Keeping Up with the Cool GIFs – Week 4

The apparatuses said GET OFF ME


And Frida said GIRL SAME


But JaFree said I’LL NEVER LEAVE YOU


Meanwhile, Florida is literally coming for you


Gabby Wilson debuted her hopscotch routine


And Justin wholeheartedly embraced the dancing culture of women’s gymnastics


Oklahoma found a 198.425 in an old coat pocket


But also did this


So we’ll have to factor that in


Kentucky celebrated a school record, and Arkansas celebrated a school record, and Trinity got her 23rd ten, and


Georgia spent the summer carrying out the bodies of last year’s roster


Does this mean vault went…well?


Anyway, I’ll never sleep again


Arm swing gaveth


And arm swing tooketh away


Grace graduated to wolf turn addition (they grow up so fast!)


Cut to her senior year beam routine


And when finishing a routine, one must always turn to the head judge and summon the orc army to war


Week 4 Rankings and Notes

Week 4 Top 25

1.Oklahoma197.969
2.Florida 197.700
3.Michigan197.619
4.Utah197.569
5.UCLA197.325
6.Auburn 197.306
7.Cal197.231
8.Denver197.069
9.LSU197.040
10.Kentucky197.025
11.Alabama196.831
12.Oregon State196.810
13.Michigan State196.775
14.Missouri196.681
15.Ohio State196.650
16.Iowa196.644
17.Georgia196.515
18.Arkansas196.475
19.Minnesota196.375
20.Illinois196.319
21.Arizona State196.250
22.Southern Utah196.190
23.NC State196.169
24.Stanford196.144
25.Washington196.050

Keep That Score

  • #1 Oklahoma (198.425) – Well, it was the 5th-best score in Oklahoma team history, the 5th-best road score in the history of college gymnastics, the highest score in the country this season by 3 tenths, and ranks in the top 20 of all team scores ever. So I think we can safely say this one goes in the keeper category. Even though Oklahoma’s beam scores had been solid already, this was the first time this season we saw Oklahoma hit a really Oklahoma beam rotation as Levasseur and Trautman both reentered the lineup and will be difficult to displace.
  • #2 Florida (197.900) – Florida’s season-high of 197.900 on Friday looked a lot better before Oklahoma scored that freak of nature, but it’s still a season high. With 7 meets remaining on Florida’s schedule and just 2 at home, this score looks more likely than not to stick around for NQS at this point, ranking as a pretty equivalent performance to Florida’s other home meets thus far. With Thomas off beam this week, DiCello off floor, and Blakely in uncertain hitting status on the leg events, the Florida lineups still feel very unfinalized. We just don’t yet know what this team’s real scoring potential is. 
  • #3 Michigan (197.975) – Unlike last weekend, week 4 proved a strong and fortifying journey for the top teams as a whole, and Michigan was chief among those that got back on the horse after a weak outing for 196 last time around. Michigan reasserted that this is the best combined vault and floor team in NCAA right now, a status that they will have to maintain if they want to challenge Oklahoma when it gets down to it. Beam remains a worry, but when Brooks and Wojcik are hitting like they did on Saturday, that can paper over a lot.
  • #4 Utah (197.975) – Utah’s 197.975 was probably the most important score recorded this week among the teams at the very top of the rankings. For a team that intends to challenge for a national championship, Utah’s 197.2s in previous weeks this season were…eh. Fine scores but definitely not competitive with the very top of the rankings and the teams expecting to reach the championship. This 197.975 was right in line with what Michigan and Florida did and also established some separation between #4 Utah and the teams in the #5+ zone. 
  • #7 Cal (197.525) – Cal equaled its season high with a 197.525 in its home opener on Saturday, showing more than a point of improvement over last weekend’s VT/FX apocalypse in Arizona and serving to keep Cal squarely in the top 8. Staying in the top 8 throughout the season will be an important goal for Cal in terms of establishing itself as a favorite to advance to nationals rather than a spritely challenger who might upset. Last year, it took an NQS of 197.440 to finish in the top 8. Already this season, Cal has three scores over that mark, which is good progress for January.
  • #8 Denver (197.425) – While Denver scored well below Oklahoma on Sunday, the team nonetheless took advantage of the opportunity presented by this meet with a 197.425, a season high that allowed Denver to move ahead of more heralded programs like LSU and back into the top 8. This would have ended up as a top-2 score for Denver in each of the last three regular seasons and looks to be a definite keeper again this time around.
  • #10 Kentucky (197.825) – Is it good? #10 Kentucky smashed its previous all-time school record with this 197.825, a comprehensive victory over Alabama that Kentucky will hope represents not just an internal historic accomplishment but a conference sea shift in which Kentucky can displace Alabama as part of a new SEC Big Four. That’s the real goal at this point, and a victory like this certainly points in that direction much more than last week’s loss to Georgia did.
  • #12 Oregon State (197.275/197.275) – Oregon State put up dueling 197.275s this week on Friday and Sunday, both season highs that allowed the team to move up 4 spots, boasting beam and floor rotations that now both rank in the top 6 in the country. Last season, Oregon State really had to fight to get into the top half of the Pac-12 teams, but so far this year, there’s a pretty large gap already forming between the Utah, UCLA, Cal, Oregon State group and everyone else.
  • #16 Iowa and #19 Minnesota (196.875) – Iowa and Minnesota tied on 196.875 this week, marking a season high for Minnesota (outpacing any of their previous scores by more than a fall) and a near season high for Iowa, just behind last week’s 196.900. Last season, Iowa headed into Big Tens with a peak score of 196.825. This year, they’ve already bested that twice in January.
  • #17 Georgia (196.850) – At the end of January last year, Georgia’s top score was 196.100. That the team already has a 197 along with this 196.850 road mark so far in 2023 should count as encouraging for the future.
  • #18 Arkansas (197.475) – A program record score that came at just the right time for Arkansas. The team had been stuck in the basement of the conference (which is still true but now it’s a lot closer) as questions about whether the team could hit bars, and hit beam, and do it at the same time, and whether this coaching staff was really all that started to grow and compound. This victory over LSU—in a hit meet where first years delivered many of the most important scores—put those questions to rest. At least for a week.
  • The Season High Club – #20 Illinois on 196.700, #21 Arizona State on 196.800, #26 Maryland on 196.425, #27 North Carolina on 196.325, and #30 Towson on 196.025 were among the teams that also put up season highs in the 196s this week. And while #31 Ball State’s 196.300 wasn’t a season high, that means that Ball State already has two 196, and it’s January.

