Phew have you recovered from semifinal one? I haven’t! And we’re already back for more! Let’s find out which of Florida, Michigan, Auburn and Missouri will be heading to Saturday’s Team Finals, shall we?
This semi appears less messy than semi 1 on the surface, but Auburn could be a real bracket buster here if things go right for the Tigers. Florida and Michigan are well and away the favorites, but Auburn does have a higher season high than the Wolverines. Of course, on the same day with the same judging, it would likely take some mistakes from Michigan for Auburn to slip in. It’s just not out of the question.
The Missouri Tigers are quite a bit behind the top three—about a point by high score—but they should show some spectacular gymnastics today and we could see some of these Tigers earn All-America honors today.
Florida almost looks invincible after its lights-out regionals showing. That said, the Gators and Wolverines have the exact same season average at a 197.841. Are you sweating yet? Depending on who is cleaner and has more precise details, either of Florida or Michigan could walk into the final as a one-seed. It could be key that the Wolverines have to end on beam, an event they’ve struggled a bit on from time-to-time this year. Of course, it’s also the event where they claimed the 2021 national title last year.
We have hit team intros o’clock in the arena!
Rotation 1: UF vault, Miz. bars, Aub. beam, UM floor
Skaggs (UF): FTY, stuck.
Marshall (Miz): HUGE release.
Hollingsworth (Aub): Little short of 180 on her switch half. Much better on the straddle 3/4.
Brenner (UM): FUll-in, messy legs good landing. Clean on her combo pass landing.
Schoenherr (UF): Y1.5, soft knees a huge bounding step forward.
Celestine (Miz): Maloney leg sep to kind of wild pak, low and big leg sep with knee bend. Stuck dismount.
Brusch (Aub): Just feet on the aerial to split jump. Bhs loso, small check.
Heiskell (UM): Clean on her Arabian. Good control on the combo pass landing.
Wong (UF): She does the Khorkina, just a foot shuffle.
Patrick (Miz): Hect mount. Blind to Jaeger, some form lost on the catch. Bail hand clean. DLO.
Stevens (Aub): Split to double stag, little checks on both. RO 3/2 stuck, soft knees.
Wojcik (UM): FHS 2/1 front pike stuck. Great on her leaps. Double pike, lifted her front foot a bit. FHS rudi straddle, just a little off balance in the air on the jump.
Reed (UF): Y1.5, huge step forward.
Schreiber (Miz): Maloney to bail hand was clean. DLO drops her chest but holds the stick.
Groth (Aub): Clean triple series. Just the loveliest flow on beam. Stuck dismount.
Morrison (UM): Bounces into a few steps out of her full-in, maybe three. Clean combo pass. Good double tuck landing.
Thomas (UF): Y1.5, just picked one foot up.
Worley (UK, VT): Y1.5, little shuffle hop.
Sheremeta (Miz): Pretty blind to Jaeger. stuck rudi dismount.
McLaughlin (Aub): Clean series. Beat to side aerial. solid. Gainer pike stuck.
Brooks (UM): Little off balance on the full-in landing. Much better double tuck landing.
Blakely (UF): Y1.5, really deep squad but stays on her feet.
Hu (Miz): Pike Jaeger to pak, tidy. Blind full double tuck stuck.
Lee (Aub): Long, long wait for Lee. Wolf turn full, good. Front aerial bhs loso, no problems. Switch to switch half, those oversplits are excellent. Bhs gainer full stuck.
Chiles (UCLA): LAUNCHED her pike Jaeger, fall. Maloney leg sep to Geinger, clean there. FTDB small hop.
Wilson (UM): Slid her foot on her full-in. Better combo pass landing. HUGE leaps. Double tuck, good lunge this time.
Flatley (UCLA): Triple full, NAILED. UM doing some choreo bits on the side, delightful. FHS 2/1, scooched her foot around a bit to stay in bounds. Switch ring to switch half, good, maybe a little short on the split for the half. Really arched her lay on the combo pass around.
Kenlin (Iowa): Bhs loso, solid. Hitch kick front aerial beat, no issues there. Strong leaps. She is ON, really flowing in and out of skills. Side aerial full stick, and Auburn is screaming for her. What a treat.
AFTER 1: Michigan 49.4875, Auburn 49.475, Florida 49.2375, Missouri 49.1125
Florida gave a lot away on those vault landings. It’ll need to tighten them up to hold off Auburn, which looks very sharp.
Rotation 2: UM vault, UF bars, Miz. beam, Aub. floor
Wojcik (UM): Y1.5, little hop.
Blakely (UF): Clean Pak, good low bar half. Great final handstand. Off on her blind, a fall. Gets it the second time, step on her double front.
McCusker (UF):
Marshall (Miz.): I missed nearly all of this ah, but a good dismount landing.
