And so, old friends, we arrive at the final day of the season. The big question presented to us is whether we’ll see a repeat of the semifinal day, when Oklahoma looked like the best team, or a repeat of the regional finals, when Florida went 298.999.
Today, Florida starts on vault, Auburn on bars, Utah on beam, and Oklahoma on floor. On those events in the semifinals, Oklahoma went 49.675, Utah 49.600, Auburn 49.4375, and Florida 49.2375. Obviously, Florida will need to step up from those raggedy-ann 9.7s on vault from Thursday to win today, but it’s as critical for Oklahoma and Utah to keep up those scores and not get any “it’s the championship and this is a 9.8 now” in the first rotation because they’re on more important events for their team scores. Utah would certainly need some tenths on Florida in the first rotation to have a shot.
“On Saturdays, we get morning-drunk” – every gym dad.
Kathy walked out of the intro curtain right after Florida and I was like, put her on beam.
Intros and anthem done, ready to rotate. The leo reveal has given a lot of white.
OK let’s go.
Rotation 1
Morgan BB – Utah – bhs loso loso is solid, good landing on side aerial to full. 9.8875
Skaggs pretty on yfull but more of a bounce up than usual. 9.8375
Johnson – FX – rudi, control, slight pike – double tuck, solid –
Schoenherr – VT – Florida – shortish on her Y1.5 again, hop back. Still got 9.800
Groth on bars stick her double tuck after giant full, somewhat late. 9.8875
McCallum – BB – candle mount, hit – wolf double, solid – bhs loso, secure, some feet – cat leap to side aerial to layout full, step-salute. 9.875
Woodard – FX – slide forward on front 2/1 landing – controls front full – switch sdie to split jump full, pretty positions – 9.850
Wong with a small slide back on her vault.
Good stick from Stevens on DLO on bars. 9.850
Reed – VT – Florida – lands super short as well, a couple lunges back. Florida not vaulting better than Thursday.
Bounce back from Brusch on bars, Paulson with a stick on side aerial to full dismount.
Fletcher finishes floor with a crossover slide on 2.5
Just 9.700 for Reed and it could have been lower. Thomas is like, I have to save the team again. Gorgeous stick on Y1.5.
Gobourne – UB – stkatchev to pak, hit, a bit short on 1/2 turn on low – FTDT, holds landing.
Isa with a check on loso loso series, holds onto it. Solid gainer full. 9.8375
nearly 10 for Thomas, two judges went 9.950. 9.9875
Richards vaulting instead of Blakely – short on her Y1.5 but saves the landing with a bounce back.
Sievers hits FTDT on floor, front tuck through to double tuck, good control –
Lee with shap to Pak to van leeuwen with a leg separation, FTDT, hop back.
Eaker – BB – Utah – side aerial to loso very smooth – switch to korbut, good – cat leap to side aerial to tuck full, stuck just a little off line. Good.
Bowers – FX – OU – double pike, lovely, step back keeps it in bounds – front full to front tuck, wellll OOB, onto the extra mat off the floor –
O’Keefe – BB – Utah – side aerial to loso is solid – switch to split leap, good – cat leap to side aerial to full, leans forward to try to hold the stick. 9.900
Smith – FX – OU – double tuck, bounce back, another OOB – 1.5 to front lay, not her usual crisp layout shape, a little low – switch side to wolf full is nice – double pike, holds it
WELL. Florida and Oklahoma both underperforming in that first rotation. Florida went 49.350 on vault which will keep them in it, but they should be thanking their lucky stars that went 49.350 because those short 1.5s could have been docked much more. It was like they were taking for the steps but not also the coming in short. Oklahoma’s double OOBs for the final two on floor hurts A LOT.
Auburn will be pleased with an on-track bars score that’s starting to look good given how the others do. The same for Utah, with a beam total that isn’t as good as the semifinal, but will it even need to be given how today is going?
After 1:
Utah 49.5125
Auburn 49.425
Florida 49.350
Oklahoma 49.1875
Ouch Oklahoma.
Rotation 2
Stern – VT – OU – solid Y1.5, medium hop forward. 9.900
Blakely – UB – Florida – shap to pak is hit, a little close on pak but works through it – hits final hs – toe 1/2 to front giant to double front, step forward
Hollingswrth smooth on series on beam, pause before switch 1/2 but secure.
Paulson finishes FX with clean 1.5 to front full.9.900
Levasseur with a very nice stick or near stick on her y1.5 today. 9.975
Annnd McCusker falls on her stalder to double tuck dismount on bars.
Bowers – VT – OU – also good control on her y1.5, little hop in place.
Gilstrap – FX – Utah – good chest up on double tuck, very small foot movement – front lay to rudi, bounce back – front lay to front full, a bit low
Brusch with a lean on her switch side on beam, pulls it back
Schoenherr – close on her jaeger but works through it – bail. nice vertical – double front 1/2 out, stuck. Saved potential disaster there.
Sievers with a medium step forward on Y1.5, not quite the dynamics of the last couple. 9.850
Skaggs has to lean forward to hold the stick on bars but does.
Trautman – VT – OU – very good stick on her y1.5, nailed vault, perhaps not the distance. 9.9625 for her as well. I would say she was helped by her lineup more than Thomas because she didn’t have the same dynamics.
Rucker controls her front lay to front full to finish on floor.
Oklahoma goes with Fletcher today in the 6th spot and she hits her 1.5 after struggling again today in warmup, Hop forward.
Thomas – UB – Florida – maloney to pak, nice – good hs on low – toe on to van leeuwen – good hs on high – DLO, nice landing.
Groth with a wobble on her series for Auburn.
49.6625 for Oklahoma on vault. Big comeback rotation.
McCallum – FX – Utah – FTDT, controls, some chest position – front lay to rudi, under control
Wong – UB – Florida – maloney to pak, good – van leeuwen, legs together – loose back arch on final cast hs – DLO, hop back.
McLaughlin – BB – Auburn – switch to bhs loso, holds it well – beat with a pause before side aerial, clean – switch to straddle 1/4, nice – gainer pike, hop.
49.525 for Florida on bars.
