It’s a party in College Park and the whole ECAC is invited!!! Seriously, I don’t know why this meet exists but I LOVE it. I am here for my own personal enjoyment.
Maryland is a fascinating, beautiful slow-motion car crash this year, starting the year in sparkling form only to lose several key contributors in bizarre fashion. The Terps are moving forward, thanks in great part to gritty performances from key freshmen like Emma Silberman and Reese McClure, but they’re certainly vulnerable.
Not that it would be easy to lose this meet. The ECAC contingent doesn’t quite have the peak scores to knock off Maryland unless something seriously wacky happens—but it can put on a great show. Temple was on the rocks for most of January but seems to have found its zone with the help of senior Jazmyn Estrella, who seems to have decided more or less spontaneously to be the best bars gymnast Temple has ever had. Meanwhile, Penn absolutely rocked it last week at Ivy Classic, upsetting Yale and falling just short of a program record. Yale will want revenge today and I’m excited to see if it happens.
Rotation 1: Temple vault, Yale bars, Penn beam, William & Mary floor
Vanderboom (TU): Okay full, piked down quite badly with a couple of quick steps back. 9.7
Titche (Yale): Missed a handstand devastatingly, like 90 degrees, double back with a step. 9.35
Greenlow (W&M): Great double pike, one and a half front lay with an iffy punch and bends her knees to get it around. Back double full landed awkwardly, staggers back and sits it. 8.9
Edwards (TU): Twisting on and soft body position on the FTY, step back. 9.775
Estrella (TU): Significantly better FTY than the last few, still some pike but good dynamics. 9.85
Kraez (Penn): Full turn, switch switch half with iffy split. Split tuck 3/4, check, BHS LOSO. Punch front full tucked with a hop forward. 9.65
Everett (TU): Pretty FTY, little step back. 9.85
Brooks (TU): FTY, nice position, comes in a touch short with a hop forward. 9.8
Borden (Penn): Switch split, little pause in the middle, walkover for requirements, gainer pike stuck.
Castrence (TU): Some truly nightmarish attempts to pronounce her name. DTY!!!!! Messy legs and a step back but honestly who cares. 9.875
Walker (Yale): Just saw the double lay with a step back. 9.125 so presumably a fall earlier in the routine.
Marr (Penn): Full turn, BHS LOSO with an arm adjustment, nothing major. Cat leap side somi, big bend check. Switch straddle quarter, weight is back, just not QUITE her day but she’s surviving. Gainer full stuck.
Snoddy (W&M): Front double full, bit bouncy but good, one and a half front lay. Tour jete half split full. Rudi double stag landed well. Really good one!
Nelson (Penn): BHS LOSO, big bend check with arm swing, switch back tuck with a smaller check. Kickover front to beat jump, side aerial. Gainer full a bit messy but stuck.
The commentator literally thinks that the event Penn has been doing this whole time is bars.
Caponi (W&M): Two and a half twist, switch side Popa split 3/2. Whip double full with a bounce back.
White (W&M): Double pike, good, very energetic dance. One and a half front lay. William & Mary is landing at a very high level today. Switch tour jete half split full, double back very close to the corner.
After 1: Temple 49.150, William & Mary 48.500, Penn 48.250, Yale 48.000
Rough start for the Ivies. Penn in particular is going to struggle to get near its season high with a weaker rotation on a typically good event. Missing Natalie Yang again hurt. Yale is also down Jade Buford today and isn’t enjoying it. (She’s here and not in any obvious injury paraphernalia.) Temple had a great start on vault and got pretty generous scores on that event, so it’ll be interesting to see if other teams can benefit from that too. I was really impressed by William & Mary on floor. Some mistakes early but the tumbling could be mistaken for a higher-ranked team.
