This has been a scrappy season for the Sun Devils. As if the departure of last year’s massive senior class didn’t hurt enough, injury restrictions to Cairo Leonard-Baker and the absence of Ashley Szafranski conspired to put incredible pressure on the freshman class. And after some early week scares, those athletes are thriving, supplying around half of Arizona State’s weekly routines. Exactly which newcomers will be in which lineups is an open question since it changes every week; you’ll learn when I do.
Washington’s season is virtually the opposite in every way. With effectively no freshmen, close to no depth and an experienced, dauntless senior class, the Huskies are clawing out a great season. To miss the regional final last year after making nationals for the past two years was a disappointment, and they don’t seem intent on repeating it. Now that Evanni Roberson has broken a 16 year perfect 10 drought, one has to wonder if it was a one-off or if she—or another Husky?—can repeat it. (Kristyn Hoffa has 11 career 9.900-plus floor scores, I’m just saying.)
Rotation 1: Arizona State vault, Washington bars
Ginn (ASU): Piked throughout but lots of amplitude on her FTY, step back. 9.8
Nelson (UW): Blind to Jaeger to overshoot, soft elbows on the catch there, always the dangerous bit for her. Blind full double back a little deep but stuck. Amanda Borden thinks she clipped her feet on the low bar. 9.825
Redmond (ASU): Just her second vault for ASU. Very soft elbows on the table on her FTY, big distance, pike down with a small step back. 9.825
Washington (UW): Clear hip to Gienger, flexes her feet on the catch, great overshoot. Hitting handstands, FTDB with wacky leg form as usual and a hop back. 9.85
Wilson (ASU): Twisting onto the table on ASU, closed shoulders, hop back on her FTY. 9.825
Brooks (UW): True Shap with a little leg sep to uprise to bail. Great. Taking her time over handstands today, blind full double back stuck dead. 9.85
Scharpf (ASU): Nice FTY, little leg sep on the table, small step back. 9.85
Thompson (UW): Blind to Jaeger, not the cleanest position, bail with just a little leg flicker in the air. Iffy cast handstands throughout. FTDB lovely and stuck. 9.9!
Thompson isn’t the most natural at swinging but her form on that dismount is great.
Reeves (ASU): Tucked one and a half! Flexed feet and lands a little lock legged, hop forward. 9.875
Roberson (UW): Cast over to pike Jaeger to overshoot, great, Amanda says the Jaeger catch was close but couldn’t see from the low bar angle. Double layout deep with a big hop. Not her cleanest. 9.775
Leonard-Baker (ASU): Pretty FTY, tiny hop back. 9.9
Copiak (UW): Gets a touch stuck on her first cast handstand but pushes through, cast over to pike Jaeger to overshoot, double layout a touch too close with a step back. 9.825
After 1: Arizona State 49.275 – Washington 49.250
Great rotation for both teams, despite Washington flagging a little at the end there. A season high from the Sun Devils on vault and Washington only a quarter tenth behind its own season high on bars.
Update: Apparently the judges tried to hit Copiak on her SV, which is HILARIOUS, and upon appeal the score was lifted a tenth, so this is a season high for the Huskies too.
Rotation 2: Washington vault, Arizona State bars
Hoffa (UW): Good FTY, big step back. She’s in McMurtry territory of “barely allowed to practice due to so broken” so every competition vault is a victory. 9.8
Wilson (ASU): Good Jaeger, iffy bail, blind full double back with a hop. Very steady start. 9.8
Copiak (UW): Twisting onto the table with usual leg sep but great landing, just a little foot shift. 9.85
Scharf (ASU): Maloney to Pak, lovely, little leg seps but the kind you can’t see from the side. Missed a handstand, FTDB HUGE and lets her chest slip down to absorb the landing, quick steps forward. You can see the elite gymnast in her technique. 9.8
Cunningham (UW): FTY, oh, I never say this but that really was a trying to stick mistake. Comes in tentative and holds it for a second but steps forward. 9.725
Hart (ASU): Shy on her first handstand, Jaeger to overshoot good, double layout piked in the first salto with leg separation and a step. 9.825
Roberson (UW): Her usual full, midsize hop back. 9.825
Boyer (ASU): Toe on to Maloney to Pak, no leg separation there, shy on a handstand, FTDB a bit squatty and a tiny step. 9.825
Thompson (UW): Lovely FTY, tons of air, little hop back. This one made the rounds on Twitter this week because the technique is really special. 9.85
Reeves (ASU): Missed the first handstand, blind to Jaeger with leg form issues. Toe on to bail, persistent handstand issues, double lay with flexed feet and stuck.
Brooks (UW): Really tried the Omelianchik, she usually tucks it halfway to rotate it and it’s really un-cute but she’s clearly worked hard on the form and committed to the pike. Unfortunately she couldn’t rotate it and sat it.
Leonard-Baker (ASU): Maloney to bail to pike toe shoot, FTDB stuck-ish. 9.95! Just a great routine.
After 2: Arizona State 98.525 – Washington 98.300
Fine vault rotation for Washington, that event is about survival and going over 49 is never something to feel bad about. Great bars rotation for ASU. Lots of difficulty from that team and a lot to be happy about.
Rotation 3: Arizona State beam, Washington floor
Thompson (ASU): BHS BHS LOSO, steady. Switch straddle quarter, full turn, side aerial back full weirdly close to the beam and a step.
