Hello and happy Saturday! Once again, I am coming to you live here at Maturi Pavilion where the Minnesota Gophers will be taking on the Iowa Hawkeyes in a conference dual.
Minnesota finally broke into 197 territory last week at its meet against Ohio State, putting up phenomenal numbers on bars and beam especially. It is no secret at this point that the Gophers are queens of the beam; every single routine is capable of going at least 9.900 and maxing out at perfection. In addition to the two perfect 10s already earned by Lexy Ramler, both Ivy Lu and Tiarre Sales have received a 10 from at least one judge this season as well. Perhaps even more exciting — in my opinion at least — was the 49.500 Minnesota put up on bars. It has been underperforming a bit on that event so far, so I was glad to see that rotation go as well as it did. It should be noted that for all of the success the Gophers have already achieved this season, they have had some problems on floor; if they can clean up that rotation, they should be expecting to score 197s every week.
Iowa is coming off of its first Big Ten dual victory of the season, just edging out Michigan State in what was a very close competition. Vault is where the Hawkeyes have a slight edge on the Gophers if they hit like they did last week. Iowa will want a good score here; with NQS season fast approaching, it will want to drop the 192.700 away score from the first meet of the season to remain competitive within the conference and overall national rankings.
Some things I am wondering about:
- Will Iowa senior Clair Kaji finally make an appearance in the floor lineup? She did an exhibition last week, and her routine is definitely one the Hawkeyes want if she’s healthy.
- Minnesota sophomore Kaitlyn Higgins was absent last week, and is a very solid floor worker for the Gophers. Given that lineup is where they are currently struggling the most, I will be very interested to see if she is back in the lineup tonight.
The meet is being streamed on BTN+, and live scores are here.
Well I’ve been given the lineup sheets, and it looks like Clair Kaji is officially back in the floor lineup for the Hawkeyes!
There is a really big crowd tonight – first time I recall seeing people sitting in the upper level bleachers. I’ll be curious to see what the final head count is!
Sales is making her debut the all around tonight!
Rotation 1: Minnesota vault, Iowa bars
Quaglia (MIN): FTY, hop back 9.75
Tolan (Iowa): Good first handstand, blind change to jaeger to overshoot, some legs but good. Last handstand was good. Hop on the dismount. 9.75
Sales (MIN): FTY, tiny hop back, looked clean in the air. 9.825
Rogers (Iowa): Maloney to pak looked good. Little slow on the giant full to double back dismount. 9.700
Williams (MIN): FTY, knees looked a little more bent than usual, hop back. 9.850
Vance (Iowa): Blind change to straddled jaeger, good. Bail to handstand looked sharp. Liiiiiitle short on her last handstand. Big hop forward on her dismount. 9.675
Ramler (MIN): Y1.5, hop forward. 9.825
Castle (Iowa): Shy on first handstand, little leg sep on her blind to jaeger Double lay really nice with a tiny hop. 9.825
Loper (MIN): Y1.5, landed a little low but saved it. 9.800
Judges conference over Castle’s score, it looks like.
Kaji (Iowa): Blind to Jaeger, beautiful. Pak salto looked decent from here. Pretty double layout dismount, tiny hop. 9.825
Quarles (MIN): Y1.5, tons of power, takes a big step forward. 9.850
Steffensmeier (Iowa): Beautiful first handstand. Blind topiked jager, nice. Pak salto looked clean. Good final handstand. Giant full to double back, close to the bar, hop forward.
Sonier (MIN – EXH): FTY, hop back, form looked good in the air.
AFTER ONE: Minnesota 49.150, Iowa 48.875
Minnesota had a solid vault rotation, staying consistently in the 9.8 to 9.85 range. The potential is obviously higher, with all three Yurchenko 1.5s scoring a little below what they are capable of, but none the less its a score the Gophers should be happy with. Iowa also had a good bar rotation; there were some form things and hoppy landings but nothing that can’t be worked on.