O’Keefe – FX – Utah – double pike, bounce back – switch to split leap 1.5, good split positions – fully puts her hand down on her double wolf turn to try to maintain balance – 1.5 to front tuck full attempt and falls. The problems started with the wolf turn.
Lee – BB – Auburn – aerial to bhs loso is lovely – check on switch 1/2 with leg up – solid on gainer full. Good for normals, but not a Suni 10, which is what Auburn needed.
Utah still waiting for Soloski to go. They had four usable scores before O’Keefe, but they’re going to need Soloski welllll into the 9.9s given the events to come.
I see a range of 8.4 to 9.0 for O’Keefe.
Soloski – FX – Utah – DLO, bounce back – switch 1/2 to split full, good height, good 180s, some feet in switch – front lay to front full, small rebound – 1.5 to front lay, not her highest, pulls it out. It will be enough to put Utah into first still, but enough to withstand vault?
Florida staying in it and Oklahoma pulled themselves back up with that vault rotation. If they had done normal floor, they would be dominating the competition so far. Utah needs some landings on vault now because it will be a tough act to follow that Oklahoma rotation, although Florida still got the scores for short landings. Florida now going to what can be its two highest scores.
Rotation 3
O’Keefe – VT – Utah – nearly finds the stick on her yfull, step salute
Skaggs – BB – Florida – wolf single, smooth – switch to split is nice – bhs loso, comfortable – good switch side – side aerial to layout full.
Sievers – UB – shap to pak is good – solid cast hs positions, and a stuck FTDT. That works.
Stanhope – VT – Utah – out of control on her Y1.5 landing with a bounce forward and another step.
Well now. Sievers goes 9.975 for her opening bars routine.
Levassuer – UB – OU – toe on, a bit late into tkatchev, nice – bail, good position – DLO, little rebound
Blakely – Bb – Florida – aerial to bhs, good – switch 1/2 is secure – side aerial layout full, bounce back. 9.8625
Another solid stick for Rucker on vault.
Tratuman – UB – OU – shap to pak is hit – 1/2 turn on low a bit late – DLO, hop back.
Burch with a hop on her y1.5, not too large.
Baumann – BB – Florida – bhs loso, well done – switch to split, solid – aerial to beat, also hit – side aerial., secure – 1.5 dismount, bit of a step salute.
McCallum chest down landing on vault with a rebound. 9.8375
Stevens finishes FX for Auburn with double tuck, chest forward some, hop to present.
Hall finishes vault for Utah with a fall on her Y1.5. So they’ll have to count Stanhope.
Bowers – Ub – OU – Ray is excellent – toe on to ak, legs together well – 1/2 turn on low is nice – sticks dismount.
Wong was leaning a little on her switch to split opening combination but covered herself on line, the rest was nice, but she did lean welll forward on dismount to try to hold the stick and didn’t. 9.8375
Groth – FX – Auburn – front 2/1, little slide – switch 1/2 to wolf full, very nice – 1.5 to front layout, good position maintained on layout – controls rudi landing.
Davis – UB – OU – good first hs – higgins to iked jaeger, lovely – good hs – pak, smooth – 1/2 turn on low, good position – double front 1/2 out, holds stick with a stagger.
Thomas – BB – Florida – they need another Trinity saving routine – good switch mount – one arm bhs to a good loso – aerial, little arm wave – korbut is hit – side aerial to layout full, little slide. 9.900
Lee – FX – Auburn – DLO, chest up pretty well – switch ring and split full are comfortable – 1.5 to front full, controls step.
49.725 for Oklahoma on bars. Well damn.
Clapper – BB – Florida – bhs loso loso series is secure – switch to split, hit – side aerial to layout full a bit off line, holds the stick.
Gobourne – FX – Auburn – open double tuck, good control on landing – switch side to wolf full, nice – front full to layout, control – double pike, maybe a little slide. Good one.
After 3:
Oklahoma 148.575
Florida 148.375
Utah 148.200
Auburn 148.0125
Oklahoma in control now and should be able to decide how this thing plays out, but with Florida going to floor, Florida will entertain the possibility of gaining two tenths on Oklahoma here. In the semifinal, Florida’s floor score was .2375 higher than Oklahoma’s beam.
Dunn – BB – OU – bhs bhs loso, on – finishes gainer full with slide back
Skaggs – FX – Florida – rudi to double stag with a control kick thing – split leap full to jump full – 1.5 to layout, good straight position
9.850 for Dunn to 9.875 for Skaggs.
Trautman – BB – OU – bhs loso series, secure landing – cat leap to sdie side, good – kickover, small wiggle to hold it – 1.5 dismount, off line but holds the stick
Baumann – FX – Florida – 1.5 to front full, under control – L turn to full turn – double pike, holds landing. And it’s 9.950. The floorening begins.
Gobourne – VT – Auburn – shuffle forward on 1.5
Levasseur – BB – OU – a bit of a check on her series – switch to straddle 1/4, again a small movement to hold it, good split position – aerial to beat – bhs gainer full, stuck. 9.900
Thompson – Ub – Utah – good pak, shap, a ltitle low but fine, connects to gienger – some hip angle in hs – small step on landing
Wong – FX – Florida – 3/1, good landing, leg crossing – split leap full to split jump full, good – 1/2 to front full, good – double pike, controlled, chest forward. And that’s 9.950 as well.
O’Keefe with small step on double arabian bars dismount.
Davis – BB – OU – bhs loso series, very small adjustment – aerial, is good – beat to split ring jump, pretty – 2/1, stuck landing. Excellent. 9.9375
Isa – UB – Utah – Ray, good, solid cast hs – a bit of back position on bail – giant full to DLO, tries to sell stick, ends up leaning forward witha hop salute
Reed – FX – small foot movement on DLO – front lay to rudi, keeps foot down – switch 1/2 to wolf full – double pike, chest forward, step. 9.9125
Woodard – BB – OU – side aerial to bhs, hit – kickover to beat, strong – switch to split, lovely positions – side aerial to full, stuck. Good one.
Thomas – FX – Florida – DLO, huge, little rebound – split leap full to popa to popa, wonderful – 1.5 to front lay, literally perfect layout.
I see a lot of judges trying to find their 1s. It’s 10s from all six for Thomas
Smith – BB – OU – aerial, smoothly done – straddle 1/2 to korbut, lovely – bhs gainer full, stuck landing. That really should do it.
