It’s a big one! In the middle of a Monday! Oklahoma and Michigan currently sit at #1 and #2 in today’s new rankings with no chance to change any of that with today’s scores, so we’re mostly just here for the spectacle.
After Florida went with the rest-ish approach against Oklahoma on Friday while Oklahoma went nearly full-strength, Oklahoma is also putting up the big guns against Michigan today, including getting Smith back in the floor lineup.
Rotation 1
Wojcik – VT – Michigan – good clean y1.5, medium hop forward. 9.850
Sievers – UB – Oklahoma – good first hs – maloney to pak, smoothly connectly – slight crooked on cast 1/2 on low – solid hs on high – FTDT, sticks again. 9.925
Wilson – VT – Michigan – also with a hop forward on her y1.5, not too large, good height, we’ll see a couple go farther later, but solid distance too. 9.900
Fletcher – UB – OU – piked jaeger, hit, just a bit of elbows – pak is clean – 1/2 turn on low – shorter handstand positions with some hip angle – FTDT, hop forward. 9.800
Morrison – VT – Michigan – nearly finds the stick on her Y1.5, just a little shuffle back, nice. Front-on angle was flattering, landing looked shorter on the side view. 9.875
Trautman – UB – OU – maloney to pak, solid – rushes cast 1/2 on low, a bit late – hits hs on high bar – DLO, nice height. 9.925
Brooks – VT – Michigan – out of control on her Y1.5 landing, a lunge forward and then another bounce. 9.800
Smith – UB – OU – Ray, solid – doesn’t quite get up to handstand on her next cast – toe on to pak, nice and high – 1/2 turn on low, a bit of back position – DLO, some piking, good stick. 9.900
Heiskell – VT – Michigan – Y1.5, also out of control on hers with a hop forward and then an additional step salute, good position. 9.800
Bowers – UB – OU – good first hs – blind to jaeger, high, a tad elbowy on catch – pretty pak – good 1/2 turn position on low bar – FTDT, nice position, holds the stick. Best so far. 9.950
Morgan – VT – Michigan – yfull, good height, distance, and direction, bounce back. 9.800
Davis – UB – OU – good first hs – higgins to piked jaeger, excellent – hits hs on high – pak, smooth – 1/2 turn on low, shows a good vertical – hits hs on high – higgins to front giant to double front 1/2 out, legs at the end, shows the stick with a stagger. 9.950. Kathy is going to assassinate someone in a sec.
So, it’s a big lead for Oklahoma after 1, going 49.650 on bars to Michigan’s 49.225 on vault. Michigan will not be happy with today’s landings, both Brooks and Heiskell showing multiple steps on their landings and no one sticking. Oklahoma pretty much did Oklahoma on bars. Thought scoring was a little soft in the mid lineup, but a strong rotation.
Rotation 2
Sievers – VT – OU – Y1.5, lunge forward and sideward today with a bit of knees. 9.850
Heiskell – UB – Michigan – good first hs – blind to high jaeger, good feet – pak, excellent amplitude – good hs on high – giant full, solid finish position, connects to double tuck, little rebound. And we’re going 9.950
Stern – VT – OU – very little block on her attempted Y1.5 and only does a full, piked, chest down, step to the side. 9.775 is very high for what happened there. Now it’s 9.750
Wilson – UB – Michigan – good first hs – blind to piked jaeger, solid, a bit of elbows – legs together on bail, slight hip angle – good hs on high – DLO, solid landing. Another 9.950 here for Wilson. Going to be a thousand.
Levasseur – VT – OU – Y1.5, lovely in the air, a large lunge forward. 9.900. So they only took for lunge.
Koulos – UB – Michigan – a bit shy on first hs – hits jaeger – bail, good legs together – small arch in back in final cast hs – DLO, shuffle back. 9.850
Trautman – VT – OU – nailed her Y1.5 with a stick again. Watch out.
9.975 today.
