Denver, CO
LSU Advances to Denver Regional Final
The Tigers are again to doing April gymnastics.
#6 LSU did sufficient to advance to the Denver Regional closing and transfer to the precipice of a nationals look. The Tigers tied #11 Oregon State for the semifinal workforce title with a 197.375, giving Oregon State their third tie of the season and LSU their first tie since a 2/19/2010 twin meet at Arkansas which snapped the longest lively streak of meets with out a tie within the SEC. Georgia completed third with a 197.000 and prolonged their shedding streak in opposition to LSU to twenty whereas Nebraska completed fourth with a 195.525. LSU will face Oregon State, #3 Michigan and regional host #14 Denver within the regional closing Sunday at 6:00 p.m. The meet can be streamed on ESPN+.
LSU Beam 49.325 (2nd place after 1)
LSU started the meet with a stable rotation. Elena Arenas led off with a 9.825, a rating that got here in following some form of judges’ convention. She regarded quick on her break up soar, had a steadiness verify and a few leg kind in her BHS LOSO and was nicely quick on her swap half, however she completed the routine robust with a caught round-off (RO) again 1.5 and stored her composure all through. Alyona Shchennikova adopted with a 9.800. She had couple of huge wobbles, one on the finish of her entrance aerial to BHS BHS acro sequence and the opposite after her aspect aerial, and was quick on her break up soar, however she caught her BHS gainer full and fought off the weirdness that was no matter occurred after Elena’s routine. Alexis Jeffrey delivered yet one more robust routine with a 9.900. She had a small verify on her wolf flip, a really small verify on her BHS LOSO and a low touchdown on her standing entrance. In truth, this was not 9.900-worthy execution in comparison with her different routines such because the one she did on the Podium Problem that earned a 9.875, but she nonetheless killed it. Sierra Ballard adopted with a 9.850 that exemplified the completely ridiculous beam judging. She had some leg in her BHS LOSO and a hip verify, a brief swap half, a verify on her kickover entrance and a giant uncontrolled step ahead on her RO again 1.5, which ought to’ve been not less than 0.30 in deductions. She’s a very good gymnast and this routine was first rate, however she’s had higher execution in routines that went 9.825, too. Anyway, Haleigh Bryant tied her profession excessive with a 9.950. The one subject with the routine was a small verify on her full flip earlier than her standing entrance, a ability she’d struggled with because the Missouri meet till nailing it on this one. That rating ended up being essential as Aleah Finnegan anchored with a 9.050, the workforce’s first beam fall since Kai Rivers led off with a fall in opposition to Missouri. It wasn’t the standard fall after a giant wobble, both, she went for her BHS LO LOSO triple sequence, realized she was off by the point her left foot was on the proper half of the beam within the second half and simply flipped backward off the beam. She went via and did the remainder of her routine, however that was an unlucky mishap.
General, this was a very good begin. It wasn’t like they have been wobbling in every single place nor have been they timid. They left a number of tenths on the market, however they didn’t go away cracks within the basis.
LSU Ground 49.525 (98.850, 1st place after 2)
LSU put up their second-best flooring rotation at a regionals meet in program historical past, tied with the rotation from the 2002 Central Regional held earlier than any of the underclassmen on the roster have been born. Sierra led off with a 9.875. She regarded quick on her swap half and stepped ahead out of her double pike, a deduction for stepping in the other way of the tumbling (signifies underrotation), however she nailed her double structure (DLO) and did a very good again 1.5 to entrance structure (FLO). Alyona adopted with a 9.875 that may’ve been simpler to research had the digital camera placement on the published been anyplace near first rate for her leaps. Because it wasn’t, the one factor I can say for sure is that she didn’t have nice management out of her entrance double full and regarded superb in any other case. Chase Brock tied her profession excessive for the second consecutive meet with a 9.925. She had the very best set of three passes she’s finished all 12 months, however her activates her swap aspect to Popa have been incomplete because it was clear she needed to flip after her Popa and never throughout it. Elena stored up the tempo with a 9.900. Her FLO to entrance full had some leg separation and management points, however she opened with a a lot better FLO to entrance double full than she did at SECs and she or he nailed her swap half for the primary time all season. I used to be involved that Aleah’s uncharacteristic beam fall might snowball right into a extra attribute flooring fall, and her 9.175 confirmed these fears. In opposition to Alabama and West Virginia, she opened her double Arabian too early and needed to step again as a substitute of doing a stag soar. This time, she opened it approach too early and sat it. She regarded actually upset when she completed the routine as if on the verge of tears, however she appeared to really feel a bit of higher after speaking with Jay. Haleigh needed to observe that up with a routine that’s been downgraded to 2 passes for this weekend, and she or he delivered the hammer with a 9.950. The one spot that regarded worthy of a deduction was her swap half, however the remainder of the routine was excellent. I’m not a fan of the truth that she finishes her tumbling in 28 seconds, however that seems like the results of her choreography not becoming a two-pass routine very nicely, particularly with the short begin.
