, you can physically feel everyone’s eyes shift to watch the 5-foot-3 Pennsylvania native.

Given Thomas entered Friday night’s contest with 22 10s in her college career, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that perfect marks are expected from her.

"Everybody just expects and knows she's going to do what she does in the gym every day, every single turn," Rowland said. "And whatever that is, whatever the judges end up giving that, then that's what it is. But I think that's the best part about Trin is that she gives her heart and soul in the gym every turn, every time. So you know what you're going to get."

Despite the lofty expectations, the pressure doesn’t get to her. If anything, the pressure she feels is self-inflicted, Thomas says.

But in Thomas’ first routine of the night, if there was pressure, she concealed it well as she kickstarted her three-event night with a perfect 10 on the vault. Friday’s perfect score increased her total to 23 career 10s, which puts her in sole possession of fourth place among all-time collegiate 10.0 leaders.

Thomas is just five perfect scores away from joining UCLA’s Jamie Dantzscher and Kentucky’s Jenny Hansen as the list’s leaders.

Friday’s perfect 10 was more than just another to add to Thomas' list. It also completed her fourth gym slam – a term used to describe a gymnast earning a perfect score on each apparatus.

Thomas had already earned four 10s on the bars and beam, along with an unbelievable 11 perfect scores on the floor coming into Friday's meet.

With her perfect vault performance, Thomas beat her own record of three gym slams.

And it didn’t come as a surprise to Thomas that it took her a while to get her fourth 10.0 on vault.

"I've struggled with vault since I was little," laughed Thomas. "It was terrifying to me, I wasn't very good at it."

Florida honors alumni with throwback leotards

The Gators came out in a different look Friday night − white leotards with a blue 'F' centered on the front with subtle orange and blue detailing.

The idea was to honor Florida gymnastics' alumni.

"They were going through a lot of pictures from the past," Rowland said. "But it was very 80s vibes with a little 2023 crystal twist."

Friday's retro uniforms were credited to team manager Shea Wheeler and former Gators gymnast and current assistant to the head coach, Megan Skaggs.

"They're the one's who approached me," Rowland said. "I trust both of them. They came up with the design and I thought it was really solid. It looked amazing on the Gators and a great tribute to our alumni night."

Typically, the Gators' leotards are designed during spring break of the year prior. However, that wasn't the case with the ones Florida wore against Georgia.

"Usually it takes a really long time," Rowland said. "However, Megan and Shea, I think, started the process the first of January. We had another leo that we were trying to design, but the concept just wasn't coming together so we scrapped it. And they went for it and it took no time."

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SAN ANTONIO – Trinity University is entering a new chapter with Dr. Vanessa Beasley, the institution’s 20th and newest president, who plans to transform the campus.

The institution is 154 years old, traditionally ranked among the best colleges in the nation, and has a campus that rose from what was once a limestone quarry to become a San Antonio gem. Trinity’s next step will be Beasley’s position.

Beasley, Trinity University’s 20th president, said she wants Trinity visible and active in San Antonio.

“What’s important to me is that we are seen as part of the community, not separate from it,” said Beasley.

Service projects, internships, and leaders -- it’s all part of the plan when it comes to Trinity’s new president.

“We want to lean into the experiences that give our students the chance to practice what they are learning and reading about in the classroom, out in the real world, if you will, through more experiences, she said.

Beasley was raised in Florida, went to Vanderbilt University, then went to grad school at the University of Texas. She has taught at SMU and Texas A&M, but when asked about her biggest surprise so far, she said it’s that Trinity already feels like home.

“I have to tell you I’ve felt so welcomed by the community, and I really feel like I’ve found my people, so I’m just really happy to be here and also fiercely protective of this community,” Beasley said.

Media, communications, and American Presidents are all part of her background.

She also loves traveling and live music. Something perhaps unusual in leaders of major universities is her escape comes in heavy metal -- not Whitesnake but weight lifting.

“One of the things I need is time when my brain stops, and you know what makes your brain focus pretty intently -- holding something over your head that could crush your skull in, so I find it’s a great mental health exercise,” says Beasley.

Weightlifting is a hobby that takes strength, so perhaps Vanessa Beasley is the perfect person to push, nudge, or even lift Trinity into its next phase.

“We really want Trinity to change San Antonio, and the way we do that is through our education and the way we put leaders out there to take us all to the next level,” Beasley said.

Saturday, Feb. 11, will be President Beasley’s Investiture, and on Friday, as part of the celebration of the new president, Trinity is promising to light up the sky. They have not given details on what exactly that means, so we will have to wait and see.

If you’d like to see more of Steve Spriester’s interview with Dr. Vanessa Beasley, it’s the latest version of Spriester Sessions. Watch the full-length video below:

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The Rev. Rutger-Jan (R-J) Heijmen — rector of Holy Trinity, West Palm Beach, Florida — talks a lot about water, appropriately enough for a man whose congregation is a few miles west of the Atlantic Ocean. “All ministry is waxing the surfboard and waiting for God to send the waves,” he says.

