Defending national champion Texas Woman’s leads the second semifinal at USAG nationals at home in Denton. As with the first semifinal, the top two teams will advance to tomorrow’s team final while the top five gymnasts (including ties) on each event will advance to event finals. The individual all around champion will also be determined after this session.
TWU will be joined by No. 3-seed Yale in this semifinal. The Bulldogs set a program record to pick up the title at ECAC championship title a few weeks ago and aren’t an unreasonable dark horse pick for the weekend. Cornell and Brown will also compete in this session.
ROTATION 1: TWU VAULT, BROWN BARS, CORNELL BEAM, YALE FLOOR
ALDERMAN – TWU: FTY, crashes to hands and knees
PARKIN – TWU: Better FTY, hop back.
MENEMENLIS – YALE: Pretty floor routine, nice twisting.
GAGE – CORNELL: Side aerial is great, Tic toc flic loso! Very pretty.
FIRTH – YAE: Front 2/1! Twisting into the ground a bit but still really nice.
MOREDOCK – TWU: FTY, chest way forward when she touches down with a big bounce back. They’re flinging these out quite far.
HERCZEG – CORNELL: Splits the beam on a switch leap, ouch. So pretty though. Nice leap series,
JONES – TWU: Killer Y arabian with a hop forward.
SMITH – YALE: Awesome double back to start, choreo is basically the best. Front lay to Barani
SMITH – CORNELL: Haha there’s two of them. This is gorgeous, lovely leap combos, twisting tsuk dismount of some kind.
ALLEYNE – YALE: Awesome double back, love this choreography. Walks out of front lay front full.
SHEN – CORNELL: Check on sheep jump, great split to wolf. 3/2 dismount with a cross step back.
HANSEN – BROWN: Just saw a stunning full turn to double back.
GREEN – CORNELL: Awesome kick over the beam, aerial-bhs. Everything is too pretty and I forgot to write, but stuck dismount and everything was perfect.
FIRMSTONE – YALE: Underrotates double pike.
ABERGER – SCSU: Prettiest beamer ever to beam. Switch 1/2 to beat, great. Front aerial to bhs, switch to split, attitude turn, leap into gainer pike.
BUFORD – YALE: Hop forward on double pike. Front full front pike is great.
CENTENARY: Awesome leaps, nice airy front full front pike. Back layout to 3/2 twist, nice!
Chan from WCU is so beautiful on beam, sticks front full
TWU 48.775, CORNELL 48.775, YALE 48.625, BROWN 48.375
So, Cornell, hi. That was a pretty killer rotation for everyone – while Brown unfortunately counted a fall on bars, it also has a strong EF case for its best routines. TWU was very bouncy on vault – so far seems that vault scoring is a lot more generous than the morning session.
#1-ranked all arounder Jacey Baldovino unfortunately didn’t do floor for the Bulldogs – she looks to be wearing a boot. Uncertain yet if she’ll take it off to do bars and beam.
ROTATION 2: YALE VT, TWU UB, BROWN BB, CORNELL FX
VERSEMANN – TWU: Tkachev, not too much height but clean, bail to toe shoot. Pikey double layout, flung way out with a hop forward.
THRON – CORNELL: Pretty choreo! Lands front 2/1 well, nice combo pass.
JENNINGS – YALE: FTY tucked with a hop back.
GREEN – BROWN Flic loso, gorgeous. Really nice switch ring! Great straddle 3/4 too. Tsuk back tuck dismount, SO COOL.
NOTTINGHAM – CORNELL: 2.5 twist punch front!! Cross step back out of it.
JONES? – TWU: Great Gienger, full turn to double back.
HANSEN – BROWN: Switch to tuck full, gorgeous. Big step out of 3/2 dismount.
SHEN – CORNELL: STICK on double pike! Dance is gorgeous, foot slide on second pass but makes it work. Pretended to stick 3/2 front lay (?) and danced out. Good one!
KELLY – TWU: Fall on pike Jaeger. Counting a fall now, Hunter Vincent had one too.
JUNG – BROWN: Flic loso is stunning. Front tuck deep but bounces back up, punch front full dismount drilled.
HERCZEG – CORNELL: Double pike, great landing. Dance is adorable, killer Rudi in last pass. 9.9!!
ZIMMERMANN – SPU: Off on release.
NODARSE – WCU: Wolf turn to kneel is great, adjustment on punch front. Off on flic loso.
HENRY – CORNELL: Awesome double pike, love the dance in this one. Front lay front full Barani, killer. Deep on double back with a hop forward. So good!
ABERGER – SCSU: Twisting down a little in first pass, front lay front lay is beautiful. She’s so sophisticated, all the little hand and gaze details are perfect. Camera didn’t follow her last pass but the team screamed so I figure it’s okay. Fouette turn, dance into ending pose, hello perfect.
CORNELL 97.9, TWU 97.3, BROWN 97.275, YALE 97.025
CORNELL. I love this so much. Beautiful gymnastics and just rocking today. TWU counting a fall on bars doesn’t help anything, but that shouldn’t distract from the meet the Big Red is putting together here. Yale has a strong rotation coming up on bars and should be able to get back into it, too.
ROTATION 3: CORNELL VT, YALE UB, TWU BB, BROWN FX
DICKSON – TWU: Nice and secure, pretty leaps, step back on front full dismount.
PRESCOTT – CORNELL: Front handspring Barani vault, too much momentum on landing and rolls out of it 🙁
YALE: Literally three half turns into a bail, toe on front tuck stuck-ish.
KURFIRST? – CORNELL: FTY, hop in place.
