The stakes are high for both teams at Alabama’s senior meet, since both teams are ‘bubble’ teams in a sense. Alabama, right on the edge of a No. 2 seed for regionals, is lucky that its NQS drop score (a 196.975) was achieved at home, so it’s possible to replace that tonight. The Tide can rise as high as No. 6 in next week’s rankings, but can also be passed by lower-ranked teams. A score of around 197.700 could ensure that this team will stay in the top eight this week.
Boise State, meanwhile, is part of one of the messiest races for regional qualification in my memory. By my rough count, seven teams can pass the Broncos this weekend, which would leave them in a scary situation next Saturday. The score to drop here is 195.700, but something north of 196.000 would add some much-needed cushion.
Look out for some fifth year announcements for Alabama. This monster senior class consists of Makarri Doggette, Luisa Blanco, Mati Waligora and Ella Burgess, and losing all four of them next year would certainly sting a little. (That said, we also shouldn’t neglect that both Waligora and Burgess have a redshirt year available in addition to their COVID years. Burgess, in particular, has previously been displayed as ‘Redshirt X’ on the roster, but this year is simply listed as a senior.)
Finally, I’m excited to see who picks up the bars title tonight. With four athletes in the top thirty nationally on bars, including two who have scored a 10.000 this year, anything could happen.
Rotation 1: Alabama VT, Boise State UB
Gladieux (Bama): Nice clean FTY, super high, small hop back. 9.85
Little (Boise): Maloney to Pak, soft back in her half pirouette, handstands looking good. Big break in her giant full, double tuck WAY close to the bar but stuck. 9.7, got away fairly lightly.
Paradise (Bama): Great one and a half, the usual touch of form but nothing big, baby scoot forward to salute. Nice! 9.9
McGovern (Boise): Shy on the first handstand, clear hip to Gienger to overshoot, loose-legged throughout. Missed another handstand, full out nearly stuck. 9.7
Doggette (Bama): One and a half, hops back about a foot. “Last vault inside Coleman Coliseum” shut up. 9.825
Hamby (Boise): Misses her first handstand, Ray too far and falls to her knees. Repeats it to overshoot, soft elbows throughout, double lay with a baby hop forward. 8.975
Hudson (Bama): Oh I got spoiled on this score by the livescore. Stuck her one and a half. Squat maybe a TOUCH deep. 9.95, I’m good with that.
Blackson (Boise): I love this routine. Nice bail, so aggressive on the handstands, blind a little late to gorgeous Markelov. Messes up the kip and drops down to front support, so weird. I think one of her hands slipped. Double lay fine. 9.225
Blanco (Bama): One and a half, quick step back. 9.825
Lopez (Boise): Blind to pike Jaeger, nice and clean. Great bail. Her legs just do not separate this whole routine. Double lay, little hop forward. Pretty. 9.875
Olsen (Bama): They’re acting like there’s a chance she doesn’t go for the DTY on senior night, cute. Good one, small hop back. 9.875
Nakayama (Boise): Closed hips on her first handstand, Maloney to Pak comes in late and scrapes her knees on the ground. FTDB gorgeous and stuck. 9.55.
After 1: Alabama 49.400
Alabama will take that first rotation, especially heading to a strength! For Boise State, that was one to forget. A good road score here would have been really nice and at this point it’s pretty unlikely.
Rotation 2: Boise State VT, Alabama UB
Kho (Boise): FTY, leg sep and piked down hard, hop forward. 9.675
Hudson (Bama): Toe to Maloney, some leg sep, to bail. Slightly awkward catch but no real problem. Blind full double back, stuck. 9.875
Loyim (Boise): Yurchenko half absolutely drilled. Now that’s a damn stick. 9.85 boooo I know the amplitude wasn’t the best but I actually don’t care
Waligora (Bama): Blind to Jaeger to overshoot. Touch of feet on the Jaeger. FTDLO, tiny hop back. 9.85
Vulaj (Boise): Full on pike off, pretty in the air, hop in place with her chest low.
Adams (Bama): Holds the first handstand, Maloney to Pak great. Van leeuwen, looking great, right on top of the bar on the blind full, double back with a scoot back. 9.875, with a stick that could have been a monster.
Popp (Boise): Front pike half, her block looked a little off, twisted super late and underrotated with a big dive forward. Looks mad. 9.675
Machado (Bama): Not sure about that first handstand, Maloney to Pak caught close with bent elbows. Toe to van Leeuwen, toe full late to double back with a hop back. 9.825
Lopez (BSU): FTY, gorgeous, little hop back. 9.825
Doggette (Bama): Huge Tkachev to Pak, my suspicion is she released a little late there and the Pak looked a TOUCH low but likely not a real NCAA deduction. DLO, scoot back. 9.9
Blackson (BSU): One and a half, deep but stuck absolutely dead. 9.9
Blanco (Bama): Pak, I honestly thought Gina touched her there, toe to van Leeuwen. FTDB, two steps back. What’s with these landings for Alabama? Every single gymnast overrotated. but Hudson. It’s too late in the season for this ‘go big and worry about landings later’ stuff. 9.875
After 2: Alabama 98.775, Boise State 97.125
Couple of really nice sticks there for Boise, I had fun watching them. For Alabama, that’s such a gorgeous bars lineup that I’d love to see really huge numbers but it’s on them that it didn’t happen today.
