It’s a busier Friday than we’ve had in a while, with the three-meet SEC slate complemented by the first of the two Big Five meets and the Oregon State visit to Utah. The Big Five meet is only on Flo, so I’ll be sure to keep a solid eye on what Michigan gets up to and let you know. Michigan starts on a bye before floor. Meanwhile, Flo still has the wrong start time posted for the meet because Flo gonna Flo.
This is also a day where several major teams—Michigan, Florida—will establish their initial NQSs while several others—Utah, Auburn, Alabama—will be jockeying for position as their current NQSs are fairly close to one another. Right now, Utah has the edge on Auburn and Alabama but both Auburn and Alabama have a low road score to get rid of today while Utah is competing at home and already has three home scores at 197.4+, so expect the gap to narrow considerably. I’ll track how that’s going throughout the day if I remember.
Rotation 1
Kentucky VT 1 – Procasky – yfull – very good one, stuck landing, solid direction, just a bit of legs apart, small pike at the end. 9.900 already for her.
Florida UB 1 – Blakely – good first hs – maloney to pak, flat on backswing, doesn’t go back so far and loses some body position – 1/2 turn on low, a little late – solid final cast hs – toe 1/2 to front giant to double front, cowboy, sticks it. Much better. 9.825 and a 9.900/9.750 split. One was judging LOLNCAA and one was judging L10.
Kentucky VT 2 – Wilson – handspring pike 1/2, strong, slide back, a bit of legs apart, solid chest up. 9.875
Florida UB 2 – Skaggs – long long wait for Blakely’s score for some reason – good first hs – tkatchev to pak, legs a little apart throughout, sickles the feet together – 1/2 turn on low, Ok – hits final cast hs – DLO, legs apart, excellent stick. 9.850. Scores sane and lower than expected on bars so far.
Kentucky VT 3 – Magnelli – more good control on a handspring pike 1/2 landing – slide back, not too large – she’s very close to the table on this vault so will probably see a distance deduction. 9.850
Florida UB 3 – McCusker – maloney to pak, clean, good legs together – toe on to van leeuwen, a little low but gets it – higgins to front giant 1/2 to double tuck, couldn’t see the landing but looks like she held on, at least mostly – better overall, not quite colleging the handstands though so risking a deduction each time. 9.800
Kentucky VT 4 – Nixon – yfull, lands somewhat short this week and hops forward, lovely in the air as always. 9.800
Florida UB 4 – Schoenherr – jaeger, just a bit of elbows on catch, closer than she wanted – solid cast hs – toe on to bail, sole circle up, smooth – borderline final hs – 1/2 turn, to double front 1/2 out, holds the stick with a lean. 9.850
Kentucky VT 5 – Patterson – again shows solid control, not the stick she did in the final warmup but a strong one, small slide back. 9.950 is very high though.
Florida UB 5 – Thomas – good first hs – maloney to pak, clean – small hesitation in hs on low – toe on to van leeuwen, good height – hits final cast hs – DLO, struggles on landing with a bounce back. 9.825. Definitely not home bars scoring, but I had .150 on dismount alone.
Kentucky VT 6 – Worley – y1.5 – hits it, hop forward, knees. 9.875
Florida UB 6 – Wong – good hs – maloney to pak, smooth – another solid hs – van leeuwen, legs together – hits final cast hs – DLO, short, chest down, lunge forward. Excellent until the dismount. I thought her handstands were stronger today than in most previous meets.
SO! Kentucky with the lead. I thought Florida overall looked pretty solid and normal on bars—not awesome but not bad—the difference being the scoring lens the judges took to it, which I much prefer to 9.975s FOR EVERYONE but is definitely different than Florida has been seeing at the last couple meets. McCusker’s routine, for instance, looked better for 9.800 this week than it was for 9.850 last week. Plus, not having the landings from Thomas and Wong undermined what could have been lineup-saving scores.
Vault scores, on the other hand, were quite loose for a Kentucky rotation that was strong but not the absolute very best they can do, so Florida will look to bridge the gap in the second rotation.
So do we just not get a score for Leanne? Ooof. 9.725 with one judge going 9.650. Florida’s like, esssssqueeze me? We don’t get L10 scoring in this house.
Rotation 2
Florida VT 1 – Skaggs – hits a yfull well, little bounce back. 9.900 for no stick for Skaggs, so vault scores remain soft.
