This meet could be one of the most chaotic ones of the season. Michigan has spent two weeks in near-quarantine, unable to work out as a team at all much less do gymnastics, in response to detected cases of the UK COVID-19 variant in the athletics department. The Wolverines have been able to train again since last Sunday, but it’s unclear how this will affect them. I think we all know that Michigan is far better than a No. 8 team, but with the week three catastrophe against Minnesota unusable it’s badly in need of solid NQS scores.
Nebraska, meanwhile, is just sort of like that. The Huskers put together a great beam rotation last weekend, but apart from that there’s very little to write home about. Vault in particular has a fairly low peak, but there are few routines on this team that can regularly score 9.850 or above and things can go very quickly south since the team isn’t particularly consistent either.
Kinsey Davis is resting today for Nebraska. The Huskers will go five up on bars.
Rotation 1: Michigan VT, Nebraska UB
Heiskell (UM): Pretty FTY with a small hop back. 9.85
Piringer (UNL): Maloney, shapey with foot form, to messy bail. Missed a handstand on HB, blind full double back. 9.65. This got upgraded to 9.75 after the rotation SOMEHOW.
Brenner (UM): One and a half, twisting onto the table and the usual touch of form, really strong landing with just a hop in place. 9.9
Lorange (UNL): The Piringer score took FOREVER and Lorange got iced. We can see that Davis is on crutches, which seems inconsistent with “rest.” Great first handstand, Maloney to Pak with a touch of feet, a little late on her half turn, missed a handstand on the high bar, blind full to low double back with a big step forward. 9.675
Wojcik (UM): Touch of leg separation on the table and a hop forward on her 1.5. 9.875
Thaler (UNL): Archy on first handstand, toe on to Maloney, little bits of foot separation. Missed a handstand, blind full double back with a hop in place. 9.775
Morrison (UM): Clean on the table, great form, medium step forward. A substantial technical upgrade from the last couple vaults. 9.875
Colombo (UNL): Just shy on the first handstand, late blind to great Jaeger, substantially short on a HB cast, stuck on a LB cast and had to redo, late blind again to half to double back with a hop in place. 9.775 is silly, that was like a 9.4 routine.
Brooks (UM): Tiny hop forward on her gorgeous 1.5. 9.875
Roby (UNL): Blind to Jaeger, solid, great Pak. Double lay, stuck but with one knee kind of buckling on the landing. 9.925
Wilson (UM): Just a full today with a hop back. 9.800 I’m not sure why she would get the anchor position without the 10.0 vault.
Guggino in the exhibition spot for the Wolverines, twisted late and stuck with her chest just slightly low.
After 1: Michigan 49.375, Nebraska 48.900
Score ordering a little wonky today but a decent start for Nebraska and a strong one for Michigan—that’s a season high on vault.
Martina Comin will be in the vault lineup for Nebraska today, while Gabby Wilson will replace Maddie Mariani for Michigan.
Rotation 2: Nebraska VT, Michigan UB
Piringer (UNL): Okay FTY, piked early with a hop back. Karas said there was nothing wrong with her body position but there was. 9.8
Heiskell (UM): Blind to Jaeger, pretty in the air but caught a touch close, blind full gorgeous to double back, step forward. 9.825
Dujakovich (UNL): Much bigger, more open full with a medium hop. 9.775
Koulos (UM): Missed her first handstand, blind to Jaeger clean, great bail. Double lay with minor leg sep and a tiny step back. Great. 9.85
Comin (UNL): Twisting on a little on her FTY, solid with a scoot back. That was her NCAA debut and she looks thrilled. 9.8
Brenner (UM): Blind to Jaeger to overshoot, nice straight elbows on the catches, getting the handstands, double lay with a scoot back. There’s always a bit of ambient foot nonsense in Brenner’s gymnastics but she maximizes what she has. 9.9
Press (UNL): Yurchenko Arabian, messy on the table and major leg separation in the air but nice arched position, near stick. 9.875
Wilson (UM): Shy on the first handstand, blind to pike Jaeger, loose feet, good bail. Shy on another handstand, double lay with a hop back. 9.9
Lorange (UNL): Low and pikey FTY, legs apart, elbows very bent on the table. 9.675
Brooks (UM): Blind to pike Jaeger, great bail, FTDLO with a hop back. Looked like the release timing was a little off today, she was close to the bar. 9.9
Curtis (UNL): Another profoundly piked FTY with a huge hop back. 9.675
Wojcik (UM): Toe on to Deltchev, good bail, her usual, DLO planted. 9.9 and should have been higher compared to the others.
Great Gienger from Naomi Morrison, good bail, slightly archy in one high bar handstand and great FTDT with a hop back. That’s lineup-ready.
After 2: Michigan 98.775, Nebraska 97.825
Judges honestly buoying Nebraska substantially here, there’s no way this is a one-point meet.
Carly Bauman about to make her NCAA debut on beam.
Rotation 3: Michigan BB, Nebraska FX
Bauman (UM): Making her lead in a college debut is PRESSURE. Full turn, BHS LOSO lovely. Switch half to split a little short of position but I’ve seen much worse, straight leg side somi, she’s working slightly tentatively but keeping it clean. Side aerial back full, slightly awkward landing. 9.85 is not shabby!
