UC Davis hosts another mostly MPSF match-up with EAGL guest star George Washington thrown into the mix for good measure. The Seawolves are currently ranked second in the conference, leading perennial favorites UC Davis and Air Force in addition to a capricious Hornets team.
The Colonials are also off to a respectable start but will need to go 194 or better if they want to keep pace with last season’s results (and move up in the oh-so-tight EAGL rankings).
What to Watch For
Alaska
- Kenadi Brown: The freshman is off and running, hitting eleven for eleven routines in three meets and earning MPSF Freshman of the Week honors in week one
- Other: The Seawolves are making waves for their 36th overall ranking on bars, but don’t miss their floor rotation (live stream permitting). Assistant coach Alina Cartwright has crafted some of the most unique and innovative floor routines in the game.
George Washington
- Katya Karpova: The junior has always been a steady performer on floor, but this season she’s earned 9.725 or higher on five of six routines on three events (including two much-needed 9.775s on floor).
- Other: So far, the Colonials’ floor just hasn’t been up to snuff (it’s the only event on which they have yet to break 48) and is keeping them from benefiting from high scores on the other three events. If they can hit, they’ll likely see a significant jump in the rankings.
Sacramento State
- Amber Koeth: The sophomore is one of only a handful of MPSF gymnasts to break the 9.8 barrier on beam this season, and she’s done it twice.
- Other: The Hornets are notoriously inconsistent, but that’s part of their charm. Beam has been a standout event so far. If the lineup can put together a hit rotation, it has the potential to break the 49 barrier.
UC Davis
- Cammi Johnson: Primarily competing vault up til now, Johnson is carving out a reputation as a formidable vault/bars/beam specialist in her junior season.
- Other: The Aggies are off to an uncharacteristically rough start, including a disastrous 187.225 scored against Arizona State last week. They’ll be looking to bounce back strong, especially on beam.
This quad meet will be lived-streamed January 24 at 10:00 PM on UC Davis Gymnastics’ Facebook page with live scores available here.
Rotation One: UC Davis vault, Sacramento State bars, George Washington beam, Alaska floor
All right, y’all! I’ve got my MPSF Mule (i.e., Diet Canadian Dry and Kirkland vodka) and a bag of Lindt truffles, so I’m good to go!
This is a single camera stream with no commentary, so I’ll provide as much info as I can as accurately as I can. Apologies for any mistakes or identification.
Belkoff (Sac State): Nice first handstand. Short on the bail. Like that she doesn’t kip up to handstands. A little piked on her DLO, but basically stuck!
Green (UAA): Tight, high double tuck to open. Front tuck to Rudi, well-done. Popa, wolf full, Popa, good amplitude. One and a half and sits the punch front. Too bad, solid routine up til that point.
Landess (UCD): Really nice Tusk full, lots of distance.
Matthias (Sac State): Short handstands throughout, but a good DLO with a hop.
Decious (UAA): Punch Randi, minor legs, but nice. Front lay to full, well done. She’s performing so well. Love the low floor choreo. Rudi to front lay, great finish.
Ito (UCD): Yurchenko full that almost hits the vault, hop forward.
(Sac State): Outch, misses the regrasp on her Geinger. Bail is good. Really low DLO to her knees. Too bad.
Okay, ignore all of the above. Wrong meet was playing (damn you, Facebook streams!). I saw the correct march-in and intro and then it switched to a meet from last season without me realizing. Sigh, it’s going to be one of THOSE live blogs, apparently!
Hyderally (UAA): Fhs double full with a crossover step. Front lay to Rudi, gorgeous. Love the loso thrown in there. Fhs full to a front lay landed deep, but she muscles it out. Much improved from last week. 9.525
Panned away from post-rotation waiting just in time to see Kenadi Brown high five her team. Cool!
Robinson (UAA): BIG double tuck to open, nice! Rudi to front lay, well done. Popa to a low wolf full. Shy switch full to good wolf full. Short but sweet!
AFTER ONE: GEORGE WASHINGTON 48.450, UC DAVIS 48.350, SACRAMENTO STATE 48.150, ALASKA 48.075
Okay, well, having only seen two routines, I don’t really have commentary to add beyond all the teams are between three and five tenths back on their respective event’s season high. No disasters, which is always a good way to kickstart a meet!
