Oregon State hits the road again after a pair of strong home performances, including a season high of a 196.975, to face off against conference rival Washington. Washington increased its score every week of the first four, only to drop back by a few tenths last week, but last year things really started to kick off in home meets in February. Oregon State was tantalizingly close to a 197 at home two weeks ago, and has the potential to do it today; the team is building by the week.
Watching Washington warm beam is such an experience. They just had Maddie Copiak kicking up to handstand on beam and Malory Rose standing on the beam and pushing her back down. Oregon State looked great in floor warm ups, but just from general movement it looks to me like Dessaints’ knee might be hurting her, so watching for that. But she did warm up bars, which is exciting!
Maela Lazaro danced through floor – she uses Hailey Burleson’s old floor music, so Hailey and Joslyn Goings had a bit of a dance party on the vault runway.
Haley Roy struggled a bit in vault warm up. In tentative lineups Michaela Nelson is competing floor in her place, but we’ll see if that materializes.
If you’re here early, here’s a great bit of pre-meet reading about Oregon State breakout star Alyssa Minyard from the Gazette Times.
Last year as a freshman, Minyard watched McMillan in action on a daily basis. Although she was a little scared of approaching McMillan to talk gymnastics, she knew that was the level she wanted to attain.
Same, girl, same.
Elise has brought her Olympic medal today, handed it off to the mascot to send around the arena for photo ops. (“Just don’t do the biting thing, okay? I don’t know what that’s about.”) Had a sweet little spiel about how it’s important to remember the good parts of the sport while we’re dealing with a lot of the bad.
Oregon State is in its open back shoulder cap leotard. Dessaints is in grips!
ROTATION 1: WASHINGTON VAULT, OSU BARS
Heard OSU lineup as Khamedoost MCP Singley Jacobsen Gill Dessaints exh Yamaoka
UW is Copiak Riley Roy Hoffa Burleson Roberson exh Goings.
UW – COPIAK: Okay FTY, good amplitude with leg split on the block and hop back.
OSU – KHAMEDOOST: Great to to Maloney to bail, this routine is so solid these days. Double layout with leg sep and a stick.
UW – RILEY: Good amplitude on y1/2, step forward. Glad she’s bending her knees on that landing these days.
OSU – MCP: Blind to Jaeger, great bail. Big double layout and a stick.
UW – ROY: She runs so powerfully. Big tsuk 1/2 with a hop forward, good direction.
OSU – SINGLEY: Full turn to Tkachev, a little low. Great handstands, nice bail. Full turn with a leg flicker to college stuck double back.
UW – HOFFA: Great full, college stuck with legs a bit apart!
OSU – JACOBSEN: Great Tkachev to bail, blind full to the typical double front with a baby step back. Love that she makes an effort to keep her legs together in the double front.
UW – BURLESON: FTY, big and twists super late with a step back.
OSU – GILL: Exquisite pak, slightly over on a high bar handstand. Double layout beautiful, fights to hold the stick. Her double cast on low bar always throws me, but it is intentional
UW – ROBERSON: Great full, legs together throughout with a step back. Scores are bunching a bit today on both apparatus.
OSU – DESSAINTS: Season debut on bars. Half turn to Jaeger, feet a little soft because her ankles are HEAVILY taped. Great Pak, team going wild over this one. Double layout with hop back. Good first routine!
Goings in exo on vault, her usual, a bit pikey.
Yamaoka in exo on bars, arched over her pike and does a half turn to cast out of it. Comes off at some later juncture, back on with an okay double back dismount.
I got this one in the insta story @ncaagymnews if you’re curious
Haley Roy scores a 9⃣.8⃣2⃣5⃣ on vault for the #GymDawgs.
Watch: @Pac12Network pic.twitter.com/QDjfWGXUo8
— UW Gymnastics (@UWGymnastics) February 10, 2018
Another great routine for the Beavers … this one ends a perfectly stuck dismount for Pinky! 9.85 #GoBeavs pic.twitter.com/bNqRAvjNCK
— Oregon State Gymnastics (@BeaverGym) February 10, 2018
OSU 49.125 vs UW 49.075
Great start for both teams, I thought scores could have gone a little higher on a couple routines!
ROTATION 2: OSU VAULT, UW BARS
Lena Greene’s 10.0 start is making its lineup debut today! Yanish in exo.
Or wait, seems like they changed the lineup pre-event and announcer didn’t get the correct one. Michael and Tanya now running around with papers trying to sort it out.
OSU – YANISH: Great full, hop back.
UW – NELSON: Blind change to Jaeger is great, lovely Pak. Full turn to double back with a step back. 9.775 is low for that but… leadoff things.
OSU – DAVIS: Twisting onto the table but super dynamic, huge distance with a hop back.
UW – ROBERSON: Late on first cast to great pike Jaeger to overshoot – struggled with distance on that Jaeger in preseason but it’s solid now. Double layout beautiful and a dead stick.
OSU – DESSAINTS: Probs just the 1/2 since she’s so early in the lineup. She’s a ball of tape today. Wait, a full? What? That’s different. Good one though, hop back.
