We’ve been waiting all season for UCLA to prove itself, and we’ve arrived at what’s likely the Bruins’ second-last chance to put four rotations together. Luckily for UCLA, even a sloppy meet should be sufficient to qualify over Kent State, but this team will have bigger issues tomorrow. While this was never going to be a championship season for UCLA, I think we can all accept that this roster shouldn’t be reduced to fighting to break 197 and should be able to stay on the dang beam at least five times per day. Luckily, the Bruins might have some help in that department from our friend in the header photo. Norah Flatley is expected to return today on this event, and you can expect her to slot into the Dennis-Shapiro spot and lower our collective blood pressure substantially.
Meanwhile, superstitious Michigan fans might be hoping today doesn’t go TOO well for the Wolverines. (Who can blame them? They’ve seen some things in the last decade.) After a suspiciously amazing beginning to March, Michigan fell back to earth at the Big Ten championship with a slight floor collapse and a loss to Minnesota. If that’s what Michigan’s bad day looks like now, though, it’s far from a catastrophe: That was still the fifth best team score of the conference weekend, and it would very likely be sufficient to qualify to nationals were it repeated twice in Morgantown.
Rotation 1: WVU VT, UCLA UB, Michigan BB, Kent State FX
Hornung (WVU): Solid FTY, step back.
Waldron (WVU): Major bound back on her FTY.
Campbell (UCLA): Step back on the double front.
Esparza (UCLA): Maloney to Pak, van Leeuwen, casts over and falls. Super deep on a double lay but holds the stick.
Kooyman (UCLA): Maloney to Pak, shapey and with leg separation, couple steps forward on the double lay.
Ulias (UCLA): Fantastic turnover on the Jaeger, right on top of the bail, stalder double back with a step back 9.875
Flatley (UCLA): Archy catch on the Jaeger, good bail, double lay with a hop back. 9.875
Frazier (UCLA): Maloney to Pak, van Leeuwen, saved a handstand, double lay with a hop. 9.95 hahah
Wilson (UM): BHS LOSO, check on a switch side. Great double back. 9.7
Farley (UM): Triple series, the usual touch of knees.
Brooks (UM): Check on the triple series. Switch switch.
Wojcik (UM): Switch split, check on the triple series, substantial hop forward on the one and a half twist.
Heiskell (UM): Side aerial, extra step on a BHS LOSO. Solid dismount.
Richard (KSU): Rudi LOSO very airy. She’s been pulling big numbers on floor lately.
DeCavitch (KSU): Double Arabian awesome. Iffy splits, good control on a double back.
Brown (KSU): Side shuffle on a Rudi. Rebound back on her double back.
Fletcher (KSU): Double layout on her toes, crunchy, clean through the rest
After 1: UCLA 49.325, Kent State 49.175, Michigan 48.925, West Virginia 48.725
Not sharp from Michigan but ultimately fine—this is almost nothing in terms of the work taken to make it back. UCLA was resilient after an early scare and Kent State capitalized on its great event.
Rotation 2: Kent State VT, West Virginia UB, UCLA BB, Michigan FX
Fletcher (KSU): Wild, terrifying Yurchenko arabian with starfish legs and sat.
Amodei (KSU): Pikey FTY, big hop back.
Combs (WVU): Maloney to Pak. Blind full double back. Nice one.
Hornung (WVU): Break on the catch of her Jaeger, very loose back, blind to half to double front with a step back.
Yancey (WVU): Good Jaeger, blind full double back.
Verdeflor (PSU): Jaeger spectacular, nailing the handstands, blind full double back and hangs on for a second before hopping to salute.
Bonsall (PSU): Maloney to bail, double lay with a baby scoot. PSU bars is really so great.
Poston (UCLA): Split 3/4, got the triple series. Good dismount.
Sakti (UCLA): LOSO LOSO, fell. Off again on a side somi. Side aerial back full 8.6
Frazier (UCLA): Switch switch. Good series, side aerial to beat. Gainer front full with a hop.
Flatley (UCLA): Got the series. Switch to sheep, iffy, side aerial. One and a half dismount with a big hop forward.
Campbell (UCLA): Almost comes off on her wolf turn, manages to half-stand and save it in a squat. Good series, gainer full.
Shapiro (UCLA): BHS BHS LOSO. Switch switch, very steady. Baby arabesque turn. Gainer full with low chest.
Bauman (UM): Solid first pass, double back good, fell on a front layout.
Koulos (UM): Two and a half twist, close to the line, not sure if that’s good or not. Great double pike.
Wojcik (UM): Good first pass, one and a half front lay, missed the punch but got it around. Low and archy. Rudi to straddle great.
Heiskell (UM): Good double pike. One and a half front lay. Rudi to split travels substantially backward.