Rotation 2: Maryland vault, Temple bars, Yale beam, Penn floor
McClure (UMD): FTY, touch of pike at the end but STUCK. Wow, what a start. 9.9
Silberman (UMD): Full on back off, pretty high, rebound back. 9.825
Chia (Yale): Just saw a straddle 3/4 but I love her so I’ll take it. 9.7
Morris (UMD): Yurchenko arabian, very pretty, step forward. 9.825
Farina (UMD): FLAT on the table but makes it work, lands off to one side and hops back. 9.775
Baldovino (Yale): BHS LOSO, lovely, switch ring to beat. Front aerial to split, cat leap gainer full back on her heels and steps to salute. 9.725
Rubio (UMD): FTY, HUGE with a bounce back. Biggest vault we’ve seen today. 9.85
Burgess (UMD): Huge again on the FTY, touch of pike, step back. 9.825
Estrella (Temple): Full turn to Tkachev, low, missed a handstand into her Pak. May have missed another handstand, double layout. 9.875
Emma Johnson in exhibition for Maryland, dang that was so far off to the side that one hand might have fallen off the table
Castrence (Temple): Blind full to Tkachev, I like her dynamics on that skill more than Estrella. Bail, not locked into the handstand position but does get there, double lay with a hop.
Lashley (Penn): Switch half wolf full, one and a half front lay. Front layout to Rudi, little scoot to the side. 9.75
Kraez (Penn): Double pike, chest a tiny bit down, switch half wolf full. Front lay front full, soft knees. Double back great. 9.7
Graber (Penn): Tour jete full-ish, wolf full switch side Popa. Nailed the Rudi. One and a half front tuck with a step to the side.
After 2: Temple 97.900, Yale 96.725, Penn 96.400, Maryland 49.225, William & Mary 48.500
Very solid bars rotations from the Owls. Yale got through beam in pretty productive shape, while Penn struggled again on floor but now gets to go on bye and recover to hopefully take advantage of the generous vault scoring.
Rotation 3: William & Mary vault, Maryland bars, Temple beam, Yale floor
Tsiknias (UMD): Blind to Jaeger, slightly tentative handstands, good bail. Double layout stuck-ish. Great start. 9.85
Greenlow (W&M): FTY, wrong off the table and lands it to her knees. 9.55, imagine the raised eyebrow emoji. I guess there’s a chance her knees didn’t touch down but still, that’s a very high score.
Silberman (UMD): Half turn to Gienger, slightly bent elbows, good bail. Double layout with a step back. 9.825
Cooperman (Yale): Great two and a half twist.
Glauber (UMD): Tkachev, nice position, casts aggressively. A little short on bail, double lay pretty and stuck. She swings so fast. 9.925
Firth (Yale): Double full punch front good. switch half wolf full or something.
Wright (UMD): Ray to overshoot, lovely, stalder to double back stuck-ish. Very underrated, very beautiful. 9.95
Castrence (Temple): Double ful ldismount with a hop back.
White (W&M): FHS front pike with her chest forward and a tiny step. 9.775
Farina (UMD): Blind to Jaeger, good bail. double lay feels a little low but stuck. 9.875
LeBlanc (UMD): Half turn to Gienger, high and close, missing handstands a little, good bail. Blind full double back with a hop.
Chong (Yale): Double tuck, comes in a bit low and lunges out, switch side Popa Popa.
Menemenlis (Yale): Double pike, runs back and falls. Front lay front full is good. Switch side Popa wolf full with rotation issues. One and a half front pike is good.
After 3: Yale 145.650, Temple 145.500, Maryland 98.650, William & Mary 97.275, Pennsylvania 96.400
Wow, Maryland. 197 pace at the halfway point. That bars rotation was absolutely spectacular and a program record at 49.425. Yale leading Temple after three each is a little eyes emoji, and ending on vault which has scored high today is a big opportunity for the Bulldogs.
Rotation 4: Penn vault, William & Mary bars, Maryland beam, Temple floor
McClure (UMD): Front aerial BHS great, her arm details are so special. Switch straddle quarter, kickover front to split. Aerial walkover 3/2 dismount with a hop. Great start. 9.825
Joost (Penn): FHS front tuck, great form, little step back. Love to see pointed toes on that one.
