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then snap them together to try and create more momentum, but this causes more deductions than it’s worth. Baker and Ali have perhaps the cleanest of the group, but freshman Chloe DeVries has a full that is cleaner than any returning Knights. She could very well beat out a
number of veterans for a lineup spot. Emma Karas could bring another unique vault to the lineup, a Tsuk tuck full, but this too only starts |
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On bars, Hoffman is the Knights’ only loss, so they’ll retain most of their heavy hitters. Ali, Amoresano, Baker, Groden, Elizabeth Nand, Makenzy Shank and both Charly and Eriel Santagado competed in the bars lineup last season pretty regularly. Again, there is definitely room for improvement among these
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returners. Of them, Shank had the highest score last season — a 9.875. Compared to the rest of the conference, maxing out at 9.875 isn’t ideal. To remedy this, leg separations should again be a focus, as well as hitting each and every handstand. As far as the newcomers are concerned, both DeVries and Hall are doing some solid work that could put them in contention for the lineup. DeVries has trained a Hindorff as well as a tight full-twisting double back dismount, and Hall has a really simple, clean Tkachev and a very straight double layout dismount. If they can put full routines together with these strong elements, they’ll be great assets to the Knights on bars as well.
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Just staying on the beam could improve the average veteran score greatly — between them, they had 12 falls over the course of the season. That’s six full points in deductions, which can make a huge difference even spread out over all the meets. And that’s not even counting any deductions for missed connections or form issues. Freshmen DeVries and Polina Poliakova may be able to help. DeVries has a confident
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The losses of Hoffman and Stebick on floor will definitely leave holes behind, as Hoffman was one of the consistently higher scores and Stebick had one of the team’s only E passes, a front double twist. The only remaining E pass left among the veterans is Jones’s double layout, which could make her a
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potential anchor for the floor lineup. Ali, Amoresano, Baker, Groden, Lee and C. Santagado should also expect to contend for the lineup as well, with Ali being the most consistent and highest-scoring of that bunch. Freshman DeVries will again hope to contend, and she could certainly shake things up. She currently competes a double arabian, which would give the Knights another E pass, but she’s also
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In the all around, Groden was the Knights’ strongest and most regular performer, and she should expect to return to that role. However, there might be some other candidates as well. Baker, having returned to training after her devastating injury last season, started out competing all four early in the season before the mishap, so she may slowly try to return to that goal. Charly Santagado, too, got one opportunity to compete all four last season, though she’ll want to work on her beam if she wants to be afforded that opportunity again. And freshman DeVries could certainly make a run for any of the four lineups. If coach Louis Levine gives her a chance at all of them, she could be the team’s next young star.
Come back tomorrow when we’ll circle back to cover Michigan State! In the meantime, check out our potential lineups page here, any of our previous series here, and any of our previous Big 10 posts:
Illinois | Iowa | Maryland | Michigan | Minnesota | Nebraska | Ohio State | Penn State
