We have arrived! The winners and runners-up from each round two session are here to fight for two berths to Fort Worth. The likely prediction is that Oklahoma and Alabama will advance, but this is gymnastics and anything can happen. Strap in, because here we go!
Are you ready? ARE YOU READY? We send our first two teams to Fort Worth TODAY. NOW.
Oklahoma is the only team that feels like a shoe-in. Even after an off-ish day on Thursday, it cruised past the other semi two teams. KJ Kindler said in press that she would shuffle lineups tonight, so expect Jenna Dunn to be back on beam and for some movement on floor. Danae Fletcher warmed up in the six spot, Bell Johnson was moved out, and everyone else was shifted forward a spot.
Makarri Doggete warmed up floor for Alabama; she skipped it in the semis. The big battle here is between Kentucky and Alabama for that second nationals berth. It really is a coin toss, although Kentucky has momentum after a better round two day. Ohio State can’t be counted out. Its 197.350 on Thursday was its best road score all year, after finally putting together a complete meet away. It led Oklahoma after one rotation in that one, which Meredith Paulicivic saw as a big confidence boost.
These four teams are ready. We’re ready. Let’s do it.
The Alabama Managers of Many Backpacks just got huge cheers from the Crimson Tide faithful. So, I’d say the fans are also ready.
Rotation 1: UA vault, OU bars, UK beam, tOSU floor
Gladieux (UA): Yfull, great body position, small hop.
Sievers (OU): Maloney Pak, some form on the backswing there. FTDB stuck.
Luksik (UK): Hit series amidst screams for OU. Gainer pike stuck.
Vetter (tOSU): Good double tuck landing. Cleanly through her leaps, very good rotation. Closed with a solid front lay to rudi, just soft knees in the lay.
Paradise (UA): Y1.5, twisted early, hop forward and to the side.
Fletcher (OU): pike Jaeger, clean. Toe hand, arched a bit but pulled it back, nice Pak out. FTDB stuck. Sticky feet today!
Procasky (UK): Hit her series, again right as OU hit a landing. It’s loud and UK is FOCUSED. Gainer pike stuck. UK has sticky feet too, oooh this is already a good one.
Riccardi (tOSU): Hopped back out of her double pike. Clean tour jete full Popa. Lunged forward on her double tuck.
Doggette (UA): Y1.5, big hop forward.
Trautman (OU): Maloney Pak was nice. DLO stuck. OU on a roll!
Bunn (UK): Long delays on beam, not sure what’s happening over there. Clean triple series, maybe some soft knees on a bhs. Switch to split was good, great oversplits there.
Gagliardi (tOSU): Clean front lay to rudi to jump, good control. Switch side Popa, cheated the rotation a smidge.
Hudson (UA): Y1.5, very deep knees, hop.
Smith (OU): some arms on her Ray catch. Pak was nice. Great half pirouette. Slightly arched handstand. DLO whipped, college stick, HUGE screams, the fans think it’s a 10.
Patterson (UK): Bhs loso, so high, check on the landing. Gainer pike, another stick! It is SHARP IN HERE.
Harris (tOSU): Excellent double pike. Came up on her toes in her combo pass to end.
Blanco (UA): Y1.5, hop forward.
Worley (UK): OK, beam judges are just sloowww slow slow. Nice front aerial bhs loso, no movement on that landing. Little adjustment on her full turn. Stuck dismount.
Bowers (OU): Blind to Jaeger, bent arms on catch. Pak was clean. FTDB stuck AGAIN.
Edwards (tOSU): Double pike, kicked out of it, perfect lunge, that pass is stellar every single time. Good combo pass landing. Double tuck, Again, kicked out, adjusted her front foot a bit.
Olsen (UA): DTY, better than Thursday, still low and came in with a low chest.
Davis (OU): Hect mount. Higgins to pike Jaeger, her usual jgreat amplitude. Pak was clean. Better form than usual on her dismount, stuck, still some leg sep.
Magnelli (UK): Nailed her series. Switch to straddle 1/4 was nice, good oversplits. Check on the full turn. Gainer pike yet another stick! Six for six sticks, UK means business.
Hodges (tOSU): Double pike, slid backward out. Tour jete half Popa Popa, really clean. Pretty twisting pass to loso, good landing.
After 1: OU 49.675, UK 49.575, tOSU 49.475, UA 49.275
Oh my Kentucky and Oklahoma those LANDINGS. It’s good news for Ohio State to be close now, after a strong event in floor. If it can improve on Thursday’s uncharacteristically hoppy vault rotation, it’ll be in a good spot. Alabama just lacked the precision of the other three teams, with some low landings and steps and hops, but it’s by no means out of this thing.