Drop That Score

  • #5 UCLA (197.275) – When UCLA got a 197.275 at its season-opening away meet, it was a big deal. UCLA hadn’t started a season that well in a long time. But now, for a team that has already been to the 197.8s and will aim to challenge the schools at the top of the rankings, this 197.275 for a week 4 home meet doesn’t hit quite the same way. Counting a fall on beam won’t really pass the satisfaction test. This would have been another 197.8 with a hit, which is what UCLA will actually be aiming for each week at this point. 
  • #6 Auburn (197.175) – Auburn dropped a spot in the rankings behind UCLA this week on account of a season-low 197.175 in defeating NC State. With most of the vault and bars scores stuck in the 9.8s, Auburn was not able to break out of the just-normal track to get a big home counter. Auburn, like a number of other teams, has just three home meets left, so we’re moving into the part of the season where teams really need to take advantage of every opportunity for a big home score or risk getting left behind.
  • #9 LSU (197.250) – This 197.250 is LSU’s best road score of the season and did help increase the team’s average. So there are some good things there. But…it came in a loss to Arkansas, the bottom-ranked team in the conference, and is still just a 197.250. When the top four teams are all going 197.9+, LSU is never going to be content being more than a fall behind that. They never want to be “and also LSU.”
  • #15 Ohio State (196.350) – Ohio State lost four spots in the rankings this week following its loss to Michigan. There’s no shame in losing to Michigan, but given Ohio State’s upward trajectory, the team would have hoped to make this one more competitive than a three-fall margin. Counting an error on beam sunk that total into the 48s for a score that Ohio State won’t give itself trophies for at this point in its team evolution.

All That Remains Is Chaos

  • #11 Alabama (197.375) – Hrm. On the one hand, we’ve been looking for Alabama to get into the 197s this season, so this result represented a huge improvement over the previous 196s and featured a nationally competitive bars rotation. With seven meets left, this may very well end up as a top-6 counter. At the same time, this came in a loss to Kentucky, and a 197.375 is not excessively huge these days for an Alabama-type team. Alabama shouldn’t have smaller goals than UCLA/LSU/Auburn, so if 197.1s and 197.2s aren’t amazing scores for them at this point in the season, a 197.375 isn’t that much better for Alabama.
  • #13 Michigan State (196.950) and #14 Missouri (196.800) – These scores marked road season highs for both teams, but given the everything, that meant a one-spot drop in the rankings for Michigan State, while Missouri remains the only team in the SEC that has not yet scored a 197 this year. With NQS, it’s always about what you do in your best meets that count, not what you do in your weakest meets that don’t count. The peak scores are the most important thing.

Sunday Live Blog – January 29, 2023

Sunday, January 29SCORESSTREAM
1:00pm ET/
10:00am PT
[12] Michigan State @ MarylandLINKBTN+
1:00pm ET/
10:00am PT
Western Michigan @ Kent StateLINKFREE
1:00pm ET/
10:00am PT
Pitt, SEMO, Fisk @ Ball StateLINK
1:00pm ET/
10:00am PT
LIU @ CornellESPN+
1:00pm ET/
10:00am PT
Bridgeport, Rhode Island, Southern Connecticut @ BrownLINKESPN+
2:00pm ET/
11:00am PT
Iowa State, Towson, Eastern Michigan @ West VirginiaLINKESPN+
2:00pm ET/
11:00am PT
Penn, Yale, Whitewater @ New HampshireLINKFREE
2:00pm ET/
11:00am PT
[14] Missouri, TWU @ LindenwoodLINKESPN+
3:00pm ET/
12:00pm PT
Illinois State, Winona State @ Northern IllinoisLINKESPN+
4:00pm ET/
1:00pm PT
[1] Oklahoma @ [9] DenverLINKDU ($)
4:00pm ET/
1:00pm PT
Air Force, Alaska @ UC DavisLINK
5:00pm ET/
2:00pm PT
Sacramento State, La Crosse @ San Jose StateLINKFREE
6:00pm ET/
3:00pm PT
[16] Oregon State @ [6] UCLALINKP12

Today, Denver hosts Oklahoma, and then Oregon State competes for the second time this weekend, away against UCLA.

In earlier action on this fine Sunday, Michigan State came in with a 196.950 and Missouri with a 196.800, both fine scores but nothing that’s going to break the bank in terms of the rankings. It is enough to move Missouri back ahead of Ohio State and Iowa, as all of the teams in the 196.6 average zone remain quite bunched. One of those teams is Oregon State, with a chance to break out today.

Lynnzee Brown is listed in the anchor spot on vault again today for Denver, so we’ll see if she makes an appearance this time. Olivia Trautman is scheduled to do exhibition on beam for Oklahoma.

I don’t think those Oklahoma season highs were labeled correctly in that graphic.

Rotation 1

Brusch – VT – DU – good distance on yfull, medium bounce back, solid chest up position. 9.800

Sievers – UB – OU – good first hs – maloney to pak, good positions – 1/2 turn on low bar, solid completion position – somewhat short on final cast hs – FTDT, stuck. Nice. 9.900

B Mabanta – VT – DU – similar landing bounce back on her yfull, probably higher than Brusch but not as much distance. 9.850

Torrez – UB – OU – good first hs – maloney to pak, solid amplitude in pak – small hesitation in 1/2 turn on low – hits final cast hs vertical – DLO, small bounce back. 9.875

Casali – VT – DU – Y1.5 with a pretty large bounce forward, maintains a good layout position. 9.800

Levasseur – UB – OU – “competing on beams” – a bit tight on first hs – tkatchev, hit – better second cast hs – bail, maybe past vertical, good toes – solid final cast position – DLO, flung out, did not get her intended amplitude there, gets it around but chest pretty far down, step forward. 9.825

Hutchinson – VT – DU – Y1.5 – almost holds onto the landing but a step back – leg separation on the table, some piked body position. 9.850. Remember when she stuck and got the same score?

Looks like live scores died after one routine. Fun.

Smith – UB – OU – Ray is solid – toe on to pak, smooth, ever so slightly close but doesn’t show up in a deduction – a bit of loose body position in final cast hs – DLO, piking in the first salto, solid landing. 9.925

Mundell – VT – DU – Y1.5, slide forward and then an additional step-salute – good form. 9.875

Bowers – UB – OU – good hs – blind to jaeger, some elbows, not much – clean pak – 1/2 turn on low bar is excellent – maybe some body position in final cast up to handstand – FTDT, small hop back. 9.950

Brown – VT – DU – she is vaulting today – Y1.5 – lunge forward and then additional step to meet her first foot – good height, not her most distance. Basically back. 9.900. So I think the judges are also pretttty happy to see her back.

Davis – UB – OU – good first hs – higgins to piked jaeger, a bit close today – pak, lovely – 1/2 turn on low, solid vertical – good final cast hs position – higgins to double front 1/2 out, holds the stick well, a little stagger on the landing but not too extreme today. Pretty work. 9.975

And Davis gets 9.975. Wasn’t one of her 10s for me with the elbows on the jaeger catch and the slight legs at the end of the dismount. She has improved that dismount, but you can still take.

Fletcher hits in exhibition on bars, could challenge Torrez for a spot here as needed.

So we have Denver on 49.275. Waiting on the final number for Oklahoma.

This year’s vault lineup is a good improvement in difficulty and depth for Denver, so that they can be only OK on landings (most people had pretty large landing errors) and still get a useful score.

And it’s a 49.625 for Oklahoma on bars. Just that. Pretty rotation, good vertical positions on handstands, also some fairly soft evaluation, like on vault, in terms of small elbow and body position .05s that could be taken. But they hit vertical on their casts and pirouettes better than any other team.