Kyla Bryant is chatting with kids in the crowd in front of me. She’s being very kind. The little girl she was chatting with is smitten.
Brusch (Aub): Good first landing. Little bit back on her heels on her double pike landing.
McCusker (UF): Maloney leg sep, pak. Van Leeuwen, lovely. Stuck her dismount and held it, great!
McCrary (Miz.): Bobble on her front toss.
Watson (Aub): Bouncy on her Arabian landing. RO 1.5 front lay much better. Bounced a bit on her closing double tuck but less than the first pass.
Morrison (UM): Y1.5, step back.
Schoenherr (UF): Huge Jaeger, clean. Archy toe hand. Good bail hand. Stuck dismount.
Schaffer (Miz.): Nailed her series.
Stevens (Aub): Stunning opening landing, really sold the lunge. Tour jete half to wolf full was clean. Strong double tuck.
Brooks (UM): Hop forward on her Y1.5.
Skaggs (UF): Huge Tkatchev, stuck her dismount.
Groth (Aub): Lovely 2/1. Good landing on the combo pass.
Sorry, I missed Sheremeta beam, I have the emcee in front of me chatting to kids.
Wilson (UM): Y1.5, massive! Big step forward.
Thomas (UF): The longest wait I’ve seen in a long time for her. She has the back wrap thing on to stay loose, Nya Reed and Alyssa Baumann are chatting with her to keep her out of her head. One floor routine later and she’s still waiting. I do not know what’s happening folks.
Hu (Miz): Her signature gorgeous mount work. Clean front aerial bhs. Pretty Liukin. Stuck dismount.
Lee (Aub): DLO, good landing, I think? Coach standing slightly in front of my view on her front foot. RO 1.5 full was a little low but landed well.
Guggino (UM): Y1.5, small step forward.
Flatley (UCLA): Big FTY, stuck, stunning.
Schreiber (Miz.): Bhs loso loso, tidy. Beat to gainer full, stuck.
Gobourne (Aub): HUGH double tuck, textbook lunge, wow. Switch side wolf full, little wonky on the wolf shape. FHS front full front lay, good. Excellent double pike landing as well, when she’s on she’s ON.
Davis (UK): I can see her huge grin from the stands. Double pike, scooted the front foot around. Wow, excellent straddle positions. Pretty combo pass work, flared out on her 1.5. Hopped forward on her double tuck.
Thomas is STILL WAITING. Every other event is done. A judge is holidng up a red flag, and I’m learning that there’s an equipment failure of some kind. Thomas, Wong and Worley will get a quick makeup touch.
Thomas (UF): OKAY let’s try this again. Maloney leg sep to pak. Toe hand van Leeuwen, clean. Great handstand. DLO true stick. Wow!
Wong (UF): Maloney some leg sep, pak, little shoulder angel. Good van Leeuwen. DLO, college stick, stepped into the salute.
Worley (UK): Clear hip hand to Tkatchev, nice, not a ton of turnover. Leg sep on Pak. SNAPPY handstands here. FTDB stuck.
AFTER 2: Auburn, 99.050, Michigan 98.9125, Florida 98.7125, Missouri 98.5375
Wow, Auburn pulled ahead of Michigan on the heels of its fourth-best beam/floor total in history (per Drew Porsch). Steppy landings got the best of Michigan there. The long wait clearly didn’t phase Thomas and Wong, who performed excellently.
The Gators started making up ground and need to continue apace on beam and floor.
Rotation 3: Aub. vault, UM bars, UF beam, Miz. floor
Schreiber (Miz): Clean on her big combo pass to start, little low and forward on the punch front.
Groth (Aub): FTY, hop.
Skaggs (UF): Huge switch to split leap. Bhs loso, clean.
Heiskell (UM): BLind to Jaeger, good. Good hanstand. to pak switch kip, tidy there. Blidn full double tuck dropped it right in.
Missed Hubbard’s vault. There is a people getting snacks highway right in front of me this session.
Kratzer (Miz): Bouncy out of her double tuck. Low chest on double pike landing.
Stevens (Aub): FTY, piked and a hop.
Brenner (UM): Blind to Jaeger, missed and a fall.
Blakely (UF): Really precise on her full turn. Stuck dismount.
Gobourne (Aub): Y1.5, small hop forward.
Morrison (UM): Long long wait again. Bail hand, clean. DLO stuck.
Sheremeta (Miz): FHS 2/1, little uncontrolled on the lunge. Better on her combo pass. 1.5 to front loso was lovely.
Watson (Aub): Y1.5, soft knees and a hop.
Baumann (UF): Bobble on her series. Strong side Aerial. Hop on her dismount.
Lee (Aub): Does the Lopez, little hop.
