Round one of the Washington Regional features Illinois and UC Davis going head-to-head for a spot in Thursday’s semifinal, where Oklahoma, Auburn and Nebraska await. Illinois enters as the favorite, but UC Davis finished the regular season on a high note and could challenge with a strong showing.
Illinois has struggled with consistency this season, particularly on beam, but the Illini posted a season-high 49.325 on the event at the Big Ten championships. A repeat of that performance would be key today. Vault has also been a lower-scoring event, making it another area to watch. Freshman Chloe Cho has been a standout all-arounder and will be especially important on beam and floor.
UC Davis is making its second-ever regionals appearance and first since 2014. For the Aggies to advance, bars will be the critical event after some inconsistency this season. However, UC Davis put up a 49.000 at MPSF championships last week, and matching or exceeding that could be the difference-maker. The Aggies shine on vault and floor, led by Megan Ray, Keanna Abraham and Amelia Moneymaker, who scored a 39.500 in the all-around last weekend. Expect dynamic routines from this group as they try to punch a ticket to the semifinal.
Rotation 1: Illinois VT, UC Davis UB
AFTER ONE:
Rotation 2: UC Davis VT, Illinois UB
AFTER TWO:
Rotation 3: Illinois BB, UC Davis FX
AFTER THREE:
Rotation 4: UC Davis BB, Illinois FX
FINAL:
VT:
UB:
BB:
FX:
AA:
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Live blog by Rebecca Williams
