If Kentucky was hot off a third place win from the SEC champs, then LSU is bringing the Mardi Gras feeling to the floor today as the champions. I want to say that LSU is [redacted] and for sure going to [redacted], but this is gymnastics and I’m no fool. The commentator’s curse can befall live blogs, too. But the number two ranked program in the country will most likely laissez le bon temps rouler today. The curse doesn’t speak French.
Trying to catch up to the LSU float is Minnesota, Oregon State, and the winning play-in team to be named later. Rather than fighting an uphill parade, the remaining teams in the session are best to set their sights on locking in that second top score. It’ll most likely come down to Minnesota and Oregon chomping and chewing for that spot until the very end of the meet. That means [redacted] really needs to avoid [redacted].
LSU might have the champion factor and a golden roster, but Oregon State has the Jade Carey casually throwing elite skills with finesse and ease factor. Not to be counted out, the second-place Big Ten Gophers can certainly look to Mya Hooten, and perhaps quite significantly, a steadfast beam squad, including Brooklyn Rowray, Ella Sirjord, and Big Ten beam champ Sarah Moraw, to close out the day and possibly clinch the Gophers a spot.
You’ll have several individuals here in this session, but keep a close eye on Luciana Alvarado-Reid in the all around.
After a wild & tied day on Wednesday, BYU will be here today.
You can find this meet on ESPN+ and live scores over on Virtius.
Rotation 1: LSU VT, BYU UB, Oregon BB, Minnesota FX
Intros rolling out now.
Anthem has concluded, we’re on to the touch!
KJ Johnson (LSU): Y full, small stutter hop in place. Great height.
Finnegan (LSU): Y 1.5, big, step forward at the end, good form.
Drayton (LSU): Y 1.5, a step forward and to the side.
Schoenherr (LSU): Y 1.5, hop to the side.
Brock (LSU): Y 1.5, hop forward. Her block looked a little off? So not as much height as she might have wanted.
Bryant (LSU): FHS front pike half, tiny bounce. Signature height and vibe.
Mason (BYU): TOe on shaposh to bail. Double lay, stuck.
Jorgensen (BYU): Tkatchev, good height. Almost tipped over on that bail to hs. Small hop on the double lay.
Eaquinto (BYU): Toe on shaposh to pak, good form throughout. Good hs. Dobuel lay, small hop forward.
Hunter (BYU): Biiig tkatchev. Bail to hs. Sticks her double lay!
An. Alvarado (BYU): Toe on shaposh to pak, good. FTBL, doesn’t quite get the rotation and takes a biiiig lunge forward.
Bramblett (BYU): Good hs. Toe on tkatchev to shootover. Double lay, wanted that stick, but took a small step forward. Fought for it!
Alvarado-Reid (CMU): Great hs. Toe on shpaosh. Pak, good half turn. Full to double tuck, small step. Her form is great.
Young (OSU): Front aerial wiggle to back tuck. Keeping things steady amid a BYU stick on bars. Sticks her dismount in return!
Thompson (OSU): Candlestick mount. BHS loso. Straddle quarter could be a touch more extended. Comes off on her side somi. Sticks her RO 1.5.
Buckner (OSU): The music is bumping, I do not envy her. BHS LOSO, wobbles, ooooh comes off. OSU counting a fall in the first rotation. Lovely position in that ring stag.
McMillan (OSU): Connects-ish her swing down acro series. Switch leap. Split to ring, good. Sticks the gainer full off side.
Esposito (OSU): Switch to switch split to loso, love it. BHS LOSO. RO double full, stuck!
Carey (OSU): Front aerial to BHS loso, slow between the aerial and bhs but not a big deal here. Switch to split jump. Stuck gainer full off side!
Loyim (Boise): BHS loso loso, good. Smell shoulder check on the full turn. Side aerial. Sticks the gainer full off side.
Johnson (Minn): Sky high opening pass. Her switch side to popa is the stuff dreams are made of. Double tuck, chest just a touch down but lunges nicely.
Gonsiorowski (Minn): FTDB, chest down but lifts it up quickly. Switch side to popa. Takes her second pass right to the corner but no issue keeping it in. Double tuck.
