Welcome to the first semifinal of what promises to be a weekend full of tight and exciting competition!
Judging by the way the season has unfolded, Lindenwood should have a pretty secure spot for tomorrow’s team final competition, but hey, it’s postseason and nothing is ever guaranteed ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. After some devastating upsets last weekend at NCAA regionals, I think it’s safe to say a lot of us are experiencing #trustissues as the season comes to a close. With that said, Lindenwood is sitting pretty for a first or second place finish tonight.
The second spot for tomorrow’s team final is a little trickier. No. 4 Yale and No. 5 Air Force are a pretty even match, although Yale is technically favored. Don’t count Air Force out though; its peak this season at the MPSF championship two weeks ago shows it’s capable of an upset if it can hit.
You can access the live stream here.
Gymnasts are marching out, it’s go time folks!
Rotation 1: LU vault, Yale bars, AFA beam, WCU floor
Baze (LU): tuck full, little legs and hop on landing 9.575
Hill (AFA): very focused, ooh free forward roll, very unique, STUCK gainer tuck full wow, solid start for AFA
Henry (LU): Missed vault but parents seem happy, 9.725
Turon (LU): Yurchenko arabian very clean
Davis (AFA): Front handspring series, missed and had to re-do handspring, second try hits handspring SO front arial, major bobble but went on to hit dismount – 9.750
Boogerd (LU): Clean YFull for 9.80
Nodarse (WCU): Iffy double pike, second pass whip to 1.5 clean, seemed a little hesitant on all tumbling
Didn’t see what happened on last bar routine but it went 8.600 for Yale
Chia (Yale): Comes back for a very clean routine other than a short handstand before a lovely and (almost!) stuck toe-front tuck half dismount
Adams (LU): 9.750 vault score flashed. Seems like a really solid vault rotation for LU
Stapleton (AFA): nice beat jump straddle full, piked gainer dismount with a large step back
Toy (Yale): Clean routine to a stuck double tuck dismount. Yale really getting after landings! – 9.725
Trachtenberg (Yale): Very solid routine, nice overshoot hand to another stuck dismount, gorgeous double lay
Kissinger (WCU): Looks a bit off on floor, LOSO out of rudi was under rotated, middle pass just a back 1.5 (don’t know if it was a mistake) and ended with a rudi double stag jump but very low amplitude
Wang (Yale): From the sound of Yale’s screams, looks like ANOTHER stuck dismount!! 9.850
Luers (AFA): Such a unique series, FHS one-arm to chen, stuck gainer full dismount, was a gorgeous routine – 9.800
Fanara (WCU): Just caught end, double tuck last pass under-rotated to a rough fall
Fischer (AFA): gorgeous HS LSO series, went for a double full turn (omg!! so rare), but unfortunately didn’t make it around all the way and stepped back early, had to re-do cat leap into her side arial-gainer full dismount but nice landing to finish it off – 9.675 despite a few breaks
Domonoske (BU – individual): Solid HS LSO flight, switch to split 3/4 a little short on split, stuck gainer dismount
Meakim (WCU): Nice dynamic double pike, GORGEOUS front full-front lay, music super fun, great rudi to end out a super solid routine
Green (BU – individual): WOW. Great rotation and landing on opening double pike, springy 1.5 front tuck but some legs, oh no, RO double tuck dismount underrotated and fell, she didn’t get enough block
Petrillo (BU – individual): double tuck okay but a little messy legs, second pass 1.5 front tuck solid, ends with double pike, underrotated and took a few steps forward
AFTER ONE: AFA 48.775, Yale 48.600, LU 48.575, WCU 48.200
Okay solid first round for our three major contenders, with WCU definitely lagging behind after multiple falls on floor. Let me tell you, seeing Yale get after those landings on bars feels like they’re in the right championship mindset. AFA also had a number of sticks on beam, and it’s hard to see vault landings because the floor corral is very unfortunately placed, but overall it seemed like vault went well for LU too. These three teams are going to be fighting tooth-and-nail for these two Championship tickets.
Rotation 2: WCU vault, LU bars, Yale beam and AFA floor
Alexander (LU): beautiful blind + piked geinger, gorgeous double lay dismount slight jittery hop but overall gorgeous and tight routine – 9.775 to start them off
Israel (Yale): solid HS LSO series but could have cleaner form, solid straddle jump back tuck, cat leap torjete half, short split, stuck gainer full dismount. routine was a little sloppy but overall little to no bobbles
Hill (AFA): Nice switch straddle to straddle full, double tuck short with large rebound forward, strong RO 1.5 front lay to end the routine, ended on high note
Colwell (LU): Caught out of corner of my eye, seemed pretty good but some weird pikeyness on giants, stuck double lay. One judge gave 9.800 the other gave a 9.650, parents are upset
Sans (AFA): Double pike to open, looked beautiful in the air but she opened early and took big rebound forward, nice rudi for second pass, good 1.5 tuck to end
Seeing a lot of really low scores from WCU on vault, seems like multiple falls
Firmstone (Yale): Very pretty BH LSO flight, nice arial, slight bobble, omg switch to straddle 3/4 I think with a huuuuge fight, stays on. Stuck dismount.
Mitchell (LU): Solid routine
Wang (Yale): HOLY GORGEOUS flight, switch to super clean straddle 1/4, nice side arial tiny check, RO HOLY GORGOUS double full to a near stick, nicely done. 9.725
Kaziska (LU): overall impression another solid routine for LU – 9.725Chia (Yale): Oh no. Just caught a fall. Yale will have to count Firmstone’s huge fight, Yale not looking happy.
