Once the field for the Morgantown Regional was announced, it was anticipated to be a close meet for teams fighting for the last spot to qualify to Nationals.

And in the end, it was just that. As expected, Stanford and Illinois fought to the finish to be the second team to qualify to Nationals. Illinois came up short, just .325, from advancing to Nationals for the third-straight time.

To begin the meet, Illinois had a stellar start and even beat out reigning co-National Champions Florida in the initial rotation. The Illini had X stuck dismounts on beam, and while Florida had a good bar rotation (excluding Kytra Hunter’s fall on her Hindorff release), the Gators were scored lower than usual.

Meanwhile on vault, New Hampshire had a solid rotation and did not have to count a fall. It did, however, have no score higher than a 9.750. West Virginia was in a situation similar to that of New Hampshire’s. The Mountaineers did not have to count a score below 9.00, but no routine scored above a 9.850.

After one, Illinois led all teams with a 49.250. Florida trailed closely behind with a 49.125.

The second rotation marked the beginning of competition for Arkansas and Stanford, two teams that could contend with Illinois for a spot to Nationals, and Illinois and New Hampshire had a bye.

Florida picked up the pace from their first rotation and rocked the house on beam. No Gator scored below a 9.800. Bridget Sloan highlighted the beam lineup with a 9.925, enough for second place on the event.

Stanford started its Regional meet with a less-than-ideal lead-off routine. Becky Wing fell on bars and only scored a 9.200. While the Cardinal counted no falls, Elizabeth Price did not have the best routine either, scoring a 9.750. At the end of the rotation, the Cardinal trailed Illinois and Florida’s initial scores, as they only score 49.025.

Arkansas also had a fall to lead off its initial event. Unlike Stanford, Arkansas had to a low score. Stephani Canizaro’s lead-off routine earned a 9.475. And though the Razorbacks wanted to bounce back from that start, Paige Zaziski, third in the lineup, fell and only got a 9.200. They finished the second rotation with a 48.850.

After the third rotation, it was the halfway point, finally giving gymnasts, coaches and fans a fair view of how the teams were ranked in the competition so far. It was close for the top four teams. Florida led with a 98.450, but Stanford had a 98.400, Illinois with a 98.375 and Arkansas with a 98.225. West Virginia and New Hampshire had a 98.050 and 96.775, respectively.

Stellar routines from the third rotation include Amanda Wellick’s 9.925 vault and Ivana Hong’s winning 9.950 beam routine.

The Gators finally increased their lead and picked up more momentum in the fourth rotation, where they performed outstanding routines on floor. Although anchor Bridgette Caquatto faltered on her first pass, no score below a 9.800 was counted. Hunter and Sloan helped their team flourish with near-perfect performances of 9.950. Florida earned its second-highest event total of the night with a 49.400.

After a solid floor rotation, the Illini continued to hit on vault, scoring a respectable 49.100. Junior Giana O’Connor led the way with a stuck Yurchenko full, giving her a 9.925 and a tie for fifth-place on the event.

And while Caquatto failed to provide a counting score as the anchor on floor, she had no problem going from that directly to the lead-off on vault. There, the Gators secured their victory with a competition event high of 49.625. Sloan continued to be the exemplary for the Gators with a 9.975 Yurchenko full. They ended their meet with 197.475.

For Stanford and Illinois, competition continued to be close. Stanford’s 49.225 on floor gave the Cardinal a 147.625 heading into the final rotation, while Illinois’ 49.100 on vault gave the Illini a 147.475 before the sixth.

As fans watched the final rotation, the question was who would take the second spot and advance to Nationals. Stanford’s vaults flew and earned high scores. Illinois stuck handstands, had high releases and stuck some dismounts. But in the end, Stanford won. Their 49.375 topped any scored Illinois received, and Illinois just came up short. Stanford ended with a 197.000, while Illinois ended with a 196.675.

Fortunately for the Illini, they have three gymnasts advancing to Nationals (Mary Jane Horth, Sunny Kato and O’Connor), so the Illini’s season isn't completely over yet.

 

Full results can be found below.