The USAG nationals weekend kicks off this afternoon with the first semifinal, which features No. 1-seed Lindenwood accompanied by Bridgeport, Air Force and Penn. The top two teams will advance to the final tomorrow, and the top five event finishers (including ties) will secure places in the event finals on Sunday.
Lindenwood is the frontrunner of the first session, and expect a tussle between Bridgeport and Air Force for the second spot. Keep an eye on Lindenwood’s total score; it’s the only USAG team to score over 196.000 in 2018, and if it can approach that mark today, it will set the standard for Saturday’s final.
So checking in, we don’t know the rotation order yet! But we do know Lindenwood is starting on bars. The rest we’re figuring out on our feet.
The Lady Lions are starting on bars!
Lineup:
Sam
Andy
Taylor
Courtney
Ryan
Kik— LindenwoodGymnastics (@LionsGymnastics) April 13, 2018
Today’s Vault Lineup::::: pic.twitter.com/rQQrmcfidK
— UB Gymnastics (@UBGymnastics) April 13, 2018
All right, we figured it out!
ROTATION 1: BRIDGEPORT VAULT, LINDENWOOD BARS, AIR FORCE BEAM, PENN FLOOR
RICHARDSON – UB: Good Y layout, pace back.
BORGES – LU: Caught full turn to double back, pretty. Score looks like there was a fuall early in the routine, unfortunately.
JAD – AF: Good split 3/4 in combo. Off on flic loso. Good dismount.
MATSUDA – PE: Good double pike, lots of air on front lay front full.
REIMERS – UB: Great FTY, pace back but brings it back in to salute.
ALEXANDER – LU: I keep jut looking over for dismounts. Double layout is nice.
CAMPBELL – UB: Good FTY, similar landing to Reimers.
DAVIS – AF: Killer leap combo, fhs front kickover very deep, amazing switch side.
COLWELL – LU: Nice Tkachev, blind change to straddle back, full turn to open double back with a step back.
KISTNER? – UB: FTY, step forward. She bailed on it the first time but made it on the second.
MITCHELL – LU: Blind change to Jaeger, clear hip – almost too good, gets stuck in the handstand fora sec – into bail, DLO dismount with a hop back.
Okay, we don’t have lineups for individual competitors at all but this looks like Brawner on vault.
HENRY – LU: Blind change to Jaeger, caught a bit close. Crashes full in dismount, knees go out to one side but she’s fine. LU now counting a fall on bars.
Someone at Penn has Slim Shady floor music , it’s the best thing. I want to say Kyra Levi?
SOKOLOWSKI – LU: Great Gienger, a touch close, clear hip to Pak beautiful. Full turnto double back.
NELSON – PENN: Double pike, front lay front full right into the corner. Double back is a bit deep, worried she’d sit it but holds on.
BURNS – SPU: Toe shoot, great Jaeger to overshoot. Full turn to double back stuck. Good start!
HOWARD – AF: Pretty full turn, flic loso is beautiful. Beat to split 3/4 great,
HARTKE – PENN: 3/2 front 1/1 is gorgeous, front full front pike with a lunge back. Dance is awesome.
LUERS – AF: One-arm FHS into a tuck Korbut, I looked that up and learned it’s called a Chen. Switch to sheep is great.
All right guys, I’ve squinted at the specialists sheet a LOT and can’t make them make sense. But Avendano of SCSU had a really strong start and now is leading that event.
PENN 48.85, AIR FORCE 48.8, BRIDGEPORT 48.25, LINDENWOOD 48.175
Counting a fall on bars isn’t the start Lindenwood started, to say the least. That said, it’s heading to beam, where a lot can be fixed. I don’t think one fall is enough to keep the Lions out of finals, it depends where it goes from here. Penn got off to a flying start on floor, usually a strong event, and Air Force was absolutely beautiful on beam.
ROTATION 2: PENN VAULT, BRIGEPORT BARS, LINDENWOOD BEAM, AIR FORCE FLOOR
REIMERS – UB: Awesome toe on front tuck 1/2 dismount on bars.
ALEXANDER – LU: Gorgeous leaps, super secure. Gainer pike? off direction.
HOFFMAN – PENN: Y layout, underrotated with a step forward.
MURPHY – AF: Super fun dance, opening double back is good. Beautiful in the air on front combo pass.
POWELL-BROWN – UB: Clear hip shap is amazing, full turn to double back stuck.
RUBE – PENN: Y arabian, side step.
FRANKLIN – LU: Beauuuutiful feet as always. Flic loso with a little check, sissone to side aerial. Gainer pike stuck.
AYCOCK – UB: Some slightly iffy handstands, half turn to Tkachev, full twisting double back with a little scoot back.
