Welcome to the Pac-12, everyone!! This meet is the conference’s first dual of the 2021 season and today is the first meet day for four of the eight Pac-12 teams. (Remember that Utah, Arizona State and Oregon State have already competed out of conference while California and Stanford don’t start until next week.)
We know more or less what to expect from Utah today. All four events are stable around the 49.000 level, with beam already a little higher, and developing landings as season progresses plus a touch of home meet padding mean that there’s a solid shot at a 197-plus score today. Vault is perhaps a weakness against other top teams because the lineup is still composed primarily of Yurchenko fulls, but against Arizona that realistically isn’t an issue.
We know relatively little about Arizona, but we do know that Kennedi Davis wasn’t present in the projected lineups in the media guide. This is mildly unfortunate but not insurmountable. Preseason star Malia Hargrove is projected to compete all around while fan favorite international Jessica Castles is in three planned lineups and is expected to anchor vault. Yes, this is slightly odd. We’ll see what she brings to the table on that event, but I expect greatness from her beam and floor.
Rotation 1: Utah VT, Arizona UB
O’Keefe (UU): FTY, high but bouncy, big hop-scoot back. 9.75
Linton (UA): Tkachev quite low, slightly shy on handstands but probably not deductible. Missed the bail handstand by a decent amount, shuffly near-stick on DLO. 9.725
Isa (UU): Flares her arms out on her FTY, medium hop back. The thing with flaring is it’s supposed to involve an open body position as well as getting the arms out to the side and she doesn’t really get that bit. 9.775
Hargrove (UA): Her college bars debut – she competed three events last year and this will complete her AA set. Full turn to Tkachev great, NAILED the bail, almost went over the other side but got it. FTDB stuck, leans forward a touch but keeps her feet down. 9.775
Stanhope (UU): First time doing a 10.0 vault in college. Good 1.5, bit of leg sep and a side step. She looks THRILLED. Apparently first of four 1.5s today for the Utes, which will include a couple we haven’t seen before in college. 9.825
Raskin (UA): Turn under the bar to pike Jaeger, odd, pretty bail. Great form, Rudi dismount I think with a hop in place. She does both of her blinds under the bar which I think is an acceptable variant in the JO code but it’s WEIRD and I kept losing track of where she was. 9.775 I guess it’s fine.
Hall (UU): 1.5, usual visible form in the air but good landing, just hops her feet together.9.9
McCabe (UA): Blind, on TOP of the bar thank you, to pretty pike Jaeger. Shy on a handstand, full turn to bail. Almost falls on the low bar. Double lay, leg sep but stuck. 9.8
Burch (UU): 1.5, leg separation on the table but just a little hop forward. Good one. 9.9
Kane (UA): Late blind, oops, pings going into what I assume was a Jaeger and lands on her stomach. Bizarre, hilarious, luckily completely safe. Blind to Jaeger, falls again. They just zeroed it and let her give up.
NOTE FROM LATER: This score got updated to a 5.0, not that it matters a great deal.
They’re just gonna go ahead and let Rucker vault.
Rucker (UU): 1.5, pretty, quick and fairly big step forward but it was lovely in the air. 9.875
Deets (UA): Good Tkachev, bail, super clean so far, double lay lovely and almost stuck. That “had it for a second and stepped to salute” type. 9.875
After 1: Utah 49.275, Arizona 48.950
Arizona in a different universe aesthetically on bars compared to last year. Not sure where Zaza Brovedani is but there’s a great deal to work with there.
Utah adding more 10.0 vaults is major progress in terms of being able to compete with the best teams in the country. The scoring was… not consistent through the lineup, but Utah vault scoring at home being wack isn’t big news.
Whoa! Old UIC head coach Peter Jansson has been hired at Arizona as an assistant coach! Bless that man.