Richards – FX – Florida – DLO, some leg position, good control – switch side to popa to wolf full, pulls it around – 1.5 to front lay, a bit deep in step, doesn’t move back leg.
Smith’s 9.9625 will clinch the championship for Oklahoma.
But a close one!
9.900 comes up for Richards to get Florida to 198.0875, but it will be Oklahoma on 198.200 for the win.
And ultimately I think justice done with the gymnastics today. It really didn’t look like Oklahoma had it in that first rotation, but they were exceptional on the final three pieces. Florida just couldn’t have afforded to vault like that and still win the title.
And a huge accomplishment for Oklahoma, a team that really shouldn’t have been this good this year with all the world team members and Olympians coming in for other teams, but they won with execution.
The two happy teams out here are Oklahoma and Auburn.
Here in the arena for the first semifinal, where we’ll have Oklahoma, Utah, Alabama, and Minnesota—what is in some respects the main event for today as its the semifinal with the less-clear setup for favored teams. Also critical for this first semifinal will be the score Jade Carey puts up in the all-around with some many AA contenders coming in the second semifinal.
As for the view from my section, I have a pretty solid view of bars handstands so intend to be a real gargoyle about those today. I have a head-on view of beam so won’t be able to tell you a lot about beam split positions and will have to rely on the other 12 times we’ve seen those same elements. If that’s a problem for you, blame Scott Bregman, who chose our seats because he got here first.
We’re in the second rotation of warmups now. Utah having some landing problems on Y1.5s in the first go, except for Burch who stuck. Jaye Mack’s piked full in looked very good.
Blanco working beam with a wrapped ankle but everything looks good, protecting her ankle on dismount landing. Lexi Graber looked the best at knowing the lyrics to “No Scrubs” during the transition period.
It’s interesting that the full coaching staffs are here for the individuals. I would be like, “Hi, don’t need corrections from four coaches after that touch for just little old me.”
McCallum and Paulson are both working beam for Utah, but so are all the options, so not a lot revealed there.
Can’t wait for these introduction fire spurts to terrify the gymnasts.
Yep. Oklahoma got terrified twice already. Also Oklahoma’s intro video should come with an epilepsy warning.
The PA guy was doing so well and then Tiarre Sales happened. Well, you had a good run.
Intros and anthem done, touch starting. No capelet for Duckworth today. I repeat: no capelet.
Rotation 1
Stern – VT – OU – very solid landing on Y1.5, just a little shorter than some and some legs. 9.9375 is big. A lot went 9.950 for it.
Gaskins holds sticks on DLO on bars, leg separation on pak. 9.800
Koch with a fairly large break on attempted aerial to scale, pulls it back but no scale.
Paulson finishes FX with solid 1.5 to layout.
Levasseur – VT – OU – nearly falls on Y1.5! Stumble back, several steps.
I’m seeing 9.65s and 9.7s for Koch.
Waligora – Ub – Alabama – hits jaeger to overshoot, good amplitude – DLO 1/1, a little pike, hop forward. 9.8125
Bowers – VT – OU – medium hop forward on her Y1.5, I think she was playing it a little safe after that error from Levassuer.
Clean double tuck to start on FX from Gilstrap, a very small control movement – rudi, goof form, slide back – switch ring and split leap full, excellent – somewhat short on final pass.
Sievers solid amplitude on Y1.5, step forward.
Hudson through cleanly on bars, some pike in bail position – a bit late on giant full into dismount, stuck double tuck.
Trautman – VT – OU – pretty good on Y1.5 control, rises up onto toes and then another step salute, so you can definitely take a tenth on landing.
Rucker – FX – Utah – little crossover back step on FTDT –
Check for Sonier on series, arm wave – crossover step on dismount
Machado – shap to pak is clean – hits shap 1/2 – toe full, late into double tuck.
Looks like Oklahoma has pulled Fletcher from vault. She fell on her Y1.5 in the final touch and they don’t want to take that score. Clean full from Davis instead of her. Which means we should see Davis in the AA now.
Carey – VT – DTY – her usual, big DTY with a small slide back. Should be a useful number for her AA hopes.
Small slide back from Doggette on beam landing.
Near fall from Loper on beam for her piked kickover, saves it.
McCallum with a good landing on her FTDT – rudi, a bit low, fine –
Oklahoma went 49.350 on vault. Not the score they are used to, but looking at the standard so far, that should be fine. We’re seeing a lot of 9.8s for Alabama on bars.
Surprised by Carey’s 9.8875. It’s fair when you take hop and knees and maybe it was a little big for a .05 slide. But she’s been getting 9.950 for that same thing this season.
O’Keefe finishes on FX with a controlled landing on 1.5 to front full, a bit of legs. 9.8875.
Alabama 49.200 on bars. It will put them in a hole but we’ll see how things carry out because bars has looked the tightest event so far today. Shaffer in the individual spot nearly holds the landing on her DLO, little lean and step salute.
Soloski – FX – Utah – DLO, slide back, some knee position – hits split position, foot flexing – front lay to front full, slight crossover step – 1.5 to layout, good lay position. 9.9125
Ramler – BB – clean bhs loso – split ring jump is good – side aerial to full, stick. A good one from Ramler but Minnesota has fallen out with the previous beam scores.
9.9375 for Ramler.
49.475 for Utah.
Linton with a strong routine in the individual spot on beam. Hambrick on floor, a little out of control on her connected double stag – very low landing on final double pike with lunge.
After 1: Utah 49.475 Oklahoma 49.350 Alabama 49.200 Minnesota 48.975
Alabama with work to do now. Some late handstands, some leg separations, some hops. We’ll see how it compares to the other bars rotations.
Rotation 2
O’Keefe – VT – Utah – good open on her yfull, but a medium bounce back
Sievers – UB – OU – good hs – shap to pak, legs together on pak – solid final cast hs – FTDT, holds stick. Good one. 9.900, outscored the whole Alabama rotation
Burgess holds the stick on side aerial to full dismount on beam. 9.8875
Stanhope bounce forward on Y1.5.
Levassuer – UB – OU – toe on to taktchev, smooth – bvery crisp bail position – good final cast hs – DLO, stuck. Little pike in the first salto. Clean.
