Final Friday – Florida, Utah, Alabama, Pac Rims

It's our last Friday of regular season competition. Shed a fake tear.

Of note:
7:00 ET / 4:00 PT – [7] Utah @ [1] Florida
7:30 ET / 4:30 PT – [9] Arkansas @ [16] Missouri
8:00 ET / 5:00 PT – Iowa State @ [6] Nebraska
8:00 ET / 5:00 PT – West Virginia @ [10] LSU
8:30 ET / 5:30 PT – North Carolina @ [4] Alabama
10:00 ET / 7:00 PT – New Hampshire, Seattle Pacific @ [8] Oregon State
10:00 ET / 7:00 PT – Pac Rim Women's Subdivision 2 (USA Session)


Lots of scores to follow, plus the live feed from Alabama. Full discussion after the jump from 7:00 ET / 4:00 PT.



As we wait to get started in Florida, a minor update from the Pac Rim Championships, where our dear Canadians dominated the early session, opening up a 6.5 point lead over Japan's C team and a 8.5 point lead over Russia's R team. USA, Australia, and China will compete in the later session.

Future UCLA gymnast Christine Peng Peng Lee (Which is she going by? Does anyone know?) leads the senior AA by a ton over her teammates Vaculik and Moors with a very nice score of 57.800. Elegance, originality, and performance quality. Root for her.

Looking at Utah against Florida, the first rotation will tell us a lot. I have doubts about several Utah UB workers (Hansen, Beers), and they either need to be out of the lineup or making themselves better as of this week. For Florida, vault should be a strength with their power, but they haven't yet proven the ability to match Alabama and UCLA's consistent 49.500s.

Over in Michigan, the Wolverines have gone over 49 on vault, but their problems usually start on the other events. Vault is the good one.

Well, one of my questions for the rotation has been answered with Beers going 9.850. I have questions, but still. She's a better fit for the leadoff position. And now Hansen has gone 9.900. Shows what I know. We'll wait to see what Dickerson gets. Bars scoring at Florida this season has been a little participation ribbon.

Florida has started with 9.775, 9.800 on vault. It's about right for those two, but like I mentioned, a few other teams don't have to wait until #3 to start scoring. And as expected, Dickerson, King, and Johnson arrive with stronger scores to push Florida up into what can be the 49.400s depending on Hunter.

Fall for Lopez from Utah. Pressure on Dabritz now, who has been the best yet least reliable worker for Utah this year. Once again, live scoring from Florida is a molasses mess.

Florida scores 49.325 on vault. Fine but not exceptional. Just one score hitting 9.900. They might even be behind Utah after the first rotation, which I never would have expected.

Well, Utah got the hit they wanted from Dabritz, but it was McAllister who had the mistake, recording 9.400. What could have been a 49.400 for Utah is, instead, a 48.900. More road struggles. Lopez and McAllister are certainly not the two athletes I would have expected to fall.

I am fascinated to see how Florida scores on bars. Do I hear 49.600? Utah needs a stick from Robarts on vault to gain some momentum back.

Interesting that Dabritz is going so early in Utah's vault lineup now, but she scores 9.900, and Tory Wilson also scores well, which I wouldn't have picked out in preseason. She did not stand out at all a few months ago.

Ashanee Dickerson has received 9.950 on bars. Remember this.


I'm just going to move on. It's for the best. Kytra Hunter had a fall, which means Florida will be counting two scores in the 9.8 range. Utah is scoring consistently well on vault, but just a 9.825 from Robarts. They could have gone even higher. Lothrop is doing her Omelianchik as well now and scored a 9.825. I'd like to see her in vault finals at Championships if for no other reason than that she has a legitimate repertoire of vaults and won't throw some lame layout as her second vault.

Ah, Florida scores 49.500 on bars. I was so close to predicting it! Dickerson and Johnson receive the same score, but Johnson's toe point, rhythm, control, and line are so much stronger that it's a frustrating result to see those qualities not be rewarded. There are events where Dickerson is as good as (if not better than) Johnson, but bars is not one of them.

After two events, Florida leads 98.825–98.225. Florida is on 197.600 pace.

Stageberg starts beam for Florida with a 9.775. The lineup will once again be the same as it has been all season.

Utah's coverage used multiple exclamation points to describe Becky Tutka's routine, so we can assume so hit well. Score is 9.850, which matches Spicer on beam, who recovered from her recent fall with a strong score.

A fall from Robarts (Utah's third of the meet) will put them in an even bigger hole as Florida's scores continue to skyrocket with a 9.925 from Johnson on beam. Florida's vaulting lows (ish) seem to have been a momentary blip. I could certainly see them exceeding the 197.550 they need to move up in RQS.

You mean Florida only scored 49.475 on beam? Slackers. They won't be able to reach 198 today because of bars, but 197.7-197.8 is doable. They need 197.700 to ensure they hold onto #1 regardless of what Oklahoma does.

Does anyone have scores for Arkansas? The live scoring isn't working for me.

Utah doesn't have to count Robarts's fall and scores a respectable 49.175. A hit beam could get them into the higher 196s, but it's nothing that will really help their RQS or momentum much. They'll have to rely on Pac-12s to do that. Utah will have the benefit of home crowd and Olympic order then, so expect it.

After 3: Florida 148.300 Utah 147.400

Final rotation begins with a McAllister 9.825 on beam. Better leadoffs for Utah today. I like her in this position more than Lopez. Amy Ferguson caps off her home career with a 9.825 as well in the leadoff position for Florida.

