I live blogged both of these teams last weekend and learned that Penn State at home can get WILD. The Nittany Lions followed a great and very generously scored bars rotation with some of the most painful-looking beam falls I’ve seen in my life and eventually couldn’t avoid falling to Ohio State. For the sake of everyone’s thighs, I hope this week will be a little cleaner.
Meanwhile, Minnesota lived up to the core truth of the program: that its numerous truly great routines will be screwed over at every opportunity, but that ultimately the team will almost always score too many 9.6s for the unfair scoring to be what’s holding it back. The Gophers look great so far this year, but State College is no oasis of perfect scoring. That said, if they have a good day with clean landings, they’re likely to have the edge on Penn State.
Good afternoon! This is my first of four live blogs today so… I’m going to need to pace myself. I started off the day annoyed because Penn State put an incorrect livescore link on literally everything, but Minnesota has helpfully provided us with a correct one.
This meet is also a double dual, so I’ll try and fudge my way through some men’s I guess but I really just wanna watch Minnesota.
We're underway at Rec Hall vs. No. 22 Minnesota!
Watch: https://t.co/24UYk3CIYK
Live Stats: https://t.co/cpBCl6QUzs#WeAre #RestoreTheRoar pic.twitter.com/BJSiX7gB5c— Penn State Women’s Gymnastics (@PennStateWGYM) January 26, 2019
ROTATION 1: PENN STATE VAULT, MINNESOTA BARS
Well, I’m watching the women’s stream, and so far it’s only shown men with no names so I don’t know who they are. There was a pretty sketchy wide arm handstand on floor. OH, the girls are still in touch I think, I’ll stop freaking out.
I’m not very impressed by Greg Tamargo’s twisting form, and unfortunately all he does is twist.
ASTARITA – PSU: Yurchenko full, piked throughout with a hop back.
Favian Valdez is a much nicer twister but point ya damn toes boy.
GARCIA – PSU: Yurchenko arabian, not huge but stuck!!
Jackson of Nebraska just fell off the pommel on literally nothing. Buddy. Ooh he is not the most fun pommels gymnast I’ve ever watched. It’s not a chair friend. He looks dead inside.
BONSALL – PSU: Yurchenko full is a bit soft on the table and not massive but comfortably around.
Sands did a really nice pike double front! Some of these landings are rocky but like it’s men’s. Oooh pike back to push up position is pretty.
CHINNERY – PSU: Bigger Yurchenko full, touch piked, hop back.
LU – MINN: Maloney to Pak, half turn on the low, she’s taken her van Leeuwen back out and I’m not mad for the moment, dead stick on her double lay ugh beautiful.
BRIDGENS – PSU: YESSS the one and a half! A bit of knees in the air and a hop to the side but good hit.
Zakutney of PSU has a really nice front lay double front. I’ve heard of this guy and I really don’t do NCAA MAG so he must be good.
MINNESOTA 49.325 – PENN STATE 49.025
HOLY MINNESOTA. What a score. Wish we’d gotten to see more than Lu, but at least we got that. 9.875 from Ramler and 9.850s for Sales and Loper. I’m going to try using more gifs about the men’s stuff because I’m bored.
ROTATION 2: MINNESOTA VAULT, PENN STATE BARS
Got a pretty good pommel hit in the lead for Penn State but goddamn do these guys have to WORK for their dismounts.
Martin of Nebraska landed on his knees on his second pass and someone went WOOOOP really loudly. Not sure if that’s supportive or rude.
Hock of Penn State is pretty competent on pommels oh wait oh shit yikes bye. He looked pretty uncomfortable after that fall. He might have taken a pommel to the crotch.
QUAGLIA – MINN: Saw this distantly across the arena but pretty solid full.
ALLEN – PSU: Blind to Jaeger, pretty nice, bit of knees going in, good bail, OH MY GOD THEY KEEP PUTTING GRAPHICS ON TOP OF HER. Really nice double lay stuck!
Good lord Peters of Nebraska just did a one and a half straddled and I know those sometimes exist intentionally in MAG but I’m pretty sure his was an accident.
SONIER? – MINN: Gorgeous full with a tiny hop in place.
PSU_ Nice Tkachev, kinda sideways on bail but worked through it, hitting her handstands, Toe on to super yikes stalder to double back stuck. PSU is on it with these bars landings.
