Recapping The Action: NCAA Gymnastics Conference Championships
Recapping The Action: NCAA Gymnastics Conference Championships
Catch up on all of the action from the NCAA gymnastics conference championships.
Catch up on all of Saturday's conference championship action that set the stage for regionals.
Michigan had a stellar meet and finished the season ranked seventh in the country. Perhaps the best moment of the meet came at the very end. Sophomore Emma McLean nailed her Yurchenko 1 1/2 in the anchor spot on UM's final event of the day and grabbed a 9.975.
[tweet url="https://twitter.com/UMichWGym/status/843514945476157443" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]
There are four judges in the postseason as opposed to just two during the regular season--the high score and the low score are both tossed out and the middle two scores are averaged. So in order to score a perfect 10, gymnasts must get 10.0s from at least three of the four judges.
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LSU's floor rotation, which is among the top in the country, put up four scores of 9.900 or better from Sarah Finnegan (9.900), Shae Zamardi (9.900), McKenna Kelley (9.950), and Gnat (9.950).
Florida, which won last year's SEC title, finished second with a score of 197.825. The Gators had some uncharacteristic, small mistakes--Alicia Boren was a little short on her Yurchenko 1 1/2, and Amelia Hundley and Rachel Slocum had two of their lower-scoring floor routines.
The Gators did get Kennedy Baker back on all four events, though, which will be a huge boost going forward. Baker can bring in big numbers on vault and floor and great performances on bars and beam. Alex McMurtry competed in the all-around for just the third time this season but put together a complete performance. She scored a 9.900 or better on all four events and won the all-around title with a career-high 39.700.
There were a few hiccups for the Utes. Maddy Stover and Kari Lee both scored in the 9.6 range on beam and floor, respectively, but, like Utah has done all season, the Utes bounced back in the rest of their lineup.
Oregon State had its best away score of the season and finished second with a 197.400. The Beavers put together a great meet on all four events, but the highlights for them came on the balance beam. Kaytianna McMillan, Sabrina Gill, Silvia Colussi-Pelaez, and Dani Dessaints all scored a 9.900 or better on the Beavers' final event of the competition. After the meet, McMillan was named Gymnast of the Year as voted on by the Pac-12 coaches.
UCLA struggled throughout the night but finished tied for third with Washington with a 197.100. The Bruins' vault rotation got a solid performance from Napaulani Hall with a 9.900 but did not score above a 9.850 on any other vault in the rotation. Peng Peng Lee's 9.900 was the highlight on bars while Kyla Ross and Madison Kocian both scored above a 9.800. Mistakes earlier in the lineup meant that the Bruins counted a 9.600 from Stella Savvidou and a 9.750 from Sonya Meraz.
Beam was where UCLA really stepped up, with a 9.900 from Kocian and a 9.950 from Katelyn Ohashi. Ross scored her second 10.0 of the year on balance beam and fourth overall perfect score. It was the first 10.0 on balance beam at the Pac-12 Championships.
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The 2012 Olympic champion was named Freshman of the year while Lee earned Specialist of the Year honors after the meet.
Maggie Nichols was back in the vault lineup for the first time since Feb. 24 and had a 10.0 for the sixth time this season. It was her second perfect 10 on vault this season, and it also marked the first perfect 10 on vault at the Big 12 Championships.
Chayse Capps had another stellar meet and came away with the Big 12 all-around crown after scoring a 39.625. She scored a 9.900 or better on all four events. The Sooners also came away with some other individual wins: Nichols (vault, bars), McKenzie Wofford (bars), Brenna Dowell (bars), Natalie Brown (beam), and AJ Jackson (floor).
Boise State's best performance of the day came as no surprise on the uneven bars, where the Broncos totaled a 49.450. They counted five scores of 9.850 or better, highlighted by Diana Mejia's 9.950.
Utah State had one of its best meets of the season highlighted by its performance on the balance beam. The Aggies counted four scores of 9.800 or better, including a 9.900 from Hayley Sanzotti and a 9.850 from Bailey McIntire.
The Eagles had a great meet all around and set a new program record on the uneven bars with a 49.300. It also marked the first time this season that Eastern Michigan finished with at least a 49.0 on each event. The Eagles counted four scores of 9.850 or better on the uneven bars, including 9.900s from Catie Conrad, Natalie Gervais, and Lacey Rubin.
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Bowling Green came up with a great floor rotation with four scores of 9.850 or better, highlighted by Jovannah East posting a 9.925 and Kayla Rose posting a 9.950. With the performance, Rose earned a share of the MAC floor title.
Related:
2017 NCAA Regional Assignments Announced
Social Media Roundup: NCAA Conference Championship Highlights
Surprises At The 2017 NCAA Conference Championships
Four for four
Michigan won its fourth straight Big Ten title on Saturday afternoon by edging out Illinois and Iowa in Piscataway, New Jersey. Wolverines seniors Nicole Artz and Talia Chiarelli have now won Big Ten titles in all four years of their Michigan careers. Artz also came away with some individual hardware as well--the Big Ten all-around title and Gymnast of the Year honors.Michigan had a stellar meet and finished the season ranked seventh in the country. Perhaps the best moment of the meet came at the very end. Sophomore Emma McLean nailed her Yurchenko 1 1/2 in the anchor spot on UM's final event of the day and grabbed a 9.975.
[tweet url="https://twitter.com/UMichWGym/status/843514945476157443" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]
There are four judges in the postseason as opposed to just two during the regular season--the high score and the low score are both tossed out and the middle two scores are averaged. So in order to score a perfect 10, gymnasts must get 10.0s from at least three of the four judges.
