I doubt anyone expected this meet to be quite so close when it was scheduled, but here we are. In NQS terms, there’s around 0.06 separating these two teams. That said, Cal has a substantially lower score available to drop this week and can thus jump higher up the rankings with a good result.
Bars will likely be the difference-maker in this meet. Both teams have topped out at exactly 49.550 on this event but have spent more weeks closer to the 49.000 mark. If Cal can hit its 10.0 SV vaults and UCLA is mediocre on bars, the Bears will likely have this meet locked up. On the other hand, if things are close by the midpoint of the meet, UCLA might be able to take advantage of its substantially superior floor lineup.
Note that junior Bruin Norah Flatley will not be ready to compete at this meet, though it seems like she’s very close to returning to competition.
In lineup news, it looks like Emi Watterson will be back in bars for the Bears today in Kyana George’s place, while the ill-fated Nicki Shapiro beam experiment has ended and Nia Dennis will be back on that event. Andrea Li will be in the all around.
Rotation 1: Cal VT, UCLA UB
Schank (Cal): Pretty, clean FTY with a smaller hop back. 9.8
Campbell (UCLA): Maloney, a bit of leg separation, to bail with a leg flicker on the catch. Blind to double back cowboyed with a tiny hop. 9.875
Bordas (Cal): FTY looked a touch lower than Schank’s to me with a bigger hop back, still very clean. 9.800
Kooyman (UCLA): Major leg separation in Maloney to Pak, solid half turn on the low bar, double lay clean with a medium hop. I miss Steele. 9.825
Clausi (Cal): Leg separation on the table and just a full, hop back. 9.8
Ulias (UCLA): Lovely slow cast handstands, toe blind to Jaeger, a touch close but works through fine. Bail is WAY over to one side of the bar, holds onto it for a super long time, stalder to double back with a hop forward. Not quite her immaculate best but she’s still racking up hits. 9.875
George (Cal): Stuck her FTY, looked a bit more piked down to me than usual. with her chest a little low. 9.9
Esparza (UCLA): Maloney to Pak, very clean, great van Leeuwen. Can’t really tell if these handstands are good from a front angle, double layout with leg separation and fake sticks before hopping way back to salute. 9.850
DeSouza (Cal): One and a half with leg separation on the table and soft knees, little hop in place to salute. 9.925
Dennis (UCLA): Maloney minorly weird with leg separation on the backswing to great bail. Double lay pretty with a medium hop back. Landings evading UCLA today. 9.900
Li (Cal): Okay FTY, twisting onto the table with a bit hop back. 9.800
Frazier (UCLA): Maloney with minor leg separation to great Pak, van Leeuwen good, that high bar handstand might have been short. Double layout and bounces on her toes to pull her heels together, that might be stuck enough for NCAA. 9.950, yep it was.
Steele in exhibition for the Bruins, looked cleaner on her releases than when she was in the lineup but very whippy double layout ultimately underrotated and put her hands down.
After 1: UCLA 49.450, Cal 49.225
Bruins coming in two tenths ahead of their bars NQS, while Cal roughly equaled its own on vault. For UCLA, an imperfect bars rotation without a great deal of momentum or precision still coming in way above 197 pace is reassuring. Vault is just not an event with a great deal of panache for Cal but there’s room to grow from here.
Rotation 2: UCLA VT, Cal UB
Tratz (UCLA): Solid FTY, hop back. 9.800
DeSouza (Cal): Getting the handstands, clean piked Jaeger to overshoot, super super messy legs on FTDB with a hop. 9.900
Poston (UCLA): Near stick on her front pike 1/2 and SCREAMS. First big energy moment of the meet for the Bruins. 9.875
Li (Cal): Slightly odd first handstand with closed shoulders, Pak to van Leeuwen good, blind full double back stuck. 9.925 THEY CHANGED IT TO 9.975 U GOOD?
