UIC won the ECAC title, posting a season-high 346.9. Temple was 2nd with a 388.3, W&M 3rd with a 336.5, Springfield 4th with a 333.2, Navy in 5th with a 326.7 and Army in 6th with a 324.3.
The AA winner was UIC's Kyle Voissem.
Link: UIC Release
In DU, #1 Florida struggled on BB, their final event, to leave the door open for Arkansas and Boise State. Arkansas stayed steady on UB for the win, their second over UF this season. On the last event, Boise State ended just short of upsetting UF, with a few uncharacteristic wobbles late in the lineup that proved to be the 0.025 difference. Advancing as individual AAers are Boise State's Amy Glass and DU's Brianna Springer. Also advancing as individuals on BB are Bekah Gher of Boise State and Jorie Hall of DU.
| 1 | University of Arkansas | 196.550 |
| 2 | University of Florida | 196.425 |
| 3 | Boise State University | 196.400 |
| 4 | University of Denver | 195.625 |
| 5 | University of Arizona | 195.400 |
| 6 | Brigham Young University | 194.650 |
Link: Results and Arkansas Release and Boise St Release and DU Release
Bama and Illinois advanced out of the Tuscaloosa Regional. Bama cruised to a 197.275. Illinois hit a 49.075 on the BB to edge PSU, 195.925 to 195.8, as the last round of competition once again determined the outcome. Two individuals advanced: Sharaya Musser of PSU and Kylie Shields of AU.
1. Bama 197.275
2. Illinois 195.925
3. PSU 195.85
4. AU 195.6
5. CMU 195.075
6. UK 195.175
Link: Bama Results and Bama Release
Oregon State posted a 197.025 to advance to the National meet. The hosts defeated 2nd place NU's 196.55. In the rest of the field, MSU posted a solid effort to take third in 194.5. The top two AAers not on an advancing team are Iowa's Rebecca Simbhudas and Houry Gebeshian. In addition, Katie Valleau of San Jose St advanced on FX.
| 1 | Oregon State | 197.025 |
| 2 | Nebraska | 196.550 |
| 3 | Michigan State | 194.525 |
| 4 | San Jose State | 194.425 |
| 5 | Iowa | 193.925 |
| 6 | Southern Utah | 193.775 |
Link: Results and NU Release
Michigan posted a 197.075 to win the Regional. But in the big story, Kent State, the sixth seed in the Region, edged the field to advance to Nationals, which they will host in two weeks. Stanford counted a fall on BB to set up an intense final rotation, as Kent State and Ohio State traded off hit routines. Minnesota ended up tied with Stanford, after lower totals on VT and UB. Advancing as individual are Ohio State's Rebecca Best in the BB and Minnesota's Kayla Slechta and Iowa State's Michelle Shealy in the AA.
| 1 | University of Michigan | 197.075 |
| 2 | Kent State University | 195.450 |
| 3 | Ohio State University | 195.350 |
| 4 | University of Minnesota | 195.225 |
| 4 | Stanford University | 195.225 |
| 6 | Iowa State University | 194.800 |
Link: Prelim Scores and Michigan Release
Oklahoma won with a 197.35 and Utah stayed calm on the last event with a 196.475 to overtake UW. While OU hit every event, UW hit VT and FX to set up a huge UB rotation to take the lead over Utah. But, nerves and excitement led to some early falls that deflated the team's momentum. Utah started strongly on UB and then faced an equipment malfunction, which delayed the completion of their UB set. Unfazed, they avoide mishaps to advance. UNC's Morgan Evans and UW's Aliza Vaccher advanced as the top two AAers.
1. OU 197.35
2. Utah 196.475
3. UW 195.3
4. UNC 195.225
5. UNH 194.5
6. Missouri 194.175
Link: OU Results and OU Release and Utah Release and UW Release
UCLA posted a 197.425 for the win. UGA claimed the 2nd spot at Nationals with a 196.75. LSU's Kaleigh Dickson and NC State's Stephanie Ouellette are the top two AAers on a non advancing team and should qualify to Nationals as well.
| 1 | UCLA | 197.425 |
| 2 | University of Georgia | 196.750 |
| 3 | Louisiana State University | 195.350 |
| 4 | North Carolina State University | 194.750 |
| 5 | University of Maryland | 193.200 |
| 6 | West Virginia University | 192.500 |
Link: Results and UCLA Release
Illinois won the Big 10 title Friday night. Michigan, led by frosh Sam Mikulak's win in the AA, placed 2nd.
Team Standings:
1. Illinois 355.55
2. Michigan 352.75
3. Ohio State 350
4. PSU 349
5. Minnesota 344.4
6. Iowa 339.3
AA:
1. Sam Mikulak, Michigan 89.05
2. Kris Done, Ohio State, 86.6
3. Tyler Mizoguchi, Illinois 85.7
Link: Michigan Release
As always, we'll have links to scores and coverage posted for Saturday afternoon. Here's a brief overview of the meets.
Athens Regional, 4 p.m. ET
#6 UCLA, #8 Georgia, #18 LSU, #26 NC State, #28 Maryland, #29 West Virginia
With the way the Regionals are seeded, the teams in ranks 5 to 8 are usually paired with seeds #17 and #18. This produces a challenging situation for any of the teams in the Regional field to surpass either of the teams in the top two positions. That's made even more difficult when one of the Top 2 seeds is also a host. Hosting gives a distinct advantage to the host, even with the diverse four-judge panels in place at the Regional meet. The equipment is usually familiar, and the gym and its spatial cues (the lighting, the ceiling height, the give in the subfloor, etc) are familiar. What's more, the host gets to sleep in their own bed, eat familiar food, and perhaps most of all, get the support of a large and partisan crowd.