Kentucky UB 1 – Davis – shortish first hs – giant full to 1/2 to jaeger, good height – rushing the hs more – bail, hit – small arch in final cast – DLO, step back, a little pike. 9.800
Florida VT 2 – Schoenherr – solid work on her Y1.5 – small-medium hop forward, good distance and direction, some knees. 9.900
Kentucky Ub 2 – Procasky – maloney to pak, pretty good, small leg break – solid on 1/2 turn position on low – just a little short on final cast hs – giant full to double tuck, step back. 9.800
Florida VT 3 – Wong – round off 1/2 on pike 1/2, well done, basssically held the stick long enough to count? I’d say small movement on replay. Better chest up, not all the way. 9.900
Kentucky UB 3 – Nixon – maloney to bail, good hs, little bit of legs – solid final cast hs – FTDT, little hop. Solid. 9.875
Florida VT 4 – Reed – Y1.5 – hit but not the landing control she wanted with a larger shuffle forward with both feet, additional step. 9.825. One judge went 9.900? What landing was that score for?
Kentucky UB 4 – Luksik – good hs – Ray, a little close but fine – hs look Ok – toe on to bail, solid vertical position – DLO, just a little flat but a solid landing. 9.925 is high though, where has this bars evaluation been thus far? Judge 2 is like, ha ha never mind.
Florida VT 5 – Thomas – also didn’t get the stick on her Y1.5 today but still solid – hop forward, smaller than Reed’s, has the form.
Kentucky UB 5 – Angeny – Jaeger, hit, some feet, a little close – hits final cast hs – DLO, small hop. 9.875
Florida VT 6 – Blakely – better on her y1.5 this week – hits it with a little shuffle back – some leg separation in the air. 9.925
Kentucky UB 6 – Worley – toe on to tkatchev, good, smooth – hits cast hs on high – pak, little leg break – 1/2 turn on low – FTDT, holds the stick. Very good. 9.925
Florida goes 49.525 on vault, where evaluation was way softer than Florida’s bars rotation. Thought those were some high numbers given the landings. The big deal for Florida here will be Blakely getting in there with a solid hit, which is a critical step up.
Kentucky 49.400 on bars. Good work, especially through the final spots. Worley’s was the best bars routine for either team, and I would have liked to see more separation there. Sadly, I thought several of the scores there were clearly looser than during Florida’s rotation. We did see some heavy scoring of landings, where Kentucky was able to stick and Florida was not, which probably accounts for the difference.
After 2: Kentucky 98.850, Florida 98.675
Rotation 3
Kentucky BB 1 – Luksik – onodi, balance check – bhs loso, solid extension, good feet – cat leap to switch 1/2, quite short of split position – gainer dismount, was it piked, was it tucked? Small hop. I’m giving it tuck credit. 9.675
Dismount must be a C, or B in combination. Gainer pike is a C, gainer tuck is a B, so lone gainer pike doesn’t work.
Florida FX 1 – Richards – DLO, nice – small bounce – switch side to popa to wolf full, got a little low on the third element position – 1.5 to front lay, good lay position but some stumble shuffle on landing. Forgot to salute and possible hair injury. 9.750
Kentucky BB 2 –Clay – conference on Luksik’s score, probably over whether that dismount was piked or not – bhs loso series, hits it with a small lean, bent knees on both – aerial, a little short, arm wave – switch to stag ring, another small check – bhs 1.5, hop forward. Hit, opening the door with some rhythm things. 9.725
Florida FX 2 – Baumann – 1.5 to front full, hits it, just a bit of knees – L single to full turn – gets her switch leap full to sissone this week – doesn’t have her typical landing on her double pike though, with a larger bounce back. 9.800
Kentucky BB 3 – Magnelli – bhs bhs loso, good, some knees – switch to straddle 1/4, excellent positions, lovely series – aerial, smooth – full turn, small arm wave, basically covers – gainer pike, stuck. 9.850
Florida FX 3 – Wong – 3/1, around, large step but does well to keep her front foot down – literally tripped just walking and pretends like she was running into her split leap to split jump full, which is not terrible given the circumstances but not as crisp as her usually – 1/2 to front full to stag is lovely – double pike, good control. 9.850
Kentucky BB 4 – Patterson – bhs to loso, good rise into second loso – aerial, hits, keeps arms moving into split jump – balance check on choregraphy and actually kind of big, almost leaned at the hips – switch to switch combination, shorter back leg on the second one – gainer pike, another stick. 9.850
Florida FX 4 – Reed – DLO, good control, chest up – front lay to rudi, good height, little slide – switch 1/2 to wolf full, good wolf, perhaps a bit shy of position on the switch 1/2 – double pike, strong. 9.950.
Kentucky BB 5 – Worley – cat leap to switch side, some angle in split position there – aerial, checks, breaks connection – bhs loso is smooth – kickover, solid – ro 1.5 dismount, holds stick with a little lean. 9.875
Florida FX 5 – Thomas – excellent DLO, what it’s supposed to be – front full to layout, also under control – split leap full to popa, very strong split positions and clear finish with a full turn around – double pike, strong. That’s her best floor of the year so far.
10.000 for Thomas. Unsurprising after Reed was 9.950
12th 10.000 of her career.