SHEN – CORNELL: Near stick on Y arabian! Super gorgeous.
Someone at Yale just came off on a Gienger.
They’ve moved away front the screens lising names, so I’m really just guessing at IDs.
BUFORD – YALE: Blind change to straddle back, gorgeous full twisting double back dismount stuck.
BALDOVINO – YALE: SHE LIVES! Pike Jaeger, great full turn to double back stuck, 9.85!
WANG – YALE: Clear hip to Pak with the tiniest leg flicker, full twisting double back dismount with a step back. Gorgeous.
MOREDOCK – TWU: Nice stag handstand, always love that. Switch switch side, a bit short of splits. Double twist dismount with a hop back.
PONDER – CC: Clear hip shap, and some more clear hip work on high bar too which is awesome.
Julia Green of Brown just stuck her closing double back dead.
BRANE – SPU: Blind change to half to Gienger, nice bail. Full turn… weight is off, tucks it down, jumps off.
ZIMMERMANN – SPU: Just caught 3/2 dismount with a hop to salute.
JORDAN – CC: Such a star on floor, great double pike and choreo is beautiful. Front lay barani split punch front, cool! Rudi to straddle, so pretty.
Also caught Jessica Meakim for WCU do an awesome floor set, including essentially sticking her closing Rudi.
TWU 146.525, CORNELL 146.375, BROWN 145.825, YALE 145.525
Yale may be out of it at this point, which is a pity. TWU definitely feeling the benefit of being at home at this point, and Cornell had an imperfect vault rotation – though it’s usual for that to be a lower score. Doubt it’ll catch up against home floor now, but still in a favorable position to qualify with a clean bar rotation.
ROTATION 4: BROWN VT, CORNELL BB, YALE BB, TWU FX
COOPERMAN – YALE: Aerial – back tuck.
VERSEMANN – TWU: Double pike, a touch under with a step forward. Messy legs on front twisting pass and lands deep, stumble back.
KURFIRST – CORNELL: Nice Jaeger, full turn to double back.
ALLEYNE – YALE: Nice flic loso, cat leap switch side is great. Nice full turn, beat to split jump full with a little check.
LUNIEWICZ – CORNELL: Full turn to Jaeger, got a bit stuck in the middle of the turn, great bail and handstands. Full turn to double back with a hop back.
WONG – CORNELL: Blind to Jaeger, super high. Clear hip and pops out a little early, can’t pull it back, jumps off.
FIRMSTONE – BEAM: Off on I think acro series. Nice side aerial,
GREEN – BROWN: FHS front pike, small hop, beautiful.
WANG – YALE: Flic loso, beautiful, small check.
SMITH – CORNELL : MARKELOV: Great bail, toe to toe shoot, toe on front tuck dismount.
BUFORD – CORNELL: Aerial-bhs is gorgeous, side somi that’s basically an aerial until the last second. Front full dismount is gorgeous and stuck dead. Nice one!
ALDERMAN – TWU: I should probably watch some floor, huh. Double pike is good, Front full punch front that she tries to do on top of herself and has a crazy stumble out. Rudi is loose legged in the air and bouncy
BALDOVINO – YALE: Flic loso, so beautiful. Switch ring to beat is well controlled, full turn great, front aerial so airy, I’m obsessed. Cat leap gainer full with a little hop back, so goooooood!
MOREDOCK – TWU: Great double pike, lovely control on double back. Absolutely rocking, big hugs from the team and the Centenary girls rotating with.
JONES – TWU: Basically guaranteed the AA if she doesn’t fall. Double back, interesting step back. Nice double pike, sideways bounce out of leap pass. 3/2 front lay stuck. Um, 39.6 AA. What is that.
2018 USAG national all around champion, obviously.
FINALS QUALIFIERS: TEXAS WOMAN’S 195.7, CORNELL 195.0
Once again, #3 seed upsets #2 for a spot in the final. Yale will be a little bummed, but it didn’t have a bad day. The Big Red just competed absolutely out of their heads, and it was magnificent to watch – 195.0 is a program record!! These two will join Lindenwood and Air Force out of the first session in tomorrow’s final.
ALL AROUND CHAMPION: SCHYLER JONES (39.60)
Yeah, so that happened. Basically perfect all day.
#2 is a tie between Amy Shen of Cornell and Darian Burns of SPU at 39.1, which is pretty much perfect. Kelsey Campbell of Bridgeport comes in at #4, and Maya Reimers of Bridgeport and Tyler Davis of Air Force round out the top five.
EVENT FINALISTS:
Vault:
#1 Schyler Jones TWU (9.85)
#2 Rebecca Chong Yale (9.825)
#3 Mallory Moredock TWU, Meghan Chan WCU (9.775)
#5 Amy Shen Cornell, Jessica Meakim WCU (9.75)
Bars:
#1 Schyler Jones TWU, Jessica Wang Yale (9.9)
#3 Emma Hansen BU (9.875)
#4 Claire Ryan BU, Bria Northrop TWU, Jacey Baldovino Yale (9.85)
Beam:
#1 Schyler Jones TWU (9.925)
#2 Erin Alderman TWU (9.875)
#3 Kaitlin Green Cornell, Regan Butchness BU, Alyssa Kelly TWU (9.85)
Floor:
#1 Mallory Moredock TWU (9.95)
#2 Schyler Jones TWU (9.925)
#3 Izzy Herczeg Cornell, Jessica Meakim WCU (9.9)
#5 Navia Jordan CC (9.875)
Live blog by Rebecca Scally
