Ok it’s been a long weekend and all of our nerves are very frail at this point.
Luckily for us, today is event finals. USAG Nationals is one of the few championship meets to still honor the top gymnasts on each event with their own competition. Watching the crème de la crème on each apparatus perform in a slightly lower-stakes meet will be the healing serum many of us need after a weekend of nail-biting competition.
The first half of the meet will be vault and beam. Half of the qualified competitors on each event will compete, and then since some are doing both events, there will be a break a quarter-way through to allow those that competed on one of the two events to warm-up for the second. The second quarter will commence with the final half of qualified competitors.
The second half of the meet will be bars and floor in the same fashion.
The set-up is a bit confusing, but don’t worry about understanding who-goes-when because what really matters is how each amazing individual performs today.
I’m pretty sure each team has at least one individual competing in today’s final. You can watch them compete here.
UIC Co-head coaches Mary and Peter Jansson have won USAG Coach of the Year award, and Miki Northern has been honored with the Mari Rae Sopper award for her passion, dedication, and devotion to the sport of gymnastics. Northern also wins USAG Senior of the Year.
Rotation 1: Vault and Beam
Stahlbrodt (SCSU): Beautiful full turn, leaps dead on. Flight dead on. Huge 180 on all splits, Side aerial dead on. She’s rocking this routine, despite being first up! And a stuck-ish double full dismount! Four judge panel for tonight I guess. 9.725
Gardener (BU): Good Yfull. 9.7375
Stahlbrodt (UB): Good routine up until side aerial, big balance check. Comes back with a great split jump back tuck. Double full dismount hop. 9.700.
Salamone (AFA): Good yfull, big hop. 9.7625
Alexander (LU): Huge front aerial to back tuck flight series. 185 degree sissone, full turn on. She’s showing this off with flair and drama. Huge leap series. Piked gainer just a small hop. 9.775
Boogerd (LU): Yfull a little low amplitude it looked like.
Peloquin (SCSU): Full turn a lot of control, oh no.. does two front aerials, couldn’t connect either into bhs. Side aerial balance check. Couldn’t connect leap series either. She looks thrown. Step on double full dismount. Too bad — her routine night one was a thing of beauty. 9.150.
Baddely (UIC): Huge block on yfull, best I’ve seen so far. 9.850.
Reimers (UB): Flight series with a balnce check, she looked v shaky. Side aerial and leap series dead on, though. RO double full just a small hop on the landing.
Slee (SEMO): Yfull underrotated, step forward. 9.650.
Stevenson (AFA): Fall on front tuck mount. Comes back for a good bhs loso leap series. Good jumps, pike gainer looked very close to beam but she sticks. 9.050.
Leman (LU): Underrotated Yfull, big steps forward and chest down.
Green (Cornell): Gorgeous flexibility on needle scale and flight series. jumps are on. She’s rocking so far. HUGE TOR JETE WOW! Side aerial to full – STUCK! Wouldn’t be surprised if she took the title with that routine. Multiple 9.95s flashed. It’s a 9.900.
Jordan (CC): Side aerial back tuck.. Beautiful. full turn so on. Leap series and dance just wonderful. She’s fighting for a balance check-free routine. And a stuck gainer full! 9.850.
Second half – Vault and beam
Green (BU): Bhs loso, slight check. Loving her hair lol. Switch ring, a little bobbly, same with switch half. Jump series on though. Tsuk tuck dismount! So cool! 9.6750.
Burns (SPU): HUGE Yfull! 9.7750
Alderman (TWU): Huge gainer LOSO. Good jumps. Windmill arms and bobble on flight series, she just dabbed. omg. Stuck gainer full dismount! 9.8250.
Roland (UB): Great yfull. Hop. 9.750.
Bailey (LU): Flight series dead-on, ugh love the choreo. Leaps just a tiny wobble. RO 1.5 just a small hop back. Good routine. 9.825.
Northrop (TWU): A little short on block. Not enough amplitude. A lot of conferring by judges on score. 9.500.
Herczeg (Cornell): Everything very clean so far, NOW THAT’S how you do a punch front on beam! Beautiful punch front full.
Stevenson (AFA): Chenko HUGE tucked full! 9.6625.
Luers (AFA): Omg that flight series to a chen gets me every time! Good routine except a little spazzy on gainer full dismount.
Sand (AFA): Oh no. Yfull rushes block, maybe gets lost and is still twisting when she hits the ground at the 3/4. Was a bit scary. 9.075.
Baddeley (UIC): BHS LOSO solid. Great ring, cat jump to side aerial.. HIT. RO 1.5 with a hop to finish. 9.850.
Kaziska (SEMO): Beautiful front aerial to split jump. flight series is on, she’s killing this so far. love her flexibility, this is gonna score high. RO 1.5 stuck. 9.875.
Henry (LU): Good flight and leap series, side aerial a bit short but she pulls it off. Jump series no question. She’s smiling! RO 1.5 STUCK!