RAMLER – MINN: Another really nice full, better than the last one, just pulls her heels together.
BRIDGENS – PSU: Maloney to bail to toe shoot, blind full double back, super clean. Maybe a touch slow on the blind full and a bit of cowboying in the double back but close to the quality of her 10 last year.
Valdez of PSU is pretty competent on pommels. His hands are huge, wonder if that helps. Oh hell he got stuck on his dismount and got up to about 90 and just jumped off.
BONSALL – PSU: Slightly over on her first cast, Maloney with leg sep on the backswing to Pak, all the usual direction change nonsense, double lay a bit underrotated with a step forward.
This Penn State guy on pommels has some SERIOUS glasses yall. Nedoroscik or something.
Truly H E R E for Stephen Nedoroscik's Zorro masked avenger goggles for pommels and would like Morgan to step up her game, possibly even working them into a floor theme? We'll circle back. pic.twitter.com/0stntUxmFZ
— The Gymternet (@thegymterdotnet) January 26, 2019
OH SHOW US LOPER’S VAULT PLEASE. (They didn’t.)
GARCIA – PSU: Short on the first handstand, blind to pike Jaeger caught pretty close. Toe on to great bail, double lay hollowed in the first salto which I kinda hate, if you’re going to hollow it commit, but stuck with a bit of arm negotiation.
Stephenson of Nebraska mistimed a punch front quite badly but got it to his feet anyway, respect.
MINNESOTA 98.575 – PENN STATE 98.275
This is going so well!! I’m amazed. Minnesota especially. Fingers crossed for no beam meltdowns for everyone because at this point it’s really promising.
SSB just worked her way down the length of the beam slapping it. I think she’s trying to clean up some of the chalk but it was hilarious.
In men’s news PSU has an edge of like eight points. Nebraska seems like a bit of a chaos team so far. I’m really excited to watch college rings because even elite rings gets really sketchy at the bottom end of a worlds AA final.
ROTATION 3: PENN STATE BEAM, MINNESOTA FLOOR
Borromeo landed his double double off rings with his feet crossed. Not good buddy.
Wait you’re telling me Nebraska has a glasses guy too??? It does! Charlie Giles. Great.
Burns up for PSU on rings. Planchey pikey planchey flippy, he looks dead but he’s getting it done. Full twisting double lay dismount pretty legit but the Minnesota floor huddle was in the way of his feet so idk how the landing is.
Sabrina Garcia is just lounging on the beam while she waits for the flag.
GARCIA – PSU: Side aerial, little check, BHS LOSO with a bonus step and another check. Sheep is okay, gainer full with a step back.
SONIER – MINN: Double pike, touch underrotated, step forward. Switch side split full is great, Rudi looks like it’s going to rebound but she keeps the front foot down. I really enjoy watching her, her dance is very precise. Something front lay is also underrotated and her feet skid forward but she stands it up and also stays in bounds. She lost a hair ribbon in the process thoguh.
Tamargo did not have the hottest positions on rings.
POLITZ – PSU: Hitch kick front aerial split…? I wanna say, and gainer full stuck. Sorry for all the routine fragments, they’re trying to show everything now and mostly failing.
MONTGOMERY – MINN: Double pike with two steps back, probably out of bounds though I didn’t see the flag. Switch side Popa really solid, front lay front full with a touch of knees, I am a sucker for dive rolls in choreography and hers is great. One and a half front lay great.
BASTARDI – PSU: Front aerial bhs with a check in the middle. I doubt they’ll take the series but it wouldn’t be unjustifiable. Kickover front is good, switch to straddle really pretty, side aerial back full stuck. Really nice!
LOPER – MINN: One and a half front lay gorgeous, we missed her first pass I think. Rudi to close, really solid, that’s more what the Gophers are looking for.
MCCRACKEN – PSU: Cat leap front aerial bhs… oh great she has an acro series this week! Something to gainer full a bit piked with a hop back.
RAMLER – MINN: Ring full, AWW SHE’S PAYING TRIBUTE TO KATARZYNA JURKOWSKA-KOWALSKA WHO RETIRED TODAY, great double pike to open. Switch ring thru switch half, great, beautiful Rudi with a mile of floor behind her. One and a half thru double full easy. Beautiful and significantly cleaner than last week, which was already a pretty solid score.