Tigers roar to first SEC championship in 36 years
LSU entered the SEC Championships as the top seed, and the Tigers came away with their first SEC title in 36 years and a season-high 198.075. The Tigers opened the competition on vault, where they scored a 9.850 or better on all six vaults, highlighted by Asheigh Gnat's ninth career perfect 10.[tweet url="https://twitter.com/SECNetwork/status/843227424620007424" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]
LSU's floor rotation, which is among the top in the country, put up four scores of 9.900 or better from Sarah Finnegan (9.900), Shae Zamardi (9.900), McKenna Kelley (9.950), and Gnat (9.950).
Florida, which won last year's SEC title, finished second with a score of 197.825. The Gators had some uncharacteristic, small mistakes--Alicia Boren was a little short on her Yurchenko 1 1/2, and Amelia Hundley and Rachel Slocum had two of their lower-scoring floor routines.
The Gators did get Kennedy Baker back on all four events, though, which will be a huge boost going forward. Baker can bring in big numbers on vault and floor and great performances on bars and beam. Alex McMurtry competed in the all-around for just the third time this season but put together a complete performance. She scored a 9.900 or better on all four events and won the all-around title with a career-high 39.700.
Utah reclaims Pac-12 title
The Utes reclaimed the Pac-12 title with a stellar performance on Saturday night and finished with a season-high 197.925. MyKayla Skinner had another great night and scored her second perfect 10 of the season on floor exercise. Utah sealed the win with a huge 49.625 on floor exercise to close the meet.There were a few hiccups for the Utes. Maddy Stover and Kari Lee both scored in the 9.6 range on beam and floor, respectively, but, like Utah has done all season, the Utes bounced back in the rest of their lineup.
Oregon State had its best away score of the season and finished second with a 197.400. The Beavers put together a great meet on all four events, but the highlights for them came on the balance beam. Kaytianna McMillan, Sabrina Gill, Silvia Colussi-Pelaez, and Dani Dessaints all scored a 9.900 or better on the Beavers' final event of the competition. After the meet, McMillan was named Gymnast of the Year as voted on by the Pac-12 coaches.
UCLA struggled throughout the night but finished tied for third with Washington with a 197.100. The Bruins' vault rotation got a solid performance from Napaulani Hall with a 9.900 but did not score above a 9.850 on any other vault in the rotation. Peng Peng Lee's 9.900 was the highlight on bars while Kyla Ross and Madison Kocian both scored above a 9.800. Mistakes earlier in the lineup meant that the Bruins counted a 9.600 from Stella Savvidou and a 9.750 from Sonya Meraz.
Beam was where UCLA really stepped up, with a 9.900 from Kocian and a 9.950 from Katelyn Ohashi. Ross scored her second 10.0 of the year on balance beam and fourth overall perfect score. It was the first 10.0 on balance beam at the Pac-12 Championships.
[tweet url="https://twitter.com/uclagymnastics/status/843573025706401792" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]
The 2012 Olympic champion was named Freshman of the year while Lee earned Specialist of the Year honors after the meet.
Sooners for a six-peat
Oklahoma repeated as Big 12 champions for the sixth year in a row. The top-ranked Sooners finished with a 197.850 to edge Denver (196.475), West Virginia (195.575), and Iowa State (195.500).Maggie Nichols was back in the vault lineup for the first time since Feb. 24 and had a 10.0 for the sixth time this season. It was her second perfect 10 on vault this season, and it also marked the first perfect 10 on vault at the Big 12 Championships.
Chayse Capps had another stellar meet and came away with the Big 12 all-around crown after scoring a 39.625. She scored a 9.900 or better on all four events. The Sooners also came away with some other individual wins: Nichols (vault, bars), McKenzie Wofford (bars), Brenna Dowell (bars), Natalie Brown (beam), and AJ Jackson (floor).
Broncos grab the Mountain Rim title
Boise State opened its postseason run by winning the Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference championship with its fourth score over 197 this season. The Broncos' 197.050 was nearly a full point ahead of runner-up Utah State (196.100). The Aggies just edged Southern Utah, as the Thunderbirds recorded a 196.075. BYU rounded out the competition with a 194.675.Boise State's best performance of the day came as no surprise on the uneven bars, where the Broncos totaled a 49.450. They counted five scores of 9.850 or better, highlighted by Diana Mejia's 9.950.
Utah State had one of its best meets of the season highlighted by its performance on the balance beam. The Aggies counted four scores of 9.800 or better, including a 9.900 from Hayley Sanzotti and a 9.850 from Bailey McIntire.
Eastern Michigan defends MAC title
The Eagles defended their MAC title on Saturday afternoon with a 196.500 to edge Bowling Green by one-tenth. The Falcons finished with a 196.400, three-tenths ahead of Central Michigan.The Eagles had a great meet all around and set a new program record on the uneven bars with a 49.300. It also marked the first time this season that Eastern Michigan finished with at least a 49.0 on each event. The Eagles counted four scores of 9.850 or better on the uneven bars, including 9.900s from Catie Conrad, Natalie Gervais, and Lacey Rubin.
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Bowling Green came up with a great floor rotation with four scores of 9.850 or better, highlighted by Jovannah East posting a 9.925 and Kayla Rose posting a 9.950. With the performance, Rose earned a share of the MAC floor title.
Related:
2017 NCAA Regional Assignments Announced
Social Media Roundup: NCAA Conference Championship Highlights
Surprises At The 2017 NCAA Conference Championships