Elimination season has begun! In this regional semifinal, No. 5 UCLA, No. 12 Minnesota, No. 23 Southern Utah, and Boise State will battle for two spots in the final.
UCLA enters as the clear favorite. The Bruins have had an impressive season, climbing as high as No. 2 in the national rankings. They rank in the top 10 on every event, with floor being their strongest at No. 2, thanks to a powerhouse lineup featuring Chae Campbell, Brooklyn Moors, and Jordan Chiles. Their 198.450 at the conference championships shows they have plenty left in the tank.
After a slow start to the season, Minnesota has found its rhythm, posting 197-plus scores in its last three meets, including a season-high 197.425 at the conference championships. Watch for Mya Hooten to deliver big numbers, particularly on vault and floor.
While Southern Utah and Boise State aren’t expected to challenge for a finals spot, both teams have standout routines worth watching. Southern Utah’s Niya Randolph excels on bars and competes a unique split-leg double-layout dismount.
As for the individuals, Josie Bergstrom-Te Slaa (AA) will be rotating with Southern Utah, Maggie Slife (AA) is with Boise State, Noelle Adams (FX) is with UCLA, and Frederique Sgarbossa (UB), Madison Gustitus (BB), and Haylee Hardin (FX) are with Minnesota.
Rotation 1: Minnesota VT, Southern Utah UB, Boise State, BB, UCLA FX
Neff (UB): Maloney to bail, great handstands, double layout with a small hop forward. 9.825
Kho (BB): BHS pike, small wobble, hesitation on the full turn, stuck gainer full
Webster-Longin (FX): Front 2/1, mostly controlled lunge, 1.5 to floaty layout, Rudi to hop back.
Moraw (VT): Stuck FTY, some piking down
Lopez (BB): Off on the BHS LOSO, a little rattled after the fall with some wobbles on the jumps, gets the front toss, stuck gainer full
Hampton (UB) takes a small hop on the double layout for a hit routine
Crump (VT): Big Yurchenko 1.5, great amplitude and distance, large step on the landing
Hampton (UB): Piked Jaegar, catches close, step back on double layout
Floor scores are taking a loooong time
Malabuyo (FX): Double pike, scoot back, switch ring to switch half, stumbles out of her double wolf turn oops! 1.5 to layout to finish. 9.750
Loyim (BB): BHS LOSO LOSO, wobble, side aerial, wobble, switch to switch leap, gainer full with a wobble to hold the landing
Stewart (VT): Yurchenko 1.5, step over to the side.
Campbell (FX): Full-in, nice, front layout to full, controlled, double tuck, good finish. 9.925
Shchennikova (BB) finishes a hit routine with a gainer full off the side.
Hooten (VT): Yurchenko 1.5, step forward. Good height and distance.
Moors (FX): 2/1 to front tuck, great as always, strong Rudi to finish. Just as great as at Conference Champs so I wonder how high judges are gonna go today.
Leitch (BB): Leg up wobble on a transverse split jump, another waver on an acro skill but didn’t catch it, hop forward on dismount
Slife (BB Air Force): BHS LOSO, solid, front tuck, tiny hop, solid dance, floaty 1.5 to finish. Great
Chiles (FX): Double layout, easy, gets the dance series, she brought the dive roll back this week! Front through to double tuck, controlled lunge. 9.975
Adams (FX Iowa State): Front double full, big lunge, front layout to Rudi, nice, good control.
AFTER ONE: UCLA 49.500, Minnesota 49.150, Southern Utah 49.075, Boise State 48.700
As expected UCLA leads after starting on its strongest event. Minnesota finishing vault with a 49.150, a fine start with them and will be looking to build on its stronger events to come.
Rotation 2: UCLA VT, Minnesota UB, Southern Utah BB, Boise State FX
Lee (VT): FTY with a shuffle in place and a waver to hold the landing, good layout position in the air. 9.850
Jencks (UB): Tkatchev, a little off on the bail handstand, stuck DLO
Randolph (BB): hit routine, finishes with a stuck 1.5 dismount
Anastasi (VT): Goes for the 1.5, some bent knees coming down and a large step back. 9.725
Harrington (UB): Maloney to Pak, some leg separations, toe-on to full-in, chest a little down with a wobble to hold the landing
Christensen (BB): Aerial to BHS, small waver, small step on the 1.5 dismount.
Kemp (FX): Full-in, too much power and has a big slide back and OOB, front layout to Rudi. 9.6
Moors (VT): Stuck front pike-half, great chest position on the landing. Easily her best one this year. 9.925
Bringhurst (BB): BHS LOSO, holds it, beat to 3/4 split, nice, hit routine.
