Because I’m in a weird place this season, this is the first Utah meet I’ve watched, but I’ve watched every Arizona meet and this is my fourth time live blogging the Wildcats. Don’t judge, OK?
Anyway, Arizona is in a great place this year. It’s fifth in the Pac-12, which is wonderful! Utah is also in a great place, particularly rocking it out on vault and beam despite beam being such a sticking point last year.
This obviously isn’t a meet where we’re looking at major upset potential, and neither is chasing a landmark score either (though keep in mind that Utah is holding Denver off in the rankings by a VERY fine margin and scoring below its average is dangerous). It’s more a matter of adding good scores in preparation for NQS, which is terrifyingly on the horizon now.
Plus, there are a few lineup questions. We’re still not sure on the timelines for Kennedi Davis and Courtney Cowles, both of whom are missing and presumed injured at Arizona, and we’ve heard that Jillian Hoffman at Utah is approaching lineup readiness.
Rotation 1: Arizona vault, Utah bars
Unfortunately missed the first few routines. Sorry!
Nosek (Arizona): Solid full, not much amplitude and a little hop. 9.7
Leung (Arizona): Soft on the table but stuck! 9.825
Isa (Utah): Bail good, straight body casts are slightly arched, blind full double lay stuck! Wow!
Swanson (Arizona): FTY, slightly piked in the air and a little hop. 9.825
Dula (Utah): Blind to Jaeger, pretty, bail good. Double layout with leg sep and a step back. 9.8
Hargrove (Arizona): Pretty full, bigger hop back. 9.8
Reinstadtler (Utah): Blind to Jaeger, a little close, bail looks like her hips are a little closed. FTDB with messy legs in the first salto, close to stuck. 9.875
Leydin (Arizona): One and a half, big with a midsize hop forward. 9.85
Tessen (Utah): Blind to pike Jaeger, great. Hitting handstands, bail is top-notch. FTDB is lower but good with a hop back. 9.9
Hoffman in the exhibition, toe on to Tkachev a little messy, missed a handstand, bail is all right. Double layout with leg separation and a hop.
After 1: Utah 49.300 – Arizona 49.025
Not the special bars rotation Utah has been able to produce elsewhere but still very good. Arizona survived vault, which is never going to be a massive strength. Bars is, though.
Rotation 2: Utah vault, Arizona bars
Soloski (Utah): Solid full, a little leg separation but stuck! 9.875
Leydin (Arizona): Toe on to Pak, big leg separation, blind to Markelov with more amplitude than her usual with a little bit of feet. Blind full double back tons of distance and a hop forward. 9.75
Hall (Utah): One and a half underrotated, step back. 9.85
Swanson (Arizona): Shy on the first handstand, blind full to Tkachev. Pak with leg separation, double layout with just a little leg sep and a stick. 9.8
Reinstadtler (Utah): FTY big and pretty with a hop back. 9.825
Hendrickson (Arizona): Blind to Jaeger to overshoot, messed up the catch and hangs on but major form break as she casts out of it. FTDLO dismount is good, step. 9.575
O’Keefe (Utah): FTY, bit of leg sep and a step back. 9.8
Kane (Arizona): Blind to Jaeger to overshoot, good. Blind double front with a step. Good one.
Burch (Utah): One and a half, legs split out on the table and a big step forward. 9.775
Brovedani (Arizona): Blind to pike Jaeger, toe to Pak is so lovely especially after some iffier Paks. Double layout underrotated, hop forward. 9.825
Tessen (Utah): One and a half, little step back but well done. 9.85
Berg (Arizona): Blind to pike Jaeger to overshoot, so airy. FTDB drilled. One of her absolute best. 9.950 and that’s a bars title for her.
Sirena Linton in the bars exhibition for Arizona, good Tkachev, shy on a few handstands. Almost goes over to the side on her blind full and then sticks the double back.
After 2: Utah 98.500 – Arizona 98.125
Arizona not dropping too far behind. Utah got hammered on vault landings there—I always notice that Arizona judges aren’t impressed in the slightest by 10.0 starts, regardless which team they belong to.
Faith started a nice interview with Coach Court in which his microphone unfortunately wasn’t on, and then they tried to fix it by killing audio for the whole stream!
Rotation 3: Arizona beam, Utah floor
Hendrickson (Arizona): Beat split 3/4 good, BHS LOSO with a lean and messy legs, full turn. Cat leap side aerial, off line and works through, switch Korbut. Cartwheel gainer full with a scoot.
