Hello and happy Friday Night Heights! There are lots of exciting meets in the SEC tonight, but I think this one has the potential to be the most interesting.
I am very intrigued to see how both Arkansas and Kentucky perform tonight following the bye week. If the showing by Auburn and LSU last Friday night is any indication, the extra week of rest could result in a stronger performance and some big scores.
The Razorbacks are looking real sharp this season and have proven that they can bring in big scores while on the road. They have consistently been a mid-196 team all year, even scoring as a high as a 197.250 at their last home meet. Notably, they are ranked in the top 15 on all four events, with both beam and floor coming in the highest at number three. Jordyn Wieber has worked straight-up magic on that floor lineup; it is one of the best in the country.
The Wildcats have had a slower start to their season, but overcame a bit of a beam problem at their last meet against Alabama, leading to a season high team score of 196.400. They will be looking to take advantage of another home meet and build on that momentum tonight. Raena Worley had a particularly spectacular day, notching a career-best 39.550 in the all around, so keep your eyes on her.
Side note: A new thing some SEC teams are doing is including potential lineups and routines in their team notes, and I am THE WORLD’S BIGGEST FAN OF THIS. More of this please.
Follow along with scores here.
I would like to know what arm workouts Jordyn Wieber does to look that spectacular in a sleeveless blouse.
Rotation 1: Kentucky vault, Arkansas bars
Bunn (UK): Big FTY, stuck. Wow great start. 9.850
Lovett (ARK): Ray was good. bail to handstand, little short. Full pirouette a little slow, huge open double back dismount. 9.775
Magnelli (UK): FHS 1/2-in pike, big hop back. Seemed like she didn’t get a great block. 9.800
Gianfanga (ARK): Ray to immediate overshoot, looked a tiny bit rushed but good. Shy on the final handstand. FTDT dismount, stuck. 9.875
Patterson (UK): FHS 1/2 pike, lands with chest very low. 9.725
Scalzo (ARK): Blind change to tkatchev and she misses the catch and falls. She repeated the element and made it that time. Finishes with a blind full to double tuck, knees buckled a bit but holds the stick. 9.125
Angeny (UK): Y1.5, lands short and needs to take a step back. 9.850
Shaffer (ARK): Wow, that first handstand was stunning. Maloney was lovely, bail to handstand, beautiful position there. DLO, step on the landing. 9.875
Worley (UK): Y1.5, stuck! Knees a little deep, but that was still lovely. 9.900
Hambrick (ARK): Great first HS. Blind change piked jaeger to overshoot, absolutely lovely. Good final HS. FTDT, moooostly stuck… we’ll call that a college stick with the salute as she steps to the side. 9.900
Apparently the judges are discussing Hambrick’s scores… now its showing a 9.825.
And nope, they kept it at 9.900.
Nixon (UK): HUGE FTY, minor hop. 9.850
O’Hara (ARK): Beautiful first HS, little slow on the blind change to jaeger, bail to handstand was good. Floaty DLO, just a tiny hop on the landing. 9.950
Vault ex, didn’t catch who it was.
Ark bars ex – Rutz -tkatchev, clear hip bail to handstand. Finishes with a full to double tuck. Definitely a routine that could be in the lineup.
AFTER ONE: Arkansas 49.375, Kentucky 49.250
Well, both teams started out with strong rotations and should be happy with those scores. Kentucky having four 10.0 starts on vault is a big deal, and as they continue to fine tune those landings they should continue to pull in good scores there. Overall solid bar rotation from Arkansas as well.
Note: the stream is showing the total score without O’Hara’s score, so that is… wrong.
Rotation 2: Kentucky bars, Arkansas vault
Pennese (ARK): FTY, chest a little low on the landing but solid start. 9.825
Bunn (UK): Good first HS, blind change to a jaeger, lovely. Bail to handstand, good. Finishes with a DLO, stuck. Nice routine. 9.850
Johnston (ARK): FTY, chest a tiny bit low but stuck. 9.875
Davis (UK): Blind full to a half to a jaeger, nice. Handstands a little short. Whippy DLO, hop back. 9.775
Olszewski (ARK): FTY, another stick. Tiny bit piked down 9.850
Nixon (K): Beautiful first handstand. Maloney to bail was lovely. Shy on that final handstand. Huge and floaty FTDT dismount, stuck.
Shaffer (ARK): Yurchenko half, not a lot of amplitude and she lands short. Takes a step back. 9.750
Worley (UK): Clear hip to tkatchev, good. Pak was good. Big FTDT dismount, stuck. 9.850
Elswick (ARK): FTY, knees looked just a little bent and a hop back. 9.800
Luksik (UK): Archy first HS, Ray was good. Another archy handstand.. Some leg separation on her bail to HS. Short final HS. DLO with a step back. 9.800
Hambrick (ARK): Y1.5, almost stuck but has a little too much of a forward lean on that so I doubt the judges will give it to her. 9.925
Angeny (UK): Short HS, blind change to jaeger to overshoot, good. Finishes with a DLO tonight instead of the FTDL, nice body position. Stuck landing. 9.900
Hickey ex – FTY
AFTER TWO: Arkansas 98.650, Kentucky 98.525
Both teams had sticky feet tonight! That is the best I have seen Arkansas look on vault all season, and I believe that is a season high score for them. Kentucky also notched a season-high on bars that rotation.