PODSEDNIK – PENN: FTY, a bit low with a step forward. Entire bottom half of both legs wrapped.
CAMPBELL – UB: Great handstands, nice bail. Full twisting double back with slightly messy legs but a good landing.
COLWELL – LU: Good triple series, big check on the landing. Nice full turn, switch switch with another check, gainer full with a hop back.
TERESHKO – UB: Great double layout, hop back.
DORAN – UB: Toe on blind to Jaeger is beautiful, nailing handstands, blind change double front – mistimes and sits it. Just released way too early.
MILLIET – LU: Pretty front to back series, check on pike kickover.
BRUDER – AF: Amazing opening dance sequence, front thru double back is great, think she underrotated a landing in the middle there.
LEWIS – AF: Awesome 2.5 twist to open, tour jete 1/2 wolf 1/1. Beautiful combo pass, really fun middle dance section too.
HENRY – LU: Flic loso nice and secure. Things have been a bit too wobbly. Wolf to switch side, leans foward but holds on, side aerial and she’s off, beautiful 3/2 dismount stuck.
BELL – AF: Panic at the Disco music!! Choreo is pretty much the best.
SOKOLOWSKI – LU: Triple series, awesome leap pass. Nailed kickover, pretty full turn. Stick on dismount. That was pretty much perfect.
BURNS – SPU: Amazing leg over shoulder hold, slightly tentative with a full turn, flic loso is beautiful. cat leap switch side a bit overrotated and she just steps out of it with a quarter turn. Step on kickover, punch front full dismount I think. She’s on fire today, through her two less consistent events clean and beautiful.
DAVIS – AF: Choreograph in this one is so creepy cool. Front lay front full is great, switch side Popa beautiful. Her straddle positions are everything.
FISCHER – SEMO: I can ID beam specialists because I can see the screen by the judge’s table. Cat leap side aerial tuck back full dismount, questionably rotated.
JONES – SEMO: I think that was a front 2/1 to open! Front full front lay, a little whippy but gets it around. She has what looks like a twisting cat leap in here, which is pretty cool. Nice Rudi.
BOYD – WCU: Ooh, pretty music and nice opening choreography in this one. Front lay front full stuck COLD. Near stick on I think a 3/2 twist at the end too – very nice!
AIR FORCE 97.45, BRIDGEPORT 97.0, LINDENWOOD 96.9, PENN 96.375
Even with a couple of wobbly routines, we’re definitely seeing Lindenwood’s road back here. Bridgeport is through its more worrisome events and should be in good shape from here out – but losing Doran’s usually great bars score does sting a little. Air Force’s lead looks very convincing at this point, but in USAG vault is really the great equalizer. Which is odd, but it’s true. It’s what moved Penn from first to last in one rotation, and scores aren’t going high today.
Speaking of scores, Sokolowski ended up with a 9.95 on beam. Heart eyes.
ROTATION 3: AIR FORCE VAULT, PENN BARS, BRIDGEPORT BEAM, LINDENWOOD FLOOR
MILLER – AF: Got way lost in the air on what I think was meant to be a FTY, landed straight on her side.
CAHILL – UB: Great switch to split, side aerial tuck back full, one foot slips off in the punch and she ends up way off to one side but survives it.
COLWELL – LU: Great tumbling and I love the choreo of this routine to death. Great double back to close.
FROMMER – PENN: Beauuuutiful Pak salto, full turn double back with a big step forward.
CAMPBELL – UB: Kickover back tuck, bit of a check. Pretty leaps, 3/2 dismount with a hop straight forward.
NELSON – PENN: Jaeger to overshoot is good, full turn double back with a step forward. Some foot flickers throughout on that one.
LEWIS? – AF: Y arabian, very limited block but gets it around.
KISTNER – UB: Tic toc to LOSO is great, 3/2 dismount with a bit of a rebound forward but gets it back under control.
MITSCH – PENN: Beautiful straddle back, nice Tkachev, double layout a la Hambrick but landed securely.
FRANKLIN – LU: One of my favorite floor routines in the meet, so intense and amazing. Double pike to close, foot lands right on the line but I think she keeps it in.
LEVI – FH + Jaeger is beautiful, amazing pak. Full turn with a leg flicker to stuck-ish double back.
DORAN – UB Looking for redemption after a disappointing bar routine. Front aerial to sissone, flic loso with a step out. 3/2 dismount with a couple of baby adjustment steps.
BAZE – LU: Double pike solid, front full to Barani to close is beautiful.
KOTHE – PENN: full turn to Gienger, loses legs a bit coming out, bail. Full turn to double back with iffy legs.
