Well this should be something. Today, UCLA hosts Washington, and before the season started this wouldn’t have been circled on the calendar as anything other than an obvious rout, but with UCLA coming off a barstastrophe of a 195.4 away meet, while Washington put up a “we’re good again” 197.2 at home against Utah…suddenly we’ve got ourselves a gymnastics or two.

In the in-progress rankings, Washington currently sits in 33rd (keeping in mind that Cal, Oregon St, and Arkansas don’t have NQSs yet so 33rd is basically 36th) but with a chance to go as high as 18th in Monday’s rankings with another big score. This meet presents an opportunity to drop a 194.450, and if that’s dropped with fervor, Washington could get to a pretty safe spot after today. UCLA is currently 24th, maintaining a lead over Georgia by .050, but could go as high as 15th in Monday’s rankings if this is a good one.

Today for UCLA, Steele returns on bars (and not a moment too soon), while Chiles, Campbell, and Malabuyo will be in the AA.

Jim is telling Janay to be worried about palm weevils, so that’s where we are.

Rotation 1

UCLA VT 1 – Flatley – medium bounce back on her yfull, usual clean shape. 9.800 with a 9.850/9.750 split.

Washington UB 1 – Moody – toe on to maloney to pak, some leg break on pak – can’t get over on her attempted cast half and collapses to the side, banging her leg on the cables, which is an ouchie. We can see she’s bleeding on the leg.

So this will be the situation where they could give her a two-minute injury evaluation period, but they’re going to take her to the back to look at that.

UCLA VT 2 – Malabuyo – good control on her yfull landing, looking like just minor movement – not the most distance, chest a little forward. 9.825

Now we have a delay before the 2nd bars for Washington. Not really sure what we’re about here. Ah, judges trying to figure out what you’re supposed to do with a short routine. It’s not a zero because she did Maloney to Pak. 8.300

Washington UB 2 – Russon – blind to jaeger good height and toes, connected to overshoot – slow final cast hs but gets to vertical – giant full to double tuck, looked like her legs turned slightly to jelly on landing, a couple ginger steps back. 9.650

UCLA VT 3 – Wright – Yfull still for her – good amplitude, chest up, small hop back, some knees. 9.800

Washington UB 3 – Brooks – shap to clear hip to bail, pretty solid bail position, legs on the shap – shortish final cast – giant full, gets crooked there and finishes late – double tuck, good control on landing. 9.775

UCLA VT 4 – Moors – handspring pike 1/2 – chest well down, pulls it out, bounce back. 9.725. Got her for chest position and lack of distance.

Washington UB 4 – SKW – hop grip change, small pause into piked jaeger to overshoot, very clean combination – short final cast hs – blind to front giant 1/2, good finish position, to double tuck, stuck. Strong work. 9.850

UCLA VT 5 – Chiles – Tsuk 1/1 – solid, small hop back, good layout position. 9.900

Washington UB 5 – Thompson – blind to jaeger, high, a bit of elbows on catch – bail, hit – solid final cast hs on high – DLO, takes it somewhat close, small hop in place. Oh on replay is was rillll close. 9.725

UCLA VT 6 – Campbell – excellent yfull, great height and finds the landing today. 9.925, one judge goes perfect. She moved eeeeever so slightly but not really enough to consider it not a stick. Some direction, so there were possible things to take. But strong work.

Washington UB 6 – Bowles – giant full to deltchev, way too far and falls – so it’s not going to be a 197 for Washington…finishes with her DLO, short landing, lunge. 8.725

Well I said it wasn’t going to be boring. Washington caught the barstastrophe this week and will have to count a fall as well as a 9.6 and a couple 9.7s.

UCLA goes 49.250 on vault, which is fine, thanks to the excellence of the last two gymnasts. Some fine fulls to start out, but they were just fine fulls, which is not going to get the big numbers. Scoring has seemed reasonable so far. I haven’t had any medical problems about it.

After 1: UCLA 49.250, Washington 47.725

Jim tries to make BUT THE BARS DELAY happen, and Jen is like, “no.”

The big trouble for Washington now is that they have a 194.450 road score and a 195.100 road score and this is the second-to-last road meet. So it’s still going to be possible to pull this one over 195.1, but it’s going to need to count, and bars was a 47.

Rotation 2

Washington VT 1 – Blum – gets solid height on her yfull but ends up coming in shorter, chest forward, hop. 9.700

UCLA UB 1 – Campbell – good first hs – maloney to bail, legs together on bail – blind to double front, pretty large bound forward. 9.825

Washington VT 2 – Brooks – y1/2 – solid landing, small slide back – probably an amplitude deduction, but good. 9.750

UCLA UB 2 – Steele – good first hs – maloney to pak, very small leg break on maloney – short cast 1/2 on low bar – a bit short on final cast – DLO, has to pike it in both saltos to get it around but does, hop. 9.675

Washington VT 3 – Navarro – Y1.5 – hit, medium hop forward, a bit of knees, should be a useful score. 9.825

UCLA UB 3 – Malabuyo – good first hs – maloney to pak, good height, only small leg breaks – keeps her cast 1/2 on low bar vertical – strong final cast hs – DLO, small hop in place. Pretty. 9.875

Washington VT 4 – SKW – very solid yfull, small movement – has the distance, smallest pike position. 9.825

UCLA UB 4 – Padurariu – good first hs – toe on to maloney to bail, keeps solid leg form – short cast hs on high – giant full to double tuck, low landing with a hop forward. 9.850

Washington VT 5 – Thompson – excellent amplitude as always on her yfull – some legs apart, holds the landing, not the most distance. 9.825. They’re not soaring for Washington here. Normal human scoring. Thompson went up high but was really close to the table.

UCLA UB 5 – Chiles – piked tkatchev to pak, takes pak too close and has to improvise a hip circle with a big muscle out – shap to gienger is nice – hits final cast hs – FTDT, stuck. Major deduction on the pak there. The rest was probably going to be a 10. 9.750

Washington VT 6 – Cunningham – very nice yfull again – has the distance and shows an open position. 9.900. Campbell probably scared off a 9.950 for her because Campbell goes bigger.

UCLA UB 6 – Flatley – good first hs – higgins to jaeger, lovely and high, a bit of elbows on catch – toe on to bail, perfect bail position – nice cast hs on high – DLO, bounce back. 9.875

Washington goes 49.125 on vault, with the back half of the lineup doing about as well as they can do.

UCLA at 49.175 on bars, which is an improvement, but the large error from Chiles had to count. Still not the score they’re looking for, but an improvement. Malabuyo was the highlight for me, would have been fine with that going into the 9.9s.

After 2: UCLA 98.425, Washington 96.850

UCLA on high 196 pace so far, which is not really what they need to make up for that 196.3 road score that already has to count, so that means they can’t afford an iffy beam in the next rotation.

Rotation 3

UCLA BB 1 – Padurariu – hits candle mount – side aerial to bhs is secure, a whiff og knees but good – sissone to full turn, small check – beat to sheep jump, excellent position – side aerial to full, little rebound in place. Nice. 9.875

Americans: “Wow, she’s fluent in English and French!”

