Sunday, February 26	Scores	Watch
1:00 ET/10:00 PT – Southern Utah @ [9] Michigan	LINK	FREE
1:00 ET/10:00 PT – [24] Iowa State, Maryland @ West Virginia	LINK	FREE
1:00 ET/10:00 PT – Bowling Green @ Central Michigan	LINK	ESPN3
1:00 ET/10:00 PT – Air Force @ Bridgeport
1:00 ET/10:00 PT – Ursinus, Brockport, Rhode Island @ Ithaca		FREE
3:00 ET/12:00 PT – [1] Oklahoma @ TWU	LINK	FLOG
3:00 ET/12:00 PT – Winona State, Hamline, Gustavus Adolphus @ Minnesota	LINK	BTN+
3:00 ET/12:00 PT – Western Michigan @ Illinois-Chicago	LINK
4:00 ET/1:00 PT – [22] Illinois, Illinois State @ [8] Denver	LINK	DU $

Today’s fun little factoid is that if the season ended right this minute, regional #1 would contain Oklahoma, Michigan, and Nebraska, in Nebraska. CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR #1.

Southern Utah will finally have an RQS after this meet, looking at slotting into the rankings at #21 given any score 196 or above. SUU will still have a 194.325 road meet on there and can’t truly move up until that goes away.

In West Virginia, Goldberg was pretty piked on a yfull and came in low, which won’t be a very high score. The scores are being shown to the crowd by the official man-bun of West Virginia. Every team should have a dedicated scoring man-bun whose job it is to flash the totals.

Cluchey pikes on hers as well with a bounce back. Cluchey is the one who got 9.925 on floor last week, and we all went, “Who in the what now?”

Koshinski comes in a hair short on her 1.5 this time and has to take a pretty large lunge to the side to control it. Green for Iowa State stuck a floaty DLO on bars. The most precise set of the group so far.

Some high tkatchevs for Iowa State on bars, but flexed feet on all – Ledesma comes in short on her DLO with a large lunge forward.

Bowling Green got through bars with a 48.850. That’s a step up over some of those bars scores I’ve been seeing from them lately. Meaning, it was in the 48s.

Fan cams are always telling as to which children understand how cameras work and which children just wave at image of themselves on the screen.

CMU is already in the second rotation. Michigan hasn’t started yet.

Rotation 1:
Funk – VT – a little piking, step back. The others will be bigger

Heltemes – UB – nice opening cast – great toe point on that jaeger – leg break and floppy on the bail, though – short final handstand – only a small hop on the DLO, legs apart.

Zaziski – VT – good height, does keep a pike throughout the vault, and a minor step back.

Townsend – UB – late on a giant full but releases into the gienger well enough – also legs on the release elements – giant full into double tuck, stuck. Will be interested to see the score on this one to see what the judges do with those giant full finishing positions.

And we’ve lost video feed. Still audio, though. That’s not helpful at all.

Artz – VT – less pike but a bigger hop back on her full, which will probably result in a smiliar score.

Shettles – UB – HER NAME IS MEMORY – good rhythm through tkatchev and overshoot but loses body shape on occasion – DLO, just down at the end with a step forward.

Chiarelli – VT –  just does the full, looked very weird, like an awkward block and lost her body form with a major pike and a short landing.

Yee – UB – hop grip change to piked jaeger to overshoot – late on the grip change but quite nice and high on the piked jaeger though – step on DLO.

Karas – VT – she does do the 1.5 – knees and a shoulder-sized step forward, so not her best but still should be the top rotation score so far.

Ma McBride – UB – hop grip change to piked jaeger as well, better vertical – nice legs together on that bail – short on a final cast handstand – sticks her DLO. She’s a JO national champion on bars.

McLean – VT – holds the stick on her 1.5 – very good vault – a little knees and comes in kind of squatty, which makes it impressive that she was able to hold that landing.