Bauman – UB – Michigan – good high jaeger to overshoot, nice – toe 1/2, does a great job to get herself over, thought she was going over the wrong way, fights to muscle it over with elbow form and pause – double front with a step back. 9.800
Bowers – VT – OU – medium pace forward on her y1.5, nice height. 9.900
Brooks – UB – Michigan – good first hs – blind to piked jaeger, solid – good hs – toe on to bail, legs together – good hs on high – DLO 1/1, just a little rebound. Nice. 9.975 for her.
Davis – VT – OU – y1.5, lands a bit short with a step back and the leg separation on block. 9.775
Wojcik – UB – Michigan – great deltchev to overshoot – nice hs on high – DLO, step back. 9.900
Michigan goes 49.625 on bars to Oklahoma’s 49.400 on vault to gain back about half the deficit from the first rotation. Oklahoma also kind of off on several of the vaults (call Allana Slater?) and had that weird mistake from Stern, but did get a strong one from Trautman. Michigan with a big bars rotation to keep up with what Oklahoma put together there.
After 2:
Oklahoma 99.050
Michigan 98.850
Rotation 3
Bauman – BB – Michigan – full turn – bhs loso, solid landing – cat leap, some pause, before switch 1/2, under split – piked side somi, good – gainer pike, basically holds the stick long enough, little step salute. 9.900
Davis – FX – OU – front 2/1, a little deep with a crossover step – switch 1/2 to wolf full, around – back 1.5 to front full, controls step in dance out, not the highest. 9.900
Both rotations starting from very high places.
Wilson – BB – Michigan – hitch kick – bhs loso, great height, solid landing – switch jump switch jump, hit – full turn, good – double tuck, great stick, chest up.
9.975
Smith – FX – OU – double tuck, chest up, keeps front foot down – back 1.5 to front lay, quick dance out, right into the corner – switch side to wolf full, great positions, overturns switch side a little – double pike, chest forward with a step. 9.825
9.900/9.750 split on that routine. For me, there was .150 on that last pass.
Koulos – BB – Michigan – bhs loso, little arm wave lean – attitude turn – beat to straddle 3/4, large break, lean forward at the hips, leg up to horizontal – cat leap to aerial, another wobble – 1.5 dismount, good height. 9.700
Fletcher – FX – OU – whip to double tuck, mostly controls the front foot – front lay to front full, solid, just, a bit of knees at the end – switch 1/2 to popa, nice – 2.5, pretty position in the air, just a little steppy. 9.950. Brace thyself.
Brooks – BB – Michigan – bhs loso series, secure, good height – switch to switch, good – kickover, wobble, leg up – bhs 2/1, holds the landing well, little bit of leg crossing. 9.825
Sievers – FX – OU – FTDT, lands chest down with a hop forward – front tuck through to double tuck, solid landing – switch side to split full, shows 180 positions. 9.825
Heiskell – BB – Michigan – cat leap to side aerial, good – switch to switch, also well done – bhs loso, third routine with a leg-up wobble in a row – full turn with a lean and a little jarred step forward – 1.5 dismount is nice. 9.800
Torrez – FX – OU – DLO, controls it, chest just a bit forward – split leap full to wolf full, clearly around – leg up hop full – front tuck through to double tuck, bounce back, keeps it in bounds. 9.925
Wojcik – BB – Michigan – aerial to beat jump, smooth – switch to split, lovely – bhs bhs loso, right on – full turn, hit – 1.5 dismount, looks like she held the stick, leaned down into it. 9.975
Bowers – FX – OU – double pike, chest up well, good leg positions – front 2/1 and struggles on it again today, can’t get a rebound into much of anything and sits down the front tuck – good switch 1/2 and wolf full –
Both teams had some big results in that rotation but also some blah moments, Michigan with three leg-up wobbles in the middle of the beam rotation, Oklahoma with a couple short landings with steps forward before the fall from Bowers.
In the end, Michigan gains back .050 heading to the last rotation.
