OK folks, this is going to be a fun one! The NorCal Classic features a blend of Pac-12 and MPSF teams in a competition that, to quote our very own Rebecca Scalley, “is reliably 60 percent chaos and 40 percent spectacular.” This year’s meet should be no exception.
P.S. If somehow you aren’t yet on the MPSF train, you will be by the end of this meet.
What to Watch For
California
- Nevaeh DeSouza: The freshman kicked off her college career with a bang, earning a 39.225 in the all around at last weekend’s Cal Grand..
- Kyana George: We already knew George was pretty darn good, but she bested some of the country’s top gymnasts in week one, earning a share of the vault title and third overall. She finished less than two tenths behind winner Kyla Ross and just 0.075 back from Maggie Nichols.
Sacramento State
- Taylor Weber: The freshman seemingly came out of nowhere to snag 2020’s first MPSF Freshman of the Week honors thanks to her fabulous work on bars and beam.
- Jordyn Brent: Junior Brent is known for her quiet consistency, but she made a lot of noise last week with a 9.825 on floor en route to MPSF Gymnast of the Week honors.
San Jose State
- Emma Milne and Jada Mazury: This pair of freshmen hail from the Canadian elite system; with their high-level skills and solid technique, these two could contribute top scores for the Spartans in their collegiate debuts.
- Taylor Chan: Another Canadian, the senior is one of the top all arounders in the MPSF, and she really shines on floor (her 2019 NQS was 9.900).
Stanford
- Chloe Widner: The Texas Dreams alumna had a fantastic freshman debut, notching a 39.325 and earning Pac-12 Freshman of the Week.
- Kyla Bryant: In addition to her fabulous floor routine, Bryant earned a career-high 9.950 on bars at Cal Grand. FYI, she swept the titles at last season’s NorCal Classic.
UC Davis.
- Cammi Johnson: The redshirt junior has competed almost exclusively on vault up to this point in her collegiate career. Last week, she not only won that title but also tied for first on bars (and shattered her career high by nearly a point), posted a solid 9.750 on beam and earned her first MPSF Specialist of the Week award.
- Kelley Hebert: The two-time MPSF Gymnast of the Year is a top-notch beam and floor worker whose star quality you’ll have to see to believe.
The meet will be Saturday, January 4 at 5 p.m. ET at Missouri’s Hearnes Center. It’ll be streamed live with updated scores available here.
Woohoo, the stream is working and is actually decent quality. Always a good start!
I’m thoroughly annoyed that there aren’t more people in the crowd… These are awesome teams who deserve to have a full arena.
Apologies in advance for being scant on details. This is a Facebook feed, so the camera’s jumping around and a little blurry (which makes IDing athletes a little tough). I’ll be as accurate as I can… Also, the live stats aren’t working, so that isn’t helping.
Rotation One: UC Davis vault, Stanford bars, Sacramento State beam, California floor, San Jose State bye
Clagg (Davis): The freshman sat out last week, so glad to see her. Yurchenko lay with a hop back. Not a ton of height, but good distance.
(Cal): Big double pike with a not-so-controlled lunge back. Really nice amplitude on her Popa. One and a half to ful, well done. Very cool choreo.
(Davis): Another Yurchenko lay, really close to the table.
(Davis): Cool handspring tucked 1.5, tons of power and distance.
(Sac State): Comes off on her bhs loso. Overrotates her full turn just a smidge. Beautiful split jump to loso. Switch split
Ito (Davis): Yurchenko full with a pretty big pike down and a small hop.
Cunningham (Davis): Really pretty Yurchenko full, great position and just a small scoot back.
(Sac State): Bhs loso with a small hip check and we cut away… Well done gainer full dismount.
Hebert? (Davis): Big, powerful Yurchenko full with a pretty big lunch back.
Brent (Sac State): Big pause before acro series. Good job on her bhs loso, tiniest check. Split jump to back tuck, another small check. Side aerial to switch split, arms swim a little. She’s being really deliberate with all her choreo. Piked gainer with a hop back. Brent’s a grinder, never loses her cool.
