Usually there’s not a lot of pressure in these early week conference duals. The scores are so easy to drop once NQS kicks in, and honestly, no one will remember what happened in a month anyway. But Maryland has built itself some fairly serious stakes by virtue of its spectacular first-week performance. It’s one of only 14 teams in the country to beat 196, and based on video footage of its performance at Little Boston, that score was not misleading in any way. But the Terrapins have had plenty of instances of failing to live up to potential in the past, and if they want to prove they’ve moved on from those days, today is the first chance to do that.
Iowa had a great week two after its meltdown at the Critique Classic (and honestly, who didn’t melt down there?). There’s not a great deal of depth on bars, so it’s really important that the key contributors can be consistent. But the Hawkeyes are ranked 15th on floor, and sophomore Lauren Guerin has stepped up a level this year from “quietly excellent” to “an undeniable contender on the national level.”
WELL, friends, some things have happened since I wrote the introduction on Thursday. Most importantly, Iowa got stuck in an airport for almost forty eight hours waiting out a snowstorm. As a result, the meet was moved four hours later. If there are signs of fatigue or disorientation from anyone today, particularly the Hawkeyes, we won’t sweat it.
This meet is on BTN+/Flo, if you have either of those things, and scores are here. Remember that Maryland scores are inexplicably password-locked and you’ll need to type TERPS into the box to see them.
Rotation 1: Maryland vault, Iowa bars
McClure (UMD): FTY, clean block, little hop back. 9.75
Tolan (Iowa): Blind to Jaeger to overshoot, touch of leg form. Blind full with a soft back to double back, low but stuck. 9.75
Silberman (UMD): Yurchenko full on, tuck off, clean with chest a touch low and a quick step forward. 9.675
Killian (Iowa): Jaeger a little messy, overshoot. FTDB dismount with a hop. Soft knees and feet and a lot of closed hips on that routine but getting through. 9.65
Glauber (UMD): Looked like closed shoulders on the table on a FTY, very quick with a hop to the side. 9.65
Castle (Iowa): Shy on first handstand, blind to Jaeger with flexed feet. Double lay really nice with a hop. 9.8
Farina (UMD): NICE FTY, maybe a touch of pike in the air but looked the cleanest so far. 9.75
Greenwald? (Iowa): We saw her coach put her back onto the bars so presumably she fell on her release. Toe on to pike, flaaaat and almost hits her feet, double lay all right with a step forward. 8.825
Barber (UMD): Big split leg onto the table but big and pretty FTY with a hop. 9.775
Kaji (Iowa): Blind to Jaeger, very tidy. Toe on to pike, a little arched, switch kip. She looks tiny from this low camera angle. Double lay with chest slightly down and a small hop. 9.85
Rubio (UMD): FTY, closed hips but lots of amplitude. 9.775
Steffensmeier (Iowa): Blind to pike Jaeger, Pak nice, elbows gave just a little bit as she caught it. Blind full to double back stuck. Wow. 9.925
Rouse (UMD): Exhibition, I guess. FTY, well off to one side on the table and goes way off on direction, very piked.
After 1: Iowa 48.975, Maryland 48.725
Definitely no scoring gifts today, though neither of those rotations were special either. That said, we had the most difficult vault angle in the world for telling how good a vault actually is. Maybe don’t stick a camera at the end of the landing mat and let us just guess?
Rotation 2: Iowa vault, Maryland bars
Tsiknias (UMD): Blind to Jaeger, shy on a handstand, great bail. Double lay really pretty and step to salute. Lines. 9.85
Greenwald (Iowa): BIG FTY, big hop back. Amplitude in a different world to most of Maryland. 9.65
Silberman (UMD): Half turn to Gienger, nice bail. Archy on a handstand but not a major break, double lay stuck-ish. Nice one. 9.85
Agrapides (Iowa): Low onto the table, comes in short with a step forward. 9.55
Peterman (UMD): Missed her first handstand, missed another one, good bail. Handstands just not good. Double lay pinged off a bit but landed well. 9.8
Solomon (Iowa): Nice full, looked a little pikey with a small hop back. 9.75
Wright (UMD): Maloney looks great, Ray to overshoot. Wow! So clean. Stalder to double back huge and stuck. A beauty. 9.825 what
Steffensmeier (Iowa): We got to see her run down the runway and her teammates run to follow her! Cool, neat. 9.75
Farina (UMD): Late blind to Jaeger, good bail. Double lay with a little hop to salute. 9.8
Guerin (Iowa): Nice FTY, keeps it laid out well, bigger hop back. 9.8
Barber (UMD): Clear hip to Hindorff to overshoot, touch of feet. Double lay open and stuck, even on an eight-incher, which is not easy. Nice work.
Okay, the live score is sending confusing messages, I don’t know what to believe.
Did they just flash a 10 for Barber? Guess so, 9.95.
Glauber in the exhibition. Archiest release on a Tkachev I’ve ever seen, gets through clean.
After 2: Maryland 98.000 – Iowa 97.775
Tiara Wright was #robbed I’m sorry. She’s magnificent and never seems to get scores for it.
But can we say at this point that last week was definitely not a fluke for Maryland?
Rotation 3: Maryland beam, Iowa floor.
