It’s time for the first EAGL matchup of 2021! With the abrupt end to the 2020 season, many teams have unfinished business going into 2021. Both Pittsburgh and N.C. State were on an upward trajectory at the end of season and will be looking to start where they left off in 2020. This is also an exciting matchup because these teams were ranked as the top two in the conference, according to the 2021 EAGL preseason poll. It should be an exciting meet!
N.C. State lost a couple of key gymnasts after the 2020 season, but it brings in a stellar freshman class along with the return of Nicole Webb, who missed most of 2020 with an injury. From the freshmen, keep an eye on both Carina Jordan and Gabrielle Diaz, who are expected to be top contributors for the Wolfpack. Also watch for a pair of sophomores—Chloe Negrete and Emily Shepard—who had stellar first years and will be looking to continue that success in 2021.
Pitt is losing half of its 2020 routines going into 2021, so the team should look quite different than it did last year. Katrina Coca and Katie Chamberlain, who both missed 2020 with injuries, should hopefully be key returners in 2021. Freshman Trinity Macy had a successful level 10 career and is expected to have a major impact on the team in her first year.
Rotation 1: N.C. State vault, Pitt bars
Jordan (NCSU): yfull – slightly piked with a slide back – 9.725
Miller (Pitt): good jaeger – slight form break, good bail, slight hop in FTDT – 9.725
Benson (NCSU): short on tucked omelianchik with a step back – 9.525
Macy (Pitt): beautiful piked jaeger, good bail hs, step forward on DLO – 9.725
Zarrett (NCSU): Unique front double full – slightly short and a step forward – 9.575
Beckwith (Pitt) – falls on gienger, leg sep on pak – had a little trouble on pirouette – good double tuck dismount with a step forward – 8.55
Shepard (NCSU) – y full with a hop back – 9.8
Chamberlain (Pitt) – good jeger, great bail, slight hop on FTDT. She’s back! – 9.875
Negrete (NCSU) – stream didn’t show her vault – 9.825
Coca (Pitt): beautiful jaeger, perfect bail! slight hop on FTDT. That will score well! – 9.875
Diaz (NCSU) – y layout – slight hop back – 9.475
Lerro (Pitt) – good maloner, little short of hs on bail, looks like she hurt her shoulder on her double front dismount and landed on her back. That did not look good – 8.725
After 1: N.C. State: 48.450, Pitt: 47.925
Rough injury for Pitt in that last spot on bars. I hope that wasn’t as bad as it looked. Other than the two falls, not a bad bars rotation from Pitt. N.C. State still struggling with landings and difficulty on vault but a good start.
Rotation 2: N.C. State bars, Pitt vault
Ceccarini (Pitt) – a bit piked with a small step – 9.675
Jordan (NCSU) – good tkatchev, nice pak, hittin hs well, stuck DLO! – 9.8
Miller (Pitt) – y full with a small slide back – 9.75
Diaz (NCSU): good jeager, good bail hs, saves final hs, slight step on FTDT – 9.7
Liszewski (Pitt): big y full with a large hop back – 9.55
Nelson (NCSU): good tkatchev, good hs on bail, hop on double tuck dismount – 9.725
Winder (Pitt): landed locked legged on hs front pike – looks like she hurt her knee – 9.675
Cox (NCSU): good tkatachev, great bail hs, slight step back on DLO – 9.85
Ward (Pitt): slightly short on y full with a small hop forward – 9.775
Shepard (NCSU): beautiful jaeger, beautiful handstand, small step on FTDT – 9.775
Robinson (NCSU): great jaeger, good pak – caught a little close, slight slide on double tuck – 9.875
After 2: N.C. State: 97.475, Pitt: 96.350
Good rotation for both teams. Vault scoring seems a little bit tight. 49+ on bars in the first meet for N.C. State is a HUGE number.
