SEMO at Centenary

Recap

The Big Storyline: Bars took the wind out of both teams’ sails. SEMO only had five athletes compete on bars and floor, both of which ended up counting falls. Lindsay Ockler’s steady performances were missed as she did not compete on her typical three events. The Redhawk’s vault rotation was lights out, complete with a couple stuck routines. Meanwhile, Centenary started out the meet with a season high on vault but struggled for hit routines on bars. However, Taylor Ann Wilson stepped up to the plate after multiple falls to post a season high 9.800 and take the event victory. Kennedy Stephens stepped into the beam lineup for the first time this season and led the Ladies on the event. 

Implications: Centenary posted its team season high, but progress has been slow this season. The Ladies have been unable to fully adapt to the constantly changing schedule, injuries and Covid protocols. While the other three events have been improving, bars continues to be Centenary’s Achilles heel. The best event total on the season continues to be the season opener at LSU despite adding difficulty back to routines. SEMO’s total will not help its chances of improving above No. 5 this week, but the Redhawks will have another chance on Sunday to earn an NQS-worthy score. Hopefully Lindsay Ockler will be added back to the lineups soon because the team really needs her. The Redhawks were able to fill in the gaps on vault thanks to consistency, but bars and floor were unable to get by without error. Anna Kaziska continues to be a shining star for her team. Expect her to contend for the floor and beam USAG titles again this year. 

Controversies: The power to the sound board went out just prior to the competition starting, so the start time was postponed by several minutes.