LeBlanc (UMD): BHS LOSO, switch half to beat with soft knees. Full turn, switch straddle 1/2. Punch front full stuck. Little form details throughout on that one but emphatic hit. 9.75
Mannino (Penn): FTY, landed with chest down a little but near-stuck. Step to salute. 9.725
Silberman (UMD): Switch LOSO, great. BHS LOSO with soft knees. Switch straddle quarter, one and a half dismount with a step to salute. 9.8
Kraez (Penn): Her usual lovely FTY with a step. 9.85
Wright (UMD): Hitch kick kickover front BHS slow but steady, switch straddle quarter, gainer side somi nailed. Gainer full with a step forward. 9.8
Rouse (UMD): Full turn, LOSO to split good. BHS LOSO and lifts her front foot just the tiniest bit. Switch straddle quarter, one and a half dismount with a hop. Nice! 9.85
Wright (UMD): Split split 1/2, love it, front aerial BHS with arms a little off direction but I think her connection will be fine. Full turn, kickover front to split, gainer pike stuck. 9.775
Castrence (Temple): Whip half to Rudi, a touch too much power into the corner but stays in bounds, side aerial. LOL Temple doing a 10 chant. 9.85
Garin (Temple): Whip half to Rudi, chest a little down but good lunge, tour jete half wolf full. FHS Rudi, one and a half front tuck ugly and may have been an intended layout.
After 4: Temple 194.100, Maryland 147.700, William & Mary 145.850, Yale 145.650, Pennsylvania 144.500
Maryland is terrifyingly good today. The Terps have a look at only a third 197+ in program history. William & Mary can produce a great score with hit beam, so pressure’s on there, while Yale can vault its way to a win over Temple and Penn at least.
Rotation 5: Yale vault, Penn bars, William & Mary beam, Maryland floor
Tsiknias (UMD): Rudi LOSO, nailed it. This is the techno Fur Elis one and she nails it. Switch ring tour jete half, slightly iffy back leg on that. Front double full, slightly awkward landing on that, cat leap 1/1. Great start. 9.825
Palmer (Yale): Yurchenko lay with a hop back. 9.6
Morris (UMD): Double pike, chest a little bit down. Front lay front full very good. Switch side Popa, double back great. Very solid. 9.85
Chong (Yale): Yurchenko arabian, awkward landing, foot slid a little and steps back. 9.675
Waldman (W&M): BHS LOSO LOSO, leg form but hit.
Silberman (UMD): Rudi back tuck, awkward, definitely a mistake. Switch side Popa. Front double full a little awkward. 9.575 that first pass hurt.
Firth (Yale): Can beat Temple with this. FTY, great, hop back. That should do it.
McClure (UMD): Double tuck, right on top of herself and great landing. Front layout to Rudi. Tour jete half Popa. Front lay front full, close to the corner, chalk puff but I think she stayed in? 9.9!
Rouse (UMD): Double pike, great landing. One and a half to front lay, great leaps. Lovely double back. 9.85
197 is not going to be too far away. Tiara Wright needs a 9.875.
Wright (UMD): Front lay front full, switch switch ring 1/2. Illusion turn. Love the diversity of dance elements Maryland uses. Almost stuck the double back, looks thrilled. I’d guess that’s good enough following two great scores. UGH 9.85! So close!
FINAL: Maryland 196.975, Yale 194.375, Temple 194.100, William & Mary 193.800, Penn 193.275
WOW what a day for Maryland, walking away with the third-highest score in program history. 197 would have been so nice but… we’ll live. No team is going to be unhappy with this total, with some nice NQS boosts all around.
VT – Reese McClure (UMD) 9.900
UB – Tiara Wright (UMD) 9.950
BB – Emma Firmstone (Yale), Sabriyya Rouse (UMD) 9.850
FX – Reese McClure (UMD) 9.900
AA – Ariana Castrence (Temple) 39.250
Live blog by Rebecca Scally.
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