LIVE BLOG: No. 29 Arizona State at No. 5 Utah

Event Coverage, Live Blogs, NCAA WAG
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Welcome to this Friday night Pac-12 showdown!

Utah is the superior team at this point in the season and is also the home team. The Utes are coming off a bye, so they should be refreshed and ready to go. Freshman Maile O’Keefe made her floor and all around debut at the Best of Utah meet. She still hasn’t found her groove on bars, nor have the Utes quite yet, so I’ll definitely be watching that. It hasn’t been a catastrophe per say, but the Utes definitely aren’t where they want to be yet. Kim Tessen is quietly having a great season as well. She’s finally hitting her potential, nonetheless in her senior season.

Arizona State, meanwhile, hasn’t had a great start to its season. That’s partly due to the absence of Cairo Leonard-Baker, who has competed just three routines total so far. She added bars back two weeks ago and vault last week, so things are starting to look better for the Sun Devils. Arizona State graduated a large, impactful class, so we’ve seen an influx of freshmen in the Sun Devil lineups. Most notably both Gracie Reeves and Juliette Boyer have been competing all around, and classmate Hannah Scharf has competed all around in two of Arizona State’s three meets. As they grow more comfortable in the college scene, hopefully the scores will trend upward. The potential is there for the Sun Devils, they just haven’t quite hit it yet.

 Rotation 1: Utah vault, Arizona State bars

Sorry folks, pinch hitting for Tara who got held up, and I missed the first two routines…

Soloski (Utah): 9.75

Hart (ASU): 9.350

Hall (Utah): 9.725

Scharf (ASU): Lovely first handstand. Oops, comes off on her Maloney. Some leg sep on the Pak. Way overarches a handstand and resets. I appreciate the aggressiveness after a mistake, though. Nice FTDT with a small step.

Reinstadtler (Utah): Big Yurchenko full with a significant step back. 9.700

The gentleman behind Morgan Wilson reading a paperback novel is a mood.

Wilson (ASU): Blind change to straddled Jaeger, good. Shortish handstand. Good bail. Full pirouette to under-rotated double tuck, major step back.

O’Keefe (Utah): Yurchenko full, not a ton of height, with a hop back. 9.8

Boyer (ASU): nice Maloney to pak; got a camera angle switch so couldn’t judge the hs, hands down on ftdt; good otherwise. 9.175

Burch (Utah): 1.5, good distance, big preflight leg sep, stuck. 9.95

Reeves (ASU): short first hs; straddled jaeger good; nice bail hs, little leg sep; another borderline hs; stuck dlo; the Sun Devils needed a routine like that. 9.8

Tessen (Utah): another 1.5, better in the air than Burch and another stick. 9.925

https://twitter.com/UtahGymnastics/status/1220897165112832001?s=20

Leonard-Baker (ASU): a hit routine. pretty solid hs and nice ftdt, small slide back. missed part getting a score down. 9.825

Redmond (ASU) exh: good ginger, nice next hs, pretty bail; another good hs; pretty dlo, step back. Great routine for the freshman!

AFTER 1: UTAH 49.150, ASU 47.775

Wellll that was a rough start for ASU. Utah’s vaults were fine, but the highlight was definitely those last two vaults from Tessen and Burch.

Rotation 2: ASU vault, Utah bars

well we just got a “how long do we get before the next rotation?” from one of the female commentators…

ASU vault lineup

Ginn (ASU): yfull, some leg sep and a step; good distance. 9.7

LeBlanc (Utah): little short first hs; good straddled jaeger to bail; nice next hs, holds it. stuck double lay, chest down a tad. good leadoff.

Boyer (ASU): yfull, good preflight, slightly piked down and a step. another solid vault. 9.725

looks like a score discrepancy on LeBlanc’s bars. Looks like it’ll be a 9.825.

