The Pioneers and the Mountaineers meet once again, this time in Magness Arena. The Big 12 remains in flux with just a few weeks of the regular season to go, and this week’s matchup should be an interesting duel between two teams who’ve left a good amount to be desired despite flashes of brilliance.
Denver posted its second lowest score of the season last week, though it was still a much-needed hit meet. The Pioneers will look to rebound in Magness this week.
It will be interesting to see where West Virginia is on vault this week; it’s about the time of year you’ll be wanting to see big upgrades from contributors like Abbie Pierson, and we’ve yet to see that difficulty. The Mountaineers are also coming off a season high, so they’re in a position to put up another strong road score here.
Rotation 1: Denver vault, WVU bars
We will start today's meet at Denver on bars!#HailWV pic.twitter.com/WquC0rl02q
— WVU Gymnastics (@WVUGymnastics) February 21, 2021
Ruiz (Denver): Chest slightly down on the full, tiny hop back but strong. 9.725
Abarca (WVU): Big gienger, nice handstands to start, double tuck lunge back. 9.700
Casali (Denver): Full with good distance and a hop back. 9.800
Combs (WVU): Pretty Maloney into the pak with some leg separation, last handstand a little short into the fall, double back small hop back. 9.725
Glynn (Denver): Tsuk full chest down hop back. 9.750
Hornung (WVU): jaeger a little close, short last handstand, double back stuck. Conference for this routine. 9.600
Hutchinson (Denver): Some separation on the full but flared at the end and a good landing. 9.800
Ki. Yancey (WVU): Lovely Maloney, some flexed feat on the pak, short last handstand, DLO a little pikey and a large step. 9.650
Mundell (Denver): Does the full today and it’s really pretty, just a small step back. 9.800
Norris (WVU): Piked Jaeger and nearly goes over on the handstand, has to save it, DLO step back. 9.675
Brown (Denver): Big 1.5, could be a stick but I see a tiny shuffle…maybe I’m crazy…okay it’s just ankles coming together. Let’s see how that scores. Nice after an otherwise ho-hum rotation. 9.950 I agree, which obvi matters a lot.Â
Ka. Yancey (WVU): Jaeger to bail strong, small step on dismount landing. 9.650
AFTER ONE ROTATION: Denver 49.100, WVU 48.450
WVU is an aggressive bars team, but unfortunately that aggression was a little messy, especially on the dismounts. Denver vault punctuated quite nicely by Brown’s vault, which got a 10.000 from one judge.Â
Rotation 2: Denver bars, WVU vault
Ki. Yancey (WVU): Nice full, good distance with a step back. “Little bit of separation like Jessica Hutchinson’s vault” lmaoooo the receipts tho! 9.700
Ruiz (Denver): Tkatchev not the biggest, good handstands, DLO SUPER close to the bar yikes, small hop. 9.850
Ka. Yancey (WVU): Flared full, piked down, tiny hop. 9.650
Thompson (Denver): Uncharacteristically falls on the Jaeger. Handstand into the bail a little short, lovely last handstand, sorta pikey DLO hop. Another bars conference huh. 9.050
Waldron (WVU): The biggest full so far, hop back. 9.725
Casali (Denver): Nice handstands especially the last one, gorgeous DLO looks like a stick but has to take two hops back. 9.800
Lewis (WVU): Full chest pretty low and has to step to the side. 9.600
Mundell (Denver): big Tkatchev, perfect position on the bail, DLO hop back, very nice. 9.900!
Pierson (WVU): Goes for the 1.5 and it’s too powerful, big step. 9.750
Glynn (Denver): Gienger caught close. Full-in dismount chest super low but it’s a hit. 9.825
Holmes-Hackerd (WVU): Good distance on her full, hop back. 9.650
Brown (Denver): Maloney, Pak perfect form, van leeuwen caught a little odd, DLO stuck coldddd. 9.900
AFTER TWO ROTATIONS: Denver 98.375, WVU 96.925
Denver avoids counting the Thompson fall for a solid bars total. WVU still working out kinks on vault; they’ve got the height, but like bars, it’s landings that are proving the biggest problem.Â
Rotation 3: Denver beam, WVU floor
Brown (Denver): Front toss to BHS no hesitation, pretty full turn, switch to split leap, really nice so far, aerial to wolf jump, gainer full chest down but holds the stick. Very few deductions. 9.750. ????