After 1:
Oklahoma 49.625
Denver 49.275

Rotation 2

Sievers – VT – OU – step forward on her Y1.5 this week – actually looked a little higher than last week’s, but that could also be camera angle. 9.875

Ruiz – UB – Denver – giant full to tkatchev, hit – rushes hs on high – bail, solid vertical position – DLO, pulls it in ever so slightly but landed well, small bounce up in place. Pretty clean. 9.850

Torrez – VT – OU – Y1.5, nearrrrrly was able to hold the stick this week but ended up with a step back, good body position in the air. 9.850

Rorich – UB – Denver – blind to jaeger, hit – borderline hs on high – bail, hits to vertical – small back arch in final cast hs – DLO, good layout position, small rebound. 9.900 and one judge threw out 9.950.

Stern – VT – OU – Y1.5, kind of a large lunge forward this week – best distance so far. 9.850

Casali – UB – Denver – toe on to maloney, solid – bail, good vertical position – gets up to vertical on final cast – DLO, bounce back. Nice position in DLO. A couple hip angle positions in other places, like back swing on maloney and final cast. 9.825

Bowers – VT – OU – Y1.5, beautiful in the air, full tenth bounce forward on landing. 9.900. So that’s what they took.

Brown – UB – Denver – shortish first hs – maloney to pak, good – van leeuwen, hit – she’s short on a couple of these handstands – DLO, stuck landing. Great, lovely finish. 9.875

Levassuer – VT – OU – Y1.5, beautiful stick today. Very nice.

9.975. Based on the scores of the other vaults, I figured that would be a 10. They got a little shy there, but if some of these 9.900s were 9.900s, a 10 would be consistent. It’s not as high as Bowers going right before, which may have hurt her.

Hutchinson – UB – Denver – short hs – maloney to pak, loses feet ever so slightly at the end of the pak – van leeuwen is hit nicely – also short handstands like Brown – DLO, near stick, small slide back. 9.900

Davis – VT – OU – Y1.5, she also sticks her vault, nailed, very good, she has that leg separation on her block though so it can’t be a 10. 9.950 for her.

Mundell – UB – Denver – good toes in first hs – tkatchev – nice hs – toe on, some body position coming out of it – bail is excellent – shorter final cast hs – DLO, chest down, bounce back. 9.875. Surprised it got that high with that dismount.

So Oklahoma goes 49.550 on vault, a score they’ll be very happy with even if the first four will have to do a shift in the quarry this week about those landings. The last two made the rotation work.

Fletcher exhibitions on vault for OU, hand down on Y1.5.

Denver will take a 49.400 any day for a bars rotation with only one stuck landing.

After 2:
Oklahoma 99.175
Denver 98.675

Oklahoma well over 198 pace after two events if they can keep it going.

Rotation 3

Brown – BB – DU – kickover to bhs, securely done – full turn – switch to split, a bit of low back leg on the switch – aerial to wolf jump, well connected – gainer full, stuck landing. Great finish and a very solid showing. 9.900

Johnson – FX – OU – front lay to rudi, good form, controls the landing – switch 1/2 to wolf full, around – double tuck, chest up, looks like she controlled her front foot. Comfortable routine. Most difficult part of her routine was walking off the floor afterward I think. 9.875

Iwai – BB – SU – switch to straddle 1/4, shows parallel position – bhs loso, foot slips right off and falls – also a pretty larger break on side aerial – finishes gainer full. 8.850

Smith – FX – OU – double tuck, large bounce back, looks like her foot went out of bounds from this angle – 1.5 to front lay is nice – switch side to wolf full, nice wolf full – double pike, secure landing. 9.675. Split of 9.850/9.700 (before the OOB taken)

Thompson – BB – DU – side aerial to bhs is solid – switch to switch combination – full turn is good – side aerial to lay 1.5, holds the stick but a large lean forward to hold it, chest down to horizontal. 9.850

Sievers – FX – OU – FTDT, secure step, some leg separation in the air – front tuck through to double tuck, also under control – switch side to popa, good split positions, slightly overturns the switch side to get the popa around – 9.900

Mabanta – BB – DU – wolf single, smooth – bhs loso, lovely form, good amplitude – split leap to switch 1/2 and it’s not even visually offensive, a million points – switch to split jump, hit – gainer pike, arm wave to try to save it and then ended up stepping anyway. 9.825

Fletcher – FX – OU – 3/1, around well, just a bit of leg crossing, not too much for a triple – front lay to front full, some slide forward – switch 1/2 to popa – 2.5 twist, similar to the triple, controls her step. 9.875

Mundell – BB – DU – bhs loso, good height, small check – full turn, nice – switch to switch 1/2, low back leg on switch, better on the switch 1/2 actually – 1.5, somewhat under with a slide back. 9.850

Bowers – FX – OU – that cloud of chalk dust moving in front of her face there in her opening pose was actually a smoke machine KJ brought in for the meet – double pike is excellent – switch – front 2/1 to front tuck, solid – switch 1/2 to wolf full, clean execution. Very good.  9.950

Hutchinson – BB – DU – kickover to bhs, connected pretty rapidly – switch to split, good positions – kickover piked – full turn – gainer full, holds onto the landing with her toes. 9.925. Denver avoids counting the fall for a strong beam total, 49.350

Torrez – FX – OU – DLO, slide back from front foot – split leap full to wolf full, around, good positions, wolf full got lower than the split full – leg up hop full – front tuck through to double tuck, another small movement of front foot. 9.925

Oklahoma 49.525 to keep the 198 race going. They actually only need 49.300 on beam now to get to that 198 and 49.450 would set a new top national mark.

After 3:
Oklahoma – 148.700
Denver – 148.025

Denver also in great shape to set a season high with a normal floor hit.

Rotation 4

I feel like it has been 9 months since the third rotation ended.

Dunn – BB – OU – bhs bhs loso, check – split jump to split jump 1/2, another arm wave check – gainer full, stuck. 9.925 with two balance checks, so this rotation could be fun.

Ruiz – FX – DU – front tuck through to double tuck, chest up, small slide – switch side to popa to popa, around, not the most amplitude but solid – double pike, secure landing, chest slightly down. 9.875

Levassuer – BB – OU – full turn, hit – bhs loso series, right on – switch to straddle 1/4, nicely done – aerial to beat is nice – gainer full, stuck. Pretty routine. Should probably be .150 higher than Dunn, who got 9.925, so there’s that. 9.950

Iwai – FX – DU – back 1.5 to front lay to stag jump, under control, we’ve seen some afterthought stags this weekend, but that one was real – switch 1/1, around – double tuck, little hop forward – switch 1/2 to popa. 9.825

Bowers – BB – OU – full turn, hit – bhs loso, good toe point, comfortable landing – split leap to switch 1/2, good lift – 2/1 dismount, holds onto the landing, ever so slight leg cross, little absorbtion. 9.900. Surprised that was lower than Dunn.

Mabanta – FX – DU – back 1.5 to layout, some bounce out – switch ring 1/2 to split, shows good ring position on the 1/2 turn – front lay to rudi to split jump, a little travel to the side – 9.900. We’re soaring.

 This commentator is of the homer approach. Knowledgeable deduction identification on the Oklahoma routines, and then the Denver gymnasts can fully die on a skill and she’ll be like, “Great job not dying on this skill.”