Rotation Two: Alaska vault, UC Davis bars, Sacramento State beam, George Washington floor
Sklow (UCD): Clear hip to Geinger, some soft legs but good distance. Good bail. A touch shy on final handstand. Pretty DLO with a small hop. Good start.
(Sac State): Leg up break after switch half. Step after 1.5 dismount.
(UCD): Great first handstand. Full pirouette to Geinger with leg sep. A hair shy on bail. Lovely, intentional handstand positions throughout. Slight hang-up on full pirouette to a lovely stuck double tuck dismount. An LSU 9.95.
Knapp (UAA): Solid Yurchenko lay! 9.500
Weber? (Sac State): Fun pistol squat to Y scale. Cat leap to front toss, great. Bhs stuck gainer full, great!
Ito (UCD): a hair shy on all handstands and bail. Slightly piked DLO with a step back. 9.650
Brent (Sac State): Gorgeous straddle mount, and they cut away. Boo. 9.150, probably because I wasn’t watching.
Also, where is GW? I’d like to see what they’re up to, too…
Liddle (UCD): Ouch, misses her Geinger. Clear hip to bail, nice. Beautiful full pirouette to HIGH stuck double tuck. 9.125
(Sac State): Bhs loso with a nice quarter turn save. Overrotates the full turn, but another good cover. Split jump (just shy) to loso, rock solid.
Cunningham (UCD): Nice Maloney back to bail. Good last handstand. Really nice full pirouette to stuck double tuck. 9.800
(GW): FInally, a Colonial! Front full front lay with some legs. I think she bounced out of a double pike, it panned away…
Landess ? (UCD): Another Aggie comes off on a Gienger, ouch! Is it better to land supine or on your legs? Bail. Good last handstand. Tucked Arabian dismount with a step. 8.800
(GW): Short double pike to open, but she saved it. Front full, front lay to split, nice. Straddle half combo, good positions. Double tuck landed out of frame. She’s smiling, so I’m positing a good landing!
Koeth (Sac State): Gorgeous scorpion. Stuck gainer full, great extension. If you haven’t seen her beam, watch her beam. It’s heavenly. 9.675
(GW): Great double tuck. Dig the random cartwheel bhs stepout. Tuck 2/1 jump is fun. Shushunova half-in is a reliable way into my good graces.
AFTER TWO: GEORGE WASHINGTON 97.175, UC DAVIS 96.300, SACRAMENTO STATE 95.625, ALASKA 95.425
Vault is not the event where Alaska will make up ground; that was a solid rotation for them with their two strongest left to go. Davis won’t be pleased about having to count a fall, but should be pleased about career highs for both Michovsky and Cunningham! Likewise, Sac State can be better on beam, though Braida earned a season high. George Washington finally found its groove on floor, besting its season high be eight tenths.
Rotation Three: George Washington vault, Alaska bars, UC Davis beam, Sacramento State floor
I saw Nelson (?) with a gorgeous piked Jaeger in the background.
Schuelke (UCD): Love this freshman’s poise on beam. Front toss to bhs stepout, a little uncontrolled and some legs. Side aerial, solid. Straddle quarter, well done. Cartwheel gainer full, aaaalmost sticks. Good start.
(GW): Yurchenko half with lots of power and a bounding step forward.
(UCD): Front aerial with a hip check. Bhs loso, slight leg up check. Over-rotates her full turn, just a little nervy. Switch split to split to split half, well done. Gainer pike, small step.
Belkoff (Sac State): Nice double pike to open. Popa to wolf full, some feet but positions looked all right. One and a half to front lay with a shuffle on the landing. Good job on the double tuck to close out.
(UCD): beat to split full, back leg very low and a leg up break. Bhs bhs loso, some legs but solid. Small check out of the full turn. Round-off one and a half with a small step.
Apologies, the scores aren’t updating. It’s fine, we’re still having fun, yeah?
Hyderally (UAA): Way off on her Pak, has to muscle through the kip half. Good straddled Jaeger. Off center on the full pirouette and sits her double tuck, too bad.
Ito (UCD): She’s so always so calm-looking. Triple series, lovely. Split to split half, well done. Tick tock, great! Stuck piked gainer. Excellent routine.
Alonso (UAA): Overcooks a handstand, but powers through. Comes off on her Jaeger, bummer. She was fighting so hard.
