The senior night meets have begun, and tonight Kentucky will be honoring its senior class, which includes Madison Averett, Mackenzie Harman, Megan Monfredi, Allison Snyder and Ella Warren, at the start of this competition. None of these athletes have seen action yet this season. Ella Warren is not actively training according to the Kentucky SID.
LSU had a disappointing loss last week to Alabama and needs to amp up the execution to keep-up with its rival Florida. The Tigers are on a two-meet losing streak and angry gymnastics might just make an appearance tonight. Reagan Campbell was absent from last week’s competition with an injury and Kiya Johnson has not returned to floor.
Kentucky had a solid showing against Florida and seems to have settled on lineups for each rotation. However, it did not capitalize on the opportunity that was presented to it with Florida down athletes last week due to contact tracing. Kentucky showcased an impressive four 10.0 start value vaults but struggled to execute controlled landings. A solid score tonight will help its NQS ranking.
Ready to GEAUX in Kentucky!
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📊https://t.co/bRMFPXykly pic.twitter.com/myEkVCkUyB— LSU Gymnastics (@LSUgym) February 26, 2021
Reagan Campbell will be available to go on beam for LSU tonight and Desiderio is scheduled to return to floor after having issues on her landings in competition. Bryant appears to be absent from the beam lineup for the Tigers.
We already have a change to those lineups. Bridget Dean will take the place of Chase Brock on bars.
Rotation 1: Kentucky VT, LSU UB
Worley (UK): FTY, Just the full tonight and takes a hop back. 9.825
Johnson (LSU): Mounts low bar, Maloney, bail to handstand, good, nice final handstand , DLO, legs glued together and sticks the landing. 9.8
Weird camera angle for bars.
Bunn (UK): FTY, beautiful in the air. She gets the stuck landing, but did land with her chest low. 9.85 Career High
Dean (LSU): Ray, good, toe-on handstand, short, bail handstand, slight leg separation, DLO, messy form in the air with a hop forward. 9.75
Magnelli (UK): Front Pike Half, soft knees in the air with a hop back. 9.9 Career High
Dunne (LSU): beautiful first handstand, big Tkatchev, Pak Salto, short on low-bar pirouette, DLO, step back. 9.75. Updated to a 9.775
Patterson (UK): Front Pike Half, lacks distance and has to pike down a bit. Takes a large step back. 9.775
Bryant (LSU): Blind half to straddle jaeger, beautiful, short on her handstand, Bail to handstand,Blind Change to Double Front Dismount, step forward. 9.85
Angeny (UK): FTY. Does the full tonight and does it beautifully. She opened it up in the air. Small hop back. 9.9
Shchennikova (LSU): Short on her first handstand, Ray, flexed feet and soft knees, Pak salto, good final handstand, DLO, pikes it down and takes a large step. 9.775
Nixon (UK): FTY, Really nice distance on her vault. Small hop in-place on the landing. 9.9
Durante (LSU): Gorgeous handstand, Blind change to straddled jaeger, looks more crooked than normal. Not even sure if that would be a deduction. Pak Salto, beautiful form in her FTDB, step back on the landing. 9.825
LSU will not be pleased with that rotation. Missed opportunities on landings with execution errors on form throughout the rotation. Kentucky put together a great vault rotation with career high’s from freshman Bunn and Magnelli. The Wildcats made the decision to compete two 10.0 start values rather than the four they competed this week. The decision paid off and they’ll take the lead after one
AFTER ONE : Kentucky 49.375, LSU 49.000
49.375 is a season-high for Kentucky on vault.
Rotation 2: LSU VT, Kentucky UB
Durante (LSU): FTY, extremely under rotated and has to pike it down. Large lunge step forward and she puts her hands down. She crunched her ankle on the landing and looks to be in pain. 9.175
Davis (UK): blind full to blind half to jaeger, bail handstand, dlo, legs glued together in her layout, step back. 9.775 Career High
Shchennikova (LSU): Y1.5, This vault is her best piece of gymnastics. Good execution with a stuck landing. 9.95 Career High
Bunn (UK): blind half to straddle jaeger, bail handstand, slight arm bend. Gorgeous final handstand, DLO, leg separation, stuck. 9.8. Updated to a 9.825.
