Ohio State was Friday’s big surprise in Morgantown. The Buckeyes soared to a season high and an upset win over BYU. While they’ve got only an outside shot to contend today, it’ll be great fun to see them finish their season here.
You might have walked away from Morgantown yesterday feeling that Cal has the upper hand over a nervy Michigan. Don’t be fooled, though: A great meet from Cal was less than one tenth better than Michigan’s score. UCLA, meanwhile, finally put together a solid beam rotation with the help of Norah Flatley but fell short on floor (!) to produce yet another low 197. With beam looking healthy the great meet that we’ve all been imagining all year is closer than ever for UCLA, but the Bruins couldn’t have left it any later. Who knows how they’ll handle that sort of do-or-die pressure.
You’ll want to be in front of your TV early for this one because the first rotation is PHENOMONAL. Michigan starts on vault where it’s far and away the best team on the country and a statement rotation there could be difficult for any other team to match. Cal opens on bars where it has a No. 1 ranking of its own and a peak score of 49.825, Ohio State returns to the event on which it clinched its upset over BYU and UCLA gets to set the tone for the meet on all-important floor.
Rotation 1: Michigan VT, Cal UB, Ohio State BB, UCLA FX
| VT | UB | BB | FX | |
| Team | Michigan | California | Ohio State | UCLA |
| Event Score Yesterday | 49.650 | 49.600 | 49.175 | 49.150 |
| Event NQS | 49.631 | 49.606 | 49.163 | 49.475 |
Heiskell (UM): We didn’t see this but it’s a 9.325 so probably sat.
Wojcik (UM): Good one and a half, little hop forward. 9.9
Wilson (UM): Soft on the table and a little underrotated on her one and a half, cross step back.9.875
Morrison (UM): Good one and a half, tiny hop forward, comparable to Wojcik. 9.95
Brooks (UM): Stuck one and a half. 9.95
Guggino (UM): Overrotated one and a half slightly, big step forward. 9.875
Li (Cal): Soft back on her Pak, good van Leeuwen, blind full double back stuck.
Schank (Cal): Good pike Jaeger, big hop on double lay.
Bordas (Cal): Caught her release close, empty swing, low bail, blind full double back stuck. 9.45
Kuc (Cal): Maloney to Pak, just gorgeous, FDTB with a big hop.
Watterson (Cal): Pak, toe on to van Leeuwen, blind full double back stuck but deep.
Hankins (OSU): Leg up check and falls on her kick front, switch switch split quarter. Double full stuck.
Swartzentruber (OSU): Didn’t watch this but the commentator called her Swartzburger TWICE and I feel bad for her.
Pritchard (OSU): BHS LOSO, switch straddle quarter, double full stuck.
Hodges (OSU): BHS LOSO, great, full turn, standing LOSO. One and a half twist with a hop.
Wright (UCLA): We joined halfway for this one but she tripped in her leap pass and had a position issue. Not sure she completed the combo.
Andres (UCLA): Chilling out for a substantial length of time with BJ and Dom as the judges conference over Wright’s fall. Two and a half punch front, didn’t punch with her legs together and it was a bit weird but dynamically not a problem. Underrotated double back, step forward. 9.825
Frazier (UCLA): Whip through double back. Forgot I was supposed to be writing for a second but she hit. 9.9
Campbell (UCLA): Good control on the front double full, tour jete half Popa. Again on the double back, perfect front foot control. Bit of a bounce out of the front lay front full. Sam says “Doing a floor routine two days in a row, that’s not something that they practice in the gym.” uhh? 9.9
Tratz (UCLA): Double pike, great control. switch ring tour jete half. Front full front lay, keeps it under control, great double back. Pretty fire. 9.875, a little surprised, to me it was visibly better than Campbell.
Dennis (UCLA): This is pressure. Front lay through double back, scoots the front foot but it hasn’t looked that good in a second. Front full front lay, actually well controlled and even on her great routines she usually fakes it. Leaps, Rudi to split. Man, that’s a big freaking deal for her. 9.925
After 1: Michigan 49.525, Cal 49.425, UCLA 49.425, Ohio State 48.950
Not a statement rotation from anyone, with Cal and Ohio State slightly further below expected value. Still great numbers and some resilience shown as every team had early drama and was able to drop it.
