I'm back with a new post! This time with a short series of my favorite moments and routines on each event. Today I'll be focusing on vault, choosing my top 10 vaults of the season. Rather it helped a team to victory, it's different and interesting, or it's the first time a gymnast stuck it, these are favorite vault moments! Feel free to comment your favorite vaults of 2018 below, these are just my opinion :)
1. Sarah Edwards (LSU) - Super Six Finals
It was the final rotation of the Super Six, and LSU still had a slim chance of capturing their first National title. They needed to stick most if not all of their vaults to do it, and that's exactly what Sarah Edwards did, scoring a 9.95. It was the first time Edwards had stuck her Yurchenko 1.5 cold all season, and she couldn't have done it at better time. She gets so much height and amplitude on her 1.5, it was one of my favorites to watch all season. Her reaction to sticking it is one of the best parts too!
2. Mykayla Skinner (Utah) - NCAA Semifinals
Skinner competes a double twisting yurchenko week in and week out, and that in and of itself is incredible. She has so much power that it's often hard to stick it, and sometimes her form isn't the prettiest. But in Semifinals she came out and did her best DTY of the season to be crowned the NCAA tri-champion on vault with a 9.9375. It was a well deserved title, and I hope we see her stick it more next season!
3. Brenna Dowell (Oklahoma) - Perfect 10 vs. UCLA
There were so many amazing things about this particular meet, and Dowell finally getting her well deserved Perfect 10 on vault was one the best! Her Yurchenko 1.5 is gorgeous, and she can stick it cold every time! It's not fair that she goes so early in OU's vault lineup, often taking away her chances of getting a 10. I hope to see Dowell moved down later in the lineup next year so she can get the scores she deserves!
4. Cami Drouin-Allaire (George Washington) - First DTY
Cami was one of GW's superstar seniors, competing as a top AAer every week. Her best event was usually vault, with a stunning full twisting Yurchenko capable of scoring in the 9.9s. But towards the end of her senior season, she debuted a great DTY, surprising all of us gym nerds. She didn't stick it in the video below, but she got great height and form on it for a 9.900.
5. Alex McMurtry (Florida) - FTY vs. Georgia
Obviously McMurtry has an incredible DTY, but I'm going to switch it up and say this stuck, flared out full twisting Yurchenko is one of my favorites this season. I've been obsessed with her vaults since she was freshman, I could watch them all day. She can sometimes get a little bouncy out of FTYs, but this one was perfect and I still think it should have been scored a "perfect" 9.95 instead of just a 9.925.
6. UCLA's 49.625 Vault Rotation - Senior Night
UCLA's weak event all season was vault, mostly due to only having two 10.0 SV vaults. However, everything came together with stick after stick during the Bruin's senior night. Was there some overscoring? Yes. But you can't deny that it was a fabulous rotation, and their best of all during 2018. With the help of 9.9s from Kyla Ross & Anna Glenn, 9.925s from Pauline Tratz & Felicia Hano, and finishing with a 9.975 from Pua Hall- UCLA counted nothing below a 9.9 to reach a season high.
7. Rachel Slocum (Florida) - 9.925 Vault vs. Kentucky
Rachel struggled a lot with her first two vaults of the season, which was surprising after her junior season on the event. But Slocum got back to her normal self in the third meet, successfully doing her handspring pike 1/2 like we know she can. I've always loved her vaults since she was Eastern Michigan because she can do a different vault from your typical Yurchenkos SO well. She didn't stick this particular vault, but it was an amazing moment that turned around her senior season.
8. Elizabeth Price (Stanford) - 9.975 DTY vs. Cal
We all know and love Ebee. Every single vault she did throughout her NCAA career was stellar, but her highlight vault of 2018 for me was sticking her first DTY of the season. I still think it is the best DTY we've ever seen in collegiate gymnastics, and I'm going to miss her so much. I definitely wouldn't have been mad at a 10 for this, but Price was consistently underscored throughout her career so...
9. Arianna Robinson (Cal) - Pac 12 Championships
I highlighted Robinson's FHS front pike vault in my favorite skills post, but I'm including her again because I was so happy to see her get the score she deserved on this vault. There is leg separation in the pre flight, but I still think the judges need to reward her when she sticks this vault. This was, in my opinion, her best vault all season and I think the 9.925 was well deserved.
10. Lexie Priessman (LSU) - 9.925 vs. Florida
This isn't necessarily my favorite vault, but it's definitely one of my favorite moments. Lexie is one of my favorite gymnasts of all time, and It's such a shame her career has been so injury ridden. But watching her have such great vaults the first half the season made me so happy. I may or may not have cried when she stuck this vault and scored a career high.
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