Don’t worry about that Arkansas non-ranking. The Razorbacks are one of a handful of NCAA teams not to have a NQS yet but as of the team’s Friday meet, it now has enough scores. Expect a debut somewhere between No. 15 and No. 20 for the Razorbacks.
Georgia has a lot to play for this weekend. With one very low score on the NQS and a double header, it’s plausible for the Gymdogs to also land in the mid-teens with a strong showing.
The real show, though, is Alabama and Auburn. Alabama lost the Iron Bowl meet this year, and it wasn’t particularly close, but the Crimson Tide has made great strides since then. Auburn still has the upper hand, but the underlying element of chaos in both of these teams is substantial; on neutral ground, anything could happen.
Quick rankings update before we get going: After Friday’s scores are in, we can confirm that Auburn can go as high as No. 4 today (passing Utah), Alabama tops out at No. 5, Arkansas has provisionally debuted at No. 17 but can jump one spot to 16 and Georgia can, just barely, pass Arkansas for 17 assuming the Razorbacks don’t improve their NQS today.
Rotation 1: Georgia VT, Alabama UB, Arkansas BB, Auburn FX
Cashman (UGA): Solid FTY, piked down, hop back. 9.725
Magee (UGA): Goes for the one and a half, a bit lock legged with a big step back back. 9.65
Ward (UGA): Tsuk full, her usual, step back. 9.85
Hawthorne (UGA): Great full, just a baby hop back. 9.85
Baumann (UGA): Pretty one and a half with a bounce forward. 9.8
Roberts (UGA): One and a half with the usual soft knees, small hop forward. 9775
Gaskins (Bama): Maloney to Pak, usual little bits of leg sep, double lay whippy but stuck. 9.9
Hudson (Bama): Toe to Maloney, little sep, good bail. Shy handstand, blind full double back stuck with a little adjustment. 9.85
Waligora (Bama): Blind to Jaeger to overshoot, tiiiiny bits of foot form, nothing major. FTDLO stuck. Good landings for Bama today, no signs of fatigue. 9.95 wow!
Machado (Bama): Maloney to Pak pretty, toe on to van Leeuwen. Great handstands, precise, blind full double back. 9.95!
Doggette (Bama): Tkachev to Pak, great, double lay with a little hop back. First non-stick for Bama.
Blanco (Bama): Maloney to Pak, as tidy as ever, nice control on the half turn on the low bar, FTDB stuck again.. 9.925
Gamiao (Arkansas): BHS LOSO, slightly shaky side somi, full turn. 9.85
Smith (Arkansas): Candle mount good. Switch split 1/4, iffy splits, BHS LOSO with knee form. Double back with a substantial hop back. 9.8
Gianfagna (Arkansas): BHS LOSO with a bit of form but emphatic, kickover front. One and a half twist stuck.
Lovett (Arkansas): Good control on her front to back series. Side aerial back full stuck. 9.775
Hambrick (Arkansas): Up after a long judging delay. BHS LOSO, looks a little unsteady, switch switch half with iffy splits and feet. Cartwheel gainer full, Arkansas is definitely taking care of business today.
Elswick (Arkansas): BHS LOSO, major leg up check and visible feet, front aerial. BHS one and a half, lean forward. 9.75
Sabados (AU): Crazy leg form on the front double full, one and a half front lay a little overcooked and saves it with a dramatic lunge. 9.825
Watson (AU): Double Arabian controlled well. One and a half front lay, cross step but nothing major. Double tuck looked like it was going over, manages to keep it in bounds with a long lunge. 9.875
Stevens (AU): Front lay to Rudi, bits of leg form. Tour jete half wolf full, double back with chest low. 9.85
Groth (AU): Front double full looked maybe a touch underrotated but steps it around fine. Switch half wolf full. Rebound back on her Rudi. 9.875
Lee (AU): Double lay, switch ring tour jete half nicely rotated. One and a half front full. Well done, floor is becoming a real strength for Lee in college. 9.925
Gobourne (AU): A victory lap after her first career 10 on Friday. Open double back, not the best control, one and a half front lay with a good bit of improvisation to cover the fact that she was overrotating. Double pike with a hop back. Won’t be a repeat 10 but will close the book on a very successful Auburn floor rotation. 9.9
After 1: Alabama 49.625, Auburn 49.425, Arkansas 49.050, Georgia 49.000
Alabama got to start on a strong event and delivered majorly. Auburn didn’t have the landing precision we saw on Friday versus Florida but still put together a perfectly respectable beam rotation, while Arkansas was a little shaky throughout its beam rotation and Georgia vault landings have never really been a strength this year.