Rotation 2: UCLA VT, Michigan UB, Cal BB, Ohio State FX
| VT | UB | BB | FX | |
| Team | UCLA | Michigan | California | Ohio State |
| Event Score Yesterday | 49.400 | 49.550 | 49.400 | 49.150 |
| Event NQS | 49.338 | 49.494 | 49.394 | 49.100 |
Tratz (UCLA): Near stick on a FTY. 9.825
Poston (UCLA): Actually really good after a chaos vault yesterday, high and clean with a hop. 9.85
Wright (UCLA): Usual soft knees but just a small hop on the one and a half. 9.8
Frazier (UCLA): More open hips than I’m used to seeing from her, big big hop. 9.8
Dennis (UCLA): High and clean FTY, better again than I’ve seen for a lot of this year, little hop back.
Campbell (UCLA): Usual amazing and near-stuck FTY. 9.925
Heiskell (UM): Jaeger, overshoot, I think that was a hop on her dismount. 9.95 maybe not.
Bauman (UM): Jaeger to overshoot, toe blind double front with a tiny hop. 9.9
Wilson (UM): Pike Jaeger, hit the bail a bit flat-footed, lukewarm handstand, double lay with a baby hop. 9.95
Koulos (UM): Blind a touch late to great Jaeger. Little deep on the double lay with a hop. 9.875
Brooks (UM): Blind to pike Jaeger, toe on to bail, double lay baby hop. 9.95
Wojcik (UM): Toe on to Deltchev spectacular, bail, DLO stuck. That’s 10-able in my opinion. 9.975
Clausi (Cal): BHS LOSO, little adjustment, switch side. Tuck back full dismount stuck.
DeSouza (Cal): Joined halfway, orphan split jump, stuck-ish one and a half twist.
Li (Cal): Front aerial to beat, BHS LOSO. Got the dismount. 9.85
Bordas (Cal): BHS LOSO, front aerial to split. Full turn, baby check, switch to split. Gainer full, hop. 9.925
Watterson (Cal): BHS LOSO, looked like she missed a foot on her side aerial back full and still made it. 9.9
Edwards (OSU): Missed the first pass, front lay out of the second pass underrotated and scrabbles to keep it on her feet.
Hankins (OSU): Underrotated the full in, big step forward.
Gagliardi (OSU): Double pike. Good Rudi. Switch side wolf full. Maybe very slightly underrotated double back. 9.85
Warga (OSU): Front double full punch front. Yikes, underrotated front double full to finish and impressively keeps it on her feet with a big side step. 9.75
After 2: Michigan 99.250, Cal 98.875, UCLA 98.775, Ohio State 97.825
That was huge for the Wolverines who are on program record pace once again. I can’t verify at the moment but per the broadcast that’s a program record. UCLA kept the meet moving with a very satisfactory vault rotation and Cal slightly outperformed expectations on beam.
Rotation 3: Ohio State VT, UCLA UB, Michigan BB, Cal FX
| VT | UB | BB | FX | |
| Team | Ohio State | UCLA | Michigan | California |
| Event Score Yesterday | 49.025 | 49.325 | 48.925 | 49.400 |
| Event NQS | 49.038 | 49.369 | 49.488 | 49.475 |
Swartzentruber (OSU): Pretty FTY, major hop back.
Edwards (OSU): FTY, baby hop to the side.
Jennings (OSU): Straight body position on FTY, medium hop.
Gagliardi (OSU): Yurchenko half on tuck off, overrotated with a couple of big steps.
Campbell (UCLA): Maloney to bail. DLO very good, strong start. 9.85
Esparza (UCLA): Maloney to Pak good, van Leeuwen, got the handstand she missed yesterday, double lay very deep but stuck. 9.85
Kooyman (UCLA): Shapey Maloney to solid Pak. missed a handstand, double lay with a couple steps forward. 9.75
Ulias (UCLA): Toe blind to Jaeger, a touch close but no loss of form or swing, great bail. There was a second when I thought she’d go over on her bail but she made it, stalder double back.
Flatley (UCLA): Eagle front giant to Jaeger, good, arch on a high bar, double lay with a hop back.
Frazier (UCLA): Maloney to Pak, van Leeuwen, baby hop on the double lay.