Curtis (UNL): Double pike, front lay front full, switch ring switch half, the worm for some reason. Slightly underrotated and awkward double back. 9.825
Wilson (UM): Orphan cat leap, that always throws me, BHS LOSO WHOA she didn’t make solid contact with either foot and basically jumped it back on. Beat jump switch side, full turn with a check, stuck the double back. That might induce the judges to forget some of the other stuff. 9.775
Dujakovich (UNL): Double pike, solid, tour jete half Popa with poor splits. Front lay to Rudi, pulls the front foot back, one and a half front full with slightly soft knees. 9.8
Farley (UM): BHS LOSO, no triple series today. Split split 1/2, uncertain of the splits, 1.5 turn. Side aerial to split, gainer pike stuck. 9.85
Piringer (UNL): Double back just slightly overrotated, Comin is definitely pulling her mask down to yell, one and a half front lay. Switch side Popa pretty clean, double pike underrotated. That’s an ankle sting situation. 9.875
Mariani (UM): First look at the junior today. Full turn, side aerial to split lovely. Beat switch side, BHS LOSO looks off line but she doesn’t have a problem. One and a half twist with the TINIEST step, it was an inch tops. 9.875
Press (UNL): Nightmare leg form on her double lay, one and a half front lay and also arches it around. Front lay front full with a hop. 9.725
Brooks (UM): BHS LOSO LOSO, touch of feet but clean landing. Switch switch good, kickover front, double back with a big hop forward. 9.9
Higgins (UNL): Front double full, just gets one foot down and swims around a bit to try to land it properly. Switch side Popa is good, Rudi also a bit bouncy. 9.825
Wojcik (UM): Front aerial to beat, switch split. Nothing to take so far. Super clean on the triple series. Tiny adjustment on the full turn as she steps out, one and a half stuck dead. I’m totally fine with a 10 for that, I knew it was really close.
Lorange (UNL): Double pike comes in a bit heavy, front lay front full with soft knees, even Karas saw that, one and a half front lay with major leg separation. 9.65
Solid exhibition for Nicoletta Koulos for Michigan, just a little adjustment on her leap series. I’d be fine with her in over Wilson.
After 3: Michigan 148.250, Nebraska 146.875
Michigan is HOT. Floor was the real pain spot three weeks ago so let’s try to avoid that, but this team is as sharp or sharper than when we left it. Nebraska is still getting gifts, which is just weird.
Rotation 4: Nebraska BB, Michigan FX
Lorange (UNL): BHS LOSO, switch split a bit tentative and question on the splits. Hitch kick side aerial, off line but arrests it with her arms, side split 1/2. One and a half twist with a hop. 9.85
Morrison (UM): Freshmen under the gun today in these leadoff spots. Not an easy place to start but a good way to get brave fast. HUGE double pike, think she pulled the front foot a little, major overrotation on her double back but stayed in bounds. Tour jete half Popa Popa pretty, front lay front full with a touch of leg sep but controlled. 9.775
Curtis (UNL): Wolf jump punch front, low and falls. I hate that combo. BHS LOSO with a bend check, full turn with an adjustment, switch split okay, one and a half twist. 8.9
Koulos (UM): Switch full, two and a half twist super well controlled. I love that she actually steps out of it instead of doing the pique arabesque thing, those get kinda old. Good double pike, lost the leap combo but it looked rotated, front lay front full a touch bouncy. 9.85
Higgins (UNL): Candle mount, beat to sheep is great. One of the best sheeps in NCAA. BHS BHS LOSO with a bit of an arm swing, straddle jump, gainer pike and holds it for a second before stepping to salute. Wow, one judge knocked a tenth off her SV. 9.8
Brenner (UM): Full in, messy in the air but very well landed, back with a one and a half front lay. Landings sharp today. Switch half Popa, overrotated which is fine, good double pike. Getting into the big girl floor routines now. 9.875
Thaler (UNL): Front aerial BHS BHS, switch to beat, kickover front with a bit of a lean, full turn and adjustment. The pulling mask down to scream situation at Michigan is really something. One and a half stuck with one foot behind the other. 9.875
Brooks (UM): NAILED the full in, that front foot did not budge. One and a half front lay a bit bouncy, tour jete half split full and dances out. Well done on the double pike. 9.875
Roby (UNL): Her left leg is mostly tape. Front aerial BHS BHS, that was slowly connected. Full turn, side scale choreography, split double stag with a small adjustment. Side aerial back full stuck. 9.875
Wojcik (UM): Overrotated the double pike a touch, solid leaps, front double full front pike really lovely. Rudi to straddle really good. They took her full in out to help her be more precise, but she actually had too much gas on the double pike so I wonder if it comes back. 9.875
De Jesus (UNL): Kickover front back tuck, slow connection and then a major check. Side aerial with a check, split half, cat leap switch side and jumps off. Punch front full with leg separation but stuck. 9.025
Wilson (UM): HIHO, super clean and landed well. Front lay front full, great control again. Switch side straddle 3/2 is just absurd as usual, she’s got one more pass to control since her tendency is to overrotate. Big jump back on the double back, called it. 9.925
Colombo in the exhibition for Nebraska, Bauman up for Michigan. Colombo was a bit tentative but solid, Bauman was emphatic with a stuck one and a half front lay to finish.
FINAL: Michigan 197.650, Nebraska 195.300
That should be good for fifth in the country for Michigan, jumping past Arkansas, and Natalie Wojcik is the new No. 1 beamer in the country in live rankings, passing Maile O’Keefe and Elizabeth Culton. The Wolverines looked even better than before their twenty four-day break from training, and we can hope that the break will help keep fatigue from setting in as the season progresses.
This is a season high for Nebraska, and while it was quite a gift, it’s also a big NQS road number for a team that’s currently languishing outside of regionals position. Just the one counting fall is a big deal and vault and floor looked genuinely robust.
VT: Abby Brenner (UM) 9.900
UB: Kynsee Roby (UNL) 9.925
BB: Natalie Wojcik (UM) 10.000
FX: Gabby Wilson (UM) 9.925
AA: Natalie Wojcik (UM) 39.650
Live blog by Rebecca Scally
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