Monday, February 20		SCORES	STREAM
1:00pm ET/ 10:00am PT	Towson, Brown, Bridgeport @ LIU	LINK	ESPN+
3:00pm ET/ 12:00pm PT	[4] Utah @ [22] Arizona State	LINK	P12
5:00pm ET/ 2:00pm PT	[24] Stanford @ Washington	LINK	P12

Checking in for a bit of a Monday live blog today, we have Utah in action against Arizona State.

But first things first, the NQS calculator for the 2023 season is up now.

Today, Utah will be aiming to got at least 197.875, which is now basically only a medium score for a top-8 team, but would allow them to move ahead of the idle Michigan and into 3rd place in the in-progress rankings. Michigan’s postponed meet from Friday is rescheduled for next Monday.

Arizona State would welcome a 196.625 today, the score needed to move back into the top 20, where ASU was before we switched over to NQS.

Today, Utah has Thompson on bars, Sabado on vault, Smith on beam, and Eaker on floor in the McCallum spots.

Opening discussion about McCallum, no surgery required, unknown prognosis re: rest of the season.

Rotation 1

Reeves – VT – ASU – larger bounce back on yfull, some knees and pike. 9.750

Oh, this is the commentator who thinks the most interesting thing about you is your parents’ first names. What fun.

Morgan – UB – Utah – maloney to bhardwaj, hit, just a little crooked on catch – good 1/2 turn on low – rushes cast hs on high – toe on pike 1/2 dismount, step back. 9.825

White – VT – ASU – yfull another large bounce back, a bit better layout position. 9.800, high vault scores so far.

Smith – UB – Utah – good first hs – toe on to maloney, legs together into pak, smooth – gets to hs on low bar, turns a little late – toe on to double arabian, step back for her as well. 9.850

Mangahas – VT – ASU – yfull, controls the hop much better with just a small bounce back, probably should also take for some dynamics compared to the best national vaulters, but that’s not the way today. 9.875

Brenner – UB – Utah – a bit tight on first hs – blind to jaeger to overshoot is solid – good hs on high bar – DLO, legs a bit apart, good stick. 9.925

Smith – VT – ASU – y1.5, good control on landing – just a bit of legs in the air, rises onto her toes, solid. 9.900. A sensible score, but not enough reward competed to those fulls.

Thompson – UB – Utah – shorter first hs – maloney to pak is pretty – 1/2 turn on low bar is solid – pulls out final hs position – DLO, small hop back. 9.925

Theodorou – VT – ASU – ro 1/2 on tuck 1/2, bounce back, good form throughout. 9.825

O’Keefe – UB – Utah – maloney to pak, great amplitude – 1/2 turn on low bar, hit – double arabian, step back today. 9.900, so only deducted the .1 for the step.

Scharf – VT – ASU – good clean yfull, bounce back. 9.875

Isa – UB – Utah – good frist hs – Ray, hit – bail, gets to vertical well – giant full finishes late today, which hurt her release point into the DLO, so it wasn’t as high as usual, step back. But they only took for step. 9.900

Utah gets a big 49.500 on bars. Not their best bars, started slowly and four of the six had one-tenth steps on landing, but they’ll certainly take the score. Arizona State goes 49.275 on vault, led by that 9.900 for Smith. Utah will expect a huge vault number given the standard set in the first rotation.

Rotation 2

Gilstrap – VT – Utah – struggles to land the Yfull today with chest forward and a rebound. 9.725

Theodorou – UB – ASU – a bit short on first hs – toe 1/2 to jaeger, slightly close – good hs – toe on to bail, solid vertical – DLO, piking and some leg separation, controls the landing. 9.875

Brenner – VT – Utah – somewhat large lunge forward on her Y1.5. 9.800

Samiley – UB – ASU – small arch in first hs – stalder to blind to jaeger to overshoot, some foot flexing on jaeger – adds a toe circle when stepping up to high – quite short on hs on high bar after it – DLO, step back. 9.825