Linnen (WVU): Front 1.5 to loso, gorgeous, ring leap to switch full a little below 180, front double full to finish with some legs but a good leadoff. 9.750.
Thompson (Denver): BHS LOSO, back full tiny hop, honestly missed a decent amount of that because I’m wondering about that Brown 9.750. Thompson gets a 9.850.Â
Holmes-Hackerd (WVU): Big double tuck with a. controlled step, good straddle position on the leaps, front lay to front full pretty, double pike. 9.850. We gonna do the same scores for every gymnast going on either event this rotation?
Schlottman (Denver): BHS LOSO strong, switch full not exactly 180, perfect side aerial, BHS to back full dismount and sticks it. 9.725 so we’re not doing the same. Fun while it lasted.Â
Ki. Yancey (WVU): Double pike chest slightly down, back 1.5 front lay, excellent tumbling thus far, leap combination excellent form. Back 1.5 to front pike.Â
Zaakira Muhammad’s choreo deserves allll the heart eyes emojis.
Hutchinson (Denver): Switch to split, aerial to split jump hitting all the 180s. Tiny hop on the gainer full dismount. 9.875
Lewis (WVU): Back 1.5 to LOSO, leap combo did not get the proper position at all, big double tuck to end. 9.875
Mabanta (Denver): Wolf turn full, switch leap to switch full, switch leap to switch half just lovely positions today, back full stuck. 9.900!
Combs (WVU): front tuck to back double pike, wolf jump full, strong double pike to end. 9.900!
Ruiz (Denver): BHS LOSO, side aerial to split jump slight hesitation. Gainer pike stuck. 9.850
Pierson (WVU): Back 1.5 to front lay, really fun choreo, nails the double tuck to end.Â
AFTER THREE ROTATIONS: Denver 147.500, WVU 146.175
Rotation 4: Denver floor, WVU beam
Lockhart being carried off the floor during warmups.Â
Abarca (WVU): BHS LOSO no hesitation, split leap to switch half, back 1.5 small step. Good start. 9.800
Ruiz (Denver): Double pike, excellent position on leaps, front double tuck through to double back. 9.850
Pierson (WVU): Front tuck and a fall. Split jump to back tuck perfect, anger beam starting now. Front full small step. 9.275
Thompson (Denver): Double pike slide back. Rudi with some messy legs but at least she’s selling the choreo. Triple full to end, best for last. 9.850
Hornung (WVU): Front aerial to one hand BHS lands a little awkwardly to the side, back full some step. 9.800
Casali (Denver): Piked full-in chest a little down, straddle full to wolf full nice and extended, back 1.5 to front tuck and sits it right down unfortunately. 8.825
(WVU): Switch leap to switch half, front full small shuffle forward.Â
Glynn (Denver): Front tuck to back double tuck, switch leap to switch full, double pike a little uncontrolled but gets it around. 9.825
Linnen (WVU): Cat leap to front aerial to BHS nice combo, difficult. Front aerial to side leap. Punch front full dismount small step, good. 9.800
Huthcinson (Denver): Pretty back 2.5, back 1.5 to front lay, front 1.5 to straddle jump. 9.875
Asper (WVU): Nails the triple series, split leap to split leap combo not quite 180, dismount stuck. 9.900
Mabanta (Denver): In for Lockhart, double tuck strong, clearly she’s not nervous to go up. Front lay to back 1.5 very controlled and it’s a great way to end the meet for the Pios. 9.650
FINAL: Denver 196.550, WVU 195.350
Liveblog by Katherine Weaver
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