Rosza – UB – after a significant delay – really high jaeger with great toe point – overshoot to low, some legs – giant full, strong finishing position and sticks a double tuck. Clean.

After 1: Michigan 49.300, SUU 49.200

Solid starts for both teams. Scores a little high for my taste on both rotations (I would have had Karas 9.850, McLean 9.900) but not out of control. Michigan had a missed opportunity with that vault from Chiarelli, though, which means they were relying on Karas and McLean to be the entire score. Though this year they do have two other people with big scores if Chiarelli has a bad one.

SUU will definitely take that bars score. A few too many leg breaks on releases (and too many overshoots, but that’s just a personal taste thing). Rosza was a highlight for me. An extra level of toe point and handstands.

Also, I don’t understand the backs on these SUU leos. My primary question is, why?

Rotation 2:

McBride – VT – good dynamics on a full, pretty significant lunge back.

Funk – UB – giant full to high tkatchev, some funky form HA HA GET IT – nice final cast handstand, sticks DLO – good set for her, not too many form issues aside from the tkatchev

Jorgensen – VT – makes an effort to open out of that full, lands short at the end with a step forward

Karas – UB – pretty solid legs on a shap – vertical on the bail – short on final cast handstand – also sticks her DLO – they’re working those DLO sticks today, and expect that to be rewarded in the scores.

Webb – VT – tries tries tries to hold the stick on her full, doesn’t really work and ends away giving up a pretty notable lean forward, not a huge deduction though.

marinez – UB – she has really worked on these cast handstands to give away as little as possible on an event that’s not really hers – the tkatchev is quite flat, but she sticks the DLO this time, which helps a lot.

Brownsell – VT – handspring pike 1/2, solid height, some chest and a hop back but should do well.

Polina – UB – solid legs on her shap to pak combo, just the tiniest separation, not at a level that would be deducted – over flips that double tuck with a step back and another step to salute, which will take away the score. They don’t really need it so far.

Blake missed her block entirely on vault, came off exactly horizontally and could never land that on anything but her elbows. She looks fine, just a botched vault.

Artz – UB – solid piked jaeger and she does keep her legs together the whole time on the overshoot – great cast handstands, sticks her DLO. One of her good ones, and given how the scores are going, expect that number to get real. (Criticisms of the routine can include a tendency to lose her legs, like at the beginning of releases and in the DLO, but it’s never too major)

Bozzutto – VT – fine full – just a small bounce back and a little piking. Small errors both.

Zaziski – UB – rushing a little through the giant full, but a nice tkatchev – very controlled vertical through her bail – swims a touch to hold onto the DLO stick. Will still be a good score.

49.550 for Michigan on bars is good evidence of what happens when everyone is sticking landings. It was a charitably scored rotation, but the dismounts were a highlight and Artz was extremely clean. I have some questions about some tkatchevs.

SUU got through with a 49.175 on vault, able to drop the fall.

After 2: Michigan 98.850, SUU 98.375

Moving on to rotation 3…

Karas – BB – excellent punch front to beat jump – her switch split jump always confuses me, but good for you? – strong loso series, confident and crisp – punch rudi dismount, smallest step. VERY good start.

Gonzalez – FX – she lunges back out of a double tuck, possible OOB but tough to tell from out angle and on the extra mat – front lay to front full, does a pretty good job of maintaining straight shape through that pass – crazy landing on a rudi with a large stumble to the side – just under-twisted a touch and was like, “WHERE IS MY LIFE AHHH STEP.”

Zaziski – BB – switch side  (crookedish) – smooth and secure loso series for her as well – switch to straddle 1/4, right on – full turn – kickover front, easy and chest up – sticks a gainer full. Another excellent set.

Brownsell – FX – rudi opener, a little bouncy on landing – front full to layout, nice height on that lay, just a lunge forward out – hits her straddle 180s, loses feet somewhat – good double pike, controlled step.