Canadians: “……..yes”

Washington FX 1 – SKW – front 2/1, a little deep int he knees, but landed, step, keeps it in bounds – switch to switch ring 1/2, shows the back leg closure – 1.5 to front layout went off line so her step forward took her OOB, and then another step after that. 9.675

UCLA BB 2 – Moors – switch to split, small hesitation on switch landing, keeps it moving – aerial to fhs, hit this week, secure – side aerial, wobble walking out of it – throwing her necklace off choreography because you can’t BUY her with your cheap jewels! – fhs rudi dismount, bounce back. 9.750

Washington FX 2 – Navarro – double tuck, chest up, bounce back – switch side to popa, shows the height – 1.5 to layout, a little low but secure – double pike, solid, chest down. 9.800

UCLA BB 3 – Chiles – side aerial, excellent amplitude – beat jump to immediate loso is nice, controlled – switch to straddle jump, high – aerial to bhs combination this week, arm wave correction – more new composition for her – all the changing of composition left this one with a moment where she just kind of had to back up for a second – double pike dismount, bounce back. Good work. 9.775

Washington FX 3 – Blum – front tuck through to double tuck, bounce back, stays in bounds – switch 1/2 to popa to popa, short of split position on the switch 1/2 – double pike, chest forward and a little adjustment. 9.675

UCLA BB 4 – Campbell – bhs loso, a little slow but fine, wobble back and forth – switch to switch 1/2 to beat, shows connection – split jump to straddle 1/4, good height – gainer full, holds the stick. 9.825

Washington FX 4 – Thompson – whip through to double tuck, chest up but pretty large bounce back – straddle jump to front tuck – switch to split leap 1.5, didn’t quite get the 1.5 all the way around – double pike, chest forward, step. 9.750

UCLA BB 5 – Malabuyo – wolf single – bhs loso series, pretty extension, lean correction – aerial to beat, strong work – split jump to split ring jump is nicely done – bhs loso layout full, stuck. Very good one. 9.900

Washington FX 5 – Cunningham – front tuck through to double tuck, secure landing, chest slightly forward – switch 1/2 to wolf full to wolf full, well done – double pike, controlled step. 9.850

UCLA BB 6 – Flatley – aerial to bhs loso combination, check – L turn, pretty large break, arm wave and leg up – switch to split, good extension – bhs 1.5 dismount, slide back. 9.775

Washington FX 6 – Weiss – ro double pike, chest down, small step forward – 1.5 to layout, has to soften the layout around – split leap full to split jump full, short of split – double tuck, step back. 9.725

UCLA kind of checky but kind of fine on beam for 49.150 there, which will continue to mean the team is on a 196 pace and will rely on some good home floor scores to get this thing to the 197 they really need.

It’s 48.800 on floor for Washington, which means it will take a big beam score now just to get over that 195.100 score. Should still be able to drop the 194.450 given a hit beam, but the hope would have been much more than simply dropping that 194.

After 3: UCLA 147.575, Washington 145.650

Rotation 4

Washington BB 1 – Brooks – kickover to bhs, connected, some knees on bhs – switch to split jump, comfortable – full turn, slightly tentative – aerial to beat jump, hit – stag to gainer full , leans to hold the stick. 9.775

UCLA FX 1 – Wright – 2.5, slide forward out of it – front full to lay 1/2, little bounce up but shows control in her step – split leap full to popa is around – 1.5 to front tuck, gets low but pulls a tuck out, slide forward, would have needed the layout for SV.

Washington BB 2 – Thomas – kickover, small check, works to connect into bhs, wobble, leg up, saves it – switch to straddle 1/4 is smooth – ro 1.5 dismount, hop forward. 9.675

Long delay for Moors. Judges presumably resolving SV on Wright. We see one judge with a 9.700 for a 9.9 SV. That judge originally had 10.0 SV, so revised the total down to 9.675

UCLA FX 2 – Moors – front 2/1 to front tuck, pulls it out, little hop up – lovely loso side pass – switch ring to switch 1/2 to wolf full, shows positions, clearly around – rudi, bounce back. Good. 9.900

Washington BB 3 – Bowles – check on choreography at the top – side aerial, pause before side aerial so risking that acro series, lean at the hips – split jump, wolf jump full, check – hitch to gainer front full, stuck. Now we wait to see what they do with all her composition requirements. 9.650

UCLA FX 3 – Tratz – double pike, pulled around, chest down, controlled – split leap full to jump full, shows positions – 1.5 to front lay, good height – double tuck, also solid. Useful. 9.925

Washington BB 4 – Navarro – bhs bhs loso series, leg-up check – beat to switch side, a little tight there but secure – full turn with a large break, bend at the hips – 2/1 dismount, hop back. 9.625

UCLA FX 4 – Malabuyo – DLO, chest up, small bounce back – 1.5 to front lay, dances out – switch rign to switch 1/2, lovely closure on the switch ring – double pike is short, lunge forward. 9.775

Washington BB 5 – Davis – bhs bhs loso, hit, just some knees, secure – beat to straddle 3/4 with a large break, 58 backstrokes but brings it back – aerial, nice – full turn, check – 1.5 is nicely stuck. 9.650

UCLA FX 5 – Chiles – DLO is perfect, very satisfying – front tuck through to double tuck, controls her step back – split leap full to wolf jump 1.5, gets it around too – double pike, slide back. Wasn’t much before that slide. But UCLA is getting the scores needed to get this to 197. 9.950 for her.

Washington BB 6 – SKW – aerial, slow into bhs loso but keeps moving, secure – kickover to beat is solid – switch to split, shows positions – side aerial to 1.5, stuck.

Ending it with a good one, but this will be a drop score for Washington and will mean they have to count a 195.100 road score this season, which is going to keep them vulnerable.

UCLA FX 6 – Campbell – full in, chest up, well done – split leap full to popa, smoothly around – front lay to front full, slide forward – double tuck, very good, controlled landing.

Oh. They went 10. I didn’t have 10 because of landing control on the 2nd pass. The rest was excellent.

FINAL: UCLA 197.125, Washington 194.300

So that’s the #2 score of the season for UCLA, which they’ll take for a meet that was mostly just OK until the very end. Brings their NQS to 196.430, which currently sits 14th but with Cal and Arizona State still to come.

Elite? Wha? Who’s she? I barely know. Switching gears today for a live blog of the senior women’s session at Winter Cup, where the likes of Konnor McClain, Skye Blakely, Katelyn Jong, and insert name will compete for the first time in the new triennium and the first time under the new code. Goodbye candle mounts, multiple wolf turns, split leaps, and 1/2 jumps from side position, we hardly miss ye.

At stake will be…teams for that team competition in Stuttgart next month, with the top 3 AA today automatically getting spots on the squad. Hopefully we see a random new-era gymnast emerge who we’ve never heard of before who crushes all expectations and a couple skulls. The top scorer—by a lot—among those who’ve had to compete at the elite qualifiers is Ashlee Sullivan of WOGA.

First rotation start list: 

Meanwhile, my NBC affiliate is currently showing Nightly News with Lester Holt Kids Edition. That’s a thing? Because nothing says HEY KIDS like the words “nightly news with Lester Holt.” You know there are CARTOONS that exist, right? And you could be watching those instead? Watch those instead. They’re great.

Update on how the men exist, Guimaraes winning the title. We did not in fact get an update on the stupid bonus system, which is the only update I wanted. Everyone’s score was like 16.678 for no reason and it was amazing. NBC Lady had to say some SOCCER words and it was an adventure. Felt very comfortable with the terminology. Very.

It’s the Konnor McClain Winter Cup!

Rotation 1

Sullivan – FX – DLO 1/1, solid, small rebound – DLO, somewhat deep, lunge back – L hop full to switch 1/2, slightly awkward stepping in between the two – attempted double L turn maybe not around for credit but close – front tuck through to double tuck, bounce – split leap full, solid – double pike, stumble back, a couple steps. Should score well, good tumbling difficulty. Donatella will give it an X. 12.850. 7.450 E score.

Nastia: “My mom didn’t coach me. She was my first coach.” Good.

Blakely – FX – DLO, chest up, bounce back – switch ring to split leap full, nice switch ring, split full OK – full in, chest down and a bounce back – wolf 2.25 turn – front 2/1 to front tuck, comfortable, little hop, some legs – switch full, got it around – double tuck, hop back.

Tim just called WOGA WOGO.

Expect a higher execution score than Sullivan for body position and dance elements and the like.

13.250 for Blakely. 7.850 E.

Alipio – FX – just a double tuck first pass, step – L turn 2.5ish, good horiztontal position – switch ring to switch 1/2, nice toe point – y spin double, also around for credit – back 1.5 to front full – wolf turn double, also fine – double pike is rough, very short, hand down. Composition wise there’s not a lot of tumbling going on, which is not necessarily a bad idea. That’s the lesson learned from the Olympics. Do less. But she struggled to complete that full routine. February.

3 routines and a commercial! Fun! No notes!

11.850 for Alipio with a fall. 6.850 E score. So worth noting that with a hit she would have outscored Sullivan, who did DLO 1/1 and DLO, while Alipio did double tuck and double pike.