Arenas (LSU): FTY, Great distance and form on her vault. Sticks the landing. 9.925 Career High
Nixon (UK): mounts low bar, maloney, bail handstan. Every single handstand was perfectly on top of the bar. Gorgeous height on her Full-in vault. Stuck landing 9.975, Career High
Edwards (LSU): Y1.5. She gets so much height and distance on this. Takes a step forward. 9.875
Luksik (UK): Cast handstand, straddle tkatchev, bail handstand, ends with a dlo. Stuck. 9.85
Kentucky is having a night!
Johnson (LSU): DTY, hop back. 9.95
Worley (UK): Good first handstand, Huge Tkatchev, pak salto, short on handstand, full-in, small hop. 9.85. Updated to a 9.875
Bryant (LSU): Front Pike Half. Great distance and amplitude. Small hop back. 9.925
Angeny (UK): Straddled jaeger to bail, good final handstand. Really nice form in her DLO dismount. 9.85
LSU was able to get themselves back in the competition after Shchennikova stuck her Y1.5 following a fall from the lead-off performer. LSU’s 49.625 on Vault is the second best score on the apparatus in the nation. With that milestone, LSU was able to make-up ground on Kentucky. Kentucky was lights out on bars with 4/6 stuck landings and beautiful handstands.Nixon was rewarded with a 10.0 from one judge, but ultimately settled for a 9.975.
AFTER TWO : Kentucky 98.700, LSU 98.650
Rotation 3: Kentucky BB, LSU FX
Harman (UK): bhs bhs loso, solid, unique headstand, switch leap to gainer step out, falls, repeats the gainer, good, gainer tuck full off. 9.3
Dean (LSU): Double Pike, soft knees and takes a large unsteady step back. Saves it from going oob. 1.5 to front lay, Tour jete ½, split jump full, Double Tuck, soft knees on her landing. 9.7
Magnelli (UK): bhs loso loso, small balance check, cat leap switch side, nice, full turn, RO 1.5, step forward. 9.8
Desiderio (LSU): Double layout, good, 1.5 to front lay, under rotates the layout and takes a step back, Switch ring, tour de jete half, Double tuck. Doesn’t quite get the rotation fully around but crunches her ankles for a controlled landing. 9.9. That’s a little high IMO.
Nixon (UK): Bhs loso, huge wobble has to lift her leg up with multiple arm swings. Switch leap to split jump, Full turn, Bhs 1.5, step forward. 9.7. That was probably generous as well.
Arenas (LSU): Fhs double full, soft knees in her twist. Good controlled landing. Front lay to front full, weird full., Switch half wolf full, Double Pike, low landing with a large step back oob. 9.725
Bunn (UK): full turn, bhs loso loso, good, switch leap to split jump, nice, RO double full, stuck. 9.875
Ballard (LSU): DLO, nicely done, RO 1.5 to front lay to stag jump. switch ring to switch half, double pike, chest is low on the landing but better than the past few routines for LSU. 9.85
Worley (UK): Cat leap to switch side, short of a full split, Front aerial bhs loso, good, full turn, RO 1.5, steps out of the landing. 9.875
This just coming in: Bunn, Worley and Dunne have had an increase on their bar routines by 0.25. This extends the lead for Kentucky.
Edwards (LSU): Front Double full, Fhs front full, front full, she’s very bouncy on her landings tonight, Switch side popa, Double tuck, step back. 9.9
Angeny (UK): Bhs loso loso, wobbles, Front aerial, good, switch leap to beat, full turn, good, side aerial back tuck full, stuck. She’s relieved to have that one over. 9.8
Bryant (LSU):fhs double front, on the larger side of a controlled step, Front lay to rudi, nicely done, I love her loso as apart of her choreography. Switch side, ½ popa, Fhs double full, well done. 9.95
Jay Clark is giving Bryant a mental break from the all-around which is why she will not appear on beam tonight.