Rotation 2: Auburn VT, Georgia UB, Alabama BB, Arkansas FX
McLaughlin (AU): Half on, half off tucked with visible flexed feet but a solid landing, small hop. 9.725
Hubbard (AU): One and a half, slightly soft knees with a hop back. 9.825
Stevens (AU): Another one and a half with soft knees, small hop to the side. 9.9
Gobourne (AU): One and a half, not the most control, awkward step to the side. 9.85
Watson (AU): One and a half, the knees in these Auburn vaults are super visible from this angle, but one of the better landings.. Very upright with a hop forward. 9.85
Lee (AU): Stuck the Lopez, wacky dynamics. 9.925
Ward (UGA): Missed the first half, strong double layout dismount stuck, 9.9
De Jong (UGA): Missed handstand in the bail, missed another handstand, double layout high and stuck. 9.875 they are not feeling strict.
Cashman (UGA): Casts over and has to recast, crazy arch save on her bail, double layout and falls onto her knees. 8.2
Finnegan (UGA): Ray caught a little close, toe on to Pak on the low side. FTDB stuck-ish. 9.825
Nguyen (UGA): Toe on to toe half, not right, jumps off. Better this time, pike Jaeger, Pak, double layout with a little hop. 9.225
Burgess (Bama): Full turn, BHS LOSO, little adjustment on a switch to beat. Side aerial back full stuck with her arms up which is the best way to stick. 9.9
Olsen (Bama): Switch switch half sliiiightly short of splits but well controlled. BHS LOSO very solid. Double pike with a tiny hop. 9.85
Graber (Bama): BHS LOSO a little unsteady but makes it work. Hitch kick to Liukin good, gainer full off the side stuck. 9.875
Waligora (Bama): Got the series, side aerial, split tuck full. One and a half twist with a baby hop. 9.825
Hudson (Bama): Front aerial, check, BHS LOSO okay. Switch switch with… not splits, one and a half stuck. 9.875
Blanco (Bama): Front aerial, great, full turn. BHS LOSO with a tiny adjustment. Switch switch half, substantial check because one foot totally missed the beam. Double full a little short with a step forward. 9.625
Hickey (Arkansas): Shaky landings on both of first two passes. Double back with chest a little down. 9.675
Jones (Arkansas): Front double full, great control. There’s a lot going on but I caught a good twisting pass too. 9.925
Sedlacek (Arkansas): Full in, good with just a little front foot wiggle. One and a half front lay with leg sep. Major rebound back and OOB on her double tuck. 9.65
Hambrick (Arkansas): Double tuck solid, CRAZY lost in the air on her RUDI LOSO, it’s a “just glad your neck isn’t broken” situation there but she did manage to more or less get it around as a BHS. 8.9
Lovett (Arkansas): Double layout whippy with feet but landed well, front lay front full good. Switch half split full, overcooked double back but stands it up, couldn’t see whether that back foot was in bounds. 9.875
After 2: Alabama 98.950, Auburn 98.775, Georgia 98.250, Arkansas 98.100
Not an ideal rotation for anyone there. Arkansas struggled with landing control on floor while Georgia had dramatics on bars. Auburn and Alabama were OK, but not great, on events that can be strengths.
Rotation 3: Arkansas VT, Auburn UB, Georgia BB, Alabama FX
Smith (Arkansas): FTY stuck with not much distance. 9.875
Shaffer (Arkansas): Arabian with a big step forward. She’s been off this year.
Elswick (Arkansas): High FTY with chest a little down,, hop back.
Sedlacek (Arkansas): One and a half, knees bend in the last half twist but stuck!
Hambrick (Arkansas): One and a half with knee form and a hop forward.
Sabados (UA): Messy Ray with crazy feet and back arch, good bail. Double layout stuck.
Groth (UA): Solid Ray, nice Pak. Blind full with feet apart, double back stuck. Looks thrilled.
Stevens (UA): Ray, solid bail, not super precise on the handstands. Double layout underrotated, hangs on for a second before hopping forward to salute. 9.9
Burch (UA): Maloney to bail, not the cleanest, double lay stuck. 9.925
Gobourne (UA): Tkachev to Pak, crazy legs on her half turn on the low bar, misses a high bar handstand, FTDB stuck. 9.975 what.
Lee (UA): Maloney to Pak, van Leeuwen, I like her simpler routine better. FTDB with low chest, arm swing and a big hop forward.
Magee (UGA): Nice and steady triple series. One and a half twist with a step to the side.
Hawthorne (UGA): Massive judging delay, I wonder if there was a dance series issue in Magee’s routine or something? BHS LOSO, double standing switch series. Kickover front, full turn, stuck one and a half dismount.
