Well, here we are. Day three of this grueling weekend. Are you still hanging in there? We’re in this together. We can do it. Never mind how tired the gymnasts must be at this point.
If all goes according to plan, we’ll see UCLA and Michigan in Fort Worth. But, when does it all go according to plan? Did you watch March Madness this year?! Upsets are the name of the game. Alabama absolutely has a shot to overtake Michigan, and we know better than to ever count Nebraska out. No team gets handed nationals—not even UCLA. Each team here needs to do its job and earn its berth.
For those of you who haven’t been following up to this point, the scoring in Ann Arbor has been a little tight, but also quite fair across the board. I didn’t see any scores that made me want to throw my laptop, although #JusticeforHouchin. Yesterday, bars scores were a little strict in both sessions, while floor was just a touch loose. We’ll see if that carries over to today.
Rotation draw was random; if you want to puke thinking about Alabama ending on beam while Michigan vaults, same. Assuming nothing weird happens, Michigan will finish vaulting and wait, while Alabama will know the score it needs through the final few routines. Nebraska won the day, and I’d guess Miss Val would tell us that starting on beam is a fun opportunity or something like that.
I expect lineups to be different tonight; UCLA can still afford to rest some stars, but for the other three it’ll be all hands on deck.
MARCH INS ARE HAPPENING. HERE WE GO.
UCLA tentatively with the big guns back in.
https://twitter.com/uclagymnastics/status/1114661939123245056
This is (if everyone throws it) the six-10.0 start value lineup for the Huskers.
https://twitter.com/HuskersWGym/status/1114663234110406656
We get things started on the floor exercise tonight!#NCAAGymnastics | #RegionalFinal | #EarnIt | #LegacyOfChampions | #RollTide pic.twitter.com/kVmKBaZN3J
— Alabama Gymnastics (@BamaGymnastics) April 6, 2019
Our lineups heading into the meet. #GoBlue #CantBreakSteel pic.twitter.com/FHGVGQsjNy
— Michigan Women’s Gymnastics (@UMichWGym) April 6, 2019
Rotation 1: Nebraska vault, Michigan bars, UCLA beam, Alabama floor
Heiskell (UM): Tkatchev, better toes today. Toe hand. pak. Front giant to Double pike, scooted her feet.
Fall from Grace Glenn on beam.
Dujakovich (UNL): Y1.5, deep knees but near stick.
Quinn (UNL): FTY, some pike and a small hop. No six 10.0s today.
Mariani (UM): Good first handstand to clear hip hand + BIG Tkatchev. Bail hand little offline but holds it. Full-in step back.
Hit floor from Desch.
Nguyen (UCLA): Straddle + beat. Standing loso, good. Front 1/1 stuck.
Oslen (UA): Double double essentially stuck. Front through pass was landed well. Tour jete 1/2 + split 1/1, little cheated on the rotation. Double pike, excellent. Alabama on fire.
DeJesus (UNL)L Y1.5, hop.
Crouse (UNL): Y.15 good body, small step.
Hit bars from Brenner, maybe one short handstand and a hop.
Kocian (UCLA): Bhs loso, very steady. Front aerial small check to split, probably won’t get a connection there. Switch + split, good. RO 3/2, step back tried too hard for the stick.
Saw Mahoney’s double pike to close, great landing.
Wojcik (UM): Hect mount. GREAT first handstand. Toe blind + pike Jaeger, better catch today. Bail hand little crooked. DLO, hop back.
My wifi took 10 years to reload the blog, but Flatley had a hit, small hop on the dismount.
Farley had a stick on her double front dismount.
Hit floor for Armbrecht. What a meet!
Ohashi (UCLA): Front aerial, little off and does some chores. Bhs loso. Front aerial + split, good. Switch + split, great as usual. Bus lost 1/1 stuck.
Grader (UA): Double pike, good landing. So far Alabama is most on with its landings.
Ross (UCLA): bhs loso solid. Front aerial + sissonne, little shy on the front leg. Attitude turn was a little off but she covered it like the pro she is, probably no deduction. Switch + split. Side aerial + 1/1 stuck.
Well Kyla got a 10 and it made my WordPress have a panic attack! Guerra hit floor while WordPress was hating me. Here’s hoping technology keeps it together.