Koch (Minn): FHS front double full, good. Excellent height on the leaps. RO 1.5 to front lay has good rise. Great routine!
Pearl (Minn): RO 1.5 to front lay, bouncy. The drama of this floor music is fantastic. Double pike, lunge forward.
Gerdes (Minn): Front through to double tuck, chest down. Switch ring leap series, lovely. Double pike.
Hooten (Minn): Full in and does not look like she moved her feet an inch. Beautiful leap series. FHS front full front pike. The lunge was just for show. Double tuck. Great routine!!
Hornbacher (CMU): Front lay to rudi, chest a bit down on the landing. Switch side to split full is fabulous. Double tuck, lunge forward.
After 1: Minnesota 49.500, LSU 49.375, BYU 49.050, Oregon 48.625
Oregon was forced to count a fall pretty early. LSU looked good on vault but Minnesota sure brought it on floor. BYU had a pretty clean bar rotation. Top two teams go on, and we’ve had a lot of heartbreak and upsets today across the regionals so who knows how all of this will look at the finish. It is toooo early to tell.
Rotation 2: Minnesota VT, LSU UB, BYU BB, Oregon FX
Jencks (Minn): Y full, big hop back.
Nguyen (Minn): Y full, just a controlled step there.
Pearl (Minn): Y full, a hop and lunge, but clean in the air.
Moraw (Minn): Y full, step back.
Gerdes (Minn): Y 1.5, just a step forward. She spotted the vault long as she could to get that stick.
Hooten (Minn): Sticks the Y 1.5. She’s having a great day.
Cesarone (CMU): Y full with a little flair out and a small hop.
Jeffrey (LSU): TOe on shaposh to bail to hs. FTDB, wiggly knees but stuck.
Cowan (LSU): Toe on takatchev to bail, good. Sticks her double lay!
K. Johnson (LSU): Snaps into her handstands so beautifully. Sticks her double lay. Forget the stick crown, give her a whole throne for how dramy that routine is.
McClain (LSU): Toe on piked tcatchev, good. PAk, some leg sep. Half turn. Shy on that last hs. FTDB, stick!
Schoenherr (LSU): Straddle jaeger, great. Bail to hs. Snaps together that last hs. Blind, double front half out. Sticks!
Bryant (LSU): Blind to straddle jaeger, catches that with her finger tips. Bail to hs. Blind to double front half, just a step.
Mason (BYU): BHS LOSO. Side aerial. Caught the end of her leap series, split jump was immaculate. RO lay double full, hop forward.
Raesly-Patton (BYU): Front aerial to split jump. BHS LOSO. RO 1.5 lay, hop forward.
Margraf (BYU): Front aerial to back tuck, good connection. Sticks her front lay full dismount.
Millar-Crossman (BYU): BHS loso, small dip of the shoulder but corrects it fine. Check on the full turn. Foot adjustment after the leap series. Sticks the front lay full.
Rollins (BYU): Switch to straddle quarter, great. Front aerial a little wobble to bhs loso, drops the shoulder but fixes it well. BHS gainer full off side, stuck.
Andersen (BYU): Little wobbly on the full turn. Cat to side aerial. BHS gainer full off side, sticks.
Alvarado-Reid (CMU): Oh no, comes off on the loso. A check on the front aerial. Sticks the spiked gainer off the end.
Garcia (OSU): RO 1.5 to front lay. Good. Double tuck, lunge forward.
Miller (OSU): RO 1.5 to front lay, lots of power there. Double tuck, some foot shuffling. Great routine.
Young (OSU): Lovely double pike to open (celebrate good times!) Love the over extension on those leaps. FHS front lay front full. Wonderful.
Thompson (OSU): RO 1.5 to front lay, good. Double pike, chest down but keeps her back foot down. Solid routine.
Esposito (OSU): Gorgeous rudi in that first pass, great chest position. Great height and extension in those leaps. Double pike.
Carey (OSU): Chusovitna, small hop lunge. Obsessed with this music. Overtension on her leaps, as usual. Front through to double tuck, jumps into the lunge. Great routine from her, not her outright best, just because of the the hop lunge in that first pass. OH. It went 10.