Clausi? (Cal): FTDT to open, tons of height. Couldn’t see the leaps, camera went out of focus, lol. Fhs to Rudi, very smooth and controlled. One and a half to front lay, a touch of form but not bad at all.
(Sac State): Front aerial, beautiful! Really slow bhs loso, and she comes off. Beat to a shy switch split, leg up check. Split to gainer full with a step.
Koeth (Sac State): Really unique back walkover mount. Bhs loso bhs, gorgeous. A bit shy on her ring leap and a small check. Small check out of her front aerial that she covered masterfully. Scorpion, love it. Bhs to gainer full with a college stick. Great routine for the Hornets, and the fans appreciate it:
https://twitter.com/reeser96/status/1216490815838736384?s=20
(Sac State): Big bhs loso, and she comes off. Split jump to sheep, hip check. Big pause before front toss, comes off again. Sigh, tough rotation for Sac State. Lovely switch split leap. Piked gainer with a small hop in place.
AFTER ONE: Stanford 48.775, Davis 48.XXX, Cal 47.8XX, Sacramento State
Sorry folks, we still don’t have scores. I got what I could from the big screen in the background, lol. From what I saw, Davis had a decent vault rotation, though they’re still holding back on the difficulty. Sac State definitely had to count at least one fall on beam, but their new leo is fabulous; call it a wash? Apparently, Cal struggled on floor… A lot. That’s at least a point lower than last week’s score. Stanford’s bars score is a touch below their 49.075 from last week, but not a disaster.
Rotation Two: San Jose State bars, Stanford beam, Sacramento State floor, California vault, UC Davis bye
(SJSU): Sorry, my feed cut out. A little crooked on the pirouette to double tuck and had to take a hop.
Stephenson (Stanford): Split to sheep, solid. Gainer full with a couple small steps.
Chan (SJSU): Barely gets the Markelov over, but she made it! A little form on her final pirouette to double tuck, but not bad.
We’re literally just watching the empty floor right now. I hear some cheers in the background, though.
(Stanford): Nice full twist dismount with a hop.
Okay, scoring is finally working, so I’ll updated asap!
Phillips (SJSU): Nice pirouette to gainer with some legs. Rushed through the bail. Slightly short on last handstand, but a nice double lay dismount with a step.
(Stanford): Pike to split, big check. Round off one and a half with a big hop forward.
(SJSU): Pretty handstand. Blind change to piked Jaeger, comes off. Pak looked okay. Nice final handstand. Low double lay, but a great stick.
(Stanford): Big pause to standing Arabian with a slight leg up check. Cat leap to switch half, good. Bobbles out of her full turn. Bhs loso, solid. Piked gainer with a big step forward.
(SJSU): Really short first handstand. Markelov is out of control and she comes off. A little short on bail handstand. Piked double lay with a step forward.
(Stanford): Bhs bhs loso, hip check at the end but lovely in motion. Switch split to a shy split jump to good straddle quarter. Round-off to a floaty one and a half, hop forward.
Belkoff? (Sac State): Nice double pike to open. Popa to wolf, a little shy, but good power. Fantastic front full to front lay. Ugh, why are they cutting away to the beam? This is going so well! Stanford’s beamer is dancing along.
(Stanford): Love her choreo so far. Bhs loso, minor legs, but great power. Good amplitude on leaps. Front tuck that she walks out of. Bhs bhs double tuck, nearly stuck. Fantastic.
LeRoy? (Sac State): Great double pike to open. Good straddle position, a little shy on her split full. Was that a Randi?! Front lay to Barani, well done. Excellent routine!
(Stanford): Front toss, rock solid. Ugh, sits her gainer front full.
(Sac State): I think a front double (the feed is completely out of focus). Rudi to back tuck, really cool. Whip (?) to double full, I think.
Brent (Sac State): Powerful double pike, slides back a little bit. Switch half to a blurry leap. Front lay to front full, good. Low chest on the double tuck, but a really solid routine.
(Sac State): Front double full to front lay with some legs. L full, a little ragged. I fully approve of Childish Gambino as floor music. Double tuck to her knees, has to put her hands down. Really nice split leap to finish.
