LIVE BLOG: No. 6 Denver at No. 30 Illinois

Event Coverage, NCAA WAG
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No. 6 Denver! Wow. The Pioneers have be on fire this year. They have been especially good at home and haven’t been on the road since the first weekend of February. This team still has two fine-but-not-great road scores it will want to drop in NQS, so it’ll be looking for a 197-plus tonight. That’s a tall order in the traditionally tighter-scored Big Ten, but with a big hit Denver should get the total it needs.

Of note? Freshman beam phenom Alexis Vasquez is in Denver’s projected floor lineup.

This meet is also a test for Illinois. This is a team on the cusp of regionals; it has two more home meets, tonight included and will want high-195 or 196 scores to add to its NQS for more security in the rankings. Having Denver in town could mean a boost to scoring across the board; can the Illini hit and take advantage?

Looks like Mia Sundstrom is getting a week off.

https://twitter.com/IlliniWGym/status/1101633216455340033

Still no Haylee Roe for Illinois, and Shaylah Scott has kept her vault spot, as has Tessa Phillips her floor. On Illinois’ Instagram story, Erin Weisel warmed up bars. We haven’t seen her this year; perhaps she’s being prepped to be an alternate there.

Rotation 1: Illinois vault, Denver bars

Dwyer (Ill): FTY, camera panned away we didn’t see it at all! WELP.

Kern (DU): OK camera dudes, what are we doing here. We’re looking at vault. THereeee we go. Hop change + Jaeger, good. Bail hand some arch. DLO, stuck! Good set.

Otto (Ill): FTY, GOOD distance, stuck. Small pike in the air.

Ruiz (DU): Blind full + Tkatchev some knees. Bail hand little shy. DLO, step back.

Howell (Ill): FTY, piked and hopped forward.

Chesnok (DU): Blind full + Tkachev, loose in her legs. Bail hand, good. Full-in, hop to the side.

Biondi (Ill): Some pike in her hips, deep landing but stuck.

Glynn (DU): Clear hip hand + Geinger, great combo. Good handstands. Bail hand. Full-in, holds the stick, just a low chest.

Scott (Ill): FTY, over powers it and pikes down, so has to take a handful of steps back.

Brown (DU): Maloney to pak, some leg sep. Van Leeuwen, leg sep and some looseness. Floaty DLO, stuck.

Meeks (Ill): FTY, big, small hop.

Karr (DU): Hect mound. Blind full + Geinger + bail, very good positions throughout that series. DLO, college stick, it was really a hop but we’ll see what they do.

Didn’t realize it was her season debut!

Broadhurst (DU – exh): Jeager, very far out and misses. Repeats and catches! Straight to bail. Good final handstand. DLO, step back.

AFTER ONE: Denver 49.475; Illinois 49.000

Wow Denver, that is a clean bar rotation! The scores have been just about on so far, to my eye. Illinois will absolutely take that 49 on vault, its weakest event. Also, this is a new BTN+ announcer for Illinois, and he is SO much better than some of the previous options. There are new camera angles, too! A big step up.

DENVER!

Sarah Lyons, Illinois alumna, has joined my new favorite Big Ten announcer! She’s reminding us that Denver is a force this year nationally.

Rotation 2: Illinois bars, Denver vault

Ruiz (DU): FTY, undercuts a touch and hops forward.

Dwyer (Ill): Hect mount. Blind + pike Jaeger, and she misses. Her first fall this year. She reeats, catches + bail. Blind full + double tuck, stuck, good recovery!

Schou (DU): FTY, some leg sep, small hop back.

Biondi (Ill): Hop change, falls on the bar. She did this last week too. Weiler kip, falls on the bar again. Jaeger. Bail hand nice. Blind full + double tuck stuck.

Chesnok (DU): FTY, stuck. Nice!

Howell (Ill): Big pressure now. She crashed her last bars at home badly. Long wait for the judges. Hop change + pike Jaeger, good. Over on a handstand. Works through it. Pak. Good final handstand Blind full + double tuck small hop. Oof that mistake will be a few tenths.

