Sunday, February 5	Scores	Watch
12:00 ET/9:00 PT – [7] Michigan @ Maryland	LINK	BTN+
1:00 ET/10:00 PT – New Hampshire, Ball State @ [16] George Washington	LINK
1:00 ET/10:00 PT – Illinois State @ Central Michigan	LINK	FREE
1:00 ET/10:00 PT – NC State, Bridgeport, Cornell @ Penn	LINK	Ivy $
1:00 ET/10:00 PT – Springfield, Rhode Island @ Cortland		FREE
2:00 ET/11:00 PT – [22] Iowa @ [20] Nebraska	LINK
2:00 ET/11:00 PT – Western Michigan @ Bowling Green	LINK
2:00 ET/11:00 PT – Lindenwood @ TWU	LINK	FREE
3:00 ET/12:00 PT – Eastern Michigan @ Illinois-Chicago	LINK
4:00 ET/1:00 PT – [18] Washington @ Stanford	LINK	P12

Before getting to the day’s main meet featuring Washington and Stanford, we have a few other results to dissect.

First, Michigan started horrendously on bars with an 8.9 and a 7.2 (I can’t even…), having to count the 8.9, but then rebounded on the remaining events with all kinds of cupcakes and sprinkles and butter and sugar to get to 196.475. It’s still not a road score they’d love to count, but especially considering that their first two road meets were in the 195s, it’s acceptable. It’s not the end of the world if they have to use this 196.4. The Wolverines still have three road meets remaining, so they could yet drop this one. Teams getting a regional #1 seed are unlikely to be using a 196.4.

This is also a critical day for Nebraska following another very low score on Friday in Oklahoma. If Nebraska does not score a 196 today, they’ll already be forced to count a 196.050 for RQS, which is a #3-seed kind of score. #3 seeds are forced to upset at least one strong team to make nationals, and no one wants to be in that precarious position. A position Stanford found itself in last season.

Transition! Stanford v. Washington! Stanford has one more meet than Nebraska remaining to get itself together, but things will start to look very “finishing the season ranked 18th” again without a solid 196 today.

Nebraska update: the Huskers are through beam without counting a fall and remain on pace for that crucial 196, although floor has been just as much of a worry as beam early in the season.

Iowa finishes 195.725, a couple weak vault and beam scores taking away the 196.

Nebraska will get a very useful 196.800 out of this home meet and just in the nick of time. Not a coincidence that Lambert and Williams both also came back into the floor lineup for this meet. Nebraska is much more dangerous with those two at normal ability. Your serve, Stanford.

Expected lineups for Stanford, same as the last meet. Still looks like they’re planning to show five on floor and then have Tai as a backup in the sixth position should they need a score. Yu is on vault and bars again. Price on the three she has been, no beam. Dani McNair in the AA. Goings and Burleson in the AA for Washington again.

Breaking news: Dani and Nicki McNair are difficult to tell apart. AH HA HA TWINS. The Stanford “what to watch in this meet” preview wasn’t even about the gymnastics, it was just about the fact that twins exist.

Rotation 1:
N McNair – VT – not much distance on her full, hop in place but not too much movement. 9.750

Riley – UB – good first hs – toe on – toe shap and a fall – I was just getting ready to be impressed by her leg form on her shap, but no chance to catch that Shap – redoing the skill – hits – short of vertical on bail – floaty DLO hop back. 9.200.

Cole – VT – nice full – some angle, solid control on the landing, one small step back, a little piking. 9.775 is tight for that compared to McNair.

Washington – UB – hecht mount -good hs and clear hip – falls on Gienger – similar to Riley, her form was awesome on the skill, which didn’t matter because she fell – bail – a little over rotated on tuck full dismount with a step back. 9.125.

Tai – VT – solid form on a full but a larger bounce back that the others, full-tenth bounce back, a little piking. 9.800. Eh, Cole’s didn’t have as much distance but looked better overall to me.

Elise’s Adele hair is NOT happy about this start.

Goings – UB – half to jaeger is solid – hits straddle back – two medium handstands in there – tuck full dismount, sticks it with a lean to hold. Good one. 9.825

D McNair – VT – clean, very good form with legs together the whole time, not so much distance and a larger hop back like Tai had.

Burleson – UB – giant half to tkatchev – lovely bail – short on a handstand or two early but better as it went – giant full to double tuck with a step back – continues being 88 feet tall. 9.800

Yu – VT – on track with the rest of the rotation – strong distance, traveled more than the McNairs but also had a pretty big bounce back like Dani and Tai. 9.825.