Frazier (UCLA): Her usual slightly pikey sideways FTY, tiny scoot back. 9.825
Wright (UCLA): Soft knees on one and a half and underrotated with a quick step back.
Schank (Cal): Blind to pike Jaeger to overshoot, aggressive and gorgeous, slight arch on a high bar handstand, double lay with an arm swing and a tiny foot scoot. 9.950 with a ten from one judge… I disagree but you know what, I’ll let her have this one, she’s been underscored so much.
Dennis (UCLA): High, huge, flared Yurchenko full, just pulls her heels together. A touch of leg separation is the only thing really wrong with that. 9.925
Bordas (Cal): Jaeger, slightly messy as usual with legs still separated way after catch, bail, blind full double back. 9.975 no. That Jaeger just looks such a mess following Schank, I don’t understand the choices made here.
Campbell (UCLA): Huge FTY, cleaner legs than Dennis and also “stuck” with the heel pull. 9.950 for that is possible. 9.950, yep.
Watterson (Cal): Pak, toe on to van Leeuwen very clean, blind full double back stuck. Good to see her back. 10, oh okay.
Kuc (?) (Cal): Maloney to Pak, super precise half turn, love to see it. Nailing the handstands, FTDB stuck. 9.925, I thought that was better than Bordas by far but we really, really can’t see handstands.
After 2: Cal 99.050, UCLA 98.825
That’s a program record for Cal by two tenths. UCLA also pulled a season high on vault but obviously it wasn’t quite enough to keep up. If the Bruins are going to get revenge, it’ll be on floor.
Rotation 3: Cal BB, UCLA FX
Clausi (Cal): Check on a kickover front, cat leap switch side, full turn. Side aerial tuck back full. 9.850
Andres (UCLA): Two and a half punch front, step forward a bit deep, she has great presence this year. Double back deep, switch side Popa underrotated. Switch leap. 9.775
DeSouza (Cal): Front aerial, misses the front foot, check. BHS LOSO with soft knees, beat to sheep ugly with closed hips to straddle. Full turn, one and a half with a hop back to salute. 9.9 it’s a no from me!
Wright (UCLA): Two and a half twist good, Rudi double stag travels back massively. One and a half front lay is great. Everyone likes the Backstreet Boys music but I will be honest, I was born in 1997 and I do not recognize any of these songs.
Li (Cal): Front aerial to beat, very slow connection. BHS LOSO good. Switch ring WAY short of position, check and two big steps forward. Gainer pike with a hop. 9.625
Tratz (UCLA): Double pike good, fully rotated and actually stuck leaps which are my favorite thing on floor. One and a half front lay nice and high, has to pull her double back around but does it and keeps the chest up. 9.95!! I can get behind that, all her landings were so precise.
George (Cal): Front aerial, knee and foot form, double wolf turn. Beat to split ring jump, I don’t like that position, don’t think her front leg hit horizontal. Stuck-ish on her heels. 9.9
Frazier (UCLA): I never identify her first pass properly because I get distracted by how many BHS there are. Just do BHS all day honestly. Double pike looked a touch rough on the ankles but hops to lunge fine, tour jete half Popa Popa. 9.925
Bordas (Cal): Hitch kick front aerial beat jump, BHS LOSO, check. Switch to split, full turn, gainer full with an odd one foot situation where she picked it up but didn’t want to put it back down. 9.9
Campbell (UCLA): Front double full is maybe the best one I’ve ever seen in NCAA. Tour jete half Popa absurd, Ulias is in the corner alone doing the choreography FULL OUT, double back landed super well. Front full front lay. Super well controlled, this one will go high again. 9.925 is too low.
Watterson (Cal): Wolf turn, BHS LOSO with minor form. Switch split, I don’t think she got the positions. Side aerial back full, hop to salute. 9.950 WHY.