Wobbles on beam may put Kentucky behind LSU after the Tigers had an okay floor rotation. Rotation 3 wasn’t impressive for either program, but they were able to fight through the struggles. Kentucky hit five beam rotations after a lead-off fall and LSU pulled through despite landing errors.
AFTER THREE : LSU 147.975, Kentucky 147.800
Rotation 4: LSU BB, Kentucky FX
Kentucky has scored season-high’s on its first three rotations of this competition according to the broadcast.
Desiderio (LSU): Switch to switch half to beat jump, good, Bhs loso, soft knees in air, Full turn, beautiful turn-out, Front aerial, good, Cat leap to gainer full, Stuck. 9.875
Albores (UK): Season-debut! Nice double tuck to Start. Front lay to a floaty front full. Switch half straddle full, double pike, squatty landing and takes a step forward.9.725
Durante (LSU): Full turn, Bhs loso, soft knees and she’s off the beam,Front aerial to split jump, balance check. Side aerial to full. Stuck. 9.300.
Clarke (UK): Front double full, Front lay to front full, nicely done, ends with a Rudi. Nice clean-set for the Wildcats. 9.825
Shchennikova (LSU): Bhs loso, solid landing, Onodi, small wobble, Switch leap, split jump, good, Front aerial, nice full turn, Bhs gainer full. Stuck. Shchennikova is 2/2 after a miss today. Good for her. 9.925
Bunn (UK): Nice to see her getting moved later in the lineups, Double pike, nicely done, switch half wolf 1.5, Front full to front Pike, Stuck. Fhs Rudi, nicely done. 9.9 Career High
Dean (LSU): Full turn, wobble, Side Aerial bhs, good, Switch leap Split Jump, Front aerial, balance check. Side aerial to full. Stuck. 9.8
Hagis (UK): Rudi to back loso, she launches her loso but manages to stay in-bounce. Straddle Jumps, Double Pike, large uncontrolled step back. 9.825
Johnson (LSU) Full turn, good Bhs Loso, balance check, Switch leap, switch leap ½, wobbles, Front Toss, RO Double Full, small adjustment on the landing. 9.875
Angeny (UK): Huge Double Pike, Straddle leaps, Back 1.5 To front lay, nicely done, Double tuck, cowboyed and a short landing. 9.825
Campbell (LSU): Bhs loso, off the beam. LSU will have to count a fall on beam. Full turn, Front aerial to sissone, gorgeous position, Switch leap switch half, somehow makes the connection. RO double full. Hop back. 9.35
Campbell has dealing with a sore hip.
Kentucky may have the meet with that fall from Campbell. LSU will need to count a fall on beam towards its score now.
Worley (UK): Full-in, stuck landing with a slightly low chest, switch ring to switch side, nice, front full to front lay, stuck, double tuck. Huge double tuck to end. 9.925
Kentucky has pulled off an upset and will hand LSU its third loss in a row.
Kentucky will total a season high with a 197.100 and scored a season best on the vault, bars and beam rotations. The Wildcats were able to capitalize on open doors that were left behind by LSU. LSU struggled with landings on bars and beam and were unable to make-up enough ground on the other rotations to overcome counting a fall on beam.
Aloyna Shchennikova had solid meet for the Tigers and hit crucial routines after falls on both vault and beam. Worley will win her fourth all-around title of the season.
Final: Kentucky 197.100, LSU 196.800
AA Winner: Raena Worley – 39.500
VT Winner: Aloyna Shchennikova – 9.950
UB Winner: Cally Nixon – 9.975
BB Winner: Aloyna Shchennikova – 9.925
FX Winner: Haleigh Bryant – 9.950
Article by Katie Walsh
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