All three seeded teams have experienced some inconsistency during the year, but it may not be enough, barring a complete meltdown, to shake up the final standings. Host UGA is coming off a strong performance at the SECs, while UCLA is building back consistency. A stable performance should be enough to stay ahead of the rest of the field, led by a young LSU squad.
Norman Regional, 4 p.m. CT
#5 Oklahoma, #7 Utah, #17 Washington, #32 New Hampshire, #33 Missouri, #35 North Carolina
This is the other top heavy regional, with the combined total of the top two seeds being "12", the lowest total of any Regional. Host OU has been strong all season, with its highest score coming on the road. Despite a young squad and some injuries, Utah has remained consistent all season long. #3 Seed UW upset the then #3 Stanford at the Pac 10s, and has performed equally well on the road as at home. But, OU and Utah will look to stay consistent and avoid major mistakes that might lead to an upset.
Ann Arbor Regional, 6 p.m. ET
#4 Stanford, #9 Michigan, #16 Ohio State, #21 Iowa State, #23 Minnesota, #24 Kent State
Stanford and host Michigan will look to hold off a young Ohio State squad, plus one of the strongest 1-6 seeded fields. Stanford is coming off a somewhat lackluster performance at the Pac-10s. A repeat of that meet or counting a fall ould leave them vulnerable. The Cardinal have been very consistent all season long, however, not even counting a fall at the Pac-10s. Both of the top two seeds will look to stay not only major mistake free, but must not give up easy tenths on steps, OOB, and wobbles along the way. For the young Buckeyes, the UB rotation could prove to be key, while VT and FX remain strong. Both Iowa State and Minnesota hope to not lose too much ground on VT while remaining consistent on the other events, in hopes of an opportunity.
Corvallis Regional, 4 p.m. PT
#3 Oregon State, #10 Nebraska, #15 Iowa, #31 Southern Utah, #34 San Jose State, #36 Michigan State
Host Oregon State will look to continue their momentum while holding off any upset, in order to advance. Like the Beavers, NU is coming off a big conference championship win. Both teams are very clean and have demonstrated good consistency in the 2nd half of the season. This makes the job especially tough for Iowa, which is experiencing one of its best seasons in quite a while. This is the weakest of the Regional fields, however, with the three lower ranked teams hampered by injury and inconsistency.
Tuscaloosa Regional, 6 p.m. CT
#2 Alabama, #11 Penn State, #14 Illinois, #22 Auburn, #25 Central Michigan, #30 Kentucky
#2 Bama is another high seeded host who will be difficult to knock off, barring any major issues with the young Tide lineup. Thus, it will be #11 PSU that will have the big target drawn on them by the rest of the field. The BB is often the decider, and it will be the key event to watch here. The pressure of Regionals and an unfavorable rotation draw makes it a tough task for the #2 and #3 seeds in each Regional. PSU gave a close challenge to Michigan in the Big 10s, but Illinois was not far behind. AU, CMU and UK look to stay as close as possible as well.
Denver Regional, 6 p.m. MT
#1 Florida, #12 Arkansas, #13 Boise State, #19 Denver, #20 Arizona, #27 BYU
#1 Florida may have lost the SEC title, but if they compete confidentally at DU, they should advance. #12 Arkansas, with a young squad, was upset by #27 BYU earlier in the season. Although Arkansas has been building momentum in the 2nd half of the season, that earlier upset illustrates just how close this meet could be. Tensions will mount, and the first two rotations will be critical. Host DU has a built-in home and rotational advantage, but Boise State has had strong performances from their stars. For all six squads, the atmosphere will be a high altitude pressure cooker that may produce some unexpected results.
Bridget Sloan told Universal Sports that she plans to defer until 2012.
Sabrina Hoover has committed to compete for Winona State, according to a news article. The L10 gymnastics competed for Gleasons in Minnesota last season and she is a three-time high school state champion.
2008 Olympic team member and 2009 World AA Champion Bridget Sloan has reportedly committed to Florida. In 2010, Sloan competed two events at the Covergirl Classic (2nd BB, 4th UB). Internationally, she represented the USA at the Pacific Rim Championships and World Championships (4th UB). The veteran National Team member trains at Sharp's Gymnastics in Indiana.
Sloan's commitment was reported via Twitter. In an interview with USA Gymnastics, she said she intends to defer enrollment until 2012-2013.
2010 video
Universal Sports Interview
The NCAA Women's Gymnastics Committee has set the regional sites for 2012 and 2013. Additionally, the NCAA has set the '12 Nationals meet at the Gwinnett Center in Georgia and and '13 Nationals meet at UCLA
USA Gymnastics Collegiate National Champions on each individual event:
FX: Jimmy Pezzino, Springfield
PH: James Okamoto, Air Force
Rings: Nash Mills, Air Force
VT: Tory Brown, Air Force
PB: Nash Mills, Air Force
HB: Ty Evans, Springfield
Link: Springfield Release
Naomi DeLara of UW Stout won VT and BB as the event finals at the NCGA Nationals concluded. Hamline's Lissette LaFex won the UB while Ithaca's Jessica Bolduc won the FX.
Link: Results