Who To Watch & Why:
Semifinal 1
#3 Florida
The big question. The big question for the Florida Gators is whether superstar Trinity Thomas will be able to compete. After abruptly stopping mid floor routine in the Regional Semifinal, Florida reported the 5th year senior standout sustained a lower leg injury and is taking things day by day. Despite the loss of Thomas, the Gators posted a 197.800 to advance to the NCAA Championships. However, the Gators finished second to the Cal Bears which makes for a thrilling Semifinal 1 featuring a rematch with the Bears, as well as the LSU Tigers and Denver Pioneers who pulled off upsets against #3 Michigan to advance. It really is anyone’s game!
In Fort Worth, the Gators will look to freshman phenom Kayla DiCello and Leanne Wong to bring in those big 9.95+ scores near the end of every rotation. Luckily Florida has a very strong supporting cast with gymnasts like Riley McCusker, Victoria Nguyen, Payton Richards, Ellie Lazzari, Rachel Baumann and Sloane Blakely, all of which are capable of putting up scores in the 9.9 range and keeps the Gators in the conversation even without their star athlete. If the Gators want a shot at the title this year, the key will be consistency across the board and bringing in as big of a score as they can on bars, beam and floor to create some cushion. At the Regional Finals the Gators had four 10.0 start values in their vault lineup and only two scores above 9.9. It’s not the end all be all, but puts the Gators at a slight disadvantage compared to a team like Oklahoma. Stuck landings are a must to keep the gap close here!
#4 California
Game on. The Cal Bears are on a roll after what has been another record-breaking season! The Bears posted their highest NCAA postseason score (198.075) to win their first ever NCAA Regional Championship and advance to the NCAA Championship for only the fifth time in history. Cal is a team stacked with talent and big names like eMjae Frazier (who broke Cal’s All-Around record in the finals with a 39.750), Madelyn Williams, Nevaeh DeSouza, Mya Lauzon and Andi Li – just to name a few!
Cal has one of the best bar and beam teams in the country (their beam performance in the Regional Final was one of the best we’ve ever seen in the NCAA) which is where they will end their day during Semifinal #1. If the Bears can get a strong start on floor and vault, where they are ranked #10 nationally on both events, expect them to be right in the mix to make their first Four on the Floor appearance and possibly even have a shot at the title. The Bears posted the highest team score out of all the teams competing in the Regional Finals! – Could they assume “favorite” status heading to Fort Worth?!
#6 LSU
Let’s Geaux! The LSU Tigers have had to overcome incredible adversity this season to make it back to the NCAA Championships, including the loss of one of their star athletes Kiya Johnson early in the season. The road has been anything but easy for the Tigers, but they don’t call them the fighting tigers for nothing! With the help of some huge scores from star Haleigh Bryant at the Denver Regional and the entire team rising to the occasion to ensure the Tigers didn’t count a score below 9.850 on any event, the Tigers were able to edge out the Michigan Wolverines and advance to the NCAA Championships by winning the tie-breaker (all scores count).
Now that they’ve punched their ticket, don’t expect LSU to relax and be satisfied with simply qualifying to the NCAA Championships. With KJ Johnson back on vault, Chase Brock’s consistency improving, and big numbers (think 10.0’s) possible all four events from Aleah Finnegan and Bryant, expect the Tigers to be hungry for more and ready to fight for a spot in the Final.
#8 Denver
Bracket buster! The Denver Pioneers will make their sixth NCAA appearance as a team after coming out of the Denver Regional Final on top (197.875), ahead of LSU, Michigan, and Oregon State. The Pioneers could really make a mark with another performance like that in Fort Worth! The team is led by sixth year and fan favorite Lynnzee Brown who looks better than ever, and who is bringing in huge scores for the Pioneers as expected on all four events, in addition to junior Jessica Hutchinson who has scored a 10 on beam and floor already this season.
The Pioneers will have Olympic rotation order during Semifinal 1, which could be a benefit and allow the Pioneers to get a solid start on vault, bars and beam where they are ranked in the top 10 nationally. The Pioneers have had an incredible season, breaking their team, vault, beam and floor records this year and coming within .025 of breaking the bar record, so we anticipate them to keep that fire lit in Fort Worth in what is expected to be the most competitive NCAA Championships yet!
