On Vault, Marissa King stuck her Tsukahara Layout 1 1/2 twist to secure the win. Her second vault of a layout Tsuk full had a small hop. OU's Madison Mooring used a Yurchenko Layout 1/2 and a Yurchenko Layout Full to take second. Erin Davis of NU landed a Yurchenko Layout 1 1/2 but stepped to the side. She followed that up with a big Layout Yurchenko full. Only four event finalists attempted two 10.0 start value vaults.
On UB, Kat Ding of Georgia went early and hit her dismount for the win. Despite what she described as perhaps not her top effort of the year, the consistent Ding nailed her set when it mattered. Oregon State's Jen Kesler was 2nd. A trio of athletes tied in third: Sarah Demeo of Bama, Makayla Stambaugh of Oregon State, and Monique DeLaTorre of UCLA. Just the smallest of hops separated the top placers, while some favorites took steps on their dismount, and only one fell.
Sam Peszek of UCLA used the event finals as a chance to throw a standing full twisting back tuck into her set. Her set was packed with difficulty and she was rewarded accordingly. Bama's Kayla Hoffman and UCLA's Aisha Gerber tied for 2nd. There were no falls in the final, and just small details separated the top finalists, with exception of Peszek's finals-worthy upgrade.
Geralen Stack-Eaton, who was one bobble away from the AA title, won the individual National title on FX to cap off a great weekend for the Bama faithful. She hit her double Arabian mount and a double pike dismount to close. Florida's Maranda Smith tied with Michigan's Kylee Botterman and UCLA's Brittani McCullough for 2nd. Smith and Botterman both opened with pike full-ins, while McCullough did hers in tuck. Super high tumbling was evidenced in the finals, with only two finalists not throwing FIG E skills (but both did Ds in combination). Landing control and dance execution separated the finalists.
Link: Scores
The Honda Award nominations recognize outstanding athletes for their athletic skills, academic performance, leadership skills and community service. The Honda Award Winners in 12 NCAA sports are eligible for the Honda-Broderick Cup, which honors the collegiate female athlete of the year. This year's nominees in gymnastics are:
Kylee Botterman - Michigan
Kayla Hoffman - Alabama
Brittani McCullough - UCLA
Sharaya Musser - PSU
Pommel Horse - T - Daniel Ribeiro, Illinois and Alex Naddour, OU
Parallel Bars -Tyler Mizoguchi, Illinois
Floor -Jacob Dalton, OU
Rings -Brandon Wynn, OSU
Vault -Jacob Dalton, OU
High Bar - Alex Buscaglia, Stanford
Alabama topped the field with an impressive 197.650, edging defending national champs UCLA (197.375). Rounding out the field:
3- OU (197.250)
4- Nebraska (196.725)
5- Utah (196.500)
6- Michigan (196.425)
Stanford scored 363.450 to hold off OU for the men's national title. OU (361.600) and Illinois (360.150) rounded out the top three spots. Michigan's Sam Mikulak won the AA title.
Advancing from the first session: OU (196.775), Michigan (196.700) and UCLA (196.500).
Advancing from the second session: Alabama (197.05), NU (196.85), and Utah (196.20)
Michigan's Kylee Botterman finished the day with the top AA score, 39.525. Kayla Hoffman narrowly missed out on the AA title with her score of 39.50.
Advancing from Session 1: OU, Illinois, PSU
Advancing from Session 2: Stanford, Cal, Michigan
As the AAI Award winner, Michigan's Kylee Botterman has been named the top senior student-athlete in NCAA Division I women's gymnastics.
OU's Steven Legendre was named the recipient of the Nissen-Emery Award. The award goes to the nation's outstanding men's senior.
Link: NCAA Release
Often expected spring signings are announced here as verbal commitments prior to the spring signing period. Any official announcements issued this week will be posted here. However, the late signing period continues through August 1, so watch for additional announcements through the summer.
Bridget Sloan - UF
Georgia Dabritz and Tory Wilson - Utah
Randi Lau to graduate early - LSU
Kaitlyn Betts - USU
Ivana Hong and Becky Wing - Stanford
Austin Sheppard represented Hungary on three events in the qualifying round of the European Championships last week. She placed 13th on vault and narrowly missed a shot at the event finals. Shepphard verbally committed to Michigan for the 2012-13 season.
Vault:
Bars:
Beam:
Floor:
Bridgeport took its third straight USAG Collegiate National title, posting a 194.05. TWU was 2nd in 193.3, Air Force third at 191.975 and SPU 4th at 190.95.
Link: TWU Release
TWU won the second session at the USAG Collegiate Championships, posting a 194.125. Host Air Force also advanced with a 193.2. TWU's Brittany Johnson led her squad by winning the AA with a 39.075. Brittany Dutton of Air Force was 2nd.
Link: Air Force Release