I am coming to you live from the Stephen C. O’Connell Center for the final time this season. Tonight we are celebrating a Gators senior class that has been among the most impactful in the team’s history: Alyssa Baumann, Leah Clapper, Sydney Johnson-Scharpf, Nya Reed, Savannah Schoenherr, Megan Skaggs, Halley Taylor and Trinity Thomas. I expect we’ll probably see some of these seniors back next year (though not Baumann or Skaggs since they are already fifth years), but that remains to be announced so all will be celebrated tonight.
This is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated matchups of the season, with good reason. While the Gators have not been as dominant during the regular season as they were last year, there have still been flashes of brilliance; it feels like we have yet to see the team’s true potential. Will we see it tonight? Future SEC rival Oklahoma (how weird is that?!), meanwhile, has reached 198 in three of its last four meets and is undoubtedly one of the hottest teams in the country right now. I would be betraying my true nerd self if I didn’t mention the NQS implications of this meet. Oklahoma has a chance to become No. 1 in the country with at least a 198.050 tonight, though Michigan will have a chance to respond tomorrow so even that would not be a sure thing. Regardless of the No. 1 ranking, OU will be looking to drop a 196.650 road score that it still counting toward its NQS. Florida cannot reach No. 1 this weekend as it will have to wait another week before having a chance to drop its 196.975 road score, but it can reach No. 2 should Utah and Oklahoma allow it.
Individually, there are a truly ridiculous number of stars to watch between these teams. Olivia Trautman finally made her season debut last week on beam for the Sooners; am I the only one who is constantly thinking “what if?” with regard to her college career? But I digress. The Sooners also bring Ragan Smith, Audrey Davis and Jordan Bowers, who have all made enormous impact on multiple events, not to mention Katherine LeVasseur, Allie Stern and Carly Woodard, who have all scored 10.000s this season. The roster is truly stacked. On the Florida side, star freshman Leanne Wong joins seniors Trinity Thomas and Megan Skaggs as an all arounder, but the specialists are also ones to watch, particularly Alyssa Baumann and Nya Reed. Finally, I hate to say it but one of the things to watch is the scoring. There has been no shortage of scoring controversy in NCAA this season, and this meet is prime breeding ground for it. I’ll do my best to tell you the deductions I see, though it’s likely the audience at home may be able to see things better than I can; beam and vault in particular are far away from where I’m sitting and the arena doesn’t always show replays.
You can watch the meet on SECN+, and live stats can be found here. It feels strange that this meet is not on SECN proper.
Rotation 1: UF VT, OU UB
Skaggs VT: Her usual perfection in the air on her Y-full. Stuck landing. She is certainly a crowd favorite here, with good reason! On the replay I can see some slight leg separation on the block. 9.850
Sievers UB: Nice first handstand and Maloney to Pak. Pirouette on the low bar is right on top of the bar. A little loose on the last handstand, then a slight hop on the dismount. 9.825
Schoenherr VT: Minor soft knees in the air on her 1.5 and she takes a sizeable hop forward on the landing. 9.850
LeVasseur UB: Beautiful first handstand on the high bar, Tkatchev is great too. She has nice toe point throughout. Last handstand maybe a little shy? DLO with a small slide back. 9.850
Wong VT: She has to take a large hop back on the landing, and the replay shows some leg separation on the block. Not one of her better vaults of the season. 9.825 feels high
Thomas UB: Blind change to straddled Jaeger, nice. Good handstand on the bail. Maybe a little short on final handstand but she sticks her DLO. I can’t see leg separation at all from where I’m sitting, FYI. 9.900
Reed VT: Lands her 1.5 a little short and takes a step back. It was nice in the air but a little lower in amplitude than her usual. 9.850
Smith UB: Huge Ray to Pak, a little shy on the half pirouette on the low bar. Her DLO is pikey and she takes a hop back. 9.825
Blakely VT: Very nice 1.5! One of her best ones of the season. She does take a small hop on the landing but she looks thrilled. 9.925
Bowers UB: Huge Ray but maybe caught a little close. Good Pak, excellent pirouette on the low bar. Another great handstand on the high bar. Full-in dismount STUCK. 9.900
Thomas VT: She stuck one in the touch warmup, can she do it again? Not quite…it’s nice in the air but she takes a small hop forward then steps into the salute. 9.925
Davis UB: Excellent first handstand, Higgins roll to Jaeger. Floaty Pak, maybe a little short on the half pirouette. Sticks her dismount but leans forward before saluting. 9.925 is a touch high to me
Edwards VT (Exh.): Big, floaty full with a small hop back.
