With just over a month remaining until the 2020 season kicks off, we are officially in intrasquad and intersquad season (and yes, there is a difference). This is the time for teams to give (impatient) fans a first look at new routines, incoming freshmen and show their overall competition readiness ahead of when the season officially kicks off in January.
Today we are treated to a fun State of Michigan-esque exhibition meet featuring Central, Eastern and Western Michigan at Michigan. Most pointedly, fans will be eager to see how Michigan is looking without standout graduated seniors Olivia Karas and Emma McLean. The Wolverines also boast one of the strongest freshman classes in the country, headlined by 2019 J.O. national champions Sierra Brooks and Gabby Wilson and giving us our first look at where they may fit into lineups. Central, Eastern and Western Michigan boast exciting freshmen of their own: 2019 J.O. national qualifiers Hannah DeMers for the Chippewas, Mickayla Stuckey for the Eagles and Payton Murphy for the Broncos.
Michigan won this meat last year with a score of 195.125. Each team will be allowed six competitors on each event with up to two exhibition routines
Your College Gym News editor Kalley is here (on her couch in Minneapolis) to live blog the exhibition. Please bare with me: This is my first live blog, and I’m already seriously questioning my sanity by deciding to make my blogging debut by covering a quad meet.
To watch along, click here. For stats, click here.
First glimpse at the Michigan leo for today, which happens to be one of my favorites:
Leotards for today. Meet is at 4 PM!! #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/FltlLoMlp3
— Michigan Women’s Gymnastics (@UMichWGym) December 7, 2019
I will go back and update scores as I am able to.
Alright, fingers crossed the stream works and my dog doesn’t get into anything she isn’t supposed to.
Rotation 1: Michigan vault, Western Michigan bars, Central Michigan beam, Eastern Michigan floor
Michigan vault
Mariani: FTY, little hop but nice 9.750
Brenner: Y1.5, little but hop but nice and high 9.775
Brooks: Y1.5 HUGE, big step. So much power 9.800
Wojcik: Y1.5, SUPER high, tiniest step. THOSE TOES. 9.825
Maxim: Tsuk 1/2, beautiful. Michigan is not here to play on vault today, friends. 9.800
Wilson: Y1.5, step to the side, but again: so much power. That’s five 10.0 starts, if you’re counting. 9.825
Koulos (Exh): FTY, hop to the side.
Western Michigan bars
Binstock: 9.550
Harrison: falls on her dismount 8.925
Mohler: 9.725
Murphy: 7.950
Olivier: 9.575
Tishkoff: 9.525
Central Michigan beam
DeMarinis: 9.525
DeMers: 9.800
Parker: 9.675
Pedrick: BHS LOSO, solid. nice leaps. double full dismount, little hop. Nice routine. 9.750
Tong: 9.725
Williams: comes off the beam and lots of balance checks 8.900
Eastern Michigan floor
Gregory: 9.625
Price: 9.550
Roberts: makes her return to competition after taking lasr year off due to injury. double pike to start, looks decent. Some legs on her second pass. didn’t get to see the final pass because they cut to bars. 9.575
Rondeau: double tuck to start, little low but nice. switch side + split 1/1 looked ok. second pass clean. FHS + rudi + straddle to finish, solid. 9.775
Satler: 9.575
Dobronics: 9.850
Stuckey (Exh): First look at Stuckey today, on floor, which should be one of her best events. Already a fan of the energy. solid double pike, nearly stuck. pretty leaps. Hands down on her double tuck to finish, which is too bad. SO MUCH energy, though – she is going to be great to watch on this event.
After one: UM 49.025, CMU 48.525, EMU 48.450, WMU 47.300
Rotation 2: Eastern Michigan vault, Michigan bars, Western Michigan beam, Central Michigan floor
Eastern Michigan vault
Rondeau: missed her vault, but 8.700
Kosonavich: FHS pike, very clean 9.600
Dobronics: 9.850
Gregory: 9.625
Parris: 9.700
Roberts: 9.700
Michigan bars
Maxim: Big tkachev, nice. Great handstand on her bail. stuck DLO dismount. very clean. 9.750
Mariani: Another big tkachev and they cut out. 9.775
Brenner: nice blind + jaeger, huge DLO dismount. we missed the first part of that one. 9.850
Wilson: beautiful handstands, wow. blind + jaeger clean. Big DLO dismount, little hop. 9.875
Brooks: again, these handstands. beautiful. blind + jaeger clean. huge FTDLO dismount. 9.925
Wojcik: tucked her jaeger, looked too close to the bar, maybe? DLO dismount, nice. Weird mistake for her and she does not look happy about it.
O’Hara (Exh): so great to see O’Hara back in competition! Beautiful jaeger, nice handstands. clean DLO dismount with a hop. 9.750
Koulos (Exh): missed the first part of her routine, but her handstands were beautiful. tiny hop on the dismount.
Western Michigan beam
Binstock: 9.550
Gruber: 9.725
Murphy: 9.775
Spence: 9.700
Tishkoff: 8.875
Central Michigan floor
Pitchell: 9.150
Tong: 9.700
DeMarinis: 9.800
Sydney Williams: 9.450
DeMers: 9.850
Pedrick: HUGE triple twist to start, wow. interesting little clapping interlude for her dance, I like it. Second pass clean. Double pike to finish, controlled step. All around a solid routine and she should be happy with that! That triple twist though. 9.900
After 2: UM 98.200, CMU 97.225, EMU 96.825, WMU 95.800
Rotation 3: Central Michigan vault, Eastern Michigan bars, Michigan beam, Western Michigan floor
Central Michigan vault
Johnson: 9.825
Tong: 9.750
DeMarinis: 9.775
DeMers: 9.850
Williams: 9.725
Pedrick: 9.750
Eastern Michigan bars
Hartung: 9.675
Harden: 8.150
Roberts: 8.400
Parris: 9.600
Bezold: 9.600
Rondeau: 9.725
(Looked like a rough rotation for Eastern Michigan on bars – hard to know without seeing what happened, but I’m alarmed by two scores lower than 9.000.)