(UCD): Bhs loso, ugh, comes off. Off again after front aerial. Beautiful needle scale. Split to split 3/4, doesn’t quite hit it. Stuck piked gainer.
(Sac State): Good job on the Popa. Whip to double full, very nice!
(UCD): Bhs loso, leg up but saves it. Cat leap to side aerial, comes off. Split to split 3/4, shy on both. Gainer full, a little wonky on the landing.
Decious? (UAA): Just saw a lay flyaway dismount, so guessing that was an exhibition.
Brent (Sac State): HUGE double pike, great. Switch full to split, good. Front lay to front full, textbook. Double tuck with a slide back to close. She is so underrated; tonight’s beam mishap notwithstanding, she’s such a reliably solid performer for the Hornets. 9.725 (scores are back!)
(Sac State): Great double pike to open. Short on her Popa. Front lay to Barani, nice. Again, not quite hitting 180 on the leaps. Round-off half (?) to pike, good.
AFTER THREE:
Still no scores. Alaska will be counting a fall on bars, which is too bad; that’s where they can really press an advantage. Tough break for Davis having to count a fall on an otherwise well-scoring rotation. Season high floor score for Sac State! What we saw looked great. The Colonials are cruising at this point, with a healthy 1.600 lead over UC Davis after a great vault rotation.
Rotation Four: Sacramento State vault, George Washington bars, Alaska beam, UC Davis floor
This band version of Toxic is not okay.
Schuelke ? (UCD): Great double tuck to open. One and a half to front lay landed deep. Tour jete half, a hair shy. Switch full, Popa to either a wolf full or an artsy kick jump. 9.675
Catour (Sac State): Very nice Yurchenko lay with a small hop forward.
Decious (UAA): Lovely full turn aaaaand that’s all we’re allowed to see.
Michovsky (UCD): Beautiful, tight double tuck to open. Tour jete half to split full, good. Sorry, missed the second pass (puppy child was making noises). Fhs Rudi, very nice. 9.65
Brown (UAA): Bhs loso with usual legs and a small leg up check. Cat leap side aerial, well done. Switch split to straddle half, good. (Saw a stuckish Yurchenko half in the background) Side aerial tucked full dismount, stuck. Well done.
Sklow (UCD): Double pike, a little sloppy on the landing, but she’s having fun and getting into the music (as is the crowd), so who cares? Really nice front full to front lay. Seriously, excellent choice in music. One and a half to front pike, great. Really fun routine, really drew the crowd in. Crowd is calling for a 10, which is fun (genuinely).
(GW): Powerful DLO dismount with a small shuffle.
Hyderally (UAA): Front aerial to back tuck, great. HOW DARE YOU PAN AWAY?! 9.850 would’ve been nice to see…
Cunningham (UCD): Punch Rudi, one of the better ones we’ve seen from her. Round-off bhs 2.5, excellent. Front lay to full, tons of power but stays in bounds. 9.850
Alonso (UAA): Cat leap to ring, very nice. Bhs loso bhs and comes off… Moonwalk. Standing front full dismount with a step. 9.050
Landess (UCD): One and a half to full, excellent. Wolf full, just a touch shy. Round-off double tuck, landed deep but stuck. 9.825
Knapp (UAA): Bhs pike, lovely. Wolf jump to sheep, great. Beat to double stag. Tick tock and scorpion, great. Piked gainer with a small hop. Fabulous beam debut for the redshirt senior with no freaking knee ligaments. Thrilled for her (as are her teammates).
(UCD): Stream glitched, came back mid-pass to see her sit a salto. Love her dance and leap series. On the plus side, the Aggies already have already broken their season high event total.
AFTER FOUR: GEORGE WASHINGTON 194.350, UC DAVIS 192.675, SACRAMENTO STATE 192.675, ALASKA 189.600
No surprise, George Washington walked away with the team win. They’ll be thrilled to break 194 and best their season high by nearly a point. Sac State will also be pleased; only two tenths back from UC Davis? They’ll take that. Tough night for Alaska. There were plenty of individual bright spots, though, such as Hyderally and Brown winning beam and AA respectively. Davis struggled as a team, but Cunningham had a fantastic meet, winning bars and floor (as well as earning career highs on both those events).
Live blog by Claire Billman
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