It’s time for the Gators to put up or shut up – it’s national qualifying time!
The competition is stiff – Utah and Michigan State have all looked fantastic this year, and Missouri is a sneaky team that can take advantage if a frontrunner steps a toe out of line. Florida will have to put it all together finally in order to ensure they advance, and even then, it could come down to the last routine.
Utah has scored over 198 one more time than Florida (or Michigan State) this year and has the highest season-high score of the bunch – a 198.3. Florida and Michigan State are evenly matched at two 198+ scores each, with Florida’s high of 198.225 just edging out the Spartans’ at 198.15. Missouri has not crossed that elusive 198 mark yet this season, but its season high of 197.6 would have advanced at the Ann Arbor final yesterday, so it’s definitely within the realm of possibility.
Let’s take a look event by event from semifinals to see how the teams stack up – where Florida just needs to be normal and where they need to be concerned.
VAULT
Utah: 49.225 | MSU: 49.45 | Miz: 49.375 | UF: 49.575
Florida had a stellar vault rotation to kick things off on Friday, with nearly every athlete sticking or taking just a small controlled step on their landings. Ellie Lazzari was the exception, and in an ideal lineup, she’d be replaced by Sloane Blakely, who’s scored 9.9 or better three times in the last five meets prior to this week.
If the Gators can repeat their performance from Friday, or even come close, they should be in good shape compared to their competitors. Vault is a weak event for Utah and Missouri, and Florida has just a slightly higher ceiling than Michigan State, both in start value and in season high.
BARS
Utah: 49.575 | MSU: 49.35 | Miz: 49.475 | UF: 49.3
Florida needs to figure out what is going on on bars and put an end to it, immediately. Early-lineup veterans are taking turns having freak misses on skills they’ve been doing forever like it’s a game of “Spot the Difference” – it doesn’t make sense. Yes, many of them have battled illness and injury this season, but we’ve had no reports of either in a few weeks. It’s time for the Gators to find an even keel and compete their normal. Even reaching their NQS of 49.425 would put them in a far better position, especially since they have to finish their meet on bars.
Bars is the second-strongest event for both Michigan State and Missouri, although both have a big gap between their best and second-best. While it’s Utah’s second-worst event, the Utes’ NQS is still more than half a tenth better than any of the other three teams. Utah also gets to start on bars, while their legs are fresh and they haven’t had a chance yet to be rattled on any other events.
Florida will need to be much stronger on bars than Friday to keep up. The return of Gabby Disidore to the lineup would definitely be a boon, and in my opinion, it might be smart to keep Skylar Draser in instead of either Blakely or Lazzari – she’s proven her consistency, and having so many potential flight risks in the lineup won’t help their chances.
BEAM
Utah: 49.6 | MSU: 49.3 | Miz: 49.375 | UF: 49.575
Beam was scored pretty loosely on Friday, so if it’s the same judges again, Florida’s chances feel pretty good here. Another normal day, even with a small break or two, should put them in a good position early on. But the Gators are starting on beam, and it’s their best event – they should capitalize on that and get out in front early to give themselves as much wiggle room as possible for any mishaps on future events.
Beam is Utah’s second-best event, but Michigan State and Missouri’s worst. With a normal day, beam is definitely advantage Florida, but that will mean no falls or major bobbles, especially not from Victoria Nguyen, who had a major break in her series on Friday. A full lineup of 9.9+ scores here would give the Gators a major advantage right out of the gate.
FLOOR
Utah: 49.425 | MSU: 49.375 | Miz: 49.3 | UF: 49.475
While Florida put up the highest score of the bunch on Friday, it wasn’t without incident – a fall from Anya Pilgrim is very uncharacteristic, and Florida really can’t afford a mistake like that in this competitive a field. A normal performance from her would have meant Florida counting all scores above 9.85, likely even 9.9 or above – that would’ve put Florida’s semifinal performance over 198.
Floor is both Utah and Missouri’s best event, so if Florida doesn’t have a normal performance here, this is likely where the Gators fall behind, and potentially where Missouri could take advantage of another team’s mistake. If I were deciding lineups, I’d either keep them exactly as they were on Friday or potentially put Ferris or Brubach in for Lazzari or Draser, depending on how warmups go. I don’t love that this lineup still feels like a game-time decision instead of a clear-cut six.