Smith – VT – Utah – short landing on her Omelianchik today with a lunge back. Utah not taking advantage of vault thus far. 9.750

Mangahas – UB – ASU – good first hs – blind to piked jaeger to overshoot, good amplitude, some pike in overshoot – good hs on high – FTDT, chest down, bound forward. 9.825

Rucker – VT – Utah – and she sits down her Y1.5 after a very short landing. Oof. Surprising landings today, three of the four have been short. 9.350

Scharf – UB – ASU – good first hs – maloney to pak, clean pak, small leg break on maloney – good 1/2 turn on low bar – a bit shy on final cast hs – FTDT, legs together, some feet, good stick.

And she goes 9.975. That is very high.

Hoffman – VT – Utah – Y1.5, better, medium hop forward. 9.825

White – UB – ASU – good first hs – van leeuwen, legs together well – giant 1/2 on high – connects to a pretty bail hs position – solid hs on high bar – DLO, small step on landing, but an increase on the previous routine in the form department, which got a 10 from one. 9.900

Thompson – VT – Utah – replaces Sabado in the lineup – hits a yfull, chest somewhat forward, hop forward. 9.825 is a bit forgiving there too.

Clark – UB – ASU – blind to jaeger, good – some hip angle on hs positions – good pak height – DLO, legs together, nice stick.

And it’s another 9.975 for ASU as the rotation score goes up to 49.550. Really, really, really loose scoring there.

After 2:
Arizona State 98.825
Utah 98.425

So that’s something you wouldn’t have called. A very weak vault rotation for Utah with a bunch of short landings and a fall. I think the narrative will probably be “THEY’RE MISSING GRACE” but that was uncharacteristic vaulting from people who would be in the lineup regardless.

Arizona State now with a 4 tenth lead. I think they’re being kept up artificially with Utah with some of these scores, but after Utah’s vault performance, they can’t really be indignant about the deficit.

Rotation 3

Reeves – BB – ASU – bhs bhs loso, holds the landing, some knee form through it – switch to split, under split on the jump, wobble – 1.5 dismount, small hop. 9.800

Brenner – FX – Utah – double pike, comfortable, little foot movement – back 1.5 to front lay, under control – switch side, overturns into popa, under on the popa position – double tuck, controlled step. 9.900

Smith – BB – ASU – side aerial is well controlled – full turn, hit – bhs loso, secure landing, some foot position – switch to split, solid – split jump to stag ring, under control, a bit low – gainer full, chest down, hop forward. 9.800

Gilstrap – FX – Utah – lay to rudi, little bouncy – switch to a good closure on the ring 1/2 position – front lay to front full, good rise in layout, some body position in the air. 9.900

Harper – BB – ASU – kickover, quickly connected to bhs – cat leap to switch 1/2, somewhat under split – bhs gainer full, chest forward, tries to college salute herself into control, little hop salute. 9.850

Paulson – FX – Utah – front tuck through to 2.5, more of a crossover step this week, some leg helicoptering – front lay to front full, good lift in full – switch 1/1, ever so slightly under, nice sissone – back 1.5 to lay, a tad lower. Solid. 9.850

“Back 1.5 connected to mom Shelly.”

“Split leap with father Herb.”

Clark – BB – ASU – full turn – bhs loso, small check, good amplitude on that combination – split jump to stag ring, secure – aerial, squeezed to hold on – bhs 1.5 dmt, small step, some leg crossing. 9.900

Smith – FX – Utah – front 2/1, good rise, controls her step – switch ring is hit, gets a little low in the connected switch 1/2 – rudi to a loso that almost got too high for her and then chest down on landing – rudi to double stag to bounce up. 9.875

White – BB – ASU – bhs loso, check, best positions so far – full turn – aerial to beat, under control – split jump to stag ring, bigger wobble, leg up – bhs 1.5, holds onto stick with a little lean. 9.875, which I think there were more checks than that.

