After a week full of action, we’ve finally made it to the regional final! After some shocking upsets in round two, we’ll be seeing Oklahoma, Alabama, Penn State and Ohio State today.
It would be shocking if Oklahoma didn’t advance to nationals, especially given how it’s performed towards the end of this season. So, I’ll be keeping my eye on that second spot. Since Michigan failed to qualify for today’s meet, Alabama will have a much easier path to nationals than we thought it would. But the Tide will still have to lock in and have a good meet, because Penn State and Ohio State performed great on Thursday and will be looking to pull the upset and advance to nationals.
Rotation 1: Ohio State VT, Alabama UB, Oklahoma BB, Penn State FX
McCann (OSU): Yurchenko full, pikes throughout but sticks it! The team is excited about that leadoff! 9.85
Davis (OU): Kicks out of a gorgeous full turn to start, she looks confident already. Gorgeous flic lay, solid landing. Nice front aerial down to the beam. Split jump ring jump was beautiful. Roundoff double twist and she sticks it! 9.95, and the crowd is already pumped!
Washington (OSU): Yurchenko full, straighter body than her teammate and a hop back. 9.75
Hudson (UA): Mounts on the low bar. Nice first handstand. Good Maloney to shootover, some slight foot separation on the Maloney. Nice first handstand, good blind full to a stuck double tuck. 9.825
Siegfeldt (OU): Really good flic lay, very pretty form. Cat leap to front aerial was solid as well. Beat jump to ring jump, solid and gorgeous. Finishes with a stuck back handspring gainer full! 9.925
Grimes (OSU): Yurchenko full, slightly piked at the end and some flexed feet but stuck it! 9.85
Adams (UA): Starts on the low bar. Great first handstand into her Maloney to Pak, perfect form there. Hits and holds that last handstand, really nice blind full and she nails the landing on the double tuck! 9.9
McElligott (PSU): First pass is a double pike, good height and nice control in her lunge. Switch ring to switch half to wolf full next, great lines on that pass. Back 1.5 to front layout was solid too. Finishes up with a double tuck and she bounces out of it but stays on her feet and in bounds. 9.725
Torrez (OU): Textbook wolf jump to start the routine, that jump really is the standard. Side aerial to back handspring, the tiniest wobble but she covers well. Switch leap to straddle jump was gorgeous, great flexibility in both. Finishes with a back handspring to a super high gainer full and she sticks it! 9.95
Piedrahita (PSU): Starts with a full in, looked like she was rotating slow but the landing was good. Switch half wolf full was very pretty. Last pass is a front tuck through to double tuck, another good landing! 9.85
LeVasseur (OU): Perfect full turn to start. Beautiful flic lay next, great form as always. Switch leap straddle quarter, great job hitting 180. Beat jump to front aerial, also gorgeous. Back handspring to gainer full to another stick! The crowd is so excited, as they should be! 9.975
Herring (PSU): Starts off with an Arabian, a bit unsure on the landing and takes a quick step out of it. Switch side to straddle jump was so good, way above 180. Last pass is a back 1.5 to front layout, much better finish there! 9.8
Blanco (UA): Starts on the low bar, great handstand. Maloney to Pak was gorgeous, no form issues whatsoever. Great Van Leeuwen. Nails her last handstand and sticks the full in! 9.925
Smith (OU): Flic lay, slight wobble at the end. Front aerial was nice, no wobble there. Split half to swing down was great, she goes above 180 too, it’s beautiful. Perfect full turn. Back handspring gainer full to another stick. 9.975
Salcedo (PSU): Great double front to start, she cowboys but her lunge was good. Switch full to sissone was pretty, great power and height. Roundoff layout stepout side pass. front layout front full front pike, good landing there. The pike was nice and high. 9.875
After 1: Oklahoma 49.800, Alabama 49.350, Ohio State 49.225, Penn State 49.175
No 10s on beam for Oklahoma this rotation, but don’t take that to mean that Oklahoma wasn’t absolutely perfect today! The Sooners had a lights out beam routine for a massive 49.800 to start the meet. Alabama got off to a slow start on bars but were able to rally and finish the rotation in second place. Ohio State and Penn State had solid rotations but will have a bit of ground to make up to catch the Crimson Tide.