AFTER ONE: UCLA 49.425, UA 49.400, UM 49.200, UNL 49.100
Hot damn. That was a fire floor rotation for Alabama. Michigan has some ground to make up, and Nebraska is here to remind us not to forget what it is capable of. This is going to be a fun few rotations.
HOLD. THE. PHONE.
Scores just updated.
UCLA 49.4
UA 49.425
Yep you’re seeing that correctly.
!
It’s highly possible the scores always said that and my brain just couldn’t process it.
Rotation 2: UA vault, UNL bars, UM beam, UCLA floor
Sam telling us Armbrect just hit her FTY.
Farley (UM): Hit her triple series. Switch + split. Front aerial + split, good. Small step on Gainer pike.
Mahoney (UA): FTY lovely, tiny hop.
Orel (UNL): Tkatchev, little low but nice toes. Bail hand good. blind 1/1 VERY late double tuck hop.
Gaskins (UA): FTY, small hop.
Osman (UM): Bhs loso, small check. Punch front, another little check, picked her leg up.Split + tuck 1/1. Gainer 1/1 stuck.
Hargrove (UNL): Ray, some knees. Pak, good. Stalder + double tuck, hop.
Olsen (UA): DTY, small hop.
Dennis (UCLA): She’s in for Tratz. pike full-in, good, just stayed in. FHS front 1/1 + front lay, danced out but it could read as a step. Solid jumps. Double tuck, good landing, best one in the set.
Stuck bars for De Jesus.
Stuck Rudi dismount for Karas, fall for Verceles Carr on bars.
Sam telling us Graber landed her Y1.5 a little lock-legged but seems fine.
Guerra (UA): Y1.5, stuck, wow.
Crouse (UNL): Weiler kip to Geigner so big to bail, good. Full-in, small foot adjustment.
Mariani (UM): Saw her hit the end of her series. RO 3/2, stuck.
Houchin (UNL): HUGH Tkatchev from blind 1/1. Bail hand great. DLO, hop.
Funk (UM): Bhs loso, solid. Switch side 1/4, good. Beat + straddle 3/4. Side aerial 1/1 stuck.
Ross (UCLA): Whip + double tuck, slid her front foot a smidge. 3/2 + front lay good. Tour jete 1/2 + popa + sush, great. Double pike, slid the foot again.
Wojcik (UM): Front aerial beat, better than yesterday. Switch + split, good splits. Bhs loso, solid. She’s giving nothing away. Cat + side aerial. Just so solid. RO 3/2, small hop.
Hano’s usual hit on floor.
Ohashi (UCLA): Split leg DLO, stepped to the side. 1/1 to barani, split punch front, little lower energy than usual, but that’s a high standard. Front aerial + Illusion + Illusion, good. Solid on her jumps. FHS front 1/1 barani split to the floor, best of her passes.
AFTER TWO: UCLA 99.025, UM 98.625, UA 98.550, UNL 98.250
Phew. UCLA OWNED the floor, as usual. So the ship seems righted. Michigan stuck more landings, and that’s how it made up the difference. Alabama just couldn’t find the 9.9’s on vault, and a fall took the air out of it for Nebraska. Onward!
Oh cool I’m getting a commercial on this $30/month stream.
Rotation 3: UCLA vault, UA bars, UNL beam, UM floor
Hargrove (UNL): Bhs loso, solid. Front aerial + beat tiny check. Split + sheep, good. Stuck dismount.
Dickson (UA): Bail hand, good. Toe hand to Tkatchev, lovely. full-in stuck!
Dennis (UCLA): Stuck the biggest FTY in the world.
Wright (UCLA): Y1.5 step forward.
Hit for Funk.
Graber (UA): Blind 1/1 Geigner some leg sep. Bail hand leg sep again. Full-in, small hop.
Osman (UM): Full-in, good. Switch side popa, not quite around. Feed cut away.
Tratz (UCLA): FTY stuck.
Orel (UNL): Fall on bhs loso. Side somi, good. Split + double stag nice. RO 3/2 hop.
Hano (UCLA): Y1.5, big step.
Guerra (UA): Blind + Jaeger, good. Bail hand, very nice. Stuck DLO.
