This meet is a major gut check. UCLA gets to try to follow up the best score of Week 1 by testing itself against the last two national champions. LSU and Oklahoma get to start their seasons against strong teams that had the opportunity to get some of the jitters out last week. And Utah, comfortable as ever in the Maverik Center, will have to clean up a bit if it wants to defend its virtual home turf against the strongest competition imaginable.
Lineups will be intriguing here. LSU has some transfers to incorporate, while Oklahoma star Faith Torrez is working back from a preseason injury, which is likely mild but might keep her out of the all-around today. Plus, we’ve got no less than thirteen former five-star recruits across these four teams’ freshman classes alone.
The meet will be live on ABC, and scores can be found on Virtius.
Rotation 1: Oklahoma VT, UCLA UB, Utah BB, LSU FX
Pederson (OU): One and a half, tiny bit of knees into the ground and a medium hop forward, good start. 9.825
Blessey (OU): Front pike half, airy with a large hop back. That’s her NCAA debut! 9.8
Fatta (OU): One and a half, little scoot forward but best landing yet. 9.875
Estep (OU): One and a half, high and clean, baby shuffle forward. 9.9
Torrez (OU): One and a half, her usual excellence, baby scoot forward. 9.925
Wells (OU): LOVE the idea of her in the anchor. Slightly short and lock legged, very quick step back to avoid falling there. On replay her block was maybe a bit off. 9.825
Rosen (UCLA): Maloney Pak, little bit of feet, maybe borderline on her last cast handstand. Double lay, I see the feet again, small hop. 9.875
Sumanasekera (UCLA): Unconvincing first handstand, Chow to Pak is strong, another not excellent cast handstand, FTDB with a tiny bit of leg separation in the second salto but more or less stuck. 9.9?
Webster-Longin (UCLA): Maloney, leg sep, to Pak. Toe to full out, clean in the air but a bit short and a big hop back. 9.825
Matthews (UCLA): Another shap routine, nice and tidy, a tiny bit deep on her DLO dismount I think just trying to absorb the landing. 9.875
Sullivan (UCLA): Tkachev strong, leg sep on her Pak, aggressive handstands. DLO with a hop back. 9.875
Chiles (UCLA): Pike Tkachev, some feet, to Pak. Shy on the last cast handstand, DLO with an arm swing and a hop.
Gantner (UU): BHS LOSO, pretty and steady. Precise on the choreography. One and a half dismount stuck. 9.875
Zirbes (UU): BHS LOSO, out of line and falls immediately. Split to stag is pretty. Good full turn. I really like the Utes’ work with their arms so far on this event. Gainer tuck full dismount, stuck. 9.025
Stroud (UU): BHS LOSO, pretty. Off on a Korbut, weirdly. One and a half dismount, minimizes a scoot. 9.2
Ryssman (UU): Time to learn, freshie. Gorgeous toe point. BHS LOSO astoundingly beautiful but another fall. Step back on the double full dismount. This sucks. 9.125
Neff (UU): Side aerial BHS, slightly off line and locks it down with just a minor lean. Aerial round off to Shushunova handled after issues last week. Full turn, gainer full step back but major gut check and survived.
Padurariu (UU): Front aerial BHS is a bit crooked and she works through but there’s maybe the tiniest foot shift in there. Gets a stick on the dismount.
Innes (LSU): Front double full, a lot of gas and uses her arms to pull it into the ground like she’s on beam. Nice steady combo pass. Tour jete half Popa, slightly imprecise on the directions. Maybe a touch of form on her Rudi to double stag. 9.875
Ballou (LSU): Double lay, not a lot of lift – kind of sets straight back, but great form and well controlled. Fun leaps with a pike full jump, great Rudi. Owning the landings. 9.825
Ulrich (LSU): Double lay, another unconvincing set. I don’t know what the rotation was meant to be on her straddle leap series. One and a half front lay, rises throughout.
Drayton (LSU): DLO, the first with good dynamics, well controlled. Switch ring, I don’t love her ring position but let’s be honest this is NCAA, to switch half. Double tuck stalls out in the air and is super underrotated, falls onto her hands.
