LIVE BLOG: Athens Regional Round One With No. 31 N.C. State and No. 34 New Hampshire

It’s an EAGL match-up in Athens as regional competition begins with today’s first round, which features the New Hampshire Wildcats and the N.C. State Wolfpack. New Hampshire has come out on top in each of the meetings between the two teams this season, including in the EAGL championship, but the fact remains that N.C. State is still ranked higher. Each of these teams has a good amount of individual qualifiers who will advance regardless of the final outcome today, but the winning team will go on to tomorrow’s evening session where it will face No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 15 California and No. 28 Maryland. Get excited! Regionals weekend is here!

ROTATION 1: NC State VT / New Hampshire UB

NC State VT

1. Prati: Tucked full, stuck. 9.625
2. Kent: Tucked full, hop back. 9.525
3. Cox: Tucked full chest way down, tiny step. 9.325…that seems a bit low?
4. Fillard: Onto layout vaults. Full pretty off to the side, bouncy. 9.750
5. Phillips: Another solid layout full. 9.800
6. Grantham: Flared layout full with just a small step. Best one of the lineup. 9.800

New Hampshire UB

1. Doolin: Bent legs on the jaeger. Missed transition, good distance on double tuck dismount but a big step. 9.65
2. Watkins: VERY close on the Jaeger, catches but can’t hold on. Bail down to low bar, legs arched way over but she fights for it and corrects. Last handstand off. Stuck DLO- good redemption on the end but not an ideal start. 8.65
3. Freehling: Piked Jaeger. Lovely lines and handstands in this routine. Archy DLO tiny hop. 9.75
4. Lui: Beautiful Maloney. Double tuck with a small hop. 9.750
5. Diggan: More really nice lines. Stuck double back. 9.800
6. Mulligan: HUGE Jaeger to bail! Great transition, double back another stick. Really good end to the lineup after some struggles to begin. 9.85

After 1: UNH 48.800 / NC State 48.500

ROTATION 2: NC State UB / New Hampshire VT

NC State UB

1. Robinson: Catches Jaeger pretty close. Double back and she has to take a few steps back to between the bars. She stayed on her feet! 9.475
2. Grantham: Bail a little crazy. Good handstands. DLO has to step back but controlled. 9.725
3. Brooker: Missed most of it but nice DLO to end 9.725
4. Tamburro: 9.775
5. Fillard: Not much air on the Tkatchev but caught. Bail is better. Last handstand short. Stuck DLO, beautiful form. 9.825
6. Kent: Floaty Jaeger and bail. DLO tiny step. 9.7

 New Hampshire VT

1. Doolin: Big full, lands a little odd and crosses her legs. 9.500
2. Winer: Yhalf, a little piked in the air but great landing. 9.700
3. Bondanza: Full, doesn’t get too much distance but just a small step back. 9.625
4. Carroll: Handspring pike half. Fun vault and a small hop. 9.75
5. Mulligan: Full, chest a bit down and a tiny hop. The best so far. 9.7
6. O’Leary: Handspring front pike. Looked almost effortless, nice. 9.75

Some illumination as to why the teams are both competing at once…

Word is that everyone agreed not to alternate routines today so that the athletes have more time to recover for tomorrow. (……..) https://t.co/5nVa7EAveC

— BalanceBeamSituation (@TheBBSituation) April 4, 2019

AFTER 2: UNH 97.325 / NC State 97.250

Pretty tight! This is a good one.

ROTATION 3: NC State BB / New Hampshire FX

NC State BB

1. Harrison: Great series but she’s off on her leaps. Back on. Cat leap to front toss much better. Back full dismount, good. 9.175
2. Kent: BHS LOSO, legs slightly bent. Straddle half slight check. Pike jump to back LOSO. Good dismount. 9.775
3. Nelson: Slight hesitation on the front aerial to begin. Beautiful amplitude on the leaps. Cat leap to side somi, almost comes off but saves it. Really good adjustment. Back full dismount nice. 9.775
4. Fillard: BHS LOSO, slight check. Front toss bang on. Back gainer full, almost a stick small hop 9.800
5. Grantham: Switch to straddle. Good series. Check on the side aerial but stays on. Better control on that leap combo. Back 1.5 tiny hop forward. 9.85
6. Webb: Front arial, beautiful so controlled. Sheep to split jump, a little adjustment. 9.825

New Hampshire FX

1. O’Leary: Woah, huge front double tuck to start, and not even out of an FHS. Awesome! Front full to front lay, nice. Double back little shuffle. 9.750
2. Lui: Good first pass. Love the turn choreo in the middle. FHS Rudi to stag, really good. Taking awhile for this score, hmmm. 9.675
3. Winer: 9.800
4. Mulligan: Gorgeous turn combo to begin. Back double full to front lay. Some legs on the Rudi. Good one. 9.750
5. Freehling: Nice control on the double pike, very high. Good wolf jumps. Double back to end and she sits it. Too bad, the beginning was great. 9.150
6. Cucich: Not sure what that first pass was meant to be…either a front 1.5 that was overrotated or an underrotated front double full. Second pass more controlled. Good back 1.5 to end 9.700

After 3: NC State 146.275 / UNH 146.000

NC State takes the lead! But it could be up to anyone!

ROTATION 4: NC State FX / New Hampshire BB

NC State FX

1. Fillard: Missed the beginning but nice open back tuck to end. 9.725
2. Beucler: Double pike. Switch full to wolf full. Back Rudi to front lay. Nice one. 9.725
3. Kent: Back tuck to end, unfortunately has to shuffle back. Will deduct for that landing.
4. Webb: Amazing landing on the double pike, nice and open. FHS Rudi to stag, big height. Fun routine. Rudi to front lay, love the ending choreo. 9.825
5. Phillips: Big double arabian, lands deep. Back Rudi to front tuck, very deep but keeps it to her feet. Nice Rudi to end. 9.725
6. Grantham: Nice open double back with a slide back. FHS to front lay. Double pike, kept it to her feet and that will probably do it for NC State. Good one. 9.825

New Hampshire BB

1. Freehling: Slight check on the series. Beautiful full turn. Love that combo, cat leap to front toss to beat jump. Effortless. Split jump to back LOSO, slight check but saves it again. Unfortunate deductions for the difficulty of the routine. 9.775
2. Baddick: Slightly bent legs on the series. Good stuck landing to end. 9.775
3. Winer: Cat leap to front toss. Sticks dismount.
4. Bondanza: Front aerial to back LOSO. Front toss to beat jump, really nice and confident thus far. Landing looked good. 9.800
5. Mulligan: Really big series. Double full with a check, hesitates but stays on. Front toss decisive. Gainer pike, little hop. 9.775
6. Lui: Front aerial to split jump. Beautiful. Off on her series!! That might have done UNH in. A shame because her leaps are stunning. back 1.5 stuck. 9.250

FINAL: NC State 195.100 / UNH 194.900

Neither team had a perfect day, far from it actually. But NC State will advance forward and so will Mulligan on bars and O’Leary AA from UNH.

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Live blog by Katherine Weaver

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