Rucker – VT – Utah – very good stick on her Y1.5, much stronger than warmups when she was falling. Looks like two judges went 10.
Large break for Shallon on beam, leg up to horiztontal and a lean. Short on double pike landing, hop forward. With these huge scores coming up for the others…
9.9375 for levassuer on bars.
Burch with a good stick on her Y1.5 as well, not the same amplitude as Rucker so shouldn’t get the same number. But still goes 9.925.
McCallum – VT – Utah – Servente – also better than warmups, small hop to the side, flexed feet
Graber, very controlled on her series
Smith – Ub – OU – Ray is solid into pak, good one – 1/2 turn on low is pretty solid – good hs – pikes around her DLO, hop forward. 9.8625, most of that will be dismount, at least a tenth there.
Hall pulls around her Y1.5 for Utah, larger hope forward and some knees, but they also don’t need the score from her.
Near stick from Hambrick on her Y1.5, little step to the side.
Bowers – Ub – OU – a bit close on her Ray catch, gets it – pak, clean – 1/2 turn, good vertical position – crisp final cast hs – FTDT, smallest movement. Should be Another big one. 9.900. Oklahoma will gain some ground back on Utah in this rotation.
Minnesota has been pulling it back with some better numbers on floor, but is it too late?
Davis UB – OU – higgins to piked jaeger, lovelent – good hs – pak, smooth – 1/2 turn, good vertical, slight back position -higgins to double front 1/2 out, holds the stick with some stagger.
Hudson hits side aerial on bb, very small lean – finishes with a large stumble back on 1.5 dismount, multiple lunges. Alabama just not quite on today. Will have to go huge on floor.
Davis 9.950 gets Oklahoma to 49.575 and the lead.
Carey – UB – OSU – maloney to bhardwaj, hit, small amount of legs at the end – van leeuwen, legs together – FTDT, little rebound. 9.950. Don’t see how that’s the same as Davis. Davis should be higher.
Blanco – BB – Alabama – aerial, clean – full turn, hit – bhs loso loso, small lean, good extension – switch to beat, good – side aerial to layout full, went for the landing in the real one.
Hooten – FX – Minnesota – FTDT, controls alnding – switch side to popa, high, around – 1.5 to front pike, comfortable – double tuck, small rebound, good feet. One went 10, the rest 9.950.
Blanco saves beam with 9.9375 for Alabama to go 49.325. Minnesota 49.500 on FX.
Mack – FX – lands short on piked full in with a lunge forward. She stuck two of those in the warmup.
Minnesota brings it back to Alabama in the second rotation, but both have allowed a margin to materialize between them and the leaders. Utah much better on vault in the meet than the warmup to stay with Oklahoma. Alabama will need to go over 49.5 in this floor rotation to try to make things back.
Rotation 3
Speaking of warming up vault differently than competing, Minnesota did not have the landings on vault in their touch, so we shall see.
Dunn – BB – Ou – bhs bhs loso – secure on split and split 1/2 – gainer full is super deep, leans way forward to hold the stick. Just 9.7875
Music looked off for Shallon but she’s like whatever I’m starting anyway.
Olsen pulls around front tuck to double back final pass. Secure.
Ramler VT pretty solid leg position today but a bounce forward.
McCallum – Ub – Utah – maloney to pak, comfortable – van leeuwen, small leg break – FTDT, pinged off and deep, lunge forward
Trautman – BB – OU – full turn, good – bhs loso, secure – switch side – stuck landing on 1.5 dismount. 9.9125
Paulson finishes bars with giant full, solid finish position into double tuck, bounce back. They’ll want to drop that 9.725 from McCallum.
Gaskins – FX – Alabama – DLO, bounce back, some loose knees – front tuck through to double tuck, pulls it out –
Loper – VT – nearly holds onto landing on Y1.5 but a step back
Levasseur very smooth on loso series on beam – shows extension on switch and straddle 1/4 – aerial – stuck gainer full. Good.
Thompson sticks DLO on bars for Utah. A handstand in there, but better.
One of Koch’s best tucked Y1.5s on vault, step forward.
Machado – FX – Alabama – double pike, chest up, good – 1.5 to front pike, not the highest but fine – pulls around wolf triple, gets a little funky in the final turn – switch to switch 1/2 – controls double tuck.
O’Keefe getds the stick on her double Arabian dismount on bars. Looked a bit late on her 1/2 turn on low but otherwise solid.
Davis goes through comfortably on beam as well. Oklahoma doing what is necessary on the last three beam routines.
Alabama getting 9.8s but they need 9.9s.
Isa – UB – Utah – Ray – good – bail, small lean, good vertical – gets all over the place on giant full, pulls it around but major lean and deep landing on DLO with a step.
Woodard – BB – OU – side aerial to bhs, on – kickover to beat, comfortable – switch to split, nice – good landing on dismount, little rebound, legs apart.
Hudson finishes FX for Alabama with secure double tuck.
Isa’s 9.700 means Utah will count 9.725 from McCallum. 49.2125 on bars, opened the door for Alabama. But Alabama’s going to need a huge number from Graber now to take advantage. After 9.9125 from Hudson.
Graber – FX – Alabama – chest up on full in, small front foot movement – switch side to wolf 1.5, good – double pike, little hop to the side.
Smith – BB – Ou – good loso series – aerial, comfortable – straddle 1/2 to korbut, right on – gainer full, chest a bit forward, movement.
Oklahoma clearly the class of that rotation.
The difference of judge sides: One side of floor went all 9.950s for Graber. The other side of three judges was 9.900/9.900/9.850.
Bryant – FX – Stanford – very good control on FTDT – front tuck through to double pike, dances out quikcly – chest a bit forward on open double tuck
Carey – BB – OSU – balance check on aerial, arm wave and lean – loso series is secure – switch to switch 1/2, little control hesitation to beat jump – gainer full, secure. But that balance check will be significant.
Oklahoma pulling away as long as something weird doesn’t happen on floor. Utah let Alabama close the gap but will still favor themselves going to beam. Utah having to deliver on beam in the final rotation. Nothing new there. But their scoring potential on beam will be higher than Alabama’s on vault.