Davis – BB – OU – bhs loso, smooth – aerial, arm wave correction – beat to split ring jump, comfortable – 2/1, holds onto the stick with a small lean. 9.850

Mundell – FX – DU – double pike, good toe point, controlled step, nice – switch ring to switch 1/2 to wolf full, short of ring position there – front lay to front full, hit – rudi, presents, chest looked a little forward from this behind angle. 9.925

Trautman – BB – OU – now she has been promoted from exhibition to lineup – full turn, hit – bhs loso, secure – nearly checks on choreo – cat leap to switch side, solid height and parallel position – kickover, well landed – 1.5 dismount, great landing. Right on for her first routine. 9.950

Casali – FX – DU – rudi to loso, some legs on rudi, slide of front foot – switch side to wolf full to wolf full, gets slightly out of control on final wolf – 2.5 to front tuck, step back but pretty well completed. 9.850

Smith – BB – OU – bhs loso series, secure – aerial, no trouble – straddle 1/2 to korbut, excellent – full turn, solid – bhs gainer full, stuck, excellent routine.

10.000 to finish. Beautiful routine, and the way the scoring started, you knew it was going to be.

Oklahoma goes 198.425, which is the 5th best score in team history. Ended up .075 shy of the all-time Oklahoma record.

Hutchinson – front 2/1, good height, small slide – 1.5 to layout, good clean layout position – rudi to straddle jump, shows nice control on that jump. Good finish for easily Denver’s season high.

Obviously a gigantic number for Oklahoma. Definitely a charitable scoring environment for both teams. What we saw from Oklahoma was a much better beam rotation and a more complete competition overall.

Still waiting on the score for Hutchinson’s routine, but Denver is already on 197.350 before hers comes in, so it’s already a definite keeper and a strong result, with none of those 49.0 rotations creeping in today.

Still waiting. I kind of love that the scores just checked out before the last routine like it’s a Florida home meet in 2015.


On to UCLA/Oregon State, which is starting shortly. BUT WILL WE SEE A 198.425????

While Jim just said it is cold and rainy, the clear sunshine I see out my window is disagreeing with him.

Oregon State’s pride leo said, “I want all of it”

Rotation 1

Frazier – VT – UCLA – Yfull, medium bounce back, hip angle, not as large as it used to be. 9.825

Frida Esparza’s reaction to that team celebration was me.

Beeman – UB – OSU – first hs good – blind to jaeger, very close catch – hits next hs though – pak, hit, small leg break – solid cast hs – some elbows in stalder, connects to double tuck, bounce back. 9.775

Anyimi – VT – UCLA – maybe her best amplitude on a yfull, also with a pike position and a bounce back. 9.825

Weaver – UB – OSU – giant full, nice position to gienger, good legs together – legs together on bail – shortish final cast hs – giant full to double tuck, stuck. Solid. 9.825

Lee – VT – UCLA – yfull, fine direction and a more laid out position, bounce back again. 9.825

Dagen – UB – OSU – tkatchev, hit – short cast hs after – bail, a bit short of vertical on that catch – toe on, some elbows – giant full to double tuck, very small movement. 9.800

Campbell – VT – UCLA – usual great yfull, a bit of direction, small movement on landing. 9.925. Ok now. You knew they were going to because the early vaults were already 9.825 even though form, but…

Caso – UB – OSU – Commentators have no idea who the Oregon State gymnasts are – good first hs – maloney to pak, very small leg separations – solid hs – van leeuwen, some legs – stalder, elbows but better rhythm, into double tuck, small step forward. 9.850

Harris – VT – UCLA – really good control in her Y1.5 landing – a bit of knees, very solid. 9.925.

McMillan – UB – OSU – short first hs – toe on to maloney to bail, nice vertical position – short final cast hs as well but nice leg position overall – DLO, gets very deep on landing with a large lunge forward. 9.650

So they’ve misidentified 3 of the 6 in this lineup right?

Chiles – VT – UCLA – DTY, chest up well today, shuffle back. 9.900

Carey – UB – OSU – maloney with some legs, connects to goo bhardwaj – van leeuwen with more leg break today – FTDT, small slide back. 9.925

UCLA with a strong back half of the lineup to get to 49.400, which they’ll be pleased with for their weak event. Harris again the real highlight of that rotation.

Carey’s 9.925 takes Oregon State to 49.175 on bars, which they’ll always take for what is also their weakest event.

After 1:
UCLA – 49.400
Oregon State – 49.175

Rotation 2

Garcia – VT – OSU – lands short on a yfull, chest forward, hops ahead and then another hop to control the landing. 9.650

Campbell – UB – UCLA – short first hs – maloney to bail, legs together, some angle in bail – blind to double front, cowboy, hop forward. 9.825

Briones – VT – OSU – no, this is not Ariana Young – better chest up on her yfull, bounce back and to the side. 9.800

Padurariu – UB – UCLA – good first hs – she comes off on toe on but it looked like the bars jarred and one of the cables came loose, so that’s an equipment malfunction. Restarts – good first hs – toe on to maloney to bail, very slightly loose body position – FTDT, chest down, bounce to the side.

Letzsch – VT – OSU – very good stick on her yfull, nice – not the most distance, little bit of pike. But solid. 9.850

So they gave Padurariu a 9.325. Did they not give equipment malfunction?

Steele – UB – UCLA – maluney with legs into pak – 1/2 turn on low is solid – DLO, some piking, shuffle back, steps with both feet. 9.850

Gonzales – VT – OSU – ro full on back pike, solid chest up on landing – bounce up in place. And she goes 9.925.

Harris – UB – UCLA – good first hs – Ray, solid – arch in cast hs position – bail is nice – giant full, great finish position into DLO, stuck. Very good. 9.925

Dagen – VT – OSU – lands short on her Y1.5 – two lunges back. 9.675 that will count.

Chiles – UB – UCLA – good first hs – piked tkatchev to pak is excellent – maloney to gienger, nice – a bit tight on final cast hs – FTDT, stuck. And she gets 9.975

Carey – VT – OSU – DTY, just a small hop of feet together. Similar landing control to Campbell, and one judge went perfect for her. 9.950

Frazier – UB – UCLA – arches a ton on first hs – pulls it back – maloney to pak – 1/2 turn on low, small adjustment stepping up to high – DLO, holds the landing on her toes. Big save for UCLA since Padurariu had that 9.3. 9.825

Janelle is talking to the judges now. I would assume about the whole Padurariu situation.

Another 49.400 for UCLA. Big ones from Harris and Chiles there. Oregon State is saved by Carey and Gonzales on vault for 49.200 because they did have that counting 9.6 with two short vault landings.

Ultimately I would have had Padurariu’s routine below 9.8 anyway (for whatever that’s worth) so it wouldn’t have counted.

