It’s senior night in Ann Arbor! Just kidding, every home meet for Michigan this year is a senior night. It started out cool but it got old quickly. I don’t even know which individual this senior night is devoted to, but boy, I’m about to find out.
While on rankings these teams are quite far apart, they’ve got very similar emotional arcs this season—both have consequential freshman classes and had every possibility of an outstanding year, but so far have been just… fine. Ohio State’s beam rotation started the season in dire shape but has improved week over week. Last week the Buckeyes were in line for a debut 196-plus score after the first genuinely hit beam rotation of the season, before floor inexplicably fell apart instead. Meanwhile, Michigan can absorb the fact that Natalie Wojcik hasn’t really hit her stride yet in 2020, but it certainly can’t excel without her, and so far we can’t really see the team that many expected to be in Final Four this year.
That said, for either team any weekend could be the weekend that the training wheels come off and things suddenly get really exciting. You won’t want to look away for too long.
Fun fact from the introduction: Ohio State hasn’t won in Ann Arbor since 1990 đŸ˜®
Rotation 1: Michigan vault, Ohio State bars
Mariani (UM): FTY, a little pike down and a step back. 9.75
Hintenberger (OSU): Blind to Jaeger, good, bail a little off. Blind full, splits her legs just a little, double back with a small step. 9.8
Koulos (UM): Lots of amplitude on her FTY, step back. 9.775
Schweitzer (OSU): Maloney to bail, little adjustment to find the handstand but gets there, toe blind full double back slightly cowboyed but stuck. 9.775
Brenner (UM): Twisting on on her one and a half and closed hips throughout, strong landing, little hop. 9.9
Adamski (OSU): Tkachev great, missed a handstand badly, clear hip to bail. Double layout with leg separation but stuck. 9.75
Wojcik (UM): One and a half, leg split on the table, big step forward. 9.85
Aepli (OSU): Maloney, released too early and can’t catch it. Retries, Maloney to bail good. FTDB with leg form and deep with a hop. 9.125
Brooks (UM): One and a half, fantastic. Cleanest so far and stuck dead. One foot a little behind the other. 9.975!!
Miller (OSU): Toe on to Maloney, bail, beautiful leg form. Unsure on a few handstands, DLO with her weight a bit forward and steps to salute. 9.825
Wilson (UM): One and a half, lovely, most distance of the lineup I think. Little step. 9.850 what?
Swartzentruber (OSU): Maloney to Pak, very pretty. Van Leeuwen great, DLO pings off a little bit with a low chest and a hop. 9.825
Hankins doing an exhibition for OSU, Jaeger, Pak, double layout with a hop and an arm swing. Good one!
After 1: Michigan 49.350 – Ohio State 49.075
Ohio State fighting for sticks and for the most part not quite finding them, but it was a solid bars rotation. Not counting falls is enough to have a really strong total here.
Great start on vault for Michigan, though I’m still raising an eyebrow at the score ordering. Getting the pieces it needs for a big team total.
Rotation 2: Ohio State vault, Michigan bars
Rowland (OSU): Great FTY, stuck. Great start. 9.800 is rude tbh.
She’s a late substitution for Abanto… hmm, wonder if she’s hurt.
Heiskell (UM): Jaeger, beautiful Pak, blind full double back. When Heiskell is at her best she’s astoundingly clean. 9.85
Lowe (OSU): FTY, little leg separation throughout, small bounce back. 9.7
Mariani (UM): Clear hip to Tkachev, lovely, bail. Double lay with leg separation and a hop back. 9.825
Swartzentruber (OSU): Good FTY, looks fine but has an odd rebound up on the landing. 9.7
Brenner (UM): Blind to Jaeger to overshoot, double lay stuck. 9.85
Malas (OSU): FTY, closed shoulders on the table but lots of amplitude, midsize hop back. 9.775
Brooks (UM): Blind to pike Jaeger, good handstands, toe on to bail a touch arched but gets it back. FTDB stuck. 9.925
Aepli (OSU): Revenge vault after her miss on bars, really pretty FTY with a small scoot back. 9.825
Wilson (UM): Blind to pike Jaeger, odd catch – oh, she caught her foot on the bar and lost form but kept going. DLO with a hop back. 9.65
Jennings (OSU): FTY pretty in the air but underrotated, step forward. 9.7
Wojcik (UM): Toe on to Deltchev, beautiful, good bail. DLO stuck. WOW. 9.925
Gagliardi in the vault exhibition for OSU, Yurchenko half on tuck off with two steps backwards.
Koulos for Michigan, blind to Jaeger, really nice bail. I really enjoy her technique, the little details of hand movements are working for me. DLO with the tiniest foot shift. Very much lineup-caliber.
After 2: Michigan 98.725 – Ohio State 97.875
That’s a season high for the Wolverines on bars, despite the fluke miss from Wilson. The Buckeyes survived on vault, but definitely room for improvement there.