Crump (UB): Floaty Maloney to Pak, arm swing to hold the double layout stick. 9.850
Webster-Longin (VT): 1.5 with two small steps back. 9.850
Miller (BB): I missed the acro series but I think she hit it, switch half is short of 180, nice double-full dismount, small hop back.
Leitch (FX): Finishes up a hit floor routine with a small hop on the double tuck
Stewart (UB): Maloney to Pak, VL, some leg separations, toe-on pike half, love this new dismount for her.
Campbell (VT): Big, floaty Yurchenko full, small hop back.
McGovern (FX): Missed the beginning but finishes with a strong double tuck
Ferguson (BB): BHS to big break, touches the beam, tries again for her acro series, BHS to side somi(?), hit the rest of the routine. 9.450
Chiles (VT): And she goes back to the half-on, half-off. Small hop back. 9.950
Hooten (UB): Great Jaeger to bail, small arch on the last cast, stuck full-out dismount. 9.875
Pascal (FX): Double tuck to open, short of the ring position in the switch ring, solid 1.5 to layout to finish, would like to see more rise in the layout. 9.750
Cacciola (BB): Wobble on the BHS LOSO, stuck 1.5 dismount.
Lyden (UB): Maloney to bail handstand, nice, a little shy on the last cast, floaty stuck DLO dismount.
Bergstrom (BB – Iowa State): Cat leap to front toss, wobble, repeats the series to add the BHS after the toss, switch leap, tucked full with a small step to dismount.
Loyim (FX): Whip to double tuck, stumble forward, big double pike to finish.
Sgarbossa (UB): Misses the cast on the low bar so has to do it again, clean rest of the routine with a hop on the dismount.
Slife (FX): Big double pike to open, 1.5 to layout, nice, switch side to Popa, strong double tuck to finish.
AFTER TWO: UCLA 98.950, Minnesota 98.525, Southern Utah 98.175, Boise State 97.475
UCLA keeps its lead over Minnesota after a season-high vault rotation, and did it without Macy McGowan. Minnesota had a strong bars rotation, highlighted by two 9.9s from Stewart and Lyden. Southern Utah ties a season-high beam score and recovered well from mistakes earlier in the lineup. Boise State had some struggles on floor with an OOB and some landing problems.
Rotation 3: Boise State VT, UCLA UB, Minnesota BB, Southern Utah FX
Campbell (UB): I had to run to the bathroom and missed the first half but she took a large lunge on the double front. 9.800
Koch (BB): BHS LOSO, nice, front toss to scale, hit the rest of her routine. 9.850
Hampton (FX) finishes with a strong Rudi to LOSO. 9.8
Rosen (UB): Maloney to Pak, good, great handstands, double layout with a tiny hop forwards. 9.850
Stewart (BB): Front aerial to BHS swingdown, wolf full good, step back on the BHS gainer full dismount. 9.850
Ball (VT): Full-on-ish to bike-pike off, sizeable hop back, would like to see more amplitude. 9.800
Webster-Longin (UB): Maloney to Pak, some leg separations, a little off on the pirouette, shuffle on the full-out dismount. 9.850
Morraw (BB): BHS LOSO with a leg-up wobble, aerial, holds it, beat jump to 3/4 split, small hesitation in the connection, stuck dismount. 9.750
Christensen (FX): Floaty 1.5 to full, the death circus floor music is sending me, double tuck to lunge back.
Kemp (VT): Yurchenko layout-half, clean in the air, hop on landing.
Malabuyo (UB): Maloney to Pak, gets the handstand, toe-on to stuck-ish full-in dismount. Good one.
Rowray (BB): Small waver in the full turn, front full dismount to lean.
Randolph (FX): Big double layout top hop in place, front tuck to double tuck to a “what? Like it’s hard?” head nod.
Vulaj (VT): Full-on, pike-off, tidier in the pre-flight and gets more amplitude than her teammate, small hop back.
Esparza (UB): Maloney to Bharwaj, Janelle is standing in the way so I can’t totally see, stuck double layout but has to squat down to hold the landing. 9.900
Pearl (BB): Front aerial to beat jump, BHS to gainer full to finish. Hit routine.
Lopez (VT): Stuck FTY, would like to see more distance.