Kentucky BB 6 – Angeny – bhs loso loso, very good control – aerial, just a little short, holds it well – beat to straddle 1/4, secure – side aerial to full, stuck. Nice one. 9.825
Florida FX 6 – Blakely – double arabian, big lunge forward, just does keep it in bounds but a major landing correction to do it – switch ring to switch 1/2, good clear 180s – double tuck, secure landing – 1.5 to layout, layout is short, has to straddle it to get it around and step back. 9.750
Florida takes over the lead after the third rotation but they would have wanted a larger lead since Kentucky goes to home floor now. Both teams started out pretty shaky in that rotation, but it was the Reed and Thomas routines that saved it for Florida, even though they had to count some lows in here as well.
Kentucky 49.125 on beam, some rough routines but also some excellent moments like Magnelli’s leap combination.
After 3: Florida 148.025, Kentucky 147.975
Apparently the start of the Big Five has been delayed because of an equipment malfunction. Great great. Dudes, there are too many meets today for us to wait for you.
Rotation 4
Florida BB 1 – Skaggs – hits wolf turn – switch to split, excellent – bhs loso, hits it securely – aerial, holds it, a tad under but doesn’t show it – cat leap to switch side, hit – side aerial to full, stuck. A moment of hesitation or two more than her usual, but clean. 9.950. So of course it’s her highest score.
10 from one judge. Remember that time Wong got a 9.650 on bars from one judge? Must have been a different meet.
Kentucky FX 1 – LaClair – double pike is solid – switch side to popa to a delayed wolf jump full, the first two elements were very good, didn’t quite get up there on the wolf full – front lay to front full, falls, way overcooked her front lay and didn’t have nearly the height needed for the full – rudi, hit.
Florida BB 2 – Blakely – aerial, good height, keeps moving into bhs – switch to switch 1/2, shows her 180 positions, loses her feet some in that combination, flexes at the apex of the leap – side somi, secures it with an arm – side aerial to full, little movement of heels together, strong work again. 9.925
Kentucky FX 2 – Procasky – Ramlers it up with a split ring full to start – layout to front full, slide forward – switch ring to split leap full, somewhat short on split leap position – double tuck, holds the landing, chest down. 9.825
Kentucky letting Florida run with it so far.
Florida BB 3 – Baumann – bhs loso, very clean, holds it on well, no check shown – switch to split, hit, strong – aerial, small lean correction with an arm wave – sdie aerial to split jump – ro 1.5 dismount, hop forward. 9.850
Kentucky FX 3 – Magnelli – rudi to loso, high loso, gets a little off line from this angle – switch side to popa, excellent – double pike, keeps it under control – she’s had a good meet today. 9.850
Florida BB 4 – Wong – switch to split leap, good positions – bhs loso, well extended, smooth series – switch ring, hit well, Donatella’s not here so it’s fine – aerial, hit – Schoenherr might be having an excitement aneurysm in the background – 2/1, step back into her salute. Good one. 9.850
Kentucky FX 4 – Haigis – rudi to loso from her as well, good toes on loso – switch side to popa, looks like she got up to 180 there, shows finish positions – double pike, short landing, bounce forward. 9.825
Florida BB 5 – Thomas – switch to split leap combination, better connected than a lot who connect split leaps out – one-arm bhs to loso, extended cleanly – aerial to beat to Korbut, well done this time, doesn’t almost roll around the beam like a tree log – side aerial to full, stuck. Another brilliant one.
9.975 for that one.
Kentucky FX 5 – Davis – double pike, hit, under control – switch side and popa, good height – 1.5 to layout, shows amplitude again, lunge forward out of it – double tuck, solid. 9.925
Florida BB 6 – Clapper – bhs loso loso, correction this line, arm wave and lean to the side so very minimum one tenth – switch to split, solid – side aerial to full, holds landing, a little off line. 9.850
Kentucky FX 6 – Worley – full in, chest up well, crossover backward step to control though – switch ring to switch side, nice – front full to layout, shows the stick – double tuck, good, perhaps a little rebound.
AHHH. Scoring error. She’s down to 9.950 instead of the originally posted 10.000. It makes more sense. That wasn’t one of her very best floors.
Will be a third strong home score for Kentucky, even though they’ll lose the meet. 197.350. Didn’t really miss a beat without Bunn, which is critical for them. Florida takes it with 197.575. Again a meet where Florida somehow came out with a good score even though there were a fair share of landing issues and errors to improve on.
That gives Florida an NQS of 197.630 right now, which will guarantee to keep them ahead of Utah this week.
The Big 5 still hasn’t started, so let’s see what Auburn and Georgia have brewing.
Abbey Ward is third on vault for Georgia – nearly finds the landing on her Tsuk full but a small crossover step forward. 9.825
Auburn UB 3 – Stevens – following a 9.800 and 9.725 – good first hs – toe on to Ray, hit – bail, pretty close – shorter final cast hs – DLO, just whips it around at the end, hop back. 9.800
Georgia VT 4 – Hawthorne – still going with the full, great distance, larger bounce back. 9.850, so they only took for the bounce.