Funk – BB – smallest lean working out of loso, but never even really a deduction – love her switch side 1/4, some creative leaps in these routines, and I’d like to note that I’m noticing – large break on side aerial with a lean to the side – front 1.5 with a step. Will be lowest so far because of the side aerial.

Bozzutto – FX – slide back on double tuck – front layout to front full – they’re all doing the switch side to popa dance combo, which is smart and most gymnasts do it, but I’m ready for that combo to be done. Too overused. Some slide back on double pike.

Artz – BB – pike jump to straddle 3/4 with a check – aerial to bhs series, smooth and better connected than most – calm and precise full turn – kickover front to beat jump, held well, a little slow but NBD – punch rudi with a hop back.

Webb – FX – chest down double pike, keeps in in bounds – front full to front pike, a little flat but completes the skills – different variation on the leap combo, switch side to split and wolf – good twisting and straight shape on her rudi, just a slide back.

Marinez – BB – aerial – solid loso series, waits before split jump but that’s also well-executed – side aerial, solid – double stag, no trouble – I mean, we can see her entire butt in this leo (Bev! Bad Bev!), but a good routine – hop back 2/1.

Jorgensen – FX – chest down on double pike but controlled well – small stagger coming out of front layout on second pass – switch ring to split leap full, that’s more like it as a leap series, and she hits those positions – double tuck similar to double pike, controlled but chest too far down to the knees.

Chiarelli – BB – loso series, secure – not as chest-up as some of her teammates but no wobbles – good straddle jump position – side aerial, solid – step back on double tuck this time.

Strong beam rotation for Michigan. Not scary at all.

Blake-Howard – FX – 2.5 to front tuck opening pass, just does pull that front tuck around, impressive considering she traveled the entire lateral length of the earth on it, will be a major deduction, her punch took her entirely sideways – bounce on a rudi – leaps are a highlight.

After 3: Michigan 148.225, SUU 147.675

Michigan goes 49.375 on beam, and I think that was scored pretty appropriately. On track for a season-high easily with only a mildly hit floor rotation. SUU also in the running for a high 196 here.

Bowling Green just beat CMU – 195.625 to 195.575

Rotation 4:

Jorgensen – BB – lean on loso series – somewhat tight on full turn but fine – switch to split 1/4, great positions, small check – front tuck, step and lean. Good foundation of the routine, just a few too many checks – tentative into her double tuck dismount but gets it around.

Funk – FX – a slide back on her opening double pike, good amp – very strong double tuck, chest up and secure landing – front full to layout, a slide on that as well but solid passes in the air.

Yee – BB – pretty kickover, small lean – split to split 3/4 with a lean – floats that aerial but kind of struggles in the combination back to Korbut, keeps working but sort of bends to hold it – sticks gainer pike – Really nice amplitude in her beam work.

No Lauren, I shan’t put my hands on my hips, circle around, and then pose.

Marinez – FX – front lay to rudi, not a high pass but completes it solidly – a little indistinct in split and wolf jump finishing positions – secure double pike –

FINAL: West Virginia 195.950, Iowa State 195.725, Maryland 195.450

Bozzutto – BB – beat jump to loso combo that actually kind of is a combo, hit – easy on the loso series as well, comfortably landed – tight on a straddle 3/4 with a lean forward to hold it – gainer full.

McLean – FX – comes in a hair short landing her double pike – front lay to front full, straight positions – double tuck – they’re controlling these landings pretty well overall – some chest positions, some feet – but they’re getting the deductiony-parts.

Webb – BB – step back and major lean on loso series – solid straddle – switch side with another wobble. This isn’t a Boise State-level rotation, but they are wobbling themselves out of a 49 here. side aerial to full, step back.

Scores are going high for Michigan here on floor, so watch these last three scores.

Karas – FX – lunge forward on double Arabian but holds it, some cowboying – front lay to a very secure front full landing – solid double pike, not giving away slides on those last two passes.

It’s 9.900 across the board for Karas.