After 2:
UCLA 98.850
Oregon State 98.375

Rotation 3

LOL, so much for me saying Padurariu should be below 9.8 (still true) because now she’s on 9.875 and UCLA goes up .05

Lee – BB – UCLA – full turn, small adjustment – bhs loso, nice toe point, secure landing – switch to a high straddle jump – aerial to split jump, also well executed – gainer full, holds onto the stick with a lean. That’s more like it for Lee. 9.900

Miller – FX – OSU – double pike, bounce back – switch 1/2 to popa, around – 1.5 to front lay, a bit of legs in 1.5, lower on the layout – double tuck, good secure landing. 9.800

Alipio – BB – UCLA – aerial to back tuck, hit squarely – switch 1/2 to beat jump – side aerial to split jump, arms to keep the combo moving – gainer tuck full, holds the stick, some leg stagger. 9.800

Peterson – FX – OSU – back 1.5 to front full, controls the step – switch side 1/2, around – switch 1/2 to popa, hit, loses her foot position in some of these leaps – double tuck, larger bounce back. 9.875

Campbell – BB – UCLA – bhs loso, check, minimizes the wobble – side aerial, solid – split leap to switch 1/2 and falls, wobble took her the other direction and came off – gainer full, short, hop forward. 8.825

Gonzales – FX – OSU – front full to layout, better height in that combo – switch 1/1 to sissone, nice sissone position – double pike, pulls chest up but does have a preset step forward – swithc ring to switch 1/2, ring looked a little low. 9.825

Chiles – BB – UCLA – bhs loso, secure – switch to wolf jump, good amplitude on wolf – side aerial to straddle jump, no trouble – double pike dismount, bounce back, chest down. 9.850

So we have the beam cap taped on. Is this equipment malfunction PTSD?

Letzsch – FX – OSU – back 1.5 to front full, under control – pretty switch sissone to sissone, I think it’s supposed to be a ring, which it isn’t, but it’s lovely in more of a Yang Bo split kind of way – double tuck, step under control. 9.900

Harris – BB – UCLA – bhs loso bhs, right on – switch to split leap to full turn, comfortable – side aerial, check – 1.5 dismount, holds landing, big college salute. 9.875

We’re calling a balance check “adversity” now.

Dagen – FX – OSU – front lay to rudi, chest forward with a step – switch 1/2 to popa to straddle, really nice switch 1/2 – double pike, controls step, chest up, good finish. 9.875

Malabuyo – BB – UCLA – wolf single, hit – bhs loso and falls – UCLA counting a beam fall. YOU’RE REAL BRUINS NOW. Also has a wobble on her split ring jump – gainer full dismount is hit. 9.375

Carey – FX – OSU – Jim sure is reading a lot into Jade just standing there with the same facial expression she always has  – double double tucked, good control on that landing today – switch 1/2 to popa, hit – front loso through to double pike, also under control. Probably her best floor of the year. You can always find knee position, foot precision if you want to. 9.975

UCLA counts a fall on beam to go 48.800 there. Oregon State goes 49.500 on floor with the Carey 9.975 to move into the lead.

After 3:
Oregon State 147.875
UCLA 147.650

Rotation 4

Peterson – BB – OSU – bhs bhs loso, secure – full turn, hit – switch 1/2 to straddle jump, can get for amplitude on switch 1/2 – gainer pike, small movement. 9.850

Lee – FX – UCLA – into the floor lineup today – double tuck, bounce back – this routine has a little more life to it now than it did at Meet the Bruins – front lay to front full, good control – switch ring to switch 1/2, good positions – double pike, controls that one. 9.850

Domingo – BB – OSU – aerial to back pike is secure, just does keep moving in that combination – switch to straddle jump to split jump 3/4, clear rotation position – gainer full, secure. Nice. 9.850

Malabuyo – FX – UCLA – double tuck, bounce back – back 1.5 to front lay, dance out, some lack of amplitude on that layout – switch ring to switch 1/2, good switch 1/2 split position – double pike, another control issue with a slide back. 9.875 is a lot.

Letzch – BB – OSU – aerial, also moves slowly into back tuck but does keep moving – split jump to split ring jump to beat jump, small lean through the combo – full turn, another almost correction there – front gainer full, small slide. 9.875

Harris – FX – UCLA – FTDT, controls the step but chest pretty far down this week – double tuck, chest up, small slide back – split leap full to popa to shush, nice positions – back 1/5 to 1/2 to double stag, under control again, some lack of amplitude on the lay 1/2. 9.925

Gonzales – BB – OSU – aerial to back tuck, they love those front-back “series,” and they’re moving enough through them just enough – cat leap to side aerial, nice – switch 1/2, well controlled – front gainer full off the end, arm wave to hold the stick. 9.675. Did she have a dance series?

Frazier – FX – UCLA – whip through to double tuck, bounce back – struggles mightily on opening split leap full in that triple dance combination, well short of split, risking no credit for a recognizable element, though I don’t think they will – does well to keep going into the remaining popas – double pike, chest up, small movement. 9.900. Leaps don’t count anymore you guys, which is cool. I don’t know how they got 9.9 there. Huge problem.

Dagen – BB – OSU – bhs loso, hit, small arm wave on landing – switch to switch 1/2, secure – full turn, small check – 1.5, stuck. 9.850

Chiles – FX – UCLA – DLO, stuck landing, chest ever so slightly forward but no one will care because stick – front tuck through to double tuck, chest up nicely there, also under control – split leap full to wolf jump full – double pike, small bounce back. 9.975 anyway. Compared to the Frazier score it should have been 91.900, though, so…

Carey – BB – OSU – checks on the full turn – aerial to bhs loso, secure landing – switch to switch 1/2, some front leg but solid – gainer full, slides feels together. A big road score for Oregon State today.

9.925 for Carey, they got to 197.225.

Campbell – FX – UCLA – FTDT, chest up, controlled step, nice – split leap full to popa, around – front lay to front full, slide forward – double tuck, chest up, controlled landing. Good work.

9.950 for Campbell which brings UCLA to 197.275 and gives them the win. Oregon State will be happy with the road score but should be rightfully pissed about the mis-scored routine from Frazier that made up the difference.

FINAL:
UCLA – 197.275
Oregon State 197.225

Saturday Live Blog – January 28, 2023

Saturday, January 28SCORESSTREAM
1:00pm ET/
10:00am PT
Cortland, Ursinus @ West ChesterLINK
2:00pm ET/
11:00am PT
Ithaca, Springfield @ BrockportFREE
3:00pm ET/
12:00pm PT
[25] Washington @ [4] UtahLINKP12
3:00pm ET/
12:00pm PT
Nebraska @ [19] IllinoisLINKBTN+
4:00pm ET/
1:00pm PT
[11] Ohio State @ [3] MichiganLINKBTN+
4:00pm ET/
1:00pm PT
George Washington @ North CarolinaLINKACC+
5:00pm ET/
2:00pm PT
[22] Stanford @ [7] CalLINKP12
6:00pm ET/
3:00pm PT
Hamline @ CentenaryFREE
7:00pm ET/
4:00pm PT
Arizona @ [24] Arizona StateLINKP12
7:30pm ET/
4:30pm PT
Simpson @ GreenvilleFREE

We have a solid day of rivalry meets in front of us with Ohio State’s visit to Michigan and Stanford’s visit to Cal. Already underway is Utah against Washington, where Utah went 49.425 in the first rotation with the Jillian Hoffman Yurchenko 1.5 making an appearance, followed by 49.450 on bars.

Today, everyone is chasing the 197.900 from Florida on Friday, which is the nation’s leading mark of the weekend, just head of the program records of 197.825 for Kentucky and 197.475 for Arkansas. So sounds like I missed a real doozy. My not-heart-attack thanks you.

We have the third rotation from Utah starting now.