UW – WASHINGTON: Full turn to Gienger perfect, bail with a flicker of feet. A little over on cast on high bar, full turn to double back stuck.
OSU – GILL: Full with a step forward… a bit short, looked surprised by the ground.
UW – RILEY: Toe to Maloney to bail, fab. Great double layout with a dead stick. Tiny leg flicker on the Maloney is all I saw there.
Bars scores are going LOW for both these teams. Wouldn’t mind an extra half tenth on basically every routine.
OSU – JACOBSEN: Dynamic tsuk full, hop back and to the side.
9.9 again for Riley! Good for her.
UW – COPIAK: Church to overshoot is next level. Good handstands, full in dismount stuck. One of her best. Wouldn’t be mad if that tied Riley.
9.825 for that is daylight robbery.
OSU – GREENE: New 10.0 start, front pike 1/2. This looked good in exhibition last week. Controlled with a step back – not the best amplitude but not scary. Team is FREAKING OUT.
UW – BURLESON: Little short on first handstand, great Tkachev, lovely bail. Full turn to double back with a hop back.
That was not her best, probably the drop score.
OSU did its exhibition unannounced during Burleson’s routine?? It was Khamedoost, honestly not sure what she did but it was okay with a hop back.
Goings in exo for UW. Clean through, nice Jaeger… half in half out dismount comes in just short, runs back and has to sit it.
OSU 98.3 – UW 98.25
This is so close !! The bars judges were grumpy today – those were both STELLAR rotations with a lukewarm routine in the anchor, but the first five should have been enough to take the scores a couple tenths higher than they went.
ROTATION 3: UW BEAM, OSU FLOOR
UW – ROSE: First routine back in AAA since her Kerri Strug moment at regionals last year. I’m crying but she looks unfazed. Jump to split mount, badass as ever, with a gasp from the crowd. Front aerial – back handspring is solid, she’s worked a new acro series but not yet. Y turn to switch to beat combo!! That is stellar. Cat leap to side aerial. Side aerial to tuck back full dismount with a little step back. Welcome home!!
OSU – FORCE: Isis Lowery talked her through her routine while Rose was up. Great double pike. I love that OSU has tuck jumps choreographed onto the end of their leap passes, it’s such a great way to avoid hop deductions. Front full pass is nice and controlled. Double back, punch is a little off and has to cowboy and pull to get it around but she does.
UW – WASHINGTON: Flic loso with a check. Side aerial good. Switch side, drops the combo. Two straddles to get her leap series. Front full dismount stuck!
OSU – JACOBSEN: Love this routine. Double pike, a bit awkward, 3/2 to front lay is great. Random little bit of techno Swan Lake in the middle of the awesome Irish dance. Rudi, again with an awkward little bounce. Not her best but good.
UW – COPIAK: Confident and energetic through the mount and full turn. Flic layout, great, switch 1/2 to beat is unquestionable this time – she had leap series trouble a few weeks ago. Love how she pushes through her fingers to present. 3/2 dismount with a hop into salute, it’s close enough for the STICK HUSKIES!! to go up.
OSU- GILL: Oregon State needs to get some real solid landings to drive the scores up here, good double pike. Sabrina’s right ankle tape scares me a bit, it looks like they’re trying to simulate having a functioning achilles… great 3/2 – front lay, leap series with a gorgeous switch ring. Love the little bit of front walkover choreo there. Double back, has to pull it around but jumps into a lunge to cover it and it’ll probably work.
9.9 for Copiak!!! She has to fight so hard to get scores, so happy for her.
UW – GOINGS: She’s the perfectionist of the team and she’s been racticing her acro serious furiously on the vault runway. Flic flic lay, concentration in her face is intense but she nails it. Good leap series, usual semi-choreographed leg up out of full turn. Standing loso is great. Side aerial back full stuck! She’s been getting 9.825s for routines that are as good as her 9.9s last season, but maybe with a 9.9 already down this will be the week.
OSU – SINGLEY: This routine is so intense. Front tuck through double back, weird lunge. Great double pike! Ooh, lunge out of the leap series. This is SO EPIC. Punch rudi is great, best routine so far for the Beavers.
9.9 for Goings. Here are the scores they’re used to seeing on beam.
UW – ROBERSON: Switch to straddle 1/4 is great. Standing LOSO-LOSO, off line on the second with a lean back but holds onto it without too much drama. Cartwheel to gainer full with tons of air, stick like it’s nothing.
OSU – LOWERY: Little girl behind me just screamed “OH MY GODDD” as she started dancing. Double pike, almost stuck! Baby lunge back. Tour jete 1/2 to Popa I think? Rudi and flings her head back on the lunge. Crowd is really into this one. Front lay front full, amazing. That was spectacular.
The ability to make any crowd treat you like a home crowd is so rare and special, and it really pays off in scores. Not that Isis needs much help.
UW – BURLESON: Front aerial – bhs, love this low beam choreography. Side aerial ti switch is a new combo and I love it so much! Great straddle – straddle 1/4. Side aerial back full, back on her heels to hold the stick. One of her absolute best routines, wow.