Rotation 2: Arizona VT, Utah UB
Horton (UA): Vault debut. Yurchenko tuck full with a little hop back. 9.7
Paulson (UU): Maloney to Pak great, really pretty, loses speed on the switch kip. Blind full double back with a step. 9.775
Nosek (UA): FTY, pretty with a big hop. More amplitude than the UA FTYs. 9.725
Sabado (UU): Blind to Jaeger, bit of feet but good extended catch, little bits of feet here and there. Double lay stuck with feet again. Looks thrilled in an exhausted way. 9.875
Herry (UA): Pretty FTY, super tight form, a little lower but minor hop back.
Burch (UU): Hop change on bars, struggles to cast up to handstand, hitch in the middle but gets it. Good Jaeger in the end, double layout straddled but near-stuck. 9.85
Bellows (UA): Can do a 1.5, just a full today but a good one with a small slide back. 9.8
O’Keefe (UU): Maloney to Pak, little leg sep but sooo high. Getting the handstands, double arabian stuck. Her feel on that dismount is just extraordinary. 9.9 is deserved.
Hargrove (UA): Super early on the table and a little sideways but makes it work, gorgeous in the air, hop in place. That’s going to be stickable soon if she doesn’t upgrade to her 1.5. 9.85
LeBlanc (UU): Missed the first handstand, Jaeger with a bit of feet, overshoot slightly off. Not her most fluid but making it work. Double lay pretty with a tiny hop back.
Looks like Arizona is scratching Castles in the anchor. Good set of fulls, not a huge concern.
Isa (UU): Ray good, getting the handstands, shoulders a touch closed on the bail but that’s being really picky. Arches a handstand mildly on the high bar, blind full double lay deep but stuck. 9.85
After 2: Utah 98.550, Arizona 97.725
Arizona looking good. Still a lot of technical improvements from past Januaries. I’d like to know where Kennedi Davis and Zaza Brovedani are—if they’re out for the short term that’s an easy way to get more FTYs. I’m not concerned about the Castles scratch at this stage.
Utah putting together a very similar meet to its last two. Utah might be the most consistent and reliable team in the country in 2021, the work to do going forward is lifting the score ceiling.
Rotation 3: Utah BB, Arizona FX
Burch (UU): BHS LOSO, split double stag, super steady. No question on any of that. Full turn, gainer full stuck. Very solid lead off. 9.85
Horton (UA): One and a half to front full, solid. Front full front pike. Switch to sketchy switch ring half, good Rudi. 9.8
Gilstrap (UU): Lovely backbend over the beam that reminds me of Janae Janik. Front aerial to split, check in the middle of the series and another one after. BHS LOSO. Switch + split + beat to kneel, which is interesting. One and a half twist with a hop back. Good for a debut. 9.7
Nosek (UA): Bounce back on her double pike, better control on the front lay front full. Solid leap combo, way underrotated on the double back and takes two big steps forward. 9.65
Randall (UU): Full turn, unsteady, split to sheep with knees apart but well landed. Good Rulfova and looked like she nailed the 1.5 but had to step back in the end. 9.85
Orman (UA): Such a great, intense dancer. Nailed the Rudi landing, switch side Popa with a tiny bounce. Solid double pike. Good one, especially after a fall. 9.825
Isa (UU): Candle mount, triple series, switch switch side looks good, gainer full stuck. Quick, emphatic routine. Doing beam with so much energy looks risky but she’s just great. 9.875
Deets (UA): Slightly overpowered the double back, made it work. Tour jete half Popa split full, rotation issue on those. Chest down and a bit of a scoot on her double pike. Pretty dancer, front lay front full good. 9.75
O’Keefe (UU): Side aerial LOSO good. Solid leaps, full turn, cat leap side aerial back full. 9.9
Castles (UA): 2.5 punch front stuck. Carmen routine and it’s lovely! Great to see a super classical dancer not get shoehorned into the same techno/hip hop routine as everyone else. One and a half thru double full underrotated, big step forward. 9.75
Paulson (UU): Side aerial LOSO, bend check, never really made solid contact with her feet after the LOSO. Switch split good, stuck the dismount. 9.775
Hargrove (UA): Double pike, HUGE with a major scoot back, narrowly stays in bounds. Such a “I’m training a full in” pass. Whip half front full good, underrotated a turning leap, double back straight to her knees. Oops. Looked super surprised by that, there wasn’t really an amplitude issue, her knees just forgot to stand it up.
