Iowa has been cruising in 2021. The Hawkeyes achieved a program-best national ranking of No. 9 this week, currently lie in No. 1 in the country on floor and have a chance to overtake Michigan for the No. 1 spot in the Big Ten with a strong result this week. If you’re unfamiliar with the Hawkeyes, the names to know are fifth-year senior and longtime powerhouse Clair Kaji, resurgent redshirt freshman Jerquavia Henderson and former elite freshman Adeline Kenlin. Iowa is a three-event team, with bouncy vault landings holding it back from success on that piece. If those landings come together, Iowa has a shot at 197.000.
Illinois is also a three-event team with a major vault problem. Last week, the Illini had two falls on Yurchenko fulls. Yes, really. But the other three events are fairly robust with exciting variety in skill selection.
A fun connection between these two teams is that Iowa assistant coach Vince Smurro is an alumnus of Illinois’ men’s teams.
Rotation 1: Illinois vault, Iowa bars
Biondi (UIUC): Yurchenko Arabian, piked in the air with a hop forward. 9.775
Henderson (Iowa): Toe on to Maloney to bail, good positions and the littlest bit of foot form, FTDB in a more open tuck position with a hop. 9.825
O’Donnell (UIUC): Off to one side of the table and piked in the air but near-stuck FTY. 9.7
Castle (Iowa): Missed first handstand, loose form on her Jaeger, good bail. Double layout with the littlest scoot back to salute.
Simons (UIUC): Much more powerful FTY than the first two vaults with a hop back. 9.8
Greenwald (Iowa): Good Ray, toe on to Pak clean, big hop back on her double layout. For some reason we got some slow-mo of her routine playing backwards. 9.85
Townes (UIUC): Some soft knees in the air on her ONE AND A HALF! It’s been a SECOND since Illinois has had a 10.0 vault. Super secure landing too, just a hop. 9.85
Kenlin (Iowa): Toe on to Maloney with slight leg separation to clean Pak, slightly awkward switch kip, toe full to double back with a hop. 9.825
Mueller (UIUC): Soft elbows onto the table and piked throughout on her FTY. 9.725
Kaji (Iowa): Missed the first half, it’s so hard to look at the right time when there’s no commentary, but she did a bit of swimming with her arms on a squat on and then makes her double lay with a hop. 9.725
Takekawa (UIUC): Piked down on her FTY but very secure landing. Minor scoot back with one foot, though she also had a probably-deductible chest position. 9.7
Steffensmeier (Iowa): Too far from the bar on her Jaeger and falls face down. Some low bar angst as she tries to figure her way back into the routine and then a huge hop on her underrotated double back dismount. 8.25
Julia Waight did a Yurchenko arabian in the exhibition for Illinois that should probably have been in the lineup. Solid jaeger/overshoot routine from Iowa. Unsure who, possibly Bridget Killian.
After 1: Iowa 49.025, Illinois 48.850
That’s a season high for Illinois vault. The Townes upgrade feels GREAT for this lineup and while the rest isn’t lovely, it’s enough for the Illini to just survive their worst event.
Iowa bars can go higher, but the Hawkeyes too should be fine to move on with a perfectly fine rotation score and forget the weird moments.
Rotation 2:
Greenwald (Iowa): FTY, piked throughout with a little hop forward. 9.675
Borden (UIUC): Slightly archy blind change, a bit of knees on the Jaeger to good overshoot. Stuck Rudi dismount. Nice and secure for an opening routine.
Vance (Iowa): We cut in halfway through that vault but it looked like a fairly high and straight FTY with a hop back. 9.7
Biondi (UIUC): Blind to Jaeger with flexed feet, bail, missed a handstand on the high bar, double layout with flexed feet and a bit of pike in the first salto but good landing, just hop in place to salute.
Guerin (Iowa): Yurchenko full pretty with a minor scoot back. These vaults keep going the SECOND after the preceding bars routine ends. 9.825
Simons (UIUC): Blind change, falls over the bar and jumps off. Was that a Church??? Double layout too close to the bar and super shapey and weird. 9.075
Kenlin (Iowa): Solid FTY, we didn’t see it on the first try but got a replay. 9.825
O’Donnell (UIUC): Blind to Jaeger, really pretty, great foot form, gorgeous bail. This is much sharper bars work than we’ve seen for most of this meet. Blind full double back with pointed toes and a step back. 9.775
Killian (Iowa): Solid FTY with a big, big hop back. 9.825
Takekawa (UIUC): Blind to pike Jaeger, falls to her knees, looks like a dowel not over bars situation. Blind to pike Jaeger good, bail, double layout piked down with a big step. 9.1
Henderson (Iowa): Pretty FTY with a hop back. 9.85
Ewald (UIUC): Blind to Jaeger, great, super clean Pak. FTDB with a little leg separation and a step back. 9.85
Mallory Mizuki in the ex for Illinois, veteran of a billion ACL tears. Falls on a pike Jaeger. Super close catch on the second try, overshoot, nailing handstands, blind full double back with a step.
Amelia Knight in the second exhibition also fell on a pike Jaeger, same composition as Mizuki, stuck landing.
After 2: Iowa 98.050, Illinois 97.250
Counting a fall on bars isn’t anyone’s idea of a fun Sunday afternoon but Illinois minimized the damage. Plus, if you’re going to have four bars falls, making two of them the exhibitions is the best-case scenario!
Iowa survived a fine-not-great vault rotation. This will be a fine meet score for the Hawkeyes, but if they want to keep fighting for the top ten as top teams sharpen up, they need to get their landings under control.