Bayer – BB – nice round-off loso series, and then has a major wobble on a full turn – just that kind of rotation – chest up front tuck, good – switch side – gainer full.

Chiarelli – FX – double tuck to start, just a tad bouncy in the cleary-too-easy-for-her kind of way – 1.5 to layout to front tuck, loses her legs in the layout, otherwise fine – switch side to popa, strong 180s – double pike, comes in a tad short with a lean. I like her routine better with her real passes, though.

Gonzalez – BB – split to straddle 1/4, excellent – bhs loso and she’s off. They had avoided falls until then, and had been given a couple gifts in the scores, but it still won’t be a 49 rotation because of all those wobbles. Everyone had a full-tenth check at least.

Artz – FX – they’re setting her up for the 10, we’ll see if she delivers – begins with animal noises, always a good sign – solid piked full in, her usual landing on that one – split full to straddle full – good 180s, her ankle tape inhibits the look of her toe point but it was fine – front lay to front full, a little short coming in on that full with a step back – bit of a slide back on the double pike it looked like. Still a 9.950.

FINAL: Michigan 197.825, SUU 196.600

Obviously, both will take that score and get out of town before the authorities catch them. It’s not necessarily a realistic total for Michigan—the bars and floor scores in particular were wayyyyy OTT—but it was a strong performance and one that reminds us that this is a competitive team that can make Super Six. That had been lost in recent weeks and with the low road scores that will inhibit Michigan’s ranking until the Big Five, when they should start moving up.

SUU was good, fine. Beam was a wobble fest, but there’s still a lot to like in that beam work because many of the deductions were on balance issues not built-in errors. I wouldn’t have had their scores with as many 9.875s as they got. But there’s a lot of 9.8 work here that will threaten at a regional if a team has an off day.

Up next, Oklahoma and TWU.

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TWU got a 196 last weekend, so we’ll have to see what that business is about.

No Miss Nichols today for Oklahoma. It will be Craus on bars, DeGouveia on vault, Jackson on beam, and Lovan back from Narnia on floor.

Once again, let’s talk about how it’s “Texas Woman’s University” and not “Texas Women’s University” and how that makes no sense and I want to scream.

This crowd is Oklahoma fangirling so hard.

I legit thought they just skipped over one of the TWU gymnasts and were like, “NONE FOR YOU.” But they were doing a special intro because senior day.

IT IS DAY. Why is “not able to differentiate between day and night” a commentary theme this year?

Rotation 1:
Cashmore – VT – ylayout, step to the side.

Capps – UB – this PA guy has Kelly Garrison “Sinners not Sooners” pronunciation syndrome. good giant position- Tkatchev is solid enough – hits her bail – not quite there on final cast handstands, sticks tuck full. Good start.

Parkin – VT – short on full – multiple steps, ends up sideways, you know like you do.

Craus – UB – close catch on her jaeger but good toes – very precise through the bail – hits her cast handstands, tries to get excellent on her giant full handstand position, ends up arching but saves it – sticks double tuck. Still 9.850? OK?

Lazarus – VT – falls on yfull – “didn’t quite get that landing” – hands down after landing, so far forward couldn’t control it.

Catour – UB – good height on her Ray – toe on – also nice leg shape on that bail, maybe a little angle – misses her last handstand, comes in slightly short on DLO with a hop forward.

Moredock – VT – best dynamics on a full so far, piking and a hop.

Dowell – UB – excellent Church – toe on to bail, clean, maybe a little hip angle in the air, hard to tell from angle – hitting her casts – basically sticks DLO, probably lacked a little control but held it until she step-saluted backward.

Simpson – VT – very little distance on her full but kept more of a laidout position, fairly significant hop back.

Lehrmann – UB – strong jaeger, good toes, good distance – bail is precise and vertical – solid cast positions, sticks tuck full. Will be another big score. OK, and it’s a 10. Here’s where we are today. It was an extremely clean routine. She has also done that exact routine about 12 times in the last two seasons.

I lost my feed here. Anyone else?

