Welcome to the new world of reasonably priced Ivy League gymnastics streaming! Really excited to be able to watch these two teams today.
Yale got off to a hot start last week, beating its opening week record and jumping into the top forty nationally. Even more impressively, it did that with only one routine from its talented freshman class and with returning all around star Jacey Baldovino only on two events. Today we’re hoping for newcomer Lindsey Chia to add more events, and we’ll also be keeping a close eye on Jade Buford and Jessica Wang.
Penn comes in off an acceptable first week, but it’s capable of so much more on the strength of a flood of young talent—sixteen athletes competed in that meet, ten of whom contributed just one event, and there’s plenty more potential in the Quakers’ freshman class. I was impressed by freshmen Ava Caravela from North Stars and beam specialist Natalie Yang from San Mateo, and as always I won’t lose sight of senior Caroline Moore.
ROTATION 1: YALE VAULT, PENN BARS
This thing started aggressively on time. Not sure if I missed anything while the stream got rolling.
HOFFMAN – PENN: Jaeger, fantastic bail, that thing would stand up at the top teams. Clear hip to double back dismount! Really nice.
JENNINGS – YALE: Yurchenko tuck full with a hop back, nice clean block. 9.65
GARFOOT – PENN: College debut for the freshman!! Clear hip to Gienger to overshoot, bit of leg split in the release combination but far from awful, full out dismount with a deep squat as she tries to hold it and eventually a tiny step. 9.65
BUFORD – YALE: Front handspring front pike… bit of knee bend as she anticipates the landing, but I’d credit that. Little foot adjustment in place. 9.65
MITSCH – PENN: Blind change to straddle back, beautiful, solid Tkachev, double lay… pikes the second salto but good landing. 9.7
WANG – YALE: Really pretty Yurchenko layout with a hop back. Apparently she’s pushing for the AA but her tumbling isn’t ready yet. 9.525
FROMMER – PENN: Gorgeous pike Jaeger, nice Pak, I think that was a full turn to double back. 9.775 nice!!
CHONG – YALE: Yurchenko arabian, nice and clean, with a hop straight forward. 9.75
COOPERMAN – YALE: Yurchenko full, really clean, tiny bit of pike 9.7
MANNINO – PENN: Ray to bail to immediate clear hip, what?!?! Full turn to double back with a hop and a step. Had a couple handstand issues there but what a routine. 9.675
FIRTH – YALE: Beauty of a Yurchenko full with a big hop back. 9.625
FLAVIN – PENN: Straddle Jaeger to bail… oooh, misses a hand and falls onto the bar. Ouch but she’s okay. Full turn to double back with a hop forward. With five hits in it won’t be too painful for the Quakers to drop that.
Nat Borden had a great hit in the exhibition for Penn.
YALE 48.375 – PENN 48.200
Penn’s cleaned up its act on bars this year – most of those routines would have stood up in a team ranked in the twenties. I’ve seen that in preseason training updates, but last week they struggled to hit the routines. This week is a 1.250 improvement just on bars.
Strong start for Yale too! Excited for bars, which should be a strength for the Bulldogs.
ROTATION 2: PENN VAULT, YALE BARS
SWIRBALUS – PENN: Handspring front tuck, weight not all the way forward and sits it.
FIRTH – YALE: Gorgeous Tkachev, short on the bail, double back with tiny hop in place. Good clean lead off.
RUBE – PENN: Yurchenko half, dynamics felt a little off, deep landing with a midsize step forward.
BUFORD – YALE: Blind change to Straddle back to toe shoot, nice, almost casts over on the high bar, full in dismount is huge with a hop back. Nice!
JOOST – PENN: Handspring front, really powerful, secure landing with a hop forward.
CHIA – YALE: Monstrously talented freshman. Toe blind to Jaeger is GORGEOUS, great bail, nailing the handstands, toe on front half with a hop back. YES.
MOORE – PENN: Yurchenko full, a touch piked but fake sticks it, has to step to salute but still a good one. 9.65
BALDOVINO – YALE: Pike Jaeger to overshoot is beautiful, casts over in the high bar and falls. Her handstands are amazing. Blind full double back stuck to close.
KRAEZ – PENN: Yurchenko full with a fantastic landing!! 9.825!
CARAVELA – PENN: Another Yurchenko full, almost stuck, just a tiny step to the side. Great for the freshman in the anchor here! 9.7
TRACTENBURG – YALE: Full turn to Gienger with the tiniest leg flicker, nice bail, double lay, hollows it in the second salto but it’s not bad, with a step back. Nice one! Very precise bars.
WANG – YALE: Long wait for Trachtenburg’s score but if anyone can handle it it’s this one. Blind change to Jaeger, massive, clear hip to bail, tiiiniest leg split as she catches that but gets it back, full in dismount STUCK. AHH get it.
Kendal Toy in exhibition for Yale. She missed last year but will be hoping to get into this lineup… blind to Jaeger and falls painfully. Messy bail,
I think she’s coming back from injury, if she had an abbreviated preseason that could affect overall readiness.