Rotation 3: Alabama BB, Boise State FX
Burgess (Bama): One-arm BHS to LOSO, off line but just salutes at an angle and keeps it moving. Side aerial, major hip break. Okay, she’s literally banned from graduating now. Can’t finish like that. Switch to beat nice. Nice gainer pike, that side aerial is a bummer. 9.725
Vulaj (Boise): Switch to tour jete full, not sure about those splits. (BSU): One and a half front full, nice! L hop, double pike pretty with just a little hop forward. Not drastically underrotated. 9.825
Rybicki (Bama): BHS LOSO with some leg form. Cat leap switch side, check that somehow rotates her around to the other side of the beam. Full turn, check. One and a half with a big hop back. 9.8, she’s lucky to have gotten away with so much.
Lucas (Boise): Nice steady double pike, one and a half front lay a touch short and the lunge goes backward. Double tuck, overrotated and may just barely have avoided dropping her heel OOB but it wasn’t great either way. No, I think it’s out. 9.75, guess it was OK.
Waligora (Bama): BHS LOSO, off. The vibes of this beam rotation are not great. Split to tuck… most of a full. Steps it around a touch. One and a half twist underrotated with a big step back. 9.1
Loyim (Boise): Whip double tuck. So dynamic. Switch side Popa pretty, nice front tuck. Double pike, rebounds out of bounds. It was going so well!! 9.55
Gladieux (Bama): BHS back lay-pike-whatever, looks uncertain for a second but no check. Front aerial to beat is nice. Switch straddle. Double full dismount, tiny shuffle back. 9.9!
McGovern (Boise): Rudi LOSO, whoa, Rudi comes in like 45 degrees short and she just swiveled into the layout like nothing happened. Big leg stagger in that rebound there will be a deduction. Good double pike. 9.775
Hudson (Bama): BHS LOSO, very nice, tiny adjustment on the full turn, switch to beat nice and confident. Side aerial, bend check, chest stayed above horizontal. Stuck one and a half twist. 9.85
Blackson (BSU): Gorgeous front double full punch front, right on top of that landing. Two and a half twist, lovely control. I heard some people think front landings are difficult to genuinely control without dancing out. Weird, right? 9.9
Blanco (Bama): Front aerial, from my angle there was a foot shift but judges might not have been able to see it. Little shoulder drop after the full turn. Check on the triple series, I can stop nitpicking now because that was a real mistake. Switch to be at is pretty, stuck a one and a half twist. 9.85
Leitch (Boise): Solid first pass I forgot to write down. Switch half wolf full. Front lay front full really nice, great double back. 9.7
After 3: Alabama 147.900, Boise State 146.075
Both teams shaky but alive in the third rotation.
Rotation 4: Boise State BB, Alabama FX
Vulaj (Boise): Gainer BHS LOSO, soft knees and not super square but hanging on. Switch switch, short of splits and a check. Gainer LOSO good. Kickover front. One and a half twist, step back. 9.75
Waligora (Bama): Front double full, scoot to the side. Nice one and a half front lay. 9.725
Little (Boise): BHS LOSO, big check. Switch to straddle quarter. Front aerial to beat, very pretty. One and a half dismount nice. 9.725
Olsen (Bama): Pike full in, little hop forward. Switch to tour jete full, actually rotated which is rare, front through double back with some wiggle on the front foot. 9.775 feels harsh for that.
Elkabchi (Boise): Full turn, BHS LOSO, lean. Beat to side aerial, check. Split half, leg-up check. Does exactly the same thing again. Beat jump… she doesn’t have a dance series. One and a half dismount stuck.
Doggette (Bama): Full in high and pretty, lunges out fine but scoots the front foot late in the game. Tour jete full nice. One and a half front lay pretty. She’s crying. 9.825
Lopez (Boise): BHS LOSO BHS, major bend check and falls. Full turn. Gainer full with a step back. 9.25
Adams (Bama): Nice double pike, well-rotated leaps. One and a half front lay maybe a touch overrotated. 9.925 okay that was not THAT much better than the others. Fine score, not sure what happened to home floor senior night for the… seniors…
Loyim (Boise): BHS LOSO LOSO very nice. Full turn, check. Isn’t that just beam in a nutshell? Side aerial, stumbles, gets it back. Switch switch is nice. Gainer full, hop back. 9.825
Gladieux (Bama): Nailed the full in, nice leaps, looking great. Front lay to Rudi split, super control. Some leg form on the Rudi. 9.9
Popp (Boise): Front aerial, good, BHS BHS layout, misses a foot, replaces it easily. Probably considered a 0.1 check but it was cool. Hitch kick switch half, steady, gainer full with a step back.
Hudson (Bama): Front double full, awkward, shuffles to the side much like Waligora did. Two and a half, looks super uncomfortable on the landing, lunge goes backwards. I think she almost tripped over her feet there but made it work. 9.8. I don’t understand how that was better than two of the seniors!!
FINAL: Alabama 197.125, Boise State 194.775
That was so weird! Not really what either team wanted plus the vibes were just so weird.
VT: Lilly Hudson 9.950
UB: Makarri Doggette 9.900
BB: Gabby Gladieux 9.900
FX: Shania Adams 9.925
AA: Lilly Hudson 39.475
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Live blog by Rebecca Scally
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