Harris just stuck a Y1.5 in one-touch. She has that thing on autopilot these days.
Rotation 2: tOSU vault, UA bars, OU beam, UK floor
Vetter (tOSU): Yfull, weight a bit back but held her feet.
Hudson (UA): Maloney some soft knees to arched bail hand.
Dunn (OU): Fall on her triple series.
Procasky (UK): Clean in her leaps. Double tuck, slid her front foot back.
Malas (tOSU): Yfull, deep in her knees and had to hop back.
Waligora (UA): Blind some leg sep to Jaeger, too far out, falls. Hit the rest.
Trautman (OU): Beam judges stay crawling. Conferenced on Dunn. Fall on her series. Counting one now!
Wilson (UK): Wolf 1.5, not quite around. Front through double tuck, slid the front foot. Clean combo pass, some leg sep on the twists.
Riccardi (tOSU): Yfull, hop back.
Adams (UA): Great handstand. Clean Maloney Pak combo.
Bowers (OU): Bhs loso, clean, OU got one.Leap to switch half, tiny adjustment on the landing. RO 2/1, hop in place.
Patterson (UK): Clean opening pass. Switch ring, pretty! great head release on that one. Came backward on her last landing.
Harris (tOSU): Y1.5, foot adjustment.
Machado (UA): Maloney to Pak, really nice, great catching position. van Leeuwen, some leg sep but really minor, stuck dismount.
Torrez (OU): Hit series. Nice switch to straddle. RO 3/2, got the stick.
Magnelli (UK): Twist into loso had a weird punch, bent knees in the loso.
Jennings (tOSU): Yfull, flared it, college stick. Biggest full so far.
Doggette (UA): Huge Tkatchev, not as much turnover as she can get. DLO hop back.
A. Davis (OU): Bhs loso, foot adjustment on the landing. Split ring jump didn’t hit a precise position at all, I’m sure they’ll credit it but it could be iffy for credit as a split ring if we’re being honest. Stuck dismount.
H. Davis (UK): Great double pike, really emphasized the lunge. Switch side Popa, cheated it a bit. 3/2 front lay, little low on the lay but pulled it around. Good closing double tuck.
Edwards (tOSU): Yfull, big distance, hop back.
Blanco (UA): FTDB, step back.
Smith (OU): If you want someone up after a tough rotation, it’s Smith. Bhs loso, solid. Little adjustment on the front aerial. Wonky on her bhs swingdown, just had her weight more on one side than the other but kept moving fluidly. Stuck dismount. It wasn’t, but my money’s on a 10 anyway.
Worley (UK): Full-in, bit too much juice, was backward in her lunge, I wouldn’t call it controlled. FHS front full front lay, really nice there.
After 2: UK 98.950, tOSU 98.850, OU 98.750, UA 98.675
Well this just got interesting. That race for second now includes Oklahoma. The Sooners are NOT out of it by any means, but they can’t make any more mistakes.
Rotation 3: UK vault, tOSU bars, UA beam, OU floor
Procasky (UK): Yfull, great landing.
Pritchard (tOSU): Solid Gienger. Blind full bit late double tuck stuck.
Burgess (UA): Check on the full turn. Cat to switch side, nice.
A. Davis (OU): FHS 2/1, little foot movement in the lunge. Clean switch half wolf full.
Wilson (UK): FHS pike half hop back.
Harris (tOSU): Short hanstand. Huge nice Ray. Littly shy on her bail hand. Blind full double tuck stuck. Ohio State is here to play.
Waligora (UA): Judges conferencing again what are we doing here folks. Bhs loso, soft knees. Big check on an aerial.
Smith (OU): Scooted her front foot in the double tuck. Clean 3/2 front lay, danced right out. OOB on her double pike? Flag went like half up.
Patterson (UK): FHS pike half, chest forward but stuck. I see a 10 flashed.
Edwards (tOSU): Clean Maloney to Pak.
Adams (UA): Check on bhs loso.
Bowers (OU): Great double pike. Wonky wolf shape but otherwise clean in her leaps.
Magnelli (UK): Step back on the landing.
Hankins (tOSU): Nice Jaeger, better catch than on Thursday. Little close on her Pak. Held a stick, but chest came way forward.
Gladieux (UA): Nice leaps. RO 2/1 hop back.
Sievers (OU): Nailed opening pass, nodded in the music break, crowd sreamed. Nice moment. Hit her front through double tuck too. Switch side Popa, clearly cheated the rotation.
