USAG Nationals conclude today with national event finals, which feature the top five gymnast per semifinal (ties inclusive) on each event. The top qualifiers were Schyler Jones on vault with a 9.95, a three-way tie between Jones, Jessica Wang and Anna Salamone on bars at 9.90, Kierstin Sokolowski on beam with 9.95, and Mallory Moredock on floor with a 9.95. That said, event finals are nothing if not unpredictable, so we’ll likely get some surprises.
Here are start lists, courtesy of editor Elizabeth Grimsley who is on the floor as a photographer!
So… they decided to do the yearly awards and all around presentation before getting started, and then have them all march out and back in before finals… 11:24 and no action yet.
VAULT
CHONG – YALE: Great Y arabian, one foot shift in place but holds the position. AND THE STREAM FREEZES.
HUSKIE – SPU: Tsuk 1/1, rebounds back a bit but keeps it mostly under control. 10.0 start there.
BRAWNER – SEMO: Y arabian, stunning in the air but a bigger bound forward.
DAVIS – AFA: FTY, great in the air but lands with chest a bit down and step forward.
REIMERS – UB: FTY, huge distance and a little side hop.
MOREDOCK – TWU: FTY, piked down and flung out a bit but pulls her arms back and sticks.
JONES – TWU: Y arabian, stuck DEAD. Not much distance is the only thing I saw there.
MEAKIM – WCU: Y arabian, another amazing stick. Maybe not quite the height as Jones but very similar vault. 9.80 is too low.
CHAN – WCU: Y full, deep landing but ANOTHER stick. This is an amazing streak.
SHEN – CORNELL: Y arabian, gorgeous but with a step forward. Sorry, we only do sticks here.
LEWIS – AFA: No block on Y arabian, almost sits it but manages to keep it on her feet. That was rough in warm up too.
SOKOLOWSKI – FTY to her knees. She was mentally off after beam, such a tough way to go out.
VAULT CHAMPION – SCHYLER JONES 9.9125, #2 MALLORY MOREDOCK 9.8875, #3 MEGHAN CHAN 9.850
Those three vaults were amazing. So many sticks in this final, it was a good one.
BEAM
JONES – TWU: Missed the first chunk due to stream freezing, bit of feet and tentative landing on leap series, stuck 3/2 dismount really nicely.
SOKOLOWSKI – LU: Bend check on triple series, straddle straddle 1/2 combo is great. Step on punch front, step back on 3/2 dismount. Looks frustrated, doesn’t want to talk to coaches.
KELLY – TWU: She’s so prettyyyyy. Flic flic loso, just a touch of knees but super steady. Switch to wolf 1/1, full turn is great, awkward step back on the side aerial. Missed dismount because stream is super patchy today.
BUTCHNESS – BROWN: Switch split 3/4, solid, just a touch short on splits. Flic back pike, super solid, slightly overcooks a full turn but stays steady. Cat leap side aerial back full, a little piked in the air but stuck!
HOWARD – AFA: One of my faves. Hop on, nails the switch ring – has had little checks the last couple days. Great full turn, flic loso floated down. Beautiful front walkover that exists just for requirements, beat to split 3/4 nailed. Gainer pike hop back, but that was really the only thing, pretty extraordinary routine.
MOORE – PENN: One handed BHS to loso, comes on a little sideways and leans but stays on. Good leap series, poise is so beautiful. Great full turn. Front walkover to beat, cartwheel gainer full stuck.
ALDERMAN – TWU: Switch to gainer LOSO, side aerial with hips out of line but pulls it back. Off line on wolf jump, redoes it into a great straddle 3/4. Flic loso is great, nice full turn, dabs to the judges because of course, gainer full stuck-ish.
GREEN – CORNELL: Gorgeous kickover mount, aerial-back handspring series is so beautiful. Nice full turn, beat to sheep with a leg up.Cat leap tour jete, little adjustment, side aerial back full with a hop back.
JONES – SEMO: Pretty handspring swingdown work, great full turn. Side aerial side somi nailed, split straddle 3/4, her legs are so stunning. Side aerial back full out of frame.
REIMERS – UB: Flic loso, gorgeous, side aerial lands on one leg, fights to stay on. Switch split back tuck gorgeous.
LUERS – AFA: One-arm FHS to Chen. SO GOOD. Switch sheep with a bend check, unfortunately that’ll put her out of it.
BEAM CHAMPIONS – SCHYLER JONES, ALYSSA KELLY 9.825, #3 LITERALLY FOUR PEOPLE
Not gonna lie, I totally thought Analise Howard had that locked up until I looked at the results. Everyone who wasn’t from TWU plus one who was got stuck at 9.80, which was kind of a bummer. But Jones and especially Kelly did have great routines.
BARS
BALDOVINO – YALE: Very very pretty. Blind change to pike Jaeger, full turn to double back NAILED. Only thing I saw was she got stuck a little in the full turn? But completed cleanly on top of the bar. Gorgeous.