Isa (Utah): nice first hs, pretty ray; good bail; another good hs, there’s something about straight body hs also; good dlo. 9.925

Scharf (ASU): stuck yfull. little bent arms on the table but pretty good overall. 9.8

Dula (Utah): good first hs; pretty straddled jaeger; good bail, maybe a little legs; good dlo, stuck. 9.925

https://twitter.com/UtahGymnastics/status/1220901604959744001?s=20

Reeves (ASU): yfull, pretty good; little bit of twisting leg sep, small hop. 9.7

O’Keefe (Utah): nice Maloney, good pak; saves that hs; half in double front, stuck. slightly low chest. Nice overall! 9.775

Leonard-Baker (ASU): nice yfull,, stuck and flared. good form and dynamics. 9.825

https://twitter.com/SunDevilGym/status/1220901653802438659?s=20

Reinstadtler (Utah): good jaeger, slightly bent arm; arched hs on the bail, thought she would come off but didn’t, huge mistake though. ftdt, good. 9.425

Wilson (ASU): yfull, not as much distance, step forward and slightly piked. Not her best. 9.65

Tessen (Utah): nice piked jaeger, archy bail but pulls the hs in; short next hs; ftdt, small slide. They’ll be able to drop Reinstadtler’s score now. 9.825

Redmond (ASU) exh: yfull, pike down.

Hoffman (Utah) exh: nice first hs; good straddled tkatchev; nice bail, not the best camera angle to see exact hs positioning; dlo, stuck, a little flung.

AFTER 2: UTAH 98.425, ASU 96.525

Hit vaults for ASU. After hyping those 10.0 SVs in preseason, they all went with fulls, so those must be more consistent/not worth the risk of the extra 0.05. Utah’s bars were good; certainly lots of things to refine and improve, but they’re getting better each time they compete.

Rotation 3: Utah beam, ASU floor

ASU floor lineup

LeBlanc (Utah): switch split 1/4, good; bhs loso, secure; transferred because she wanted a more “success oriented program”; front aerial to split jump, solid; 1.5, small foot movement. 9.9

Thompson (ASU): double pike, pulls it around; got a camera change in the middle of the leap combo; rudi, maybe slightly short of rotation but again pulls it around; oh yeah forgot she’s a transfer from Nebraska; front full lay, good; ended with the best pass of that routine. 9.7

Burch (Utah): bhs loso, secure; this a terrible angle to judge her splits but it was a solid landing; front aerial, good; this code apparently encourages standalone front aerials which is…fun? just what I want to see?…anyways stuck gainer full to close. 9.875

Miller (ASU): nice double pike; caught leaps out of the corner of my eyes, looked good; lay lay half but knees down, awkward landing. hands down on double back. not the routine she wanted. 8.05

Randall (Utah): secure turn; sister distracted me but this has been a secure routine thus far. rulfolva, good and square. 1.5, step forward. 9.875

Boyer (ASU): combo pass, good; nice double pike; getting some love for San Mateo club/coaching. something I missed to wolf jump full, good; 1.5 to lay, good; nice comeback routine. 9.825

Paulson (Utah): side aerial loso, saved it by bringing her back leg forward; check on her leaps; not her best routine thus far; ends with a stuck lay full. 9.625

Reeves (ASU): 2.5, BIIIIG step out of it; ro lay half lay full, solid; good splits; fhs rudi, nice. Biggest deduction was that first pass. 9.5

Isa (Utah): almost came off on her candlestick mount, but saved it; bhs loso loso good; straddle straddle 1/4, nice and extended; bhs gainer full, good. We’ll see how they take that mount into account. 9.875

Scharf (ASU): front punch through to double tuck, controlled well; fhs full front tuck, little bit of knees; switch half wolf full, good; double pike, good landing. 9.85

O’Keefe (Utah): side aerial, check, was supposed to connect that; switch split, good; front aerial bhs, good; nice correction to get that series in; cat leap side aerial lay full stuck. Nice thinking on the fly. 9.775

Ginn (ASU): front punch through to double tuck, solid; lay lay half, pretty! good controlled landing too; switch side Popa, good positions; double pike, little deep on the landing. 9.85

Reinstadtler (Utah) exh: pretty hs mount; front aerial to split, pretty; yes love seeing the crowd instead of the gymnastics; off on bhs loso; cartwheel gainer full, looks like her foot slipped, and slide back.

