There’s not a lot of suspense in this meet, but it should be a fun one anyway. Rutgers is showing early signs of a breakout season, but it’s hard to tell whether the Scarlet Knights will thrive under the big lights of Crisler or whether their amplitude will compare unfavorably enough to the high-flying Wolverines to keep scores low.
Meanwhile, Michigan recovered from its first-week beam hiccup but is still in the 197 hunt. We haven’t seen the telltale sharpness and conviction yet that you’d expect from a team favored to qualify to national finals, as many fans thought Michigan would be at the beginning of the season. While the unexpected losses of Maddy Osman and Anne Maxim sting, they shouldn’t devastate the Wolverines, and today would be a great day for the 9.9s to start flowing.
Michigan is debuting a beautiful new leo tonight:
https://twitter.com/UMichWGym/status/1220823718454165504?s=20
And Rutgers is also debuting a new leo!
https://twitter.com/RUGymnastics/status/1220851218186194945?s=19
Rotation 1: Michigan vault, Rutgers bars
Koulos (UM): FTY, almost held the stick but takes a step to the side. 9.750
Drauss (RU): Giant full to jaeger, nice. Pak salto, slight separation on the legs. Slightly short on the last handstand. Hop forward on the double back dismount. 9.725
Mariani (UM): FTY, good amplitude, hop back. Camera was zoomed in so I missed what she looked like in the air though. 9.800
Hall (RU): I missed part of this. some form issues in the air, big hop on the dismount. 9.650
Brenner (UM): Y1.5, hop forward. 9.775
Huang (RU): Toe-on giant. Bail to handstand, fine. Back up to the high bar, comes off on her tkatchev. Giant full into double back, almost stuck. 9.025
Brooks (UM): Y1.5, big hop forward. Again the camera is really zoomed in so I can’t see form in the air, but that was a big vault. 9.775
Joyner (RU): Giant half into a jaeger, nice. Bail to handstand, legs separate a little. Short last handstand, FTDB dismount with a step back. 9.750
Wojcik (UM): Y1.5, the tiniest hop forward. This should score significantly above the previous 2 vaults. 9.900
Karolewski (RU): Beautiful handstand. Toe-on piked tkatchev. Bail to handstand looked good. DLO dismount, tiny hop. 9.825
Wilson (UM): Huge Y1.5, hop forward. 9.900
Farrell (RU): Maloney to pak, nice. Good last handstand. Giant full into a double back dismount, stuck. 9.825
AFTER ONE: Michigan 49.150, Rutgers 48.775
Michigan had a solid rotation, but it is giving away too many tenths on those vault landings to really achieve what it is capable of there. Rutgers had mostly good showing on bars, luckily did not need to count the fall from Belle Huang. This is actually its highest score on bars so far this season, so it should be pretty happy with that.
Rotation 2: Michigan bars, Rutgers vault
Betancourt (RU): FTY, big hop back. 9.650
Heiskell (UM): Jaeger, nicely done. Pak salto, legs looked together from here. Good last handstand. Giant full into double back, close to the bar but good landing. Tiny hop. 9.875
Duffield (RU): FTY, clean in the air but a hop back. 9.725
Mariani (UM): Almsot goes over on the first handstand but fights to keep it. Big tkatchev, bail to handstand. Good last handstand. DLO dismount, a little piked, stuck landing. 9.850
Williams (RU): FTY, tiny step. 9.725
Brenner (UM): Giant half into a jaeger into a bail, nice. Clean DLO, stuck with the slightest lean. 9.85
Huang (RU): Y1.5, bent knees, tiny step. 9.775
Brooks (UM): Blind to pike Jaeger, pretty, big bail. FTDLO basically the best in the country with a hop forward. 9.825
Joyner (RU): A little low but solid FTY with a hop back. 9.75 is good for her.
Wilson (UM): Soft feet in her casts, blind to pike Jaeger good, bail. Double lay pretty with a hop back and feet a way apart. 9.875
Hall (RU): Tuck one and a half, one of the less scary ones, medium hop back. 9.
Wojcik (UM): Question on her first handstand, Deltchev massive and beautiful, iffy bail. Double lay close to stuck, couldn’t see her feet. 9.875
Atienza tsuk tuck full in the exhibition, Farley for Michigan doing normal Farley bars stuff.
After 2: Michigan 98.475 – Rutgers 97.550
Both on season high pace, though beam is beam. The Wojcik Deltchev was amazing and totally worth the wait!