REIMERS – UB: Flic loso is beauuutiful, cat leap side aerial. Some leap combo to back tuck, she’s just so PRETTY, double twist with a step back.
MCMULLAN – LU: Great leap series, we can’t see from here but I’ve used her as header pics repeatedly because her faces are so high quality. Now everyone’s getting a 9.9 on floor.
RAMIREZ – UB: Flic to 2ft layout, little leg up, nothing major. Full turn with another baby check. Beat to split to split 3/4 is amazing, 3/2 dismount with a little step back.
SAN ROMAN – SPU: front aerial – bhs, great leap series. Solid dismount.
ALEXANDER – LU: Huge double pike, love this routine, so dramatic. 3/2 front lay, awesome double back.
Wait, is this Leman??? The lineup skipped over Ryan Henry, so I think after five great routines LU threw their inconsistent-but-sometimes-amazing into the anchor just for kicks.
Bit of a foot shuffle on the front 2/1, everything else is the absolute bomb. She’s basically my favorite.
BURNS – SPU: First pass nailed. Scoring set her up really well here – she could actually contend for the AA. Switch side Popa wolf 1/1, misses the second straddle position by just a touch. Touch underrotated on double back, lunges forward out of it but chest position is fine. Always love the salute ending pose. Nice one!
LINDENWOOD 146.3, AIR FORCE 145.9, BRIDGEPORT 145.85, PENN 145.125
Lindenwood just went 49.4 on floor. Dead. So, unshockingly it’s back in first and also just wrecked the EF field. The only non-LU gymnast currently in qualifying position is Davis of Air Force. .
ROTATION 4: LINDENWOOD VAULT, AIR FORCE BARS, PENN BEAM, BRIDGEPORT FLOOR
Missed the first little while because stream died 🙁
DORAN – UB: Starts with a wolf turn, great opening double back, basically walks into her tumbling, whip half front lay.
SWIRBALUS – PENN: Really nice flic loso. Great leap positions, underrotates double twist dismount.
DAVIS – LU: Ran way out of fhs front pike.
FRANKLIN – LU: She has a 10.0 here, but it’s inconsistent… let’s see what she can do. Little hop back, but solid!
MATSUDA – PENN: Nice secure side somi. That’s all I saw of that.
MURPHY – AF: Free hip to Tkachev great, hollow DLO stuck dead. Beautiful!
BOOGERD – LU: FTY, hop back.
CAMPBELL – Trying to finish off a solid AA campaign. Nice double back, leap combo is solid. Front full front punch is nice.
PODSEDNIK – PENN: One-handed BHS to LOSO, leg up check. 3/2 dismount with a hop forward.
SOKOLOWSKI – LU; FTY, amazing body position, small hop back.
BURNS – SPU: Beautiful FTY, big step back.
Howard of AF just lost her swing on bars and had to recast. Tough luck, can be a great routine.
KISTNER – UB: 3/2 front lay is beautiful, great front full front lay.
SALAMONE – AF: Full turn to beautiful Gienger, great pak. Nailing handstands, stuck dismount. Good one!
AYCOCK – UB Awesome front 2/1. 3/2 front pike is super solid, bit of a bounce back on the fhs Rudi.
REIMERS – UB: This routine can be absolute insanity. Full in is amazing with a step forward. Nailed leap series, great 3/2 front pike. Closing double pike is beautiful.That could squeak into the AA.
FINAL QUALIFIERS: AIR FORCE, LINDENWOOD (194.95)
Bridgeport misses out by just a tenth – hard to take. Air Force ties its season high, and Penn sets a new one of 193.925.
EVENT FINALISTS:
Vault:
#1 Kierstin Sokolowski LU (9.825)
#2 Alexis Brawner SEMO, Autumn Huskie SPU (9.80)
#4 Maya Reimers UB, Jamie Lewis AF, Tyler Davis AF (9.75)
Bars:
#1 Anna Salamone AF (9.9)
#2 Darian Burns SPU, Kelli Tereshko UB, Mariana Murphy AF, Jessica Kirpatrick AF (9.85)
Beam:
#1 Kierstin Sokolowski LU (9.95)
#2 Analise Howard AF, Emily Luers AF, McKinzie Jones SEMO, Maya Reimers UB (9.85)
Floor:
#1 Kyndall Baze LU, Kayla McMullan LU, Andy Alexander LU (9.90)
#4 Tyler Davis AF, Maya Reimers UB, Breanna Franklin LU (9.875)
All Around Standings
#1 Darian Burns SPU (39.1)
#2 Kelsey Campbell UB (39.05)
#3 Tyler Davis AF, Maya Reimers UB (39.0)
I’ll see you back here for the second session in two and a half hours!
Live blog by Rebecca Scally