AFTER TWO: Stanford 97.400, California 96.875, Sacramento State 93.850, UC Davis 48.650, San Jose State 48.100
I’m really mad about the feed and scoring situation, because there are so many fabulous routines we’re missing. These teams deserve better.
Sac State struggled on floor, having to count multiple falls. San Jose State had a decent bars rotation, with freshman Emma Milne notching a 9.800 in her college debut. Stanford will be pleased about no falls on beam, but they got mired in the 9.7s. Cal rebounded nicely from their disastrous floor rotation with a 49.025, including a 9.950 for Clausi! If only we’d been able to watch it…
Rotation Three: Sacramento State vault, UC Davis bars, San Jose State beam, Stanford floor, California bye
Ito (Davis): Nice low bar stepouts. Excellent handstand, held forever. Good bail. A little shy on her final handstand. Double layout slightly piked and takes a big step forward.
(Stanford): Fhs Rudi split with some form. Okay bail. Again, a little short on the final handstand.
(Davis): Short first handstand. Pirouette to Geinger, and she comes off. Excellent pirouette to high double tuck with an emphatic stick.
(Stanford): One and a half through to double tuck. Chest a little low, but really nice pass.
Cunningham (Davis): Shaposh with some legs. Good bail. Aggressive handstand, almost goes over. Another really nice pirouette to stuck double back tuck. Good one.
Gin? (SJSU): Lovely round-off one and a half with a step.
(Davis): Beautiful first handstand. Clear hip, good. Comes off on her Tkatchev, too bad. Some legs on the bail. Another gorgeous handstand. Pretty double pike with a step back.
Phillips? (SJSU): Fantastic front tuck. Tiny hop on front full dismount. Really nice.
Clagg? (Davis): Geinger caught a little close, but not bad. Bail, nice. Good handstands throughout. Very nice pirouette to double tuck.
Chan (SJSU): Side somi, fine for a side somi. Lovely bhs loso. Switch split to split, flawless. Panned away before the dismount, but her team was thrilled.
(Davis): Floaty Geinger. Slightly shy on last handstand. Beautiful tucked double Arabian dismount, small step.
Milne (SJSU): Side aerial loso, small check. A little shy on ring.
(Davis): Clear hip to good Geinger. Bail, fine. Good last handstand. Double layout a little close, has to take a step back.
FYI, I’m literally getting nauseous from the camera moving around so much and going in and out of focus. The things I do for my fellow gym nerds 😉
(Stanford): FABULOUS double lay to open. Great position on leap series. Fhs front lay to front full, excellent. Big double pike, slightly staggered landing but a stick. Fabulous routine.
(SJSU): Pretty gainer full dismount with what looked like a nervous step vs a necessary one.
(Stanford): Front lay to Rudi, I think? Powerful double tuck, hops back out of it a little.
AFTER THREE: Stanford 145.925
They’ve totally given up trying to update the scores… Sac had a 47.950 on vault, which is an improvement from last week. 48.450 for SJSU on beam, not too shabby! 48.525 for Stanford on floor, about the same as last week. Davis 47.775 on bars for Davis (including counting a fall). Still no Hebert in their lineup.
Rotation Five: Stanford vault, California bars, UC Davis beam, San Jose State floor, Sacramento State bye
Scheulke? (Davis): Nice front toss to bhs, covers a slight waiver well. Good side aerial. Cat leap to straddle quarter, well done. Fabulous cartwheel gainer full, stuck. Great lead off for the Aggies.
Bordas? (Cal): Nice Tkatchev. Great handstand and bail. Beautiful FTDT in the air, but a large hop forward.
(Davis): Front aerial to bhs loso, gorgeous. Good position on her split series. Stuck pike gainer, well done.
(SJSU): Front full to front lay, not a ton of amplitude.
(Cal): Beautiful Van Leeuwen. Excellent pirouette to double tuck with a hop.
Oishi? (Davis): Beautiful bhs loso. Ouch, nearly splits the beam on her front toss. Gorgeous scale. Good split to a pretty tentative split full. Piked gainer with a step.
