This Pac-12 faceoff almost couldn’t be closer – the rivals are separated by only 0.008 in weekly standings. The Arizona State Sun Devils set a season high (almost a decade high) last week, driven by three-time Pac-12 Freshman of the Week Cairo Leonard-Baker. Oregon State set a season high of its own, missing the 197 mark by the finest margin, and could be in the hunt for another one tonight.
I’m thrilled to be on site in Gill Coliseum, so make sure to follow along with our insta story @ncaagymnews for the maximum experience!
Lineup notes: McKenna Singley returns to the all around after last week’s illness! She replaces Niya Mack in the floor lineup.
Maddie Gardiner is on site, as well as Sam Peszek who’s on commentary for Pac-12.
And it’s the much-anticipated pink meet! Oregon State marched out alongside some cancer survivors – very cool.
https://twitter.com/SunDevilGym/status/959912931268878336
ROTATION 1: OSU VAULT, ASU BARS
OSU – SINGLEY: FTY, middling amplitude and STUCK. Immediate roar from the crowd.
ASU – WILSON: Nice Jaeger, a little squiffy on bail but works through. Short on one handstand, good full turn to double back with a step.
OSU – GILL: Ankle heavily taped, strapped all the way iup the back of her calf. Good full, hop back.
ASU – HART: Nice blind to straddle Jaeger, missed transition, people keep standing in the way haha. Stuck DLO with leg sep.
OSU – DAVIS: Similar fty to the others bit more amplitude maybe?, great landing. This place gets louuuud.
ASU – A. SZAFRANSKI: Great Maloney to Pak, legs split at the last second. DLO close to the bar but drilled.
OSU – YANISH: Big fty, step back.
ASU – CHRISTOPERSON: Toe on to forever in handstand… to Ray. Great bail to toe shoot. Stick on full in dismount. This rotation is rocking.
OSU – DESSAINTS: Just the half today, bound forward.
ASU – KUHM: Nice Maloney, beautiful Jaeger. Missing a couple cast handstands in here… the weakness of her routine is this composition, it needs to be pared down. Lovely double layout with hop forward.
OSU – JACOBSEN: Tsuk full, couldn’t see if her feet moved but itt was good regardless.
ASU – LEONARD-BAKER: Great Ray with a bit of feet, edgy on some of these handstands. Absolutely drilled full in dismount.
Lena Greene with a great fhs pike 1/2 in exhibition for OSU for 9.85! ASU puts up Kait Szafranski for a 9.675.
OSU 49.15 vs ASU 49.025
Perhaps a tenth or two stingy on both sides? But my angle isn’t the best for spotting deductions on either apparatus, so unsure.
ROTATION 2: OSU BARS, ASU VAULT
ASU – K. SZAFRANSKI: Completely missed but it went 9.8.
OSU – KHAMEDOOST: Great transition combo, short on one handstand – DLO to stick with a little leg sep, she’s been nailing that landing recently.
ASU – GINN: Full on the lower amplitude side, big step back.
OSU – COLUSSI-PELAEZ: The team is cheering for handstands more than releases or dismounts, which is super cool. Double layout is so beautiful, just a shuffle back.
ASU – KUHM: Full on the lower side again but really controlled, little hop back but good direction.
OSU – SINGLEY: Lovely full turn to Tkachev, nailing handstands. Full turn to double back with a little foot shuffle.
ASU – LEONARD-BAKER: Full, height stands out especially compared to the last couple. Step back.
OSU – MINYARD: Late on first handstand, nice Jaeger to overshoot combo. Full turn to double back dismount with a stick.
ASU – WILSON: Full, stuck or near-stuck.
OSU – JACOBSEN: Tkachev to overshoot great, a little short on one handstand. Blind change to double front with a step back.
ASU – LENTZ: This is more an exhibition routine that happens to count for lineup, leg split onto the table and piked down with a step back.
OSU – GILL: Toe on to Maloney to Pak, beautiful, only minuscule leg split. Did an extra kip on low bar – not sure if she lost rhythm on something? BIG flared double layout, arms out to the side and stuck dead.
Rushton in exhibition for ASU – tuck full.
Yamaoka in exhibition for OSU! She’s so pretty. Toe on to awkward Maloney, great bail. Full turn to double back with a step forward. If that doesn’t make it in this year it will next for sure.
OSU 98.275 vs ASU 98.1
Both teams off season high pace but this is close and entertaining nonetheless!
ROTATION 3: ASU FLOOR, OSU BEAM
OSU – SINGLEY: Clean through acro series, lovely extension on leaps.
ASU – CHRISTOPHERSON: Double pike, maybe a little bit under. Slide back on double back. Way short on layout, hangs on and… she’s down, holding her right ankle.