Isa (Utah): Double back good, one and a half front lay with a bigger step out. Switch side Popa, double pike great. Looks a little gassed but smiling. 9.85
Stauffacher (Arizona): BHS LOSO, little check. Check on a leap, front aerial with a bigger check, side straddle 1/2, full turn. Shaky. Cartwheel gainer full with a hop.
Paulson (Utah): Double pike, slightly awkward landing with one leg already in front. Front lay front full bouncy, switch switch full. One and a half front lay. Just a little lukewarm on the landings.
Leung (Arizona): BHS LOSO, big bend check but hangs on. Switch switch beautiful, full turn, switch 1/2 to beat. Good dismount but that check was big enough to be a serious problem.
Reinstadtler (Utah): Double back, switch ring tour jete 1/2, double pike badly underrotated and runs forward to save it. 9.425
Hargrove (Arizona): Good acro series, cat leap side aerial, full turn, getting through well. Split to sheep nowhere close but her knees are at least together, one and a half a little lock legged and hops.
O’Keefe (Utah): Double pike, underrotated and big hop forward, front lay front full pretty good, tour jete full just about around. One and a half front lay. 9.825
Brovedani (Arizona): Front aerial, big bend to hold it, back tuck deep. Question if they give that to her. Full turn, switch half to beat, got the dismount. Okay, judges… 9.75 okay, feeling generous.
Tessen (Utah): Front double full, Utah’s first E pass. Switch half wolf full, one and a half front full drilled WOW. 9.925
Davis (Arizona): Coming back from the flu! Triple series, bit of a lean, split straddle 3/4 hit. Kick front to beat, full turn, one and a half dismount clean with a hop forward. 9.825
Soloski (Utah): Double lay, that one always frightens me, just not high enough. Something to split full, front lay front full. One and a half front lay, nailed it. 9.95
Cowles in the exhibition!! she’s not injured! <3 She went down on floor a few weeks ago and I was worried. Good for her, good hit today.
After 3: Utah 147.875 – Arizona 147.025
Not a good beam rotation for Arizona by any stretch but avoided taking too much damage, it’ll still be able to get a good score out of this. Utah pretty much on the pace we expected.
Rotation 4: Utah beam, Arizona floor
Burch (Utah): Had a stream issue and missed this one
Orman (Arizona): Front lay to Rudi good, hit her double pike, switch side Popa 9.775
LeBlanc (Utah): BHS LOSO very clean, split double stag with a check that she pretended was dance. Cat leap front aerial, gainer full with a hop back. 9.85
Swanson (Arizona): Front through two and a half, hops OOB. Back double full punch front a little awkward today. Switch half Popa, double tuck well done. 9.55
O’Keefe (Utah): Side aerial LOSO, switch split, front turn, full turn sissone really nice. Side aerial back full. 9.9
Davis (Arizona): Front double full great, hit her leaps, one and a half front layout is awkward with a shuffle but stays on her feet. 9.8
Randall (Utah): BHS LOSO, one of her better sheep jumps, orphan sissone and a Rulfova. One and a half stuck. 9.875
Hargrove (Arizona): Big double pike, scoot back but stays in bounds. Whip half front full, just stays in bounds, switch ring tour jete half. Double tuck very clean.
Isa (Utah): Kick front to beat, BHS LOSO LOSO with a lean but gets it back. Full turn with a little check, straddle straddle 1/4. BHS gainer full with an odd check. 9.825
Berg (Arizona): Front double full great, switch split full wolf full. One and a half front pike, Rudi to split a little wonky but good landing. 9.825 feels low.
Paulson (Utah): Got a 197 already, she’s just bonus. Side aerial LOSO, switch split. Full turn, low choreography ciuld be cool but she looks in danger of falling so that could be better. Cat leap side aerial back full close to the beam. 9.925
Leydin (Arizona): Can bump the Wildcats over 196. Front through double back, tiny rebound but gets it to lunge. Switch side split full, tour jete half split full pretty. Double pike, few steps back, can’t tell whether she stayed in bounds.
Reinstadtler in the beam exhibition.
Final – Utah 197.300 – Arizona 195.975
Few weird flickers for Arizona on floor ruled out a 196, but it’s good to know that Kennedi Davis and Courtney Cowles are fine and GREAT that a score this high from pretty much a bad day is possible. Utah should feel great about its first trip out of Salt Lake City this whole year. What a day from Soloski!
VT – Sydney Soloski (Utah) 9.875
UB – Christina Berg (Arizona) 9.950
BB – Abby Paulson (Utah) 9.925
FX – Sydney Soloski (Utah) 9.950
AA – Maile O’Keefe (Utah) 39.325
Live Blog by Rebecca Scally
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