Tim and Nastia with their annual complaining about the code. I mean I wouldn’t say they really made it HARDER this time. Just changes. Not necessarily more difficulty, just different. And if you want to get an 8 E score on floor, try doing a single artistry.

“Waiting for head judge to finalize score. Just crazy.” But…why?

When I (ME) think you’re complaining too much, it’s a problem.

Frazier – BB – aerial to split to straddle, solid – front tuck, very secure – split ring jump, fairly OK back leg, not a lot of closure but good split – wait wait she’s doing the side jump 1/2? – bhs layout, larger check, some pike throughout – switch ring – double pike is excellent.

There’s disagreement about this on twitter, but I don’t think she’s getting side jump 1/2 credit with the new technique since she doesn’t complete the 1/2 turn before initiating the split, which is what they want. Watching it back she definitely is attempting to do it differently but I think they’re going to be extra harsh on that. We shall see. And that layout is very much risking downgrade. Basically everything that’s risky is in this routine.

And they give her 5.5/8.200.

McClain – FX – DLO 1/1, some pike, litlte hop forward – good switch 1/2 – DLO, chest forward, again little hop – switch ring to split leap full, a little under on split full – wolf double, clearly around – 1.5 to front full, solid, little hop – only a back layout final pass. Nice start, not a full routine yet.

13.150 with a 5.2 D score. Highest E on floor so far.

Morgan – BB – wolf triple, pulls it around – side somi, secure – another split jump 1/2 from side position whyyyyyyyyyyyy – bhs loso, small check, knees – split leap to aerial, again the split leap has been downgraded to an A so that combination no longer gets bonus – side aerial, secure – switch to switch 1/2, short, large leg up check – bhs to just a layout dismount.

Lots of things in that one for no credit. Which, if you’re just like, “I’m competing at Winter Cup and then I’m going to do L10 and college” is fine because those are still valuable there. But if you’re trying to compete as an elite, why?

Oooh six whole routines in the first rotation. Camryn Richardson leads because she did vault and a DTY.

NBC using any opportunity to show that picture of Suni with Charles Barkley, which is correct. LOLLL a montage of all the gymnasts getting a 10 culminating Simone getting engaged. Because the true victory for any female athlete is snaring a man.

Rotation 2

Blakely – VT – solid DTY, step back, should get a good number – she had a little angle and bent elbows on block but I didn’t think it was as big a deal as Tim and Nastia do. 13.800

Alipio – VT – Y1.5 with a deep landing and a large crossover step to the side – pretty form in the beginning but didn’t fully get it around. 13.200

Two vaults and another commercial!

“They lowered all the vault scores!” needs to be contextualized with the information that vault was scoring way too high compared to the other events and this was an attempt to bring scores more into line with the other events.

McClain – VT – excellent height on her DTY, good layout position, bounce back

Frazier – FX – split jump full, hit – double double tucked, chest down, step forward – DLO, bounce back – switch ring to split ring 1/2, very low front leg so risking some credit there – wolf turn, a little out of control but pulls it around – front full through to double tuck, lunge forward – switch 1/2 is nice – solid work overall. Best floor of the bunch so far. 13.500 with a 7.800 E score.

Sullivan – VT – DTY is brought around pretty well, hop back

German – UB – inbar to inbar full, pretty late – inbar shap to tkatchev, through it – piked ricna, close catch – pak, hit – stalder shap – blind to front giant 1/2 to DLO, bounce back.

Mueller – BB – front tuck mount, pretty good, small hop – wolf double, solid – punch front and falls – split jump to straddle – side aerial to loso, another fairly large break but saved it – switch leap, breaks connecting into switch 1/2 but among the more realistic switch 1/2s in there – double tuck, hop. Potential.

One thing I like is that the scores stopped updating.

McClain takes the lead after 2, followed by Frazier and Blakely. So no surprises there. Jong is 4th, whom we have not seen.

Rotation 3

Little – VT – hits a yfull. We haven’t seen her return to that time when she was like 18 months and doing a DTY. A solid college 9.800

Nastia’s like, most athletes don’t pay attention to the scores but I knew EXACTLY how many tenths I had over Shawn.

Frazier – VT – big amplitude of her DTY, overdoes it and a large bounce back, but fairly solid layout position, a little bit of soft knees and leg crossing. 13.750

Barros – BB – wolf turn, solid – lone back tuck – side aerial to loso, secure landing – switch, check, no connection – switch 1/2, short – aerial, small hesitation before split and straddle – bhs bhs double pike, takes is pretttty close to the beam, step forward. 13.100

Nastia, which gymnastics have stood out to you? Um, the three we’ve seen.

McClain – UB – weiler 1/2, solid hs and lovely toe point -stalder shap to attempted clear hip full, does an accidental clear hip 1.5 with a large leg break, corrects, adds 1/2 turn to go the right way – Church to pak is huge – van leeuwen, small leg break – just a double pike dismount, step back. A mistake and a low D dismount but some very good moments as well. Signs of bars progress. 12.450

Sullivan – UB – toe full to maloney to pak, a little low but hit – van leeuwen with some crazy legs – tkatchev, close but hit – front giant 1/2 – DLO dismount, clean position, step. 12.600

Blakely – UB – toe 1/2 to piked jaeger, solid – Ricna to pak, small leg break on Pak – van leeuwen, legs – solid hs work – toe full, late into double tuck, small step. Things of course and another easier dismount but probably the most composed bars we’ve seen.

Fatta – FX – 2.5 through to double tuck, bounce back – double pike, chest down but mostly controlled – gets caught up in her wolf turn attempt, hits her foot and doesn’t get around anything – switch to split leap 1.5, not quite around on the 1.5 – split jump full – front tuck through to 2/1, jarred stagger back, kept it in bounds. That wolf turn was a win for comedy though.

Who’s winning? WHO KNOWS? WHO CARES?

Apparently Frazier is winning, followed by Blakely, then McClain, then Jong. Good to know!

Another conversation about who has stood out. It’s the gymnasts who are winning and we’ve seen.

Rotation 4

Jong – BB – she exists as a person???? – wolf double, a little tight but around – back tuck full, hit, bounce back, keeps it on the beam – front tuck, pretty solid, little lean – standing loso to back pike-ish – switch to pike jump, great attention to completion of pike jump position – double pike, pulled around, lunge back. 13.050

Frazier – UB – Nabieva was hit but attempted to connect into a Pak that went fully crazy, into a sheep position and way over the bar, couldn’t grab the bar – fall looked painful but she’s back up – toe full is good into maloney to tkatchev, solid – front toe 1/2 – DLO, small hop. Bars has always been the challenge for her. Actually some better executed moments at the end after that BIZARRE fall.

12.200 will still put her ahead of Jong.

McClain – BB – pause before standing back tuck full, excellent – bhs bhs layout, good lift, keeps hips pretty well open – switch to switch 1/2, solid – aerial to split jump to straddle jump, should get combination there – side aerial, little lean – switch ring, hit, some back leg position risk – bhs bhs double pike, hop back. Overall, the strongest routine of the day. That we’ve seen.

Nastia wants it to score over 9 in execution. And I want to never have to talk to anyone again. We don’t get what we want.

14.600 for McClain. Excellent.

Sullivan – BB – candle mount, which is now a C instead of a D, so you can still do it, it’s just not so valuable – “we see a lot of gymnasts do it but unique mount”…? – arabian, very solid bhs loso loso, hits it, lean to the side, some knees – aerail to straddle to split, comfortable – onodi, I mean she is a WOGA gymnast after all – lone switch – bhs bhs double pike, takes her a little off line, hop back

13.500 for her.

Blakely – BB – shoulder roll mounting – wolf triple is very solid – bakc tuck full, hit but a leg up wobble, leg up to horizontal – front hs to front tuck, saved it, large lean over, good save because one foot was off on the fhs – switch, pauses before switch 1/2, short back leg, into back tuck – aerial to split to straddle is hit – side aerial, arm wave wobble – double tuck dismount is hit, step to the side.

She needed over 14 to pass McClain, which won’t happen there.

“Good day for WOGA!” Nastia in the family commercial.