Justine is up next and Anne is doing the hero’s work of distracting her and keeping her smiling while Nichelle is carried off.
You immediately think Achilles when someone goes down holding an ankle but I’m not sure it’s that. Underrotating a forward salto isn’t the usual mechanics of an achilles tear and she looked like her ankle rolled a little?
OSU – MINYARD: Check on switch, loses leap connection. Split to straddle 1/4 will do it. Front aerial – bhs, a bit of knees. Full turn, beauuuutiful presentation. I love watching this girl. Cat leap to switch side
ASU – CALLIS: Can’t absorb landing, rebounds back oob on double pike. Great 2.5. Switch ring to switch 1/2. 3/2 to front lay, solid, a bit edgy on these landings.
OSU – YANISH: Lovely acro series, switch to loso is so innovative
ASU – LENTZ: One of my faves to watch on floor. Great double pike, switch side to Popa lovely. 3/2 twist to front lay with great control. Lovely double back. Good one!
Bizarrely enough after Callis’ OOB, the Sun Devils are going to be counting Christopherson’s score.
OSU – LAZARO: Midsize check on flic loso series, leaps are fabulous. College stuck dismount.
ASU – GINN: Great landings, big smile after her closing double pike.
OSU – GILL: Beautiful dance combo, love the OSU double stags always, a little slow on front aerial-bhs but I think it’ll be fine. Switch 1/2 to beat is sublime. Gainer full stuck.
She is impressing more and more. Also she does beam to The Climb by Miley Cyrus.
KUHM – Great double back, front tuck on the end of combo pass is way off direction… leaps and presentation are as great as you expect, solid 2.5 twist.
OSU – DESSAINTS: Flic loso, beautiful. Steady and precise, great leap series and kickover. BHS to gainer full, stuck. Ten hands from the team!
ASU – LEONARD:BAKER: Double back and she’s grinning as she lands it. Team is so into this routine. Great double pike! That’s so easy for her. Chest bump with Ginn (?) to celebrate.
Greene in exhibition again for OSU and she hit! Good front full dismount with a bound forward. Also Morgan Hart casually has the best floor routine (performance wise) of the rotation in the exo spot.
OSU 147.325 VS ASU 146.925
ASU staying remarkably on track score-wise considering the struggles of that rotation.
ROTATION 4: ASU BEAM, OSU FLOOR
ASU – CALLIS: Another week, another Callis routine wasted on the lead – OH WAIT SHE FELL. WHAT. THAT’S NOT OK. Way off at the end of her series. Got through the rest but edgy. Me too, girl.
OSU – FORCE: Starting to love this routine. Great double pike. Buying into this year’s trend of doing a tuck jump at the end of my dance pass so I can’t be deducted for the hop, which is actually kind of awesome. Great closing double back.
Ten chants from the crowd ahahah I love it.
ASU – LEONARD-BAKER: Confident and steady. Who’s a freshman following a fall in a crucial beam rotation? Not this girl. Flic loso with the usual legs but so solid. 3/2 twist with a hop forward.
OSU – JACOBSEN: Absolutely love this choreo. Great combo pass, Rudi with GIGANTIC straddle jump and she holds onto the landing.
ASU – KUHM: Not the best hit rate so far this season but getting through this one. Great flic loso, steady thru sheep jump combo. Double twist with what looked like a hop back. Good for her!
OSU – GILL: Movement quality is so high in everything she ever does. Flinging her head back on these landings, nailed closing double back.
ASU – UDOWITCH: ASU picking some momentum back up now! Some bits of form and little adjustments but steady routine.
OSU – SINGLEY: Right on top of opening double back, didn’t need the step. Great choreo, super intense music and crowd loves it. Precise Rudi to finish.
ASU – LENTZ: Lovely flic loso. Switch – straddle 1/4. Big check on standing LOSO, lunge forward out of 3/2 dismount.
OSU – LOWERY: Great double pike, Rudi fabulous – could have stuck that one. Crowd is SUPER into her choreo on the floor, she’s soaking it up. STICK on her front full front lay. Team rushes the floor. 9.925 and the roar from the crowd is like it was a 10.
ASU – A. SZAFRANSKI: Oof, this routine is a thing. Two falls and a big hip break, but the scale choreo is still life changing.
OSU – YANISH: Pretty serious momentum going into this one. Scoot back out of the glorious DLO, great second pass, crowd clapping. On top of the double back, could have stuck and it is ridiculously loud in here.
Wilson on exo for ASU! Good and steady, that’s worth a rotation through the main lineup.
Mack in exo for OSU. The Hunger games routine, it’s weirdly charming and I love her commitment to it. Rebound out of first pass, a little overpowered on her Rudi with a big lunge, misses a foot on her front lay on third pass.
FINAL: OSU 196.725, ASU 194.95
Live blog by Rebecca Scally