General, this was the sort of flooring rotation the Tigers wanted to place themselves in a very good place to advance. Elena and Chase went out and did a few of their finest routines of the 12 months whereas Haleigh did her traditional stuff.
LSU Vault 49.250 (148.100, 1st place after 3)
Vault judging was further stingy right here. LSU recorded their second-lowest vault rating of the season and their first with out a 9.900+ rating. Elena led off with a 9.850 Yurchenko Full (YF) that had some leg separation within the air and a small slide again. Alyona adopted with a Yurchenko 1.5 (Y1.5) that landed a bit squatty earlier than she hopped ahead. Chase adopted with a 9.800 on her Y1.5 that was underrotated. She didn’t go for the stick and as a substitute stepped again together with her left foot, however she slid her proper foot again into her salute which may very well be why one choose gave her a 9.75. Aleah fought again to hit her Omelianchik and delivered a 9.850 with a step ahead. Bryce Wilson scored a 9.825 on her YF in her NCAA postseason debut, sticking it with a low chest and an underswing of her arms to keep up steadiness. Haleigh anchored the rotation with a 9.875, her first sub-9.900 vault of the season. Two judges gave her a 9.90, doubtless as a result of they took 0.1 for her hop again, however two others went 9.85 and doubtlessly as a result of she hit the mat on the directional line closest to the digital camera.
LSU Bars 49.275 (197.375, t-1st place)
LSU completed the meet with one other rotation that had numerous tenths left on the desk. Alexis led off with a 9.900 that had minimal leg separation within the pak salto and barely maintained handstand place within the low bar half flip however was excellent in any other case. Livvy Dunne bought the nod within the second spot and scored a 9.650. She had some leg separation in her pak, cheated her low bar half flip and was quick on her closing handstand. Her DLO was an entire cavalcade of uncharacteristic points that started when she misplaced her momentum on her first swing into it, continued into her legs bending again after releasing and completed when she landed low and needed to step ahead. Tori Tatum adopted with a 9.750 on a 9.80/9.70 counting choose break up. The routine was very stable till the HIHO dismount on which she squatted together with her ft greater than hip width aside, swung her arms to keep up her steadiness and carried some momentum backward via her salute. Aleah completed her spectacular single-meet comeback with one other 9.850. She misplaced for going approach over on her second handstand and for stepping ahead on her Fontaine, however she hit all the things else. Alyona Shchennikova, the senior from Evergreen, Colorado, clinched LSU’s spot within the regional closing with a 9.850 of her personal. She cheated the low bar half flip, was quick on her closing handstand and slid again with carried momentum on her DLO, however was in any other case nice. Haleigh completed issues off with a 9.925, shedding for a brief second handstand and maybe a slight slide of her left foot again on her touchdown. Aside from that, this was a unbelievable routine.
General, this was not LSU’s finest bars rotation, however it was sufficient to shut issues out.
General ideas:
This was LSU’s lowest-scoring meet because the Arkansas meet again in January, however it was superb. Haleigh received the all-around with a 39.700 and is assured to go to nationals both with LSU or as a person all-arounder. The Tigers left loads on the market, however they nonetheless have an opportunity to choose them up within the regional closing. A relaxation day will serve them nicely earlier than they begin on vault. It’s arduous to say rather more besides that hopefully, the celebration that begins at 2:30 will prolong into the evening.