Much like last year, Lindenwood and Air Force enter the afternoon semifinal together favored to advance, but this year Lindenwood is the No. 1 seed overall. Don’t get ahead of yourself, though: This Lindenwood team has a very high ceiling, but it’s not quite as consistent as in years past. Air Force, too, is wonderful on its best days but high-variance across all four events. For Lindenwood, it’s ultra-consistent floor that lets the Lions weather the storm when other events get dicey, while Air Force is at its best on beam this year.
We do have a very real upset threat in this session in No. 5 Brown. The Bears have set record after record this season, perhaps most remarkably on floor when sophomore Julia Bedell scored a 9.950 and broke a record she previously shared with an obscure alumna you probably don’t remember named Alicia Sacramone. After a disappointment at the GEC Championship, Brown enters nationals hungry. Also historic is Southern Connecticut, which impressively edged out Cornell this season to make its first championship appearance in almost two decades. The Owls’ roster is huge and stylistically diverse: It’ll keep you on your toes.