Andrada? (SJSU): Punch Rudi, well done.
Motion to have Firework banned from all gymnastics competition.
Hebert (Davis): Bhs loso with some form, but steady. Cat leap to Barani, leg up check but stays on. Really low split jump and split full. Cartwheel gainer full with a step.
Phillips? (SJSU): Love how well she’s selling the dance. One and a half to front lay, fabulous.
Ito (Davis): Big pause before acro series, but a fantastic bhs bhs loso. Switch split to straddle half, a hair short. Lovely tick tock, so fun. Stuck pike gainer. Getting Davis back on track, well done.
(SJSU): Slightly over-rotated double tuck, slides back. Nice leap series.
Chan (SJSU): So excited for this!!!! And of course, they cut away…
(Davis): Bhs bhs loso, leg up but really pretty. Great extension on split, a little off on straddle quarter. Nearly stuck one and a half dismount.
(Davis): Good bhs loso. Cat leap to side aerial, nicely done. Split to double stag, positions not there. Slightly off on gainer full, but overall a good routine.
Okay, let’s REALLY agree not play Chris Brown at meets, folks…
AFTER FOUR: Stanford 194.700, California 146.025, UC Davis 145.075, San Jose State 145.050, Sacramento State 141.800
Really nice beam rotation for the Aggies! Cal continues to fight its way back with a solid 49.150 on bars. San Jose is off to a good season debut on floor with a 48.500. Stanford is done for the day, setting the number to beat at 194.700; they won’t be thrilled with that score, but this is a fairly tight-scoring meet.
Rotation Five: San Jose State vault, Sacramento State bars, California beam, UC Davis Floor, Stanford bye
Sklow (Davis): Nice double pike to open. Good amplitude on switch split to cat leap. Rudi to front lay, a little stutter on the landing. Such fun choreo and music! One and a half to pike to finish.
(SJSU): Big Yurchenko full, hop back.
(Cal): Straddle to sheep, well done. Front aerial, nice.
Cunningham (Davis): We’re completely out of focus again. Randi, very nice. Beautiful two and a half. Excellent amplitude on Popa series. Front lay to front full, excellent. Seriously, Davis has some of the best floor routines in the country right now.
Clausi (Cal): Front toss to beat, well done. Bhs loso, slightest arm wave. Pretty straddle and low beam work.
Clagg? (Davis): HUGE Double pike to open. Tour jete half to Popa, well done. Front lay to Rudi, great. One and a half to front lay, great. Really nice routine!
(Cal): Double wolf, a little out of control. Switch split and split, low back leg. Beautiful stuck gainer full dismount.
Landess? (Davis): One and a half to full, good. Wolf full, fun! Round-off double tuck, good control. Short but sweet routine!
Liddle? (Davis): Oof, lands short on her two and a half. Double tuck with chest low. Couldn’t tell what the leap series was. Front lay to front full slightly low, but best pass.
(Cal): Showing off her flexibility. Beat to double stag, doesn’t quite hit the shape. Front aerial to bhs, good.
Hebert (Davis): Seven Nation Army, yass. HUGE double pike, kicked out. Fhs to floaty front full front lay. Excellent switch ring. Double tuck sliiightly short and has to step forward. Excellent routine.
Scores are working again! Cal went 48.925 on beam to overtake Stanford.
Engstrom? (Davis): Great double tuck. Gets a little lost on her Rudi to front pike, skids out of it. Good straddle position.
AFTER FIVE: California, 194.950, Stanford 194.700, San Jose State 193.850, UC Davis 193.550, Sacramento State 189.675
Cal and Stanford will probably be looking to drop these scores, but showcased a lot of skill and fight that bode well for their respective teams. SJSU should be thrilled with their season debut, going 48+ on all events and beating in-conference rivals Davis and Sac State. Davis did well to improve from last week’s score by nearly two points. Sac State struggled across the board, though Jordyn Brent once again quietly pulled off a very solid performance.
My apologies for any misidentifications or misinformation! Here’s hoping next year’s meet is a little more accessible.
Article by Claire Billman
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