13.500 for Blakely.

I have no idea what Tim is talking about referring to bringing back originality in WAG.

Alipio – BB – loso mount, good form, leg up wobble – side aerial to loso loso, pulls it out, some low position – aerial to split jump, another wobble – wolf double, can’t get it around, got really slow in the second turn and falls – switch to switch 1/2, shy on switch 1/2 position, check, can the FIG’s next beam obsession be making less switch 1/2s? – side somi, secure – gainer tuck full, hop.

I hear END OF MEET music. So we’ll wait and see what the scores were!

But at least they tried to get Konnor 2024 started.

McClain’s beam the absolute highlight of this competition. Despite not having her full composition ready on every event, she was the standout performer today. Frazier had three solid events (my problems with the beam composition notwithstanding, she hit it well). Among the newer ones, Sullivan, Matthews, and Jong had the best days. We saw none of Matthews, but that’s a big result for her.

So it will be McClain, Blakely, and Frazier in the top 3, automatically making the team for Stuttgart. If you were trying to maximize team score, you’d add some bars to that group, but they may also just end up taking the next AAers.

It’s a packed day, even by typical Friday standards, with the headliner of course being the Florida/Oklahoma meet that also serves as Florida’s senior night. So…posts, everyone.

Schedule and links

Since Oklahoma still has a low road score to get rid of, the Sooners don’t have to do all that much to ensure staying ahead of Florida in the rankings this week, and then based on what the score happens to be, we’ll see if there’s a chance to catch Michigan. Florida has to wait another week in purgatory before getting rid of its low road score. (2022 NQS Tracker) The last time these two met in a regular season meet was 2019 in Oklahoma, when both went over 198 (obviously). That was the meet when Oklahoma hit its program records on bars and floor, both of which still stand.

Before that, the day gets started with another score-significant meet as Iowa visits Minnesota. Minnesota has started to drop following consecutive meets of beam catastrophes and needs to right things pretty durn soon with a normal hit since Cal, Kentucky, and Missouri are all positioning themselves to pass. Iowa is currently ranked well, but the preponderance of lower 196s could create some vulnerability when teams with higher peaks start dropping their bad ones, so Iowa will at least be looking to go over 196.5 here to fend that off.

Meanwhile, the Nastia Cup began sometime in 2002 and just ended now.

Iowa is planning to have Adeline Kenlin back on beam in this one, which is a big help after she returned on bars last week. Still no Quarles for Minnesota.

How the Big Ten decides the day and night sessions at the Big Ten Champs never ceases to be the weirdest. Hi, Minnesota is 2nd, not like 6th or whatever. No one cares about conference records.

Rotation 1

MN VT 1 – Jencks – lands short on her yfull, chest down and a stagger forward. 9.725

Iowa UB 1 – Henderson – toe on to maloney, some legs into bail, short vertical position – solid final cast hs position – FTDT, open position, hop back. 9.650. Fair but we see meets where that goes 9.8

MN VT 2 – Gerdes – solid hit on yfull, medium bounce back, chest up, good direction, little leg crossing. 9.875.

Iowa UB 2 – Rogers – short first hs – toe on to maloney to pak, catches too close on pak and has to stop, doesn’t fall but throws in an empty swing and muscled cast – DLO, chest down, hop. 9.525

MN VT 3 – Hooten – excellent stick on her Y1.5 – great form, just a little bit of direction and some control movement to hold the stick.

Goes 9.975 for that. I had a couple almost-deductions so wouldn’t have it at 10.

Iowa UB 3 – Greenwald – hit first hs – Ray, good amplitude – solid hs – toe on to pak, smooth – 1/2 turn on low, slight hesitation – DLO, stuck. Very nice. 9.825. Again, we see meets where that’s 9.9.

MN VT 4 – Ramler – hop forward on her y1.5, good amplitude, bit of knees. 9.875

Iowa Ub 4 – McSweeny – blind to piked jaeger, some elbows on catch – short cast hs – bail, misses vertical – closer final cast hs – blind to front giant 1/2 to double tuck, hop back. 9.700

MN VT 5 – Loper – a bit stiff on her landing but fine with her Y1.5, bounce forward. 9.875

Iowa UB 5 – Steffensmeier – good first hs – blind to piked jaeger, good form – pak, legs together throughout – 1/2 turn on low somewhat rushed – best casts so far – giant full, a bit late, into double tuck, slide back. 9.850

MN VT 6 – Grotenhuis – Yfull is around, chest down, hop forward. 9.800

Iowa UB 6 – Kenlin – toe on, good hs – maloney to pak, just a bit of legs – “missed four matches” MATCHES? – giant full, holds it right at vertical but a loose back hesitation, connects to double tuck, hop forward, cowboy. Through it. 9.750

Koch vaults tucked 1.5 in exhibition, short landing with a lunge to the side and off the mat. Zuhlke falls in bars exhibition for Iowa.

So Minnesota ends up on 49.400, which they’ll be pleased with since only Hooten (and Gerdes) hit to potential there. Iowa is stuck on 48.800 on bars, which is an escape score but not ideal after a ragged rotation with lots of trouble on vertical positions. A lot of them have the toe point but not the vertical, and NCAA gymnastics would rather you hit vertical with a sledgehammer foot than the other way around.

Rotation 2

Alabama Missouri also about to start. Missouri is getting Hu back on bars today.

Iowa VT 1 – Greenwald – hits yfull, medium bounce back, some knees. 9.775

MN UB 1 – Remlinger – Ray, hit, just a tad close – toe on to bail, some hip angle – solid final cast hs – FTDT, holds the landing. 9.875

Iowa VT 2 – Zuhlke – her hs on, Tsuk tuck full, hits it, not the most distance, holds landing, chest down, staggered feet.

MN UB 2 – Hooten – piked jaeger to overshoot, legs together, some pike in overshoot – good final cast hs – FTDT, hop back. 9.875

Alabama opened with a 9.850 DTY from Olsen, now Quinn hits her y1.5, hop forward and then a little shuffle to try to gain control. Knees. But still gets 9.900. So this will be fun.

Zuhlke judging delay. Judges, like, aren’t you ready for this vault at this point? It’s not news. 9.775. Judges split was 9.850 and 9.700.

Iowa VT – 3- Laplante – nice delay on her twist on her yfull but a large bounce back. 9.725

MN UB 3 – Willmarth – closer catch on her Ray, elbows – bail, small arch but ends up holding a nice vertical – finishes giant full to double tuck, stuck to save it. 9.900, I didn’t think that was as strong as the last two.

Iowa – VT 4 – Guerin – great amplitude on yfull but another pretty large bounce – covers it as much as possible. 9.850

MN UB 4 – Loper – good first hs – maloney to pak, great form – 1/2 turn, shows vertical – giant full a bit late into double tuck, small bounce. Great until the dismount combo. 9.925, so basically gets her normal score anyway.

Sheremeta sticks her rudi dismount on bars for Missouri after two 9.725s in the first two spots.

Iowa VT 5 – Killian – does well to hold the stick on her yfull, a lean forward with her chest and some pike in the air, no movement. 9.900

Luisa Blanco with a good Y1.5 for Alabama, small hop in place. 9.925

MN UB 5 – Sales – very clean bail position – good hs on high – blind to khorkina, hit – gets up to handstand after it – DLO, small slide back. Very nice. I’d say should go up from Loper, but is there any room for that? 9.900. Ok fine.

Iowa VT 6 – Henderson – hits her yfull with a hop back, everything else excellent

MN UB 6 – Ramler – good first hs – maloney to pak, legs actually together throughout – can leeuwen, strong – hits cast hs on high – toe on to FTDT, larger bounce back for her on her dismount this week.

She goes 9.950, which is what she always gets when she sticks, so would have been a sure 10 without the hop on dismount. I had a tenth overall for the dismount.

Graber finishes it out for Alabama on vault with her Y1.5 – wanted that stick but was deep this time, shows a squat and a slide back. 9.850

Celestine got a third 9.725 for Missouri on bars.

Hu – UB – Missouri – good first hs – Church to pak, some leg break on pak – good 1/2 turn on low bar – a bit short on final cast hs – giant full, late, into double tuck, lunge forward. A progress point. The beginning was excellent.