After 3: Utah 147.750, Arizona 146.500
Utah on pace for its first 197 with a decent floor rotation and has a chance to pass Oklahoma in the rankings with a great one. Arizona can turn in a robust opening score that will land it upward of No. 25 in its first ranking as long as it can get through beam clean, despite the absences.
Rotation 4: Arizona BB, Utah FX
Stauffacher (UA): Gorgeous sideways straddle roll mount situation. BHS LOSO steady, beat to split 3/4, front aerial to split, cartwheel gainer full. Great. She’s a former Gold Medal gymnast and Amanda Borden was NERVOUS but Avery did her job. 9.775
Gilstrap (UU): Um, violin Despacito. Nobody told me that was the music. Laughing so hard I missed the first pass. Front lay Rudi with a bounce. Front lay front full good. 9.85
Deets (UA): BHS LOSO great. Full turn, cat leap switch side solid, cat leap kickover front, leans and falls. Missed the dismount but she did do it. 9.2
Randall (UU): Floor debut in 2021. Double back, good landing, switch side Popa wolf full actually overrotated which I appreciate. Looked taken by surprise by the landing on her double pike but kept it under control. One and a half front lay, didn’t get a good punch and just barely gets the layout around with bent knees and a foot shuffle. 9.825
Herry (UA): Getting iced by the judges here, tough one for a freshman to handle but she looks businesslike. Full turn, BHS LOSO good. Side somi a bit tentative but there, straddle to straddle 1/2. BHS 1.5 stuck. Great work. 9.8
Paulson (UU): Front lay front full stag, good. There are a lot of… mouth noises in her music, it kinda makes me nauseous. 2.5 twist pretty good, switch switch full a bit imprecise, one and a half front lay pretty. 9.85
Barile (UA): College debut for the sophomore! Front aerial LOSO, that’s a risky series but she’s aggressive with it. Full turn, cat leap switch 1/2 short of position, side aerial back full with a step. 9.825
Stanhope (UU): Full in legit, stepped out of bounds. Switch side wolf full SUPER precise, really stands out after some of the iffy leaping today. One and a half front lay, another bad layout after a bad punch. 9.65
Castles (UA): BHS LOSO great, a split second of ambiguity on the landing and then she pulls her arms down and gets it. Switch split good. Front aerial split, pretty inverted work low to the beam, triple wolf is actually pretty. Stuck dismount. Really, really good. 9.900 totally deserved.
Rucker (UU): HIHO is glorious and landed perfectly. Switch half split full wolf full underrotated. Front lay front full great.
Linton (UA): Double wolf good, triple series with a lean but nothing major. Switch split solid, side aerial back full. Very steady.
Soloski (UU): The usual position issue on her double lay, good leaps. Front lay front full a bit bouncy, fun switch leg walkover in her choreo, one and a half front lay good. Good one! 9.925 brings the Utes over 197 for the first time in 2021.
FINAL: Utah 197.075, Arizona 195.650
Utah will bump Arkansas for the No. 4 spot in the country after an inaugural 197. The incremental improvement week over week for Utah feels like such a sustainable way to produce a great season, especially when other top teams are far less consistent.
Arizona starts the season in a great place despite two important absences. If at least one of Brovedani or Davis can return the ceiling for this team is pretty high.
VT: Cammy Hall, Alexia Burch (UU) 9.900
UB: Maile O’Keefe (UU) 9.900
BB: Maile O’Keefe (UU), Jessica Castles (UA) 9.900
FX: Sydney Soloski (UU) 9.925
Live blog by Rebecca Scally
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