OVERALL
The moral of the story here? Florida needs to have a normal day. No falls, no weird misses, ideal lineups, and don’t try too hard to be perfect. Top two qualifies – it’s okay to be second here and peak at nationals instead. The Gators need to take advantage of their strengths and get off to an early lead on beam, maintain on floor, gain again on vault, and just hit bars, and they should be through.
Sounds simple enough, right? Let’s hope it can be.
Action starts at 5pm on ESPN+, but if you don’t have access or can’t make it to your TV, we’ll have all the quick hits for you right here!
4:44pm: Just 15 minutes left! Find the live scoring link here for scores throughout the meet.
Early setup on the live scoring interface indicates that Disidore will once again not compete on bars… but she warmed up what seems to be normally. I’m so confused.
Lineups live from the arena – Lazzari staying in AA feels like a risky choice to me, but maybe she warmed up better than Blakely on vault? Ferris in for Draser on floor makes sense based on scores on Friday. I’m just… concerned.
Reports from the arena say the Gators are wearing their Pride leos tonight!! I love that for them.
5:03pm: Schulte, MSU VT: Yfull, good amplitude, just a small shift back. A great start for the Spartans!
Smith, UU UB: Great opening handstand. Pak is clean. Low bar handstands are alright. van Leeuwen looked good, but over did it on her final handstand – had to recast! Dismount is fine, but that’s not the start they wanted.
Draser, UF BB: Acro series is steady, waits for it to settle in. Switch to switch half, maybe a little low on the back leg? Full turn is clean. Roundoff 1.5 is stuck! A great start for the Gators!
Schreiber, Miz FX: Combination pass to start, well controlled. bringing the intensity here. Rudi to back layout to split jump, doesn’t travel much. Dance series is excellent, great extension. Tigers starting well too.
Tucker, VT: Y1.5, short, has to steady herself with a step back.
Zirbes, UB: Good first handstand. Tkachev to pak, good connection, clean leg. Last handstand is fine. Full in dismount, single step back. A good reset for them, but they need four more of those.
Blakely, BB: Giving herself a big deep breath before she starts. Long wait for some reason? Okay, here we go. Front aerial to bhs, good. Split leap to switch half to beat jump, all well connected, fully extended. Full turn is good. Gainer full is stuck! Big celebration for her after.
Kratzer, FX: Whip to double tuck to start, lunge is well controlled. Some flexed feet on the dance series but hits 180 well. Double pike, strong. 1.5 to front lay, single step forward into their choreo – that’s another great one!
Zsarmani, VT: Y1.5, basically stuck!! Wow! Spartans on their game tonight.
Pilgrim, BB: Candle mount is solid. Bhs loso is dead on, good for her. Switch to split leap, lovely toe point, well connected. Bhs gainer full is stuck!
Morgan, UB: Maloney to Bhardwaj, strong difficulty, some leg sep. van Leeuwen looked like a fingertip catch, very close. Toe on tuck half dismount, single step. Stress is getting to them.
Stephen, VT: Y1.5, big lunge forward, back foot drags behind her.
Horton, FX: Big full in to start, good control. Punch through to double tuck, also strong. Tigers are looking good!
Nguyen, BB: Onodi to bhs is strong, connection seems fine. Switch to split, excellent. Bhs 1.5 dismount, little shift back.
O’Keefe, UB: Lovely low bar handstand. Maloney to pak, some leg sep there. Short on her low bar handstand. Double front stuck!
5:15pm: Celestine, FX: Full in to open, lunge is big but the front foot does not move. Leap sequence is excellent, gorgeous oversplits. Front full front pike, dances right out of it. Really performing this choreo to the fullest. Double tuck to close, well controlled.
Smith, VT: Y1.5, sits it! Oh no! MSU with a major error this early. They’ll need to drop that.
Wong, BB: Switch leap to split leap, the finesse is just unmatched. Bhs loso, no leans in sight. Full turn is clean. Front aerial, leg up, but tries to turn it into choreo. Adds a side somi to compensate for losing the connection there. Roundoff double full, missed her foot but somehow got it around! Such a veteran – we’re so lucky to have her.
McCallum, UB: It was a hit routine, stuck her dismount, but I missed the specifics watching Wong.
Kellerman, VT: Handspring pike half stuck cold! They’ll be able to drop Smith’s fall no problem.
Griffin, FX: Punch through to double back, well controlled. Double pike, good amplitude. Triple dance series directly to her knees, that’s fun – another great one for Mizzou.
Lazzari, BB: Triple series is dead on, so solid! Switch leap to split jump, gorgeous splits. Full turn is clean. Split 1/2 from side stand is fine, maybe a small check. Sticks her dismount!