Cacciola finishes floor with a strong Rudi
Lyden (BB): BHS LOSO,
Chiles (UB): Pike Tkatcehv to Pak, misses the pirouette, improvises toe-on half-on which is way short of handstand, holds a stick on the double layout with a waver. 9.750
Slife (VT): Yurchenko 1.5, clean in the air, small hop on the landing. 9.850
Gull (FX): Full-in to open, controlled, a little short on some leap positions, 1.5 to front pike with some form. 9.825
Gustidis (BB – SJSU): BHS LOSO, good, short of 180 on the switch half to split, nearly stuck gainer pike off. 9.800
Bergstrom-TeSlaa: short on the layout to Rudi and has to put her hands down, 1.5 to front tuck, doesn’t get the punch out of it to do a layout, looks rattled and is short of her leap positions.
AFTER THREE: UCLA 148.250, Minnesota 147.850, Southern Utah 147.375, Boise State 146.550
UCLA has maintained a comfortable distance over Minnesota throughout this meet. A fine bar rotation was enough to keep that distance over Minnesota, who had a small struggle on beam, but recovered later in the lineup. Boise State with its second-highest vault rotation of the season thanks to two 9.875s from Lopez and Vulaj to recover after floor. Southern Utah is still about 0.5 behind Minnesota, but with the Gophers heading to floor, one of their good ones, I think its going to be difficult to catch-up with an already substantial margin.
Rotation 4: Southern Utah VT, Boise State UB, UCLA BB, Minnesota FX
Lee (BB): I didn’t type through this one but it was a good one. 9.900
Boise State starting off with a 9.250
Jencks (FX): Opening with a front double-full, 1.5 to layout, could use more rise, Rudi to straddle to finish. 9.850
Kelly (VT): Full-on to pike-off, some form in the pre-flight, hop back on the landing.
Rosen (BB): Switch leap to split, clean Onodi, BHS LOSO, underrotated on the 1.5 and takes a large step back. 9.825
Buell with a fall on bars, Boise States’ second big mistake. 9.025
Swartzmiller (FX): Rudi to stag, nice,
Hampton (VT): FTY, small slide back on landing.
Chiles (BB): Floaty BHS LOSO, clean switch side, side aerial, nice, stuck double-full dismount. Probably her best routine this season. 9.950
Ball (UB): Needs a hit, Maloney to Pak, hit dismount. Got things back on track for Boise State.
Pearl (FX): 1.5 to layout, some crossed feet in the 1.5,
Randolph (VT): Nice body position in the FTY, tiny hop back.
Campbell (BB): BHS lay-pike, solid, I missed her dance series, stuck gainer-full off. 9.850
Shchennikova (UB): Good Jaeger, shy on pirouette, blind full to double tuck with a hop forward. 9.825
Gonsiorowski (FX): Full-in with a scoot back, 1.5 to pike, double tuck to finish.
Alipio (BB): BHS BHS LOSO, strong, aerial, good rythem in her dance series, scoot back on the gainer full. That should do it for UCLA. 9.900
Emily Lopez (UB) hits a great routine for Boise State, goes 9.900
Thomas (VT): Pikes down the FTY and bounces in place
Koch (FX): Front double-full, nice, switch full to wolf full, good, 1.5 to layout. 9.850
Malabuyo (BB): Wolf full, BHS LOSO, front aerial a little waver, split jump to ring jump to beat, wobbles out of her scale, stuck gainer full dismount. 9.9 – with one judge going as high a 9.95
Leitch (UB): I think she did a Hindorff? to bail, stuck dismount. Great.
Hooten (FX): Controlled full-in, switch side to wolf-full, front-full to stuck pike, strong double tuck to finish. 9.925
Slife (UB): Missed the first part of this routine but it’s a hit for her.
Hardin (FX): Big double layout with a medium hop back, floaty 1.5 to layout to finish.
FINAL: UCLA 197.725, Minnesota 197.200, Southern Utah 196.475, Boise State 195.175
As expected, UCLA and Minnesota will advance to round two of regionals. A 197.750 is a great number for the Bruins, especially considering they didn’t have Macy McGowan today, so it’ll be interesting to see if she’s back in lineups on Saturday. Minnesota copped its third highest score of the season here, thanks to strong performances on beam and floor. It was always going to be an uphill battle for Southern Utah and Boise State to make it past UCLA and Minnesota. Southern Utah had a good performance overall and even matched its season-high beam score. Boise State was doing good in the first three rotations, but really started to come apart on bars, but was able to recover thanks to standout routines from Lopez and Leitch.
EVENT STANDINGS AFTER ONE SEMIFINAL:
VT: Chiles (UCLA) 9.950
UB: Stewart (Minnesota), Lyden (Minnesota), Malabuyo (UCLA), Esparza (UCLA), Lopez (Boise State), Slife (Air Force): 9.9
BB: Chiles (UCLA) 9.950
FX: Chiles (UCLA) 9.975
AA: Chiles (UCLA) 39.600
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Live blog by Daniel Rothwell