Brooks (UM): Full in great. Tour jete half split full, double pike.
Wilson (UM): Open full in is spectacular. Front lay front full, does that step-dance out moment. Overrotated the double back as she does.
After 2: UCLA 98.500, Michigan 98.450, West Virginia 97.825, Kent State 97.625
The commentators tried to convince us that this meet could be close after errors, but it wasn’t and it’s not. UCLA should feel great after getting through beam clean and Michigan exorcised some floor demons.
Rotation 3: Michigan VT, WVU UB, KSU BB, UCLA FX
Heiskell (UM): One and a half, baby hop. Great start.
Wojcik (UM): Little leg sep on the table on her one and a half but stuck dead
Wilson (UM): One and a half twist, big step forward.
Morrison (UM): Baby hop on the one and a half.
Brooks (UM): Order swapped with Guggino at the last minute and JRoth hilariously didn’t notice that this isn’t Reyna. One and a half near stuck, pulls the heels together. 9.975!
Guggino (UM): Dead stick. She doesn’t believe it. 9.925 and that’s a 49.65
DeCavitch (KSU): Saw a stuck double layout, great.
Trott (KSU): Solid Jaeger, another fantastic stuck double lay. Good vibes in this bars rotation.
Hornung (WVU): Front aerial LOSO pretty good. One and a half twist stuck.
Pierson (WVU): Front tuck wolf jump beat jump, great. Off on her series oopsie.
Asper (WVU): BHS LOSO LOSO GORGEOUS. L turn with leg too low. Switch straddle 1/2. One and a half beam dismount flung way out but stuck.
Wright (UCLA): Got the two and a half, Rudi double stag. Good one and a half front lay.
Andres (UCLA) Two and a half punch front a bit deep and awkward. Much better after that. 9.9
Frazier (UCLA): At least one foot out on her first pass, maybe two.
Campbell (UCLA): Front double full, super well controlled. Tour jete half split full. Double back, her front foot control is sublime. Missed a foot on the front foot, kind of swipes it past the ground as she lands but gets it back down with no drama.
Tratz (UCLA): Double pike, great control.
Dennis (UCLA): Front lay through double back, overrotates it with about three steps back. Good Rudi. Man, this routine is just not behaving for her.
After 3: Michigan 148.100, UCLA 147.650, Kent State 146.475, West Virginia 146.200
Few falls on beam for WVU and UCLA had some landing trouble on floor, but the top two teams are fundamentally cruising. Michigan can stick a BUNCH of bars dismounts when it comes in with momentum and I’m excited to see the Lindenwood vaulters.
Rotation 4: UCLA VT, Michigan UB, Kent State BB WVU FX
Tratz (UCLA): FTY stuck.
Poston (UCLA): Flung her front pike 1/2 out and landed with her chest down, substantial squat.
Wright (UCLA): The usual form but stuck one and a half!
Frazier (UCLA): FTY piked throughout with a big hop back.
Dennis (UCLA): FTY a bit shapey as it’s been this year but stuck.
Campbell (FTY): FTY, huge and nearly stuck. The kind of landing that was definitely a scoot but might be forgiven as pulling heels together.
Leman (LU): USAG editor checking in, we’re gonna be watching Lindenwood INTENSELY here. FTY, bit of shape but enough distance that it can actually kinda stand up to Campbell. Big hop back.
Mitchell (LU): Gorgeous Yurchenko Arabian, she’s just like that. Small hop forward.
Baze (LU): Leg sep on the table but stuck her FTY. That’s Lindenwood vault babyyyyy.
Bauman (UM): Cast over to Jaeger, great bail, cast over and fell.
Wilson (UM): Blind to pike Jaeger, great, little hop back on her double layout. Good recovery.
Koulos (UM): Good Jaeger, great secure handstand. Double layout with a hop back.
Wojcik (UM): Deltchev fantastic, big bail. Stuck double lay.
DeCavitch (KSU): Gorgeous planche mount. Following two falls. BHS LOSO. Kickover front, bit of a check.
Pierson (WVU): WVU has been doing really well on floor and the routines just kept ending before I could ID the athlete but I know Pierson because I was obsessed with her in JO. Double lay, great control, finish with a double back and a step forward. 9.9
Astarita (PSU): Finally a floor gymnast I recognize. Open double back is awesome. Great control on double pike. 9.875 is lower than I would have gone given the scores of the rotation preceding it.
FINAL: Michigan 197.750, UCLA 197.050 will advance to the Round 3 regional
Lots of ties for individuals, we can’t say anything for sure here. We’ll work through the tiebreak procedures tonight and have scenarios for you in the morning.
Wondering how individuals make nationals? Read up on the complicated process here.
Live blog by Rebecca Scally
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