Brooks (UW): Double front, sat it. That was sort of bound to happen eventually, it’s a risk doing a double front. One and a half front lay great landing, switch ring wolf full. Front lay front full with leg separation.
Wilson (ASU): BHS LOSO, tentative but works through, full turn. Cat leap switch half, very short of split and a big leg-up check. Kickover front good, gainer full stuck. 9.8 is cute.
Ruttan (UW): Two and a half twist okay, slightly uncertain landing, one and a half Barani double stag. Cat leap tour jete full. Great double pike, hop to lunge. Good recovery. 9.85
Boyer (ASU): Wolf turn, weird check low to the beam, BHS LOSO and falls. Front aerial, wobbly, switch switch short of positions. Side aerial back full with a step back.
Cunningham (UW): Front through double back great landing. Switch half wolf full wolf full, hop out of the leaps, double pike and a stumble back but no OOB I don’t think. Video confirms she was in but that’s a disappointing landing. 9.75
Redmond (ASU): Love her mount, cartwheel to handstand on the ground and drops to front support. BHS LOSO and brings the second foot in front. Switch ring is wacky, split sheep is way short, gainer pike stuck. 9.8
Weird composition there, don’t know why you’d give her two dance skills that require back flexibility I don’t think she has. I’m sure she has cleaner skills.
Washington (UW): Double back, great, didn’t overpower it as she often does. Front lay front full very good, double pike hops to lunge. Switch side Popa great. 9.875
Reeves (ASU): BHS BHS LOSO with leg form issues but clean. Switch split short of position, back leg very low, full turn tentative. Front aerial to cradle jump, got the dismount with a hop. 9.85
Roberson (UW): Front double full punch front is great, got the leaps, Rudi LOSO very steady. This routine is so well-constructed that it’s just about ticking the boxes. 9.9
Scharf (ASU): Double wolf turn, unsteady but got through, BHS LOSO, side somi. Switch split with a little check. One and a half twist with a hop forward. 9.85
Hoffa (UW): Sliiight bounce on the full-in landing, hard to tell without her front foot in frame. Front lay front full great, tour jete half wolf full, got the double back. Really good. 9.925
After 3: Arizona State 147.650 – Washington 147.600
Oooh it’s CLOOOOSE. I’d like to have a talk with some of those Arizona State leap positions which were not it in the slightest but given how scary it is to get through a beam lineup with four consecutive freshmen, a lot to be proud of.
Washington isn’t having the perfect meet by a long shot but it’s toughing out another pretty good meet and managing to drop mistakes, and this could easily be a pretty good road score.
Rotation 4: Washington beam, Arizona State floor
Brooks (UW): Kickover front BHS. The nice thing about having a vault like that and being in a position where her team needs to use it is that this girl is not someone who gets wigged out by falling and then having to compete again. Good leaps, full turn a little edgy, front aerial to beat. Gainer full. 9.85
Reeves (ASU): Two and a half twist, big step forward and to one side. Whip half front full is lovely, the backspin is everything!!! Something to switch 1/2 ring, good Rudi. 9.775
Washington (UW): BHS LOSO, side aerial a little tentative and got it back with her arms. Switch side straddle straddle, side aerial tuck back full stuck with feet apart. 9.875
Thompson (ASU): Double pike, stutter step back, switch side Popa wolf full badly underrotated. Rudi good, one and a half front layout. Great tumbling, just a potential SV issue on those leaps. 9.775
Nelson (UW): Candle mount to inverted split, I’m so obsessed with it. BHS LOSO shaky, gets it back. Sissone split 3/4, question on the splits, full turn. One and a half twist with a hop. 9.825
Wilson (ASU): Double back, chest way down but lunges out fine. Switch half wolf 3/2, I think that was rotated, front lay front full with very messy legs and a hop to the side.
Copiak (UW): Full turn, BHS LOSO, bend check and holds on. Cat leap switch half beat jump, looked like her chest wasn’t over the beam for half of that but worked through it clean. Side aerial back tuck full with a hop. 9.75
Scharf (ASU): Front through double back, front full front tuck. Really sharp tumbling compared to the rest of the rotation. Got the leaps, double pike with a scoot back.
Vandenkolk (UW): Kickover front BHS great, switch straddle quarter, beat jump, full turn, front aerial to scale shaky but got it. She’s done worse and not really been deducted. Gainer full dismount stuck. 9.9!
Ginn (ASU): Double back, front lay Barani is fantastic! Double back. NAILED that routine, she looks thrilled.
Roberson (UW): Switch leap switch split jump split, full turn, LOSO LOSO, leg up check and got it back very quickly. Cartwheel gainer full stuck. 9.85
This thing is going to be close.
Leonard-Baker (ASU): One and a half front full, good, tour jete half wolf full and sort of staggered out, she might have needed a wolf 3/2 for SV. Chest down on her double pike. 9.9
IT’S TIED!!
Final: Washington, Arizona State 196.875
We don’t have event titles because we don’t have live scores! Yay! I’m pretty sure Cairo Leonard-Baker won bars, Vandenkolk beam, Hoffa floor, not a freaking clue who won vault.
What an exciting meet! It would have been even better if literally anybody at all knew what the scores were! But what a fun final result.
Live blog by Rebecca Scally
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