Sabado, UB: Blind change is clean, Jaeger to overshoot – and she’s off! Holy cow, Utah will have to count the 9.5 from Smith??
Moore, FX: DLO to open, front foot slide. Triple dance sequence, soooo crisp. Really slaying this choreography, but you can see how high the pressure is – she’s not letting go as much as she usually does. Punch front through to double tuck, much better. Should be a great rotation score for the Tigers.
AFTER ONE: UF 49.6, MIZ 49.5, MSU 49.425, UU 48.975
Florida did their job on beam!! That is exactly the kind of rotation the Gators were looking for to start things off, with almost a two-tenth lead over third. Getting some breathing room from Utah helps too, but with a rotation like that, they almost didn’t need it.
But now is not the time to let up – they need to stay in their bubble as they move to floor, not let the pressure affect them, just do their normal.
5:30pm: Rotation 2!
Schreiber, Miz VT: Yfull, like a DART into the mat! Couldn’t move if she wanted to.
Schulte, MSU UB: Great opening handstand. Maloney to bail, handstand is great. DLO, little shift back. A good start.
Morgan, UU BB: Bhs bhs loso, nice and steady. Switch to switch half, did not hit 180 on that second one. Gainer full off the side is stuck – that’s a good reset for the Utes.
Nguyen, UF FX: Front double full, connecting to the sissone looked a little hard because she landed it so well, but she managed. Switch ring to switch half, just gorgeous. 1.5 to front lay to close – starting this floor squad off well.
Davis, VT: Yfull, little bounce back, but more amplitude than Schreiber.
Zsarmani, UB: First handstand is solid. Pak salto is lovely. Low bar handstand is good. Maloney has some leg sep, to inbar gienger, that’s fun. Single step on the dismount.
Smith, BB: Candle mount, very dynamic, gets good lift. Front aerial to split, good connection. Bhs loso, solid. Full turn is fine. Little moonwalk in there, fun. Gainer full off the side but had to swim for the stick, a little lack of control if they’re deducting accurately.
Lazzari, FX: Front double full, single crossover step. Dance series is gorgeous, great amplitude. 1.5 to front lay to finish – another great one for Florida!
Griffin, VT: Yfull, just a little slide back, but super clean in the air.
Kellerman, UB: Blind change is lovely. Jaeger is gorgeous, toes pointed nicely. Bail is directly to handstand. Big step forward on her dismount, underrotated.
McCallum, BB: Triple wolf turn, a little wobbly. Double wolf is better. Bhs loso – and she’s off! Remounts, finishing her dance elements, fine. Gainer pike off the end, small adjustment. Utah not having a great day.
Pilgrim, FX: 1.5 through to double tuck, excellent, just a small lunge. Split positions are gorgeous. Orphan front tuck, okay. Double pike is much better than Friday, dialed it in – the crowd is going WILD in here!
Celestine, VT: Y1.5, STUCK COLD! That should be a huge score for Mizzou, wow.
Stephen, UB: Low bar handstand is good, Maloney lovely. Bail is clean. Great final handstand, full in dismount is big, just a step back on the landing.
Paulson, BB: Beat jump to side aerial loso, lean to the side there. Switch to split jump, clean. Gainer full off the side is stuck – another good reset, but how many will they need?
Blakely, FX: Punch front through to double tuck, does not move that front foot. Lovely dance series, really throws her head back on that ring. 1.5 to front full, it’s a good one! Killing it out here, wow.
Moore, VT: Y1.5, just a little scoot forward, a little deep in the landing though.
O’Keefe, BB: Springboard mount on the end, really extending through her fingers and toes throughout her choreo. Side aerial to loso is clean. Bhs gainer full – a little shift? Not her usual stick.
Smith, UB: Good low bar handstand, Maloney is good. Pak, clean. Great final handstand! DLO dismount is stuck! They needed that.
Ferris, FX: Full in to open is excellent, gets great air. 1.5 to front lay, so clean – she looks so much more chill than any of her prior floor outings. I love this for her.
Horton, VT: Y1.5, undercooks it, a big scoot back underneath herself.
GIlstrap, BB: Wolf turn is fine. Front aerial is clean, no bobbles. Bhs back pike, very steady. Switch leap to split jump, hits 180 well. Bhs gainer full, couldn’t stick it, had to do a little scoot.
Harkness, UB: Great opening handstand, HUUUUGE Gienger release, legs stuck together like glue. Bail is a little floppy. Bounce back on the dismount.