Williams (ASU) exh: 1.5 to lay, some form; solid leaps; good wolf jump full; short double tuck, bounce forward.

AFTER 3: UTAH 147.725, ASU 145.250

This is Utah’s to lose at this point. The Utes had their best rotation of the night and can drop Paulson’s 9.625. Still things to refine and improve and these freshmen should just get better with experience. There’s potential in that ASU floor also, but the Sun Devils will also be glad when Leonard-Baker can come back into the lineup. One more to go!

Rotation 4: ASU beam, Utah floor

ASU beam

https://twitter.com/SunDevilGym/status/1220911806266265600?s=20

Thompson (ASU): bhs bhs loso, good; ok leaps; side aerial lay full, solid. 9.825. good start. Career high!

Isa (Utah): opening double tuck, good; 2.5 to lay, solid; good extended leaps; nice double pike. good leadoff. 9.9

Boyer (ASU): bhs loso, leg up; at leap front aerial hip correction beat jump; switch switch, another check; just super tentative; lay full stuck. Not her best. 9.65

Paulson (Utah): nice opening double pike; lay lay full, good; great leaps; 1.5 to lay, good landings; solid. 9.9

Redmond (ASU): bhs loso, good form and secure; switch ring, couldn’t see the positioning due to angle but the split was good; split sheep, wobble; not the best sheep; gainer pike, good. 9.75

Randall (Utah): solid double tuck; switch side Popa wolf full good; nice double pike, maybeee slightly large lunge; 1.5 to lay good. has an e pass that she hasn’t pulled out yet and is recovering from a wrist injury. 9.875

Reeves (ASU): bhs bhs loso good, some knees; switch split, would like to see a little more split; front aerial to roll to back thing (I have no clue what to call that); stuck 1.5. 9.775

O’Keefe (Utah): nice double pike to open; fhs lay front full, good; I really love her choreo, it’s super elegant; her leaps are so pretty too; 1.5 to lay, solid. Great routine for her. 9.875

Wilson (ASU): bhs loso, good; small hip check on turn; cat leap split half; good front toss; gainer full, small hop. Another hit. 9.7

Tessen (Utah): fhs double full, good. actually had more time to train this offseason without injury, credits it with her better performance; as I was typing that she had some good leaps; 1.5 to lay full, goes to knees. Good until that point. 9.05

Scharf (ASU): double wolf turn, good; bhs loso, pretty; side somi, low chest but stays on; switch split, good; ro 1.5, small step. Solid. 9.75

Soloski (Utah): dlo, good at first then steps oob; lay lay full, better; 1.5 to lay, pretty. Nice recovery after the OOB. 9.775

Gutierrez (ASU) exh: fhs to rulfolva, good; switch leap to bhs, pretty; they’re raving about her doing the rulfolva in combination; beat jump switch side, good; 1.5, step forward. Good routine. Wouldn’t be surprised to see her in the lineup at some point.

FINAL: Utah 197.050, ASU 194.200

Besides the disaster of a bars rotation to start the meet, this was a good step forward for ASU in a lot of ways. Let’s not visit the 47s on bars again please, ASU? It was another good meet for Utah, but not without errors. The Utes can certainly do better, but this wasn’t bad by any means.

Event Winners:
Vault: Alexia Burch, 9.950
Bars: Cristal Isa, Hunter Dula, 9.925
Beam: Emilie LeBlanc, 9.900
Floor: Cristal Isa, Abby Paulson, 9.900
AA: Maile O’Keefe, 39.225

Live Blog by Tara Graeve

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