I’ll be honest—this one is completely self-indulgent. UAA and the Ivy League were my two great fascinations of the offseason, and I couldn’t resist an opportunity to cover both in one meet. This “broadcast” might amount to the same Facebook live video that Alaska used last weekend (and which some other lower-ranked teams who often don’t provide video streams at all could learn from… ahem, Bridgeport); so apologies if I don’t catch every name, but I’m really excited to see how these two face off.
(Update: They’re competing in the arena and they have a formal video stream! Yay!)
It’s also alumni weekend in Anchorage, and Brown head coach Sara Carver Milne is an Alaska alum herself! I can only assume that was intentional because it’s super sweet.
Alaska has improved every meet so far this season, and it’s also beaten 2018’s season high twice. Expect great things for this team. Brown had a challenging first meet on Friday but it can be much better and push the Seawolves. It’s also my weakest Ivy League team in terms of identifying people, but I’ll do my absolute best.
ROTATION 1: ALASKA VAULT, BROWN BARS
From touch I THINK Alaska might have its sixth vaulter in action today. Pretty sure I saw Scalapino doing touch.
FANDRICH – UAA: Yurchenko layout, a touch piked with a single step back.
WARREN – BROWN: Gienger a bit low with some leg form but caught. Close to handstand on her bail, nice lines, blind full double back with a step back. Good start.
NELSON – UAA: Pretty much the same vault as Fandrich, a Yurchenko layout with a step back. This one might have been a little more dynamic.
WALSH – BROWN: Bit of feet, giant to blind to Jaeger is okay, great handstand on her bail just a touch of legs. She’s doing pretty well on her cast handstands, blind ful ldouble back with a step back.
GREEN – UAA: Handspring front with a tiny step back. She’s been ultra consistent on that vault.
HOWELL – Clear hip to bail, fantastic handstand… oh she almost can’t get out of it she’s so balanced! Manages to come down on the right side of the bar. Slow turn on her blind full, double back and two steps back.
SCALAPINO – UAA: YESSS IT’S HAPPENING! Handspring front with a step forward. Having six on this event is so great for the Seawolves.
HANSEN – BROWN: Really nice Tkachev, pretty Pak. Half torn, squat on, blind full double back with a hop forward. Bears getting through really clean here!
MARVEL – UAA: Tsuk full with a big hop back. Not her best landing but such a dynamic vault.
We’re pausing for an announcement that says don’t use flash on your cameras.
COSTA – BROWN: Super talented freshie. Blind full to Jaeger, ooh she’s gorgeous. Giant to bail, spot on, full turn right on the bar to double back STUCK. Stunning.
FOX – UAA: Yurchenko arabian with a quick step in place. Nice!
NELSON – UAA: Ray!! Just a little too far and can’t catch it. Great bail, hollow double lay stuck.
Hechtman in exhibition for Brown. Solid Tkachev, loses her swing on the low bar and hops off. Blind full double back dismount with a stumble back.
BROWN 47.875 – ALASKA 47.725
Not the Seawolves’ cleanest bar rotation, but fairly similar to what they’ve produced so far this season. Brown picked up about seven tenths compared to Friday! Costa’s 9.85 is phenomenal and will probably take the bars title.
ROTATION 2: BROWN VAULT, ALASKA BARS
PETRILLO – BROWN: Yurchenko layout, nicely laid out but a bit off balance on the landing with a step and an arm swing.
FOX – UAA: She had a mistake here Friday… off to one side on her full turn and loses her swing. Does it again, bail tucked and jumps off. Double layout good with a step forward. Bummer.
HAGENBUCH – BROWN: Tsuk layout, really pretty with a step back.
MANCARI – UAA: Clear hip to Gienger, huge and can’t catch it. Falls on her knees. Doesn’t look super fun. Blind full double back is great.
HECHTMAN – BROWN: Handspring front pike is really nice.
GREEN – UAA: She’ll have to be resilient here after two falls. The judging delay doesn’t help. Giant to blind to Jaeger to overshoot, she’s got it! Good on her. On top of the handstands, giant to blind to double front with a step back. Exactly what they needed.