Top final standings on beam and vault:
Beam: Green 9.90, Kaziska 9.875, Baddely, Jordan and Henry tied with 9.85, Alderman and Bailey 9.825, Luers 9.800
Vault: Baddeley 9.850, Burns 9.775, Salamone 9.7625, Roland 9.750, Gardner 9.7375
Rotation 2: Bars and Floor
Wang (Yale): Blind to jaeger great, every handstand hit so far. Super clean routine until dismount, tucked full in but huge knee bend, not sure if they touched mat or not. 9.600.
Gwinn (UB): Despite warming up double lay, opens with a double pike. Love her shush.. every time! Double tuck perfect for second pass. Love her choreo.. every time. And a huge last pass to finish, what a great weekend and routine for the freshman. 9.800.
Salamone (AFA): blind full to geinger absolutely gorgeous.. to pak. Tiny short on last handstand, but a STUCK full-in to finish!! 9.850.
Alderman (TWU): Dynamic double pike to start, great leap series. She’s really showing this off, crowd is clapping along. Another dynamic rebounding pass. Ends with a punch rudi, maybe a little shuffle on landing. Overall solid routine. 9.85.
Stevenson (AFA): WHAT a huge routine. Won’t be surprised if she takes it. Wow.. just wow. Ends with a stuck dismount. Weird and varied scores… 9.700.
Aycock (UB): Opens with a huge punch double full. UB fans getting loud.. any routine with buttons playing is a 10.0 in my book. 1.5 pike makes it look effortless. Great rudi to close. 9.825.
Burns (SPU): Good turnover on toeshoot, and good single-bar to bail. Blind full connected to double tuck, step on landing. 9.750.
Meakim (WCU): Good jump series to start, opens with a double pike, a lil’ wild on landing. Leaps nice, second pass a huge front full front lay. Love to see gymnasts smiling like this. Almost stuck rudi to close. WCU fans got so loud there, wow I’m crying. 9.750.
Li Costa (BU): A natural bar swinger, that bail floated into a freaking hit handstand, ends with a stuck dismount. loving her lines. 9.850.
Kaziska (SEMO): Punch double twist to open, just a bit wild/steppy on landing. RO 1.5 lay super controlled, ends with a GORGEOUS rudi. 9.875.
Alexander (LU): Bent arms on overshoot after jaegar, ends with a nice double lay. 9.750.
Sheremeta (UIC): A lot of energy in front double full opening pass, second pass a gorgeous 1.5 front aerial. Love that head back shush. Her choreo is really beautiful. Rudi HUGE straddle jump to finish. 9.8750.
Standings after first half bars/floor:
Bars: Li Costa and Salamone 9.850, Burns and Alexander 9.750, Stevenson 9.700
Floor: Kaziska and Sheremeta 9.875, Alderman 9.850, Aycock 9.825, Gwinn 9.800
Second half – Bars and floor
Bailey (LU): Jaeger to overshoot, very nice. Hit handstand on top, double tuck just a small hop. 9.800.
Burns (SPU): Double pike just a step forward. Love how she sasses through this routine, so engaging. Facial expressions make such a difference for performance. Double tuck another step forward on landing. judges may forgive steps because of performance. They do. 9.875.
Nelson (BU): Fell on single bar release. Gets back up to do a beautiful overshoot, step on double lay dismount. 9.100.
Reimers (UB): Double lay to open! Huge leaps. 1.5 pike.. Will she end with a full-in?? Ends with a double pike! Great routine, crowd is roaring!
Baker (UIC): Lovely routine, handstands are all there to a stuck double lay dismount!
Davis (AFA): SKY HIGH double pike.. she just hit the woah you guys. front lay front full second pass, this is the best routine I’ve seen her do all weekend. Whole crowd is captivated. Ends with a huge double tuck.. you guys. This score is gonna be…..
Alicke (UIC): Huge release and bail 3-second handstand hold. An almost stuck double full dismount!! 9.750.
Leman (LU): Front pass she twisted into the ground, it was a jolted landing. She hasn’t quite figured out that pass this weekend. Comes back for a good 1.5 pike, ends with a front lay to rudi, a bit rushed on the punch. chest down. 9.700.
Trachtenberg (Yale): Good routine until a huge arch over on handstand before dismount. Falls. Ends with a double lay. 9.25.
Jordan (CC): Double pike huge energy and big lunge back, leap series amazing with head thrown back on second switch. Second rebounding pass was magical and got a roar from entire audience. This will be a big contender. Rudi to HUGE straddle to finish. Standing ovation from crowd. 9.875.
Doran (UB): Ginormous jaeger, great overshoot, handstands all hit and just a hop back on double tuck dismount. 9.775.
Top final standings on floor and bars:
Floor: Davis 9.975; Kaziska, Burns, Doran and Sheremeta 9.875; Alderman 9.850; Aycock 9.825
Bars: Salamone and Costa 9.850; Bailey and Baker 9.800; Doran 9.7750; Burns 9.750
First-place finishers today:
Green takes beam title with a 9.90.
Davis takes floor title with a 9.975.
Salamone and Costa share bar title with a 9.850.
Baddeley takes vault title with a 9.850.
Live blog by Katie Norris
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