So, Minnesota got to 49.550 on bars with four 9.9+s in that rotation. Seems like things are going fine. A quarter tenth short of the program bars record. Odd ranking and range of scores there. Sales and Hooten basically had the best ones.

Iowa 49.200 on vault to get them back to 196 pace, which is significant but must be built on.

Alabama 49.400 on vault to Missouri 48.925 on bars, so Missouri won’t be pleased with that number.

Missouri got an upgrade on bars, Patrick and Marshall both go from 9.725 to 9.775, so now it’s a 49.025. The SEC was like WE CANNOT HAVE A 48 IN THIS HOUSEHOLD.

Alabama has Adams leading off on bars today, which is an idea I don’t hate, but she fell again.

Rotation 3

MN BB 1 – Koch – bhs loso series is hit, knees on both elements – beat to split jump 3/4, should be a split position deduction – kickover to scale, moves through it – 1.5, stuck. 9.850

Iowa FX 1 – Killian – 3/1, around, a bit staggered – front full to front pike, controls step, some knees – switch side to popa looks fine – double tuck, secure landing. 9.825

MN BB 2 – Gerdes – aerial, pretty solid extension – bhs loso, looked on but checked moving out of it with a hinge at the hips – full turn, check – split to stag ring, strong – side aerial to full, hit, chest forward. 9.800

Iowa FX 2 – Rojas – double tuck, large bounce back – switch to split 1.5, a little under but will probably get it – double pike, chest down, lunge forward. 9.500.

Schreiber tried to sell tha landing on her Yfull on vault for Missouri but ends up with a swim and a step back

MN BB 3 – Loper – bhs loso is pretty – kickover, small adjustment – switch to straddle 1/4, good straddle position – 1.5, basically kind of sells the stick. Clean. 9.900

Iowa FX 3 – Greenwald – full in, keeps her front foot down well – 2.5 to front tuck is also under control. 9.875

Moore anchors vault for Missouri with her huge Y1.5 – did she hold the stick long enough? Strong work. 9.925

MN BB 4 – Sales – bhs bhs loso, secure – a little tentative, chest down, but hit solidly – beat to stag ring, could show more closure in ring, again secure – switch side, hit – gainer pike, stuck. 9.875

Iowa FX 4 – Kaji – 1.5 through to 2/1, short landing with a stagger – double pike, looks like she held the foot position – switch 1/2 to split leap full, a bit short on split full position – 9.750

Missouri went 49.225 on vault to Alabama’s 49.300 on bars.

MN BB 5 – Nylin – very slightly overturns full turn – bhs bhs loso, secure – hitch kick to switch side, slanted position, short back leg – 1.5 dismount, step forward. 9.775.

Again, don’t you feel like the ranking in this rotation is…weird?

Iowa FX 6 – Guerin – strong amplitude on full in – switch side to popa to staddle jump, perfect – front tuck through to double tuck, chest up, secure step. Good. 9.925

MN BB 6 – Ramler – bhs loso series, solid – aerial to beat jump, comfortably connected – beat to split ring jump, excellent position as always – side aerial to full, stuck. Great.

This guy has called the meet a match and a game so far today.

It’s 10.000 for Ramler.

Iowa FX 6 – Henderson – full in, good, like Guerin a little rebound but shows control int he front foot – switch side to popa to straddle jump, also perfect – front tuck through to double tuck, chest down with a shuffle forward

Minnesota with a 10 for Ramler and through a hit beam rotation for 49.425.

Olsen sticks her double pike beam dismount in the second spot for Alabama.

Iowa went 49.275 on floor to keep the race for 196.5+ alive given a solid beam rotation.

Graber with a solid hit in the third beam spot for Alabama, just a small check on her lay pike series and a little rebound on dismount. She goes 9.900, the second 9.9 of the rotation for Alabama already.

Between Iowa’s floor rotation and Sheremeta for Missouri, we’re seeing some people who can hit their switch side popa combinations on floor. Wonders may never cease.

Oklahoma and Florida about to get started. Oklahoma is bringing Sievers into the floor lineup today.

Alabama has a beam fall from Hudson in the fifth spot but had four hits before that. Mid 197 still going to be possible here.

Moore is up 5th for Missouri on FX, high DLO – wrenches some good lift into those popas, was a little short on prior split position – finishes front tuck through to double tuck, slide back

Iowa has a fall from Nick in the second spot on beam after a 9.725 from Henderson.

Blanco anchors beam for Alabama – aerial, smooth – bhs loso loso, small adjustment, lovely toe point – switch to beat jump, clean – 2/1, bounce back. 9.900 for a 49.275 for Alabama. Missouri matched with 49.275 on floor.

OK Oklahoma/Florida actually for reals starting now.

Florida VT 1 – Skaggs – yfull, good position as always, small slide back. 9.850

Oklahoma UB 1 – Sievers – maloney to pak, good leg position – 1/2 turn on low, not bad in the position – small arch in the back in final cast hs – FTDT, bounce back. 9.825

Florida VT 2 – Schoenherr – Y1.5, hit, bounce forward, knees. 9.850

Oklahoma UB 2 – Levasseur – good first hs – tkatchev, clean, lovely the cut away to her teammates in the middle of the routine – bail seemed fine? – DLO, hop back. 9.850

Florida VT 3 – Wong – ro 1/2 on pike 1/2, struggles to control the landing today with a large bounce back. 9.825

Oklahoma UB 3 – Thomas – toe 1/2 to jaeger, nice – bail vertical looks good – a borderline final cast hs – DLO, flings a little but finds the landing for a strong stick. 9.900

Florida VT 4 – Reed – lands shorter on her Y1.5, step back. 9.850

Oklahoma UB 4 – Smith – good first hs – Ray to pak, hit, good legs on pak – 1/2 turn seems short from our angle – solid final cast hs – DLO, piking and a bounce back. 9.825

Florida VT 5 – Blakely – pulls around her Y1.5 – hop forward, not too big. 9.925

Oklahoma UB 5 – Bowers – Ray is high, pretty – good cast hs – toe on to pak, smooth, legs together – 1/2 turn on low, definitely vertical – hits final cast hs on high – FTDT, holds the stick. Lovely. 9.900. There are home meets where that would have been 10.

Florida VT 6 – Thomas – opens well on her Y1.5, takes a little movement initially and then a step-salute. 9.925

Oklahoma UB 6 – Davis – good first hs – higgins to piked jaeger, nice – pak, clean – 1/2 turn on low, solid vertical – higgins to front giant to double front 1/2 out, holds the stick, staggered feet. 9.925

So, Florida on 49.400 for vault, which is a solid number but could have been better. I thought there was a lot of “ahhh it’s Oklahoma we could get 10s and we have to winnnn” landings in there. But they still got some 9.925s. Oklahoma also on 49.400, went through cleanly. There were some dismounts and handstands in the first couple, but the rest did their thing. Scoring made sense to me in that bars rotation, which means it was DRAMA LOW TERRIBLE or something.

Meanwhile, Hooten will be finishing the meet out for Minnesota, already with three 9.9s in this rotation and a casual program record clinched – full-in, a slide back this time – front full to front pike is solid, tried to sell a stick but her step was controlled anyway – double pike, great stick.

Iowa was able to drop the fall and go 49.100 on beam for a 196.375 total. It’s not bad, but it’s another one of those 196.2-196.4 scores that a lot of teams are getting.

And Hooten hears a 10.000. That first pass landing took the 10 away for me. Her “whyyy didn’t she get a 10…….” 9.975 from a few weeks ago was stronger.

It’s 198.025 for Minnesota, the first time they’ve ever been 198.

Missouri throwing in some checks on beam here. A 9.675 and a 9.725 already.

Rotation 2 – Oklahoma and Florida

Oklahoma VT 1 – Davis – still doing the yfull, good height but comes in chest forward with a step. Will want to drop. 9.800

Florida UB 1 – Blakely – good first hs – maloney to pak, legs together – 1/2 turn on low, hits vertical, some elbows on muscled casts – blind to giant front to double front, stuck. Some form things but very solid. 9.900. Setting things up.