Meyer (AFA): Deductionless double pike to open, front lay front full w/ a lot of legs happening on full, double tuck to end, solid with a slight step forward – 9.750.
Davis (AFA): Beautiful opening double pike, huge switch straddle to straddle full, super engaging routine I’m loving it, HUGE double tuck to end. Wow, she really sold that whole routine. OMG CHILLS!!!! One judge flashed a 10.0 the other a 9.900, it’s a 9.9500!!
AFTER TWO: AFA 97.300, LU 97.100, Yale 96.700, WCU 95.875
Okay, so despite a few underrotations on floor, AFA is rocking this meet, with LU close at their heels. Yale was tripped up a bit on beam, but it’s only the second rotation and again, it’s post season so literally anything could happen at any point. WCU on the other hand is completely out of the running at this point, but could have some individuals make it to Sunday’s event finals.
Rotation 3: AFA vault, WCU bars, LU beam, Yale floor
Alexander (LU): Beautiful split sissone, full turn, she is so sharp and elegant on this event. Great flexibility too, stuck gainer pike dismount! 9.800
Stevenson (AFA): 9.850
Kirkpatrick (AFA): Nice lay full, step on landing
Oh no, a WCU gymnast looks injured, she’s holding her left hand in pain
Bailey (LU): Just caught dismount, almost stuck RO 1.5 9.825
Colwell (LU): Triple series a little underrotated on last LOSO, steps forward, gainer full to STICK! – 9.750.
Jennings (AFA): Gorgeous double tuck opening pass, nice FHS front full to front lay, 1.5 lay to finish, super solid routine.
9.425 flashed for AFA
Slee (AFA): Nice YFull, slight arch
9.800 for LU on beam
Firmstone (Yale): Front full front lay, very dancey choreo, ooh she’s bringing the sass too I love it, rudi double stag to end, nice routine overall
Milliet (LU): gorgeous BHS LSO series, ring jump, piked front toss but doesn’t quite get enough height and falls, pretty attitude turn to a gainer front full dismount, too bad about the fall.. everything else was beautiful – 9.250.
Burford (Yale): HUGE RO double pike, engaging choreo, she looks like she’s having fun! Front lay front full hit, FHS rudi HUGE rebound on straddle. What a great routine.
Firth (Yale): FHS front double twist to punch front (wow!), she’s really playing around with this music and choreo, ends with a deductionless rudi (for what it’s worth, two LU parents just looked at eachother and go “wow. that was a really nice routine). And it’s a 9.725, which seems low?
AFTER THREE: AFA 146.100, LU 146.000, Yale 145.275, WCU 143.100
Okay it’s pretty clear that AFA and LU are going to be the two teams to advance to tomorrow’s Championship. Sorry about wordpress by the way, I have literally no idea what’s going on with the format and why it looks like that. Also it’s approximately 1 million degrees in this gym. Doing fine!
Rotation 4: Yale VAULT, AFA bars, WCU beam and LU floor.
Jennings (Yale): Loose/legs on tuck full
Franklin (LU): Opening pass front tuck through to double tuck, really nice, torjete full WOW, solid double pike to finish. Exactly what you want in in the lead-off spot. Aw her mom next to me is crying :’) – 9.750
Buford (Yale): Front-front pike but back of the board, hands barely made the table, had to tuck early and still goes 9.700!
Colwell (LU): Rocked a double pike to open, front full-front pike very confident, she’s selling this routine! And she’s ON for that last double tuck, killed that routine
Murphy (AFA): Honestly I’m not quick enough to lay out these bar routines, but good routine until her double lay dismount which she sat down on. Hopefully their one and only fall on bars – 9.150.
Baze (LU): Huge double pike to open, second pass a very clean double tuck, last pass 1.5 to front pike half, was not expecting that! So unique! – 9.750
Just caught Salamone’s (AFA) heart-stopping tucked full-in dismount. Stunning.
Stevenson (AFA): Wow, that was a beautiful routine. One of the best overshoot-hands I’ve seen this whole meet, ended with a nice blind full to double tuck. One step back on landing. – 9.775
Alexander (LU): I’m obsessed with this choreo. So dramatic; she’s a true performer. Clean 1.5 front lay second pass, last pass double pike and STUCK! She needs to do Cirque or something. And it’s a 9.800!
Henry (LU): Practically deductionless opening double pike, some more really engaging choreo and music. Oh no oh no. Second pass double tuck it looks like she landed right on the edge of the four-incher and tripped back over it. She did pike down on landing but I really think it wouldn’t have been a fall if the mat wasn’t there. Ended with a nice 1.5 lay – 9.05.
Leman (LU): Front lay front double full, landed under rotated and could have been sat down but she saved it. Good fight. Practically walks into a 1.5 punch pike, OK. Ends with a nice rudi, way to recover after a fall. 9.825.
Jordan (CC – individual): Nice double pike to open, stunning tour jete half. Holy second pass. So many saltos strung together to a huuuge split jump rebound. Ends with a gigantic rudi straddle. She has such a presence on floor 0 9.825.
Lindenwood and Air Force advance!
FINAL SCORES: AFA 194.825, LU 194.750, Yale 193.725, WCU 191.675
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Live blog by Katie Norris
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