The past three years of coronavirus have been filled with waves for Heijmen and for Holy Trinity. But God’s waves have nevertheless brought opportunities for him and his church, whose average Sunday attendance has grown by over 30 percent since 2019. When Heijmen arrived at Holy Trinity in January 2020, he appreciated the church’s strong culture — Heijmen repeatedly mentions his gratitude that the parish called him — yet was determined to make his mark.

“I’m not afraid to take risks,” he also repeats, and his résumé proves it. Heijmen has a highly entrepreneurial outlook on ministry, honed during many years of evangelistic outreach to youth and young adults and his role in planting a church in New York City.

But when the COVID-19 pandemic began, the waves only grew higher. Before accepting the call to Holy Trinity, Heijmen served at St. Martin’s in Houston for seven years. Heijmen and his family decided that he would commute between West Palm Beach and Houston while his son finished his senior year of high school. After flights were grounded in March 2020, Heijmen remained in Houston for months, and had to shepherd his congregation through Lent, Easter, and beyond from hundreds of miles away.

In Houston, Heijmen produced as much digital content as he could, including not just the typical Coronatide fare of Zoom fellowship, worship, and ministries, but also YouTube daily devotionals for Lent, and sermons interspersed with clips from popular movies and TV shows. Holy Trinity’s vestry members and other laity were instrumental during Heijmen’s absence, creating a phone tree that ensured every parishioner remained connected to the broader congregation. “Our congregation was determined to do everything they could to stay in touch with each other,” Heijmen said.

Holy Trinity relaunched in-person worship in October 2020. Despite his comfort with digital media and the parish’s continued reliance on it — “streaming is going to be here forever,” Heijmen says, adding that more than 100 people still participate online each Sunday — Holy Trinity remained “determined to bring everyone back together as soon as possible.”

Again, Heijmen and his congregation were not afraid to do something bold and innovative to make it happen. “Our vestry worked courageously during this time,” Heijmen said, especially in launching an outdoor ministry in early 2021, which began as “Lent in a Tent” but lasted far beyond that liturgical season.

At first it looked as though Lent in a Tent might not launch. Heijmen awoke multiple times during the night before the first service, startled by a huge storm that drenched and battered West Palm Beach. But come morning, the tent was still standing, along with 80 worshipers, many of them new to both Holy Trinity and the Episcopal Church.

“Our parishioners were really excited about what we were doing, and that energy fed on itself, and they did a great job of inviting their friends, family, anyone they could think of, to church,” Heijmen says. By June, the outdoor service had grown to more than 300. Many of the newcomers told Heijmen and others that they had never enjoyed church so much and that worship at Holy Trinity was the highlight of their week.

Heijmen credits Holy Trinity’s inclusive culture, diverse congregation, and relatively casual worship setting for this atmosphere. “You can truly be yourself at Holy Trinity,” he says.

That attitude extends to political identity. “We are not here to be Fox News or MSNBC,” Heijmen says. “We are here to talk about eternal things, and we are here to talk about your things.” Heijmen believes the gospel demands our votes as well as our hearts. But he worries that being too political can distract from a Christian’s true focus: Christ.

Heijmen has not always thought this way, but he now appreciates that his younger, more politically vociferous self “did not change any minds or any hearts. It only hardened people who did not agree with me and emboldened those who did. I try to ask people to draw their hearts closer to Jesus, and let the Holy Spirit do the rest. When people draw near to Jesus, their hearts begin to change, almost in spite of themselves.”

It is a recurring theme, and one Heijmen emphasizes when asked about how churches can better help their neighbors. Heijmen is full of pragmatic solutions: keep the service to a reasonable length, make sure the bulletin is newcomer-friendly, be missional in your outlook, make sure the rector has a good therapist, and do not be afraid to take risks.

Waxing the surfboard takes a lot of time and energy. But Heijmen is also clear on who moves the waves. “People really want to know about Jesus. That is why they are here,” he said. “Preach God’s mercy, grace, love, forgiveness for broken people who don’t deserve it. Teach the Bible as much as possible. People want to know what’s in there.”

A lifelong Episcopalian, Dylan Thayer is a TLC contributing writer.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A pair of Gators – Trinity Thomas and Kayla DiCello – claim Southeastern Conference weekly gymnastics honors again!

After last Friday's performances at No. 8 Louisiana State, Thomas and DiCello claim consecutive SEC weekly gymnastics honors.

Thomas used the nation's No. 2 high all-around of 2023 with a 39.85 last week in Baton Rouge. This was win No. 29 as a Gator and third of the season. She posted her 25^th perfect mark of her career with a 10.0 on the balance beam. This is Thomas' 18^th SEC Gymnast of the Week honor of her career and fourth weekly honor of 2023 (Week 1 & 4 Specialist & Week 6 Gymnast).