McCrary (Miz): Absolutely stuck her second pass and let out a yell. Good control on her 5/2.
Wong (UF): Switch to split, good oversplits. Bhs loso, solid.
Johnson (LSU): DTY, soft knees and a micro hop.
Brooks (UM): Blind to pike Jaeger, clean. Bail hand, lost some form in her back. FTDL true stick, very upright.
Thomas (UF): One arm bhs loso, no problems. Clean front aerial. beat to bhs swingdown.
Moore (Miz): DLO, excellent landing! Stuck. HUGE on her switch half popa popa combo. Front through double tuck, low chest and has to step forward.
Wojcik (UM): Toe hand to Deltchev immediate bail, her usual, wildly good. DLO stuck, just snapped her heels in.
Vore (UM): Maloney, good, to bail, little loose in her core. Almost over on her handstand, saves it, DLO, three steps back and sits. UM counting a fall.
Clapper (UF): Bhs loso loso, clean. Just brought her heels together on the dismount.
Celestine (Miz): BIG full-in, plenty of space for her heel today. Tour jete half split full, good.
Worley (UK): Clean series.
Chiles (UCLA): SHE DOES THE FTDL! Front 1/1 through double tuck, good landing. Wow, extraordinary to see that difficulty performed so cleanly.
Flatley (UCLA): Higgins to Jaeger, good. Bail hand, clean. DLO hop straight up.
AFTER 3: Auburn 148.400, Florida 148.225, Missouri 147.950, Michigan 147.5875
WOW what a turn of events. Michigan simply cannot afford to count a fall with this level of gymnastics in the building.
Rotation 4: Miz. vault, Aub. bars, UM beam, UF floor
Schaffer (Miz): FTY, hop I think.
Sabados (Aub): Tkatchev, caught with bent elbos. Good bail hand.
Skaggs (UF): FHS rudi double stag, clean. Great control out of her lsat pass.
Morrison (UM): Bhs loso, leg up check. Cat to switch half, huge and lovely. Check on full turn. Sits her dismount.
Groth (Aub): Ray, good. Pak, pretty archy but good catch. Blind full ended a little late stuck double tuck.
McCrary (Miz): Big FTY, step back.
Baumann (UF): RO 1.5 front full, good. Good lunge on the double pike.
Wilson (UM): BHS loso, solid. Clean on her switch splits series.
Schreiber (Miz): FTY, lovley, little hop.
Stevens (Aub): HUGE release. Short bail hand. DLO little hop.
It appears I missed a Davis vault, apologies!
Wong (UF): Stuck 3/1. The rest happened while my wifi was down and everything I typed is gone yay fun times.
Celestine (Miz): Y1.5, soft kees, stuck!
Brusch (Aub): Missed this because my wifi dropped for a moment, stuck her dismount. Phew I’m having a rough session here sorry folks!
Vore (UM): Bhs loso, little off balance but no shoulder movement. Good front toss. Clean leaps.
Edwards (tOSU): FTY, BIG, tiny hop.
Reed (UF): DLO, great lunge. Little short on her switch half. Double pike, slid her front food a smidge.
Gobourne (Aub): Pretty work through her release to pak, good open shoulders. FTDB, stuck.
Brooks (UM): Fall on her series. Not the Wolverines’ day.
Lee (Aub): Maloney to pak, immediate toe on van Leeuwen, great! FTDB college stick.
Heiskell (UM): Cat to side aerial clean. Stuck dismount.
Thomas (UF): DLO in the rafters, controlled lunge. Gorgeous through her tour jete half popa popa, just textbook. FHS front full front lay, no deductions on that landing. Stellar routine.
Nixon (UK): Maloney, good to clean bail hand. FTDB little hop forward. So much height on that dismount.
Wojcik (UM): Front aerial beat, solid. Clean triple series despite the 10.0 screams for Thomas. RO 1.5, step back.
Richards (UF): In for Blakely, since UF is securely advancing. DLO. Little off balance on her jumps. Clean combo pass.
Flatley (UCLA): Front aerial bhs loso, some foot form but solid. Switch to split, her oversplits are excellent. Bhs 1.5, stuck-ish, slid her feet a little. Some tears as she hugs Kristina Comforte.
Worley (UK): She’s got the big stage to herself! Full-in, great control on her lunge. Switch ring to switch side, nice. Double tuck, little deep in her knees but didn’t lunge. Morgan Hurd was absolutely screaming her lungs out to support Worley before that pass.
FINAL: Florida 197.975, Auburn 197.8375, Missouri 197.200, Michigan 196.2875
Overall event winners:
AA: Thomas, 39.8125
VT: Rucker 9.9625
UB: Davis, Carey, Ramler, Thomas 9.950
BB: Lee 9.9625
FX: Thomas, 10.0
Live blog by Emily Minehart
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