Rotation 4
Olsen controls landing on her DTY, but a lean forward and a little movement.
Johnson – FX – OU – a bit out of control on her rudi landing, crossover back step – double tuck, solid –
Morgan sticks side aerial to layout full to lead off beam for Utah.
Olsen went 9.875 but it looks like a high 9.7 for Quinn following her.
Large lunge forward for Paradise on y1.5 on vault. Not the landing they needed especially with Morgan starting on 9.9 on beam for Utah.
McCallum – BB – OU – wolf double, good – bhs loso, check, feet – kept it on – switch, wobble before stag jump, will put some question into her dance combination – sticks dismount
Hudson struggles on vault landing for Alabama as well, a little stiff and short with a couple steps. Eesh. And coming after two 9.7s. Utah won’t have to be that good on beam now.
Looks like all the judges gave McCallum her dance series.
Very good Y1.5 for Alabama from Blanco. The only one who can land. On that ankle!
Paulson – BB – Utah – side aerial to loso, a little off line with a check – beat jump to side aerial to full, stuck.
Graber comes up slightly deep on her Y1.5 with a slide back. Alabama did not really bring it today. Some good moments, but all these vault landings and the beam wobbles and it just wasn’t strong enough for a national semifinal.
Griswold sits her y1/5 on vault.
Solid save from Isa on beam as she looked quite off line on her series, pulled it back with a small check.
Alabama just 49.125 on vault. Minnesota will like its chances to take third now.
Sales hits her khorkina but overarches her next handstand and comes off bars. Means Remlinger’s 9.7875 will count. So maybe not.
Eaker – BB – Utah – side aerial to loso is strong – switch to korbut, nice – cat leap to sdei aerial to tuck full, holds stick with a legs well apart.
That will clinch a spot in the final for Utah.
Bowers great double pike. And that will clinch a spot in the final for Oklahoma.
Eaker moves into a 4-way tie for the beam lead.
Smith FX – OU – secure double tuck – 1.5 to layout, nice layout position as always – switch side to wolf full, lovely – double pike, controls landing, chest a bit forward.
Balance check on her side aerial loso for O’Keefe – side aerial to full, stuck.
Ramler – UB – Minnesota – maloney to pak, clean – good hs on low – van leeuwen – toe on, a bit late into FTDT, stuck.
I see a 10 from one judge for Smith on floor. Carey to go now – double double, not under control with a bounce back – front full to layout looked kind of low – double tuck is comfortable.
Judges still go high for Carey with a 9.9125, which puts her ahead of Ramler in the AA on 39.650. It’s a good score, but we expect someone in the second semifinal to beat that.
Minnesota does end up passing Alabama, which will be significant for final season finish. Ultimately, this one didn’t end up nearly as close as it was supposed to be because Alabama was just slightly off from the start and couldn’t give Utah too much of a fight, and then the vault landings sealed it. Oklahoma will be pleased with the margin over Utah, as they were clearly the class of the first semifinal.
Current individual leaders are Rucker for vault with 9.9625, Davis Carey and Ramler on bars with 9.950, Ramler Blanco Paulson Eaker and O’Keefe on beam with 9.9375, and Bowers on floor with 9.9625.
Yep, definitely equivalent routines. All of them. Is it weird if I think Rucker’s score is the most likely to hold up? But really with the people coming up in the second semifinal, don’t be surprised if all of these scores fall for another year.
So now it’s going to be down to the second semifinal to make things interesting…
Open stretch for the second semifinal is underway. Highlight so far has been Suni and Adeline Kenlin playing volleyball together because there’s a volleyball here for some reason? Now Michigan is playing mime football on floor. Now baseball. I gave it a 9.825 and was out of range.
Individual judges scores for the last session have been released. Ramler was the only gymnast on one of the four teams to get lower than a 9.800 from any single judge. One went 9.750 for her. And another went 9.950. Lots of big ranges for the Minnesota routines. By far the team with the most .2 ranges. One judge had Minnesota at 48.800 on beam and another had 49.250 on beam.
In the first rotation of the warmup, looks like Florida has Richards warming up as the 7th on vault. Well, I say 7th. She’s in the order before Sloane Blakely, who just warmed up a full. Reed and Thomas both stuck their first warmup 1.5s.
Brooks and Heiskell are both warming up floor for Michigan.
Blakely just went for her first Y1.5 and landed it, a bit short with a step, probably a 9.750ish vault if it were the meet. Richards also went for a Y1.5, landed a little short with some help from Burde. I didn’t see Leanne Wong vault at all. She’s just in sweats.
Wong is warming up bars though.
So far for Michigan’s vault warmup, we’ve seen the normal 1.5s and we’ve seen Guggino, Brenner, and Mulligan working fulls. Now I’ve seen Guggino hit a Y1.5 with a step forward. Brenner just sat a Y1.5 attempt. Guggino almost fell on her second attempt. Brenner sits another, so I’d imagine it’s going to be Guggino for the meet. Brenner did pull out the landing on third attempt.
Chiles just bounced back 80 miles into Dom’s arms on a DLO. Now working DLO 1/1s. We’ve seen a Lopez from Suni. McCusker is warming up beam for Florida, looks like in the alternate spot.
Wong is warming up floor for Florida as well.
Intros and anthems are done.
OK, so Wong is listed on the vault lineup and is vaulting in the touch now. Fake out!
Rotation 1
Brenner – FX – Michigan – full in, small hop to the side, chest -1/5 to front lay – double pike, pulls it around. 9.8625
Skaggs – VT – Florida – sticks yfull, some stagger
Hollingsworth with a bit of a pause between switch and switch 1/2 but otherwise one of her most secure beams, arm wave to try to hold the landing.
A couple judges went perfect for Skaggs on vault, the two judges who are in line with the springboard and are looking back to the landing.
Schoenherr – VT – Florida – large bound forward on Y1.5
Heiskell – FX – Michigan – double arabian, lunge forward, keeps it in – good wolf fulls – 1.5 to front lay is clean
Brusch with a small check on loso series on beam
Wong – VT – Florida – ro 1/2 on pike 1/2, medium bounce back
A couple 9.7s in the first two bars spots for Missouri.