Bauman (UM): BHS LOSO. Switch half split. Side aerial back full with a step.9.85
Wilson (UM): Hitch kick, big check on the series, cat leap switch side. Double back with a hop. 9.75
Farley (UM): BHS LOSO LOSO. Side aerial to split. I didn’t catch the dismount.
Brooks (UM): Great control on the series. Great double back. 9.95
Wojcik (UM): Bend check on the triple series. Full turn, big hop on the one and a half twist. 9.7
Heiskell (UM): Cat leap side aerial. Switch straddle quarter. BHS LOSO emphatic. One and a half with a major hit. 9.9
Quinn (Cal): Front lay to Rudi, a bit bouncy, switch half Popa. Low double pike, lunge goes forward.
Bordas (Cal): Slightly overcooked double back. Looks like the dynamics are a bit off on her combo pass. Switch switch ring half. 9.825
DeSouza (Cal): Double pike overrotated. Front lay front full solid. 9.875
Li (Cal): Double pike, switch half wolf one and a half with substantial position issues. One and a half front lay, not quite right but hangs on with her toes. 9.925 okayyy
George (Cal): Good front double full, tour jete half split full. Scoot back on the Rudi. 9.95
After 3: Michigan 148.550, Cal 148.375, UCLA 148.150, Ohio State 146.775
Cal has likely done enough to stay ahead of UCLA.
Rotation 4: Cal VT, Ohio State UB, UCLA BB, Michigan FX
| VT | UB | BB | FX | |
| Team | California | Ohio State | UCLA | Michigan |
| Event Score Yesterday | 49.325 | 49.175 | 49.175 | 49.525 |
| Event NQS | 49.306 | 49.194 | 49.225 | 49.406 |
Li (Cal): Stuck FTY, Cal isn’t leaving room for doubt here.
Schank (Cal): FTY, little hop.
George (Cal): FTY, same hop.
DeSouza (Cal): I didn’t see this but apparently she stuck a full which is weird since I’ve only ever seen her do one and a halfs.
Clausi (Cal): One and a half super messy in the table with a big hop forward.
Pritchard (OSU): Jaeger to overshoot really good, blind full double back, hop and a step.
Miller (OSU): Maloney to bail, really clean, double lay STUCK.
Swartzentruber (OSU): Maloney to Pak, spectacular, van Leeuwen is great. Double layout with a tiny hop. I think that’s it for her career and she should be so proud.
Poston (UCLA): Beat to split 3/4. Fall on the triple series. One and a half twist with a hop. The road to Nationals just got really, really, really narrow.
Dennis (UCLA): BHS LOSO, leg up check but hangs on. Switch switch half.
Frazier (UCLA): Cat leap side aerial. Front full dismount with a little hop.
Flatley (UCLA): Front aerial BHS good, L turn full turn. BHS one and a half with a hop. 9.9
Campbell (UCLA): Commentators saying UCLA is out. BHS LOSO, good leaps.
Shapiro (UCLA): Check on the triple series.
Bauman (UM): Double pike, good start. I got distracted by UCLA beam, I’m sure you can relate. 9.875
Koulos (UM): Two and a half twist, double pike, getting the landings. Front lay front full with a bouncy step. 9.9
Heiskell (UM): Great double pike, keeps the front foot planted. Switch half wolf full.
Brooks (UM): Lunge slightly long on her full in but front foot stays down. Front through double back great. Double pike kinda-stuck with a low chest. 9.9
Wilson (UM): Michigan is basically locked in and is now just hunting the 198. Half in half out spectacular and controlled. Whip half front full. Switch side half Popa. Double back overrotated but she’s clinched both a Nationals spot and a 198.
Wojcik (UM): Anchor is interesting for her. Double pike, just pivots the front foot, one and a half front tuck sissone is a downgrade but an intentional one. Rudi to straddle slightly off but controlled the landing.
FINAL: Michigan 198.100 and California 197.750 will advance to Fort Worth
Season high for UCLA wasn’t enough and the Bruins will miss nationals for the first time since 2006. Not a huge surprise, but still a substantial shocker in terms of the landscape of the sport as a whole. Meanwhile, a third 198 for Michigan shows that the Wolverines stand a real chance of winning the national title.
Live blog by Rebecca Scally
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