Just typing “No. 29 UIC” made me giddy. This team is cruising, getting better and better with every week. It is capable of a 196. That’s WILD. This was a team that was out of the regionals picture out of the gate last year, and this year we fully expect to see the Flames at least in a regional play-in. What a turnaround!
Their success has been fully a team effort, with big numbers from familiar names like Mikailla Northern and Kayla Baddeley, plus fresh faces like Alisa Sheremeta and some stellar breakout performances from Toni Alicke, Serena Baker and Riley Mahoney. This team is just clicking all at once, and it’s very exciting to watch.
For Eastern Michigan, this year has been about relying on strong all arounders Jada Rondeau and Emili Dobronics. If both have hit meets, and a few early lineup routines score bigger numbers, the Eagles are a dangerous MAC team. They have especially strong vault and floor rotations.
This meet is a thyroid cancer awareness meet, in honor of UIC senior Mikailla Northern, who dealt with cancer this summer.
We’re rocking out to some Fall Out Boy while we wait for march ins, which is peak Chicago sports. I am a lifelong Chicagoan, so I am good with this.
Y’ALL READY FOR THIS now playing for march ins, because Chicago. You knew it would be.
There’s a pretty big Eastern Michigan crowd here! I see sparkly poms and some green and white striped overalls in the crowd. Caitlin Satler, a Chicago-area native, got a huge cheer when she was announced. Fun for the freshman to compete near home.
THE FLAMES HAVE MINI OLYMPIC TORCHES LIT WHILE MARCHING IN. You guys.
Mikailla Northern was asked to step forward with her parents, and we’re hearing about her thyroid cancer story. The girls are taking off their warmups to reveal Tshirts in support, and stepped up to hug her.
I’m 90% sure UIC is in a new leo! Will try to get a photo to share when they’re closer to me.
EMU is is my favorite, the very green, giant “E” leo.
Touch warmup is underway. Four minutes to first vault!
Rotation 1: UIC vault, EMU bars
Broad (UIC): FTY, piked down and hop back, but great amplitude.
Audet (EMU): Clear hip hand, good, bail hand some legs. Toe shoot. Short last handstand. DLO, low chest, but stuck.
Nowak (UIC): FTY, big step back but good in the air, maybe a little close to the table.
Reynolds (EMU): Minnasola dancing behind the judge to keep her smiling while we wait on a score. Tough muscle up to first handstand. Blind + Jaeger, some legs. Bail hand, little shy. Very short handstand, blind, and she’s off. Repeats, gets the full + double tuck. Good recovery!
Albrecht (UIC): Yhalf, , very good body in the air, step forward.
Hultgren (EMU): Minnasola still dancing! She’s right behind the head judge, so while her gymnasts are looking at the judge for the green flag, they’re seeing her dance. Love it! Hultgren was over on her first handstand. Went too hard for it and arched right over. EMU counting a fall here now. Muche better the second time, Bling + Jaeger huge, bail. Great last handstand. Blind full, leg sep + double tuck.
Mahoney (UIC): Yhalf, nice, has to step back, opened a touch early.
Dobronics (EMU): Big pressure following two falls. Hop change + Tkachev HUGE, some knees. Bail hand touch shy. Good last handstand. DLO, tiny hop straight up. THAT is a good recovery.
Northern (UIC): FTY, good height, small step back. Best yet.
Rondeau (EMU): Blind + Jaeger, good catch position. Great bail hand, maybe a touch out of control. DLO, college stick. Given the scores so far, I bet they won’t give the stick.
Baddeley (UIC): FTY, small step. Truly huge in the air!
Bezold (EMU): Good first handstand. Blind full + Geinger + bail, great sequence. She has excellent flow. DLO, very high, small hop.
Baker (UIC-exh): FTY, messy legs on the table, hop back.
Harden (EMU-exh): TRUE SHAPOSH!!!, extra swing out, pak, knees bend and drag on the mat. Great last handstand blind full little messy + double tuck. WOW if she can get those transitions under control this will be amazing.
Johnstone (UIC-exh): Ytuck full, hopped out of it.
AFTER ONE: UIC 48.725, EMU 47.975
Scoring here is tight, as expected. For UIC, deductions were largely landing errors, and likely a few amplitude deductions in the early vaults. EMU struggled through the first few sets, but got back on track. Their sets just lack a touch of polish; with a few more weeks’ focus on details, there should be some more 9.8 sets in there.
Rotation 2: UIC bars, EMU vault
Harden (EMU): FHS pike, stuck! Deep knees, but that’s a great start.
Albrecht (UIC): Toe hand, Maloney, some loose legs. Bail hand, little short. Shy on the last handstand too, blind full + double tuck stuck.
Rondeau (EMU): Yurchenko tuck, hops back. That wasn’t the vault she intended to do, she looks disappointed.
Tomassini (UIC): Maloney, good, leg sep on back swing, bail hand. Good last handstand. Blind, front giant. Toe on + front half, small step. Nice set!
Gresham (EMU): FTY, great distance, step back.
Sheremeta (UIC): Blind + Jaeger, good catching position. Clear hip hand + bail hand maybe a touch shy. Blind + 3/2 twist, stuck. This team is so fun on bars.