5:45pm: Wong, FX: DLO to start, perfection, just a small step into the lunge. Gorgeous oversplits and toe point through her dance series. Whip half to front full is textbook – that’s our CEO right there!
AFTER TWO: UF 99.25, MIZ 98.8, UU 98.45, MSU 98.425
Florida didn’t just maintain on floor, it extended! The Gators are in a great spot right now going to the back half.
5:55pm: ROtation 3!
Draser, UF VT: Y1.5, just a little shift to the side.
Burns, Miz UB: Blind change is fine, Jaeger to overshoot, good power. DLO is stuck – that’s a good start for them.
Kalefe, MSU BB: Bhs bhs loso, made a correction mid-air, good for her. Switch to tuck jump full, well done. Dismount is stuck!
Smith, UU FX: Front double full to start, solid. Dance series is pretty clean. Rudi to back layout to straight jump, doesn’t travel hardly at all. Rudi to straddle jump, don’t love the element repetition but she executes it fine.
Nguyen, VT: Y1.5, just a little shift back. Good adjustment, she’s such a pro.
Tucker, BB: Front aerial to bhs, so floaty, love that. Dance series is clean, gets great 180 positions. Side aerial is lovely. Bhs gainer full, little step back into the salute.
Patrick, UB: Blind change to Jaeger, good amplitude. Stuck her dismount! Should be another good one for the Tigers.
Pilgrim, VT: Y1.5, just a small hop forward, great amplitude and very clean in the air.
Paulson, FX: Punch front through to front double full, okay. Front lay front full, very clean leg form. Dance series, lovely extended legs through both elements. Another twisting combination to close things out – feels very samey but very clean.
Smith, BB: Bhs loso, big bobble but stays on. Switch leap to straddle 1/4, a little slow to connect but I don’t think she lost it. Roundoff double tuck, single step.
Marshall, UB: Short on first handstand, blind change is a little past vertical. Jaeger to overshoot floats nicely. Stuck dismount!
Ferris, VT: Y1.5, just a little hop forward, huuuge distance though, wow.
Rucker, FX: Full in, a little short there, has to step forward. Very bouncy as she comes out of her leap series, although the leaps themselves are lovely. 1.5 to front lay, very clean to finish.
Schulte, BB: Full turn off the top is clean. Switch to switch half to beat jump, a small hesitation between the first two but kept her foot off the beam so I don’t think she’ll lose the connection. Bhs loso, another leg up check but stays on. Switch leap to gainer full, looked like a small adjustment.
Schreiber, UB: Releases were clean, a little step on the dismount. They are giving away too many tenths, Utah might catch them.
Wong, VT: Yhalf-on, pike half off, another little slide back.
Gilstrap, FX: Too much chaos happening at my house right now, I missed what her passes were but definitely a hit. Didn’t look too bouncy.
Garcia, BB: Off on her acro series, oh no. Remounts, dance series is clean. Rushes away from the beam after her dismount, really disappointed.
Moore, UB: Tkachev to overshoot, huuge amplitude. Stuck her dismount cold! That’ll be a big one.
Lazzari, VT: Y1.5, little hop forward. Much better than Friday!
O’Keefe, FX: Double pike, good control. Combination pass, good control. Her choreo in the middle looked like she was hurt for a second, I was so concerned. 1.5 to front lay to finish – that’ll be another great score for Utah.
Stephen, BB: Piked front toss, very steady. Full turn, clean. Acro series – and she’s off. Oh boy. MSU counting a fall. They’re out of this. Roundoff double full, shift back. That’s so tough.
Titarsolej, UB: Great low bar handstand work. Maloney to pak salto, legs just perfectly together. Pirouette is perfection but a bounce back on the double tuck dismount landing.
McCallum, FX: Full in to open, pretty short, steps forward. Flexed feet throughout her dance sequence but 180 positions looked fine. Front lay to Rudi, didn’t get much rise on either of those but got them around somehow. We’ll see what the judges do with that.
AFTER THREE: UF 148.825, MIZ AND UU 148.075, MSU 147.1
Florida is going to bars, both its worst event and the harshest-scored event tonight, so they can’t let out a sigh of relief just yet, but the Gators have given themselves enough of a cushion that they don’t need to be stressed. Just be normal.
The real fight here is for second between Utah and Mizzou, now that Michigan State is counting a fall and seems to be out of it, barring disaster from others.
6:21pm: Last one, let’s go!