Hit for Brenner.
Schweihofer (UNL): Bhs layout two feet good. No problems on jumps. RO 2/1 stuck.
Ross (UCLA): Y1.5, hop.
Kramer (UCLA): Y1.5, short on rotation and a hop.
Mahoney (UA): Bail hand solid. Nice Tkatchev. Good handstands. Full-in, step forward.
Crouse (UNL): Front arial bhs, good. Switch + straddle 1/4, small error. Front toss. Gainer 1/1, good.
McLean (UM): Her deduction yesterday was for music being too long. Good combo pass. Tour jete 1/2 + popa, very good. Double pike, good landing.
Houchin (UNL): Bhs loso. Front aerial, good. Feed cut away.
Wojcik (UM): Double pike, good. Tour jete 1/2 + wolf 1/1. FHS 2/1 + front pike, little on her heels and takes a step. FHS rudi + straddle, good.
Hassel (UNL): BHS loso, good. Solid front aerial. Split+ sheep, medium check. RO 3/2, stuck.
Karas (UM): Double arabian back on her heels a bit but she covered it. Split 1/2 + wolf 3/2. 3/2 + barani, good. Double pike, slid back a bit.
AFTER THREE: UCLA 148.425, UM 148.075, UA 147.800, UNL 147.450
Nebraska is showing some nerves, but is so far not counting a big error, which is keeping the Huskers just in this thing. Michigan has a fairly comfortable lead over Alabama, but this isn’t done until it’s done.
Rotation 4: UM vault, UCLA bars, UA beam, UNL floor
Johnston (UNL): Double pike, good. Whip 1/2 to 1/1, no punch and I’m not sure if she fell or not, but it was a veryyyy deep squat. Good on her jumps. Double tuck, low chest.
Maxim (UM): Tsuk 1/2, small hop.
Klopfer and Frazer hit.
Olsen (UA): Bhs loso loso, small check. Switch to split, small wobble. Front aerial, small adjustment. Bhs bhs, double pike, falls.
Brenner (UM): Y1.5, hop forward.
Dennis (UCLA): Maloney, some leg sep on the back swing. Missed the high to low. DLO stuck.
McLean (UM): FTY, big, small step back.
Karas (UM): Y1.5, big step.
Hit on floor for Orel, and bars for Hano.
Childers (UA): Liukin, small check in her arms, possibly not a deduction. RO 3/2 hop forward.
De Jesus (UNL): 3/1, 3/2 + front lay stepout, good, dances right out. Switch side popa, strong. Double pike, deep knees, steps forward.
Flatley hits on bars.
Wojcik (UM): Y1.5, small step back. Just not Michigan’s most solid vault rotation.
Kocian (UCLA): Chow, some leg sep to pak. Full-in stuck.
Houchin (UNL): 5/2, good. 3/2 + front lay good body position. Feed cut away.
Armbrecht stuck her beam set.
Ross (UCLA): Maloney, gorgeous to bail hand solid. Toe shoot. Great handstand. DLO, stuck. Is that another 10???
Gaskins (UA): Transverse straddle 1/2, Kyla got another 10, very loud. Bhs loso, she’s a pro and works through the noise. Swithc + split, good. Gainer 1/1 stuck!
Hassel (UNL): Front 2/1, good. 3/2 + front lay stuck cold. Swtich 1/2 + wolf 1/1, good. FHS rudi + straddle, great split. That’s a good set for the Huskers.
Graber (UA): Switch + straddle 3/4, her foot slid but you wouldn’t know it she covered so well. Wolf + beat. Liukin, lovely into gainer 1/1, stuck. Wow.
The scores are down lol. so great.
Crouse is hitting a great floor set and my wifi is as stressed as I am.
MICHIGAN ADVANCES. Unofficially of course.
FINAL: UCLA 198.075, UM 197.275, UA 197.225, UNL 196.650
PHEW WHAT A MEET that was stressful. And just, so close. No team here had a bad day. Nebraska’s errors just lowered its scoring potential enough to keep it a pace behind, and Michigan was a touch cleaner. Just a touch. It could’ve gone either way. Wow.
Live blog by Emily Minehart
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