Morgan – BB – Utah – front walkover mount – bhs bhs loso series, leg up wobble – split jump to staddle 1/2, check – front gainer full dmt, stuck. Wobblier than her usual but OK. 9.825

Innes – FX – Washington – front 2/1 with a bouncy slide forward – switch to wolf full wolf full, a little under on the wolf position – 1.5 to layout, solid amplitude – rudi, some leg separation, slide back. 9.800

McCallum – BB – Utah – wolf triple, counts to three, wolf double, and counts to two, and then adds 2 + 3 = 5 – bhs loso, secure, some foot position flexing – small lean forward on straddle 1/4 – gainer tuck full, a little short, hop forward. Still goes 9.900.

Roberts – FX – Washington – double tuck, chest a bit forward – back 1.5 to front full, a bit of leg separation – switch 1/2 to wolf full, a bit under rotated coming in but around enough – double pike, slide back. 9.800

Paulson – BB – Utah – side aerial loso, secure, just a little foot reposition on landing – switch, small lean, kept going into sissone but then has a larger check on it –  beat to side aerial to 1.5 dmt, holds the stick, some knees. 9.900

SKW – FX – Washington – front 2/1, crossover step – swtich to switch ring 1/2, hit, good positions – 1.5 to lay, clean lay position.

Eaker – BB – Utah – switch mount – slightly off balance, tries to keep going to split leap with a wobble, leg up, I’d say breaks the connection into the split leap from the mount – side aerial loso series, holds under control – gainer full, stuck. 9.900, so I guess she had a dance series.

Navarro – FX – Washington – double tuck, chest up, solid control – switch side to popa, keeps her toe point well – back 1.5 to front lay, height deduction – double pike, some soft knees, controls the landing, chest down.

Isa – BB – Utah – good candle mount, hits cartwheel this week – small check on bhs loso loso series, pulls it out – gainer full, quick celebrate. Jim’s like, I don’t think this is getting to 10, and the judges are like watch us. 9.950.

Michigan and Ohio State starting now.

Guggino is back in the vault lineup for Michigan and hits her Y1.5 pretty well, lunge forward. 9.850. Wojcik follows with hers, ends up with a step back, a bit of direction. 9.800

Harris – UB – Ohio St – She follows a 9.825 from Pritchard – a bit shrot in first hs – hits a solid ray – some short cast hs positions – bail, small leg break there – short final hs on high – giant full, a bit late, into a stuck double tuck.

O’Keefe finishes beam for Utah, side aerial to loso hit well – switch to split is lovely – sticks gainer full, lean forward. And she still gets 9.975.

Wilson – VT – Michigan – y1.5 – solid distance, medium hop forward, good.

Edwards – UB – Ohio State – maloney to pak is hit, some feet, good legs together – solid cast hs on high – giant full, double tuck, pulls it in, close to the bar, but gets it.

Morrison – VT – Michigan – Y1.5 – holds onto the stick for her vault. Good one. And we have another 9.975 here.

So that’s 49.625 on beam for Utah.

Vetter – UB – Ohio State – solid first hs – giant full, pretty crooked by connects into tkatchev – bail, also crooked there, some body position deduction – good hs on high – FTDT, step back.

Note that a step cannot be a .05 deduction. Only slides can be .05. Any discernible step has to be .10.

Brooks – VT – Michigan – Y1.5 – and she sticks as well. More distance and crisper leg position than Morrison, tends to go farther out, while Morrison goes up. And she goes 9.950. Wonder if Brooks sometimes gets hit for height going after Morrison. Her height isn’t low, but it isn’t as high as Morrison’s. She also kind of leaned up on her toes to hold that landing it seemed in real time. 

Riccardi – UB – Ohio St – toe on to Ray, some foot flecing, hit – pak is clean – 1/2 turn on low – stalder to double tuck, good chest up position and stick. 9.875

Heiskell – VT – Michigan – Y1.5 – good form and amplitude, hop forward

It’s a 49.575 for Michigan on vault.

Miller – UB – Ohio St – good first hs – toe on to maloney to bail, hip angle in catch and a leg separation – short final cast hs on high – DLO, holds the stick with a small lean.

Miller goes 9.9 to take Ohio State to 49.275 on bars.

Utah’s 49.625 on beam puts them on 198 pace heading to floor. Washington also racking up the scores and with a good shot at a usable 196 road score with a hit beam.

After 1:
Michigan 49.575
Ohio State 49.275

Final rotation starts in Utah with Brooks on beam for Washington, hits a kickover front to bhs, had a lean forward on her aerial but kept it connected into beat jump.

Rotation 2

Vetter – VT – Ohio St – hits a yfull, medium bounce back, not the most distance, solid form. 9.750

Heiskell – UB – Michigan – good first hs – blind, slightly crooked into jaeger, elbows on catch – nice high pak – good final cast hs – giant full, some loose back position, to double tuck, stuck. 9.875 fairly high for more errors than her usual. 

Riccardi – VT – Ohio St – good control on yfull landing, small hop up in place

Morrison – UB – Michigan – good first hs – gienger, legs together well – rushes cast hs on high – bail, slightly crooked hips on catch there – DLO, small step back. 9.825

Malas – VT – Ohio St – good height on yfull, another near stick, small movement, some direction. 9.850

Bauman – UB – Michigan – solid first hs – blind to jaeger to overshoot, good amplitude – hits cast hs on high – toe 1/2, good finish position – double front, good job not to cowboy to the moon on that one. 9.900

Jennings – VT – Ohio St – another well controlled yfull with just a step salute – 9.900

Brooks – UB – Michigan – good first hs – blind to piked jaeger, not the highest but hit fine – toe on, short but goes over the right way – solid hs – DLO 1/1, nearly stuck, arm wave to control the landing. 9.900

Hlavach – VT – Ohio St – ro full on back pike, gets good amplitude and chest up for that one, step

Wojcik – UB – Michigan – hits deltchev to overshoot well – hits final cast hs – DLO, legs together, good stick. 9.950

Harris – VT – Ohio St – y1.5 is hit, pretty large bound forward, some knees in the air. 9.825

Vore – UB – Michigan – solid first hs – maloney to bail, some elbows on catch, good vertical – short cast hs on high – DLO, small hop back. 9.850

Michigan goes 49.475 on bars to stay above 198 pace, Ohio State 49.225 on vault.

After 2:
Michigan – 99.050
Ohio State – 98.500

Utah has 9.8s for the first three floor routines in that final rotation. Washington is working against a miss from Russon in the 2nd spot. Needs two more hits, starting with Davis in the fifth spot. She hits bhs bhs loso, very small correction, beat to straddle 3/4 is nice, hits 1.5 dismount. 9.875

Rucker up 5th on floor for Utah, lots of teammates in the shot but seems like she hit a FTDT first pass – swtich to switch 1/1 to sissone, pulls the switch full around – front lay to front full, legs apart in front lay, controls the step on front full. 9.925

Killough-Wilhelm finishes out the meet for Washington on beam, aerial to bhs loso, large break, bend at the hips but stays on to save the meet – the rest is solid.

Rotation 3

Bauman – BB – Michigan – bhs loso series, arm wave correction – cat leap to switch 1/2 to beat, somewhat under on switch 1/2 position – piked side somi, wobble – gainer pike, stuck. 9.850 and I don’t know how we got that high.