McCallum, UU VT: Yhalf-on tuck half off, a little slide back.
Blakely, UF UB: Maloney to pak, a little leg sep. Blind change to double front is STUCK YES!
Davis, Miz BB: Bhs loso, very steady, good for her. Front toss, big bobble, arm swing, but stays on. Whoo. Split to sheep, maybe shy of 180. Gainer full, small adjustment.
Beaufait, MSU FX: Front double full, solid control there. Dance series looked lovely. Second pass is OOB it looked like, just her toes a little bit. Punch Rudi to finish, well controlled lunge.
Zirbes, VT: Y1.5, big knee bend, step back.
Nguyen, UB: Good low bar handstand. Maloney to pak, some leg sep. Half turn on low bar is good. Short on last handstand. DLO, little hop forward.
Light, BB: Bhs bhs loso, couldn’t get her legs under her and is off. Wow. Missouri not doing themselves any favors. Split to split 1/2, good extension there. Cat leap to gainer pike, little hop forward.
Tucker, FX: Rudi to loso, very floaty. Y turn is really nice, love to see that. Really milking this choreo section so it doesn’t look like she’s resting. Front double full to finish, very nice!
Glynn, VT: Y1.5, single step forward, crossed over herself and crossed over the line.
Lazzari, UB: Good first handstand. Tkachev is clean. More solid handstand work, pak is lovely. Low bar handstand is solid. Last one a little shy – little step on the dismount. It’s another hit, and that’s what matters right now.
Griffin, BB: Front toss, a little wobble, backs up and goes for a repeat. Front toss to bhs, gets it that time. Split to beat, well connected. Looked like a little adjustment on the dismount.
Stephen, FX: Punch front to double pike, gorgeous form in the air and well controlled lunge on the landing. Dance series is excellent. Front double full to close, fabulous.
Smith, VT: Y1.5, basically stuck, wow. Utah coming back from the opening rotation to do this is wild. They’re getting a little help from judges, but also from Missouri themselves.
Pilgrim, UB: Maloney to pak, fabulous. Drops that full in like she’s magnetized to the floor, stuck cold! She came back for redemption today.
Schaffer, BB: Bhs bhs loso, super solid, good for her. Front aerial, very clean. Switch to split, maybe shy of 180 on the second split. Roundoff 1.5, little hop forward.
Harkness, FX: Full in, big step back but stays in bounds. Dance series is gorgeous but a little bouncy as she comes out. Punch front through to double tuck.
Rucker, VT: Y1.5, a deep-ish knee bend but stuck too?? Yeah, this is Utah’s. Wow.
Draser, UB: Maloney to pak, very clean. A little shy on last handstand. DLO, had to swim for it but stayed stuck to the mat!
Celestine, BB: Wolf turn is excellent. Bhs, hesitates, goes to repeat. Bhs to side aerial, gets it this time. Front toss is excellent. Split to split 3/4, gorgeous split positions. Cat leap to gainer full is stuck! Handled that like an absolute pro.
Smith, FX: Really performing the heck out of this routine, good for her for pushing all the way to the end. Huge full in first pass, big air. Double tuck to finish, well controlled. I do love that routine.
Gilstrap, VT: Yfull, very short, had to stumble forward.
Wong, UB: Maloney to pak, legs just pasted together, gorgeous. van Leeuwen, one of her good ones. Great last handstand! DLO dismount is stuck! That’s the Gators’ best score of the season.
Schreiber, BB: Bhs loso, super steady. Beat to split 3/4, excellent. Beat to gainer full off the side, stuck. She can’t catch Utah though, that’s tough.
Schulte, FX: Full in, two foot stick! Gorgeous. Dance series gets such big amplitude, we love to see that. Punch front through to double tuck, ANOTHER two foot stick?? We do not see that in NCAA, good for her for putting an exclamation point on her regionals.
FINAL: UF 198.325, UU 197.575, MIZ 197.325, MSU 196.65
In a WILD turn of events, Utah comes back from counting a major miss early and qualifies alongside Florida, who had a dominant, cruising performance tonight.
Michigan State will still get to send a few athletes – Nikki Smith will go for beam and Skyla Schulte will go for floor as individual qualifiers – and Mizzou will get to send Mara Titarsolej for bars as well.
Thanks so much for tuning in with me tonight, y’all! I’ll have a recap of regionals and preview of nationals sometime next week for you, but in the meantime, celebrate the Gators’ nationals berth and I’ll see you in two weeks.
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