Schild (UGA): Front aerial BHS BHS steady. Cat leap side aerial back full with a step.
Nguyen (UGA): Onodi BHS great, super quick connection. L turn full turn, side aerial back full with a little hop back.
De Jong (UGA): Switch to split is off but she hangs onto it with her toes. Front aerial, check, BHS LOSO emphatic. Side aerial back full, hop.
Baumann (UGA): Side aerial LOSO, check, good leaps, one and a half twist stuck.
Olsen (Bama): Stream says this is Machado but you can’t fool me, I know what people’s faces look like. Pike full in OK, switch half tour jete full split… something. Double pike with a little hop. 9.875
Mitchell (Bama): Double pike, good control. Front through double back and yells as she lands it, fired up. 9.85
Gaskins (Bama): Double layout, great landing. Front through double back underrotated, big step forward and low chest.
Hudson (Bama): Front lay front double full good. Great precise rotation on leaps, double tuck well controlled. Awesome routine. 9.95
Machado (Bama): Double pike well controlled. Front full front pike with an extra step, triple wolf. Switch switch half, awesome double back. 9.925
Graber (Bama): Full in super well controlled, orphan Popa, switch side wolf 3/2 and it’s so rare to see those rotated properly. Front through double back great. Another super fantastic routine and it’ll keep Alabama on top. 9.95
After 3: Alabama 148.500, Auburn 148.325, Georgia 147.425, Arkansas 147.325
Advantage Alabama heading into the last rotation, but vault is an event that’s caused the Crimson Tide a lot of problems this year.
Rotation 4: Alabama VT, Arkansas UB, Auburn BB, Georgia FX
Olsen (Bama): DTY good, baby hop back. I don’t understand why that vault is suddenly good this year. 9.9
Waligora (Bama): One and a half good, little hop forward. 9.9
Quinn (Bama): One and a half good but a touch deep, bigger hop forward. 9.875
Hudson (Bama): Great one and a half, similar length hop to Waligora but looked more controlled. 9.825, I don’t understand. Maybe they got her on amplitude?
Blanco (Bama): One and a half stuck.
Graber (Bama): Needs a 9.875 to bring home the road 198. Big hop forward, it’ll be borderline.
Smith (Arkansas): Just caught double layout dismount slightly undercooked, big hop forward.
Scalzo (Arkansas): Jaeger to overshoot, flat feet, high and stuck double lay.
Shaffer (Arkansas): Toe to Maloney to bail, little arch but keeps it moving. Great double layout stick.
Hambrick (Arkansas): Piked Jaeger good, FTDB overrotated with a scoot back.
O’Hara (Arkansas): Blind to Jaeger good, double layout stuck.
Hollingsworth (UA): BHS LOSO, bit of form, switch switch half with major split issues and a check. Got dismount.
Brusch (UA): Kickover front to split with feet. BHS LOSO, feet again, I think it was a side aerial back full.
Groth (UA): BHS LOSO BHS with a little adjustment. Front aerial, check. Side aerial back full good.
McLaughlin (UA): Switch BHS BHS, check. Gainer pike, hop forward.
Lee (UA): Front aerial BHS LOSO, extra step, switch switch half and I’m never sure about those positions. BHS gainer full.
Perez-Lugones (UGA): Double pike underrotated, hop forward. Whip half front full. Switch side Popa, double tuck stuck.
Magee (UGA): Good pike full in, maybe a little deep but controls it well. One and a half front lay pretty, missed the last pass but it was fine.
De Jong (UGA): Triple twist undercooked with a hop forward. Overcooked double back, big hop back, borderline OOB? Not sure.
Baumann (UGA): One and a half to front full STUCK. Beautiful leaps, STUCK THE DOUBLE PIKE. 9.950. I kinda wanted the ten, I’ll be honest.
Hawthorne (UGA): Double pike a touch overrotated, long lunge, Rudi to straddle travels like six feet sideways.
FINAL: Alabama a number, Auburn a slightly smaller number, Arkansas a somewhat smaller number, Georgia a smaller number than that
Seriously the live scores keep changing and I’m losing my mind. Alabama won, okay?
AA Champ: Sunisa Lee (Auburn) 39.700
VT Champ: Luisa Blanco (Alabama) 9.950
UB Champ: Derrian Gobourne (Auburn) (9.975)
BB Champ: Sunisa Lee (Auburn) 9.975
FX Champ: Lexi Graber, Lilly Hudson (Alabama), Rachel Baumann (Georgia) 9.950
Live Blog by Rebecca Scally
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