Reed – VT – Florida – also fairly out of control on landing, lunge forward
Wojcik – FX – Michigan – front 2/1 to front pike,s tuck, very nice – split leap full to popa, lovely positions – double pike, bounce, small – rudi to staddle, some travel back
Thomas – VT – Florida – nearly finds the stick on her y1.5, small step back.
Schreiber on bars finishes with a DLO, pike over to hold the landing. 9.825
9.8375 on beam for Stevens. 9.9125 for Wojcik. 9.900 for Thomas.
Blakely pulls out her Y1.5 for Florida, deep landing but keeps it under control. 9.750. Not an awesome vault rotation for Florida.
Groth – BB – Auburn – secure on bhs loso bhs series – switch 1/2 is nice – aerial, holds it – side aerial to full, stuck. Good one.
Morrison with a stumble back on first pass for Michigan
Good landing on rudi dismount for Sheremeta.
Worley does well to save the landing on her Y1.5 after coming in a little short, didn’t give away much in landing deductions.
49.2375 for Florida on vault.
Brooks on floor – FTDT, step back, keeps her back foot in – split leap full to split jump full, good positions – double tuck, controls the landing, chest down.
Hu with a very clean one, her best dismount combo I’ve seen this season.
McLaughlin sticks gainer pike off the end of beam.
Wilson – FX – Michigan – open FTDT, jarred back on landing – solid control on second pass – high switch side to popa – double tuck, under control – second two passes were her normal.
Chiles falls on her piked tkatchev.
Auburn will be ahead of Florida after 1.
Lee – BB – Auburn – wolf single, good – aerial to bhs loso like a 2012 elite, very good – switch to switch 1/2, comfortable – bhs gainer full, stuck.
Flatley – FX – UCLA – 3/1 is very nice – front 2/1, a bit of legs, good control – 1.5 to lay, lowish, softs it around
9.9625 on beam for Lee, which gives her the event lead.
Florida giving itself work to do with those vault landings after the first rotation. Also so far Auburn is winning the competition for drunkest dads, which is more important than the team title, I think.
Rotation 2
Wojcik – VT – Michigan – nice form on her Y1.5, hop forward
Blakely – UB – Florida – maloney to pak, hit, small leg break in maloney, pretty solid 1/2 turn position on low – gets caught in toe on and comes off! Not the comeback rotation start Florida was looking for.
Heiskell – VT – Michigan – opens well out of her y1.5, also a hop forward, larger than Wojcik’s hop. They go 9.850 for hers.
brusch opens floor with 9.8625 for Auburn.
Morrison – VT – Michigan – lands short on Y1.5, bounce back.
Watson bounce forward and OOB on her double Arabian on floor.
McCusker – UB – shap to pak, van leeuwen, very nice – short cas on high – stalder to double tuck, found the stick. Nice one. So this is the “everybody is off except Riley” meet?
Brooks with the best amplitude of the bunch so far for Michigan on vault, but another bounce forward.
Wilson – VT – Michigan – pace forward on her Y1.5, a bit more control than the others, but definitely a tenth step.
Schoenherr – Ub – Florida – jaeger ccatch just a tad close – toe on, nearly arches over but pulls it back – good final cast hs – blind to double front 1/2 out, step-salute. Near disaster for Florida there but she saved it.
Guggino with a nice one in the anchor position for Michigan, step forward. About a thousand times better than her vaults in warmup.
Stevens secure double tuck to finish on FX for Auburn. Schoenherr 9.8125 on bars.
Skaggs a very nice DLO stick on bars for Florida as they try to claw this back.
Groth – FX – Auburn – front 2/1, controls the step – solid leap positions – 1.5 to layout, smooth – rudi, good.
Looks like Burde is talking with the judges on bars? Something is up on bars. Now the AAi person is over there. They’ve had Thomas go back.
Meanwhile, nice aerial to scale from Hu.
Lee – FX – Auburn – DLO, solid landing, pretty good chest up as well – switch ring to split leap full, lovely – 1.5 to front full, a little low, slide.
We’re still having a lot of VERY IMPORTANT TALKS around bars.
9.950 for Lee on floor.
Schreiber – BB – Missouri – bhs loso loso, right on – switch 1/2 to split jump, good height – beat to gainer full, holds the stick.
Gobourne – FX – Auburn – double tuck, chest up, good control – front full to front lay – double pike, good landing. Some of her best landings.
Thomas still being held on bars. Although they’re not…actually doing anything.
Davis goes through very cleanly on floor, finishes double tuck, little hop to present.
Gobourne will tie Bowers for the lead on floor.
Michigan 49.425 on vault, Auburn 49.575 on floor, so Auburn will go ahead of Michigan after two. As for Florida. we still have no idea what is happening.
Looks like they’re going to resume bars and give Thomas, Wong, and Worley a new touch warmup.
Thomas – UB – Florida – gymnastics is back! – good first hs – maloney to pak, very nice – toe on to van leeuwen – DLO, little rebound, very nice one.
She goes half 9.95s, half 10s, which will take the lead on bars. 9.975
Wong – UB – Florida – maloney to pak, legs together well -, good hs – van leeuwen, pretty – good hs – DLO, chest forward with a step salute
9.9125 for Wong to get Florida to 49.475 on bars, which is not bad but doesn’t get them up into the top 2.
Worley – UB – Kentucky – good first hs – clear hip to tkatchev, solid – pak – 1/2 turn on low – good final cast hs – FTDT, holds the landing, chest somewhat down
After 2: Auburn 99.050 Michigan 98.9125 Florida 98.7125 Missouri 98.5375
You still favor Florida to come through this given that they have beam and floor to come, but they still have to do it. I think all the teams should be nervous about their positions right now, actually. This will be the decisive rotation for the AA, you feel. With Lee on vault and Thomas on beam.
Rotation 3
Groth – VT – Auburn – bounce back on yfull, some pike
Skaggs – BB – Florida – wolf single, good – switch to split, nice – bhs loso, comfortable – aerial, comfortable – good switch side – side aerial to full, stuck. Very nice.
Heiskell – UB – Michigan – blind to jaeger, good – pak is high – good final cast hs – giant full to double tuck, solid landing. Good.
Schreiber goes 9.8875 to lead off floor.