Dobronics (EMU): FTY, whips the twist a good bit, not the best distance but good chest up landing.
WOW OKAY a 9.5 for Sheremeta? I have questions, and so does Peter Jansson, the judges are conferencing. Jansson has called over the meet ref. He is NOT happy. Raised to a 9.75, good.
Alicke (UIC): She had a 9.9 last week! Arched first handstand, toe hand GREAT + Tkachev, good form. Bail hand. Great last handstand. Blind full little late + 2/1 dismount. Love it.
Hultgren (EMU): Yhalf, great ladning, maybe some arm bend on the table.
Northern (UIC): Knees on her hop change, hits the bar with heels on Jaeger. Bail hand. Shy last handstand. DLO, step forward. A rough one for her. Just didn’t have her swing at the start.
Smith (EMU): Ytuck 1.5! STUCK! Excellent vault. Heard Minnasola yell HOLY COW!
Baker (UIC): Blind + Jaeger, high! Bail hand right on. DLO, small hop. She nailed every handstand in that set.
Kosanovich (EMU-exh): FHS pike, deep landing, two steps back.
Nowak (UIC-exh): Blind + Jaeger, feet but good catch. Bail hand, crumples on the catch, stays on the bar. DLO, small step back. With that bail sorted, that’s a lineup quality set.
Delph (UIC-exh): Shy first handstand, bail hand, short. Clear hip hand + big Tkatchev. Better last handstand. Double arabian pulls it close and has to take two steps.
AFTER TWO: UIC 97.325, EMU 96.050
That was a bizarre bar rotation. Scores were low there for EMU, too, and after the Sheremeta fiasco, I have some questions. I’ve never seen a coach pull a meet ref over before, but good on Jansson for doing it. I would guess the problem was SV; I’m fairly sure her dismount is a C, which is why she connects into it from the blind. At any rate, 9.75 felt like the correct score there, so that was a good call by Jansson. EMU has some great vaults, and the Smith stick was the cherry on top. She’ll rightfully take that event title.
Rotation 3: UIC beam, EMU floor
Maciel (UIC): She has presence even standing next to the beam waiting to salute. Bhs loso, no movement. She has superior movement quality. Switch + switch half little shy + beat. Side somi, low chest but covers well, maybe a pause deduction before. Gainer pike, small hop. That’s a solid leadoff.
Smith (EMU): Double tuck, chest low and has to lunge forward. Switch + tuck shush. 3/2 + front lay, nice. FHS rudi + split, really pretty twist position. Good start!
Squillo (UIC): Front tuck mount, moves her foot slightly. Love the guts! Switch + double stag, totally solid. Bhs loso, good. Beat + straddle 1/1, step back, but good in the air. Gainer 1/1, small step. Nice!
Gregory (EMU): Full-in, low and bounces back, falls. Couldn’t see jumps through the team along the floor. 3/2 + front lay, very pretty.
MORE SCORE DRAMA, one of the same judges. Score split was way off on Squillo’s set. A 9.5 and, I think, a 9.7. Judges conferencing.
Mahoney (UIC): Front toss, solid. Very sharp movements, not a toe out of place in choreo. Switch + tuck 1/1, steps back. Bhs loso, SO HIGH! No movement. Cartwheel + stuck gainer full!
Gresham (EMU): Double pike, huge. Switch side + popa, not quite 180 on either. Front lay + front 1/1, not super high but good landing. She dances RIGHT AT The team, and they do the choreo with. Love it. Double tuck, good landing. She gets huge amplitude.
Sheremeta (UIC): The prettiest toe point. Wolf + split, great oversplit. Bhs loso, solid. Hitch kick + switch side, some knee on the switch. Front aerial, small bobble. Front toss, steady. Pretty full turn with leg extended. RO 3/2, hop forward.
Satler (EMU): The hometown freshman! 5/2 + front tuck, very nice! Switch side + split 1/1, little shy of 180. FHS 2/1 SECOND PASS holy cow. Great! FHS rudi, little bouncy out. She could perform out more, but that’s a stacked set!
Baddeley (UIC): She moves very calmly. L 1/1, nice. Bhs loso, gorgeous extension, no deductions there. Switch + sheep, medium check. Hitch + side aerial + Sisonne, pretty. Maybe pause deduction before dismount, RO 3/2, small hop.
Rondeau (EMU): Double tuck, great chest up landing. Team screams E-M-U. Switch side + split 1/1. Best performance quality yet. 3/2 + front lay, pretty archy but good landing. FHS rudi + straddle, jumps forward more than up, but very explosive.
Norhtern (UIC): BHs loso, some bent arms in bhs, but toally steady. Cat + side aerial, low but very solid. Cat + switch side, good. RO 3/2, small step back. Judges could take one or two pauses in there.
Dobronics (EMU): Pike full-in, doesn’t get the second flip rotation, puts her hands down. Front lay front 1/1, good. Switch side + popa, nice splits. Double tuck, very high. Counting a floor fall now.