After 3:
Oklahoma 148.475
Michigan 148.325
Rotation 4
Dunn – BB – OU – bhs bhs loso, solid – split jump to straddle jump 1/2, also right on – full turn, good – gainer full, little lean as she holds the stick. 9.900
Koulos – FX – Michigan – high 2.5 to front tuck, solid – switch 1/2 to wolf full, around – double pike, chest slightly down but hops to present – 9.925
Trautman – BB – OU – full turn, hit – bhs loso, good feet, smallest lean – cat leap to switch side, high – kickover, wobble with arm wave – 1.5 dismount. slide back. 9.850
Heiskell – FX – Michigan – double arabian, lovely position in the air, hop forward – switch 1/2 to wolf full, great height and clear positions – back 1.5 to front full, again good form maintained, controlled step. 9.925
Bowers – BB – OU – full turn, nice – bhs loso series, small lean – split leap, pause before switch 1/2, good switch 1/2 position – 2/1, nice, holds the stick with the OU butt pushout. And we have a 9.950.
Wojcik – FX – Michigan – split leap 1.5, good split position, a tad under on rotation – back 1.5 to front lay, low layout – split leap full to popa, around – double pike, good control, chest just a bit forward. 9.925
Davis – BB – OU – full turn, good – bhs loso series, nicely done – aerial, comfortable – beat to split ring jump, under control, good extension in split – 2/1, holds the stick with some leg crossing. 9.950
Morrison – FX – Michigan – FTDT, pretty legs together position, hop to present – front lay to front full, maybe a little slide out – switch 1/2 to wolf full, good lift – double tuck, small rebound. 9.950
Torrez – BB – OU – wolf jump, high – side aerial to loso, squeezes to hold it and not give away a lean – full turn, nice – switch to switch 1/2, large break, bend at the hips – 1.5 dismount, slide forward into salute. Could be critical. 9.750
Brooks – FX – Michigan – FTDT, a little steppy back on landing, don’t think she stepped out but definitely a control deduction – split leap full to split jump full, some short back leg in the first one today – front tuck through to double tuck, good. 9.900
Smith – BB – OU – bhs loso and a large break, step back and turn to the side – aerial, nice – straddle 1/4 to korbut is hit – full turn, good – check on choreography there – bhs gainer full, basically holds the stick with the lean but then a little slide salute. 9.800
That will seal the win for Michigan.
Wilson – FX – Michigan – FTDT, small slide back today – front lay to front full, good height – switch side to popa, great straddle and height – double tuck, hit, little lean to try to control it. 9.975. One judge tried to senior night but it was not her best landing control today.
So Michigan comes back and gets the win. The surprising part was Oklahoma not nailing those last two beam routines when it seemed like they were just going to hold on.
FINAL:
Michigan 198.025
Oklahoma 197.925
Smith should not get credit for that double layout dismount. She totally pikes on the first layout
Also the huge leg separation on the second salto. Her bars should never go above a 9.9 simply based on her dismount alone.
I don’t know why they haven’t ditched the double layout and gone for a full turn to immediate double tuck dismount instead.
Absolute SASS from KJ “we knew about these two meets back to back all year… we KNEW and prepared to put our best foot forward”.
Why on earth did KJ decide to revive “phone call” as a theme for floor routines?
How did Heiskel and bowers get those scores for floor and beam with very visible errors. This rotation gets the fiction award for the year. Unbelievable. I’ve watched a ton of meets in the past 4 days and these scores are the most insane of all of them. Are these teams amazing. Yes but keep it real
Such an exciting ending for Michigan. Lots of overscoring but pretty much evenly for both teams in my opinion. OU just looks tired.
Nobody else takes on top competition back to back every year down the stretch like OU does. It’s a nod to prep for Day 2 at Nationals. A lot of teams are out of gas after Day 1.
Just because both teams are over scored doesn’t make it ok. Especially when all teams are down to the wire with NQS. Artificial scores hurts everyone especially for teams in the top 6.
I don’t think Oklahoma’s ever had their full strength lineups, can’t wait to have Kat back on bars and beam. Wondering why they’ve taken Faith out of the bars lineup lately. Hoping the rumors are true that Olivia is getting a floor routine. And hoping all their backups are improving at practice, I know they have some other 10.0 SV vaults.