YALE 96.675, PENN 96.3
By the way there’s no livescore here so I’m just going off what Twitter and the commentators tell me. And not all of the scores are arriving on either. Whatever.
https://twitter.com/YaleGymnastics/status/1086695445462769664
ROTATION 3: YALE BEAM, PENN FLOOR
COOPERMAN – YALE: Cat leap front aerial, leg up check, holds on. Flic loso is beautiful, hitch kick switch side. The commentator is telling us to gauge the concentration deduction by counting “one gymnastics, two gymnastics.” Full turn. Bye Charlotte floor is starting.
HUNKER – PENN: Rudi to LOSO nice to start. Front full front punch with a hop back. Fun choreography, Rudi a little wonky on takeoff but nice landing. 9.6
ALLEYNE – YALE: Flic loso with a little leg up, side aerial with another little check. Cat leap switch 1/4 is nice, full turn, beat to split jump full just a touch short of split, front full dismount stuck ish!
KRAEZ – PENN: Okay I love her. Floor debut in college and she can dance right off the top. Double pike fabulous, switch half wolf full, front lay front full with a bit of a bound out, double back, right foot is flirting with the line. 9.7
FIRMSTONE – YALE: Orphan back handspring, dances forward, flic loso, there it is. Switch straddle 3/4, big check, off. Nice side aerial, one and a half with a hop forward.
SWIRBALUS – PENN: Double pike with a bit of leg sep but secure landing. One and a half front lay, again a bit of leg sep on the layout but beautiful landing. Double back a touch underrotated, two steps back. 9.65
Apparently Jade Buford hit an entire beam routine while we were on floor. 9.775 for that it looks like.
WANG – YALE: Front aerial with a check, flic loso GORGEOUS. Full turn is nice, switch leap straddle 1/4 lovely. Side aerial with a leg up check, double twist landed a bit staggered. 9.525
MOORE – PENN: Joining mid-floor routine here. Nice Rudi, landed a bit deep but gets it. 9.625
BALDOVINO – YALE: Flic loso, bend check, switch ring to beat jump, full turn with a little leg up, front aerial a bit tentative, cat leap gainer full.
MANNINO – PENN: Front double full?! to punch front, I think her toe was over the line there but we’ll see if they take it. Two and a half twist is great, Rudi I think to close, really good on her landings. 9.8
CARAVELA – PENN: Second anchor spot for the freshman! Double pike with a step forward, a little underrotated but not ugly. Nice leap series, one and a half front lay, drastically underrotated double back with two steps forward. 9.575
YALE 144.850 – PENN 144.675
This is a great meet for both teams! Yale was a bit shaky on beam and Penn had a few underrotations on floor but both keeping it together.
ROTATION 4: PENN BEAM, YALE FLOOR
FIRMSTONE – FLOOR: Missed the first pass, front full front pike really pretty and controlled. Switch ring tour jete half, Rudi to split jump is really nice! Good work.
JOOST – PENN: Missed the first part, nice full turn, split to back tuck and jumps off. Punch front full great. 8.875
COOPERMAN – YALE: Front thru two and a half is fantastic! Nice leap series, double pike is nice, lovely Rudi.
BORDEN – PENN: The junior is making her beam debut for Penn! Nice back walkover that I assume is for requirements, gainer pike stuck.
ALLEYNE – YALE: Double back is great, front lay front full really nice. Switch side Popa is gorgeous, double pike to close! Fantastic tumbling there and blows a kiss at the end.
MATSUDA – PENN: Only event today, was wondering where she’d gotten to. Flic loso, slightly over and picks up the front leg but it’s fine. Side aerial back full, off to one side and steps off the mat. 9.575
CHONG – YALE: Double Arabian is great, front lay Barani to straddle jump. Got great presence on this event. Double back, has to take a big step back, but solid routine.
SWIRBALUS – PENN: Cat leap side aerial back tuck full with a little step. Replay shows us a switch split back tuck a little short of positions. 9.725
FIRTH – YALE: Front double full punch front right on top of herself with a step back! Nice leap series, I think that was a… whip half front full? Not certain. Rudi is really nice.
YANG – PENN: Front aerial. She’s sooo pretty on this event. Full turn really nice, we’re jumping in in the middle of all these routines, side aerial back ful lwith a step forward. Fabulous. 9.825
BUFORD – YALE: Round off directly to double pike, ooh tries to stick it, has to step forward. Front full front lay got a little wild in the air but basically did stick that one. Rudi way underrotated and lands with her legs crossed, ouch.
MOORE – PENN: Think she fell earlier in this routine unfortunately. Cartwheel gainer full is stuck and beautiful. Ooh her acro series was the problem… one handed bhs to LOSO, so pretty but couldn’t stay on.
Rose Hoffman in exhibition for Penn.
FINAL: YALE 193.775 – PENN 192.350
I’ve got no clue on individual titles untill I’ve actually got a scoresheet in front of me unfortunately. Think I heard that Jessica Wang won beam, Natalie Yang bars and Rebecca Chong floor.
Yale matches its first week total and holds steady in rankings! Great meet for the Bulldogs, especially the 48.925 on floor.
Penn smashed its first week score by almost two points. despite counting a fall on beam. The Quakers have so much technical potential, and I’m really excited to see it start to materialize in scoring.
Live blog by Rebecca Scally
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