Fletcher UB (Exh.): Nice first handstand on the high bar, huge Tkatchev. Great Pak but falters on the half turn and has to muscle through it. Timing a little off on the dismount and she takes a step forward.
AFTER ONE: UF 49.400, OU 49.400
Well well well, we have a tie! I don’t think anyone’s shocked at that given the high quality gymnastics that we’re seeing. I gotta say, I think the scoring in that rotation was…not as terrible as expected? There were still some scores that felt high but this isn’t a full-on Carol meet (YET). Gymnastics-wise, both teams are getting close to postseason ready on their opening events but not quite there.
Rotation 2: OU VT, UF UB
Davis VT: High, clean full, chest is in an okay position when she lands but she takes a step forward. I wish the arena would show replays for the road team…but I digress.
Blakely UB: Maloney to Pak, half pirouette is pretty close to being on top of the bar. Sticks her double front! It looks like it might’ve been a bit cowboyed but it’s hard to tell from this angle. She gets a big hug from Rowland. 9.900
Ramsey VT: Another full, maybe not as much distance as Davis’, but nearly an identical landing with a hop forward. 9.825
McCusker UB: A little short. onfirst handstand but Maloney to Pak are textbook. Van Leeuwen is great too. Stalkder to double back, a little squatty on the landing but STUCK. 9.875
Stern VT: Her usual 1.5 but with a small step back on the landing so a touch underrotated. 9.850
Schoenherr UB: Beautiful opening handstand, blind change to her usual stunning Jaeger. Bail is good. Another stuck dismount! The Gators are finding these landings tonight, while the Sooners aren’t quite up to par on vault so far. 9.925
Bowers VT: Beautiful 1.5, just a tiny hop forward. That’s more like it for OU! 9.925
Skaggs UB: Her toepoint is mesmerizing. She had some obvious leg separation on her Pak even from this terrible angle, and same thing on her DLO, which was STUCK. The crowd is calling for a 10, but it’s a 9.950 instead. The crowd isn’t happy.
LeVasseur VT: Another underrotated 1.5 for OU, this time with a larger step back than Stern. 9.850
Thomas UB: Maloney to Pak, very floaty. Van Leeuwen looks easy. Handstand right on top of the bar. DLO is STUCK, once again. This is quite the rotation for UF! 9.950, crowd not happy with that one either.
Sievers VT: Another 1.5, this one nearly stuck but she ends up taking a step forward. 9.925
Wong UB: Gorgeous first handstand right on top of the bar; Maloney to Pak also excellent but then follows it up with a visibly short handstand. Almost goes over on a handstand on the high bar, then lands her dismount short and has to take a large step forward. Not the routine she wanted. 9.725
Fletcher just did a VT exhibition but I missed it…it looked like a stuck full?
Gallentine UB (exh.): Nice first handstand, a little archy on the second. Pak is nice, as is half pirouette on the low bar. Full-twistling double layout dismount, she’s improved the form in the air a little but she ends up sitting it down.
AFTER TWO: UF 99.000, OU 98.775
OU will not be happy with that vault rotation, which had several underrotations and not a single stuck landing. Florida, meanwhile, had five stuck landings in a row and is now on pace for a 198.000. The Gators have all the momentum, so we’ll see if Oklahoma can come back strong on floor.