Loyim (Boise): Having a music issue it seems. Whip to double tuck, great! Love her floor routine. Switch side to popa to straddle jump has great height. OH noooo over rotates the double pike and goes out of bounds and onto her back. Ah, that was such a good routine too.
After 2: LSU 98.750, Minnesota 98.725, BYU 98.250, Oregon 98.075
Okay, Oregon making up a little bit of ground but tbd if that’ll be enough to push them past BYU and Minnesota into second. LSU holding onto that lead over Minnesota by the thinnets of margins, while Minnesota has nearly a half point over BYU. Definitely a comfortable lead for the Gophers but not enough to go willy nilly with steps and missed handstands on bars next.
Rotation 3: Oregon VT, Minnesota UB, LSU BB, BYU FX
Briones (OSU): Y full, high hop.
Garcia (OSU): Y full, hops it back.
Thompson (OSU): Y 1.5, stuck!
Buckner (OSU): Y full, hop. She’s so light on the table! Her block is great.
Esposito (OSU): Somehow missed a vault in here! (Y full, smaller hop than the others.)
Carey (OSU): Y full, big flair, big hop.
Jencks (Minn): Tkatchev, good height. Bail to hs. Sticks the double lay.
Johnson (Minn): Toe on shaposh to bail to hs. Sticks the toe front half!
Sirjord (Minn): Shy on that first hs. Blind to staddle jaeger to shootover. Shy on that last hs. Sticks the full to double tuck.
Lyden (Minn): Toe on shaposh to bail to hs, great. Doesn’t rotate the double lay as much as she needed and took a big step forward.
Gerdes (Minn): Bail to hs, good. shy on that last hs. FTDB, stuck! Pulled a little close to the bar but fine.
Hooten (Minn): Sky high FTDB, just a step. Copy paste of her routines this season.
Blackson (Boise): Bail to hs, good. Blind to big Khorkina, so good. STicks the double lay. Holds it. College salute. Lots of tears and smiles.
Ballard (LSU): BHS loso, quick step to fix. Excellent extension on the leap series. Wobble on the kickover. Hair flick choreo. RO 1.5, stuck!
Schoenherr (LSU): Front aerial, check. BHS loso, good. Flutter to split 3/4, good. RO lay double full, small hop in place.
McClain (LSU): Switch to half, good. Front aerial to bhs, great. Her wolf jump is gorgeous. It’s airy. Side aerial. Sticks the gainer full off the side!
K. Johnson (LSU): Small foot adjustment on the bhs loso series. Smallest of small. Switch leap switch leap, good. Chest a little down out of the corner of my ey but recovered. RO lay double full, stuck.
Bryant (LSU): Front aerial to bhs, kept it moving even though she was a little off on that front aerial. That’s a pro. Switch to straddle quarter, good. No problem on that standing front. Just a step on the dismount.
Finnegan (LSU): Wobbled on the triple series but regained control quick. Switch leap to split jump. Front aerial. Gainer full off side.
Lopez (Boise): Great routine from her! She walked off the mat smiling and cheering.
Millar-Crossman (BYU): Double tuck nice and high. Good amplitude on the leap series. Front lay to front full. Strong routine.
Matern (BYU): Front double full, just about runs out of it but keeps it in bounds. RO 1.5 to front lay. Switch ring to wolf hop full. Rudi, chest pretty up on that.
Dudley (BYU): Opens with a double pike instead of the lay today. Front full to front lay, good. Ends with a double tuck, big rebound.
Schooley (BYU): RO 1.5 to front lay, almost looked like a w weird rebound at first but no issue. Switch ring to switch side.
Benson (BYU): Double tuck, good chest position. Her choreo keeping the crowd engaged. Double pike, chest a little double but good in the air.
Eaquinto (BYU): FHS rudi, good! Leap series could have a little more precision. RO 1.5 front lay, takes it right to the corner but keeps it in.
Alvarado-Reid (CMU): FHS rudi to controlled stag jump rebound. Great extension on her leap. RO 1.5 to front lay. Switch half to wolf full. Love her choreo.