Alabama has a fall from Machado in the third spot on floor.

Oklahoma VT 2 – Ramsey – also a high yfull from her with chest down, hop forward. 9.825.

Florida UB 2 – McCusker – maloney to pak, lovely – good cast hs on low – van leeuwen – stalder to double tuck, finds the stick, just a little deep. More new composition for her. That’s her best Florida bars routine. 9.875. The score isn’t her best Florida bars score, but that was the best actual routine.

Oklahoma VT 3 – Stern – Y1.5, also comes in slightly short, step back

Florida UB 3 – Schoenherr – toe 1/2 to jaeger, big – solid cast hs – toe on to bail, small hip angle it looks like from this angle – 1/2 turn, late, into double front 1/2 out, stuck. 9.925

Oklahoma VT 4 – Bowers – very clean Y1.5 position, small hop forward. 9.925

Florida UB 4 – Skaggs – good first hs – tkatchev to pak, smooth – small leg break on pak – 1/2 turn on low, OK – solid final cast hs – DLO, high, legs apart, stuck. Pretty one. 9.950. Her biggest deductions are leg separations which are the least deducted in college.

We fully missed Levasseur on vault, which was fun. 9.850 score, so much not have been her best.

Florida UB 5 – Thomas – good frist hs – maloney to pak, clean – short cast hs on low – toe on to van leeuwen, legs together – solid cast hs on high – DLO, stuck landing. Great except for that low bar handstand work. 9.950

Oklahoma VT 6 – Sievers – y1.5, nearly holds it long enough to sell the stick but not really, step-salute. Good one. 9.925

Remember when I was like, I agree with the bars scores? We were so young.

Florida UB 6 – Wong – maloney to pak, good legs – hits cast hs on low – van leeuwen, legs together – arches cast hs on high, pulls it back – DLO, very short, large lunge forward again. 9.725

Florida with a big 49.600 on bars. Amazing what a stuck landing can do for the rest of your routine. They’ll move well ahead of Oklahoma now, who had a 49.375 on vault. Some unexpectedly short vaults there in the Oklahoma lineup, the biggest mistakes we’ve seen thus far from either team. A couple 9.925s at the end to save it, but Florida has multiple tenths now. Neither team fully awesome on vault today.

After 2: Florida 99.000, Oklahoma 98.775

Missouri ended beam with 9.950 and 9.925 to save the rotation for 49.250 and a final of 196.775, which is fine but also an SEC four.

Graber finishes out for Alabama with 9.975 on floor (I saw her last pass, with a slight bounce)to end for Alabama with 49.525 on floor, and a 197.500. Won’t change things much for Alabama’s NQS.

LSU started its meet with 49.375 on bars. 9.925s for Durante and Bryant.

Meanwhile, Auburn and Kentucky has started. A giant head of Jeff Graba isn’t strictly necessary.

Rotation 3

Florida BB 1 – Skaggs – wolf single, good – switch, check, wobble, broken connection – bhs loso, clean – aerial to sissone, lovely – cat leap to switch side, hit, small lean forward on landing – side aerial to full, stuck. Got her 10.0 start. 9.825

Suni vaulting interlude: a pretty large bounce forward on her ro 1/2 on front lay this time. 9.825

Oklahoma FX 1 – Johnson – front lay to rudi, under control, some soft knees – bounce back on double tuck – some short back leg on her switch 1/2 – 9.850

Florida BB 2 – Blakely – aerial to bhs, solid, connected – switch to swithc 1/2, pretty solid back leg but a larger check, leg up to horizontal – side somi, step to the side to hold it and an arm wave – side aerial to full, good height on side aerial. Fighting it in that one. 9.850

Oklahoma FX 2 – Davis – front 2/1, small slide forward – 1.5 to front lay, looks like she kept the back foot down, some momentum, good layout position – rudi, bounce – 9.875

Florida BB 3 – Baumann – bhs loso, good height, holds it, small adjustment – switch to split, again covering slight lack of balance on almost everything – aerial to beat, hit – side aerial to split jump, strong – 1.5, can’t stick, lean-step-salute. 9.850

Kentucky goes 49.450 on bars to open a big lead on Auburn’s 49.275 on vault.

Oklahoma FX 3 – Sievers – front tuck through to double tuck, secure landing, chest a little down but not too much – double pike, similar, secure landing, some chest position – switch side to wolf full to popa, wolf position looked a little low. 9.850

Florida BB 4 – Wong – switch to split leap, lovely – bhs loso, also smooth – switch ring, it’s a GAGE switch ring – aerial, pretty – long pause before dismount – 2/1 dismount, leans forward at the hips to hold the landing. Good. 9.900

Oklahoma FX 4 – Fletcher – whip to double tuck, chest up, well controlled – 2.5, controlled step as well, a little foot crossing but not at all bad for a 2.5 – switch 1/2 to popa, clear finish position – front lay to front full, out of control on landing with a bounce to the side and another step. 9.825

Florida BB 5 – Thomas – switch mount to split leap, perfect positions – full turn, comfortable – one-arm bhs to loso, strong – aerial to beat jump to korbut, well done, aerial has actual extended legs – side aerial to full, little bounce on landing, otherwise glorious.

Goes 9.975. But no stick.

Oklahoma FX 5 – Bowers – double pike, lovely position, high, small slide back – front 2/1 to front tuck, well executed – switch to switch 1/2 to wolf full, hits nice extension there. Well done. 9.925

The last couple have started to bring it. Before that, a lot of over-trying.

Florida BB 6 – Clapper – bhs loso loso, large break, bends over at the hips to horizontal for a flat .2 deduction, which will keep Florida on 49.400 for the rotation – switch to split, back leg on split jump – side aerial to full.

Oklahoma FX 6 – Smith – double tuck, slide back – 1.5 to layout, crisp position – switch side to wolf full, comfortably completed – double pike, hit. 9.925

McCusker is doing exhibition on beam – wolf double, comfortable – aerial, hit – bhs loso, right on – switch to split leap – side aerial to tuck full, hop back. Well done. OK so who does she replace?

Oklahoma 49.425 on floor gained a little on Florida’s 49.400 beam but Florida retains a lead.

Suni is finishing out bars for Auburn and needs a hit because Gobourne just hit the mat on her Pak in the 5th spot.

Lee – UB – Hit first hs – Nabieva to pak to van leeuwen alert! Excellent. Good hs on high – FTDT, stuck. I mean I’d give it a 10.

9.975 for that one. OK.

Auburn goes 49.575 on bars to Kentucky’s 49.325 on vault. We’re at Auburn 98.850 to Kentucky 98.775 now.

After 3: Florida 148.400, Oklahoma 148.200

Still close here, though of course the edge goes to Florida with two tenths and finishing on floor. And we haven’t even seen a 10 yet, which is…what sport am I watching even? Overall, it has been a tight competition, not in terms of the scores but in terms of the performances. Thomas and Bowers have brought it so far. Most everyone else a little…white knuckling out some mistakes.

Rotation 4

Florida’s beam score has been raised to 49.450 for unexplained reasons. So 148.450 for them.

Oklahoma BB 1 – Dunn – bhs bhs loso, solid, some feet – split jump to split 1/2, secure as well – gainer full, holds landing with a little rebound. 9.875

Florida FX 1 – Richards – DLO, a bit short, chest down, little rebound – switch side to popa to wolf jump full gets very out of control on the wolf part – 1.5 to layout, clean layout position, nearly trips out of excitement. 9.850. That seems to be setting up for some 10s…

What is it with Florida tripping in floor this year?

Oklahoma BB 2 – Trautman – bhs loso, good extension, smooth – cat leap to switch side, clear horizontal position – kickover, solid – 1.5, stuck landing. Very good. 9.925

Florida FX 2 – Skaggs – wolf double, strong – rudi to double stag, high, a bit of legs – split leap full to split jump full, positions look solid – 1.5 to layout, good straight position. Nice work. 9.900

Jeremy’s “floor watching” face always sort of looks like he’s trying to figure out how best to lure you into the web.

Auburn has an opening beam fall from Smith.

