No. 7 California, No. 10 Michigan State, No. 26 Western Michigan, and No. 29 West Virginia are going to battle it out for the first two spots at the regional final on Sunday. California and Michigan State should easily qualify here, and have a buffer to do so. There is about a point gap in both NQS and maximum score over Western Michigan and West Virginia. The door would have to be opened for either Western Michigan or West Virginia, and then they would need to have a hit meet to walk through the door.
California beam has gone over 49.600 the last three meets. It’s a lineup that excels from top to bottom with Mya Lauzon scoring the program’s first 10 on the event earlier this month. Sage Kellerman from Michigan State just became the Big Ten vault champion with her front pike half and is in the back half of the lineup with Nikki Smith who has a stickable one and a half. Some floor stars will also take the stage with Kendra Combs and Kianna Yancey from West Virginia, Payton Murphy from Western Michigan, and Keanna Abraham representing UC Davis as an individual, will be ones to watch there.
Rotation 1: West Virginia vault, Western Michigan bars, California beam, Michigan State floor
Singh (WMU): High tkatchev. Good bail. Hop on the double layout.
DeSouza (CAL): Cat leap to front aerial was smooth. Slight hesitation on the loso series. Clean jumps. Very solid full turn. Tries to hold the stick on the back 1.5, but has to hop forward.
Ny. Smith (MSU): Big bounce back on the closing double pike and goes out of bounds.
Williams (CAL): Aggressive on the double wolf. Clean front aerial. Lean on the loso series, but stays on. Good rhythm on the switch to split leap. Hop back on the gainer full dismount.
Alban (WVU): Clean body position in her full with a hop back.
Kalefe (MSU): Large step forward on the front double full. Around on the switch to wolf full. A little crooked on the Rudi, but punches well into the loso.
Li (CAL): Clean switch to split to beat jump. Has to hop forward on the tucked gainer full dismount. No stuck landings for California on beam yet.
Wehry (WVU): Just a small hop back on the front pike half. Good chest position.
Murphy (WMU): Great deltchev. Hits the bail well. Just a hop back on the toe front half dismount.
Frazier (CAL): Connects the front aerial to loso well. Small check on the switch ring. Clean split jump to ring jump. Takes a small hop on the back 1.5 dismount.
Moravanksy (WMU): High jaeger and misses her grip on the overshoot, but somehow still catches the bar. Just a hop on the dismount.
Lauzon (CAL): Clean wolf turn. Barely stays on during the bhs bhs loso series. Kind on stumbles out of it. Comes back clean on the switch to split jump. Sticks the double full dismount.
Ni. Smith (MSU): Huge full in to open. Moved the front foot on the landing. Clean back 1.5 to front layout. Almost goes out of bounds on the double tuck and takes a couple of steps, but stays in.
Perea (CAL): Hits the front aerial to back tuck. Very nice switch to split to beat. Stuck the side somi to tucked back 1.5.
Schulte (MSU): Low chest on the full in and takes a step forward. Solid rotation on the triple jump combo. Might have overturned the switch half. Bounce back out of the front through to double tuck.
Abraham (UCD): Piked down to double layout a little, but controlled the lunge out of it. Front layout to front full landed well. Really opens out of the double tuck, but still had too much power and the front foot slid back.
After 1: Michigan State 49.475, California 49.275, West Virginia 49.075, Western Michigan 48.725
Michigan State started strong on floor and put the team in a good place after one. California was missing the landing on dismounts to capitalize on that beam rotation and will be going into the second rotation closer to West Virginia than the Golden Bears might have liked. Western Michigan didn’t count any major errors and West Virginia landed it’s vaults well to stay close to second place.
Rotation 2: Michigan State vault, West Virginia bars, Western Michigan beam, California floor
Binstock (WMU): Small check after the 3/4 jump. Holds the loso series. Adjustment on the full turn. Just slight hesitations. Wobble on the switch half. Sticks the dismount.
Ny. Smith (MSU): Strong full with a solid landing. Good height.
DeSouza (CAL): Clean landing on the back 1.5 to front full to finish.
Garcia (MSU): Flairs out the full, but lands with her chest low to hold the landing.
Combs (WVU): Wonky on the giant full, but sticks the double tuck dismount.
Perea (CAL): Front foot slides back a little on the opening double tuck. High in the double wolf, but gets it around. Almost around on the switch full after the switch leap.. Clean landing on the back 1.5 to front full.
Schulte (MSU): Sticks her full and exaggerates the salute. Open body position.
Alban (WVU): Bends the knees on the geinger. Gits the bail. Step forward on the double layout dismount.
Ni. Smith (MSU): Sits down her 1.5. Almost like her legs weren’t ready to land.
Williams (CAL): Clean landing on the front layout to Rudi. Solid double wolf. Great rise and landing on the back 1.5 to front layout. The Cal parents are cheering for a 10
Stephen (MSU): Huge full and almost gets the landing.
Moravansky (WMU): Falls on the triple series. Steps back on the dismount.
Li (CAL): Beautiful front double full with a great landing. Holds the landing on the back 1.5 to front layout.
Lauzon (CAL): Great rise on the front tuck out of the opening front double full. Overturns the first leap on the combo. Great control on the back 1.5 to front full.
Copperwheat (PITT): Huge jaeger, bent arms on the catch. Clean bail. Small hop on the FTDT
Murphy (WMU): Great front toss to split jump. Solid loso series. Hop in place to bring the heels together for her dismount.
Frazier (CAL): Huge double layout and controls the landing. Great ring position in the leap series. Perfectly controlled landing on the front through to double tuck.