Auburn Ub 4 – Smith – toe on, holds the hs forever, into maloney and can’t catch – looked like she had to pause and correct in that hs even though it was vertical and then didn’t have enough for the maloney – redoes it and peels off again, onto her arms but she’s fine – resumes and just says eff that maloney and finishes up with a DLO, small step
Georgia VT 5 – Baumann – y1.5, not quite as good as last time but hit, deepish with a lunge back to save it. 9.825, which is mathematically impossible because they have to take a tenth for short and a tenth for the step, but whatevs.
Auburn UB 5 – Gobourne – tkatchev, very high into pak, clean leg position – rushes her final hs a bit – FTDT, tries to sell the landing with a little lean but ends up stepping into salute. 9.850
Georgia VT 6 – Roberts – hits her Y1.5, not her best landing control with a bounce forward, larger than her usual step, knee. 9.825
Auburn UB 6 – Lee – maloney to pak to van leeuwen, great form on maloney and pak, small leg break initially on the VL – better final cast hs – FTDT, holds the landing well, minor body correction. I thought she was tight on that first hs, but otherwise strong. 9.925
Georgia enough difficulty in there to get over 49 to 49.175, but didn’t have their ideal landings so not the kind of huge vault score they got last week. Auburn gets to 49.150 on bars, which is a survived-it kind of score, not their best but they didn’t have to count a disaster.
Looks like they’re finally doing introductions at the Big 5 meet, and Utah/Oregon St is about to start.
Rotation 2
Auburn VT 1 – Walsh – nearly shows the stick on her yfull but her chest was too far forward so she ends up stepping forward. 9.775
Georgia UB 1 – Hattaway – hits first hs – giant 1/2 to gienger, legs apart on catch – bail, leg break and a little floppy – shorter final cast hs – DLO, hop forward. Gave away form in several places but will start them with a hit. 9.700
Auburn VT 2 – Groth – another who nearly showed the stick on her yfull but groth with a step back into salute this week. 9.825
Georgia UB 2 – Ward – good first hs – maloney, legs straddled and can’t get the swing out of it – stops against high bar – adds a cat into bail, short of vertical – gets up to handstand on her final cast – good DLO, hop back. Actually a strong finish but they’ll need to drop that. 9.100
Auburn VT 3 – Hubbard – Y1.5 – hits, more landing control this week, one tneth hop forward, just a little bit of feet at the end. 9.850
Georgia UB 3 – Finnegan – good first hs – Ray, solid amplitude – hits hs – toe on to pak, legs apart – 1/2 turn on low, shows vertical pretty well – casts all look strong – FTDT, stuck. She fully straddles that pak, but that’s the best she’s been on bars. 9.875
Auburn VT 4 – Watson – pretty good control on her y1.5 hop, smaller than Hubbard’s, knees. 9.900
Georgia UB 4 – Schild – toe on to Ray, strong – rushing a couple handstands – bail, just a bit short of vertical – DLO, very short landing with a large lunge.
9.550 and it has to count. OOF.
Auburn VT 5 – Gobourne – gorgeous y1.5 in the air, medium shuffle forward – that’s the best her vault has looked in the air. 9.900
Georgia UB 5 – Roberts – good first hs – maloney, to bail, very nice vertical on bail, shows legs together – DLO, stuck landing. Like Finnegan, one of her best ones in this swamp of a rotation. 9.900
Auburn VT 6 – Lee – she’s doing round off 1/2 on front lay! This was teased on the tweeters today – really well done – holds the landing well, just a little correction – form deductions to take with some legs apart and the overarch knee bend. But great control. 9.925 is a COOL POINTS SCORE. I was on 9.800.
Georgia UB 6 – Nguyen – good first hs – toe on to toe 1/2, late into piked jaeger, high – solid cast hs – pak, good – hits final cast hs – DLO, small slide back, best since she’s returned. 9.800
Utah/Oregon State is underway. Utah brought Sage Thompson into the vault lineup for Hoffman.
Hall 2nd on vault for Utah, wayyyyy more ragged than her usual 1.5 but managed to pulled it around somehow, deeper landing, feet apart in the air, but landed. Somehow got a 9.850, which is a massive overscore.
Georgia saves that bars rotation for 48.825. Could have been a lot worse. Auburn 49.400 on vault to take a lead of more than a half point after 2.
Utah VT 3 – Stanhope – much better on her Y1.5 – small movement on landing. 9.950, here we go.
Oregon St UB 3 – Dagen – short first hs – tkatchev is hit – bail, solid vertical – toe on to giant full, a bit late into double tuck, hop back. She had some pretty short cast hs in this one, which will hit the score.