Stevens – VT – Auburn – just a yfull today with a bounce back. She posted the Y1.5, so that was an in the moment decision.
9.9125 for Heiskell.
Blakely – BB – Florida – aerial to bhs, hit – switch 1/2, some feet – side aerial to layout full, stuck. 9.900
Brenner with a fall in the second spot on bars. It’s going to be interesting now.
9.7875 for Stevens. Gobourne now – solid work on Y1.5, medium shuffle forward
Baumann – BB – Florida – wobble on loso series, leg up and turns to the side – switch to split is good
Watson – VT – Auburn – solid landing on Y1.5, pretty close to the table and some knees
Lee – VT – Auburn – Lopez, solid landing but a hop back, some feet
Wong – BB – Florida – switch to split, clean – bhs loso, lovely toes – full turn, nice – switch ring, covers a check well – aerial is smooth – step salute on landing.
Kiya Johnson nearly shows full stick on her DTY, should be a high one. One judge did go 10 but also some 9.9s.
Morrison 9.8875 for Michigan
Brooks – UB – Michigan – blind to piked jaeger, good – toe – DLO 1/1, strong landing.
Thomas – arm choreo to cover on her mount -switch to split is nice – one arm bhs to loso, solid – aerial to korbut – side aerial to layout full, heels together
Good DLO from Moore on FX for Missouri – high straddle elements – double tuck, chest well down with a lunge forward
Wojcik – UB – deltchev, excellent into overshoot – DLO, a little under, hops forward
Auburn went 49.350 on vault. Thomas now in on 9.9375 on beam.
Celestine – FX – Missouri – FTDT, step back, no hint of out of bounds, we’re all OK – split leap full to split jump full, good positions – 1.5 to layout
Vore – Ub – Michigan – maloney to bail, solid vertical – pulls back a handstand on high bar – DLO, takes it wayyyyy close to the bar and stumbles back and falls! – Michigan counting a fall on bars.
Well.
Well.
Worley – BB – Kentucky – cat leap to switch side, nice – aerial, arm wave to continue into bhs loso, keeps it moving well – stuck dismount, a little off to the side
Chiles – FX – UCLA – DLO 1/1, very good landing, clearly from that sailed DLO in the warmup she needed to be doing 1/1 – bounce back on second pass landing – split leap full to wolf jump 1.5, under on the 1.5 rotation – double pike, controls landing, chest a bit down.
So it was 49.350 for Auburn on vault, 49.5125 for Florida on beam, Missouri 49.4125 on floor, and Michigan…48.675 on bars.
After 3: Auburn 148.400 Florida 148.225 Missouri 147.950 Michigan 147.5875
Michigan has been taken out of it now with that bars rotation. Missouri now the closest challenger, but is going to vault where they have more fulls in the lineup. Auburn and Florida well in control now with one left.
Rotation 4
Sabados – UB – Auburn – Ray, solid – short cast – toe on to bail, a little angle in the air but gets the vertical in the end – DLO, shuffle back
Morrison leads off Michigan on beam by going over on the candle and having to muscle to stay on – another large check – and now 1.5 dismount and falls. Eeeeesh.
McCrary vault for Missouri with a step back on yfull, piking.
Groth – UB – Auburn – hits ray, lovely form on Pak – good final cast hs – giant full, small pause in vertical, to double tuck, stuck
Schreiber with a small hop back on her yfull
Baumann 1.5 to front full on floor, a bit of legs – L turn fullturn – switch 1/2 to sissone – doubel pike, small bounce.
Davis with a hop back on her full for Missouri.
Stevens – UB – Auburn – toe on to Ray, good – good cast hs on high – DLO, pikes it down some, nearly finds the landing, hop forward
Celestine holds onto the landing on a strong Y1.5 for Missouri, a little leg stagger and slightly deep
Wong – FX – Florida – 3/1, very good control, some legs – split leap full to split jump full – 1/2 to front full, hit – double pike, comfortable.
Moore VT finishes for Missouri, step to the side and then another small step,
Brusch with a nice DLO on bars.
Wong goes 9.950 on floor.
Missouri 49.250 on vault.
Brooks has fallen on beam on her bhs loso. They went to pieces after the counting fall on bars.
Reed – FX – Florida – DLO, very good – front lay to rudi, excellent landing – switch 1/2 to wolf full, strong positions – double pike, little slide back
Gobourne – UB – Auburn – solid tkatchev to pak, some feet, FTDT, stuck. A couple handstand angles
Lee – UB – Auburn – Maloney to pak to van leeuwen, wvery clean – small loose back position in final cast hs – FTDT, step back salute. That will give the edge to Thomas here in the AA with this floor.
Thomas – FX – Florida – DLO, good front foot control – split leap full to popa to popa, very nice positions – front full to front lay, smooth on the step forward, and that will clinch the AA title.
Lee with 39.675 was in as the leader before that.
Wojcik to finish things for Michigan – aerial, lovely – switch to split, nice – hits her series – short landing on 1.5 dismount, step back.
And it’s 10.000 for Thomas on floor, only one judge went 9.950, which was dropped.
So now we also know that Michigan will finish 8th and Missouri will finish 5th.
Richards will finish floor for Florida instead of Blakely, DLO, legs apart, controls the landing – switch side to popa to wolf full, control issue – 1.5 to front full, solid, some knees.
Thomas will win the AA with Lee in second, the big surprise being that Skaggs will take 3rd place over Carey while leading off three events.
Pretty hit for Flatley on beam to finish out that rotation.
Worley – FX – Kentucky – FTDT, good control, chest slightly down – swtich ring to switch side, nice – front full to front lay is strong – double tuck, solid, a little crunched.
So, Florida and Auburn go through as teams to join Oklahoma and Utah. Oklahoma definitely the best team we saw compete in the semifinals. Florida had a rough meet going until the equipment break on bars, and then they were on and got to first. They’ll figure they have a lot more to give on vault. But so will Oklahoma because they started that semifinal somewhat slowly as well.
It’s going to be AA, bars, and floor titles for Thomas. Beam for Lee, and vault for Rucker. Rucker’s win being the surprise there. That’s what happens when you stick a Y1.5.
In the championship, the winner of semifinal #2 starts on vault, second place from semifinal #2 starts on bars, second place from semifinal #1 starts on beam, and the winner of semifinal #1 starts on floor.