Chio (LSU): Her open half in half out is so phenomenal. Front double full front tuck, tons of air, almost overrotated if anything. 9.9
Lincoln (LSU): Double lay, overrotated with a scoot back. Can’t complain about the dynamics, though. Switch tour jete full is airy and aggressive. Front lay front full landed absolutely dead on.
AFTER ONE: UCLA 49.425, Oklahoma 49.350, LSU 49.225, Utah 47.000
Oklahoma could have done a bit more but the fundamentals are all there. Utah, suffice to say, could have done a lot more. Which sucks, because that lineup is so absolutely lovely to watch and I hope this experience doesn’t lead the coaches to choose a safer lineup.
Rotation 2: LSU VT, Oklahoma UB, UCLA BB, Utah FX
Zeiss (LSU): Soft on the table, soft in the air, borderline short… and yeah has to step back. 9.85
Ulrich (LSU): Front pike half, a bit of leg separation on the table, slightly shuffly landing. Not the most distance either. 9.9
Roberts (LSU): Pike half, another NCAA debut here, medium hop. 9.85, I’m not convinced that was worse than Ulrich?
Blackson (LSU): One and a half, block looked a little off to me but nearly stuck. Knows how to make it work. 9.825
Drayton (LSU): Incredibly flat on the block, mat slides under her and she sits her one and a half. 9.25
Chio (LSU): One and a half, high and clean, hop forward.
Scheible (OU): Injury comeback! Blind to Jaeger, right on top of the bail, great handstands, FTDB absolutely drilled. Held onto that for a while. 9.9, welcome back.
Pederson (OU): Ray, slightly soft elbows on the catch, toe to Pak, really beautiful patience. DLO, ultimately had to hop after hanging onto it for a second. 9.825
Estep (OU): Tkachev is great, blind full double back absolutely drilled. She’s such a pro. 9.9
Murphy (OU): Maloney to Pak. odd catch on the Maloney – maybe some nerves, she’s much better than that, but it’s just a tiny bit of elbows and won’t be an issue. Blind full double back drilled. Toe point just ethereal. 9.925
Torrez (OU): Tkachev, almost over on a high bar handstand and locks in and stays on top of it, a bit of leg sep on the Pak but nice and high. DLO with a little scoot.
Fatta (OU): Church is too close, handstands a bit lukewarm, iffy half pirouette. Double lay, drilled. I’m slightly unconvinced by the idea of her anchoring. It’s almost Bridgeying.
Rosen (UCLA): Not convincing on her splits at all, form on the Onodi, BHS LOSO also with slightly lukewarm form. One and a half dismount, stuck ish. 9.825
Matthews (UCLA): Fall on acro series. Double full dismount with a hop. 9.2
Sumanasekera (UCLA): BHS LOSO, check. Front aerial to beat. One and a half dismount, slightly staggery hop to the side. 9.725
Webster-Longin (UCLA): The press handstand work is always so fun. BHS BHS LOSO, adjusts but makes it work. One and a half high with a step. 9.775
Chiles (UCLA): BHS LOSO, touch of form, check. Nice switch side. Side aerial is steady. I’m pretty sure we’re ignoring a floor routine to full screen this pretty unmemorable beam routine. Double full dismount, hop back. 9.85
Alipio (UCLA): BHS BHS LOSO great. First UCLA acro series that has actually been excellent. Gainer tuck full deep and stuck. I always forgot how fast this routine ends.
Winger (UU): One and a half front full is lovely well controlled. Switch tour jete full is to me slightly underrotated. Two and a half, nice in the air, OOB. 9.75
Neff (UU): Front double full Barani double stag, fine after struggling last week. I like this routine for her, jazzy and lighthearted. One and a half front full, a bit low on the second salto – not the best punch. 9.875
Zirbes (UU): Front double full, lovely control. Switch half Popa is great. One and a half front full, I’m enjoying all the twisting combos in this lineup. 9.875
Stroud (UU): Lovely front double full, nice rotation on I think a switch full. Sits her two and half last pass. Counting the OOB now. 9.15
Stickler (UU): The broadcast determined she was unimportant, which is weird because we’ve gotten every other routine so far.