Rotation 3: UF BB, OU FX
Skaggs BB: Opens with a wolf turn. Stumbles after her split jump and doesn’t connect it to anything. BHS LOSO is solid. Front aerial with a slow connection to the Sissone but I think they’ll give her that. at leap to split straddle 1/4, slight balance check. Side aerial to back full, STUCK. 9.825
Johnson FX: Front lay to Rudi, a little awkward in the air but that may just be her technique. Double tuck is high and clean. Leap pass is good though she could probably use a little more amplitude. 9.850
Blakely BB: Front aerial to BHS, great. Sizeable leg-up check after her switch half, then another check after her side somi. Side aerial to back full, STUCK. The Gators are picking up where they left off on bars with these landings. 9.850
Davis FX: Front double twist with some crossed legs in the air but otherwise gorgeous. Back 1.5 to front lay, lots of amplitude. Switch half to wolf full, great. FHS Rudi to finish, maybe not the cleanest leg form in the air but otherwise good. 9.875
Baumann BB: BHS LOSO with the slightest of wobbles. Switch split to split jump, solid. Front aerial to beat jump. Very nice side aerial. RO 1.5 with a college stick…she definitely leaned and stepped into the salute so I doubt they’ll give her the stick. 9.850
Sievers FX: Front tuck through to double tuck, lots of height and well-controlled. Double pick is landed a little low but she controls the lunge out of it. I missed her first jump but the straddle position on the second one was great. 9.850
Wong BB: Switch split to split leap, not sure if her back leg got high enough on the latter. BHS LOSO very solid. Beautiful full turn and front aerial. Double twist dismount is STUCK though she leans forward a bit before saluting. 9.900 which I think was a 9.950/9.850 split if I saw the scores correctly…
Fletcher FX: Whip to double tuck, very nice! 2.5 twist, good rotation and good control on the landing. Switch half to Popa. Front full to front lay to finish. Nice routine! 9.825
Thomas BB: Solid mount sequence and full turn. One-handed BHS to LOSO, no wobbles. Front aerial to beat jump to BHS swingdown, perfect. Side aerial to back full, just the slightest movement with her left foot on the landing if I saw it correctly. The crowd is elated when the first judge flashes a 10.0 and then howls with disappointment when the 9.95 comes up from the second judge for a 9.975. Sorry, crowd, I agree with the second judge!
Bowers FX: Double pike to open, super high and maybe slightly overpowered but she covered it up well in the lunge so maybe not. Front double twist to front tuck, excellent. Gorgeous leaps. 9.925
Clapper BB: BHS LOSO LOSO, has to bend at the hip to keep herself from falling. Switch split to split jump, solid. Side aerial to back full, STUCK. 9.800 feels high after that huge break
Smith FX: Double tuck to open, can’t keep her front foot planted and it slides back a bit. Back 1.5 to front lay, excellent. The crowd is clapping along to her music! Beautiful leaps. Double pike to finish, still can’t keep that front foot planted but it moves less this time than on the first pass. 9.925 is a little high
McCusker BB (Exh.): It’s so good to see her on beam! Double wolf turn to open, not super well controlled but this is college so it doesn’t matter. Beautiful front aerial. BHS LOSO is right on. Switch split to split leap, maybe the slightest bit off-balance after the first one but hides it well. Side aerial to tuck full, slight hop. I hope she makes the lineup soon!
LaPinta FX (Exh.): Beautiful triple twist to open. Front full to front lay second pass, great form. Her leaps could maybe use a little more amplitude. Double tuck to finish is short and she has to take a couple large steps forward with her chest low to prevent the fall.
AFTER THREE: UF 148.450, OU 148.200
The scores definitely felt a little bit crackier in that rotation, and UF managed to increase its lead by .025. Florida now moves to floor, where they have a season high of a whopping 49.800, but Trinity Thomas is not in the lineup tonight, nor is Leanne Wong.