Rucker – FX – Utah – FTDT, chest forward with a small step – switch to switch 1/1 to stag, good split positions – front lay to front full, jarred herself slightly on landing but shows a controlled step. 9.850

Scharf – BB – ASU – wolf double, hit well – bhs loso, good form, leg up wobble – side somi, holds it – switch to split, hit – 1.5 dismount, small hop. 9.900

Eaker – FX – Utah – 2.5 to front tuck, pretty large bounce forward, stays in – y spin double, would get downgraded in elite for falling out at the end – switch ring to switch 1/2, not the highest but gets her positions – back 1.5 to front full, hit. 9.825

Arizona State will retain the meet lead after three events with a 49.325 on beam. A hearty 197 looking almost inevitable at this point. Utah cuts into the lead a little bit with a 49.375 on floor, and will look to use a Utah-esque beam score to come back for the win.

This meet can still be a counter for Utah with a beam 49.500, but it’s not going to be the score they were looking for to challenge the top 3.

After 3:
Arizona State 148.150
Utah 147.800

Rotation 4

Morgan – BB – Utah – walkover mount – bhs bhs loso with a wobble, bend at the waist and an arm wave – split jump to straddle jump 1/2, arm wave – front gainer full off the side, step forward. 9.800

Lee – FX – ASU – front 2/1, controls the step – back 1.5 to front lay, solide leg position in 1.5, lower amplitude on layout – switch ring to switch 1/2, a little crooked on switch 1/2, rudi, controls landing. 9.850

Smith – BB – Utah – switch to split leap, solid, good improvement on leap positions – cat to aerial to split jump, under control – bhs loso series, secure – full turn, good – gainer full, lower amplitude, holds the landing. 9.925

Clark – FX – ASU – double pike, chest a bit down, step under control – back 1.5 to front lay, layout a little flat – switch ring to switch 1/2, low front leg on the switch ring – double tuck, pulls it out, chest well down. 9.825

Paulson – BB – Utah – side aerial to loso, under control, not the foot form O’Keefe will show – switch to split, no trouble – full turn, a little tentative – beat to side aerial to 1.5, good stick.

We don’t need Amanda summoning even more overscoring.

9.975 for Paulson.

Jaslow – FX – ASU – double pike, slide back – switch side, overturns some, connects to popa – front lay to front full, legs apart on layout – double tuck, just does control that step back. 9.900

Eaker – BB – Utah – switch mount, controls the landing, holding her leg up – full turn – side aerial to loso, holds it in control, chest down position – cartwheel to gainer full, gets fairly low in amplitude, pulls out the stick.

And another 9.975 for her.

White – FX – ASU – front 2/1, controls landing, comes in just a bit deep – back 1.5 to layout, good layout position, little step out – switch ring to switch 1/2, best dance positions so far in the lineup – front full to front lay, controls the step. 9.900

Isa – BB – Utah – candle mount, hit – this little arm wave in this cartwheel is killing me – bhs loso loso, secure – full turn, hit – beat to straddle 1/4, nice – bhs gainer full, chest forward, little hop ahead. 9.900

Mangahas – FX – ASU – FTDT, hops to present, chest down – front tuck through to double tuck, chest well down, lunge forward – switch 1/2 to wolf full wolf full is well done, good positions and crisp completion – 9.800

O’Keefe – BB – Utah – side aerial to loso, small check this week – switch to split leap, lovely – full turn, nice – bhs gainer full, hop back. A couple things today if they decide to take them, which could be critical. Still gets an impossible 9.925.

Scharf – FX – ASU – needs 9.875 to tie – front tuck through to double tuck, slide back – front full to front tuck is under control – switch 1/2 to wolf full is around well – double pike, little rebound. The way this has been scoring, I imagine that clinches the win.

9.925 for Scharf takes Arizona State to 197.550.

FINAL:
Arizona State 197.550
Utah 197.500

OK now we need the .050 inquiry for Utah to maintain the Pac-12 tie world.

Obviously a big win for Arizona State and a huge score that recalls 2004 and will move them into the top 20 again.

The 197.5 does count for Utah and brings them to an NQS of 197.620, which stays in 4th.