Rotation 3: Michigan beam, Rutgers floor
Farley (UM): BHS LOSO LOSO bent knees but steady. Split split half, small check. One and a half turn is beautiful, side aerial to split. Gainer pike with legs a bit apart. 9.700
Betancourt (RU): Double pike good, switch ring tour jete… quarter? Definitely not around if she meant a half. Front lay front half, double back well done, sort of looked like she attempted another pike just with bad knees which was confusing. 9.65
Mariani (UM): BHS LOSO, tentative, lean but keeps it on. One and a half twist stuck. I assume we missed the beginning. 9.875
Karolewski (RU): Double pike, pretty, couple of steps OOB. Front lay front half, switch ring tour jete quarter. Double back, way underrotated and lands on her knees. 8.525
O’Hara (UM): Full turn, side aerial BHS with a lean. Good leaps, side aerial back full solid. 9.875
Atienza (RU): Double back, runs OOB. Front full front full lands fully out of bounds, double pike with a bit of a bounce. 9.275
Brooks (UM): triple series all right, tentative, switch switch with questionable splits and a check. Kick front and shifts one foot, double back pretty much stuck. 9.9 that’s a “wow you stuck” score.
Duffield (RU): Whip double back, overrotates and sits. Double back good. Switch side split full with split issues, Rudi pretty good, chest down a little. 8.925
Funk (UM): BHS LOSO good. Switch side quarter, full turn, beat straddle 3/4. Side aerial back full is great. 9.85
Joyner (RU): Double pike great, tour jete full! Front full front lay, mistimed but gets it to her feet. Switch side Popa, pretty, one and a half front lay with a little hop. 9.775
Wojcik (UM): Front aerial to beat, switch split. BHS BHS LOSO great, cat leap side aerial, one and a half twist stuck. 9.950
Huang (RU): Front double full, foot shift. Rudi LOSO is a beauty. Switch side Popa, lovely Rudi. 9.85
Abby Brenner did normal Abby Brenner stuff in the beam exhibition.
After 3: Michigan 147.925 – Rutgers 145.025
That was a full-on meltdown for Rutgers on floor, which sucks, but it can scrape a decent score out of this meet anyway with a good beam rotation. Michigan is very much in the 197 hunt at this point.
Rotation 4: Rutgers beam, Michigan floor
Halbig and Marinez seem to be leading Rutgers in some breathing exercises which I love.
Ferguson (RU): BHS LOSO, leg up but holds on. Switch switch half, lean, full turn. One and a half twist with leg separation and a hop. 9.6
Funk (UM): Double back, misses her sting mat, front full front lay lovely. Switch side Popa wolf full, Rudi. Great start. 9.85
Huang (RU): Cat leap side aerial, check, cross step in front to stay on the beam. Full turn, beat split 3/4, double full dismount with a hop and a step. 9.625
Koulos (UM): This routine is my favorite of Michigan’s, I think. Switch full, front lay front full, something split full, double pike. 9.8
Duffield (RU): Triple series, second foot way off and jumps off to follow it. Straddle half beat jump, one and a half twist with a step. 8.75
Wojcik (UM): Double pike, bigger lunge back, tour jete half wolf full. Front double full, great Rudi. 9.9
THE COMMENTATORS STILL THINK SHE WAS THE ALL AROUND CHAMPION WEEK ONE
I AM LITERALLY FURIOUS
DURING THAT MEET THE COMMENTATORS WERE SURE SHE HAD WON
SHE WAS ANNOUNCED AS THE WINNER
SHE DID NOT WIN
THE ALL AROUND CHAMP WAS ACTUALLY WASHINGTON’S EVANNI ROBERSON
THIS IS SO RUDE
Doherty-Herwitz (RU): Front aerial side aerial steady, good leaps. Gainer full off the side which is apparently very unique! with low chest. 9.325
Brenner (UM): Full-in good, one and a half front lay, double pike strong. 9.875
Joyner (RU): BHS LOSO, little check, switch switch half great, side aerial back full really good. 9.775
Brooks (UM): Full in, scoot on her combo pass. Big leaps, double pike solid. 9.875
McLachlan (RU): Big check on a leap, BHS LOSO great. Side aerial lovely, tucked one and a half dismount with a hop. 9.6
Wilson (UM): Full in is great, front lay front full good. Switch side straddle 3/2 magnificent, double pike hop to lunge. 9.875
Final: Michigan 197.300, Rutgers 192.950
VT – Natalie Wojcik, Gabby Wilson (UM) 9.900
UB – Abby Heiskell, Gabby Wilson, Natalie Wojcik (9.900)
BB – Natalie Wojcik 9.900
FX – Natalie Wojcik 9.950
AA – Natalie Wojcik 39.625
Great meet for Michigan! I have some score ordering questions on beam, but that’s a really promising result and it must feel good to be in the 197s. One to forget for Rutgers, but bars and beam looked really good. Bright spots too with Belle Huang debuting her Yurchenko one and a half and Hannah Joyner breaking 39 in the all around for the first time.