NELSON – BROWN: Actually going before Green because there’s a judging delay on bars. Yurchenko tuck full with a bit of a stumble back.
GREEN – BROWN: Handspring front pike with a huge bound forward. Two big steps probably but almost ran off the mat.
NELSON – ALASKA: Lol I just realized these two teams have two mutual surnames. Pike Jaeger to overshoot stunning, full turn double back STUCK. Rockstar.
COSTA – BROWN: Yurchenko full with her chest a little down and a hop forward, but really solid.
HYDERALLY – UAA: Pak to switch kip, blind to Jaeger beautiful, I think that was a half to half to double back with a step, gorgeous.
Jung in exhibition for Brown. Yurchenko layout with a big hop back. Solid!
MILLER – UAA: The anchor here. Seawolves can salvage this lineup with a good score from her after really strong performances from the back four. Blind to Jaeger is lovely, great bail, blind full double back with a hop.
UAA exhibition is Knapp. Love her handstands, nice Church! Loses her swing on her Pak, casts out of it a couple times. Blind change to timer dismount. She’s dealt with a lot of injuries recently but it’s great that she’s working back.
BROWN 95.775 – ALASKA 95.200
Brown is improving on Friday’s scores while Alaska has looked a bit rocky so this could get really exciting at the end.
ROTATION 3: ALASKA BEAM, BROWN FLOOR
FOX – UAA: Recovering from a fall on bars. Bit of a lean on the triple series but works it out. Good on dance series, full turn, step forward on her one and a half dismount.
NELSON – BROWN: Great double pike! One and a half twist to front lay, switch side to Popa, I really love her dance. Double twist… tries to stick it, stumbles and rolls back. Aww 🙁
MANCARI – UAA: Legs for days on this apparatus. Front aerial bhs is really pretty. Switch to ring jump, tiny arm adjustment, missed the mixed sereis, pretty full turn. She’s not right on top of all of these skills but she’s working through really well. Gainer full dismount stuck. Nice!
DOMONOSKE – BROWN: Really nice Rudi! Beautiful music. The presentation of these Brown routines has been great. Short on her leap series, got a mini acro series in the middle for requirements, Front lay front full… I think she might have landed that out of bounds unfortunately. At the very least she had both feet out at some point.
PHILLIPS – UAA: Full turn, got some really creative choreo, she’s doing it to country music and there’s some cowboy stuff happening flic loso and off. Switch to split 3/4 I think, leans to hold it, gainer pike unerrotated with a step forward.
HAGENBUCH – BROWN: Front double full OUCH underrotated, runs around a bit to keep it on her feet, that’ll probably get credited as a Rudi so I hope she doesn’t have another Rudi in here haha. (Is that how it works in NCAA? I know nothing about the JO code.) Front full front tuck step out cartwheel!! I love it. Rudi, big cross step.
NELSON – UAA: Falls on a front aerial. Does it again, wobble. Another check on her leap series. Gainer full stuck.
There might be a bit of exhaustion at play for the Seawolves here. This is their fourth meet in ten days, which is mildly ridiculous.
HANSEN – BROWN: Really gorgeous double twist. Front twisting pass, something to wolf full… sits her last pass.
MARVEL – UAA: Gorgeous press handstand work. Really love to watch this kid. She’s an in state gymnast and a later addition to the freshman class but she’s been so valuable. Flic loso great, check on her side aerial, step forward on the gainer full
PETRILLO – BROWN: Wild Dances! Double pike I think first pass, tj1/2 to wolf 1/1 lovely. Big step forward out of her front combo pass. Sits her one and a half twist, that was probably meant to be in combination.
HYDERALLY – UAA: I’m READY. Front aerial front aerial, nailed it. Switch straddle 1/4 beautiful, split back tuck, no question on any of these landings. Full turn is great, she’s smiling through this whole thing, gainer pike stuck. Only deduction I saw was the dismount being slightly to one side. She’s just incredible.
