2014 NCAA Womens Gymnastics Championships

Who Should've Made Event Finals

Who Should've Made Event Finals

Who Should've Made Event Finals

Apr 19, 2014 by Becca Reed
Who Should've Made Event Finals
The streamers have cleared for the 2014 NCAA Team competition, but there are still awards that need delivering in this year's Championships. Sunday, April 20 will be the final day of the meet as the top ranked gymnasts on each will contend to prove themselves as event champions.

But with only one top ranked gymnast from the regular season advancing to Sunday's event final-- Bridget Sloan of Florida on vault -- we propose our own list of top routines and athletes who we think should have made event finals. These routines amazed and inspired us throughout the regular season, so we tip our hats and give our kudos to these athletes who we feel rank among the best of the best.

On the beam, Rheagan Courville of LSU pulls out such a high degree of difficulty that we remiss her failure to move on to the event final. The action packed composition includes a front aerial to sissone to back gainer dismount and a handspring back layout stepout series, but it is the standing arabian that sets this routine apart. Courville combines power and grace on what many argues to be the most mentally taxing event, and she does so with ease. Courville's beam in the semifinal was just shy of her true capability, so she will not move forward. However, that does not keep us from applauding this truly remarkable routine.

Watch Courville's beam from the 2014 NCAA Semifinal here.



Also on the beam, it seems impossible that an event final cannot include and celebrate the ingenuity of UCLA's Danusia Francis. While known for her remarkable crosswise gainer aerial - back full dismount, Francis is far from a one trick pony. A Silivas variation mount to start, this routine flaunts Francis's stunning flexibility with a beautiful leg up turn, and proves her agility with a graceful front aerial to back handspring series. Francis stunned at last year's Championships, and while she won't advance to this year's finals, we award her with an honorable mention.

Watch Francis's beam from the 2014 NCAA Semifinal here.

For the bars, 2013 second-place finisher Georgia Dabritz of Utah lands just shy of making the 2014 Event Final with a 9.90 score in the semifinal rounds. Dabritz often gets recognition for her unique ability to perform high-scoring routines without using grips. But grips or no, few can hold a candle to the skillful execution and fluidity of Dabritz's routine. We mark her high on our top contenders we feel should be in the bars final.


Photo by Erin Long.

Bars is not the only place that Dabritz shines. The Utah Ute also brings high difficulty on the floor exercise. Opening with a piked full-in and completing a rudi layout stepout for the second pass would be enough to impress, but what really sets Dabritz apart from the competition is that she ends the routine with a clean triple twist. Dabritz combines elegance and athleticism earning a spot on our list.

Watch Dabritz's bars from the 2014 NCAA Semifinal here and her floor here.

Quite a few extroidinary routines will not appear in Sunday's floor event final. From UCLA comes both Sydney Sawa and Sam Peszek. Sawa competes an exceptional and extraterrestrial routine as she dances through alien inspired choreography set by Head Coach Valorie Kondos Field. The intriguing dance is not the only element that will catch the eye, however. Dynamic tumbling throughout, the round-off 1 1/2 - front half - double stag and literally melts right back into the rhythm of the routine makes Sawa's a winner.

For Peszek, the double layout opening is too world class not to include in the finals. However, Peszek also feeds her energy to the crowd sharing warmth, excitement, and charisma throughout the number. She makes the audience forget she is working as she seamlessly transitions from tumbling pass to dance to tumbling again and simply entertains. Also, she does a double turn to wolf full. Who does turns on floor in college anymore? Sam does. And so, she makes our list.

Watch Sawa's floor from the 2014 NCAA Semifinals here.
Watch Peszek's floor from the 2014 NCAA Semifinals here. 



Kytra Hunter of Florida also breaks into our wish list for the floor event final. With five perfect 10.0s during the season, it is heartwrenching to not see Hunter dazzle in Sunday's competition. The double layout and the unique roundoff 1 1/2 - flyspring - shoshanova passes make this routine a memorable one. We walk away from the 2014 Championships glad this athlete has another year of eligibility left, so we can see more of that spectacular tumbling.

Watch Hunter's perfect 10.0 floor routine here.

And last, but most certainly not least, is Lloimincia Hall of LSU. Hall experienced her own share of perfect 10.0s this season and rightfully so with one of the highest double layouts in competition today. But selfishly why do we really want this routine in the finals? So we can watch it again. And again and again and again. Never graduate, Lloimincia. We are just having too much fun with you around.



Watch Hall's floor from the 2014 NCAA Semifinal here.

So there you have it. The top routines that will not advance, but deserve proper recognition nonethless for the precision, prestige, and pizzazz they each bring in their own unique ways to the 2014 NCAA competition field. We wish them the best of luck as they close out their seasons.

To see the list of contenders that will compete in the 2014 NCAA Event Final click here.

Gymnastike Gold has all the top routines from the 2014 NCAA Championships! Click here to watch the latest videos. 

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