The national championship begins on Friday (FRIDAY), but since I’ll be traveling to the event soonish, this is probably the last post I’ll put up before the competition begins. So, here’s every piece of information you could ever possibly need for nationals.
As last year, all sessions will air on the ESPN family of networks, and the WatchESPN live streams will have a main feed and the dedicated individual event feeds. For television coverage of the second semifinal, after the first hour of competition on ESPNU (the first hour of three……), main coverage will pick up on ESPN, while ESPNU will continue with a four-event feed.
This is ESPN trying to save college gymnastics from itself and issuing a not-so-subtle message that maybe if the competition were two hours (or under), it would be more reasonable and possible to show it on real networks that people watch. The fact that even some of a national semifinal is going live on main ESPN on a Friday night (and live on ESPN2 during the day) is a step up from the years of tape delays and literally nothing, but it would have happened earlier if the competition weren’t so unwieldy. You think ESPN wants to give college gymnastics three hours on a Friday night? I barely want to give it three hours, and I’m me.
Now, let’s just hope Super Six doesn’t get preempted by bowling again… #backtoearth
SEMIFINAL 1 – Friday, April 14 – 1:00 ET/10:00 PT
Oklahoma
Utah
UCLA
Oregon State
Denver
Washington
PREVIEW
LIVE SCORES
LIVE STREAM (ESPN2)
ROTATION ORDER
SCORE SHEET, PROJECTED LINEUPS, REGIONAL SCORES
SEMIFINAL 2 – Friday, April 14 – 8:00 ET/5:00 PT
LSU
Florida
Alabama
Michigan
Georgia
Nebraska
PREVIEW
LIVE SCORES
LIVE STREAM (ESPNU/ESPN)
ROTATION ORDER
SCORE SHEET, PROJECTED LINEUPS, REGIONAL SCORES
SUPER SIX – Saturday, April 15 – 9:00 ET/6:00 PT
So for those of us without access to ESPNanything, is anyone live blogging? Are there stealth feeds we should know about? Or is it going to be a weekend of watching twitter and live scores?
Normally Lauren from thegymter.net live blogs NCAA, especially nationals and stuff. I’m guessing there isn’t going to be a live blog here cause, you know, you read the post.
I’ll be live blogging from the event.
Whoops, I guess I was wrong. Thank god tho, I end up missing half of the routines with all the streams I have going.
It should be on here – he’s been streaming as much gymnastics as he could all season: http://i4atv.us/
anyone know if this works in canada? i’m on vacay here…
So if the semifinals go according to plan for OU and LSU then in Super Six, OU will start with a bye before bars and end on vault, while LSU will start with a bye before floor and end on beam (both in the sixth rotation).
As for the other teams, too close to call…
Then if it goes to plan for everyone else, Utah (presumably) starts on vault and UCLA on floor, then Florida on beam and Michigan/Alabama (I really want Michigan) on bars.
Yeah trying to call UCLA vs Utah is tough though. They both can easily flip flop, especially since UCLA did not have a great showing against them last time out and during their dual meet they gave away a good amount on landings alone. So it really is as Spencer says “sticking” wins out.
(I could honestly see UCLA beating Utah by multiple tenths in the semi or not breaking 197 and the exact same for Utah as well!)
UCLA is the one team from “the pack” who could surprise everyone and go 198.300 to win it all (if their bars/beam gets the scores they usually do and they stick landings on floor/vault).
But, on the flip side if UCLA shows any weakness on bars and beam and their floor/vault rotations are 2017 normal they could also miss qualifying for Super Six.
They are the real wild card.
Exactly! I think UCLA still can qualify, though I’m worried about the snapchat (?) of them scrambling together 10.0 vaults.
I’d be extremely surprised to see any 10.0 SV vaults besides Pua and Kramer tomorrow. The DTY from Hano was one Snapchat over a week ago, and the Snapchats from both of their intrasquads last weekend showed her doing fulls. Maybe she’d throw it in the Super Six if the coaching staff feels like they’ve got nothing to lose because they don’t stand much of a chance at winning a title with only two 10.0 SV vaults anyway, but I’d be extremely surprised to see them do it in the semi-finals given that they don’t need more 10.0 SV vaults to qualify to the Super Six as long as they’re clean, and she’s been injured most of the season, so she hasn’t trained that vault much at all this season.
“I barely want to give it three hours, and I’m me.”
Yes.
Packing for the holiday weekend – going to need an extra bag for my Apple TV and every device I own.
Kari lee was in a boot in pictures of the team’s banquet last night. Anyone know what she injured this time?
It’s a high ankle sprain, the same injury that kept her to only competing bars at regionals. Definitely a hit to the Red Rocks since she was usually in the 9.8-9.9 range on all 4 events and they are already down two gymnasts. Although, McNatt scored a 9.9 at Regionals replacing Lee so maybe some other gymnasts will step up.
http://www.sltrib.com/home/5171242-155/utah-gymnastics-kari-lee-looks-doubtful
Went to practice today. From what I saw Kari is in the bars lineup only and Shannon will anchor beam. Overall Utah looked good – calm, not rattled, ready.
Good to hear! Thanks for the on-the-ground update.
Shannon McNatt
Who’s Shannon?
The Facebook live video of UCLA’s St. Louis floor routine Thursday 4/13 run-throughs appeared to exclude Ohashi who just stood on the sidelines. She did have workout shorts/top on, so maybe she ran through her beam routine earlier? Her right ankle was heavily taped, and it was reported that she rolled an ankle at practice last week. Ohashi may not be dancing up her usual storm on the sidelines during this meet.
The UCLA floor run-thru video showed these eleven routines in order: Kocian, Meraz, Toronjo, Cipra, Ross, Mossett, Preston, Hano, Kramer, Hall, Gerber. I don’t recall seeing floor run-throughs by Honest, Savvidou, Sanchez, (nor Ohashi) but I may have missed them or the video may have just excluded them.
If Ohashi is out of floor, which 6 would you choose for UCLA floor at Friday’s semi-finals? I think Kocian, Toronjo, Cipra, Mossett are likely in, but I’m not sure of the other two–maybe Preston and Hall? Or does the order of Thursday’s rehearsal suggest Meraz and Ross?
I think you’re right about the four most likely in (Kocian, Toronjo, Cipra, and Mossett), and in my opinion they should go with Meraz (she’s just so consistent) and Hall. But it’s incredible the depth they have, the options are nearly endless!
I’d probably go with Preston over Hall. Though Preston did fall at regionals, her other 3 routines this year have been solid hits. Hall has had 2 falls, and 2 of the 4 routines in which she didn’t fall have been below 9.8. I love her routine and her tumbling, but she seems like kind of a liability.
I don’t know if they did run throughs or just played the music but I heard Janay Honest and Ohashi’s music on the Oklahoma snapchat!
UCLA’s Katelyn Ohashi may have a sore ankle, but she is still jumpin’ for photos!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BS136ubg0l6/
I love the UCLA program, I love Miss Val, I love how this squad is constant energy. That being said, I feel like there is lack of the kind of ‘killer instinct’ that fights for sticks and wins titles. A little focus and we could all be Okla-WHO?
OTOH, I kinda want OK (so Bren and Mags get their titles) and LSU (no more ‘Is this there year?!’) to tie this year and then we can all move on to some Gators-vs-Bruins epicness for a while, lolz
Love to see Peng Peng change that dismount. A shame about her series.
I’m nervous for UCLA with Ohashi coming up. I hope we see her hit to her best. Took out the lo two feet so that should help.
Yes! Change that series permenantly, please! Do what you can hit consistently.