SALAMONE – AFA: Full turn to Gienger, keeps legs together, arch error in handstand but a gorgeous Pak. Full in dismount with chest down and a bound forward.
RYAN – BROWN: I think the whole team is in double buns. Blind change to Jaeger with a bit of feet, short on bail. Full turn is late to stuck double back.
BURNS – SPU: Toe shoot is great, maybe a touch shy on some handstands, blind to Jaeger to overshoot is good. Full turn a bit slow to double back, step back. Well done! SPU has two more years with her and will be very grateful for it.
WANG – YALE: Blind to Jaeger gorgeous. Clear hip to bail, loses legs the tiniest bit in the air but catches fine. Full in dismount close to the bar but STUCK.
HANSEN – BROWN: Great Tkachev, lines are so gorgeous. Stalder just a touch late to Pak, full turn to double back with a step.
TERESHKO – UB: Just caught a really pretty DLO dismount with a hop.
JONES – TWU: She’s been announced as Schyler T. all weekend and it just kills me. Full turn with a bit of legs to Gienger to overshoot, full turn with more legs to double back stuck-ish.
KIRKPATRICK – AF: Maloney with a bit of feet to great bail, soft feet throughout, full turn to double back with a hop forward.
NORTHROP – TWU: FH is short to great Gienger to overshoot, double lay with a big hop back.
MURPHY – AFA: Clear hip to Tkachev, beautiful. Bail is great, hollow double lay deep and tries to stick… hop back.
BARS CHAMPION: JESSICA WANG 9.90, #2 SCHYLER JONES, JACEY BALDOVINO 9.85
Nice for Yale to get some redemption after missing the team final Wang has been a rockstar all season, and freshman Baldovino’s score was probably held down by going first. There’s so much potential in this team, it’ll be exciting to see where they go next year.
FLOOR
AVENDANO – SCSU: Double pike, big lunge back, close to the line. Switch side Popa gorgeous, 3/2 punch front with messy legs. Double back underrotated with a lunge forward.
MCMULLAN – LU: Some of the highest quality faces in this routine. Double pike, bounce forward into lunge. Tour jete 1/2 to Popa is good, great double back, music turns into Africa in them middle, 3/2 front lay is great and that’s her career. Good one! Big hug with coach Jen, they may both be crying
FRANKLIN – LU: This routine is so dramatic. Front thru double back, little hop back, great leap series. Tour jete 1/1 is gorgeous, great double pike with a bigger lunge.
JONES – TWU: Love this choreo. Double back, juuust shifts her front foot. Smiling through the routine. Sticks the double pike, switch is a little short on split as usual to wolf 1/1 tuck 3/2. 3/2 front lay, dances out, so good!
REIMERS – UB: I love this routine so much. Rocked the full in, gorgeous leap series. Also appreciate the ombre-ish leotard. 3/2 front lay is great, maybe a bit of legs? Great double pike. Has been landing with legs a bit staggered and stepping the front one back – not sure if that’s something they’ll want to take today.
MEAKIM – WCU: Double pike, pikes in late and makes the timing a bit weird but lands it well. Front full? to super whippy front lay, squats it but keeps her butt off the ground. Just missed the punch. Rudi underrotated with a step forward.
JORDAN – CC: Big lunge on double pike, she is so elegant and dancey. Switch ring to tj1/2 is beautiful, Front lay front 1/2 split punch front, and just beaming through the good bits of her choreography. This is stunning. Rudi to amazing straddle jump. AMAZING.
ALEXANDER – LU: Some of the coolest choreo in the meet in this one.Still not over the opening sequence, double pike gorgeous landing. 3/2 front lay right in the corner, cross step to stay in. Great landing on double back
MOREDOCK – TWU: Crowd clapping louder than the music, they know what to do. Great double pike, switch side to Popa a touch short on positions, biiig step back on double back on the line. Not sure if it’s OOB or not. 3/2 punch front, feet slip in the punch and sits it. That’s a bummer 🙁
HERCZEG – CORNELL: We’re staring at a patch of blank floor. The camera work on floor has been quite something. This routine is adorable. Three steps back on double pike. I didn’t watch the rest of the tumbling because I was distracted by the performance quality, which is amazing.
DAVIS – AFA: What a routine to end the weekend on. Double pike, lunge back but keeps toes of her front foot down. This routine is so dramatic, super quirky and theatrical choreo. Front full front lay? is great, just a touch of bounce on the landing, good leap series. Nailed closing double back. That’s how you close a season.
FLOOR CHAMPIONS: SCHYLER JONES, TYLER DAVIS, MAYA REIMERS 9.90
Yeah, that’s awesome. So much amazing performance in that final, and the tumbling rocked too. Schyler Jones walks away from her collegiate career with five national titles in 2018 – all around, team, and every event but bars where she picked up a silver. Great to see Reimers rewarded for the only E pass in the final (which was amazing), and Davis is such a quality performer for Air Force.
Live blog by Rebecca Scally
