(GYM) Gymnastics 2023 - 2024

That was 2018 when Peng Peng Lee scored a 10 on floor to give UCLA the national championship.

 

UF is a top-notch beam team, so it doesn't bother me at all that the Gators finish on beam.

I checked the Oklahoma Gymnastics site. They report they received the Olympics rotation as the #1 seed.

UF's keys to advance remain the same:

Score 49.600+ on floor.
Maintain on vault with as many sticks as possible.
Improve on bars with as many sticks as possible.
Win or tie beam.

UF met these keys to score its season high 198.325 in the Gainesville Regional final.

Presuming UF advances to national finals, UF will likely have to score higher, say 198.500+, to have a chance to win the national championship. Unless Oklahoma makes uncommon mistakes, I see the Sooners scoring 198.600.

 

Nationals Semifinal Rotations (Times are CT):

2024_Nationals_Rotation_Order.pdf (ncaa.com)

Florida Rotations:

1. Floor
2. Vault
3. Bars
4. Beam

 

When is a 9.85 a 10.00?

When Ragan Smith of Oklahoma is regularly awarded 10s when they are not really 10s. CGN provides the documentation in pictures and video:

Judge's Inquiry: Breaking Down Every Perfect 10 From Regionals - College Gym News

Smith cranks out 10.0s on beam like no one else this season. For this routine, she has her typical bent arms on her back handspring and bent leg on her front aerial that never get deducted. But she was also a little off on her back handspring swing down. She moves through it quickly, but you can see she’s a little off to one side. I’m not exactly sure which deduction would apply, which makes sense why the judges didn’t take it, but it was an error.

Scoring Oklahoma as a team .4 to .5 higher than they deserve is nothing new to me as I've watched many Oklahoma meets grading their performances myself. This is how a team can be pushed forth as the first 199 team in the history of college gymnastics. It's also how you win meets with scores consistently in the mid 198s. All of the ignored deductions add up over the course of the meet.

With the above stated, Oklahoma is a fabulous team. The Sooners don't need the padded scores to consistently be the best in the nation. However, grading them fairly gives other highly talented teams a chance to catch and beat them when OU isn't at the top of their performance level which is not often.

 

LOL! 10,000 simulations to arrive at statistically what we all already know from watching the season:

Data Deep Dive: Simulating the 2024 National Championships - College Gym News

By percentage:

1. Oklahoma - National Champion
2. LSU - Runner Up
3. California
4. Florida
5. Utah
6. Alabama
7. Arkansas
8. Stanford

The only team being given a reasonable chance to upset Oklahoma is LSU. Where have we heard that before?

 

Highest Attended NCAA Regional:

Gators Gymnastics on X: " and ‍♀️ fans! #NCAA Gainesville Regional led the nation's four sites with more than 15,600 fans in @OConnellCenter ! #GoGators | ‍♀️ https://t.co/NzpVs2JhkG" / X (twitter.com)

More than 15,600 fans showed up for the Gainesville Regional making it the highest attended of the four regionals.

Berkeley isn't a surprise as Cal has meager crowds for a top team. I haven't checked, but I have to think 2nd and 3rd attendance went to Fayetteville and Ann Arbor.

 

Dr. Sam's Wish National Final:

Dr. Sam, PhD on X: "pls. https://t.co/wh9wZTj4pU" / X (twitter.com)

I like it, but it isn't reasonable.

 

Payton Richard's was officially removed from UF's injury list on 4/9. She is available for nationals. Since this is her 5th year, I hope Payton has the opportunity to perform at nationals.

Riley McCusker was removed last month. I doubt she'll perform whether withdrawn from the injury list or not. Too bad, UF could really use Riley on bars. I doubt it has anything to do with redshirting at this point. I don't think CJR wants to risk reinjury after having missed the season and the regionals. Riley will likely be competing for the bars, beam, and floor lineups in 2025.

The only injury left is Chloi Clark which is both a season and career ending torn ACL.

 

College Gym News Previews the National Championships:

Previewing the 2024 National Championship Team Contenders - College Gym News

Three contenders, three underdogs, and 2 dark horses.

UF the underdog:

No. 4 Florida
Semifinal Two: Thursday, April 18 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2

Starting Event: Floor

Relevant Stats: 396.230 NQS | 198.325 regional final | 197.670 AVG | 198.325 high

Why It’ll Win: Florida was on fire at the Gainesville regional. Only Oklahoma scored higher all weekend. The Gators have steadily built all year, and despite a blip at SECs, put it all together at the right time. All four all-arounders scored a 39.600 or 39.650 in the regional final. Firing on all cylinders like that, the Gators can push Oklahoma.

Why It Won’t Win: Of course, the big regionals caveat is that Florida was at home, and still scored lower than the Sooners did in Ann Arbor, albeit with different judges. It’ll take a miss by Oklahoma or a Herculean effort by Florida to get the win, and that’s not accounting for LSU, fresh off the SEC title, and California, which has sailed through the year.

Why It Would Be Cool If It Won: A win would mark the Gators’ first time atop the podium in nearly a decade. The last time they hoisted the trophy, Kytra Hunter, Bridget Sloan, and Bridgette Caquatto were in leotards.

 

National Semifinals Schedule Today from College Gym Fans:

NCAA Semifinals April 18th, 2024

Time Meet Stats Video
3:30 pm CT NCAA Semifinals, Session 1 Link ESPN2
8:00 pm CT NCAA Semifinals, Session 2 Link ESPN2

College Gym News: The Mount Predictions:

The Mount: Predictions, Picks, and Other Things to Know Ahead of NCAA Nationals - College Gym News

Oklahoma is the unanimous pick as national champion.

Three of the advancing teams are unanimous to the final: California, LSU, and Oklahoma. It's split 3-2 in Florida's favor over Utah for the 4th slot.

Alabama, Arkansas, and Stanford have no CGN predictions support for advancing to the final.

I wish the Gators well. I hope they show up relaxed and ready to put up their best scores of the season. Other than being knocked off in the semifinal which I think is 50:50, they have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Go Gators!

 

Sloane Blakeley in Dallas soaking in the arena:

Gators Gymnastics on X: "taking it all in✨ #GoGators | #WeChomp https://t.co/RTuAWny67J" / X (twitter.com)

The team needs leadership and solid performances out of Sloane at nationals.

 

easy to see gators tonight. the others in the quad are shades of red or white.----------session 1 at 4:30 et on espn2.

 

dr. jeckyl showed up for lsu on beam and they showed why they are the best floor team. stick a few landings on vault and the tiggers can take down the sooners.