Judge Jim thinks it’s too low for never-explained reasons. NOT HELPING JIMMY.
Utah VT 4 – Rucker – Y1.5 – lands it short and falls
Oregon St UB 4 – Bird – short first hs – bail, small leg break – stalder on low bar – better final cast hs – Tkatchev, falls, took it so far that I think she expected the catch to be earlier – resumes with FTDT, hop forward
Utah VT 5 – Sabado – no Burch? That’s not ideal. hits a perfectly solid yfull, small step back, knees and feet. 9.800
Oregon St UB 5 – Jakubczyk – short first hs – blind with a leg seprartion into yehova, hits – shap to gienger is hit – some cast problems – Fontaine dismount, step and then another hop to control – she’s always on the verge of out of control – 9.650 will count.
Utah VT 6 – McCallum – Servente – hits it, little bounce in place, feet, off line, maybe enough to get deducted. 9.650
Georgia started on beam with a 9.700 from Magee, which is not ideal.
Oregon St UB 6 – Carey – maloney to bhardwaj, clean – not her best cast verticals – van leeuwen is hit – FTDT, stuck. Everything was her normal except the casts, which were not the verticaliest.
Still goes 9.950.
Utah goes 49.225 on vault, which is not a great number but I think they’ll take it because that rotation was sort of all over the place with backups coming in and a fall and only McCallum and Stanhope had strong ones. Could have been easily around the 49.0 mark. That’s where Oregon State ends up after a raggedy rotation of their own on bars. You’re welcome, says Carey.
Ohio State leads the Big 5 after the first rotation with 49.125 on bars.
Cohen is up third for Georgia on beam, two small checks and a hop on dismount, nothing major. Did not fall while standing.
Borden asks Skinner if she misses it. Skinner’s like, “….yes? Should I say yes?”
Nguyen with a leg-up break on beam but holds it. Still goes 9.850 Meanwhile for Michigan, Brenner leg of floor with a very well controlled routine. 9.900 to begin.
Heiskell 2nd up for Michigan – double Arabian lunge forward, 1.5 to front lay, more control on that one, clean layout position – switch 1/2 to wolf full, shows her landing positions – double pike, a bit short but covers, lean forward
Rotation 2
Oregon St VT 1 – Letzsch – yfull is solid, slide. 9.825
Utah UB 1 – Morgan – good first hs – maloney to bhardwaj, better catch position, just a little feet – giant full a bit late into double tuck, pulled it in, hop forward.
Lee is going on FX for Auburn – opens DLO, pulls it around, a little slide – leaps are Suni – 1.5 to front full, controls the landing, some knees –
Oregon St VT 2 – Gonzales – full on back pike, bounce back, solid chest position – 9.825
Utah UB 2 – McCallum – maloney to pak, good form – van leeuwen, only a very small foot cross – FTDT, doesn’t quite have the landing today, step and a slide into salute. 9.950 very high with two steps on landing.
Wojcik has fallen on floor. Do not recognize or accept. Front 2/1 to front pike went way off the floor entirely.
Oregon St VT 3 – Yanish – larger bounce back on her yfull today but good position and distance as always
Utah UB 3 – Paulson – maloney to pak, clean – well short on final cast hs and giant full, connected into double tuck, small movement. 9.850
Suni got 9.950 on floor. Gobourne with a bounce back on her double tuck today.
Oregon St VT 4 – Dagen – nice one, Y1.5 with only a little movement – some legs in the air.
Georgia went 49.275 on beam, which is a big deal for them. 49.425 for Auburn on floor to extend the lead.
Utah UB 4 – Thompson – good opening pak – maloney to gienger, hit, a little close – solid final cast hs – DLO, nice, just a small rebound in place. 9.925
Oregon St VT 5 – Chavez – does a Y1.5 and pulls out a landing – deep landing with a multi step shuffle back, some knees in the air. 9.775
Utah UB 5 – O’Keefe – maloney with some legs into pak, clean – 1/2 turn on low – short final cast hs – double arabian, nice and high, step forward. 9.900, so they only took the step.
Oregon St Vt 6 – Carey – very high DTY, small bounce in place – the knees – her usual – Jim yells “what’s wrong with that?” – Nothing, but there are multiple possible deductions and one, the landing, you have to take.
9.975 with a non-stick, you know how that thrills me.
Utah UB 6 – Isa – good first hs – Ray – a little crooked on bail, angles and an elbow bend – giant full to DLO, small slide back and a step salute. 9.875
Michigan drops the Wojcik fall and goes 49.625 on floor. Pretty loose scoring. It wasn’t their best landing control day.
Iowa meanwhile goes over 49 on bars, a big deal for them.
Georgia just got bumped up to 49.350 on beam as Magee’s score goes from 9.700 to 9.900. FUN.
utah 49.500 on bars to Oregon State’s 49.325 on vault.