Rotation 3: Michigan beam, Ohio State floor
Farley (UM): BHS BHS LOSO, weirdly seems to lose momentum in the middle but it’s not a problem. Big check on a leap, one and a half turn, side aerial to split. Gainer pike stuck. 9.725
Rowland (OSU): Front lay to Rudi, a little underrotated but lunges it around, double pike good, love this choreography, so dramatic. Switch side Popa, front lay front full really good. I ENJOYED THAT. 9.8
Mariani (UM): Full turn, switch straddle quarter, beat switch side great. One and a half twist with a hop forward, good hit. 9.85
Adamski (OSU): Double pike good, switch side Popa great. This is a Stranger Things / Charlie and the Chocolate Factory routine because of course. One and a half front lay, double back is good. She can add a bit more polish to the landings as time goes on but I think this is her first floor routine since an ACL tear and it was a good one. 9.85
O’Hara (UM): Full turn, side aerial BHS and always has bent elbows on the handspring. Split double stag, side aerial oh no, grabs her knee as she bails out into a back tuck. Somehow she gets to redo that? Side aerial one and a half. I have no idea why any of that happened. 9.225
Abanto (OSU): Oh good, she’s fine, they were just resting her. Double pike, one and a half front lay underrotated and scrabbles a bit to stay on her feet. Nailed the leaps, double back feels low with a scoot back. 9.75
Brooks (UM): BHS LOSO LOSO nailed. Switch switch, always a question on the splits there, little check on the full turn. Kick front a little off line, double back underrotated and a big step forward. 9.675
Hankins (OSU): Full in, underrotated and steps forward, front lay Barani split jump. Wolf turn to a shoulder roll is really pretty, double back comes in low and sits it. 9.050
Funk (UM): BHS LOSO great, switch side 1/4. Full turn, beat to Popa spectacular as usual. Side aerial back full, little hop back. 9.9!
Aepli (OSU): Double back really good, front full front lay really good. Double pike. Really good hit to follow a fall. 9.9. Mirror image seniors following poor routines with great ones.
Wojcik (UM): Front aerial pretty, switch split with so much height. BHS BHS LOSO, little check but dances out of it, full turn. Cat leap side aerial, one and a half twist stuck. 9.925
Gagliardi (OSU): I forgot to write down her first few passes cuz I was just watching and having a good time but she hit them, this routine is just a blast. Double back nailed. Big number incoming. 9.925
Great secure hit for Heiskell in the exhibition for UM, just a cross step back on her dismount. Hodges up for OSU.
After 3: Michigan 147.825 – Ohio State 147.100
Beam total ended up fine for Michigan, but not the rotation it wanted with big and weird mistakes. Buckeyes got through floor with a great deal of style and just need to not lose it on beam.
Rotation 4: Ohio State beam, Michigan floor
Schweitzer (OSU): Front aerial, arm swing, switch jump. BHS LOSO good, switch split with a lean and an arm swing. Side aerial back full. 9.725
Koulos (UM): Switch full, front lay front full good with a bigger lunge, the construction of this one always trips me up. Split full, double pike. Good one! 9.85
Schwartzentruber (OSU): Wolf turn, BHS LOSO, big check but hangs on. Cat leap kick front, switch split half, gainer full with a hop. 9.675
Wojcik (UM): Double pike, little overrotated, keeps her heel up, she might have been close to the corner. Tour jete half wolf full, front double full front pike beautiful. Rudi to straddle, lovely. 9.9
She and Lexi Funk traded places, with Funk anchoring now. Wonder if she scratches if the Wolverines get five good hits.
Perez (OSU): In for Abanto. Beat to sheep, bend check. Full turn with a lean, BHS LOSO and a step. Very nervy routine. Switch ring to beat, front full dismount good. 9.475
Brenner (UM): Full in, messy legs but good landing, one and a half front lay good. Switch side Popa overrotated, double pike is good. 9.925
Hankins (OSU): Full turn, triple series with a little lean. Switch switch, bend check, double full dismount stuck. 9.7
Brooks (UM): Full in great, much better form than Brenner. One and a half front lay, slightly lukewarm landing, tour jete half split full. Good double pike, overrotated and scoots back. 9.9
Lowe (OSU): Back hip circle mount under the bars, BHS LOSO great, switch straddle quarter. Cat leap side aerial, full turn, one and a half with a big step forward.
Wilson (UM): Full in halfway open, great. Front lay front full with a massive step forward, switch side half wolf full I think, hard to track the rotation in that series but her straddles are lovely. Double pike, jump to lunge. Nice work. 9.95! Okay, she flew forward an entire body length out of that second pass but whatever.
Hodges (OSU): Split straddle 3/4, BHS LOSO great. Full turn with a little adjustment, standing LOSO great! One and a half dismount stuck. Big one.
Farley (UM): Traded her out for Funk, who apparently doesn’t feel well. One and a half front lay is great. DOUBLE TWISTING CAT LEAP. and it wasn’t even awful! Good leap series, double pike wit chest a little low but fine.
Final: Michigan 197.350, Ohio State 195.900
So much to be proud of today for the Buckeyes, who put together a hit meet for the first time this year. Still some jitters on beam to work out, but showed a lot of style and a lot of grit.
Today wasn’t that wow meet for Michigan, but it was a really good one and one that’s well within the NQS range. Again with the beam jitters, but we tend to forget what a young team it really is. There’s time.
VT – Sierra Brooks (UM) 9.975
UB – Sierra Brooks, Natalie Wojcik (UM) 9.925
BB – Natalie Wojcik (UM) 9.950
FX – Gabby Wilson (UM) 9.950
AA – Natalie Wojcik (UM) 39.625
Live Blog by Rebecca Scally
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