A sprained ankle that may decide all of it. Probably the most spectacular show of mask-wearing you have ever seen. Two viral superstars. And an underdog story for the ages.
It has been two years since we have topped an NCAA gymnastics champion. However these eight groups — and a slew of certified people — would possibly make it definitely worth the wait.
In entrance of a restricted crowd of about three,250 on the new Dickies Enviornment in Fort Price, Texas, the motion will get underway with Florida, Minnesota, California and Michigan in Friday’s first semifinal (1 p.m. ET; ESPN2) and Oklahoma, Alabama, Utah and LSU competing within the evening session (6 p.m. ET; ESPN2). The highest two groups from every semifinal will advance to Saturday’s workforce closing (three:30 p.m. ET; ABC). Particular person occasion winners and the all-around champ might be topped Friday evening.
From Oklahoma’s quest to defend its title to LSU’s dynamic duo that may simply reverse this system’s NCAA fortunes, here is what it is advisable to know forward of the season’s closing weekend.
Trinity Thomas: Comeback queen?
The No. 1-ranked all-arounder on the No. 1 workforce within the nation, all eyes will undoubtedly be on Florida’s Trinity Thomas in the course of the afternoon session of Friday’s semifinals. She’s been restricted to simply bars for the previous month resulting from an ankle harm, however her teammates and followers are hopeful she might be wholesome sufficient to return to all 4 occasions this weekend.
If she is, there’s not a lot to say to each different workforce aside from: Good luck. You are going to want it.
A longtime nationwide workforce member, who additionally hopes to earn a spot on this summer time’s Olympic roster for Tokyo, Thomas is the one gymnast within the nation this season to be named an All-American on each single occasion and for the all-around. Ranked No. 1 on bars and No. 2 on flooring, she’s acquired 4 excellent 10.zero scores this 12 months (two on flooring, two on bars).
If you happen to’re nonetheless not getting what makes her so (so) good, maybe the ground routine under will assist.
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— SEC Community (@SECNetwork) February 13, 2021
To cite commentator Kathy Johnson Clarke, “The double format is out of this world. Others are wonderful. Hers are really — exponentially — higher.”
Thomas will look to steer the Gators to their fourth NCAA title, and first since 2015, in addition to take house some shiny hardware for herself.
California Love
It is commonplace to see a workforce from California on the NCAA championships.
It is simply often that different state college — you realize, the one in Los Angeles — and never the one from Berkeley. However following probably the greatest seasons in program historical past, Cal is making its third-ever nationals look.
The Golden Bears held off the Bruins in the course of the regional finals earlier this month to safe their spot by notching their second-best workforce rating in program historical past (197.750). Whereas robust on all 4 occasions, it is what they did on bars at regionals and all through the season that units them aside.
Simply how good is Cal on the occasion? Other than being ranked No. 1 within the nation as a workforce, the Golden Bears notched 4 of the seven spots on the all-conference workforce and tied the collegiate report for finest mixed rating (49.825) on bars. That is proper — they’re NCAA-record-making good.
And, in case you missed this final month, senior Emi Watterson acquired an ideal rating — simply the fourth at school historical past — in the course of the meet and went viral. She additionally occurred to be carrying a masks throughout your entire routine.
Watch the routine under and get very excited to observe the all-bars live stream on Friday.
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— Cal Athletics (@CalAthletics) March 7, 2021
Why not LSU?
The phrase, “At all times the bridesmaid, by no means the bride” will get thrown round lots, however in LSU’s case, it really could not be extra correct. A perennial contender, the Tigers have come this near profitable the title over time. They’ve made the workforce closing seven occasions and brought house three runner-up trophies — however have by no means been in a position to end the job.
However might 2021 lastly be the 12 months for LSU? In his first season as head coach following the retirement of the legendary D-D Breaux, Jay Clark has had his justifiable share of struggles with workforce consistency, however on this pandemic-affected, unprecedented season, something is feasible.
The Tigers enter the weekend ranked No. three within the nation and are led by sophomore Kiya Johnson and freshman Haleigh Bryant — who’ve a mixed 5 excellent scores on the season.
Johnson is the top-ranked gymnast within the nation on flooring and gained the SEC title final month on the occasion. You are going to need to ensure you can clear the subsequent 95 seconds of your life right here to observe this in full as a result of you do not need to overlook her flawless double pike closing tumbling go.
Bryant was named the SEC Freshman of the 12 months, and took house a share of the convention title on vault. She’s ranked No. three within the nation on the occasion, in addition to No. four on flooring.
Even with attendance restricted to 25% capability, the Tigers all the time convey one of many rowdiest and liveliest fan bases — and it’ll most likely really feel like they gained whatever the precise consequence.
Fortunate No. 7?
LSU will not be the one workforce on the lookout for its first nationwide title this weekend. Cal, Michigan and Minnesota are all hoping to make historical past for his or her respective packages. As simply six groups have mixed to win all 39 championship trophies within the historical past of the occasion on the NCAA stage, it will not precisely be a straightforward feat.
The truth is, we’ve not seen a first-time winner since Oklahoma in 2014.