Gonzalez – FX – Ohio St – double pike, controls, chest down – front lay to front full, not the highest but solid, also controls the step – switch side to straddle, looked tight in that straddle – 1.5 to front lay, some leg separation on layout. 9.825

Killough-Wilhelm got 9.675 on beam to bring the total to 196.350.

McCallum goes 9.950 on floor to give Utah a weekend-leading 197.975.

Wilson – BB – Michigan – remarkable save on bhs loso as her single foot just bounced around there – great high split to switch split jumps – double tuck, stuck. 9.800

Vetter – FX – Ohio St – double tuck, chest up, controls her step – split leap full to popa to popa, under on split leap full position, popas are stronger – lay to rudi, leg position and separation on the lay, some ragged shape on rudi. 9.800

Koulos – BB – Michigan – bhs loso, good secure landing – full turn, kind of gives attitude for a second in that turn – beat to straddle 3/4, leg up wobble – cat leap to aerial, solid – 1.5 dismount, hop forward. 9.775

Harris – FX – Ohio St – double pike, solid control – switch side to popa, solid split positions but imprecise landing rotations – front 2/1 is solid, connects to a lower stag jump – front full to lay, low on the layout, has to tuck it some and lose back position. 9.800

Brooks – BB – Michigan – bhs loso, no second loso today – switch to switch, nice back leg position on that second switch – kickover, secure – bhs 2/1 dismount, ever so slightly short, small hop up in place. The first real hit of the rotation. 9.950

Gagliardi – FX – Ohio St – front lay to rudi to double stag, some lack of control in the jump – switch side to popa to tuck jump – double pike is very deep, has to bounce to the side out of it. 9.825

Heiskell – BB – Michigan – cat leap to side aerial and falls. Michigan will be glad those early scores were pretty elevated because they’re OK counting that – switch switch is nice – bhs loso series, hit, small squeeze adjustment – 1.5 dismount, onto her toes. 9.125

Edwards – FX – Ohio St – nice open double pike position, controls her step – 1.5 to front lay, solid landing there as well – switch side to popa, shows good split positions – double tuck, also high, some chest position. Nice. 9.900

Wojcik – BB – Michigan – aerial to beat, pretty – switch to split, excellent – bhs bhs loso, holds well, no check – 1.5 dismount, holds the stick for long enoughhhh ish? Rises up onto her toes. You can definitely deduct there. 9.975 for her.

Hodges – FX – Ohio St – double pike, secure, chest position – split leap full to popa to popa, she has the most clear rotational positions on her leaps of the lineup – rudi to loso, hits it, pulls out the loso but it’s rather low. 9.800

Great routines from Brooks and Wojcik get Michigan up to 49.350 on beam. Ohio State 49.150 on floor.

After 3
Michigan 148.400
Ohio State 147.650

Cal and Stanford should be getting started shortly. Cal having real live stats for its home meets. I’ll never get used to it.

Rotation 1 – Cal/Stanford, Rotation 4 – Michigan/Ohio St

Li – VT – Cal – good height on yfull, bounce back, probably .05 bounce, chest up, solid. 9.825

Dean – UB – Stanford – good first hs vertical – tkatchev, some flkexed feet but hit – toe on, a bit late – pak, clean body position – showing good verticals on 1/2 turn on low – giant full to double tuck, lunge back. 9.800

Cesario – VT – Cal – good amplitude on her yfull as well – chest a bit forward, small bounce back. 9.825

Brunette – UB – Stanford – 1/2 turn to deltchev to overshoot, loses some leg form in deltchev, solid hs position on high, DLO, stuck, some legs apart in the air. 9.875. Bars scores high so far, so watch out.

DeSouza – VT – Cal – good Y1.5 – small hop forward – legs apart on block. 9.825

Neault – UB – Stanford – maloney to pak is clean, good legs on pak – 1/2 turn on low bar, very nice finish position – toe full, late, into double tuck, stuck landing. Nice. 9.900

Lauzon – VT – Cal – lands short on her Y1.5, lunge back. 9.750

Ohio State has to work against a 9.525 from Oliveros in the first spot on beam. Koulos led off Michigan with 9.875.

Alexeeva – UB – Stanford – good piked jaeger, very clean – pak, smooth – short hs on high – giant full position is good into a stuck double tuck, nice. 9.900

Frazier – VT – Cal – she’s back this week and they needed it, very strong DTY, just some chest down position, small step to the side. 9.950, difficulty forgiveness given there.

Roberts – UB – Stanford – good first hs – pak is clean – solid hs on low – toe on to van leeuwen, small foot apart moment – giant full to double tuck, step back. 9.850

Williams – VT – Cal – she’ll step in for Brown in the last spot, looking for a score – hits a yfull, chest up, medium bounce back. 9.800

Widner – UB – Stanford – good first hs – tkatchev, good toe point – solid hs – giant full, a bit late into bail, hit vertical positoon on bail – nice final cast hs – some elbow bending in giants, DLO, nice position, slide back. 9.875

Cal goes 49.225 on vault, which is not huge but a critical improvement over last week’s total. Stanford indeed has a huge number on bars with a 49.450. What a time to be alive. Lovely rotation, good landings, also pretty loose scoring so we’ll see how that plays out for Cal’s rotation. Stanford’s attention to pirouette finishing position was clear here. Much better than most teams.

Meanwhile, Ohio State has followed that 9.525 with a 9.825, 9.800, and 9.750. Michigan is working toward a gigantic floor total because we’ve already seen 9.950 and 9.925 and Brooks just hit an excellent one. 9.925

Pritchard up 5th for Ohio State, hits a side aerial well, bhs loso, holds it well – switch, small pause before straddle 1/4, tight on split position there – 1.5 dismount, small hop forward, some knees. 9.800

Wilson – FX – Michigan – open FTDT, chest a bit forward this week with a small hop to the side – front lay to front full, dance out – switch side to popa, super high split, a bit crooked on the popa straddle position – double tuck, chest up, slide back. 9.900

Hodges – BB – Ohio St – under on her opening switch split jump attempt, looked hesitant – bhs loso series, huge break, can’t save it, falls, so that 9.525 will count.

Wojcik finishes out the meet – split leap 1.5 – 1.5 to front lay, good lay position – she was deep on her final double pike, chest forward and a lunge. 9.825

Rotation 2

Chrobok – VT – Stanford – chest forward on yfull, larger hop to the side. 9.725

DeSouza – UB – Cal – blind to high piked jaeger to overshoot, very nice – borderline final cast hs – FTDT, some legs in the air, small slide back. 9.900

Neault – VT – Stanford – ro full on back pike, chest down but not too extreme, hop back. 9.800

196.350 for Ohio State, 197.975 for Michigan to match Utah.