Oklahoma BB 3 – Levasseur – bhs loso, excellent – switch to straddle 1/4, looked tentative and short on that straddle position from our blimp angle – aerial to beat jump, good – bhs gainer full, lands out of shot, seemed like a stick? 9.925

Florida FX 3 – Baumann – 1.5 to front full, lunges, looked like she kept front foot down – L turn to full turn – switch 3/4 to sissone, probably will get full turn credit – double pike, bounce back. 9.900

Oklahoma BB 4 – Davis – bhs loso series, covers any balance with arm shove-down – cat to aerial, good – beat to split ring, not quite Ramler level but good – 2/1, stuck landing. 9.900

Florida FX 4 – Reed – DLO, we have no way of knowing about the landing because the camera work was just her butt, seemed like a bounce back  – front lay to rudi is very good – switch 1/2 to wolf full, around – double pike, controlled step, chest up. Final two passes were strong. 9.950

Oklahoma BB 5 – Woodard – nice full turn – side aerial to bhs, comfortable – kickover, connects to beat jump – switch to split – side aerial to full stuck. A little more ginger than her usual on beam in some of those element finishes but very secure. 9.925

Florida FX 5 – Thomas – DLO, excellence – front full to front lay to sissone, pretty – split leap full to popa, shows splits – double pike, a trace of front foot movement. Good.

And that one goes 10.000 for Thomas. I didn’t have 10 for that one because of a little movement on her final pass and I thought the landing positions on her leap combination weren’t quite on, but I’m not wholly up in arms.

She ends up on 39.850 which is her second best ever.

One thing I enjoyed was not seeing all of Smith’s beam.

She went 9.875 to finish Oklahoma on 197.750.

Florida FX 6 – Blakely – double arabian, holds landing, a little deep – switch ring to switch 1/2 are hit – double tuck, not so high has to cowboy it around, little hop – 1.5 to layout is solid.

Meanwhile, at the same time Thomas got a 10 on floor, it was Suni getting a 10 on beam.

Blakely went 9.900 to beam to give Florida 49.650 on floor and a 198.100 final, and the victory.

Kentucky went 49.450 on floor as Auburn went 49.400 on beam so that thing is tied going to the final rotation. So let’s spend some time with that.

I enjoy that the scores are not working for Arizona/Utah.

We’re getting a replay of Suni’s beam for the gram. I thought she had a shy back leg on the switch 1/2, otherwise ideal. I would have switched the bars and beam scores.

LSU was able to drop an opening fall from Desiderio on floor to go 49.425, though it’s not going to be the hugest number for them. Still in it for a 197.5 with a hit vault.

Rotation 4 from Auburn/Kentucky

Kentucky BB 1 – Luksik – onodi, hit – bhs loso, secure, just a bit of knees here and there but solid elements – cat leap to switch 1/2, short front leg – gainer pike, stuck. 9.950? Is that a mistake?

Auburn FX 1 – Hubbard – pulls around her full in, a little hop present to the side – switch side to wolf full, some tight positions – 1.5 to layout, secure landing, some knees – 9.900

Kentucky BB 2 – Clay – bhs loso and falls, tried to save it with a beam grab but couldn’t – aerial, hit – switch to double stag, nice elevation on those – 1.5, leans forward. 9.125

Auburn FX 2 – Watson – double arabian, strong landing, bounce up in place – 1.5 to layout, some leg crossing in 1.5 – switch side to popa, pulls them around – double tuck, keeps front foot down. 9.925. Getting ready for Gobourne o’clock.

Kentucky BB 3 – Magnelli – bhs loso loso, knee position on that series, large bend at the hips check – lovely dance series elevation – aerial, hit – gainer pike, stuck. 9.875

Auburn FX 3 – Stevens – rudi, under control, a little ragged – split leap full to wolf full, around – double tuck, pulls it around, some cowboy, under control. 9.900

I tell you someone is getting a 55 in this routine in a sec.

Kentucky BB 4 – Patterson – bhs loso, pretty leg position, small lean correction – aerial, large break at the hips, reaches horizontal so that would be .2 for me – switch to switch, good back leg – cat leap to switch side, amplitude – gainer pike, stuck.

Cammy Hall falls on vault 2nd up for Utah. She has not figured that one out these last couple weeks.

9.875 for Patterson. I don’t know how either. They only went tenth for the large break (very charitable) and that’s all one judge took, I guess.

Auburn FX 4 – Groth – front 2/1 is under rotated, large lunge forward to control and then an extra step after that – switch and wolf positions are excellent – 1.5 to front lay, nice floaty combination – rudi, slide back. 9.750

Kentucky BB 5 – Worley – cat leap to switch side, hit – aerial to bhs loso, secure series, knee position on bhs loso series – 1.5, hop forward. 9.950.

These are going to be RIDIC totals.

For LSU, bryant and KJ Johnson both went 9.950 on vault to get them to 197.625 for this one.

Auburn FX 5 – Lee – DLO, secure, chest a bit down – switch ring to split leap full, nicely done – 1.5 to front full, holds the landing under control despite being a little under –

9.975 for Lee here. She’s like, “Y’all college gymnastics is easy.” That was the least 10 of her three so far.

Kentucky BB 6 – Angeny – surprising fall on her triple series. Looked like she had it and then moved out of it too quickly and took a big wobble and couldn’t save it. Kentucky counting a beam fall now that will give Auburn the meet and mean this is merely an insane score and not RIDIC.

Meanwhile, McCallum just survived her vault at Arizona but was so far off line she nearly missed the mat.

39.775 AA for Lee with that opening 9.825 on vault.

Auburn FX 6 – Gobourne – open double tuck, bounce back – switch sdie to wolf full, excellent – front full to front lay, shows control – double pike is solid. Good one.

Kentucky is done on 197.150, which is still a big road score.

9.975 for Gobourne. They tried for the career 10 for her, but that wasn’t her 10.

Auburn goes 49.675 on floor and 197.925 total, both records.

Now to the land of Georgia and Arkansas.

Elswick is 4th up on vault for Arkansas – a big yfull, bounce back and goes 9.900 for it.

Georgia UB 4 – Schild – toe on to Ray, close but works out of it – bail, short of vertical – short final cast hs on high – DLO one of her better dismounts, smaller bounce. 9.775

Arkansas VT 5 – Sedlacek – lands a little short on her Y1.5, lunge back. 9.750

Georgia UB 5 – Roberts – toe on to maloney to bail, good vertical bail – short final cast hs – DLO, better open, bounce back – good, small things. 9.825

Arkansas VT 6 – Hambrick – nice Y1.5 in the air, good direction, medium hop forward. 9.850

Georgia UB 6 – Nguyen – toe on to toe 1/2, late into piked jaeger, nice – hits cast hs on high – pak, small leg break – slight hesitation stepping up to high bar – DLO, nearly sticks, hop forward. A lot better than last week. 9.850

Arkansas 49.250 on vault to Georgia 49.150 on bars. Georgia will gladly take that over-49 on bars and Arkansas will gladly take any kind of lead heading to bars.

If you’re on 10-watch, Maddie Diab got one for Iowa State. Iowa State went 196.875 today. And that brings us to five 10s on the day, and we still have three more rotations of an Arkansas home meet, two more rotations for Utah, and Jade Carey still to come.

PEE PASS ALERT. LET’S ALL PRETEND WE DON’T KNWO WHY EVERYONE IS LAUGHING.

Rotation 2

Georgia VT 1 – Cashman – one of her stronger yfulls, holds the stick, chest forward, a little piking. 9.775

Arkansas UB 1 – Smith – maloney to bail, solid vertical – toe on, circle up to high bar – a bit short on final cast hs – DLO, bounce back, better. 9.800

Georgia VT 2 – Magee – hits her y1.5, locked legs but fine, step to the side. 9.850

Arkansas UB 2 – Scalzo – short first hs – jaeger, takes it far but catches, connects to overshoot, straight body position – misses final cast hs – good floaty DLO, small slide back. 9.825

Georgia VT 3 – Ward – probably her best Tsuk full, stuck landing, just a little pike. ACTUAL WAR SCREAM. 9.850. You know you thought it was getting 9.999999. This Georgia vault rotation has been scored in a way that doesn’t give me a blood pressure problem.

