AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR — “Daytona Beach Qualifier” — Pictured: Jessie Graff — (Photo by: Myron Luzniak/NBC)Jessie

Last year, she was the first woman to complete Stage 1 at Mt. Midoriyama.  That alone puts her in the top tier of groundbreaking women on this show, along with greats like Kacy Catanzaro and Meagan Martin.

This year, during USA v World competition, she failed on just the first obstacle, about four steps into the whole thing.  That was a stunning upset — she figured to finish, or at least get close.  And then Drew Drechsel, the USA team captain, did something amazing.  He gave her his spot in the Stage 2 rotation.

She took that vote of confidence and did a little better in Stage 2… watch:

Then last night, she turned in this gritty performance:

No buzzer, but she’ll be in the finals.  I would not bet against her.