2021 is arguably the best season in the history of the MRGC, with all four teams ranked No. 22 or higher in last week’s polling, so it’s always worth giving these teams some attention. Southern Utah has already cracked 197 and set a road meet program record this year, so any more high road scores are icing on the cake. Keep an eye out for the lovely work of senior Hannah Nipp, who has already cracked 9.900 on all of her three events this year, as well as Molly Jozwiakowski’s new 10.0 SV vault. Meanwhile, Boise State is coping with the loss of its last great team-defining all arounder by emerging as a pretty, delicate team with one of the country’s best bar lineups. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you about Emily Muhlenhaupt, but you’ll also want to look out for freshman Courtney Blackson who set career highs on all of her three events last week.
This meet is also a key NQS opportunity for Southern Utah, which currently counts three home scores among its four best meet totals. Any score above a 196.175 means an NQS boost for the Thunderbirds, who will already undoubtedly contend strongly with Power 5 teams in the new national rankings on Monday,
Rotation 1: Boise State VT, Southern Utah UB
We’ve heard that if Boise State gets nine stuck landings today, they’ll be allowed to braid head coach Tina Bird’s hair.
Masiado (BSU): FTY, pretty, little hop in place. 9.825
Thomas (SUU): Toe on to Maloney to Pak, great, double lay with a hop. Little whippy. 9.825
Nilson (BSU): Slight pike down on the FTY but very minor, tiny bounce forward.9.825
Schwarze (SUU): Great pike Jaeger, bail. Sliiightly shy on some of her cast handstands but borderline on deductability. Blind full double back with a tiny hop. 9.825
Bruden (BSU): Flat off the table on her FTY, pretty otherwise with another tiny hop. 9.85
McClain (SUU): Clear hip to Gienger, great handstands, solid bail. Pings a touch early on her double lay but no problem, medium hop. 9.775
Lopez (BSU): Another solid FTY with a tiny hop. 9.85
Murakami (SUU): Blind… doesn’t quite make it over the bar. Few more half turns but can’t make it, jumps off. Blind to Jaeger to overshoot, high and clean, missed a handstand, FTDB with her chest down and a step. 9.175
Smith (BSU): Bigger FTY, flared and almost stuck. 9.875
Bentley (SUU): Ray to overshoot, great, imprecise cast handstands, double layout with a hop forward. 9.75
Blackson (BSU): Huge, lovely one and a half twist – first time we’ve seen it in college. Hop forward. 9.875
C. Kho (SUU): Hi where is Hannah Nipp? Maloney to Pak great, FTDB with chest down and a little rebound. 9.75
After 1: Boise State 49.275, Southern Utah 48.925
WHERE IS HANNAH NIPP?
I also have some… contentions with these commentators’ definition of “stick.”
Rotation 2: Southern Utah VT, Boise State UB
McClain (SUU): FTY, chest down but stuck. 9.775
Cavinta (BSU): Tkachev, good counter, great position on her bail. Double layout close to the bar with a tiny bounce. 9.9
Tervort (SUU): FTY, high with three or four steps back. 9.675
Blackson (BSU): Good bail, blind to Markelov lovely. So impressed, that’s an easy skill to do ugly. Surprised by the landing on her DLO, hop and a step back. 9.75
C. Kho (SUU): Pikey FTY with a big hop.
Nilson (BSU): Nice Tkachev, might have caught it on her wrists a bit, double lay with a hop.
Smith (SUU): Yurchenko full on tuck off, step to one side. 9.825
Lopez (BSU): Blind to pike Jaeger, solid bail, double layout with a hop back. 9.85
Alfaro (SUU): Her usual huge FTY with a hop. 9.9
Muhlenhaupt (BSU): Great first handstand, blind to Jaeger too far and falls. Cheer as she gets back on, got the Jaeger with a bit of a leg flicker on catch, good overshoot, double lay with a scoot back. 9.375
Jozwiakowski (SUU): Tsuk tuck 1.5, couple steps to the side. 9.625
Little (BSU): Maloney to Pak, flexed feet and a bit low, getting handstands, piked down on the double lay with a step back.