Hollingsworth just had a bonkers beam dismount fall for Auburn – side aerial to attempted full, took her way off line and off the mat and onto the hard ground. SAFE.
Guggino opens Michigan’s vault with a stick. Just a little lean to the side to control the landing. Anddd it’s a 9.975. Here we go.
Wojcik follows with her Y1.5 deep landing and a near fall, saves it with a lunge back. Give the woman a nap and save us all.
Morgan opened beam for Utah and had a near Hollingsworth but held it, just went off line on dismount. 9.825
Heiskell with a large lunge forward on her Y1.5. Morrison up 4th and brings it back, solid y1.5, shuffle back.
McCallum up 2nd on beam for Utah – candle mount, good – wolf turn, hit- bhs loso, lots of foot flexing but holds the landing pretty securely – switch to stag jump is hit – cat leap to side aerial to full, hits. 9.900
Brooks nearly sticks her Y1.5 for Michigan, small step. Wilson gets her stick, great height, gets a little deep to hold the stick.Also got 9.975. Michigan 49.500 on vault while being kind of off.
Oregon St FX 2 – Bird – front lay to rudi, leg crossing, control into straddle jump – switch 1/2 to popa, good, perhaps a tad under rotated but fine – 2.5, again under control, some legs
Utah BB 3 – Randall – bhs loso series is solid – good extension on straddle 1/4 – rulfova is comfortable – sticks 1.5 dismount. 9.925
Interested to see what the judges do with McLaughlin on beam for Auburn with a check between her switch and straddle 1/4. But she also had pretty large break on her side aerial. 9.650 which will have to count.
Utah BB 4 – Paulson – hits side aerial loso securely – switch to split, a little back leg – side aerial to full, stuck, good one. 9.950
Oregon State FX 4 – Dagen – front 2/1, around, lunge forward – switch 1/2 to popa, good toes – front lay to front full, good height – double pike, little bounce
Suni will finish the meet for Auburn on beam – smooth wolf turn – aerial to bhs loso, keeps arms moving in connection – switch to switch 1/2, small arm wave – bhs gainer full, sticks it. Her best dismount, a few semi-almost hesitations in there.
9.975 for Suni.
Hawthorne will end it for Georgia on FX – super high double pike, too high, large bounce back out of control –
Alabama/LSU getting underway.
Rotation 1
LSU VT 1 – Rivers – very well stuck on her yfull, good height
Auburn is done on 197.175
Alabama Ub 1 – Gaskins – maloney to pak, somewhat loose – 1/2 turn on low bar is solid – short final cast hs – DLO, loses leg position, step back. 9.850
Cristal Isa gets a 10.000 on beam. As usual, it’s the same routine we’ve seen her do about 15 times.
LSU VT 2 – Edwards – good height on her 1.5, medium lunge forward. 9.900. We’re soaring.
Yanish does her split-leg DLO on floor for Oregon State, which is fun.
Georgia ended up with 48.950 on floor and a 196.300 final.
Alabama UB 2 – Paradise – blind to jaeger, solid toe point – hits next cast hs – bail – DLO, shuffle back, but definitely an option here. 9.825
LSU VT 3 – Arenas – good distance on yfull, small slide back, little pike. 9.875
Alabama Ub 3 – Hudson – good first hs – toe on to maloney, some legs apart into bail, better legs and vertical, a little floppy – full to double tuck, solid secure landing.
I missed O’Keefe on beam but she went 9.950 so I’m assuming usual. 49.725 rotation score.
LSU VT 4 – KJ Johnson – big height on her yfull as usual, a bit better direction – small hop. What is this nonsense about not having chalk on the runway. 9.875
Jade Carey finishing floor for OSU -double double , solid, little movement – front full to front lay to sissone, solid – switch 1/2 to popa, good height, loses her feet a bit but not bad on the split positions – double tuck, bounce back. 9.925
I feel like the Oregon state team needs to watch more SEC meets to see how you fake it to pretend like you think your teammate just did a 10 routine even though you know she didn’t.
Alabama UB 4 – Adams – maloney to pak, legs fully together – van leeuwen and can’t catch, low, one hand just slaps the bar like it was trouble.
LSU VT 5 – Johnson – DTY, good work, small bounce back – 9.900
Alabama UB 5 – Machado – maoney to pak, small leg break – good cast hs on low – toe on to van leeuwen, good legs together – toe full, a little bit of angle, double tuck, hop forward
LSU VT 6- Bryant – handspring pike 1/2, great as usual, hop back, perfect until the landing 9.925
Alabama UB 6 – Blanco – maloney to pak, very clean, good toes – 1/2 turn on low – shorter final cast hs – FTDT, stuck landing, good. 9.900
Alabama goes 49.300 to LSU’s 49.500. Alabama a little raggedy in several of those early routines so were not going to be able to catch a solid vault rotation from LSU, though not a lot of sticks there.