Cesario – UB – Cal – short first hs – blind to jaeger to overshoot, very high, some elbows on jaeger catch – DLO, bounce back. 9.825

Widner – VT – Stanford – yfull, slide back, solid direction and form, some chest position. 9.800

Perea – UB – Cal – good first hs – pak, clean – solid hs on low – toe on to van leeuwen, great leg form – a bit short on final cast hs – DLO, hop back. 9.850

Nguyen – VT – Stanford – chest somewhat forward on yfull, hop. Good height and body position. 9.850

Williams – UB – Cal – good hs – maloney to pak, great form on those – cast 1/2 turn on low, maybe a bit late – nice final cast hs position – DLO, stuck landing. Pretty. 9.950

Brunette – VT – Stanford – hits a yfull but large bounce back, some angle in the hips. 9.750

Li – UB – Cal – good first hs – pak, nice – good hs – van leeuwen, legs together – solid hs – giant full to double tuck, stuck landing. Another nice one. 9.950

Roberts – VT – Stanford – hits her Y1.5, good height, medium bounce forward.

Lauzon – UB – Cal – a bit shorter in first hs – toe on to maloney to pak, – 1/2 turn on low, solid position – arch on cast hs on hgih – pulls it back – FTDT, chest down, hop forward.

Cal goes 49.475 on bars, a solid number, not quite able to take advantage of the bars scoring 1-6, because of the landings really, but a couple strong results to move ahead of Stanford’s 49.100 on vault. Big improvements over last meet on both events for Stanford so far.

After 2:
Cal 98.700
Stanford 98.500

Rotation 3

DeSouza – BB – Cal – cat leap to aerial, holds it – bhs loso, secure landing, some leg position in the air – beat to sheep jump, solid – sissone – 1.5 dismount, small hop. Secure start. 9.900

Dean – FX – Stanford – double pike, holds the front foot – switch full, around, some foot position – back 1.5 to front full, around, somewhat low on front full amplitude – switch 1/2 to popa, nice popa – 9.825

Williams – BB – Cal – wolf double, solid – aerial, clean position into split jump – bhs loso, smooth landing, might even describe it as supple if that word didn’t gross me out – switch to beat jump, leaning a little through that combination – gainer full dismount, holds it. Good one. 9.875

Brunette – FX – Stanford – front lay to rudi, that’s what the rise into the second element is supposed to look like, soft knees – split leap full to wolf jump full, under position on both – double tuck, definite bounce back – 9.725

Li – BB – Cal – aerial to split jump, under control – bhs loso, hit – beat to sheep jump, arm wave correction – gainer tuck full off the end, stuck. Third hit. A couple alllmost hesitations on some early skills and that one clearer check on the sheep. 9.825

Neault – FX – Stanford – MUST FIX EARRING BEFORE ROUTINE – the earring rule is that they have to be studs, I couldn’t see what hers were about. She may also just have wanted them off. – double pike, hit under control, not the highest but enough – rudi, hit, some knee softness – switch to split ring full, not a lot of closure on the ring but solid splits – 1.5 to front lay, lower layout. 9.825

Frazier – BB – Cal – full turn, hit – aerial to loso series, secure and will get credit – switch ring, keeps moving to split jump, avoids showing the lean in between too clearly – 1.5 dismount, holds onto the stick with a little lean. Very good one. 9.875

Nguyen – FX – Stanford – DLO, good control, loses some leg position int he second salto, not extreme – switch side to popa – 2.5 to front pike, ever so slightly steppy, some leg crossing. 9.875

Lauzon – BB – Cal – wolf single – bhs bhs loso, lovely toe point throughout – switch to split, hit, maybe some back leg on the split jump – 2/1 dismount, holds onto the stick. Pretty. 9.950

Roberts – FX – Stanford – front lay to rudi, very well controlled, what an actual controlled step on tumbling looks like – double tuck, chest up well – switch 1/2 to popa, comfortably around. Really nice work. 9.925

Perea – BB – Cal – wolf double, hit – kickover, wobble, breaks connection, will have to redo – redoes the kickover, still some hesitation into the back tuck – switch to split is hit – side somi to tuck 1.5, lunge forward.

Widner – FX – Stanford – DLO, comes up short, chest forward and a little step – front tuck through to to double pike, chest well down with a bounce back – switch to switch 1/2 to popa is wonderful. 9.700

Cal goes 49.425 on beam, a good number. Was in contention for a program record beam if Perea had put up a big one, but they’ll be pleased with another 49.4+ beam. They’ll be looking for at least a 49.425 floor to set a new season high.

Stanford has to count a 9.725 from Brunette so goes 49.175 on floor, still in the hunt for a 197 today if beam is huge.

After 3:
Cal 148.125
Stanford 147.675

Rotation 4

Dean – BB – Stanford – side aerial to bhs, securely done – switch 1/2, keeps moving enough into beat jump – 1.5 dismount, stuck landing. Nice start. 9.900

Perea – FX – Cal – ro double tuck, good height, slide back – ro double pike, small slide back – wolf double, hit – switch 1/2 to wolf full, good positions shown in the air – ro 1.5 to front lay, short on the lay and ended up locking her left leg on landing awkwardly, but she’s fine. 9.625

Onyshko – BB – Stanford – aerial, continues moving enough to bhs bhs, slightly hesitant – switch ring to beat jump, hit – gainer pike, step back. 9.800

DeSouza – FX – Cal – rudi to space flight into Nevada on that attempted connected stag – double tuck, slide back – switch side to wolf full is good – 1.5 to front full is under control. Rough start to floor for Cal. 9.775

Alexeeva – BB – Stanford – beautiful mount – wolf turn double, ends up taking it to her…knee to finish it…you didn’t see anything – bhs loso series, check – switch 1/2 to beat jump, holds it with arm control – gainer front full, stuck. 9.675

Williams – FX – Cal – front lay to rudi is solid – wolf 2.25, hit, I like her lower position on that wolf – switch 1/2 to split jump – double tuck, chest down, bounce back. 9.850

Neault – BB – Stanford – bhs loso, smooth – full turn, same – aerial, good height – switch ring, went after the position, huge break, grabs the beam – beat to split ring jump is very well done – 1.5 dismount, hop forward. 9.325

Li – FX – Cal – front 2/1 to stag jump, low stag but does perform one – good loso to get her back element – front full to front lay, shows controlled step – switch 1/2 to wolf full, good positions, butterfly – hit. 9.925

Roberts – BB – Stanford – needs one since they’re already counting a 9.675 – wolf 1.5 solid – switch 1/2, front leg down, arm wave correction – bhs loso, another adjustment, arms leg up, she seemed right on – side aerial, more secure – 1.5 dismount, lunge forward. 9.700

Lauzon – FX – Cal – front 2/1 to front tuck, controls the step – switch side to popa, shows pretty positions – back 1.5 to front full, a little movement there, nice one. 9.925

Widner – BB – Stanford – switch to split, great back leg on that switch leap – bhs loso and falls, off line, such good toe point – well, it has all fallen apart for Stanford on beam – aerial, keeps going into split jump – gainer full, stuck.

Looks like Stanford is going to finish on 196.075, which is not bad for a road score, but they had a hope for 197 in this one given how it started.

Frazier – FX – Cal – DLO, controls the step, pulls the chest up well – split ring jump – switch to split ring 1/1, out of control on that landing with a hop – front tuck through to double tuck, very secure passes. 9.925

Cal gets the 49.400 on floor, which will bring them to 197.525, matching the score from two weeks ago. Still work to do on vault and the first half of the floor lineup, but Cal will take three usable scores for NQS in January.

FINAL:
Cal 197.525
Stanford 196.075