Glynn (DU): Tsuk 1/1! some bounce on the landing, a little close to the table.

Noonan (Ill): Did I mention pressure? MORE OF IT. Great first handstand. Big Tkatchev, too big and she’s off. This is not great. Repeats, catches. Bail hand some pike. Good last handstand. Full-in. low chest. Step forward.

Karr (DU): Y1.5 GREAT body position, tiny hop.

Otto (Ill): If anyone can save this for Illinois, it’s Otto. Is anyone breathing still? No? Good. Maloney to Pak, good. Van Leeuwen, lovely catching position. Full-in stuck, deep knees. WELL THANK YOU.

Brown (DU): Y1.5 huge! opened a TOUCH early and steps back.

Donovan (Ill): Blind + Jaeger piked to bail, little close on both catches. Blind full + double tuck stuck. Okay, so Illinois hit two. Upside down smile here.

AFTER TWO: Denver 98.725, Illinois 96.800

Well that was a stinking toilet water of a rotation for Illinois! Denver is cruising, continuing its strong season. The split on Glynn’s vault was 9.8/9.65, which is confusing. 9.8 and 9.65 are two very different vaults. Illinois will need to recover on beam, which is a tall order. Ohh boy.

Florida is only currently .2 ahead of Arkansas for those of you who care about SEC things, just FYI. That meet is also at the half.

Rotation 3: Illinois beam, Denver floor

Lyons reminding us that Lynnzee Brown has scored a 10.0 on floor this year!

Borden (Ill): Her second-ever competition routine, after joining the team two and a half weeks ago. She has amazing toes. Front aerial + fhs + sisonne, very strong. Bobble on her full turn. Backwalkover to knee. Beat + sheep, secure. Front 1/1 stuck! Amazing set for the newest team member.

Kern (DU): Double pike, some feet but good landing. Switch side + Popa cheated the rotation just a touch. Front lay + front 1/1, good, some arch in the lay. Double tuck, little bit overpowered so her lunge was a touch uncontrolled.

Noonan (Ill): Bhs loso, solid. She has really quick movement, with great finishes on her skills. Beat + double stag. Sisonne to gainer loso, touch off but brings it back on. Cartwheel + gainer 1/1 stuck. Great set for her.

Ruiz (DU): She has such a good carriage. Double tuck, clean landing. Missed her jumps. 3/2 + front lay, lost some height on the lay. Double pike, great landing! Good hit for the freshman.

Otto (Ill): Bhs loso very secure. Switch + tuck 1/1, good. She’s extremely precise. Side aerial 1/1, stuck. This is quite a comeback so far for the Illini.

Schou (DU): FHS 2/1, good. 3/2 + front lay, some soft knees. Switch ring + switch side, good 180s. FHS rudi, little off line in the air but clean landing.

Scott (Ill): Pike front toss + bhs, very good. Such a unique series. Switch + split, slightly drops one shoulder. Her presentation has really improved week to week. Front aerial steady. Cartwheel gainer 1/1, another stick.

Karr (DU): Double pike, some deep knees but lunges out well. 3/2 + front 1/1, very good. Her smile is so electric. I’m grinning just watching. Tour jete 1/2 + split 1/1, good. FHS rudi, great landing.

Howell (Ill): Bhs lay out two feet, balance check but recovers. Switch + switch side, good. She has great toes in every skill. Cat + switch side. Gainer pike off the end, small hop.

Brown (DU): Here we go!! She’s so expressive right from the top. MASSIVE DLO, good landing. I can’t convey how big that DLO is. Switch ring + switch 1/2 + tuck sush. 3/2 + front lay + sisonne, good. The Illinois crowd is cheering her big skills. Double pike, excellent landing! Wow.

Biondi (Ill): Switch + split 1/4, good. Bhs loso, drops her chest. Cat + front aerial, solid. RO 3/2 some knees and a hop.

Loper (DU): Oooh she’s so elegant. FHS 2/1, stumbles forward out of it. Just not enough juice. Missed her leaps, but she danced right out. 3/2 + front lay, good. Solid two pass set, if she can sort that 2/1 landing out.

