The NCAA national championships is always the biggest meet of the season, not just for the gymnasts but media, broadcasters, and every individual in between. It’s an honor for those that get the nod to work the show, especially when it comes to commentary. John Roethlisberger, who is in his tenth season as a commentator, will be joined by Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman in her first season in this new role to cover their first national championships on ESPN2 and ABC.
Eight teams will be competing in two semifinal competitions on Thursday, April 18, with the hopes of advancing to the team final on Saturday. And while there are frontrunners for the title, the meet is truly anyone’s game, as many fans saw at regionals with underdogs Arkansas and Stanford making it through.
“One of the most beautiful things about sports is you truly never know what’s going to happen,” said Raisman, reflecting on what it would take for an underdog team to qualify into the finals or win the national title. “It just takes everything falling into place on that day. You also need to have a little bit of luck too. There’s so many things that can happen.”
For each of these eight teams, it is going to come down to the little things; who sticks more vaults, who holds their…