Rotation 3: Illinois beam, Iowa floor
Townes (UIUC): Kickover front, BHS LOSO tentative, cat leap side aerial tuck back full stuck. 9.8
Killian (Iowa): Super control on her triple full, crossed legs in the air but it’s literally NCAA. Front full front pike pretty good, switch side Popa, double back. Really, really sharp landings there. 9.775
Borden (UIUC): Planchey mount thing, front aerial FHS straddle quarter slightly tenuous on the connection. Back walkover to knees, beat to sheep with a check that she choreographs out of, front full dismount with a hop back to salute. 9.8
Castle (Iowa): Double pike, looked a touch underrotated but she’s fine, good Rudi. Here’s the Tequila music, her trademark. One and a half front lay and steps sideways instead of forward to avoid going OOB. 9.8
Biondi (UIUC): Good acro series, switch double stag super secure, tentative on side aerial. Overturns full turn a bit, one and a half twist with a big step back. 9.825
Greenwald (Iowa): Full in, keeps the front foot planted. Switch side Popa good, two and a half front tuck gorgeous. 9.85
Noonan (UIUC): BHS LOSO good, switch to gainer LOSO really solid. Split to double stag, Illinois looking really steady on beam today, cartwheel gainer full stuck. Rocking. 9.825
Henderson (Iowa): Overpowers her full in and scoots back substantially. Switch side to Popa to straddle, unsteady double back landing. 9.825
Scott (UIUC): Kickover front BHS, slightly off line but works through it with her arms, switch to double stag, misses her front foot and has to scramble for the beam for a second. Cartwheel gainer full stuck. 9.85
Guerin (Iowa): Full in great, slight question mark on the hop to lunge but being super picky, switch side Popa, front through double back really good. 9.625
Takekawa (UIUC): Side aerial BHS good, wonder if she felt a bit unstable because she worked out of it fast. Switch BHS wobbly throughout, full turn, gainer full dismount with a hop. 9.85
Kaji (Iowa): One and a half through double back great, this choreography is immense. She’s such a talented dancer and Libby knows what to do with her. Pulls her front foot up a bit in the double pike. 9.9
Knight in the exhibition for Illinois, big check on her side aerial BHS but hangs on. Good back full dismount sideways off the beam. Great, secure hit from Mallory Mizuki in the second ex.
After 3: Iowa 147.200, Illinois 146.400
Great rotation score for both teams, but Lauren Guerin’s floor score is a big issue. Apparently she lost a substantial chunk of SV. Hope Iowa is inquiring because there’s no reason whatsoever to devalue that routine and everyone should be kinda mad about it.
Rotation 4: Iowa beam, Illinois floor
Henderson (Iowa): BHS LOSO, switch side series is good, double back dismount with a hop. I watched her bomb one of those in warm ups, great recovery. 9.825
Mueller (UIUC): Solid double pike. Front lay front full, double back overrotated with a scoot back. She had a pretty scary fall last week so great to see a secure hit this week. 9.825
Nick (Iowa): BHS LOSO okay, full turn, cat leap front aerial beat jump wobbly but she kept moving. Switch split okay, not sure about the splits there, one and a half twist stuck. 9.725
Ewald (UIUC): Front double full, she may have actually landed sideways on one of her feet, ow. Rudi LOSO really pretty. Front full front lay good. 9.8
Killian (Iowa): BHS LOSO good, switch switch unsteady with rough splits, hop on her double full dismount. 9.675
Knight (UIUC): Actually pretty good on her front double full, two illusions connected, one and a half front full really secure. Tour jete half split full well connected. 9.8
Vance (Iowa): Lost track of this routine a bit but it’s been clean. Full turn, side aerial back full with a hop. 9.8
Townes (UIUC): Front double full, underrotated but not horribly scary, good wolf 3/2. One and a half front full deep with a big and quick step out, tour jete half Popa. 9.875
Kaji (Iowa): BHS LOSO sharp and gorgeous, cat leap side aerial, she’s zoning today, split to split 3/4. BHS gainer full with a hop back. It was pretty much perfect until then. 9.875
Noonan (UIUC): Front double full really clean, front lay to Rudi short and squats on her toes to keep it alive. Switch ring to cat leap 3/2, 1.5 front full solid. 9.725
Kenlin (Iowa): Gorgeous mount series, BHS LOSO, switch split, front aerial to beat lovely. Full turn, 1.5 dismount stuckish. 9.9
Scott (UIUC): Front double full, good leaps, one and a half front full really pretty, super control on her Rudi. On top of all the landings, this could go high. 9.9
Takekawa looks good in a floor exhibition for the Illini.
FINAL: Iowa 196.325, Illinois 195.600
Totally fine score for both teams today, and both know what they’ll need to do to improve. I’m still confused about that Guerin floor situation…
Illinois pulled off a season high today despite a counted fall on bars and should feel pretty good about its results. For Iowa, the road to 197 is paved with clean landings on vault and bars. Beam and floor are already in near-postseason shape, but the first two events give away a lot of easy tenths.
VT: Mia Townes (UIUC), Jerquavia Henderson (UI) 9.850
UB: Nicole Biondi, Kaitlin Ewald (UIUC), Alexandra Greenwald (UI) 9.850
BB: Adeline Kenlin (UI) 9.900
FX: Clair Kaji (UI), Shaylah Scott (UIUC) 9.900
AA: Jerquavia Henderson (UI) 39.325
Live blog by Rebecca Scally
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