Vasquez (DU-exh): Rudi, good landing. Double Y turn! Love that. Looks like she’ll rely on dance for some bonus. Simple layout pass, clearly DU is just getting her out on the floor. It’s a lovely set, her dance is so strong. Front lay + front tuck. If she can get the tumbling to the level, that will be a strong backup set.

AFTER THREE: Denver 148.175, Illinois 145.975

That was a very solid rotation for both teams. It’s unfortunate that Illinois had such a bas-plosion, because it is otherwise having a strong meet. Denver could hit a high 197 here, which is right where it wants to be. With a 49.025, Illinois will hit the 195-mark. It probably wanted a 196, here, but that bars rotation shot that in the foot.

Rotation 4: Illinois floor, Denver beam

Brown (DU): Front toss bhs, very strong. Small check on full turn, covered it up well. Switch + split. Front aerial + wolf. She has great use of head position to punctuate her movement. Gainer 1/1 stuck.

Biondi (Ill): FHS front lay + front 1/1, good landing. You wouldn’t know she’s having a rough day by the look on her face. Switch ring 1/1. Double tuck, short, hands down. Just not her day. Switch side + wolf 1/1, good rotation.

Ruiz (DU): Hitch + switch side, good split. Bhs loso, knees but solid. Side aerial + split, excellent oversplit. Gainer pike stuck.

Phillips (Ill): She’s a great performer. Tour jete 1/1, little short on rotation. FHS rudi + double stag, little offline, but she held on. RO loso. Front lay + rudi, good landing, some legs. Switch to double stag. That’s some creative composition.

Chesnok (DU): Split + sheep, low back leg on the split, but steady! Bhs loso very solid. She doesn’t give a thing away on her finishes. Front aerial, some soft knees. Gainer full, tiny shuffle.

Otto (Ill): Whip 1/2 + front 1/1. I love a whip 1/2. She’s so expressive, really big, finished movements. 3/2 + front tuck, good. Switch ring + Khorkina. She has this big, sweeping music, and it fits her so well. FHS rudi, low chest but pulls it out. Thanks for six years in Huff Hall! She gets a big cheer.

Vasquez (DU): Front aerial + bhs loso, she soars. So floaty. Switch + split. Y turn, tiniest bobble but who even cares its an NCAA Y. Sisonne. Side aerial 1/1 stuck. Heart eyes.

Scott (Ill): FHs 2/1, trips out a bit and takes what I think they’ll count as one big step. Not sure, but I think she stayed in. 3/2 + front lay. Switch ring + tour jete 1/2. FHS rudi, great landing, she shows that one off.

Karr (DU): Side aerial bhs, really flies through it, secure. Hitch + side somi? Or a side aerial she turned out of quickly? Unclear. Split 1/1, I think it was connected out of something that I missed, a beat? RO + FLOATED 3/2, stuck. Wow wow.

Howell (Ill): She has looked a bit off, let’s see if she can end on a high note. Front through to double tuck, has to lunge forward due to a low chest. She has gorgeous presentation. Switch side + Popa + Wolf 1/1, good. Y turn to immediate split. Double pike, better landing.

Schou (DU): Front aerial bhs loso, very good. Sisonne. Bobble coming out of her sheep, pretty minor. Gainer full, stuck.

Noonan (Ill): FHS 2/1, good landing. FHs front lay rudi, excellent twisting form. Switch ring + cat 3/2, got the rotation. 3/2 + front lay, maybe slid her front foot a touch. Good set to end!

Dwyer (Ill-exh): Lyons telling us she hasn’t trained floor in years! 3/2 + barani. Tour jete 1/1, not even close. That’ll get downgraded. FHs rudi, good landing. Switch ring + wolf 1/1.

Hearing that Denver just broke its beam record!

FINAL: Denver 197.775, Illinois 194.975

Wow Denver. That’s a stellar road score. The Pioneers are a clean, steady team. The hype is real. Illinois will be disappointed with the total, but should be proud with the comeback from that bar rotation. That’s all that was missing from an otherwise strong meet.

Live blog by Emily Minehart

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