Hey wait, Trinity’s doing the touch warmup…*insert eyes emoji here*
Rotation 4: OU BB, UF FX
Dunn BB: BHS BHS LOSO is right on. Her back leg is a little low on her split leap. Gainer full dismount STUCK. 9.875
Richards FX: Looks like we’re shuffling the lineup a bit by skipping Clapper, so hopefully we’ll see Trinity after all. DLO with some leg separation in the air to open. Lacking a little extension on all her leaps. Back 1.5 to front lay, excellent. 9.850
Trautman BB: BHS LOSO was a little hesitant but no wobbles. Cat leap to switch straddle 1/4, solid. Piked front toss, no issues. RO 1.5 dismount, STUCK. It’s so good to see her competing! 9.925
Skaggs FX: Double wolf turn to open. Rudi to stag jump, super high! Really pretty leaps, though her back leg might’ve been a little low on the second one. Back 1.5 to front lay, great control. The crowd is cheering SO loudly for her, loudest cheer of the night. Hugs all around for her last routine in this arena. 9.900
LeVasseur BB: BHS LOSO, solid. Switch split to straddle 1/4. Front aerial to beat jump, no issues. Beautiful scale. BHS to gainer back full, STUCK. Great routine. 9.925
Baumann FX: Back 1.5 to front full, great. Beautiful leaps as always. Double pike to finish, great control. Another emotional scene for the grad student’s last routine here. 9.900
Davis BB: I really enjoy her mount sequence, though I have no idea how to describe it in words. BHS LOSO is a little off but she manages to only have the slightest wobble. Beat jump to front aerial, solid. Was that a ring jump? If it was the ring position was a little suspect. Double twist dismount, STUCK though not super clean in the air. 9.900
Reed FX: Opening DLO is perfect, though it’s hard to see her feet on the landing from where I’m sitting. Front lay to Rudi, great control on the landing. Not sure if she hit the full 180 on her first jump? Double pike to finish, great landing. Will this be the first 10 of the night? Nope, it’s a 9.950.
Woodard BB: Side aerial to BHS is solid. Front toss to beat jump. Switch leap to split jump, might’ve been a little short but hard to tell from here. Side aerial to back full, STUCK. OU has found its missing vault landings on beam. 9.925
Thomas FX: Trinity is doing the all around after all! Her usual double layout, absolute perfection. Front full to front lay to split jump, excellent control and form on everything. Wow, her leap positions are fantastic. Double pike to finish, kind of a large step back but it wasn’t really uncontrolled so I don’t think that’ll matter. The entire crowd is on their feet. Will THIS be the first 10 of the night? YEP it is. Can’t complain about that one.
Smith BB: BHS LOSO with a slight wobble. The crowd is going nuts for Trinity’s 10 and they’re not showing this routine on the big screen AND the crowd is blocking me so I’m literally standing up and craning my neck to see this. Front layout. Switch half to BHS swingdown, solid. BHS to gainer full, slight hop. 9.875
Blakely FX: Double arabian, great control on the landing. Nice switch ring! Double tuck, a little off balance after lunging but she doesn’t move her feet. Back 1.5 to front lay, solid. Great routine to finish the competition. 9.900
Bowers BB (exh.): BHS LOSO with a slight lean but hardly noticeable. Great extension on her leaps. BHS 1.5 dismount, STUCK.
Clapper FX (exh.): Rudi to stag jump, a little bouncy on the landing. Back 1.5 to front lay, lands it a little low. Nice straddle positions in her leaps. Double pike to finish, can’t keep her front leg down and bounces back a little bit.
FINAL: UF 198.100, OU 197.750
This wasn’t quite the super close competition that we hoped for, nor was it the 10-fest that we feared, but the final rotation did not disappoint with UF scoring a 49.650 including a Thomas 10.0. OU and UF will stay No. 2 and No. 3 in the country, respectively, for now, though Utah has a chance to catch up to Florida later today. Though this wasn’t the road 198 that OU wanted, they still have three more road meets to go and are in solid position for the postseason.
All Around: Thomas (UF) 39.850 (which I believe is the highest AA score in the country so far this season)
Vault: Blakely (UF), Thomas (UF), Bowers (OU), Sievers (OU) 9.925
Bars: Skaggs (UF), Thomas (UF) 9.950
Beam: Thomas (UF) 9.975
Floor: Thomas (UF) 10.000
Live blog by Jenna King
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