Neither of these teams had a first meet to remember, as half of Maryland’s beam lineup fell and Rutgers had a mini-crisis on floor. Rutgers, which started in week 1 and is now one score ahead, bounced back in its second outing and recovered almost two and a half points (!!) led by Belle Huang’s 9.950 on floor. Maryland, theoretically the better team, would love to do the same.
The Terrapins are shorthanded with Reese McClure not quite back from a December ankle sprain and freshman Lindsay Bacheler totally AWOL, but there’s still a great opportunity to have a nice low-drama meet today and prepare for the full strength lineups to return, hopefully within a couple of weeks.
Rotation 1: Maryland VT, Rutgers UB
Kogler (UMD): Big open FTY, large hop back. 9.8
Newman (RU): Hindorff, a bit of feet, clear hip to bail. Pirouette (I just woke up, leave me alone) to double back with a hop. Solid. 9.75
Silberman (UMD): Yurchenko half on, tuck half off stuck!! Best one in the country idc she is the blueprint 9.775
Jones (RU): Not quite there on the first handstand, swings… forward almost to handstand, hop change to Jaeger, falls??? A lot’s going on here. Massive form break on the bail, double twist dismount with a hop. Huh. A lot happened there. 8.35
DeBarberie (UMD): Solid, tidy FTY with a small hop back. 9.775
Zieden-Weber (RU): Tkachev, really tidy and pretty, great bail. Shy on a couple of cast handstands but not badly, blind full double back with a hop in place. That was awesome. 9.8
Wier (UMD): FTY a little pikier but maybe with a little more height than some of the others, medium hop. 9.775
Judging delay on the JZW routine on bars
Pringle (RU): After a LONG wait, blind to piked Jaeger clean. Can’t see handstands from the perpendicular angle but seems at least decent, bail, double layout a little pikey with a hop. 9.8
Barber (UMD): Full today, huge and clean with a big hop. 9.85
Joyner (RU): Blind to Jaeger, great turnover, a little leg separation on the bail and some minor handstand imprecisions but nothing substantial. Leg sep on the FTDB and a little underrotated, hop forward to get the chest up. 9.75
Rubio (UMD): Super height on the FTY with a small hop. 9.8
Balser (RU): Blind with leg separation, ultra-clean Jaeger, missed a cast handstand, Pak with leg separation. Good half turn on the low bar. Double layout pretty, holds the stick for a second and then steps to salute. 9.65
EX Gilbert (UMD) Yurchenko arabian with soft knees
After 1: Maryland 49.000, Rutgers 48.750
That’s a bars season high for Rutgers by 1.475 and a vault season high for Maryland by 0.025. Very different fortunes but two rotations to be happy with and lots of possibility for the rest of the meet.
Rotation 2: Rutgers VT, Maryland UB
Hughes (RU): FTY, big and solid, BIGGEST HOP POSSIBLE. At least two yards. 9.65
Kondo (UMD): Tidy blind to Jaeger, a little leg form on the overshoot. Making handstands, double layout stuck. Looked surprised by making the landing. That’s an awesome start. 9.775
Pagliaro (RU): FTY piked down a little, medium hop. 9.75
Drage (UMD): Blind full to Deltchev, missed one hand and REALLY tried to keep going. Laughing at herself as she falls. Solid bail, pikey double layout with a step forward. 8.975
Huang (RU): FTY, she had her hand on a heating pad before which might be part of why she isn’t doing bars. Solid FTY, hop back. 9.725
DeBarberie (UMD): Ray to overshoot, a little close but no major drama. Blind full, double layout stuck. Great recovery! 9.825
Betancourt (RU): FTY stuck! 9.8
Silberman (UMD): Half turn to Gienger clean, great bail. Double layout stuck again. Wow, landings for the Terps today are fantastic. 9.8
Joyner (RU): Great FTY, small hop back.
Tsiknias (UMD): Blind to Jaeger, not the cleanest position, very precise bail. Short on a cast handstand, double layout and hangs on for a second before stepping to salute. 9.825
Leese (RU): One and a half nearly stuck holyyyyy… On replay it looks like she took a step to the side but still. 9.825 BOOOOOO fun police.
Barber (UMD): Hindorff to overshoot great, double layout with a step back. Her usual, no big deal. 9.775
After 2: Maryland 98.000, Rutgers 97.625
This is going GREAT so far for both teams. It’s definitely a better meet than you’d expect looking at the scores. Maryland beam was.. not great last week, so let’s see how it goes from here.