Rotation 2: Minnesota bars, Iowa vault
Greenwald (Iowa): FTY, legs looked bent, hop back. 9.650
Quaglia (MIN): Hecht mount, blind to jaeger, flexed feet. Overshoot lookec clean. Giant full to stuck double back dismount. 9.825
Castillo (Iowa): FTY, big hop back. 9.775
Willmarth (MIN): Toe on tkatchev, good. Short on handstand. Stalder, which she had to muscle a bit , double back with a big step. 9.675
Steffensmeier (Iowa): FTY, little hop back. 9.800
Loper (MIN): Maloney to pak, beautiful form. Blind full double back dismount stuck. 9.875. Big split there: 9.950/9.800.
Agrapides (Iowa): FTY, hop back and to the side. 9.775
Sales (MIN): Bail to handstand, nice. Maybe some leg sep, hard to tell. Went over a little bit on her handstand. Markelov was nice. DLO stuck. 9.825
Killian (Iowa): FTY – was blocked so I could not see it. 9.825
Lu (MIN): Maloney to Pak, the usual again, double lay with a hop back. 9.875
Guerin (Iowa): Huge FTY, stuck but with a big lean forward. 9.775
Ramler (MIN): Maloney to Pak, her usual, van Leeuwen is a lot cleaner this year than past years. ALMOST GOES OVER on her final handstand but saves it. FTDB, stuck. 9.775
Montgomery (MIN – EXH): one of the cleanest sets I’ve seen her do, including a stuck dismount.
Betts (MIN – EXH): cannot see her at all, as I am blocked by Iowa waiting to rotate to beam.
AFTER TWO: Minnesota 98.325, Iowa 97.825
I am a little confused by these bar splits for Minnesota: Loper had a 9.950/9.800, and Sales had a 9.950/9.750 split. Those are… not close. I think they might be conferencing over it, actually. But TBD.
Rotation 3: Minnesota beam, Iowa floor
Sonier (MIN): BHS LOSO, super clean. Leap series looked a tiny bit short. Standing LOSO, balance check. BHS one armed LOSO, stuck 1.5 dismount. 9.775
Greenwald (Iowa): Full in, some legs, with a controlled step back. Switch side Popa Popa, looked decent. I love how dramatic this music is. two and a half punch front, little short, takes a step back to save it. 9.800
Lu (MIN): BHS LOSO, perfectly controlled. Cat leap, switch side, good. Full turn (she can do a double turn there). Side somi, spot on. Not much to take here so far. Gainer full dismount stuck. I’m hearing chants of 10. They aren’t going to do it. 9.925
Gilchrist (Iowa): First pass looked clean. One and a half front pike, good. switch half wolf full wolf full, clean. Leap looked a little short. Rudi looked fine. 9.800
Loper (MIN): BHS LOSO, good. Front toss to beat jump, off balance and leans but saves it. Leap series was good. RO 1.5 dismount, stuck. 9.825
Killian (Iowa): Triple with with controlled step, nice. Front full front pike clean. Nice straddle leaps, double tuck nearly stuck, takes a controlled step back.
Korlin-Downs (MIN): Beautiful candle mount, holds that handstand for a while. BHS LOSO, tiny balance check. Beat jump, split leap, stag leap, another balance check. Side aerial to a full, takes a small step. 9.800
Minnesota is a little off tonight – a lot more balance checks from what we’re used to seeing.
Kaji (Iowa): 1.5 through to double tuck, nice. Front tuck into the corner, fun. Double pike, lands a little low but controls it. Little short on her leap series. 9.875
Sales (MIN): BHS BHS LOSO, solid. Switch to switch half good. Full turn was nice. Gainer pike dismount, almost holds the stick but steps out of it at the end. Short and sweet. 9.825
Another 9.900 and 9.750 split. Judges, you good?
Castle (Iowa): RO straight into the double pike great. Wolf hop full to switch side wolf full. Rudi good. One and a half front lay, controlled. Good routine. 9.825
Ramler (MIN): BHS LOSO, good. Front aerial and she splits the beam (!) First fall on beam. damn. Beat jump, ring leap beautiful as always. Stuck dismount. 9.225.
