Welcome to the event finals! Today we have your qualified event specialists—the best of the best. The high flying vaulters, smooth bar swingers, composed and unflappable beamers and dynamic floor workers. The qualified individuals were the top five from each event in each session that took place on Friday. To keep things fresh, the rules state that a maximum of three per team per event can compete, so we should have a varying selection of skills and routine composition.
A few possible names you’ll see include Mei Li Costa, Gayla Griswold and Anna Kaziska who all qualified as individuals to NCAA regionals held last weekend. Griswold will be off to Texas next week, as she qualified to NCAA nationals, becoming the first Lindenwood gymnast to do so.
Vault Qualifiers: Riley Daniels* (Lindenwood), Michelle Reed* (Lindenwood), Simone Evans (Lindenwood), Amber Boll (Air Force), Kiah Johnson (WCU), Lindsay Chia* (Yale), Daisy Woodring* (TWU), Julia Bedell (Brown), Syndey Beers (Cornell), Raegan Walker (Yale)
Bar Qualifiers: Lindsay Ockler* (SEMO), Jolie Miller* (SEMO), Hannah Moon (Lindenwood), Chelsea Baker (SCSU), Lydia Webb (SEMO), Bianca Leon (SCSU), Mei Li Costa* (Brown), Sherry Wang (Yale), Kathryn Doran (Bridgeport), Maddie Griffith (TWU), Raegan Walker (Yale), Kate Michelini (Cornell), Isabel Goyco (TWU), Taylor Ann Wilson (Centenary)
Beam Qualifiers: Anna Kaziska* (SEMO), Jolie Miller (SEMO), Lydia Webb (SEMO), Valerie Smith (Air Force), Olivia Imbarlina (Bridgeport), Taylor Schulze* (Brown), Raegan Walker (Yale), Angela Xing (Brown), Steelie King (TWU), Kathryn Doran (Bridgeport), Mackenzie Kunzman (TWU)
Floor Qualifiers: Gayla Griswold* (Lindenwood), Anna Kaziska* (SEMO), Jessica Meakem (WCU), Hadley Roberts (Lindenwood), Madison Greene (SEMO), Sierra Muns* (TWU), Lindsay Chia (Yale), Sydney Beers (Cornell), Miranda Lund (Cornell), Isabel Goyco (TWU), Mara Johnson (TWU)
*Your semifinal sessions winners.
All teams from this weekend heading to the hall for a full march in before we kick things off today.
Announcing teams now!
Outstanding Senior Gymnast: Jessica Meakim
Kendall Sanders (Centenary) has missed just one meet in her entire career and has competed 171 routines.
Honoring seniors currently. Anthem and then we’re kicking this thing off.
Honoring athletic trainers then kicking things off.
Vault scores flashed in the arena won’t be correct (averaging four scores, the program cannot do this) but will be dropping the high and low on the other events, and those scores will be accurate.
Rotation 1: Vault and Beam
First Flight
Chia (VT – Yale): Y full, good shape in the air, pikes down just at the end, hops. 9.750
Bedell (VT – Brown): Y full, GREAT height, hops in place on the landing. 9.813
Beers (VT – Cornell): Y full, great landing, a little looser on the form but good distance. 9.775
Boll (VT – AF): Y full, pikes it down, good landing. 9.600
Johnson (VT – WCU): Y full, nice distance, tiny hop. 9.788
Kunzman (BB – TWU): Full turn, small check. BHS LOSO LOSO, shuffles it forward to keep it in control. Switch leap switch leap. RO 1.5, looked stuck. 9.800
Doran (BB – UB): Wolf turn, good. Front aerial to bhs, hits. Leap series, back leg just a little low but great split jump. Beat to side aerial to tuck full, stuck! 9.900
Imbarlina (BB – UB): BHS LOSO. Front aerial to split jump, good. Switch leap to straddle 1/4. BHS tuck 1.5, small hop. 9.825
Miller (BB – SEMO): Love a fun front walkover to kick things off. Switch leap to split 3/4, back leg a little low on the jump. BHS LOSO, hits. LOSO, wobbles, keeps it on. BHS tuck 1.5, has to hop back but turns it into a salute. 9.700
Walker (BB – Yale): She’s capable of a big score here. BHS LOSO, great. Front aerial leg pops up but keeps it low. Switch leap split jump split jump, excellent. Side aerial to lay full, small shuffle forward. 9.575
Second Flight
Woodring (VT – TWU): Y full, good shape, bounces in place. 9.813
Reed (VT – LU): FHS front pike, stuck or the tiniest of hops. 9.750
Walker (VT – Yale): Y half, that definitely looked stuck from here. Gorgeous vault. 9.875
Daniels (VT – LU): Y full, best landing so far. 9.838 I believe.
Evans (VT – LU): Y half on, front tuck off, bit of form in the air, just a step but GREAT height.
Kaziska (BB – SEMO): Front aerial split jump. BHS LOSO, hits. Switch leap split 1/4. RO 1.5, sticks! Great routine. She gave nothing away. 9.950
King (BB – TWU): BHS LOSO, wobble, leg comes up, keeps it on. Switch leap Split 1/4, a little crooked in that split but has the 180. RO 1.5, sticks! 9.750
Judges are chatting.
Xing (BB – Brown): BHS lay, hits! Beat to loso, excellent. Split jump to straddle 1/4, toes could be a liiiittle more pointed. RO double full, hop.
Smith (BB – AF): BHS LOSO, smallest of checks. Cotton eyed joe choreo here for it. Cat leap to side aerial, misses her foot and lands on her knees. Noooooooooooooooo. 9.200
Having a chit chat on beam again. Unsure how to value the cotton eyed joe dance.