Maggie’s like, “Today’s the day you’re sitting me on bars?”

So, I lost my FLOG feed. Wofford gets her 10 as well. First 10 of her career. So this is basically like OU’s senior day. It’s like when UCLA used to go to Fullerton (RIP).

Jones – VT – a little short on a y1/2 with a larger step back.

So, Wofford gets her 10 and we don’t see it. Awesome.

We’ll see if things work out for the second rotation. So far so good? AT LEAST WE’RE SEEING THE WARMUP.

So far so terrible.

Anyway, we’re not getting this second rotation, and apparently according to the scores Charity Jones got 9.830 on vault. Just going to jump into a volcano now.

Well, hang around if you want. I will be to see if we come back. Don’t hold your breath. Oklahoma went 49.700 on bars, which would have been really fun to sass about.

Back.

Dowell – VT – hop forward on 1.5 this time, a little knees at the end.

Simpson – UB – totally tucks her shaposh at the end but hey, kept her legs together – way arches her bail and can’t save it, comes off the bar – DLO 1/1 dismount, piked and with a lunge back, but DLO 1/1!

Jackson – VT – larger lunge forward out of her 1.5 as well this time. Not the ideal landings today on vault for OU.

Both Dowell and Jackson still get 9.900.

Cashmore – UB – went very high on a gienger but came in too close to catch and another fall. TWU is having the FLOGymnastics of bars rotations.

Oklahoma goes 49.375 on vault. Still on 198 pace on account of the bars score.

Lehrmann did exhibition on vault with another quite usable full with a bounce back that could go into one of those early spots and get a 9.8 if needed.

Rotation 3:

Simpson – BB – TWU – front tuck mount! Check on a full turn there – secure loso series – switch to a split 3/4, will get hit heavily for position on those leaps – sticks gainer full.

Jones – FX – 2.5 to front tuck, takes it right into the corner, but she has enough height on that 2.5 to make it not look like she’s wrenching that last half twist around to save her life, like a lot of the 2.5s I’ve seen this weekend – solid double pike, chest up, to finish. Good, her usual.

Parkin – BB – TWU – front tuck mount! All the cool kids do front tuck mounts – The TWU beamers have been excellent on their punch front mounts and and loso series so far, it’s the dance elements that are getting them the most. Double wolf turn that no one needed with a lean wobble – 1.5, hop.

Brown – FX – front 2/1, maybe a touch undertwisted this time – front lay to front full, solid and straight – can she just round-off layout stepout for a whole routine? Is that allowed? – rudi, good, maintains her twisting shape well.

Moredock – BB – check and back knee on loso series but laudable air – I think that was supposed to be a kickover front? And then I thought it was intentional that she did it to a seated position, like, “Ooohh, original new twist on beam routines!” but it was just a fall.

Lovan – FX – front rudi to stag, a little bouncy but maintains the form we expected from her – front full to layout, whips around the layout – switch ring to split full, hit – double pike.

You know you’re short when you’re a foot shorter than all the other gymnasts on your team.

Alderman – BB – a couple checks in places but no real problems, more confident on the loso series, sticks a gainer full.

Dowell – FX – holds the secure landing on double front, looked like she came in a little short but held and was able to stag out of it, strong legs on that one – not quite as extended on the split leap 1/1 as some other but not too far away – finishes front lay to front full, no trouble.

Vincent – BB – another of the front tuck mount sisters, this time with a check – breaks connection on switch to back tuck but has the best extension in splits so far in the lineup – falls on loso series, came in way short. “A little off on that series.”

Capps – FX – just the double pike this time, comfortable, a little chesty downy but not extreme – front full to layout, straight as a broomstick throughout – switch side and popa, high, extended – solid rudi. Another good one. My favorite part is the spell from The Magicians she does before her last pass. 9.975. As high as she’s gone on floor.