Dennis (UCLA): Front lay double back, underrotated and steps forward. Dang, this could have been her ten and she threw it away off the top. One and a half front lay, weight way forward in the corner… step out. Tour jete half split full straight full. Rudi to split, big travel. She’s mad. 9.625
Salem in the ex, my favorite Cal gymnast, thanks for this queen. Hitch kick front aerial, check, BHS LOSO, major leg up check and falls. Switch to ring jump to beat. WHAT’S WITH THE RINGS LIZ? Gainer pike stuck.
After 3: Cal 148.550, UCLA 148.275
That’s a program record beam rotation for Cal… very interesting. 49.125 on floor ties the team program record.
Big missed opportunity for Nia Dennis there and I’m sure she knows it, but overall UCLA is still putting together a great meet.
Rotation 4: UCLA BB, Cal FX
Poston (UCLA): Beat to straddle 3/4 slow but we’ve learned these things don’t matter. BHS BHS LOSO with bent knees, never makes quality contact with the beam and falls. Full turn, one and a half twist stuck.
Quinn (Cal): Front lay to Rudi, little leg sep but really clean landing. Switch side Popa stuck, again with the leap series being the way to my heart, Taubman and Ulias are clapping to the music. Double pike solid. 9.9 is fine by me.
Sakti (UCLA): Arena announcer has been on the struggle bus with UCLA names all day but “Samantha Sekai” is a fun one. Pressure for the junior who’s been vulnerable to it before. LOSO LOSO, aggressive arms to nail it, switch split good. Full turn, side somi, side aerial back full a bit deep. 9.925
DeSouza (Cal): Double pike, switch side Popa and didn’t get her legs to horizontal on the Popa. One and a half front full with a bit of form, Rudi landed well. 9.875
Esparza (UCLA): Full turn, arm swing, BHS LOSO with great leg form. Switch straddle 1/4, front aerial with a check and misses the beat jump connection. Side aerial back full stuck. 9.675, likely had a SV issue.
Clausi (Cal): Double pike, overrotates and pulls the front foot back, switch side wolf full. One and a half front lay with a hop, double back with another front foot scoot. 9.9
Dennis (UCLA): The music is Single Ladies and she is vibing with it, coordinating the choreography. BHS LOSO, fall. Switch switch half split. One and a half twist with a step. 9.350
Bordas (Cal): Double back, super high and emphatically landed. One and a half front lay pretty visibly piked, switch switch ring half wolf, iffy positions. Rudi with leg separation. 9.875
Frazier (UCLA): Switch switch a bit chaotic but at least on the beam. Front aerial back tuck very slow, you in danger girl… Full turn, gainer front full. 9.825
George (Cal): Front double full front tuck is great, switch to tour jete half good. Great Rudi landing. 9.95
Campbell (UCLA): Wolf turn, BHS LOSO good. Switch, arm swing, split. Switch half with low front leg, gainer full stuck.
Li (Cal): I’m terrified of her pike full in, let’s hope she doesn’t do it. She did it and landed face first. Cool. She’s very lucky all her body parts survived that. Some other stuff, front full front lay underrotated and awkward.
FINAL: Cal 198.050, UCLA 196.875
Well, that wasn’t what any of us expected, was it? Cal breaks its team score program record and becomes the fourteenth team to score a 198 in NCAA gymnastics history. It will jump to No. 5 in the live rankings, above Minnesota.
UCLA will chip a little off its NQS deficit, but still should consider today a missed opportunity. Scoring environments like this one are rare and valuable in a world where high scores aren’t dropped for NQS, and there aren’t too many more chances.
VT: Chae Campbell (UCLA) 9.950
UB: Emi Watterson (Cal) 10.000
BB: Emi Watterson (Cal) 9.950
FX: Kyana George (Cal), Pauline Tratz (UCLA) 9.950
AA: Nevaeh DeSouza (Cal) 196.875
Live blog by Rebecca Scally
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I struggle with taking college gymnastics seriously as a sport when scoring is so wildly inconsistent despite having well-established criteria.