GREEN – BROWN: Double pike I think? chest down with a step back. One and a half front pike great with a hop back. She’s a great performer. Double back wayyy forward and rolls out.
Alonso in exhibition for the Seawolves. Love the switch ring, front kickover, flic loso with an adjustment but solid. Split double stag is good, full turn, back handspring one and a half twist!! Nailed it. Get ye in that lineup.
ALASKA 142.525 – BROWN 141.400
Poor Brown. Only two hits in that lineup and one was pretty rough 🙁 Maybe some exhaustion at play there too. Alaska was rocky but no lineup anchored by a Hyderally hit can be too bad. Alonso was phenomenal in the exhibition too, I want her back in.
ROTATION 4: BROWN BEAM, ALASKA FLOOR
HANSEN – BROWN: Flic loso is great, a touch short of split on her split 3/4 (did she mean it to be a full? ambiguous), split to wolf 1/1, one and a half dismount with a cross step.
GREEN – UAA: Double back, little scoot back with her front foot. Great Rudi, her choreo’s quite eccentric but her team is loving it. Beautiful leaps, nice open straddle positions, one and a half punch front is a little deep but works it out. Nice start!
HAGENBUCH – BROWN: Split to LOSO, bit of legs, flic back pike is pretty solid with the chest a touch down. Nice full turn, switch straddle 1/4. Punch front tuck 1/1 with a hop, great.
MANCARI – UAA: Bounds forward a bit on the front double full but it’s really solid. Tour jete 1/2 I think to Popa, she’s a fantastic performer on floor, one and a half front pike and steps out, good Rudi.
GREEN – BROWN: Flic loso solid with a bit of legs. Aerial to wolf jump, really pretty, beat to straddle 3/4. Tsuk back tuck dismount with a step back yessss.
MILLER – UAA: She’s so much fun to watch, not always the cleanest gymnast on the team but lots of difficulty and massive energy. Double back is great, Rudi lands twisting but makes it work, good landing on her front pass.
DOMONOSKE – BROWN: Just caught a stick on her punch front full dismount.
HYDERALLY – UAA: Beautiful dance, front double full is gorgeous with a big step forward. Sorry I got distracted watching her and forgot to type but she hit and it was great.
PETRILLO – BROWN: Punch front, beat jump split 3/4 really nice. Flic loso solid, falls on… a full turn maybe? Didn’t catch it. Stuck-ish double twist dismount.
FOX – UAA: Rudi is great. Switch 1/2 Popa, double pike with a step forward but not drastically underrotated.
JUNG – BROWN: Flic loso really nice, cat leap switch side, her beam music is Party in the USA, punch front with a stumble, switch to straddle 1/4 is HUGE, pretty turn that I lost count of but it was more than a full, punch front full with a hop.
DECIOUS – UAA: She’s been doing a timer first pass. We’ll see if she’s got the whole thing put together today, she was in a boot for part of preseason so prep not all the way there. Yeah, just a front layout today. Her dance is fabulous. Front lay front full is okay, she does an attitude turn so she owns me now, switch 1/2 to sissone, one and a half punch front!
FINAL: ALASKA 191.025 – BROWN 188.900
VAULT: Mei Li Costa 9.675
BARS: Mei Li Costa 9.850
BEAM: Sophia Hyderally, Rose Domonoske 9.825
FLOOR: Sophia Hyderally 9.850
ALL AROUND: Isabelle Fox 37.000
Alaska gets its THIRD Division I win of the year (remember last year it had none) with a performance that was rockier than its last two but still solid. If a 191 is this team’s bad meet, it’s in very good shape. (Also, once again, fourth meet in ten days is a LOT.)
Brown’s got some work to do—floor was painful today—but it improved a lot from Friday and does some really gorgeous gymnastics. Mei Li Costa can be such a weapon, I’m excited to watch her settle in,
Live blog by Rebecca Scally
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[wpedon id=”13158″]
Lol yes Bridgeport could use some bugging about the whole streaming thing!!! I’m always asking