49.600 on bars for Michigan, so en route to another big 198 if beam cooperates.
I’m scared of Dana Duckworth’s eye contact. I feel like she’s always trying to hypnotize me.
Oregon State opens beam with a fall from Jakubczyk , she also did an accidental beat jump in this routine when she mean to do switch to split and balked, and I feel like it would have received credit as an element
Rotation 2
Alabama VT 1 – Olsen – DTY – small slide, little bit of knees, good – doesn’t have nearly the block Carey does but otherwise equivalent. 9.900
LSU UB 1- Johnson – good first hs – maloney to bail, clean work – a bit short on final hs – DLO, small bounce back. 9.900
Alabama VT 2 – Quinn – pulls around her Y1.5 – medium hop forward, some knees, a little bit deep on landing. 9.850
LSU UB 2 – Rivers – good first hs – toe on, a little late into maloney to bail, arches the bail but pulls it back, some legs separations – gets her final cast hs – tkatchev – rushing – DLO, good stick. 9.875 with that bail.
Paulson opened floor for Utah with 9.925 so watch out.
Alabama VT 3 – Paradise – hits her Y1.5, not the biggest we see, but OK, hop to the side, some knees. 9.850
LSU UB 3 – Dunne – tkatchev to pak, lovely lovely work – slight hip angle in 1/2 turn on low – not quite there on final cast hs – DLO, tucks her knees a little, hop back 9.800
Alabama VT 4 – Waligora – way way short on her Y1.5 and falls, didn’t get much of a block and was never getting that around
LSU UB 4 – Bryant – blind to jaeger, strong – bail, maybe a hair past vertical, legs together – strong final cast hs – blind to double front 1/2 out, small step. Good. 9.925
Alabama VT 5 – Graber – gorgeous Y1.5, probably the best she’s ever done, nice stick. Just a tad of legs at the end?
Gets 9.975
LSU UB 5 – Arenas – toe on to tkatchev, hit – rushes next hs – pak, it’s hit but a fall straddle – shorter final cast hs – DLO, flung out, short, knee down. They’ll have the luxury of dropping it
Alabama VT 6 – Hudson – Y1.5, gets it – hop to the side, not the biggest but fine. 9.875
49.450 vault for Alabama, close to LSU’s number actually. Didn’t think it was quite at the same level for me.
LSU UB 6 – Durante – blind to jaeger, solid – good hs – pak, leg break – 1/2 turn on low is nice – FTDT, holds it, deep chest. Good to save the rotation.
9.950 for her and a 49.450 rotation for LSU as well, so they retain a two tenth lead at halfway.
Utah already has two 9.925s and a 9.900 on FX and Dagen just hit a very secure BB in the 5th spot for Oregon Stat.e 9.950
O’Keefe – FX – double pike, around, not the highest, keeps her front foot down – switch to split leap 1.5, lovely switch position obviously, split leap 1.5 was pretttty much around? – wolf double – 1.5 to front full, hit, comes in a tad short, some leg form
Carey – BB – aerial, keeps moving into bhs loso, leg-up check for the very first time – switch to switch 1/2 to beat, shows her switch 1/2, a little slow on rhythm – gainer full, little hop. 9.850
Soloski – FX – DLO, good control – switch 1/2 to split leap full – front lay to front full, shows control – 1.5 to layout, controls her back foot. Good one, her usual. 9.925
That score gets Utah to the all-important 198.000 mark, Oregon State on 197.150 road score.
Rotation 3
LSU BB 1 – Desiderio – switch to switch 1/2, not her best switch positions, a little low – bhs loso, holds it well, was a little off but didn’t show much of a check – aerial, good – gainer full, stuck. 9.900
Alabama FX 1 – Waligora – front lay to front 2/1, keeps it under control, some knees – split leap full to wolf full, a little under in split positions – 1.5 to front lay, bound forward but keeps it in bounds in the corner. 9.800
LSU BB 2 – Rivers – bhs loso series, small check – switch 1/2, arm wave correction, somewhat short of split – switch to straddle 1/4 – 2/1, holds the landing, legs apart, a little hesitation to control. 9.850 is soft.
Michigan was able to drop a fall to go 49.225 on beam and finish on 197.950. Ohio state with 196.900 is also a huge deal for them.