Jones – BB – round-off back pike acro series – cool, gets it, form but gets it – switch to tuck jump 3/4 with a check, intended a tuck jump 1/1 – high kickover front with a check – sticks excellent 1.5, laid out the whole time.

Jackson – FX – nails her open full in, chest up, controlled step back, awesome – “super fierce choreography” – back 1/2 to front full, lunges too far out of it to get the 10 she was set up for – great height on her straddle elements as well, that’s what leap amplitude is – a little short on double pike with a hop.

Jackson still gets a 9.975 like Capps which is silly for a routine with deductions on two passes. They were so itching to give her a 10 they couldn’t even stand it.

The 198 thirst is EXTREME tonight.

After 3: OU 148.725, TWU 143.950

Rotation 4:
Jones – BB – secure loso – her head position is a little Shawn Johnson on landing but no question it was on – deep on the kickover this time but works out of it into the beat jump – switch to split, good – sticks 1.5.

Parkin – FX – very secure double pike, flexed feet but good landing – 1.5 to layout, also pretty good amp on that one – switch side to popa, short popa – the dance elements are really the only thing separating them from regionals-level DI schools on beam and floor.

Lehrmann – BB – crisp full turn – extended aerial – switch side, good horizontal position, small lean working out of it – pretty pretty so far – switch 1/4 to shushunova – leans to hold the stick on the 1.5. Will be a nice score.

Moredock – FX – double pike, bounce back, good chest position on landing – switch 1/2 to popa, similar to Parkin – chest way down on double tuck with multiple steps back, possible OOB – 1.5 to layout, just pulls that layout around to her feet.

Catour – BB – small lean on her loso series landing – switch side – holds aerial well, looked like she might have come in short but you wouldn’t know, I often feel that about Catour – gainer pike, step. Not quite the extension of Lehrmann but not a lot to take overall there.

Versemann – FX – deep double back but keeps it to one adjustment step – botches final pass, does a front layout and then a sort of flop 1/2 frog jump out of it, unclear.

Brown – BB – aerial to bhs loso – “lovely unique series” – did you watch any elite from 2006-2012? – maybe a touch under on a straddle turn but nothing major, pretty sissone – switch to gainer full, stuck – excellent.

Simpson – FX – lunge back on double pike, a little bit of knees – short on a split shape but followed that with a tuck turn and showed a distinct landing position on that which is pretty rare, gymnasts tend to be rather bouncy landing those – front lay to front full, somewhat mushy.

Jackson – BB – her annual appearance on beam – fine full turn – leg-up check on loso series – tighter on switch side – good shape on straddle jump but checks, has to redo it into a loso – sticks great 1.5 to finish. Endured, but it’s not her event.

Aldermann – FX – solid landing on double pike, best position and control so far in the lineup – bouncy in leap landings but also hit her straddle 180s – 1.5 to lay – punch rudi with some ragged legs and a bounce.

Capps – BB – loso series, no trouble – I love the way she barely even needs that back leg, she barely plants it and is like “this is bonus” – aerial not to scale this time, small adjustment out of it as she decides not to go to scale – pretty leaps, obviously – sticks gainer full. I wonder if they’ll keep the scale for the postseason. Sometimes when she makes the decision not to go to scale mid-skill it looks like a hesitation check, or because everyone knows she usually goes to scale, when she doesn’t it reads as a mistake.

Joens – FX – double tuck, shortish with a lunge – double pike to follow, lunge back on this one – neither major lunges but lunges – strong 1.5 to layout, nailed that last pass

The exhibition from McKenzie “heartbreaker” Wofford on beam – high leaps – three series to loso, extended and comfortable – switch to Korbut, a little slow in connection but fine – gainer full, small slide. Pretty. YOU MONSTROUS TEASE. HOW DARE YOU.

Final: Oklahoma 198.175, TWU 192.975

Just another 198. Oklahoma’s 4th of the season.

Oklahoma moves to a program-record RQS of 197.990. The all-time record is 198.055.

Odds on whether Nichols would have had a 40 if she competed?