Rotation 3: N.C. State beam, Pitt floor
Nelson (NCSU): front aerial to back layout, short of 180 on leaps, good side somi, slight step on side aerial to full twist dismount – 9.8
Macy (Pitt); great rudi to start, beautiful leap combo, fall on 1.5 to front lay – too bad because that was a beautiful routine until then – 8.675
Foland (NCSU) – beautiful front toss to bhs loso, beautiful leaps, slight bobble on front aerial, step forward on dismount – 9.7
Liszewski (Pitt): great double tuck to open, great leap series, good back 1.5 to punch front. Good routine! – 9.6
Jordan (NCSU): slight hesitation on front aerial to BSH and a wobble, beautiful leaps, great punch front, slight hop on dismount – 9.5
Ceccarini (Pitt): beautiful first pass – it’s so long that I have trouble IDing what it is, hands down on double tuck, great up until then – 9.125
Shepard (NCSU): beautiful leg up full turn, beautiful leaps, beautiful BHS LOSO series, slight hop on dismount – 9.8
Beckwith (Pitt): good double back to open, great 1.5 to front lay, great routine! She didn’t compete floor last year so glad to see her in the lineup! – 9.775
Negrete (NCSU): good full turn, beautiful front aerial to bhs, slight wobble on leap series, slight hop on double twist dismount – 9.75
Miller (Pitt): good double back to open, beautiful leap series, great front lay to front full, too much power on double pike and takes a couple shuffle steps back – 9.775
Webb (NCSU): falls on bhs loso series, beautiful leaps, solid front aerial, stuck dismount – 9.25
Robatin (Pitt): chest down on double back, good leaps, good front lay to front full – a bit short – 9.55
Cox (NCSU) – exh, solid BHS LOSO, wobble on leap series, great side aerial to beat jump, stuck gainer full
After 3: N.C. State: 146.025, Pitt: 144.175
Good beam rotation from NC State. Excited to finally see Shepard in the lineup! Too bad about Pitt having to count a fall on floor but nothing that they won’t be able to fix for the next meet. I see Winder on the sidelines with an ice pack on her knee but no crutches, which is a promising sign. Lerro’s arm is in a sling.
Rotation 4: N.C. State floor, Pitt beam
Coca (Pitt): beam debut! solid bhs loso series, slight wobble on leap, stuck dismount – 9.825
Jordan (NCSU): slightly short on front double full, good 1.5 to front lay, rudi with a slight slide back, great routine! – 9.725
Miller (Pitt): good split jump to bhs, fall on bhs LOSO series, good full turn, solid front aerial, nearly stuck dismount – 9.1
Benson (NCSU): huge double pike to open, beautiful leaps, good front 1.5 to front lay, slightly short on double back – 9.725
Robatin (Pitt): good front toss to bhs, slightly short on 180 on leaps, beautiful Liukin, slight step on dismount – 9.675
Cox (NCSU): good rudi to open, great 1.5 to front layout, last pass looked the same as the second, so not sure if I missed something, but it was a solid finish – 9.775
Ceccarini (Pitt): slight wobble on bhs loso series, beautiful leaps, wobble on front toss but saved it, step on gainer pike – 9.65
Nelson (NCSU): great 2.5 to punch front, great double pike, really getting into this music, great 1.5 to front pike to end – 9.75
Macy (Pitt): beautiful triple series, leaps looked a little short, low landing on dismount and takes a hop – 9.625
Shepard (NCSU): beutiful sky high double pike to open, great front full to front lay, beautiful double back to close. Great routine! – 9.85
Beckwith (Pitt) – beautiful bhs loso, leap series looked good, slight slide on dismount – 9.85
Negrete (NCSU): great double pike to open, good leaps, and nearly stuck her double back to close (I accidentally looked away on her second pass) – 9.8
Webb (NCSU): exh – beautiful dance to open, rudi to stag jump – good, off on 1.5 to front tuck – almost fell but saved it with a deep squat
Final: N.C. State: 194.925, Pitt: 192.800
Pitt really redeemed itself on that beam rotation. Definitely the best event of the night. It’s still only the first meet, so there’s plenty of time to work out the kinks. N.C. State had a solid start to the season. A few little things here and there to clean up, but it should be another good season for the Wolfpack.
Live blog by Mary Emma Burton
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