Garvey (PITT): Clean switch to switch. Holds the landing on the loso series. Small step forward on the front tuck. Switch jump to pike jump was great. Sticks the gainer pike dismount. That was really solid. I am sure Western Michigan would have liked that in its lineup.
After 2: California 98.825, Michigan State 98.475, West Virginia 97.850, Western Michigan 97.675
Even though that was not a great vault rotation for Michigan State, the mistakes from Western Michigan and West Virginia allowed the Spartans to stay comfortably in the top two. California will like this lead going into vault in bars.
Rotation 3: California vault, Michigan State bars, West Virginia beam, Western Michigan floor
Schulte (MSU): Leg separation on the Shaposh, but keeps them together on the bail. Hop on the dismount.
Moravanksy (WMU): Underrotated the double pike and took a step forward. Controls the last pass though.
Zsarmani (MSU): Huge pak. Great Maloney to geinger. Stuck the double layout dismount.
Pierson (WVU): Low on the front tuck, adjusts and then goes into the bhs. Should not be an acro series. Hop forward on the back 1.5 dismount.
Brown (CAL): Large hop back on her vault.
DeSouza (CAL): Leg separation on the table going into her 1.5. Has a hop back and some knees in the air.
Jackard (MSU): Great toe point on the jaeger. Very clean bail. Little bit of a low chest on the double tuck, but she keeps herself in such a small ball. Takes a small step in place on the landing.
Binstock (WMU): Controls the double pike at the end.
Ni. Smith (MSU): High Maloney to pak. Great finish on the cast half. Holds the last hs. Hops back on the double layout.
Cesario (CAL): Lineup change. Flairs out the full and takes a hop back. Likely could have stuck if she absorbed the mat more there.
Roy (WMU): Great double pike to open.
Harkness (MSU): Super clean geinger. Legs glued together on the bail. Legs go wonky in the FTDT, but she sticks it.
Brooks (USU): Huge Ray to bail. Sticks the double layout. Great toepoint throughout. Beautiful routine.
St. Clair (WMU): Good control on the back 1.5 to front layout. Short of split on the leaps.
Nelson (WVU): Solid loso series. Correction on the leap and the turn. Hesitation on the side aerial. Sticks the gainer full dismount.
Murphy (WMU): Huge front through to double tuck. Great landing. Good combo pass. Lands the finals double tuck well.
Wehry (WVU): Barely stays on during the loso series. Comes back strong on the leaps. Check on the side aerial. Hop on the dismount.
Ray (UCD): Huge double tuck to open. Great amplitude on the leaps. Front foot lifts up on the double pike.
Copperwheat (PITT): Clean switch to split. Holds the side somi. Shoulder lean on the loso series. Falls on the double turn. She did that in warm ups too. Hop on the back 1.5 dismount.
After 3: Michigan State 147.800, California 147.750, Western Michigan 147.075, West Virginia 146.500
A strong bars rotation from Michigan State coupled with a rough vault rotation for California allowed Michigan State to retake the lead here, but both teams are still well clear of the challengers of Western Michigan and West Virginia going into the final rotation.
Rotation 4: Western Michigan vault, California bars, Michigan State beam, West Virginia floor
DeSouza (CAL): Well connected piked jaeger to overshoot. Step back on the FTDT dismount with some feet.
Kalefe (MSU): Good amplitude on the bhs bhs loso series. Slight adjustment. Break at the waist on the jump combo. Step on the gainer full dismount.
Singh (WMU): Yurchenko half with a big lunge forward.
Frazier (CAL): Holds the stick on the double layout dismount with an arm wave.
Faulkner (WMU): Big full with a small hop back.
Harkness (MSU): Clean full turn. Solid loso series. Soft knees. Hesitation on the switch to switch. Hop to the side on the cat leap side aerial tucked back 1.5.
Perea (CAL): Huge pak and Maloney half. Stuck the dimount.
Li (CAL): High pak. Very clean Maloney half. Good finish on the giant full and might have took a mini step in place on the double tuck.
Ni. Smith (MSU): Very solid loso series. Hesitation after the switch leap into the straddle quarter. Puts her hands down on the double tuck dismount. Just not completely around.
Collins (WVU): Ends with a high, well landed double tuck.
Cesario (CAL): High straddled jaeger to overshoot. Stuck the double layout dismount. Some leg separation on the dismount.
Pierson (WVU): Big double layout with a great landing.
Schulte (MSU): Keeps moving on the switch to switch half to beat jump. Solid loso series. Switch the switch to gainer full dismount.
Stephen (MSU): The front toss was so beautiful and high. Solid loso series. Keeps the jump combo moving. Sticks the double full dismount.
Garcia (MSU): Elegant full turn. Solid loso series. Leg up check on the front aerial before the split jump. Switch to split jump is clean. Might have stuck the dismount, it also could have been a small scooch from my angle.
Copperwheat (PITT): Slight scooch of the front foot on the front through to double pike. A little wonky on the leaps. Sticks than lunges the landing of the double tuck.
FINAL: California 197.250, Michigan State 196.825, Western Michigan 196.175, West Virginia 195.850
Michigan State tried to make it interesting in the final rotation, but West Virginia and Western Michigan said no. The favorites coming into the session are moving on to tomorrow for a shot at going to NCAAs.
VT: Wehry, St. Clair 9.9
UB: Perea, Cesario 9.95
BB: Stephen 9.95
FX: Frazier 9.95
AA: Stephen 39.525
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Live blog by Alyssa Van Auker
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