Duranczyk – UB – hop grip change to very quick jaeger – connected to overshoot – like the rhythm – high DLO with step back – she works very quickly which can end up rushed in places but it works. 9.850

Price – VT – excellent full as usual in the dynamics department, though not excellent on controlling the landing this time, which often happens for her on the full because she has time to write a treatise before landing. That hop back is far enough to be a full tenth. Still 9.875.

Copiak – UB – she’s back – great Church – hesitation on the toe on and short of vertical on the bail – tuck full with a hop back – some breaks there after the excellent Church, but it’s a hit and will be an important bars routine for them soon.

After 1: Stanford 49.075, Washington 48.475
Stanford will take that. It’s fine. A lot of very similar Yurchenko fulls in that lineup until Price, who excels in the amplitude department and gets rewarded for it. Landings weren’t controlled enough to get much higher. Washington with a rough start, recovered to get a batch of 9.8s but this already isn’t going to be a very usable score for them.

Evanni Roberson did exhibition on bars for Washington. JO bars champion who has been out with injury so far.

Pac-12 Network is OBSESSED with the existence of twins. Literally all Jim can talk about.

Rotation 2:
Hoffa – VT – lots of height on her full, one step back but smallish and not a hop. Good start. 9.750.

N McNair – UB – short handstand up to high – high piked jaeger, good – secure vertical on bail – better later handstands – sticks perfect tuck full dismount. Very strong. 9.900

Roy – VT – Tsuk 1/2, pretty good shape, small hop forwrd – some legs, not completely laid out but should score well. Tsuk 1/2 does start from 10. 9.850

Yu – UB – toe shap with some legs – bail, good vertical – shoot to high – stalder pretty good rhythm to double tuck dismount, chest down a bit with a hop forward. 9.850

Goings – VT – sticks a full, very good – not a ton of distance and a little piking, but no trouble with that landing. 9.800

D McNair – UB – toe shoot, good counter – hits hs – 1/2 turn to jaeger to overshoot is very secure – fantastic legs on DLO and stuck. Excellent routine. Stanford is destroying bars so far.

Riley – VT – yeoch – Yurchenko half and it looked like her knee completely hyperextended – showing a lot of replays and it looks intensely painful but somehow she is fine and just walking away like normal. Didn’t actually fall though, just a major step. 9.550. How exactly are you OK?

Daum – UB – crazy legs on a bail and a muscle up on the subsequent shoot to high – hitting though – double arabian with a step forward – sloppier than the others and will be the one they want to drop – 9.750, may end up being a useful gift.

Yacalis – VT – high and clean full, stuck – Washington is vaulting very well overall. 9.800.

Maxwell – UB – toe on – to Ray, a little close – can’t cast out of it, very short handstand in there – giant full to double tuck is quite clean, step back on double tuck. 9.375

Burleson – VT – I lvoe her Laura Martinez run – a little piking on her full, good legs together, tries to hold the stick but just too short and has to step forward.

Price – UB – good first hs –  shap to clear hip, legs together throughout – to Church to bail – all excellent and insane – hitting all handstands – DLO and stuck – I’d have no problem with a 10 for this one. 9.950. Insert comments about how it would have been a 10 at other meets here.

After 2: Stanford 98.425, Washington 97.400
Stanford had to count a weaker routine from Daum but it didn’t really matter with a bunch of 9.9s in there. They’re on a great pace so far, but the trouble is still to come. Kind of surprised Washington didn’t break 49 for that vault rotation because aside from the terror-vault from Riley, they landed quite well.

Rotation 3:
Fitzgerald – BB – long pause before full turn – hitch kick to walkover to two feet, holds well even though one foot was a little off the beam – beat jump to split 3/4, right on – aerial to bhs, a little slow in connection – step forward on 1.5. 9.800.

Schaeffer – FX – double tuck, nice height, small slide – front full to layout to stag, very clean, extended trhoughout – switch ring and split full, hitting her 180s – secure double pike, very strong routine. 9.825, honestly could have gone higher though.

D McNair – BB – side aerial, way off, center of gravity nowhere over the beam, fall – bhs loso series, looked right on then has to take a lean correction working out of it – tentative throughout after the fall – nice switch 1/2 – great leaps – gainer pike, hop forward. 9.225.

Duranczyk – FX – front tuck through to double pike, a little forward landing that with a step – good straddle and wolf positions, finishes fully rotated on a complicated leap combo – double tuck, slide back – 9.750

Cole – BB – tight on loso series, lean correction but holds it – switch to straddle 1/4 is nice – walkover to beat jump, leans into the connection again – full turn – looking generally terrified – lots of pauses here – sticks 2/1 – 9.825

Washington – FX – solid double tuck, small correction landing out of it – front layout to front full with too much of a bounce but excellent amplitude – high switch side and popa – hop back on double pike but pulled it around well. Hit. 9.850

Tai – BB – bhs loso bhs series with a balance check – switch to straddle 3/4, switch a little short – 1.5 with hop forward. 9.825.