Hassanov (UIC-exh): Front tuck mount, steps forward. Again, the guts! Bhs, falls. Just looked nervy. Repeats bhs, connects to loso this time. Cat + Switch side, good. Straddle + back tuck, good, small check. RO 3/2, stuck. She was just tight throughout.
Kosanovich (EMU-exh): Doube pike, low chest. Tour jete 1/2 + split 1/1, nice. 3/2 + front lay, slightly piked the lay. Double tuck, better landing.
Albrecht (UIC-exh): Front tuck, + beat, good! Maybe a pause deduction. Cat + Switch side, drops chest a bit. Bobble on full turn, makes a hilarious face. Bhs loso, bends at hips but saves it. Gainer pike, stuck.
Harden (EMU-exh): Double tuck, very high, good landing. Switch side + Popa, split not there on Popa but she sells it with a huge smile. Rudi + straddle. Front lay + front 1/1, bent one knee in the 1/1.
AFTER THREE: UIC 145.800, EMU 144.925
Okay, I am having a problem with these scores. Judge 2 from UB moved to Judge 2 BB. She’s consistently lower, sometimes significantly so, than Judge 1 on each event. Yes, some judges are tougher than others, but her low balling has caused two judging conferences. Both teams felt low on bars, and I assume EMU scores on beam are about to trend low. This illustrates the judging problems we see across the NCAA; if every judge were this tough, fine, but they’re not. These teams look better than the scores. It’s frustrating as a fan of the sport to see the iniquities.
Rotation 4: UIC floor, EMU beam
Hultgren (EMU): Press mount, pretty! Front aerial, great. Bhs loso pretty. She is SO SOLID. Split + sheep, very nice. Side arial + 1/1, low chest hop forward. Great start!
Hassanov (UIC): Double pike, very high, picks her front foot up a touch on the lunge. 3/2 + front lay, some of the best technique you’ll see on that common pass. Switch side
+ shush. Missed something connected into a wolf 1/1. Double tuck, lunges forward, but good amplitude.
Gregory (EMU): Switch, stumbles a bit. Standing loso. Beat + Sheep, good. Bhs loso, some bent arms but very steady. Pretty tick tock to her knee! Bhs 3/2 small step back. Lost SV on the broken connection.
Alicke (UIC): Switch 1/2 + split 1/1, good. 5/2 + front tuck, great punch into the tuck! FHS rudi, good. She’s just a little loose in her legs on big skills. 5/2, nice, just a small foot stumble. Great set!
Price (EMU): Cat + front toss bhs, good. Uses her head in choreo well. Illusion turn! Maybe a touch shy on rotation. Missed her jumps while freaking out about the Illusion. Front Gainer 1/1, stuck. Excellent!
Albrecht (UIC): RO back tuck to her stomach, fun start. Double pike, very good landing. Switch side Popa, good rotation. 3/2 + front lay, good. Double tuck, overpowers it a little and slides the front foot on the lunge.
Dobronics (EMU): Bhs bhs loso, drops chest and picks up her foot, but stays on. Pike + pike 3/4, you don’t see that often! Love it. RO 3/2, small hop to the side.
Baddeley (UIC): Front through to 5/2, very nice. Switch side Popa, great splits. Double pike, textbook set, slides her front foot a touch on the landing. Headspirng in her choreo which is fun. Double tuck, good landing.
Rondeau (EMU): Bhs bhs loso, can’t stay on. Will have to count Dobronics’ score now. Beat + split 3/4. RO 3/2, hop forward. Good recovery.
Sheremeta (UIC): FHS 2/1, little uncontrolled out. Switch side Popa good. 3/2 + front lay stepout, walks right out. So good. She’s a really engaging performer. FHS rudi + huge straddle. Really excellent.
Satler (EMU): Bhs bhs loso, small check. The Eagles aren’t joking around with triple series! Switch + pike 3/4, good. RO stuck 2/1! Really great anchor set from the freshman after a fall.
Northern (UIC): She MARCHES onto the floor and commands attention immediately. Front through double tuck, great in the air, picks up front foot on landing. 3/2 + front lay, lacks a bit of amplitude but good landing. Double tuck, STUCK. Great exclamation point on the routine.
Bezold (EMU-exh): Bhs loso, tries to save it, bends at hips, falls. Switch 1/2, doesn’t get the rotation and falls. Rattled now. Switch side good. She wants off this beam. RO 3/2, step to the side.
Baker (UIC-exh): Double pike, chest low but good otherwise. Switch ring + cat 3/2, nice. 3/2 + front lay, little arched but good landing. Split 1/1 + wolf 1/1, lacking a little polish in both positions. Double tuck, good landing.
Clark (EMU-exh): Bhs loso good. Side somi, low chest almost touches the beam, saves it. Switch + split 3/4, little bobble. Cartwheel + gainer 1/1, nice landing.
FINAL: UIC 195.000, EMU 193.075
EMU had some great moments in this meet, and went 193 counting two falls and a major mistake on beam. That’s a great sign for this team. With a hit meet, they’re dangerous. This wasn’t UIC’s best outing to date, but it was not bad, either. If an off meet is 195, this team should feel very confident.
Live blog by Emily Minehart. Photo/Andrew Mascharka for EMUEagles.com.
