It’s kind of hard to believe we’ve arrived at the last regular meet weekend of the season considering it wasn’t that long ago that we weren’t even sure we would get a season, but here we are. Conference championships and the rest of the postseason are just around the corner, but for now let’s just relax and enjoy this final dual matchup of these two Big Ten teams.
Illinois has been quietly and consistently putting up solid scores all season; the last time this team scored below 196 was back in January. It still has the potential to drop its score from last week (196.225) and boost its NQS, so keep an eye on that. Vault has been and continues to be the weak spot for the Illini, but if they can manage a score close to 49 they should be able to make up ground on other events. They’re also still trying to figure out the sixth on floor after Simons’ injury; Tessa Phillips and Abby Mueller have been the ones being tested for that spot, but there is no immediate answer as to who is the best lineup option.
Minnesota is looking to drop a road score of 196.975, so that will be the big goal here today— especially considering it will be its last opportunity to do so. Most teams still have conference championships on the horizon as their last chance to get a good road score, but since Big Tens will be in Minneapolis the meet will count as a home meet for Minnesota. The Gophers have looked relatively sharp the last few weeks, coming off a meet that was highlighted by its first program 10 on floor from freshman Mya Hooten. One thing I’m watching for today is the status of Halle Remlinger (whose introduction to the bar lineup has been an unexpected treat). Remlinger has been nursing a calf injury and only competed on floor a handful of times this season, but that is a potentially big score for the Gophers in that lineup—and certainly one they will want to have come postseason.
Illinois leo:
Today's leo chosen by the seniors#Illini pic.twitter.com/AuHaPHDTk6
— Illinois W Gym (@IlliniWGym) March 13, 2021
Minnesota leo:
https://twitter.com/GopherWGym/status/1370808126027427844?s=20
Rotation 1: Illinois vault, Minnesota bars
Mueller (UIUC): FTY, a little crooked off the table and a hop. 9.775
Montgomery (MIN): short first HS, blind change straddle jaeger and she’s off. Gets back on for the jaeger, legs separated. blind to double front and takes three or four steps out of it. She just looks off, to be honest. Hope she’s ok. 8.725
Biondi (UIUC): Yurchenko half, looked like some slight form issues in the air (hard to tell from that angle) but sticks the landing. Pretty. 9.900
Hooten (MIN): blind to piked jaeger to overshoot, some slight leg separation but good otherwise. Blidn change to double front, step back. 9.825
O’Donnell (UIUC): FTY, looked like she had a lot of distance there, big hop and step back. This vault angle is not great. 9.650
Willmarth (MIN): Pretty first HS. Ray was good. Short HS. Bail to HS looked good. Short final HS. Hop back on her double back dismount. 9.875
Takekawa (UIUC): FTY, small hop on the landing, maybe slight pike down but again – hard to tell. 9.800
Loper (MIN): Maloney to pak, pretty as usual. Short final HS. 1/1 to double back, sticks it. 9.925
Townes (UIUC): Y1.5, some knees in the air and looked like a stuck landing. 9.925
Sales (MIN): Pretty first HS. Bail to HS looked sharp. Hitting all her HS. Markelov and she was way too close to the bar and she’s off. Minnesota counting a fall on bars now. Finishes with a DLO, stuck. 9.100
Powe (UIUC): FTY, step on the landing. 9.800
Ramler (MIN): Maloney to pak, her usual. Van leeuwen was good. Full out dismount, legs a little far apart on the landing but sticks it. 9.925
AFTER ONE: Illinois 49.200, Minnesota 48.650
Well, that was exactly the start Illinois wanted – season high vault score with that 49.200. Minnesota off to a rougher start needing to count a fall on bars. (Of course I no sooner mention the unexpected treat of having Remlinger in the lineup to find her missing today, but to be fair her elbow looked pretty taped in practice this week.) The Gophers will want to make up some serious ground on the remaining events if they want this to be a usable road score.
Rotation 2: Illinois bars, Minnesota vault
Grotenhuis (MIN): FTY, big pike down and a step forward. 9.675
Borden (UIUC):Pretty first HS . jaeger to bail, looked good. Blind change to rudi, tiny shuffle on the landing. 9.850
Gerdes (MIN): FTY, step back. 9.800
Biondi (UIUC): Blind to Jaeger looked good. Bail to handstand. Short on the final HS. DLO, little pikey but good landing. 9.925
Hooten (MIN): Y1.5, step forward. 9.875
O’Donnell (UIUC): Little arch on the first HS. Blind change to jaeger, good. Bail to HS. Archy final HS. Blind 1/1 to double back, step on the landing. 9.825
Quarles (MIN): Y1.5, small step forward. 9.900
Ewald (UIUC): Blind change jaeger. Pak salto. Good final HS. FTDT, step back. 9.875
Ramler (MIN): Y1.5, hop forward. 9.875
Mizuki (UIUC): Pretty first HS, holds it forever. Piked jaeger, good. Short HS. Overshoot. Good final HS. 1/1 to a double back, lands with deep knees and chest low, hop forward. 9.825
Loper (MIN): Y1.5, decent hop forward. 9.850
Knight (UIUC): looked like an absolutely lovely routine from Knight, unfortunately I was having some technical issues and the blog glitched and did not save. 9.950!
AFTER TWO: Illinois 98.625, Minnesota 97.950
Y’all, Illinois in on fire today. Another season high event score for them, wow. The Illini are well on their way to a season high (and setting a 197.250 pace). Gophers did their usual on vault; they need to get those landings under control if they want to start seeing an uptick in that event score.
Did anyone else just get real excited for Big Tens? Because I did.
