It’s a top 5 matchup between the top two Big 12 teams AND it’s on the main ESPN network!
Both Denver and Oklahoma are coming off season-best totals: 197.600 for Denver and 197.900 for Oklahoma. While Oklahoma is still the favorite, Denver did upset the Sooners at the 2021 Big 12 championship and has lessened the gap between the teams in recent years.
Denver’s 197.600 at West Virginia was capped by a stellar 49.550 on beam that propelled the Pioneers to the No. 1 on the event. The Pioneers’ beam team has certainly been impressive so far this season, even without Alexis Vasquez and the team not being at full-strength. Bars also continues to be strong for Denver and Lynnzee Brown is a highlight on every event—if you haven’t seen her double layout on floor by now, you may as well have been living under a rock. In non-senior land for the Pioneers, sophomore Rylie Mundell is coming into her own this year and her classmate Jessica Hutchinson is expected to add more events back today.
Oklahoma rebounded from a rough meet at Utah to nearly hit 198 at Arizona. The Sooners put up their own 49.575 on beam last week—we should be in for a treat with these two beam teams. KJ Kindler played with lineups last week; we’ll see if she sticks with them or continues to mess with them—it’s hard to argue against lineups that were able to put together a score that high, but then again, it’s Oklahoma and the lineups last week are theoretically not the six best on each event. Danae Fletcher competed on bars and floor for the first time last week, while freshman Jordan Bowers continues to impress. We’ll also be on Karrie Thomas watch today, as it’s unclear whether her absence was due to her lackluster start to the season, injury or COVID.
Be sure to watch on ESPN and follow along with live stats here.
Denver’s debuting a new leo.
Denver’s tentative lineups:
Oklahoma lineups:
Alright, ESPN, this basketball game is over. Give me gymnastics!
Rotation 1: OU VT, DU UB
Quick lineup change for DU. Hebinck in for Sundstrom.
Davis (OU): clean yfull, close to stuck. 9.85
Ruiz (DU): great first hs; giant full tkatchev hit; solid next hs, to bail, hit; great final hs; DLO, small hop in place. Great leadoff. She’s been such a consistent leadoff on bars over the years for the Pioneers. 9.8
Fletcher (OU): yfull, clean in air, tiny hop back.
Hebinck (DU): hits first hs; rica to pak, good; nails final hs; dlo STUCK. great routine for the freshman in her second career appearance on bars. 9.9
Ramsey (OU): yfull, very similar to Fletcher’s, another tiny hop back. 9.85
Hutchinson (DU): This is her season bars debut after battling COVID; slightly short first hs; Maloney pretty, bak, some leg sep; hits final hs; dlo practically stuck. 9.85
Stern (OU): y1.5, step forward. Can’t quite get the landing like she usually does today. Oklahoma will still accept. 9.85. Just call it a 9.85 fest over here.
Glynn (DU): nails first hs; clear hip gienger, her usual; hist next hs and great position on bail hs; fine final hs; ftdt, small slide back—absorbed a little too much . MKR calls her an “unsung hero”. 9.875
LeVasseur (OU): y1.5, clean, hop forward. 9.9
Mundell (DU): great first hs; pretty straddled tkatchev; bail hs good; nice final hs, really snaps it in place; dlo, hop forward and a little low chest. 9.85
Bowers (OU): y1.5, good in air, small step-slide. 9.875
Brown (DU): great first hs; mal to pak, her usual; van Leeuwen, good; dlo, a couple tiny hops forward. She’ll want to nail that landing better in the future. 49.325
WE ARE TIED AFTER ONE!
AFTER 1: DU 49.325, OU 49.325
Landings definitely weren’t quite there for Oklahoma on vault, and Levasseur’s 9.9 was generous in comparison to her peers’ similar vaults. Denver also had a nice bars rotation to open the meet. Again, some landing things here and there, but arguably better than Oklahoma’s vault landings at times. We’re in for a good one, folks!
Rotation 2: DU VT, OU UB
This big network meet really getting the attention it deserves with KJC and Bart, and Peszek on the sidelines.
Ruiz (DU): yfull, clean, not the most dynamic, small hop back. Basically her usual. 9.775
Sievers (OU): slightly short first hs; mal to pak clean; nice final hs; ftdt small step. A leadoff hit. 9.9
Sundstrom (DU): yfull, better dynamics, preflight leg sep, flares out, small hop. 9.775…would have liked to see that go slightly higher than Ruiz.