DiCello led the nation's freshmen last weekend with her all-around total of 39.70. Two collegiate bests were part of that all-around as she shared the floor exercise title at 9.95 with Thomas and LSU's KJ Johnson. She also matched her collegiate high with a near-perfect 9.975 on balance beam. This is DiCello's fifth SEC Freshman of the Week honor and sixth weekly honor (Week 2 Specialist).

Trinity Thomas - SEC Gymnast of the Week:

Kayla DiCello – SEC Freshman of the Week:

UP NEXT FOR THE GATORS: Florida's Senior Night combines with a SEC title deciding meet this Friday in the Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.

The Gators' home schedule closes with No. 11 Kentucky. Both teams enter Friday's meet with an opportunity to claim the 2023 SEC regular-season title as each have a single league loss. Friday's meet closes UF's SEC slate while UK has two SEC meets remaining.

Following Friday's meet, Gator fans can celebrate the careers of Florida's senior and Super Seniors – Rachel Baumann, Leah Clapper, Payton Richards, Savannah Schoenherr, Halley Taylor, Trinity Thomas and manager Shea Wheeler.

When: Friday, Feb. 24 at 5:45 p.m. ET Venue: Stephen C. O'Connell Center (gates open 4:30 p.m.) TV: SEC Network with Taylor Davis joining Olympic medalists Bart Conner and Kathy Johnson Clarke for the call Stream: SEC Network Live Scores: StatBroadcast Tickets: Sold out. Check out the Official Gator TicketExchange to purchase tickets other fans can't use Friday.

Residents of London, England, U.K.

Majors and teams:

Billy: Economics; ice hockey (co-captain)

Jen: Studio arts; lacrosse (co-captain and All-American) and soccer (co-captain)

Professional, graduate study, and volunteer info:

Billy: CEO at Liverpool Football Club; Trinity Athletics Campaign Committee; starting in AY 2023–24, will serve on Trinity Board of Fellows

Jen: Master’s degree in education, University of San Francisco; volunteer for the Athletic Board of the American School in London, special events committee; previously taught and coached at boarding and day school in California; starting in AY 2023–24, will serve on Trinity Board of Fellows

Residents of Boston

Majors and teams:

Sam: American studies; baseball

Amanda: Economics; swimming

Professional, graduate study, and volunteer info:

Sam: President and CEO of the Boston Red Sox and chief executive of Fenway Sports Group; serves in leadership volunteer roles with community organizations, including the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Trustee/Advisory Board; Trinity Athletics Campaign Committee; past member of the Trinity College Board of Fellows; 2019 Trinity Commencement speaker and honorary degree recipient

Amanda: Chartered financial analyst (CFA) and member of the CFA Boston Society; previously worked for Clelland & Company, Inc. and TJX Companies; past member of the Trinity College Alumni Association Executive Committee; active with community and educational organizations, including REACH Beyond Domestic Violence, the Wellesley Free Library Foundation, and the Parents Association of The Winsor School

Residents of Ponte Vedra Beach, FL

Majors and teams:

Jamie: American studies; baseball and golf

Tam: Art history; track

Professional, graduate study, and volunteer info:

Jamie: Vice president, international, of the PGA Tour

Tam: Former sponsorship officer, Museum of Fine Arts Boston; former English teacher in Massachusetts and Florida; master’s degree in education, Boston College

Residents of Boston

Majors and teams:

Brendan: History; golf (captain and Academic All-American and All-American) and ice hockey (co-captain); Golf Fights Cancer volunteer

Abbey: Economics; field hockey

Professional, graduate study, and volunteer info:

Brendan: Managing director at Marsh McLennan; Trinity Athletics Campaign Committee

Abbey: Former management consultant and private equity analyst; Golf Fights Cancer volunteer

Residents of Ponte Vedra Beach, FL

Majors and teams:

Jay: History; ice hockey and golf (Academic All-American)

Susan: Psychology; lacrosse

Professional, graduate study, and volunteer info:

Jay: Commissioner of the PGA Tour; master’s degree in sport management, University of Massachusetts Amherst; co-founder of Golf Fights Cancer; Trinity Athletics Campaign Committee; 2018 recipient of Paul E. Raether ’68 Alumni Achievement Award

Susan: Optometrist; also sees patients for and serves on the boards of directors of two non-profit organizations that provide vision care for uninsured and underinsured adults

Residents of Boston

Majors and teams:

Dan: Economics; ice hockey

Kate: Public policy; softball

Professional, graduate study, and volunteer info:

Dan: Managing principal at Cresa Boston (commercial real estate)

Kate: President of Churchill Forge Properties (real estate management); M.B.A., Boston University