Alabama FX 2 – Gaskins – DLO, controls step – y spin to wolf full, not bad, and good non-normal composition choice – switch to switch 1/2, clear positions and 180s there – front tuck through to double tuck, stumbles back and falls – oof those MLT ankles. 9.050
LSU BB 3 – Dean – side aaerial to bhs, knee, small adjustment working out of it – switch to split, good – aerial to beat, smoothly done – side aerial to full, stuck. One of her better ones. 9.900
Alabama FX 3 – Machado – double pike, large bounce back, arm wave to try to hold it after the bounce too – 1.5 to front lay, hit – pulls her wolf triple around – swtich to switch 1/2, shows 180 on switch – double tuck, holds landing. 9.850
LSU BB 4 – Bryant – aerial to bhs, lovely aerial position – switch, small hesitation before straddle 1/4 but I doub tenough to jeopardize – front tuck, good – split jump, some back foot – punch rudi, stuck. Very good. 9.950
Alabama FX 4 – Hudson – front lay to front 2/1, comes up short, holds it with a shuffle – switch 1/2 to wolf full, nice switch 1/2 – 2.5, good landing – double tuck, chest up, very secure landing. 9.900
LSU BB 5 – Finnegan – bhs loso loso, very comfortable – switch to split, check – aerial, good clean extension – side aerial to tuck full, holds the stick but has a large lean forward to hold it. 9.900
Alabama FX 5 – Blanco – double pike, great height, small rebound – switch ring to switch 1/2 to popa, oddly she was a little crooked on that switch 1/2 position, pulls the combo out – double tuck, hits, hops to present, slightly deep – front full to front tuck, low, bounced her forward. Not her best. 9.750
LSU BB 6 – Johnson – bhs loso, good height, secure – switch to switch, solid back leg – split jump, not to 180 on that one – kickover, holds it, covers without a check, a little off line – bhs 1.5, stuck landing, excellent. 10.000. With that split jump.
Alabama FX 6 – Graber – full in, chest up, well controlled – popa, lovely – switch side through to wolf jump 1.5 dance pass, good rotation – front tuck through to double pike, little bit of lift on final pass. Good one. 9.925
LSU 49.650 on beam, won’t have to go beyond themselves on floor to 198 here.
Alabama on 49.225 on floor, counting the Blanco number.
After 3: LSU 148.600, Alabama 147.975
Rotation 4
Alabama BB 1 – Burgess – one arm bhs to loso, hit, perhaps the smallest lean – cat leap to switch side, good parallel switch side position – switch to split, secure, some back leg – side aerial to full, holds the stick well. 9.900
LSU FX 1 – Desiderio – DLO, secure landing, chest forward – 1.5 to lay, good straight position, didn’t rise into the layout but kept the position clean – split leap full to jump full, around – double tuck, bounce back, got jarred a little. 9.900
Alabama BB 2 – Olsen – switch to switch 1/2, some leg position, nothing major – bhs loso, small lean – front walkover, Kathy couldn’t quite bring herself to call it a front handspring – bhs bhs double pike, holds the stick with a little lean. 9.900
All routines are 9.900. I am a 9.900, you are a 9.900, balance check is a 9.900.
LSU FX 2 – Dunne – front tuck through to double tuck – Why do we have Jay interviewed during this? Is her floor music Jay Clark talking? – switch ring and 1/2 are loverly – double pike, control, chest a little forward. 9.900
Keep it going! 9.900 for everyone!
Alabama BB 3 – Graber – bhs lay-pike, arm wave correction – has another lean correction on her straddle 1/4, leans forward and holds it – cat leap to kickover to scale, not her smoothest but fine – gainer full, stuck. 9.900!
All I want at this point is for everyone to get 9.900 regardless of quality.
LSU FX 3 – KJ Johnson – FTDT, controls her step back, keeps front foot down – 1.5 to front layout, secure – switch side to popa, overturns the switch side a little but ends up in the right place – double tuck, a little short, chest down, hop. Oooh, that could keep us on the 9.900 streak, I was worried until that that she would be over 9.900.
Damn it. 9.875. Disaster.
Alabama BB 4 – Waligora – bhs loso series, secure, some soft legs in there – side aerial, smallest lean – split jump to tuck full, another small lean correction – 1.5, stuck. 9.925.
LSU FX 4 – Finnegan – double arabian, nearly nails the landing, step back – split leap full to split jump full, back leg a little off – 1.5 to layout, pulls it around, right into the corner, slide back. The 9.900 is back.
Alabama BB 5 – Hudson – aerial to bhs loso, nice leg positions throughout – switch to beat, short back leg on switch – side aerial, comfortable – 1.5, little hop. 9.925
LSU FX 5 – Bryant – double front, slide forward – switch ring to switch 1/2, nice elevation on switch 1/2 – front lay to rudi, got a little ragged today in her rudi position. 9.875
Alabama BB 6 – Blanco – aerial, smooth – bhs loso loso, very solid – switch to beat, excellent switch position – 2/1 dismount, holds the stick. Strong one.
9.975 for her. The only difference in which anchor got a 10 and which didn’t was the location of the meet.
Scratching Kiya Johnson floor after getting over 198. LSU done on 198.050, Alabama on 197.600, also a useful road number.