Smith (UU): Front double full punch front, great. Cat leap series to switch ring, spicy. Strong ending.
AFTER TWO: Oklahoma 98.825, LSU 98.600, UCLA 98.550, Utah 96.925
Welcome to 2026, Oklahoma. Only team that had a great rotation there, and it was really great though there’s also still room to grow.
Rotation 3: Utah VT, LSU UB, Oklahoma BB, UCLA FX
Raposo (UU): Nice air on her one and a half, big hop forward. 9.8
Zirbes (UU): One and a half, knees into the ground but stuck! 9.925
Glynn (UU): Absolutely drilled a one and a half. So clean. Only thing I can see taking there is amplitude. 9.975
Smith (UU): Omeli, short with a step back. 9.825
Johnson (UU): Didn’t see this one.
Neff (UU): High and clean on the block and there’s no question on that landing of her one and a half. 10!!
Zeiss (LSU): Maloney to Pak, pretty clean for her, single dismount step. 9.875
Cowan (LSU): Ray to bail, tough combo, DLO clean with a hop back. 9.9
Ulrich (LSU): Toe to Maloney to Pak, some leg separations throughout. DLO pretty with a hop. 9.9
Chio (LSU): Maloney, blind to Markelov immaculate. FTDB with a big hop back.
Blackson (LSU): Bail, another monster Markelov, stuck dismount. Phenomenal. 9.95 deserved.
McClain (LSU): Church to Pak is pretty, her half pirouette is a breath of fresh air when so many are so poor. FTDB deep with a hop forward.
Wells (OU): Nice on the switch side aerial, check on her BHS LOSO. Hop back on her one and a half dismount.
Pederson (OU): Full turn, BHS LOSO really steady. She gets her arms up really early. Side somi strong, double full with a hop.
Murphy (OU): BHS LOSO, super clean. Misses the second foot on her front aerial but keeps it to a very minor adjustment. Full turn, beat to ring – shades of Audrey Davis. Drilled the BHS gainer full. 9.925
Fatta (OU): BHS LOSO strong. Check on the side aerial, leaps are solid, BHS gainer full with a bit of a squat but stuck.
Scheible (OU): Owned the BHS LOSO, drilled a gainer full, didn’t see a lot there. Nobody has ever been more absolutely furious to miss a year injured than Hannah Scheible and we’re seeing just how much it means to her right now. 9.95!!
Torrez (OU): Side aerial BHS. Oversplit on her switch there, BHS gainer full drilled. That could go high with the setup from Scheible.
Rosen (UCLA): Strong double back. Switch ring switch half wolf full with strong rotation, one and a half front lay with a bit of form but assertive landing. 9.8
Alipio (UCLA): Secure landing on a first pass that I didn’t write down because it was during a beam dismount. One and a half front lay, right on top of it. Great. 9.75, probably something I didn’t see there.
Webster-Longin (UCLA): Front double full, wild landing with a cross step – was also underrotated, lucky it wasn’t worse. Pretty combo pass. Switch half wolf full, I wasn’t sold on that split which is weird for her. Great Rudi.
Sumanasekera (UCLA): Double lay, chest position maybe a bit low? Switch half wolf full. Tidy one and a half front lay.
Sullivan (UCLA): Strong DLO. Huge scores coming in on all three other events so crowd is losing it in the background.
Chiles (UCLA): Double lay, not her highest, slightly awkward into the lunge. Tour jete half wolf full, flexed feet.
AFTER THREE: Oklahoma 148.325, LSU 148.150, UCLA 147.700, Utah 146.525
What a rotation! Great to see Utah get some momentum and I’m thrilled with a 10 for Avery Neff. Oklahoma continues to be the team we know it is and LSU bars was so impressive.
Rotation 4: UCLA VT, Utah UB, LSU BB, Oklahoma FX
Sumanasekera (UCLA): Nice airy FTY with a hop.