Rotation 3: Maryland BB, Rutgers FX
Rubio (UMD): Straddle to straddle 3/4 great. Front tuck with a step forward. Front tuck, step, BHS. I don’t know if she’ll have an acro series. Full turn, beat jump, cartwheel to tuck 3/2 dismount with a step. Haven’t seen a score yet but I did see a 9.8 SV flashed so they definitely took it. OK, 9.5
Balser (RU): Double back a little low with a step forward. Switch ring switch half Popa underrotated by close to 90 degrees. One and a half front layout. Rudi with a couple of steps to the side. 9.725
Silberman (UMD): Full turn, BHS BHS LOSO a tiny bit tentative but made. Looks pretty delighted. Switch to… straddle quarter I think, one and a half twist with leg separation but stuck. Good one for the Terps. 9.75
Ortiz (RU): Front through double back, lands a little lock legged but gets it to lunge. Switch half wolf 3/2, She’s a great dancer, very mature presence and fluid movement quality. Double pike underrotated, rebounds forward and puts her hands down. Oh no, tried to keep going but it looks like an injury to her right leg. It didn’t have that immediate Achilles look but it very much may have been one. 9.15
Wier (UMD): BHS LOSO good, switch switch side aggressive and clean. Check on her full turn. I forgot how much I enjoy her hands. Switch to LOSO, minor check, one and a half twist and waited for a second before stepping forward to salute. 9.6
Wood (RU): Following an injury is tough but she looks focused. Rudi back tuck great. Tour jete half split full tuck full a touch underrotated, front double full with a step back. Well done. 9.725
Kogler (UMD): Good leap I didn’t write down, BHS BHS LOSO with a small check, front walkover for some reason. Switch, pause, split. Full turn. Gainer full stuck. 9.575 no dance series 🙁
Leese (RU): Full in, definitely some leg form but landed well, great switch half Popa. Front through double back low with a step forward. Rudi with a big rebound back. 9.65
DeBarberie (UMD): Full turn, BHS LOSO good. Switch to tuck 3/4. Cat leap front aerial. One and a half with a step. 9.725
Joyner (RU): Double pike great, front full front lay. Switch side Popa airy and beautiful. One and a half front pike. Good one! 9.925
Barber (UMD): Front aerial to beat. BHS LOSO great. Kickover front to beat. Switch to split a little low, redoes it to get leap series connection, ugh using her brain I love it. Double full dismount good. 9.725
Huang (RU): Front double twist good. Rudi LOSO, switch side wolf full. Going well so far and following a 9.9+ score she could repeat her 9.95 from last week. Stuck the Rudi! 9.95
After 3: Rutgers 146.600, Maryland 146.375
On track for a season high for both teams. Rutgers took over the lead with a great close on floor but Maryland loves home floor and has every chance to come out on top. The Terps came out almost two points ahead of last week’s catastrophic beam lineup, so they likely won’t be crying over the couple of connection breaks that held them back today.
Rotation 4: Rutgers BB, Maryland FX
Battavio (RU): Pretty mount, BHS LOSO with a couple of steps. Split to split full good. Full turn, cat leap side aerial tuck full dismount with a step. 9.575
S. LeBlanc (UMD): Double pike a touch underrotated but hops to lunge cleanly. Switch half wolf 3/2 well rotated. Front lay front full well controlled. 9.775
Manifold (RU): This is my personal first look at the former three-star recruit from New Mexico. BHS LOSO, soft knees, side aerial off line and adjusts well. Switch split 3/4 great. Full turn, BHS to 1.5 dismount with soft knees and a hop. 9.65
R. LeBlanc (UMD): Front double full, twisting into the ground. Front full front lay with soft knees. Switch side wolf full. I think that was meant to be a Rudi but it was landed completely face-first. Didn’t even look that painful, just a total splat. 8.8
Newman (RU): Full turn, kickover front to beat and a substantial check on the BEAT JUMP. Two-foot BHS to LOSO. Split to split 3/4. Cartwheel to gainer full with a step back. 9.625
Kogler (UMD): Double back good. Tour jete half Popa, great extension. One and a half front lay, just barely rotated. Double pike a little short, step forward. 9.775
Zanella (RU): BHS LOSO, super form. Full turn. Beat jump side aerial back full with a little hop. I blanked out a leap series somewhere in there I guess. 9.85
Rubio (UMD): Huge double pike! She’s a lot of fun to watch. One and a half front lay with some leg separation but secure. Switch side Popa. Double back underrotated, couple of steps forward. 9.65
Joyner (RU): Full turn, BHS LOSO great. Good leaps, her straddle positions are always so lovely, side aerial back full with a baby step. 9.925
Barber (UMD): She was subbed out earlier, good to see her back in. Full in, great. Super secure combo pass, switch to Popa Popa. Double tuck a little underrotated, step forward.
Huang (RU): Cat leap side aerial front aerial a little tentative. Full turn. Beat straddle 3/4 great, double full dismount stuck. 9.9
Rothenbuescher (UMD): Whip double back, step forward. Side somi is a very retro composition choice. Switch side Popa wolf full. Overcooked a double pike with a bunch of steps back OOB.
FINAL: Rutgers 195.550, Maryland 194.925
AA Champ: Hannah Joyner 39.375
VT Champ: Audrey Barber (UMD) 9.850
UB Champ: Elizabeth DeBarberie, Aleka Tsiknias (UMD) 9.825
BB Champ: Hannah Joyner (RU) 9.925
FX Champ: Belle Huang (RU) 9.950
Live Blog by Rebecca Scally
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