McClure (UMD): Front aerial BHS SMOOTH. No one’s taking the connection on that one. Switch straddle quarter lovely, full turn with a little wrist flick as she prepares to land it that I love, kick front to split, Rudi dismount off one leg with a hop. Amazing, so steady. 9.775 is rude.
Greenwald (Iowa): Full in, underrotated with a step forward. Switch side Popa Popa, all right, two and a half punch front chaotic with a few steps back. 9.625
Peterman (UMD): BHS LOSO great, beat side aerial tentative but stays on. Switch straddle quarter, unsure of the splits there, one and a half turn. One and a half dismount stuck-ish, reaches to hold it. 9.775
Gilchrist (Iowa): Front 2/1, a little deep and a big hop forward and to one side. One and a half front pike, switch half wolf full wolf full, Rudi great. 9.725
Farina (UMD): BHS LOSO, a touch of knees but aggressive. Full turn, switch straddle quarter, side aerial step front to beat jump. One and a half twist with a little hop back. 9.7
Agrapides (Iowa): Front through double pike, great. One and a half front pike, big step. She is deeply dramatic. Switch side Popa, double back landed a little awkwardly. 9.825
Rouse (UMD): Standing LOSO to straddle, BHS LOSO tentative but fine. Switch straddle quarter, one and a half dismount with a hop. 9.675
Killian (Iowa): Triple with a big cross step, front full front pike stuck. Nice straddle leaps, double tuck looks underrotated. 9.8
Wright (UMD): Split split half, massive, she’s one for whom splits look effortless. Front aerial BHS a little slow, full turn. Kick front to split, gainer pike with a step forward. 9.825
Castle (Iowa): Double pike great, wolf hop full to switch side wolf full. Rudi good. The Tequila routine <3 One and a half front lay, bigger step but stays in.
Barber (UMD): Front aerial BHS LOSO, little leg up, gets it back. Kick front to beat, switch split beautiful. Double full dismount with a tiny hop.
Guerin (Iowa): Full in is amazing, switch half Popa straddle. Front through double back, she’s getting the landings. 9.95, wouldn’t surprise me at all to see a 10 on that pretty soon.
After 3: Iowa 146.925, Maryland 146.800
Scoring is funky today, judges get really happy at strange moments. But the Guerin floor score is absolutely correct. Looks like Maryland won’t come in too far below last week’s 196. Making no bets on Iowa’s final score due to beam.
Someone yelled “IN-YOUR-FACE GYMNASTICS, PEOPLE!” audibly during touch warm up. Feel like it was Larissa Libby because that’s very much her vibe.
Rotation 4: Iowa beam, Maryland floor
Gilchrist (Iowa): BHS pikeout, secure, switch half to beat. Hitch kick side aerial, full turn, side somi, gainer pike stuck. Not a majorly wow beam routine but not giving much away either. 9.775
Tsiknias (UMD): Techno Fur Elise, always a good time. Rudi LOSO with a little back foot adjustment, switch ring tour jete half, FHS double full well done. 9.85
Castillo (Iowa): Front aerial, BHS LOSO great. Full turn, switch straddle quarter, BHS one and a half twist. 9.8
Rubio (UMD): Double pike well done, switch side to Popa. One and a half front lay. Double back, rebound back but keeps it in bounds. 9.675
Killian (Iowa): BHS LOSO, just a little knees. Kick front, switch switch. Double full dismount with a hop. 9.75
McClure (UMD): Double back, lovely control. Front lay to Rudi, great, tour jete half Popa, front lay front full. Really good, she’s very polished. 9.85
Vance (Iowa): BHS LOSO, aerial round off. Split straddle 3/4, full turn, side aerial back full laid out but with bent knees. 9.875
Rouse (UMD): Double pike, great, high energy, one and a half front lay and she lands grinning. Tour jete half Popa beautiful, double tuck a little deep but lunges out fine. 9.875
Kaji (Iowa): Off on her leap series, switch split pretty. Switch split super pretty, good dismount. 9.275
Barber (UMD): Full in messy legs but strong landing. One and a half front pike, switch to Popa tuck 3/2 jump, double pike good. 9.925
Guerin (Iowa): BHS LOSO, big bend check, keeps it on. Switch straddle straddle quarter, full turn, double back a little underrotated, hop forward. 9.525
Wright (UMD): Only her second lineup FX at Maryland. Front lay front full, really good. Switch switch ring 1/2, position a little funky, double tuck with a little rebound scoot but not bad. 9.775
Emma Silberman just put up a 9.875 in the exhibition on floor.
Final: Maryland 196.125 – Iowa 195.675
WOW MARYLAND. An otherworldly vault rotation was key to the Terps cracking 196 last week, and I thought being average on that event today would cause trouble later on. Not so. A very similar score will keep them easily in the top fifteen nationally. This is really happening.
Iowa had a rock-solid day considering all the travel drama. There are some depth questions on this team but it’s doing great with what it has, the floor difficulty is unreal
VT – Killian (Iowa) 9.825
UB – Barber (UMD) 9.950
BB – Vance (Iowa) 9.875
FX – Guerin (Iowa) 9.950
AA – Barber (UMD) 39.425
Live blog by Rebecca Scally
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