Schulze (BB – Brown): BHS LOSO, foot pops up a little bit. Bea to split full, best one this weekend, small check. Split 3/4, not quite full 180. Side aerial to tuck full, stuck. 9.800
COME ON, more chatting from what judges.
Webb (BB – SEMO): Front toss to scale, excellent. Switch leap to split 1/4, nice. Front aerial to bhs swing down. BHS gainer full off side, good landing. 9.825
Unofficially, looking like Kaziska (9.950) will take the beam title and Walker (9.875) will take the vault title.
Rotation 2: Bars and Floor
First Flight
Costa (UB – Brown): Liiitle shy on that first hs. Straddle jaeger great, good hs after. Bail to hs, good. Shy on that last one. Giant full to double tuck, steps back. 9.800
Wang (UB – Yale): Shy on that first hs, misses the straddle jaeger. Bail to hs. Almost goes over on that last hs. FTDB, big step forward. 8.775
Leon (UB – SCSU): Maloney to pak, some form on that pak. Nice last hs. Double lay, shuffles it forward. 9.675
Baker (UB – SCSU): Blind to straddle jaeger. Good handstands. Giant full little over double tuck, takes a step. 9.775
Wilson (UB – Centenary): Maloney, good. Pak, nice form! Great last hs. FTDB, great landing, steps into the salute. 9.825
Griffith (UB – TWU): Shy on that first hs. Blind to straddle jaeger, some soft knees there. Bail to hs, slightly archy. Good last hs. FTDB, great landing there. 9.850
Goyco (UB – TWU): Free hip to piked gienger to bail, leg separation on the release. Giant full to dobuel tuck, hops back.
Chia (FX – Yale): Never enough of this Bad Guy floor music. Ever. Rudi to split jump rebound, good. Good leap series, hits her splits. RO 1.5 front, wonderful. Good routine. 9.850
Johnson (FX – TWU): Double pike, chest a bit down. Ro 1.5 to front full, great. Good leap series. Great tumbling overall. 9.875
Roberts (FX – LU): Double tuck to open, nice and high. Great leap series. Good double pike, chest fairly up. Really enjoy this choreo. Ro 1.5 to front lay. 9.800
Griswold (FX – LU): High double pike to open, bounces it back. FHS front full front lay, doesn’t even need that hop. Good leap series. Double tuck to end, the lunge just for show. 9.825
Muns (FX – TWU): Beautiful open pike to start, good landing. Really enjoy this routine, too. She kills the choreo. Front lay front full with a weird rebound and has a deeper landing than she’d want. Great leap series. Double to end, holds that with her toes. 9.750
Second Flight
Webb (UB – SEMO): Short on that first hs. Straddle jaeger, some form. Bail to hs. Good last hs. Giant full to stuck double tuck. 9.775
Doran (UB – UB): Good first hs. Blind to jaeger, great! Bail to hs. Really getting those handstands today. Giant full to double tuck. Fabulous routine. 9.900, that’ll take the lead with five to go.
Walker (UB – Yale): HS good, great straddle jaeger. Bail to hs, nice. Short on that last hs. Double lay, good landing. 9.825
Miller (UB – SEMO): Biiiiiiiiiig tkatchev to ezhova, good. Good last hs. Double lay, great landing! 9.925, that’ll overtake Doran.
Bars have, uh, broken. A handle has apparently lost its handle on doing its job.
Moon (UB – LU): Shaposh, good. Some form on the bail. Shy on the last hs. Double lay, chest down, hops forward. 9.725
Michelini (UB – Cornell): Shy on that hs to Maloney. Ahhh misses a hand on the pak and hits her feet. Stalder to double tuck, good landing. 9.000
Ockler (UB – SEMO): Ockler the final routine for the competition. Maloney to pak, good. Shy on that last hs. FTDB, great landing. Good routine! 9.925
Kaziska (FX – SEMO): FHS stuck double full to open, the lunge a finishing touch. Good switch side to popa. RO 1.5 to front lay, great. FHS rudi, outstanding routine. That should take the lead. 9.950
Greene (FX – SEMO): Destiny’s Child music, love to hear it. Ahhhh, fumbles the first pass with a bad rebound and falls. Double tuck. 8.500
Chatting about floor scores.
Lund (FX – Cornell): Cornellians making themselves heard. Love her choreo. Keeps that first pass in by a haaaair. RO 2.5, good. Little shy on the full split her series but good routine. 9.775
Beers (FX – Cornell): Front tuck through to double pike, good height. Best leap series I’ve seen from her this weekend. Double tuck, chest slightly down. Good routine, keep your eyes on her the next four years. 9.775
Meakim (FX -WCU): Double pike to open, good chest position. Great leaps, good ring shape. Everyone clapping along. FHS front full to front lay, great. Meakim’s charisma is infectious. FHS rudi stag rebound, WONDERFUL routine. She gave the floor a pat before walking off. 9.900
Goyco (FX – TWU): Double pike to open, good form. Dance party floor music to close out the floor final is a great draw. Front lay to front full, good. Crowd clapping along. Double tuck to end. TWU on their feet. 9.950
First-place Finishers:
VT: Walker 9.875
UB: Miller, Ockler 9.925
BB: Kaziska 9.950
FX: Kaziska, Goyco 9.950
Assistant Coach of the Year: Kirsten Harold (TWU) and Stephanie Plaugher (WCU)
Coach of the Year: Andy Leis (Yale)
Memorial Award: Jessica Meakim (WCU)
A combined 54 years experience, Jackie Fain (Centenary) and Paul Beckwith (Cornell).
Live Blog by Allison Freeman
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