Arkansas UB 3 – Jones – blind, late into piked jaeger, solid – short cast hs – pak, good height and legs together – short final cast hs – DLO, holds stick, somewhat deep

Georgia VT 4 – Hawthorne – still on the yfull, larger bounce back. 9.675

Arkansas UB 4 – Hambrick – short first hs – blind to piked jaeger, takes it super far and falls. Resumes and redoes the piked jaeger, hit into overshoot – FTDT.

Georgia VT 5 – Baumann – Y1.5 nearly shows the stick – a little step-salute and a leg break on block.

Soloski is up on floor for Utah following two 9.925s. Struggled on her final pass today, 1.5 to layout, was off on her round-off and punch into the 1.5 and had to tuck the layout some, came in low. Now she’s having toe problems?

Arkansas UB 5 – Shaffer – toe on to maloney, short and falls. The problems continue for Arkansas

Georgia VT 6 – Roberts – solid y1.5, just a little shuffle on landing, knees.

Arkansas Ub 6 – O’Hara – toe 1/2 and can’t get it over again, has to hop off. Three straight falls to end the bars rotation for Arkansas. Counting a 9.350 and a 9.325 for 48.150.

I mean you don’t have to try to mimic EVERYTHING about UCLA.

After 2: Georgia 98.400, Arkansas 97.400

Meanwhile, Georgia went 49.250 on vault for their actual-highest-quality vault rotation of the year to be on very strong pace after two. Long way to go.

Utah went 49.500 on floor to keep the mid-197 hopes up, while Arizona was able to drop a fall on beam and is on track for a huge number today.

Rotation 4 starting with Utah/Arizona.

Utah BB 1 – Morgan – bhs bhs loso, solid – switch to split, good back leg on switch, lower on split – beat to solide aerial to full, stuck. Comfortable start.

Rotation 3 starting with Arkansas/Georgia

Arkansas BB 1 – Gamiao – standing loso loso series, secure landing, some knees – side somi, holds it, little lean forward – switch to split, hit – 1.5 dismount, stuck. Good. 9.850

Utah BB 2 – McCallum – hits candle mount well – wolf double, smooth – bhs loso, hit, some knees in bhs – switch to stag jump – cat leap to side aerial to layout full, step back. 9.900

Georgia FX 1 – APL – double pike, secure – 1.5 to front full, out of control with a bound forward toward the corner – double tuck, solid. Her best double saltos of the year. 9.800

Arkansas BB 2 – O’Hara – full turn, hit – side aerial to bhs, great save on the series at first because her foot was kind of off on the side aerial but worked through the combination, then a bend at the hips afterward – switch and stag ring was nice – cartwheel 1.5 dismount, small step. 9.775 is high though.

Georgia FX 2 – Magee – piked full in, small slide back, better on the leg stagger this week – lovely leap positions – 1.5 to layout, shows crisp body position – double pike, hit, chest down. 9.825

Utah has a fall from Randall on beam in the third spot.

Arkansas BB 3 – Smith – candle mount, good – switch to straddle 1/4, short of split – bhs loso right on – full turn, correction – double tuck is excellent, stuck. 9.900

Georgia FX 3 – De Jong – 3/1, overcooks it and a huge bounce back – switch side to wolf full, hit – double tuck, secure landing, chest down – 1.5 to front layout, misses her punch on the 1.5 and falls –

Paulson comes back and hits a secure beam for Utah in the 4th spot.

Arkansas BB 4 – Lovett – aerial, solid into loso, a little slow but will get credit – switch to split to beat, nice back leg – side aerial to layout full, slide back. Good. 9.900

Kathy just cracked herself up by saying “love it” and that’s exactly what I needed after 4.5 hours of this.

Georgia FX 4 – Roberts – front tuck through to double tuck, pulls it around, under control – switch side to popa to wolf full, overturns her early elements some – double pike, bounce back – 9.800

Ohhhhh Cristal Isa very nearly had the most amazing save in beam history but ended up falling and now Utah will count a beam fall.

Arkansas BB 5 – Hambrick – bhs loso, huge break but saves it, step back and a bend at the hips – switch to switch 1/2, little check – beat to straddle 3/4, good straddle position work – gainer full, nice. 9.675

Georgia FX 5 – Baumann – wolf 2.5 – 1.5 to front full, good one, has the height – switch side to straddle jump, lovely – double pike, hit, chest slightly down. 9.925

O’Keefe hit a good beam to finish from Utah, but this won’t be a counter now. Apparently O’Keefe got 9.975 with a check.

Arkansas BB 6 – Elswick – bhs loso series, lovely position but a step back and a lean – secure split 3/4 – aerial, comfortable – bhs 1.5, stuck. Good. 9.900 I don’t understand for that large wobble.

Hargrove is finishing the meet for Arkansas on floor – full-in, secure landing, chest position – 1/2 to front full, a little deep in landing, controls step – switch ring to split leap full, some slide – double tuck, bounce back.

That will seal a very useful score for Arizona.

Georgia FX 6 – Hawthorne – double pike, very strong, control – split leap full to split jump full, some travel – front lay to rudi to split jump, gets a little forward on the rudi. 9.900

That will be 49.250 on floor for Georgia, 49.325 for Arkansas.

In fact, Arizona just defeated Utah 196.850 to 196.775. Well that’s one we didn’t see coming.

After 3: Georgia 147.650, Arkansas 146.725

If Georgia can figure out beam, this will be an important score for them.

Rotation 4

Georgia BB 1 – Magee – straight jump to straddle 1/4, nice straddle position – bhs bhs loso, lovely leg position – full turn, smooth – 1.5, step forward. Good start. 9.900

Arkansas FX 1 – Pennese – front 2/1, lands well under and falls – 1.5 to front layout is hit – switch side to popa, solid amplitude – ro double tuck, chest well down, secure. 9.100

Georgia BB 2 – Hawthorne – bhs loso, solid amplitude, secure – switch split jump to switch split jump, a pause in between, good positions – kickover from knee to wolf jump, a little short – 1.5 dismount, lunge forward. 9.875

Arkansas FX 2 – Jones – front 2/1, gets it around – 1.5 to layout, has to whip around the layout slightly – switch ring to switch 1/2, a little shy on switch 1/2 – rudi, under control. 9.875

Georgia BB 3 – Schild – aerial to bhs bhs series, the most secure we’ve seen it – switch to split, good back leg – cat to side aerial to full, small hop. 9.825

Arkansas FX 3 – Sedlacek – full in, secure controlled step, chest down – 1.5 to layout, solid – switch 1/2 to popa, around – double tuck, solid again, chest. 9.875

Georgia BB 4 – Nguyen – gets slightly caught up on her mount roll – onodi to bhs, smooth enough to count as connection – y spin to full turn, rushes through but hits it – split jump, lovely – side aerial to layout full, bounce back – 9.825

Arkansas FX 4 – Hambrick – double tuck, drops into it well, under control – rudi pulls it out into her back layout into stag, the rudi got pretty low but she finessed it – switch 1/2 to popa, shows 180 positions – double pike, solid, chest down. 9.925

Georgia BB 5 – De Jong – switch to split, good extension – aerial to straddle, also well controlled, just some knee position in the aerial – bhs loso, small check – side aerial to full, small slide back. So that confirms a big result for Georgia.

Arkansas FX 5 – Lovett – DLO, hits, under control – double tuck, small bounce – switch 1/2 to popa, shows oversplit – lay to front full, some knees. Good. 9.875

Georgia BB 6 – Baumann – side aerial to loso, secure, good amplitude – shows horizontal position on switch side – 1.5, hop forward. 9.850

Arkansas FX 6 – Shaffer – double pike, controlled well – 1.5 to layout, maintains her layout position – split leap full to popa, solidly around – double tuck, hop back, chest down. Good. 9.825

Georgia can’t quite get to 197 with a 196.975, still a season high and hugely improtant score to get out of danger.

Arkansas finishes on 196.100, which actually will count for the moment but won’t help the cause right now.

Oregon State and Stanford are under way but I’m tapping out for the day.