Rotation 2: Penn State VT, Ohio State UB, Alabama BB, Oklahoma FX
Pritchard (OSU): Starts on the high bar with a good held handstand. Toe on to Geinger to bail was good, nice legs together. Good blind full to a stuck double tuck. 9.8
Hudson (UA): Front aerial to back handspring was nice and confident. Kicks out of her full turn. Switch leap switch leap, good job reaching 180. Switch half, a bit shy there. Roundoff 1.5 to a stick! 9.9
Johnston (PSU): Yurchenko full, good position at the beginning but pikes down but has a good landing. 9.825
Washington (OSU): Starts on the low bar. Nice Maloney to Pak, maybe some foot separation on the Pak but not much. Great last handstand, nice blind full and takes a hop back on the double tuck. 9.8
Johnson (OU): First pass is a front layout Rudi and she steps out, but the lunge was controlled. Next is a double tuck, another great landing but stays in bounds this time. Switch half wolf full was nice. 9.7
Vetter (OSU): Mounts on the high bar. Great first handstand to a super high Tkatchev. Nice shootover. Hits the last handstand and takes a small step back on the full in. 9.85
Smith (OU): Starts with a nice high double back, good landing. Next is a back 1.5 to front layout, another good pass. Switch side to wolf full, goes over 180 and is just so high in the air. Finishes with a double pike, good form and landing! 9.95
Fall from Alabama on beam.
Harris (OSU): Starts on the high bar. Nice first handstand. Super high Ray, great form. Shootover was good. Nice last handstand. Right on top of the blind full and sticks the double tuck! 9.9
Salcedo (PSU): Half on pike off, super close to the table but good form and a stick. 9.825
Gladieux (UA): Alright, can she stay on after the fall? Back handspring two foot layout, great landing, she’s very sharp. Front aerial, slight wobble. Switch leap to split jump was nice. Dismounts with a roundoff double twist and she sticks! Good routine under pressure! 9.825
Riccardi (OSU): Good first handstand. Nice Ray, a bit close but not bad. Good Pak, legs together throughout. A bit short on the last handstand. Stalder to double tuck and she takes a small step forward. 9.8
Torrez (OU): Really high double layout to start and she sticks it cold! Wow that was great. Tour jete half to wolf full was really good. Front tuck through to double tuck and another good landing, that was a great routine! 9.95
And just as Torrez finishes her floor routine, Shania Adams finishes a flawless beam routine! 9.925
Piedrahita (PSU): Half on pike off, great height and she sticks it! Penn State section is excited about that! 9.925
Bowers (OU): Starts with a picture perfect front handspring front double full front tuck and she holds the landing before lunging. Next is a sky high double pike with perfectly pointed feet. Switch leap to switch half wolf full was good. 9.975
Luisa Blanco is looking good on beam, I haven’t seen any wobbles in my glances over there, oh and I jinxed her, there’s a wobble on the switch half. But she sticks the roundoff 1.5! 9.85
After 2: Oklahoma 99.475, Alabama 98.700, Ohio State 98.400, Penn State 98.375
Another good rotation in the books! Despite Bell Johnson’s step out of bounds, the Sooners remain in first place with an impressive 99.475. Alabama had a fall from Ella Burgess, but the back half of the lineup was near perfect and made up for her misstep. Penn State finished its vault rotation with a beautiful stuck vault from Ava Piedrahita that scored a 9.925. Payton Harris lead the way for Ohio State on bars with a 9.9, and the sticks followed after her routine! Oklahoma is looking pretty impossible to catch, and Alabama is extending its lead, but Ohio State and Penn State are neck-and-neck.
Rotation 3: Oklahoma VT, Penn State UB, Ohio State BB, Alabama FX
Johanson (PSU): Starts on the high bar. Toe on to Tkatchev, could use some more height. Nice Pak down to low. Short on the last handstand and takes a hop in place on the double layout. 9.75
Pritchard (OSU): Hitch kick to side aerial, some flexed feet but a good landing. Flic lay, very sharp landing. Beat jump to straddle three quarter, a bit shy of 180. Roundoff 1.5 with a hop forward. 9.8
Wells (OU): Yurchenko 1.5, great form in the air and just a tiny hop forward. 9.9
Johnston (PSU): Starts on the low bar with a good held handstand. Maloney to shootover, some leg separation in the Maloney. A bit short on the last handstand but sticks the blind full to double tuck! 9.85
Machado (UA): First pass is a double tuck, jumps to her lunge but in a controlled way. Nice triple wolf turn. Next is a back 1.5 to front layout, another good landing there. Switch leap through to switch half, could point her feet a bit more. 9.925
Bowers (OU): Really nice Yurchenko 1.5, good form and a small step forward. 9.875
McElligott (PSU): Starts on the low bar. Maloney to Pak, foot separation throughout. Stalder to double tuck and she sticks it. 9.8
Harris (OSU): Switch leap to straddle quarter, very nice extensions. Front aerial to back tuck, she may have had a slight wobble in between. Sticks the roundoff double twist! 9.9
LeVasseur (OU): Yurchenko 1.5, great form in the air but takes a couple steps backwards. 9.725
Gallentine (PSU): Starts on the low bar with a nice handstand. Maloney to Pak was gorgeous, just some foot separation on the Pak. Nice last handstand. And she sticks the double layout! The team is pumped! 9.9
Blanco (UA): Nice double wolf turn to start the routine. Super high and pretty double pike to a nice controlled lunge. Nice double tuck next, she did lunge forward instead of back. Switch half to Popa was pretty. Last pass is a front handspring front full front layout, beautiful and a good landing! 9.95
Scheible (OU): Really nice front pike half, great pop off the table, form, and she sticks it! 9.925
Piedrahita (PSU): Starts on the low bar. Maloney to Pak, foot separation throughout. Nice last handstand. And she sticks the full in! 9.9
Hudson (UA): Starts with a front layout to front double twist and her landing was great! The crowd is clapping along to her routine! Switch half to wolf full was good. Next is a double tuck, great form and another good landing! 9.95
McCann (OSU): roundoff layout, and it’s beautiful and she lands great! Switch leap to split jump, small wobble in the middle. Beat jump by itself was good. Finishes with a roundoff 1.5 and she sticks it! 9.8
Gladieux (UA): First pass is a sky high full in and she sticks it before lunging! That was great. Switch full Popa was gorgeous, great height and flexibility. Finishes with a front layout to Rudi to a super high split jump and almost steps out but I don’t think she did.
