Afternoon Session, Friday April 18th

In the afternoon session, #1 LSU will look to punch their ticket to the Super Six.   To do so, they will have to outpace OU, UGA, Stanford, Michigan and Illinois. 

All season long, a deep and talented LSU squad has avoided counting a major mistake.  That type of success breeds confidence, so a complete Tiger meltdown is unlikely.  Even with a counting mistake, this squad may have enough power on the other events to still advance.  LSU does face one additional challenge:  they end on beam. 

OU will give the Tigers a strong challenge.  Although they lack the power of LSU, OU makes up for it with clean, consistent execution.  They too must hit, but they've been just about as consistent as LSU all season long.  Their first test comes first, as they start on beam.  

UGA had some troubles at Regionals and were somewhat fortunate not to be in one of the more competitive Regions.  Beam and sometimes floor have given the Gym Dogs fits this season.  They excel on the UB, but they must navigate the terrors of the beam to advance. 

If they falter, Michigan and Stanford look to challenge.  In fact, even if UGA doesn't falter, these two squads will be challenging for the final spot in the Super Six.  Michigan excels on the power events of floor and vault, but lost vault anchor Austin Sheppard to an injury.  Still, as long as they can survive the beam, they will give UGA a run for their money.  Stanford, unlike UGA and Michigan, excels on the BB.  Like the Sooner, this squad lacks some of the big E skill tumbing on the floor.  But on UB and BB, their clean execution and great lines and toe point help them gain strong scores.  Illinois completes the field and will look to post a strong performance in their return to Nationals.   

Evening Session, Friday, April 18th

In what Bama Coach Sarah Patterson calls, "the most competitive preliminary in the history of NCAA gymnastics",  three former NCAA champions will battle defending Champion Florida.  UCLA, Utah and host Bama will battle in a pressure cooker of a session.  If more than two falter, NU and PSU will look to capture one of three slots in the final. 

Florida has proven themselves to be vulnerable, after troubles on the BB at the Regional meet.  A repeat of that performance, and the Gators could find themselves in the stands on Saturday night.  This session affords no team a cushion, a luxury they had at the Regional meet. 

Host Bama is coming off a strong finish at Regionals, where they finished roughly "a counting fall" worth of points ahead of Nebraska.  They are featuring a number of young competitors, but the support of the home crowd should give them a boost.  Utah also had a strong Regional meet, breezing through their toughest rotation, BB.  The Utes excel on floor and vault, with some of the biggest tumbling and vaulting of the night.   

BB is also key for the Bruins, and it's their first event.  Although they are usually a strong finishing team, late season injuries have cut into their momentum and their depth.  They too had a solid meet at Regionals, just when they needed it.  However, if all the teams hit, the better depth of UF, Bama and Utah may give them the edge.

But that is a big "if".  If any of the teams falter, expect NU to be just a shade behind.  A general lack of depth on UB and BB has held back the Huskers, but with two weeks to prepare and get healthy, they could surprise.  PSU has gradually improved all season long, and they will look to maximize their shot on the National stage.   

AA Battle

The AA will be decided on Friday, with defending Champion Bridget Sloan of Florida looking to begin a string of Championships.  Her top challengers include teammates Alaina Johnson and Kytra Hunter, LSU's Rheagan Courville, Michigan's Joanna Sampson, UCLA's Sam Peszek, NU's Emily Wong and individual qualifier Katherine Grable of Arkansas.

Scores tend to rise during the preliminary session, which means the AA champ typically comes from the evening session.  This extra boost means the three Gators, NU's Wong, Arkansas' Grable and UCLA's Peszek are likely the leading contenders for the title.  However, anything can and will happen.  

Link:  Rotation Schedule