After 3: LSU 148.075, Minnesota 147.750, BYU 147.450, Oregon State 147.150
LSU growing that lead to a comfortable amount as it heads to floor and the lineup should be lights out, as usual. Minnesota needs to punch that ticket on beam but BYU needs to contend with the vault. Not the strongest of the Cougars events, so every step on the landing matters big. I don’t need to explain the challenges Minnesota faces on beam: it’s beam.
Rotation 4: BYU VT, Oregon UB, Minnesota BB, LSU FX
Mason (BYU): Y full, under rotates, hops forward.
Dudley (BYU): Full on, tuck off. Hops on the landing.
Jorgensen (BYU): Y full, small toe bounce but otherwise I’d say stuck.
Benson (BYU): Full omn, pike off, chest down, deep-ishlanding, hops back.
Eaquinto (BYU): Y full, tiny hop, good.
Rollins (BYU): Flairs the Y full, small hop. Cleanest of the bunch.
Alvarado-Reid (CMU): Y full, good landing! Great in the air.
Esposito (OSU): Shy on that first hs, solid tkatchev to shootover. Shy on that last hs, full to double tuck, hop.
Briones (OSU): Toe on shaposh to pak, minor leg sep on the pak. Good half turn. Great last hs. Double lay, tiny hop.
DeVries (OSU): Toe on shaposh to pak, leg sep on that pak. Shy last hs. Double lay, hop-steps it back.
McMillan (OSU): Toe on shaposh, good. SHy on that last hs. Sticks the double lay.
Thompson (OSU): Toe on shaposh to pak. Hits the last hs. Double lay, sticks.
Carey (OSU): Toe on shaposh to Bhardway (obsessed) toe on shaposh half, good. Small step on the FTDB. Good!
Lopez (Boise): Blind to piked jaeger, great. Bail to hs, oh no, falls over. Step forward on the double lay.
Koch (Minn): Bhs loso, good. Front kickover to scale, good. Sticks her dismount! Great start for the rotation.
Pearl (Minn): BHS loso, good.Wobbles on the full turn. Good switch leap, tiny check on the jump. Wobble on the front aerial. Bhs to gainer full off side, stuck.
Moraw (Minn): Poised and calm. BHS loso, checks but fixes quick. Tenths, tenths, tenths. Good side aerial. STraddle to straddle quarter is great. Sticks the bhs gainer full off side.
Gerdes (Minn): Front aerial. Bhs loso, no issue. Split to stag ring, good. BHS gainer full off side, one step.
Horak (Minn): BHS LOSO, good. Pike jump to straddle half. SHe gets my vote for everything ever. That was lovely. I’m obsessed. BHS gainer full off side, stuck!
Sirjord (Minn): Love her full turn approach on one foot. BHS loso, no issue. Swithc leap to stag ring, holds to keep things in check and is great. BHS gainer full off side, stuck!
Popp (Boise): All of Boise fans on their feet in the stands. Hits the bhs pike. Cat to switch half, good. Sticks the gainer full off side.
McClain (LSU): Truly love seeing her flourish. Double lay, small hop. Great amplitude on those leaps. Front lay to front full, great!
Drayton (LSU): Double lay has some height! Double tuck, pulls it around quick and lunges but no issue. Switch ring with an excellent head release.
KJ Johnson (LSU): An open FTDB, love it, love it, love it. No notes. Clean twisting to the front lay in her second pass. Switch side popa, lovely. Ends with a high double tuck. Great!
Finnegan (LSU): Flawless arabian into a stag rebound. Leaps in the rafters. 2.5 to front tuck, absolutely gorgeous. She goes 10!
Bryant (LSU): FHS double front and that looked quite stuck to me, not even a lunge. Hits the leaps. Front lay to rudi, good!
Dunne (LSU): Front through to double tuck, good. Switch to switch ring half, could be a little ringier. Full turn with leg up. Lands the double pike and doesn’t move her feet.
FINAL: LSU 197.800, Minnesota 196.950, BYU 196.500, Oregon 196.450
LSU and Minnesota will be joining Kentucky and Arkansas in the final on Saturday! From there, the top two qualify for Nationals.
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Live blog by Allison Freeman
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