After 2: Boise State 98.350, Southern Utah 97.875
This meet is kind of a bummer 🙁
Rotation 3: Boise State beam, Southern Utah floor
Lopez (BSU): BHS LOSO, full turn, lovely. Kickover front to beat, front full with a step. 9.85
Horton (SUU): One and a half front full, great. Switch side Popa, one and a half front lay. Great landings. 9.875
Masiado (BSU): BHS LOSO, switch switch half with a check, missed the split too. Side aerial tuck back full stuck. 9.75
Schwartze (SUU): Twisting a touch late on her front double full, tour jete half wolf full. Rudi LOSO. 9.9!
Cavinta (BSU): BHS LOSO lovely, full turn, I missed the middle part oops, gainer pike with a hop back. 9.75
Jozwiakowski (SUU): Front double full punch front, switch half wolf full I think? Back double full. Bounce back on her Rudi. 9.85
Elkabchi (BSU): BHS LOSO, bend check. Lean on the aerial round off. Straddle half to split, beat side aerial back full with a hop. 9.65
Smith (SUU): Whip double back, great. Difficult triple leap series I’m too sleepy to identify, Rudi. 9.925
Popp (SUU): The layouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut. Cat leap switch half great. Gainer full stuck. 9.9!
Lost a few routines here to being kicked out of the site 🙁 sorry!
Kayli Tran getting to do a beam exhibition was awesome. The SPU transfer is so technically lovely but adjusting to the DI level isn’t easy.
After 3: Boise State 147.375, Southern Utah 147.225
Rotation 4:
Murakami (SUU): We didn’t see the first part. Split to sheep, side aerial tuck back full stuck. 9.875
Masiado (BSU): Overrotated her double pike and fell out of bounds, switch half wolf 3/2ish. Front lay front full, Rudi. 9.15
Smith (SUU): Round off LOSO, attempted tour jete half, didn’t get the split. One and a half stuck-ish. 9.8
Smith (BSU): Double pike, good landing. One and a half front lay, switch side Popa with iffy positions. Double back low, narrowly kept it in bounds. 9.875
McClain (SUU): BHS LOSO good, cat leap side aerial. Switch straddle quarter, iffy splits, full turn. One and a half twist with a hop. 9.8
Bruden (BSU): Double pike, not the biggest, switch ring switch side. One and a half front lay a bit whippy, double back.
Wissman (SUU): Front aerial BHS, switch switch split good. Full turn, gainer full very solid. Southern Utah beam’s confidence is unrecognizable from a few weeks ago. 9.8
Popp (BSU): Front through double pike is excellent. Switch half Popa Popa has some AIR. Double back overpowered, I’m impressed she stayed in the floor there.
Schwartze (SUU): Full turn, side aerial tentative, split sheep beat very steady. BHS LOSO and falls. Gainer full stuck.
Blackson (BSU): Front double full, hop to one side. Whip half front full, tour jete half split full landed a bit awkwardly. Rudi with a bit of a scoot back.
Ruby Hernandez (SUU): Full turn, front aerial to beat. Split double stag. BHS LOSO, falls. IT WAS GOING SO WELL.
Nilson (BSU): Bound back on her Rudi, switch side Popa. Double pike with a step forward.
FINAL: Boise State 196.775, Southern Utah 195.825
If Hannah Nipp were here everything would have been fine, that’s all I have to say. Let’s hope she “just” has COVID and not a season-ending injury.
Great day for Boise State! Not quite a season high after a shaky beam rotation, but lots of lovely gymnastics on show and a 197 is very doable in the next few weeks.
VT: Morgan Alfaro (SUU) 9.900
UB: Gabriela Cavinta (BSU) 9.900
BB: Adriana Popp (BSU) 9.900
FX: Adriana Popp (BSU), Rachel Smith (SUU) 9.925
AA: Karley McClain (SUU) 39.150
Live blog by Rebecca Scally
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