Anyimi (UCLA): Another nice high FTY, slightly more air but a slightly bigger hop versus Sumanasekera. 9.775
Rosen (UCLA): Some form into the ground on her one and a half, slightly short with a hop-shuffle back.
Jenkins (UCLA): We have stopped seeing vaults.
Sullivan (UCLA):
Chiles (UCLA): DTY, bit of form and a hop back. 9.9
Smith (Utah): Pak, van Leeuwen. Bits of leg separation. Pike half dismount flung way out but stuck.
Ryssman (Utah): Gorgeous pike Jaeger, almost goes over on a handstand. This is great technical bars. DLO, stuck. Might have seen a touch of knees but hard to tell with the angle.
Padurariu (Utah): Misses her Maloney.
Zirbes (Utah): We do not get to watch this team any more.
Stroud (Utah):
Neff (Utah):
Coen (LSU): Nice front aerial, BHS LOSO with some form. Switch split, splits are poor. Double full stuck, slightly staggered. 9.9??
Zeiss (LSU): Front aerial BHS, bent knees. Switch to split. Double wolf. Gainer tuck full, hop to the side. 9.8
Lincoln (LSU): Front aerial, SLOW connection, BHS. Some foot form on that. Great switch half to split. Tentative on the full turn. Switch to straddle quarter. One and a half, stuck. 9.825
Ulrich (LSU): BHS LOSO, slightly tentative. Hitch kick switch side. Front aerial, a touch of form, to beat. Very careful style compared to the others here. One and a half, hop back.
Chio (LSU): Great BHS mount. BHS LOSO, definitely could have wobbled and chose not. Front aerial fine, lovely and precise on the switch split. One and a half, works a tiny bit for that stick but keeps it.
McClain (LSU): Switch, pause, switch half, check. Front aerial BHS tentative. Side aerial, lean. Gainer full, hop. So much for the commentators really wanting this meet to be close.
Slade (OU): Great to see her in a lineup. Double pike with a low chest. Switch side half to straddle, this routine is so KJ.
Pawlak (OU): Hop back on her first pass. switch side wolf full is great. Lovely one and a half front full, very precise with good form.
Estep (OU): Front lay front double full is awesome. Really precise leap rotation. Two and a half, quick step out, could have been wilder but locked it down. 9.925
Pederson (OU): Front double full, slightly odd landing but relatively controlled. Twisting into the ground on her combo pass there.
Mueller (OU): Grat double tuck. Oh this routine is WEIRD and I love it. Slightly off on her Rudi, hops to lunge with minimal drama. Tour jete half Popa, great rotation.
Fatta (OU): Front full through two and a half, hop. OU has already won. Front double full, hop. This construction isn’t the smartest. Doesn’t necessarily feel like anchor material. I assume Torrez will eventually reclaim her throne here.
Both OU and LSU are inquiring everything there is to inquire here.
FINAL: Oklahoma 197.500, LSU 197.500, UCLA 197.000, Utah 195.900
Oklahoma officially wins: Apparently the tiebreak is counting all routines. Lol. Lmao.
Great start for Oklahoma and LSU with room to grow. UCLA looks about the same as last week, a clear step behind the best teams but with definite strengths. Utah obviously has some corrections to make from this one but also some great highlights and should be proud of recovering from a really rocky start. Utah will be back here on Monday and hopefully will deliver a performance there that will allow it to forget this one.
VT: Avery Neff (Utah) 10.000
UB: Ella Zirbes (Utah), Courtney Blackson (LSU) 9.950
BB: Faith Torrez (Oklahoma), Hannah Scheible (Oklahoma), Kailin Chio (LSU) 9.950
FX: Mackenzie Estep (Oklahoma), Jordan Chiles (UCLA) 9.925
AA: Kailin Chio (LSU) 39.600
Live blog by Rebecca Scally
Gotta love national coverage assuming that we only care about routines from the two teams in the lead in the last rotation. Quad boxes are a thing. Do better, ESPN.