Guerin (Iowa): Full in looked great. Switch half Popa straddle, beautiful. Front through double back, she’s getting the landings. Great routine. 9.925
Montgomery (MIN – EXH): BHS LOSO, bent knees but solid. Comes off on her punch front.
AFTER THREE: Minnesota 147.475, Iowa 147.050
Well, that was the worst beam rotation we’ve seen all season from Minnesota. There were plenty of balance checks, and a VERY uncharacteristic fall from Ramler, resulting in a much more subdued score.
Iowa, however, had a phenomenal floor rotation. Kaji made her official floor debut for a big 9.875, and Geurin did her normal and earned a rotation high 9.925.
Rotation 4: Minnesota floor, Iowa beam
Minnesota needs a 49.525 on floor to hit 197 tonight, which will be a tall order.
My view of the beam is partially blocked, but I will do my best.
Gilchrist (Iowa): Big balance check on her leap. Cat leap to side aerial, good. Side somi. Switch leap, split leap was fine. Gainer pike dismount. 9.625
Sonier (MIN): Double pike, a little short. Changed up her first pass after having trouble with it for a couple weeks. Front full to front layout, very clean. Final pass had some bent knees but looked good. 9.800
Castle (Iowa): BHS LOSO, solid. Cat leap, switch side, nice. Punch front to beat jump, lands a little deep but otherwise fine. RO 1.5 dismount, hop forward. 9.775
Sales (MIN): Good double pike to open, flexed feet though. Beautiful leap series. Super fun spinny floor choreography. You can tell she’s getting more confident with this routine. Final combo pass was great. She has had a great night! 9.825. I saw one judge go 9.900 for this…
Killian (Iowa): BHS LOSO, solid. Punch front, also solid. Switch switch good. RO double full dismount, hop. 9.825
Remlinger (MIN): Big double pike to open, good. Controlled leap series, maybe a little short. Combo pass – 1.5 through to front lay, good. Good double tuck to finish. 9.875
Kaji (Iowa): I am mostly blocked for this but the cheers are making it sound good. Hop back on her gainer pike dismount. 9.875
Ramler (MIN): Ring 1/1 good, tiny hop. Front lay to front full, good. Different first pass for her. Leap series beautiful as always. Second pass (rudi?) was clean. Final combo pass also good. Probably the best floor we’ve seen her do this year. 9.875
Castillo (Iowa): Front aerial to beat jump looked nice. BHS LOSO clean. Overroates her full turn, but saves it. Leap series looked good. 9.875
Loper (MIN): Front lay to 1.5, good. Pretty switch ring, leap series good. Beautiful double full. Final pass was beautiful. All around great routine, and looks like she will be the all around champ for the third week in a row! 9.900
Vance (Iowa): BHS LOSO, some bent knees but solid. Side pike (?). Nice. Don’t think I’ve seen that before. Leap series looked good. Tucked full dismount, good. 9.850
Williams (MIN): Front double full, hop to the side. Leap series was good. One and a half front lay was lovely. Landed a little short on the rudi, takes a step forward. 9.875
Stefffensmeier did an exhibition on beam, Carson Cronin and Mallory LeNeave did one on floor.
FINAL: Minnesota 196.825, Iowa 196.175
Well, this was still a solid meet for Minnesota despite a lower score (and Lexy Ramler’s first fall) on beam. This is one of the strongest floor rotations we’ve seen from the Gophers, so when you think about combining that with their normal beam scores, they are still very comfortably sitting in 197 territory.
This was also a fantastic meet for Iowa – a BIG season high, and a road score to boot. The Hawkeyes looked especially great on floor (with the return of Claire Kaji) and beam.
One big thing I noticed tonight: the judges could not agree on how to judge Sales. She received a 9.900/9.750 split on both bars and floor. Those scores reflect very different routines.
VT: Maddie Quarles, Paige Williams 9.850
UB: Ona Loper, Ivy Lu, 9.875
BB: Ivy Lu, 9.925
FX: Lauren Guerin, 9.925
AA: Ona Loper, 39.400
Live Blog by Kalley Leer
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