Worley (UK): Y1.5, big hop forward.
Riccardi (tOSU): Nice Ray. Short handstand to Pak.
Hudson (UA): Front aerial bhs loso, soft knees but so solid in the middle of a very loud cheer for Fletcher on floor. RO 3/2 hop in place.
Torrez (OU): DLO, adjusted her front foot. Short of 180 on a leap, switch full I think. Front through double tuck, better landing.
Bourque (UK): Y1.5, step forward and to the side.
Miller (tOU): Chance to redeem herself after a weird mishap fall Thursday. Toe hand to Maloney, pretty. Bail hand, nice. DLO stuck. That’s the one.
Blanco (UA): She has the stage to herself here, everyone else is done. Solid triple series, nice extension in her legs. Needle scale, so pretty. Good split to beat. RO 3/2 hop back. Really just that hop.
Fletcher (OU): Double tuck, stays juuuust in bounds. 5/2, nice in the air but scooted her foot around a few times.
After 3: OU 148.425, UK 148.400, tOSU 148.275, UA 148.100
Pretty much only OU could be in first in a meet this big time while counting a fall. Floor scores got a little…home floor scores there, but it was a solid rotation. One more to go folks. Let’s roll.
Rotation 4: OU vault, UK bars, tOSU beam, UA floor
Sievers (OU): Y1.5, step forward.
Davis (UK): Messy legs on release catch.
Pritchard (tOSU): Bhs loso, soft knees but solid. Switch, low back leg, to straddle 1/4, well-landed.
Waligora (UA): Front lay 2/1, scooted feet around on the landing. Slid a bit in the combo pass landing.
Stern (OU): Y1.5, hop forward.
Procasky (UK): Maloney, nice to Pak, clean there too. Blind full late double tuck stuck. Kentucky is fighting!
Hankins (tOSU): Nailed bhs loso amid 10 cheers. RO 2/1 hop back.
Machado (UA): Double pike, moved her front foot.
Levasseur (OU): Y1.5, stuck. Erupts in here. She gets it, 10.
Bunn (UK): DLO true stick.
Harris (tOSU): Switch to straddle 1/4 was really nice. RO 2/1, little hop.
Adams (UA): Double pike, good landing. Fell out of her wolf turn a little, might be a balance deduction there.
Bowers (OU): Y1.5, hop back.
Deguzman (UK): Blind to big Jaeger immediate bail, nice body position. TOES! DLO stuck. Wow, UK.
Jennings (tOSU): Clean in her jumps. Cartwheel gainer full stuck.
Gladieux (UA): Full-in, low chest and some leg sep in the air.Front lay rudi split was nice.
Davis (OU): Y1.5, leg sep on the table, stuck.
Luksik (UK): Huge release, some body position in the catch. Up on her toes a little on the dismount.
Vetter (tOSU): Clean bhs loso. Solid switch to straddle 1/4. RO 2/1, soft knees, scooted a foot.
Hudson (UA): Front lay 2/1, deep knees and scooted a foot. Switch half wolf full was nice. UK dancing along to Cotton Eye Joe. 5/2, nice. Moved a foot in her last lunge.
Trautman (OU): Y1.5, stuck. Crowd is not amused at a 9.95 from two judges.
Worley (UK): Clear hip hand to big Tkatchev, missing a little turnover. Pak slightly closed shoulders. Clean last handstand. FTDB stuckish, feet were a little offline of each other.
Hodges (tOSU): It all comes down to Hodges again! Clean leaps. Bhs loso, solid, no deductions that I could see. Gainer loso, totally secure. Zoe Swietzer is fanning herself holding the landing mat. RO 3/2 stuck. WOW talk about hitting under the most pressure! Judges flash a 10 and a 9.95, the two I can see.
Blanco (UA): Double pike, lunges forward. Double tuck, moved her front foot. Switch ring to switch side was pretty. FHS front lay front full, nice.
FINAL: OU 198.050, UK 197.950, tOSU 197.725, UA 197.650
Oklahoma and Kentucky survive and advance! What a close one. Ohio State was RIGHT THERE. What a season for the Buckeyes.
VT: Levasseur 10.0
UB: Bowers 9.975
BB: Torrez 9.975
FX: Bowers, Worley, Blanco, Sievers, Gladieux, Edwards, Torrez 9.950
AA: Bowers 39.700
READ THIS NEXT: Oklahoma Captures Fifth National Title in Come-From-Behind Win
Live blog by Emily Minehart
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