After the scores finish off here, I'll be keeping an eye on Alabama for the final home performances for Priess and Stack-Eaton, along with our last opportunity to hear "Gaoow, Guh Bama, Gaoow" this year.

Utah is hanging around the 9.800 area for the first three routines, scores dropping for each successive gymnast - bad sign. Florida is following their 9.825, 9.875, higher pattern so far.

Johnson scores 9.900 and Dickerson goes 9.925 - can we expect higher from King and Hunter? Quite possibly. Watch for another 49.500+ here.

Robarts has a fall for Utah, meaning they are in danger of going below 49 again unless Lothrop goes 9.850+. That's two falls and a weaker than usual vault for Robarts. Lothrop gets a 9.900, so Utah finishes with 196.450.

King, Dickerson, and Johnson have all gone over 39.600 in the AA.

Missed the very start of Alabama, but Priess vaults a very nice Yfull with a little bit of low body but a stuck landing. North Carolina has a Chelsea Davis-alike named Emily Cornwell.

Sledge vaults a yfull with a little bit of a low chest and a step back. Won't score as well as Priess.

Over in Florida, Hunter and King got their 9.950s, so Florida goes 49.600 here. See, I knew there would be a 49.600 somewhere. Total score for Florida is 197.900, which is their highest of the season and the second-highest score in the country overall.

Huge bounce back for Stack-Eaton. Not her best. Overall the Alabama vaults were just OK. Not their best landings by any means except Milliner, who stuck hers for 9.950 to help the team score 49.475. Great score, but quality-wise they won't be so happy with it. It wasn't a postseason-level performance.

Over in Nebraska, the Huskers had a great bar rotation, but beam looks like it will bring down the score a bit. 197 is still attainable.

Demeo hits bars, but not with the composure in handstand that I'd like to see. I still have some concerns about these first three on bars, especially when one of the final three doesn't hit for a huge score like Stack-Eaton here.

***

Back now. Time to keep track of the big score Alabama is building going in to the final rotation, as well as the start of the evening subdivision at Pac Rims, featuring the USA. Alabama went 49.525 on beam, featuring a 9.950 from DeMeo.

Alabama just has to go 49.275 on this rotation to ensure that they tie UCLA in the rankings. Not quite so solid on the tumbling from Priess, but it should be a fine score.

PR: Ohashi opens the US vault with 14.850 on a DTY. Priessman hits her Amanar well, and Ross records a fine score, but it looks like Douglas has fallen on her Amanar. And she looked so solid at the American Cup.

Very insecure on the DLO from Sledge. That will hurt her score. Gutierrez looks like she will score well. Not her best from Stack-Eaton in terms of body position on the tumbling, but it was a fine routine overall.

In Arkansas news, they've recorded another very low score of 195.450, missing Grable again.

PR: Wieber scores the best of the group on the Amanar with a 15.700. They'll drop Douglas's score. Lauren Mitchell scores a 14.800 on beam, and Tan Sixin performs just a 5.5 floor routine for 13.900. Don't expect the US to have much trouble winning this competition.

Stack-Eaton gets a 9.925, which is too high, and Alabama ends with a 197.625, which should allow them to pass UCLA for 3rd for the time being. Not sure yet which position would be more advantageous at this point. The #4 team might very well get the Arkansas Regional, which looked like a land mine early in the season, but with the injury situation the Razorbacks are facing, that might be a very attractive Regional indeed. But who knows, Arkansas could be in a battle for that ranking with LSU at SECs.

PR: The US will score a 60.700 on vault. It could have been higher. Remember last time when the US won by like 15 points? We could see a repeat . . . or more.

Amelia Hundley leads off bars for the US with a 14.000, which is fine for her. Interesting that she got the bars spot over Priessman (whose score will not count toward the team on this event). She is improving at a much faster rate.

Ohashi follows up with a 14.650, 8.650 on execution. This is a routine I expect to become very strong over the next few years. As she grows, I do expect her to lose some of her current skills, but I think the growth will help her on bars.

Ross exceeds 9.000 on execution for her 15.250 bar performance. Good execution score, but she's going to need a higher difficulty score if she wants to earn a spot performing bars on the Olympic team. She has to prove that she is notably better than Wieber. This is a start, but she's capable of more.

China is vaulting a bunch of Yfulls, except for a fall from Luo P on a DTY. Douglas scores 15.500 on bars for a 6.4 routine to lead the team on bars recovering from the vault mishap. I will be interested to see how that routine shapes up when they show it tomorrow morning. I'm impressed that she's added such a competent Healy to her routine so quickly.

The US almost matches the vault score on bars with a 60.400. That's a great sign for them. My money is on a 20-point margin this year. I made a Harlem Globetrotters reference during the American Cup, but maybe it's more appropriate here.

From Blythe, it sounds like a major injury to Georgia Simpson (broken ankle?) is the culprit for the current wait on the floor. Emily Little scores a 14.150 following up after the injury, which is a strong score. She's setting herself up as the clear #2 on this team.

Lauren Mitchell puts up a big floor difficulty of 6.3, which exceeds what Raisman competed at American Cup, and scores a 14.850 to lead Australia to a 56.250, the highest floor score of the competition so far despite the injury and scratch from Simpson.

The US in currently in the bye between bars and beam. I'm going to call it a day on the scoring, but we'll pick things up here tomorrow at 1:00 ET / 10:00 PT for the actual NBC broadcast of the competition. Mmmm tape delay. Don't we all just love it?