OSU – YANISH: Double lay is exquisite and good lunge!! None of the little shuffle back that’s been holding her back the last few weeks. Front full front lay, a little archy but secure landing. Good double back, tiniest bit deep.
Nelson on beam for UW exo. Switch to split 3/4, tentative on split on that one. Kickover is perfect. 3/2 dismount with a hop forward, good one! She’s such a good beamer, but this lineup is so competitive.
Mack in exo for OSU. Bounces back out of her Rudi but this is a fun routine and she performs it so well.
UW 147.625 – OSU 147.575
49.35 on beam for UW is a season high by almost two tenths . Tables turned after the stellar UW rotation, but the end of that OSU floor rotation is so amazing too.
Nelson and Roy both warming tumbling, as before. Hoffa just went flying a
https://twitter.com/CoachJoBowers/status/962459203448094722
ROTATION 4: OSU BEAM, UW FLOOR
OSU: Singley Lowery Yanish Lazaro Gill Dessaints
UW: Schaefer Nelson Roberson Hoffa Washington Burleson exo Roy
OSU – SINGLEY: Walks out of her flic loso series and falls. Clean through the rest, with that exquisite side scale choreo and a stick on the ganer full dismount that sends up a huge chalk puff
Pressure now on Lowery who doesn’t have much college beam experience.
UW – SCHAEFER: Loving the bright red lipstick. Great double pike, big lunge back. Front full front lay double stag is stellar. Double back, good one!
OSU – LOWERY: Awesome headstand roll mount series. Doing beam to John Mayer! Flic loso, off line but hangs on with her toes with fairly minimal damage. Switch to double stag leap, that’s fun! Good side aerial and shows off the landing. Punch front full stuck. Pretty much the best she could have hoped for.
UW – NELSON: Really interested in this one. Double pike with miles of height, one of those floor musics that everyone uses. FHS front lay front full is great, jump to lunge. Double pike, little bounce back. Ending pose is a split with the front knee popped, which I’m obsessed with – remidns me of Anna Pavlova in 2008.
OSU – YANISH: Flic loso is great! Switch to loso so lovely, not a knee flicker. Split to straddle 3/4, front handspring I think is for different directions requirement! Gainer full with a bounce on her toes, probably a stick in college.
Big judge discrepancy on that – 9.7 and 9.9.
UW – ROBERSON: One of the best front 2/1s I’ve seen her do. Rudi-LOSO is glorious. Great double back. Love that routine, she’s so fun to watch. 9.9!!
OSU – LAZARO: Beautiful flic loso. Switch to straddle 3/4 with tiniest adjustment. Full turn is great, she’s so calm on beam, it’s great to watch. Side aerial back full, stuck! Big group hug after that. The 9.9s are flowing now!!
Two more 9.9s and UW is at 197.
UW – HOFFA: Same scoot back out of the double pike we saw in warm up. Good front pass, this routine is so much fun, I love the mischievous smirk. Tour jete 1/2 wolf 1/1 is good, a little overpowered on the double back again. Give this girl some more difficulty.
Just kidding, keep her knees safe pls.
OSU – GILL: One of my favorite beamers in the country, her presence is just unparalleled. Check on the split double stag. Front aerial back handspring, check on the split 1/2. Gainer full with a bit of a bounce.
Meanwhile Burleson is staying warm for floor by jumping up and down a whole bunch.
UW – WASHINGTON: That double back just hangs in the air, great control on the landing. Switch side to Popa is great. Her confidence is unbelievable these days. Front lay front full is great, dances out of it. This is one of her best so far… Great double pike! Yeah, that’ll go high. Big roar from the crowd.
OSU – DESSAINTS: Three events isn’t easy on this much tape but she’s holding up. Flic loso is lovely, and she smirks as she lands it. Pike kickover to beat is wonderful, stick on the gainer full. That was phenomenal, big hug from Isis.
9.9 for Burleson gets Washington a 197.
UW – BURLESON: HUGE double pike, great landing. Great on the combo pass, stepping out to fourth position instead of a straight lunge really shows off her control. Switch ring to wolf hop full is great. 2.5 with a step back, almost stuck it… Borderline to me. If she’d stepped forward on the 2.5 it’d be a sure thing…
She did it!!!
Roy looks fabulous in exhibition, as always.
WASHINGTON 197.00 – OSU 196.50
Fantastic day for Washington – home floor kicked in a bit at the end there, but what they really need is home bars because that rotation was incredibly tight. Burleson’s star power carried the day on the last two events today, but Maya Washington and Evanni Roberson will be such phenomena when this senior class is gone, and Monica Riley’s bars title at home is so huge for her. Vault landings still need a bit of work, but this team can go HIGH.
OSU just the tiniest bit tight in big moments, but also showed some fabulous form especially at the end of that floor rotation and on bars, where the scoring hurt it just as much as Washington. 197s are coming very very soon for this team. Having a new 10.0 start on vault from Lena Greene helps a lot, and I was really impressed by Isis Lowery stepping into beam.
TITLES:
Vault: Greene 9.9
Bars: Riley 9.9
Beam: Burleson 9.925
Floor: Singley 9.925
AA: Burleson 49.45
Live blog by Rebecca Scally
