HERNANDO COUNTY – The University of Georgia Bulldogs gained a commitment from Nature Coast student and LaFleur’s Tampa gymnast Paige Pretorius in September. Pretorius’ verbal commitment is for a full-ride scholarship that she is looking forward to signing during her senior year. The talented class of 2028 athlete announced her decision in an Instagram post that Tuesday.
“I am over the moon excited and honored to announce my verbal commitment to the University of Georgia on a full athletic scholarship!” Paige posted on Instagram. “To my parents and family, thank you for being my biggest cheerleaders… A huge thank you to my coaches Alecia, Jeff, and Jose for being my mentors throughout this whole gymnastics journey. I would not be the gymnast I am today without your trust and belief. You knew what made me tick to thrive… I am so excited to call UGA my home! Go Dawgs.”
While the local gymnast is set to graduate a year early, collegiate coaches were not yet allowed to reach out with their recruiting pitches until June 15 of this year. Then, at 9:00 in the morning, Paige’s phone began to ring, and it would not stop ringing until 6:30 that evening…