BRIDGENS – PSU: Love her front shoulder roll choreo. Hitch kick kickover front great, nailed the acro series, one and a half dismount solid with pretty serious leg split on the landing.
WILLIAMS – MINN: Following Ramler should be good for her scores! Front double full is fabulous, switch side to Popa is just massive. One and a half front lay, misses one foot on the landing and has an odd little shuffle, Rudi is fabulous. Very nice. 9.95 dead.
HOSEK – PSU: Love this one. Full turn, BHS LOSO only takes up half the beam, some leap to gainer LOSO to knees, that was questionable in the middle. Switch straddle 1/4, front aerial. cat leap gainer full.
THIS MEET IS GOING SO WELL YOU GUYS.
NYLIN – MINN: Double pike, whip one and a half punch front! That’s a fun pass. Double back to her knees, ouch, oh well the rotation score will be good anyway.
Valdez of PSU did one of the wildest Tsuk double fulls I’ve ever seen. He was going straight sideways and it landed very short.
MINNESOTA 147.600 – PENN STATE 147.500
Well scoring has gone off the deep end but I am not complaining at all.
This has gotten pretty fun. Both teams set up for amazing scores here, with Penn State probably the favorite heading to home floor.
ROTATION 4: MINNESOTA BEAM, PENN STATE FLOOR
MONTGOMERY – MINN: BHS LOSO half tucked, missed some stuff because I was sweeping the floor during my rotation break and wasn’t back in time, punch front with a leg up check, one and a half dismount stuck.
MCCRACKEN – PSU: Two and a half twist with a slightly chaotic landing. Something to front lay, pretty good, switch half wolf full, Rudi with a rebound and up on her tiptoes to stay in bounds.
SONIER – MINN: BHS LOSO looked off line to me but it was not a problem. Full turn, beat split 3/4 and she actually hits the split ahh. Bit of a lean forward but gets it under control very quickly. Standing LOSO, BHS one armed BHS one and a half dismount STUCK. SO good.
BONSALL – PSU: Double back, solid. Switch half Popa, feet flexed weirdly, whip half front full. Double pike solid. This meet is SO GOOD.
LU – MINN: BHS LOSO, tiny lean, got it. Cat leap switch half, oooh she landed that right on the edge of the beam but hung on, full turn great. Side somi, gainer full STUCK. WOW.
She’s been in the exhibition the last few weeks for inconsistency we assume, super happy that she’s back and nailing it.
CHINNERY – PSU: Double pike, big lunge, didn’t see her second pass since they CUT TO A DUDE DOING A HANDSTAND FOR THE TWO SECONDS OF ACTUAL SKILLS and then CUT BACK TO HER LANDING.
One and a half I think? punch pike to close. Looked really good.
LOPER – MINN: Cat leap kickover front, switch straddle 1/4 beautiful. One and a half dismount with a step back.
ASTARITA – PSU: Open double back, love that so much. One and a half front lay, bounces out a little. Switch side Popa looked underrotated to me… nailed the double pike to close.
SALES – MINN: Cat leap switch side, leans back and swims to hang on. Gainer pike stuck.
BRIDGENS – PSU: Double back, overpowered, pulls her front foot back. Front double full landing is really solid. Switch half wolf full felt a little wonky, front full front lay great.
RAMLER – MINN: Watching her in the background of Nebraska HB. Full turn nice, BHS LOSO. Now she’s out of frame. Sob.
GARCIA – PSU: Double back, underrotated with a step forward. Double pike and has to pull the front foot back, lots of power. Big lunge on one and a half front lay. Great finish!!
I have no idea who won because the scores broke, so that’s frustrating.
Hosek in the exhibition for Penn State, looking great. I thiiiink I saw Nylin in the background doing beam but it was tiny and fuzzy and I wouldn’t bet on it.
FINAL: MINNESOTA 196.925 – PENN STATE 196.775
OH MY GODDDD. What a freaking meet. The two best scores in the Big Ten this year, 47/48 hits, season highs for both by a ridiculous margin. Can’t handle how amazing it was.
VAULT: Bridgens, Ramler 9.900
BARS: Lu 9.950
BEAM: Ramler 9.950
FLOOR: Williams 9.950
AA: Ramler 39.625
Live blog by Rebecca Scally
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