After 3: Oklahoma 148.800, Alabama 148.350, Penn State 147.750, Ohio State 147.625
Oklahoma wasn’t quite as perfect on vault today, but it remains in the lead. Alabama had a great floor rotation and narrowed the gap between it and Oklahoma to half a point. Penn State was sticking its bar dismounts and jumped up to third place going into the final rotation. Ohio State will go to floor where it can show off some great tumbling!
Rotation 4: Alabama VT, Oklahoma UB, Penn State BB, Ohio State FX
Sears (UA): Nice Yurchenko full, she flared it out and stuck it! 9.85
Sievers (OU): Starts on the low bar with a nice handstand. Maloney to Pak was gorgeous, no form breaks at all. Hits the last handstand and sticks the full in! 9.9
Gonzalez (OSU): First pass is a nice double pike, she holds the landing a bit before lunging. Next pass is a front layout front full, another good landing and great form throughout. Switch side half to straddle jump, great job going above 180. Back 1.5 to front layout was nice. Solid leadoff! 9.875
Maul (PSU): Flic lay, slight wobble at the end but overarll good. Beat jump to front aerial was very sharp. Switch leap switch leap was good, reached 180. Roundoff 1.5 and hops forward. 9.825
Riccardi (OSU): Starts with a double pike, good form and landing. Tour jete half to Popa was nice, good flexibility. Roundoff 1.5 to front layout was good too. Finishes with a double tuck and jumps in place to the lunge. 9.875
Hudson (UA): Yurchenko 1.5, good form and a hop forward. 9.85
McElligott (PSU): Flic flic lay, slight check but covers it well. Switch leap straddle quarter was good. Wobbles on another skill but I didn’t see. Roundoff 1.5 with a hop forward. 9.825
Washington (OSU): Starts with a beautiful double pike, her front foot slid back a bit. Front layout to front full was good, she kept that back foot down. Switch full to wolf full was good too. Finishes with a double tuck with another good landing! 9.875
Smith (OU): Mounts to the high bar. Nice Ray to Pak combination, good form. Perfect pirouette. Good last handstand and she sticks the double layout! 9.9
Blanco (UA): Yurchenko 1.5, great form and distance and takes a small hop forward. 9.9
Vetter (OSU): Starts with a nice double tuck, good landing there. Tour jete half Popa Popa was good, she reached 180 easily. Last pass is a front layout to Rudi, overall good pass. 9.925
Davis (OU): Jumps over the low bar and holds her first handstand beautifully. Blind to a super high piked Jaeger. Gorgeous Pak, perfect pirouette. Perfect last handstand and she sticks the blind to double front half! 9.95
Johnston (PSU): Flic lay, some flexed feet but a good landing. Split jump to sheep jump, decent wobble but brings it back. Nice side aerial, no problems there. Dismounts with a roundoff 1.5 with a small hop forward. 9.825
Bowers (OU): Jumps over the low bar. Good first handstand. Blind to piked Jaeger was great. Her lines are just gorgeous. Beautiful Pak down to low. Holds her last handstand. And she takes the tiniest step back on the full in. 9.925
Hodges (OSU): First pass is a double pike and she holds the stick before lunging! Tour jete half Popa Popa was gorgeous, great height and straddle positions. She finishes with a front handspring Rudi back layout stepout and she lands it perfectly! What a great routine to finish the meet! The Ohio State crowd is yelling for a 10!
Final: Oklahoma 198.400, Alabama 197.575, Ohio State 197.200, Penn State 197.050
Oklahoma and Alabama easily qualified to nationals, which is exciting for Alabama given how last year went! Ohio State and Penn State weren’t quite able to move on, but they both did a great job hanging with the big dogs in this session. Congratulations to the Sooners and the Crimson Tide on their qualification to nationals, and congratulations to Ohio State and Penn State on a stellar season!
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