Marissa King (Florida), Kat Ding (Georgia), Samantha Peszek (UCLA) and Geralen Stack-Eaton (Alabama) each won an NCAA title on the final day of competition at the 2011 NCAA Gymnastics Championships in Cleveland.
King, a 2008 British Olympian who has the Olympic rings tattooed on her ankle, showed an unusual Tsuk 1.5 and a full-twisting Tsukahara to win vault over Oklahoma freshman Madison Mooring and Nebraska senior Erin Davis.
Unlike in elite competition, gymnasts are allowed to show second vaults from the same family (that is, two different Yurchenko-style vaults or two different Tsukahara vaults) provided they are different.
What this leads to is gymnasts who throw a good first vault and end up watering back their second (like Florida's Alaina Johnson, who vaulted a beautiful Yurchenko full and then followed up with an easy Yurchenko layout) or gymnasts who do a good first vault and crash the second (like UCLA's Brittani McCullough, who dusted off a Yurchenko 1.5 after competing a full twisting Yurchenko all season).
Bars belonged to Ding, the Georgia favorite known for sticking her double layout dismount. Ding's victory brings a little sparkle back to the Gym Dogs program, which improved this year after a disastrous 2010 campaign but still came up short in Super Six qualification. Oregon State's Jen Kessler won silver with a routine that included a big double layout dismount, while teammate Makayla Stambaugh tied Alabama's Sarah Demeo and UCLA's Monique de la Torre.
2008 Olympic team silver medalist Samantha Peszek, sidelined during the early part of the season by a broken foot, busted out a standing tuck full -- one of the moves that made her famous as an elite gymnast -- and nailed it to capture the beam title. Peszek is one of the very few to do that element on beam in NCAA competition; the only other gymnast who comes to mind is Kelly Garrison-Steves, who competed for Oklahoma two decades ago and mounted the beam with a roundoff, tuck full (note: Betsy Hamm, older sister of Paul and Morgan Hamm, competed a layout full walkout for Florida in the mid-1990s).
Alabama's Kayla Hoffman, the runner-up in the all-around final, added another silver medal on beam, tying with UCLA junior Aisha Gerber.
Alabama junior Geralen Stack-Eaton performed a memorable rendition of "Roxanne" on floor to earn her first individual NCAA title. Stack-Eaton, who might have won the all-around Friday night had it not been for a silly mistake on a turn on beam, tumbled near-flawlessly (Arabian double front, 1.5 to front layout, double pike) and was downright elegant in her choreography. A trio of seniors -- UCLA's Brittani McCullough, the 2010 NCAA Champion on floor, 2011 all-around champion Kylee Botterman and sixth-year Florida senior Maranda Smith -- all tied for second.
Notes:
- The perfect 10 may be alive and well in NCAA gymnastics, but it did not often show up during the 2011 NCAA season. The only 10 I can recall was by Botterman on vault mid-season. There were a handful of 10s given last year, one memorably to Nebraska's Davis, who finished third on vault Sunday in Ohio.
- All of the individual event champions have at least one more year of eligibility, meaning we can look forward to more from all next season.
- There may be more parity than ever in NCAA women's gymnastics, but the traditionally top schools are still attracting the top gymnasts. Four of the five NCAA event champions are former national team members, and two (Peszek and King) have gone to the Olympics. Florida may not have won an NCAA team title (yet) but they are definitely one of the top gymnastics schools in the country, and only getting stronger.
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS WOMEN'S EVENT FINALS
Vault
- 1. Marissa King, University of Florida, 9.8750
- 2. Madison Mooring, University of Oklahoma, 9.8250
- 3. Erin Davis, University of Nebraska, 9.8188
- 4. Kayla Hoffman, University of Alabama, 9.8125
- 5T. Marissa Gutierrez, University of Alabama, 9.8000
- 5T. Janelle Giblin, University of Nebraska, 9.8000
Uneven Bars
- 1. Kat Ding, University of Georgia, 9.9125
- 2. Jen Kesler, Oregon State University, 9.8750
- 3T. Sarah DeMeo, University of Alabama, 9.8625
- 3T. Makayla Stambaugh, Oregon State, 9.8625
- 3T. Monique de la Torre, UCLA, 9.8625
Balance Beam
- 1. Samantha Peszek, UCLA, 9.9000
- 2T. Kayla Hoffman, University of Alabama, 9.8875
- 2T. Aisha Gerber, UCLA, 9.8875
- 4. Natasha Kelley, University of Oklahoma, 9.8750
- 5T. Melissa Fernandez, University of Illinois, 9.8375
- 5T. Mary Beth Lofgren, University of Utah, 9.8375
Floor Exercise
- 1. Geralen Stack-Eaton, University of Alabama, 9.9375
- 2T. Maranda Smith, University of Florida, 9.9000
- 2T. Kylee Botterman, University of Michigan, 9.9000
- 2T. Brittani McCullough, UCLA, 9.9000
- 5T. Jaime Pisani, University of Arkansas, 9.8875
- 5T. Alaina Johnson, University of Florida, 9.8875
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