LIVE BLOG: No. 74 Springfield College and No. 80 RIC at No. 49 West Chester

We’re in the Philly suburbs for a DII/DIII showdown! West Chester has been soaring to start the season, culminating in a score last week that fell just below last season’s final NQS. It’s shaping up to be a tight battle between this squad and Lindenwood for the top spot in DII. The Golden Rams boast a plethora of exciting routines to watch, especially from junior Jessica Meakim, the reigning ECAC-II gymnast of the week. She’ll be looking to extend her all around win streak for the fourth consecutive week.

West Chester should have a comfortable edge today, but the competition between the DIII teams could be tight. RIC has typically struggled to start the season, but it broke 180.000 last season on the heels of a strong all around performance from freshman Kelsey Gates. She has big beam and floor routines that could compete with Meakim and her teammate, Yolanda Nodarse, for standout moments of the day. Springfield has also had a slower start than usual, but last week tit was briefly ahead of Cornell and Southern Connecticut after impressive performances on beam and floor. Clearly, these are the two events to watch for all three teams today. We’re also watching to see if Pride powerhouse Tali Twomey returns to vault and floor lineups; she has yet to appear there this season.

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Didn’t mention this above, but it’s my first time covering DIII! Super excited to watch these teams after all the Twitter hype.

WCU has dedicated its season to mental health awareness. <3

ROTATION 1: WCU Vault / Springfield UB / RIC Beam

Bailey (WCU): Layout full, no real issues it seemed. 9.425.

Campagnone (Springfield): Short handstand into double back dismount. 8.975.

Silva (RIC): Side aerial, small check. Switch leap to switch leap, second leap she falls and splits the beam. Ouchy. Comes back for a gainer tuck dismount with a step. 8.700.

Lubking (WCU): Handspring double front, lots of power and lunges forward. 9.325.

Jewett (Springfield): First giant is off and she comes off. Goes for it again and…off again. Sets up for double back dismount, very deep but controlled and not much movement. 7.200

Kleinebreil (RIC): BHS LOSO and comes off. No hesitation on straddle combo. Cat leap, off again. Missed dismount. 8.100

Kissinger (WCU): Ilg! Lunge forward. 9.450.

Murphy (Springfield): Seems hesitant on a handstand but saves it, good into the bail. Double front chest down and a hop forward. Must’ve missed a fall…8.825.

Benz (RIC): BHS, breaks connection into side aerial, then goes for side aerial and falls. Switch leap to stag, doesn’t get the position but less hesitant. 8.225.

B. Johnson (WCU): Big Yurchenko layout, step back. 9.375.

Sipes (Springfield): Some crazy legs on the bail but makes it. Short last handstand into DLO with a small step. Great dismount! 9.600.

Gates (RIC): Lovely position on split leap. BHS LOSO, misses her back foot and falls. Check the on full turn. Tucked full dismount, small step. 8.775.

Meakim (WCU): Yhalf, legs in the air and a hop forward. 9.575.

Calabrese (Springfield): Missed the start but she has great extension. Stuck double back. 9.100.

Peterman (RIC): Piked jump to tucked jump full, nice. BHS and barely saves it. Side aerial better.. Straddle to tucked half. Straddle half, a dance element queen. Punch front tucked full, hop forward. 9.050. 

K. Johnson (WCU): Believe that was a yfull, very good landing. 9.625.

King (Springfield): Looked good on the bail. Stuck double back. 9.600. Team high. 

Davis (RIC): BHS LSO, stays on after a wobble. Switch leap to switch half. Walkover, good. Dismount shuffle forward. 9.375

After 1: WCU 47.450, Springfield 46.100, RIC 44.125

WCU doesn’t have the biggest vaults, but the confidence is clearly there. Springfield and RIC will look for more hits later after starting out on traditionally nervy events. RIC earned its second highest beam score of the season. 

Rotation 2: WCU Bars, Springfield Beam, RIC Floor

Gill (WCU): Big air on Jaeger, good bail, short last handstand into double back, small step back. 9.725

Parquet (Springfield): BHS LOSO, good. Leap combo a little hesitant and the straddle isn’t quite 180. Straddle half same. 9.350

Yett (RIC): Front full to front lay, legs a little bent hop forward. Double tuck super low and has to put hands down. 8.650. 

Meakim (WCU): Big Jaeger, feet flexed, last handstand short, double back chest down and step forward. 9.650

Campagnone (Springfield): Punch front mount, well okay then! BHS to back tuck. Back 1.5 dismount, a difficult one! 9.650

Gates (RIC): She’s got my fave floor music, Emily Gaskins 2017 and Toronjo…last time she did floor lol. Front full. Switch ring to switch full. BHS LOSO side pass. Front full to front lay. Front Rudi to end. 9.600

Kelly (WCU): Legs look off on Tkatchev and she comes off on it. Double back small step. 8.800

Jewett (Springfield): Confident BHS LOSO. Split leap. Gainer pike to dismount, small step. 9.050

Skerl (RIC): Back half to front lay. Nice straddle position. FHS front lay front half. Ends with front full, pretty good one. 9.600

Duke (WCU): Came off on a release.  Pak with legs slightly apart. Nice last handstand, DLO, big step back. 8.950

Sipes (Springfield): Switch leap to switch half, second hap isn’t nearly extended and a wobble. Gainer pike, stuck. 9.200

Kleinebreil (RIC): Front full to front tuck, sits it. Front half to front lay. Front full to end, Ariana Grande medley btw. 8.550

Nodarse (WCU): Arches over on first handstand but saves it going into Tkatchev. DLO super close to the bar, step back. 9.650

Murphy (Springfield): Split leap to back tuck, no hesitation. Switch leap to switch half, great extension. BHS, wobble but stays on. Gainer full, small hop. 9.500.