Rotation 3: Illinois beam, Minnesota floor
Townes (UICI): Switch to straddle 1/4. Front toss. BHS LOSO, good. Full turn. Cat leap to side aerial to tucked full dismount, stuck. Great lead off routine. 9.875
Koch (MIN): Opens with FHS front double full front tuck, good. Looked a little underrotated on her wolf 1/1. Back 1/1 side pass Finishes with a FHS to rudi. 9.800
Borden (UIUC): Front aerial FHS straddle 1/4, good. Sheep jump, balance check on landing. Front 1/1 dismount, tiny shuffle hop to bring her heels together. 9.875
Sales (MIN): Opens with a double pike, chest low and takes a step forward. Switch ring to straddle 1/4 popa. Looked a little short on her wolf 3/2. Finishes with a whip 1/2 to full and lands short, sitting it down. Thinking she might get hit in SV for this as well as the fall. 9.000
Biondi (UIUC): BHS LOSO, solid. switch leap to double stag. Side aerial, walks out of it to cover a balance check. Finishes with a RO 1.5 with a big step forward. 9.825
LeNeave (MIN): First pass is a double pike, looks like she went OOB but I’m not sure if the flag went up. switch 1/2 to wolf 1/1. Lacked some amplitude in the second pass. Finishes with a double back, cowboyed but great landing. 9.700
Noonan (UIUC): BHS LOSO, good. Full turn. switch leap to standing back gainer LOSO. Beat jump double stag, big bend at the waist. Cartwheel gainer 1/1, good landing. 9.875
Ramler (MIN): Ring jump 1/1, looked fine, kind of a wierd angle. Double pike, great landing. Switch ring through switch half. RO 1.5 through to double full, some legs but stuck cold. 1.5 to front lay, good. This should be a good score for them. 9.925
Takekawa (UIUC): Side aerial to back LOSO, lovely. Switch to LOSO, she gets good height on that leap. BHS Gainer full dismount, stuck. 9.950
Hooten (MIN): Opens with her full in, good controlled lunge on the landing. Switch side popa, split positions looked good. FHS to front full to front pike, stuck cold. Finishes with a sky high double back, good landing there too. 9.950
Scott (UIUC): Front toss to back LOSO. Full turn. switch to split jump, good height there. cat leap to front aerial, nice. Cartwheel to gainer full dismount, stuck. 9.950
Loper (MIN): Front lay to rudi, good control on the landing. Switch ring to tour jete 1/2 looked clean. 2.5 with a little bit of a crooked step forward, might have been a touch under rotated. Finishes with a RO 1.5 with tons of amplitude to front lay, clean. Great routine. 9.925
AFTER THREE: Illinois 148.150, Minnesota 147.250
Wow. 49.525 for that beam rotation, another season high (and program record!) for Illinois and this team is well on its way to a mid 197. Damn. Have a day, Illinois. Minnesota made it through floor without counting any major errors after Sales fall, so they should be ok with that. To be honest the team seems a bit off today, which doesn’t make me feel super confident going into beam. But hopefully they will be able to finish strong today.
Rotation 4: Illinois floor, Minnesota beam
*NOTE: Current top score for Illinois is 197.350. If they hit better than a 49.200 on floor, they will set a new program record.
Koch (MIN): Her debut on this event. Full turn. BHS LOSO, solid. Very shy of 180 on her straddle. Front toss to scale. RO 1.5, stuck. Lots of big hugs from her team. 9.925!
Ewald (UIUC): Opens with a FHS 1.5 back LOSO, lovely. Leap series looked good. FHS front full front lay, right to the edge but keeps it in.
Montgomery (MIN): BHS LOSO, some knees in the air but solid. beat to straddle half to tuck jump. Switch side, looked shy of 180. No punch front today. Finishes with a RO 1.5 and a step forward. 9.825
Noonan (UIUC): FHS double full, some legs in the air but solid. FHS 1.5 second pass, little bouncy on her lunge back. Finishes with a 1.5 to front lay, good. 9.875
Loper (MIN): BHS LOSO, so floaty but is crooked and comes off. Front toss to beat jump. Switch to straddle 1/4, touch shy of 180. Finishes with a RO 1.5, stuck. 9.275
Biondi (UIUC): Double pike to open, good landing. FHS front lay front full, good body position there..Finishes with a double back, lands chest low and takes a step forward. 9.875
Sales (MIN): BHS BHS LOSO, very solid. Switch to switch side, good. Full turn. Finishes with a gainer pike dismount, stuck. Short, sweet, and solid routine for Sales. 9.925
Townes (UIUC): FHS front double full, lunge was to the side a bit. Wolf 1.5. RO 1.5 to front full good lunge, albeit a little crooked. Tour jete 1/2 Popa, very nice. 9.875
Korlin-Downs (MIN): Beautiful mount series. BHS LOSO. Beat jump split jump double stag, her usual good form there. Full turn. Side aerial to a full dismount, stuck. 9.925
Mueller (UIUC): Opens with a double pike, good height but scoots and takes several steps out of it. Front lay to front full, good. Good control on the landings of her leap series. Finishes with a double back with a controlled lunge out of it. 9.800
Ramler (MIN): BHS LOSO, good. Front aerial to a beat jump, left out the wolf. Beat jump to ring, looked good. Sidea aerial to a full dismount, stuck. 10.
Scott (UIUC): FHS to double full, some legs but good. Second pass is a RO 1.5 to front lay, nice. Finishes with a FHS to rudi, great. Solid routine. 9.950
HAVE A DAY, ILLINOIS!
FINAL: Illinois 197.575, Minnesota 196.850
**Edited to add: accidentally typed 198.850 for MN, that would have been *quite* the day.
All around: Ramler 39.725
Vault: Townes 9.925
Bars: Knight 9.950
Beam: Ramler 10.000
Floor: Scott 9.975
Live blog by Kalley Leer
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