How to Watch
Meets marked ABC will be broadcast live on TV for anyone in the US and can also be streamed online at the link provided.
Meets marked ESPN2 will be broadcast live on TV and can also be streamed online at the link provided for those who have a log-in from a TV provider subscription that includes ESPN2.
Let’s take a moment to discuss the race for the much-ignored all-around title at this week’s NCAA All About The Team Sisters Championship. This is the dumbest thing in the world to try to preview because it’s just going to come down to whoever happens to hop a little bit on her vault instead of sticking that day, so that’s why I’ve decided to make it my preview passion.
Expect between 20 and 22 people to compete the all-around on the semifinal day when the title is decided, with a smaller handful looking like realistic winners.
Tier I – Favorites
Trinity Thomas
#1 all-around score (39.900)
#1 season average, including regionals (39.787)
Most 10.000s (10)
Thomas’s back-to-back 39.875 and 39.900 with a basketful of 10s at regionals may have done just enough to establish her as the favorite for this year’s all-around title. She’s currently the most likely to get a 10 on any given event—and all of them are possibilities—with the fewest built-in execution deductions. With Thomas on the team favored for the title (at least, this hour) and competing in the evening session, this is setting up well for her chances.
Jade Carey
#1 NQS of 2022 (39.790)
#2 season average, including regionals (39.768)
Highest season-low in 2022 (39.650)
Carey has consistency and predictability in her corner, where she’s expected to go 9.950 on every event without giving away full-tenth errors or checks. If it’s one of those days where everyone is having a freakout with their teams, she’s your favorite. Carey would become the first to win the AA without a team since Jenny Hansen and the first to win the all-around from the early session since 2016. Of the top tier, Carey has shown less 10ishness this season than Thomas or Lee, so the best situation for her is one where the judges are scared that they’ll get crap for giving out 10s like candy so they end up bunching a lot of routines at 9.950. That would bode well for Carey because then she can have the peak score everywhere.
Sunisa Lee
#2 NQS of 2022 (39.750)
2nd-most 10.000s of 2022 (5)
T-#3 highest all-around score of 2022 (39.825)
Of everyone, Lee is the most likely to get 10s on bars and beam for doing her normal. She doesn’t have to bust out an exceptional routine to get those scores, and if the competition were just those two events, she would be an easy favorite. The big question for Lee is whether the Lopez on vault will score well enough to get her the title. If the numbers are flying, even a good controlled landing for 9.9125 (average of four judges’ scores at nationals) could put her in a hole.
Tier II – Spoilers
Leanne Wong
#2 highest all-around score of 2022 (39.875)
No one in the country besides Thomas has reached the 39.875 mark that Wong notched in the regional final. That level of scoring, however, hasn’t been as consistent for Wong this season and she’ll need to replicate the vault landing she had at the regional final to have a shot. The way scoring has been going, you have to think a 9.850 on any event takes you out of it.
Raena Worley
#3 season average, including regionals (39.654)
#4 NQS of 2022 (39.680)
Worley enters nationals as the plucky underdog for the all-around, the only major contender who has neither a team nor a gold medal. Worley has been deeply consistent this year and ranks behind only Carey and Thomas on average, ahead of Lee. But if things start getting all 39.8, can she match that level?
Lexy Ramler
#4 season average, including regionals (39.640)
T-#3 highest all-around score of 2022 (39.825)
Will they go there for her? That’s the big question for Ramler’s all-around title hopes. Will they go there for her on vault and floor in the middle of the lineup knowing there are probably two stronger routines still to come on those events. And will they go there for her on bars, just in general?
Sierra Brooks
#3 NQS of 2022 (39.685)
Brooks didn’t do floor at regionals. Obviously Michigan needs her there, and when she’s back on floor, she’s one of the top scorers in the all-around with equivalently predictable numbers on pretty much every event. There’s a big decision to make as to whether it is score-sensible for her to do the double back beam dismount, both for Michigan’s hopes and for her all-around potential. If she’s doing a beautiful beam and then taking a medium step back for 9.850, that’s suddenly not a competitive score.
Natalie Wojcik
T-#3 highest all-around score of 2022 (39.825)
Wojcik has the execution and lack of built-in deductions to win and rival Thomas in that department. But it has been an up-and-down season for her personal performance, with more days of errors and 9.7s creeping in than you would have expected, which has her ranked just #3 in the all-around on her own team. But if Wojcik has one of her best days, what are you even taking? Like Ramler, she also needs the judges to go there for her in an earlier lineup position on vault and floor.
Tier IIB – Is she even doing the all-around?
There are a couple contenders with the scoring potential, but we don’t actually know if they’re going to compete all the events in the semifinal.
Grace McCallum
Does McCallum make Utah’s final beam lineup? She did not compete beam at regionals when the beam team posted huge, critical scores on both days. And in terms of bringing people back into the lineup, Paulson is the obvious choice. Would they make two lineup changes from a 49.7?
Luisa Blanco
Blanco returned from her SEC Championship injury to compete only bars at regionals. Does she have enough time to add back all of the events?
Tier III – Will someone pull a Kim Jacob?
Ona Loper is right up there among the top-ranked all-arounders with an NQS of 39.645, a high of 39.750, and a competitive average over 39.5. She has done the all-around with Ramler in every meet this year with Loper winning 5 times, Ramler winning 5 times, and 2 ties. But is “good one for 9.900” on bars on beam enough in this field without a lot of help?
Abby Heiskell and Megan Skaggs are two others with the extremely clean gymnastics necessary to score well across the board and get an excellent all-around total, but they also compete early in most lineups and it typically happens that if they have a big day, there’s going to be a teammate who’s having an even bigger day. For Skaggs—as well as Maile O’Keefe—it brings up the question, is it possible in 2022 to win with a Yurchenko full, even if the other events are there?
Tier IV – A list of other names
We’ll also be looking to see Sienna Schreiber, Naomi Morrison, Sophia Groth, Sloane Blakely, Lilly Hudson, Cassie Stevens, Norah Flatley, and Kennedy Hambrick compete the all-around, so, you know, if one of them wins you can’t accuse me of not mentioning them in the preview.
