Alabama, Nebraska, Utah

Here are your Super 6 for 2011:

unofficial
Alabama 197.050
Nebraska 196.850
University of Oklahoma 196.775
University of Michigan 196.700
UCLA 196.500
Utah 196.200

official results


Why is it that each year I’m surprised and dubious when the Utes make Super 6?

jots on WAG NCAA prelims …

I’m projecting Nebraska, Alabama, Utah … Oregon State missing by 0.1 in a heart breaker.

Alabama is on Beam in the 6th and final rotation.

Notes on session 2 :

Florida’s first 2 gymnasts, first apparatus, fall on Beam. … And I thought things had changed for the Gators. They’re still missing in the BIG meets.

The big story in session 2 was Beam. We saw many cautious routines. And not many high scores.

The next biggest story is Nebraska. If you read this blog regularly you know I’m a big fan of that program. They have terrific coaching.

could Nebraska win it all?

Kent State did a great job on Bars. They hit 6 for 6. Scored 48.750 doing exactly what they can do. Smart. … I didn’t see any former National Team members in the line-up.

Oregon State girls do Bars. And STICK. … (Remind me to ask Bars coach John Carney how they train landings.) … I saw a couple of the girls using staggered feet, one in advance of the other.

Update. Here’s the kind of things John’s doing at OSU. … He really is one of my favourite Bar coaches.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Oregon State finished with 49.400 on Bars, the highest score on that apparatus of all 12 teams.

In the past I’ve been critical of The Tide for lacking finesse. Apologies. This year’s team has plenty of style, good line and exacting form. Nice Bars. Kudos. … Yet they still do BIG routines with lots of POWER.

Can anyone do a higher double layout off Bars than Ashley Sledge?

For years I felt Florida did the ‘best’ gymnastics, … but couldn’t hit in the big meet. No so this year. There are gymnasts just as good on most of the teams at Championships. And Florida is not strong on the small details: handstands and landings on Bars, for example. Compare OSU v the Gators on Bars, you’ll see what I mean.

Alaina Johnson was fantastic, though – 9.90 on Bars. She had three 9.90s … and 9.20 on Beam.

halftime: Nebraska, Alabama, Oregon State

NCAA Gymnastics Championships

At exactly half way through the preliminary competition, the scoreboard is useful:

Of course only half the teams have done Beam at that point.

… Why don’t they average the scores and post a projected finishing team score, as well?

Kent State Gymnastics

It’s been a dream season for the Kent State Golden Flashes.

Congratulations.

Ranked #24, they find themselves tonight at their first ever national team Championships. At home.

They beat out Stanford, Ohio State and Minnesota to get here.

Congratulations Brice Biggin and everyone in the program.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Cleveland is a rare “neutral” site for the NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships.

The event is usually hosted on the campus of one of sport’s power teams. So all are anxious to see how Cleveland, Kent State and Cleveland State do as hosts of the event away from the Southeastern Conference, Big 12 or Pac-10 arena traditionally aligned with the event.

“I think it’s a positive thing for our sport,” Oregon State coach Tonya Chaplin said. “Whenever we are able to go into a [new] area, bringing NCAA gymnastics to a community that may not have it close, it is always exciting because it brings more interest and hopefully gets someone new hooked on our sport.

“Hopefully that will even help Kent State get more people in the future go watch the competitions there. …

Cleveland State received kudos for its Wolstein Arena setup for the event from Georgia coach Jay Clark.

“The arena is fantastic,” he said. “It is the right size for this event. It appears to be something that will feel full, based upon what we know about ticket sales. ..

According to the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, more than 12,000 tickets have been sold for the weekend, and a strong walk-up crowd is expected throughout the event. …

The Plain Dealer

Event Finals Qualifiers: Session 1

The Qualifiers (and First Team All-Americans) From Session 1 are:

Vault
1. Brittani McCullough- 9.950 (UCLA)
2. Kylee Botterman- 9.925 (UMich)
3. Amy Borsellino- 9.900 (Arkansas)
3. Lindsey Cheek- 9.900 (UGA)
3. Katie Zurales- 9.900 (UMich)
3. Madison Mooring- 9.900 (Oklahoma)

Uneven Bars
1. Trish Wilson- 9.925 (UMich)
1. Monique DeLaTorre- 9.925 (UCLA)
3. Kat Ding- 9.900 (UGA)
3. Brittnee Martinez- 9.900 (UMich)
3. Kayla Nowak- 9.900 (Oklahoma)
3. Megan Ferguson- 9.900 (Oklahoma)
3. Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs- 9.900 (UCLA)

Balance Beam
1. Megan Ferguson – 9.925 (Oklahoma)
2. Natasha Kelley- 9.900 (Oklahoma)
3. Sam Peszek- 9.875 (UCLA)
4. Melissa Fernandez- 9.850 (Illinois)
4. Kylee Botterman- 9.850 (UMich)
4. Aisha Gerber- 9.850 (UCLA)

Floor Exercise
1. Jaime Pisani- 9.950 (Arkansas)
2. Kylee Botterman- 9.925 (UMich)
2. Brittani McCullough- 9.925 (UCLA)
4. Katherine Grable- 9.900 (Arkansas)
4. Cassidy McComb- 9.900 (UGA)

Aunt Joyce

Jaime Pisani – Floor

@gymnastike

…Looking over the score sheet I see that Jaime Pisani of Arkansas scored a 9.95 on Floor! Awesome! She told me yesterday she wants to win FX

Click PLAY or watch her routine from Regionals on the Arkansas site.

http://www.arkansasrazorbacks.com/mediaPortal/embed.swf

Cleveland Rocks

The “defacto theme song” of the “mistake by the lake”.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame tomorrow …

(via Rick McCharles)

Oklahoma, Michigan, UCLA

… qualified for the Super 6 Team Final. Congratulations.

University of Oklahoma 196.775
University of Michigan 196.700
UCLA 196.500

No controversy. Three teams clearly deserved to advance. Three did not.

… UCLA nearly lost it on Beam, though. McCullough and Frattone, a last minute replacement, fell.

full results from Session 1 of two at NCAA Championships 2011.

Kylee Botterman had a very good day. She is the girl to beat 39.525. I was impressed with Cassidy McComb 39.400, who was superb despite her team collapse.

Cassidy