Rotation 3: Kentucky beam, Arkansas floor
Haigis (UK): BHS LOSO, solid. Switch leap to shushunova. Cat leap to a front aerial, big balance check but manages to stay on the beam. RO 1.5 dismount with a step. 9.575
Johnston (ARK): Opens with a double back, controlled landing. Second pass nice whip full to front full. Switch half popa, gorgeous. Finishes with a double pike, nails the landing. Great opening routine. 9.875
Magnelli (UK): BJS LOSO LOSO, good. Switch side was super sharp. Finishes with a RO 1.5, holds the stick. 9.850
Hickey (ARK): Big double pike to start, big lunge but it was controlled. Switch side popa, good. Second pass is a nice 1.5 + front lay. Finishes with double back, lands short and hops forward. 9.725
Nixon (UK): BHS LOSO, balance check but saves it. Front aerial to split, again has nice control over a little balance check there. BHS to 1.5 dismount, sticks it. 9.875
Shaffer (ARK): Big double pike, lands a tiny bit short but holds it well. 1.5 front lay, pretty form. Tour jete-popa, pretty extension. Finishes with a double back, chest a little low. 9.825
Bunn (UK): BHS LOSO LOSO, slight lean but she is aggressive with the series. Switch to split, good. RO to a full dismount, tiny hop. 9.825
Lovett (ARK): Beautiful DLO to open, she gets so much height. front layout front full into a stag leap. Sky high tour-jete split full, she is so bouncy. Finishes with a double back, again – the height! 9.900
Worley (UK): Cat leap switch side, looks a little short. Front aerial BHS LOSO, solid and good movement through it. Little wobbly on her full turn. RO 1.5 dismount with a step back. 9.825
Hambrick (ARK): Wow, beautiful double back to open, lots of height. FHS rudi to a layout to a stag jump, pretty. Leaps loooked good. Finishes with a big double pike, sticks the landing. 9.95
Angeny (UK): BHS LOSO LOSO, super solid. Front aerial, covers a balance check there. Switch leap to a beat. Finishes with a side aerial tuck full, sticks it. 9.875
Carter (ARK): Opens with a double back, sticks it before she takes a controlled step back. 1.5 to front full, little shuffle foot on the landing. Switch half to a switch full. Finishes with a double pike, lands too far back and sits it down. 9.175
AFTER THREE: Arkansas 147.925, Kentucky 147.800
Kentucky got off to a little bit of a rough start with that big balance check from Haigis, but pulled it together nicely for a very solid rotation. Arkansas had a good floor rotation as well—unfortunately the fall from Carter in the final spot means it had to count the 9.725 earlier in the rotation.
But this is shaping up to be an exciting final rotation!
Rotation 4: Kentucky floor, Arkansas beam
Elswick (ARK): BHS LOSO, balance check. Another balance check on her leap series. Front aerial with a lean. BHS 1.5 dismount stuck. 9.800
Bunn (UK): Opens with a double pike, nice controlled landing. Switch half to wolf 3/2 was nice. 1.5 + front pike. Finishes with a FHS to a rudi. Solid start. 9.775
Lovett (ARK): Candle mount, lovely hold. Little wobble on her full turn. Switch to split jump, good height and full splits. Front aerial, balance check with a leg up. Repeats the front aerial to back LOSO to get credit. Finishes with a Side aerial to a full, sticks it. 9.800
Haigis (UK): FHS to rudi to LOSO, some knees. Double pike was short, lands with chest down. 9.475
O’Hara (ARK): Side aerial to a BHS, good. Split jump to double stag. Finishes with a side aerial 1.5, tiny hop. 9.775
Clarke (UK): Double full to open, lands a little short. Leaps are very pretty and high. Second pass front lay to front full, good. BHS LOSO down to one knee, actually really love that. Finishes with a rudi, nice controlled step out of it. 9.800
Shaffer (ARK): switch leap straddle quarter, big balance check. BHS LOSO, another balance check with a foot shuffle. Front aerial good. Finishes with a cat leap to a side aerial back full dismount, little crooked there. 9.700
Davis (UK): Double pike to open, not a ton of amplitude there. Beautiful leap series. Second pass was beautiful, very controlled landing. Finishes with a double back, nice controlled landing there too. Overall lovely routine. 9.825
Carter (ARK): BHS LOSO, lovely pointed toes. Beat jump double stag, gorgeous. Front aerial, big balance check and leg up. Switch leap, balance check, split jump – probably not going to get the connection. Finishes withside aerial to a full, nice landing. 9.575
Angeny (UK): Opens with double pike, great landing. Good position on her leaps. 1.5 to front lay, good. Double back to finish, lands with chest just a little low. 9.875
Hambrick (ARK): BHS LOSO, balance check and takes extra steps out of it. Siwtch leap to switch half, legs looked a little shy of 180. Big balance check on her straddle there. Cartwheel to a gainer full dismount, chest is a little low though. 9.675
Worley (UK): Big full in to start. FHS front full front lay, good. Leaps looked good. Finishes with a big double back, controlled step. 9.900
FINAL: Kentucky 196.975, Arkansas 196.675
Arkansas really gave it away at the end there with all of those balance checks on beam – but Kentucky also had an absolutely stellar floor rotation to take advantage of all of those little mistakes by the Razorbacks.
VT: Hambrick 9.925
UB: O’Hara 9.950
B: Nixon 9.900
FX: Hambrick 9.950
AA: Angeny 39.500
Article by Kalley Leer
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