Davis (RIC): Rudi. LOSO. 9.450…missed the rest

Wojewoda (WCU): Good Jaeger, stuck DLO. 9.800, best score of the competition thus far. 

KING (Springfield): Big double tuck,step back. Switch leap to tuck full. Front lay to front full. 

Lynn (RIC): Front lay to front half, has to put hands down. Rudi chest way down. 

AFTER 2: WCU 95.250, Springfield 93.375, RIC 

Rotation 3: WCU Beam, Springfield Floor, RIC Vault

Springfield’s team cheer for floor is “Sassy but classy.”

Wojewoda (WCU): Triple series to open, falls. Gainer pike, small step. 8.900

Gendreau (Springfield): Front full to front lay, PONYTAIL-OGRAPHY. Back full to back tuck. 9.300. 

Gates (RIC): Yurchenko pike, small step. 9.300

Miranda (WCU): Another triples series, hesitates but she saves it. Back double full, stuck. 9.600

Chaves (Springfield): Pretty back 1.5. Straddle leap combo, good position. Punch front lay. This sounds like video game music. 9.375.

Smith (RIC): Missed but looked like a Yurchenko lay. 9.100

Meakim (WCU): Off on BHS LOSO. Back 1.5 dismount, small step. The RIC banner fell down while she was performing, the POWER she has. 9.175.

Rosier (Springfield): Good first pass, looked like she went for a front rudi for the last one but underrotated and landed on her knees. 8.800

Talabac (RIC): Yurchenko tuck, hop back. 8.600

Fanara (WCU): BHS LOSO, no hesitation. Fell on something. Front full dismount, small hop. 9.100.

Parquet (Springfield): Back 1.5 to front lay, haven’t seen much of that pass today…for once. Her floor music is that Migos song from the new Hotel Transylvania movie, obsessed. 9.300

(I meant Addams Family, not Hotel Transylvania, for all you rabid fact checkers out there).

Proctor (RIC): Yurchenko layout, pikey. 9.200

Nodarse (WCU): Not sure if that was meant to be a wolf turn, but she had a weird thing with her leg…saved it, though. Front tuck, wobbles but stays on. Same with her series. Back double full, most confident part of all. 9.750

Rushlow (Springfield): Big double pike. Double tuck. Front double full to front tuck, wowwww big difficulty there. 

Vaccaro (RIC): 

Boyd (WCU): Excited to see this one in person. Front aerial, leg goes up and she’s off. :/ BHS BHS series much better. Gainer pike stuck. 9.225.

Campagnone (Springfield): Double pike, lunge back. FHS front lay front half to stag leap. 

K. Johnson (ex. for WCU): Beautiful series, no hesitation on back tuck. Rounding up for the dismount, will we see the double tuck? She does it but has to step back a million times and almost goes off the mat. Super great otherwise, and hopefully she can rein the power in on the double tuck to get that in the lineup yesterday. 9.275. 

WCU had a bit of a Balance Beam Situation, which is unusual for the Rams. Springfield has some really fun, shining routines on floor, and RIC is getting there with the power on its vault landings.

Waiting on scores for that rotation. 

After 3: WCU 149.775, Springfield 142.150, RIC 136.075

Rotation 4: WCU Floor, Springfield Vault, RIC Bars

Miranda (WCU): Lovely front Rudi. FHS front lay front half. Back 1.5 to end, nice. 

Lindsay (Springfield): 9.300

Yett (RIC): Bail, good handstands, missed handstands but looked good. 8.050

B. Johnson (WCU): Front rudi to split jump, doesn’t hit 180. Fun choreo here. Front 2.5.

Sipes (Springfield): Yurchenko pike, stuck. 9.075

Schlawiech (RIC): Fell on dismount. 7.900

K. Johnson (WCU): The actual Mii channel music from Wii in her routine. I’m rolling. Double pike, controlled lunge. Really strong on double pike to end. 9.700

Chaves (Springfield): 

Skerl (RIC): Bail is a little off, good last handstand, double tuck chest down but gets the landing. 8.500

Kissinger (WCU): Rudi to BHS, the team seems to love this one especially. Front Rudi, strong ending. 9.700

Silva (RIC): Handstands a little off, into bail, double back step forward. 

Schwab (Springfield): Half on back layout, good landing. 9.400

Fanara (WCU): Double pike, strong with chest down. Back 1.5 to front lay. Double tuck chest down, really good tumbling. 9.750

Rushlow (Springfield): Yurchenko layout I believe, step back. 9.525

Vaccaro (RIC): Double back, hop forward on dismount. 8.350

Meakim (WCU): STUCK double pike. Tuck jump full + straddle full. BHS LOSO, this floor rotation has been FIRE. Front Rudi to stag. 9.800

Gates (RIC): Bail looked a little messy, toe shoot back to high bars, double back super high, step back. 9.375. AA score of 37.050.

Jackson (Springfield): Handspring double front stuck!

FINAL: WCU 190.750, Springfield 187.700, RIC 179.100

West Chester came through in the end with a crowd-pleasing floor rotation, but an off day on bars and beam was enough to make the Golden Rams ready to forget this one. RIC was consistent on bars but ultimately came up around three points short of last week’s big 180+ day. Springfield ended with some big vaults to get a season high team total. 

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Live blog by Katherine Weaver

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