Yacalis – FX – big tuck full mount, secure landing, chest down a bit – whip to 1.5 to front tuck, lunge/dances out of it – switch leap with a low back leg hurts – high double tuck and stuck, excellent tumbling – just don’t make her do leaps.

Daum – BB – solid bhs loso series, only mildly terrified by very secure – full turn – switch to split combo – cat leap to walkover, huge break but managed to stay on the beam – hop to the side on 1.5 dismount. 9.625

Hoffa – FX – good height on double pike for her as well, controls her step back – front lay to front full, clean – split and wolf shapes are well executed – sticks double tuck. So just to be clear, Washington looks awesome on floor today. 9.875.

N McNair – BB – huge break on loso series (oh Stanford), bend at the hips but stays on – solid side somi – good full turn – large break on side aerial again with leg up – switch and split and straddle 1/4 series, another leg up wobble on straddle 1/4 – struggle burger – gainer full. Equivalent of counting a fall. 9.550 is a bit of a gift. Three major multi-tenth wobbles.

Burleson – FX – strong double pike, also secure – switch ring to wolf hop full – 1.5 to layout, a little too arched in the layout – 2.5 final pass with a lunge forward. Strong floor rotation.

After 3: Stanford 147.050, Washington 146.650
Oh Stanford. Three weak beam routines leads to a 48.625 rotation score and Washington closing the gap after supremely secure landings on floor. And now Stanford has to do floor. In Ebee we trust. Stanford still with a chance to get a 196.

Janae Janik being made entirely of knee braces in the background.

Rose – BB – Didn’t realize she was standing on the springboard and just casually thought she was 84 feet taller than Elise. Jump to split mount – Aerial to bhs is fine – y turn with a check – switch and split, a little tentative landing on that wrapped knee but no real checks – strong side aerial – side aerial to full with a small slide back. 9.875.

D McNair – FX – “Stanford trying to do something they have not done this year, put five good scores together.” Meow. Jim gets me. Bound back out of opening double pike – deep landing double tuck with a lunge back – 1.5 to layout final pass is solid but she will get docked for the landings on the first two. 9.725

Washington – BB – lean correction on loso series but holds it – secure side aerial – switch side and straddle jump – full turn – punch layout full dismount, stuck. Washington has been excellent since bars. 9.750.

H Hoffman – FX – solid double tuck – switch ring to split full, a little short of 180 – front layout to front full, small stagger – huts rudi – 9.775.

SV discrepancy for Washington – a 9.9 start from one judge.

Schaeffer – BB – aerial, hit – works quickly out of her loso series well to avoid a check – full turn – split and stag ring – sticks 1.5 – another good one. This would have been a serious score if not for the bars fall. 9.875.

Cole – FX – 2.5 to front tuck, went a little off line, close to OOB but not – short on double tuck with a stumble forward – switch ring and split full are nice – front full, front pike, to a low stag. A baby stag. 9.750.

Nelson – BB – great amplitude on acro series, bhs loso – full turn – switch to split 3/4, large pause in that combination, I would not give it – secure kickover front – 1.5 dismount hop forward. Solid landings on all acro, we’ll see if she gets credit for a leap series. 9.800. Judges are nicer than I am –

Daum – FX – solid double pike – 1.5 to layout, secure, kept her layout shape well – leaps a little eh – secure double tuck, just a bit of chest down – best of the rotation. 9.850.

Goings – BB – two bhs to a secure loso series, excellent – beat jump to straddle 1/4, very high – flare with the leg out of full turn, not a wobble, just artistry – standing loso, good quick hands to avoid a lean – side aerial to a stuck full, a little off line but still managed the stick. 9.875

Price – FX – high double tuck and nailed – front lay front full, step forward but controlled – switch side and popa – super short double pike with a large lunge forward – weird Ebee. 9.725

Burleson – BB – huge break on front aerial with a bend at the hips – redoes it into bhs for the series, Washington had a chance to win with a big hit from Burleson but unlikely now – high straddle and straddle 1/4 – full turn – side aerial to layout full, stuck. 9.675

Tai – FX – she is going to go, and why not if she’s physically able to – deep landing on double tuck with a lunge back – very short on some of those leaps – 1.5 to layout, a bit whipped around – low chest double pike but it could still outscore some of those low 9.7s but worth it.

Jim is not aware Stanford has already won.

Washington finishes 195.825, which is not a great score for them but does include counting a fall. Imagine what it could have been.

9.775 for Tai so Stanford goes up to 195.925. Still not breaking 196 but…….we’re getting there?