Michigan beam
Mariani: lots of arm choreography. side aerial, split jump straddle 1/4. little short on the leaps. beat jump switch half, solid. RO 3/2 dismount, little hop. 9.800
O’Hara: full turn, nice. side aerial, LOSO, and she’s off the beam. stream cut out a bit in the middle. slight step on the dismount. 9.225
Farley: BHS LOSO LOSO, some knees but solid. nice leaps. 3/2 turn, unique, I like it. side aerial split jump, solid. Gainer pike dismount.
Brooks: BEAUTIFUL triple series, BHS LOSO LOSO. switch leap switch leap, nice. HUGE double tuck dismount. Brooks is on fire today. 9.825
Funk: having some stream difficulties, it started working just in time to see her fall off the beam, meaning Michigan will be counting a fall. side aerial + 1/1 dismount stuck. 9.350
Wojcik: leaps look good. triple series solid. slight balance check on her cat leap + side aerial. RO 3/2 dismount stuck cold.
Wilson (Exh): big step on her double tuck dismount, must have fallen because 9.175
Koulos (Exh): cool mount alert. That was fantastic. Front aerial, tiniest balance check. BHS LOSO, and she’s off the beam. Off again on her leap series.
Western Michigan floor:
Gruber: 9.625
Thomas: 9.625
Binstock: 9.750
Harrison: 9.775
Tishkoff: 9.750
Murphy: Looks like she is enjoying herself on floor. Beautiful switch ring leap. Huge double pike to end, nearly stuck. Loved what I caught of that routine! 9.825
After three: UM 146.8, CMU 146.175, WMU 144.525, EMU 143.850
Rotation 4: Western Michigan vault, Central Michigan bars, Eastern Michigan beam, Michigan floor
Western Michigan vault
Gruber: 9.775
Tishkoff: 9.675
Spence: 9.700
Harrison: 9.775
Thomas: 9.825
Murphy: 9.800
Central Michigan bars
Kotas: 9.625
Hauser: fell on her jaeger it looks like. 9.000
Johnson: 9.475
DeMarinis: 9.650
DeMers: 9.800
Pedrick: 9.775
Eastern Michigan beam
Gregory: 9.575
Roberts: 9.550
Satler: triple series, nice. Super high leaps. Crisp full turn. Beautiful double full dismount. 9.775
Price: 9.675
Dobronics: 9.775
Rondeau: 9.750
Michigan floor
Osman: Terrible camera angle right now, why are we so zoomed in. Solid second pass, huge double pike, a little uncontrolled on the landing. 9.725
Koulos: Huge double full for her first pass. stuck double pike, chest just a TINY bit low on that landing. solid leap series. falls on her last pass. She looks disappointed, I imagine this isn’t the debut she was hoping for. But you can see how much potential she has on all of her events today. 9.075
Brenner: Big full-in to start, beautiful. 5/2 to front lay for the second pass, very nice. Switch side + popa solid. Double pike to finish. Overall solid routine. 9.850
Brooks: What is with this super zoom? Can we not? Okay, giant full-in to start. Wow. A little short on the second pass but covers pretty well. Sky high leap series. A little short on the double pike as well, but again, covers nicely. Brooks is going to be such a powerhouse for this team, you can already see it.
Wojcik: Full-in stuck COLD. Wow. Beautiful second pass – her extension is so gorgeous. FHS rudi + straddle. Overall a beautiful routine. 9.900
Wilson: Full-in to start, but I honestly thought that was a double double for a quick second and got excited. She has so much personality on floor, I love it. Pretty leaps. The landing on that double pike scared me, are your ankles okay? 9.825
Farley (Exh): Okay, I like this music. Double tuck to start, mostly stuck. Double pike a tiny bit short but stuck. Hello, there. Some bent knees on her final pass but again, mostly stuck.
Maxim (Exh): Beautiful double tuck to start. Almost tips over on her floor choreography. Beautiful, high leap series. Super high double pike, slightly flexed feet. Overall solid.
FINAL SCORE:
1st: Michigan 195.975
2nd: Central Michigan: 194.500
3rd: Western Michigan 193.400
4th: Eastern Michigan: 192.400
All-Around
1st: Sierra Brooks (Michigan) 39.425
2nd: Hannah DeMers (Central Michigan) 39.300
3rd: Denelle Pedrick (Central Michigan) 39.175
Vault winner: Hannah DeMers (Central Michigan) 9.850
Bars winner: Sierra Brooks (Michigan): 9.925
Beam winner: Natalie Wojcik (Michigan) 9.875
Floor winner: Natalie Wojcik (Michigan) 9.900
All in all this was a great first look – at Michigan especially – giving us the chance to see just how incredible Sierra Brooks and Gabby Wilson are going to be for the Wolverines this season. Central Michigan freshman Hannah DeMers had a fantastic debut; she will most definitely be one to watch in the future as well.
There were some wobbles and falls, but that is to be expected at this point in the pre-season – even the veterans need to work out some of the nerves before season gets into full swing. Notably absent today was Abby Heiskell for Michigan – unclear why she didn’t compete today, even in an exhibition.
Thanks for your patience and following along with me today. Can’t wait for the next (preferably dual, not quad) meet.
Live blog by Kalley Leer
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