However Michigan hopes the 25th time is the appeal (yup, that is what number of occasions the squad has reached the semifinal spherical) and is using a critical scorching streak. The Wolverines swept all of the occasion titles, together with the all-around, in the course of the regional finals and even set a program-record on bars (49.725). Junior Natalie Wojcik has notched two excellent scores this season on vault and beam and, because the 2019 NCAA beam champion, she positively has what it takes to get that natty.
Michigan’s Large Ten foe Minnesota has its personal celebrity in senior Lexy Ramler, who was the all-around runner-up at nationals in 2019. She scored a 9.90 or higher on each occasion on the regional finals and in addition has nabbed two 10.zero scores in 2021 on vault and beam.
Utah, in contrast, is searching for its record-tying 10th NCAA workforce title however first since 1995. And if there’s ever a time to snap that title drought, it’d simply be 2021. Coming off a Pac-12 victory and advancing to the NCAA championships for the 39th-straight 12 months — sure, that is yearly for these of you protecting monitor — the Purple Rocks are led by a beam queen of their very own in Maile O’Keefe. The sophomore earned a 10.zero on the occasion this season and gained the convention crown — in addition to the all-around title and on bars and flooring.
Roll Tide
Whereas Florida and LSU acquired their justifiable share of headlines and expectations this season, it was Alabama who shocked nearly everybody by profitable the convention title in March.
The Crimson Tide is led by sophomore Luisa Blanco, who clinched the SEC workforce victory and the all-around title with a 9.95 on beam to finish the meet. Later named the SEC Gymnast of the 12 months, Blanco is ranked No. four within the nation within the all-around and No. 6 on beam.
If you happen to do not acknowledge her title, you would possibly need to take the remainder of the day to get acquainted. Blanco has confirmed she is at her finest within the clutch and might be a critical contender for a number of titles in Fort Price.
We’ll simply drop her SEC-winning beam routine right here. Come for the heroics, keep for the artistry. And the class. And the toe factors. And the pliability. And the arrogance. We expect you get the concept.
Warning: This would possibly get even probably the most ardent Alabama hater to yell, “ROLL TIDE.” You have been warned.
In search of revenge
OK, you did not really assume we’d write this complete factor with out speaking in regards to the defending champions, did you?
The Oklahoma Sooners are in search of their fourth title since 2016 and are tied with Florida because the top-ranked workforce within the nation. The workforce had its undefeated season and eight-year Large 12 title streak snapped by Denver final month however got here out on the lookout for revenge at regional finals, with a 198.175 — the best rating by any workforce at any website.
The workforce is led by senior and co-Large 12 Gymnast of the 12 months Anastasia Webb who has probably the most spectacular resumes in faculty gymnastics. Ranked within the prime 5 within the all-around and on beam, and the top-ranked vaulter within the nation, she has nabbed 30 occasion titles and earned 4 excellent 10.zero scores this 12 months (one on bars, one on beam and two on vault).
IT’S A PERFECT 10 FOR ANASTASIA WEBB!!!!! pic.twitter.com/PC7mkByp08
– Oklahoma Ladies’s Fitness center (@OU_WGymnastics) February 14, 2021
And whereas Webb is greater than spectacular on her personal, are you aware what’s higher than having one top-ranked vaulter in your roster?
Two top-ranked vaulters. Webb is tied with teammate Evy Schoepfer for the highest spot. And, each Schoepfer and Olivia Trautman additionally earned excellent scores on the occasion this 12 months.
So yeah, did we point out Oklahoma is admittedly good?
And the Sooners are actually not wanting any additional motivation — with a victory on Saturday, they’d develop into simply the fifth workforce in NCAA gymnastics historical past to hit the five-title milestone.
The solo acts
One of the crucial uncommon facets of the competitors is the addition of particular person qualifiers. For the uninitiated: The highest-scoring gymnasts at regionals from groups who didn’t qualify are eligible to compete and are then assigned to rotate with one of many eight groups for the competitors. For instance, UCLA didn’t advance to the workforce competitors for the primary time since 2006, however Chae Campbell, a freshman, certified for the all-around and might be competing alongside the LSU workforce on Friday.
What makes this so enjoyable? Effectively, let’s simply begin with this tweet from LSU’s Bryant:
did we simply be taught Chae Campbell’s whole flooring routine so we are able to do it along with her on the sidelines at nationals….��
– Haleigh Bryant (@haleighbryant3) April 11, 2021
And also you higher consider the Tigers might be dancing with Campbell and cheering her on all through, as will a number of of the groups for his or her new honorary members. (After all the people’ scores are solely used to win particular person awards — so if Campbell crushes it, her scores do not assist LSU in any manner aside from morale.)
Denver’s Lynnzee Brown, Arkansas’ Kennedy Hambrick and Arizona State’s Hannah Scharf may even be competing for particular person occasions and the all-around crown. (And if you do not know Brown’s inspiring story, you might want to read up before competition gets underway.)
Campbell’s UCLA teammates Margzetta Frazier and Nia Dennis might be competing on bars and vault, respectively, however as neither certified for flooring, which means we cannot see both of their viral routines this weekend. We might go on and on about what a travesty it’s that Dennis, a senior, did not have the prospect to carry out both of her internet-breaking routines from 2020 or 2021 at NCAAs, or that neither ever earned a 10.zero rating, however let’s simply watch the QUEEN collectively one final time for outdated occasions’ sake and do the air spelling of her title from the consolation of our sofa.