LeVasseur (OU): great first hs; tkatchev some feet; bail hs good; nails final hs; dlo stuck. that’s the landing they want. 9.925
Hutchinson (DU): clean yfull, the tiniest hop. This better be Denver’s best score so far. 9.85
Fletcher (OU): battled with Karrie Thomas for this spot…didn’t know she was in the lineup for sure until the last minute. good first hs; tkatchev good; pak, hit; ok final hs; ftdt, close to high bar and tiny hop. 9.825
Glynn (DU): tsuk full, tiny hop back and her usual leg sep. 9.85
Smith (OU): great first hs; ray good, good next hs; pak good; good final hs; dlo a little achy and underrotated and a hop forward. 9.875
Mundell (DU): y1.5, deep landing and a slide back. Really impressed with her improvement on vault this season after being so good in JO and not being able to quite get it last season. 9.825
Bowers (OU): good first hs; ray great; pretty pak; really hitting handstands well. ftdt, a couple tiny steps. 9.875
Brown (DU): basically stuck y1.5. So good. 9.975. Almost a crime compared to some of the vaults Oklahoma judges have given a 10…
Davis (OU): great first hs; piked jaeger floaty; great next hs; lovely pak; nails final hs; double front half stuck. Definitely the highlight of that rotation. 9.975
AFTER 2: OU 98.875, DU 98.600
Good rotations for both teams in the second rotation. Oklahoma did slightly better on landings than it did on vault, and Davis was the obvious highlight. Good to know Karrie Thomas is fine as well. Denver couldn’t quite find perfect landings on vault, though it was a solid, hit rotation overall; Lynnzee Brown was the obvious highlight.
MKR on how the meet is going: “I think it’s going great…we need to stay calm and steady and in our own bubble…continued improvement and focus on the details”
Rotation 3: OU BB, DU FX
Dunn (OU): bhs bhs loso solid; secure leaps; small check on full turn; gainer full stuck but low chest. 9.9 LOL
Bart Conner loves plugging his old athletes.
Iwai (DU): her dad was an OU MAG coach! ro 1.5 lay to stag good; switch full, good; switch side popa, nice extension; double tuck, bouncy lunge landing, but a good routine overall. 9.825
Bowers (OU): bhs loso, big wobble and she comes off; switch switch half, secure; ro double twist, small step. Not her best, just rushed that series a bit. 9.35
Ruiz (DU): front tuck through to double back solid; switch side popa popa, good; double pike, nice landing. She’s planning on going to med school. 9.85
Beaux spotting. That being, the plush animal Denver has been carrying around.
LeVasseur (OU): she’ll look to get things back on track for OU…bhs loso very secure; switch straddle 1/4, good positions; front aerial beat solid; bhs gainer full stuck and flared. Nice rebound! 9.975
Mabanta (DU): ro 1.5 to lay good; really makes sure to hold the wolf position at the end of her turn; switch ring half into a split (?); front lay Rudi, slightly to side and not her best landing, but ok. 9.775
ICYMI, Hallie Mossett did Denver’s choreo.
Davis (OU): bhs loso secure; split leap front aerial good. ro double full step back. 9.875
Glynn (DU): front tuck through to double back, nice purposeful lunge; switch side popa popa, solid positions; double pike, solid landing. Could have maybe had a slightly smaller lunge. 9.875
Woodard (OU): side aerial bhs, secure; front toss beat good; shows off her flexibility; switch split, good positions; side aerial full stuck but low chest. Guessing a 10, they are cheering like crazy. Yep, 10.
Thompson (DU): her routine is so fun! opening double pike, kind of tentative landing, could have gone oob. The roaring crowd because of the 10 may have got to her a little bit. Solid leaps; lay Rudi better landing. 9.65
Smith (OU): bhs loso, solid; front aerial check; straddle half bhs swing down, gorg; bhs gainer full stuck but low chest. OU’s dropping the fall. 9.95
Brown (DU): huge DLO, stays in bounds. ro 1.5 lay sissone good; her signature leap combo to drop to ground, nice; double pike oh noooo, she’s hurt. might be achilles. Same pass she did it on last time too. I am not okay. 😔 9.225
Bart Conner: “this life is not fair.” Yep. Correct.
AFTER 3: OU 148.575, DU 147.575
I’d say slightly cracky scores for OU on beam, but it was a good rotation minus that fall. Denver was really counting on a good score from Lynnzee Brown to erase Thompson’s 9.65 and she unfortunately went down with a likely Achilles tear on her last pass.
Sam Peszek was talking to KJ as Lynnzee Brown went down and says they were very shook up.
Now is not the time for more feels. KJC tells us Lynnzee is wearing a purple ribbon in honor of her mom. And she gets a big hug from Brenna Dowell (they trained together at GAGE) too.
Rotation 4: DU FX, OU BB
Iwai (DU): switch straddle 1/4 good; bhs loso, a little off but handles it well; side aerial split jump, good; cartwheel gainer full stuck. Nice job to pick up her teammate. Big hug from MKR! 9.85
Johnson (OU): lay Rudi, good. double tuck looked short of rotation but she pulls it around fine; solid leaps. 9.85
Ruiz (DU): hitch kick switch side, great positions; bhs loso, secure; side aerial split, keeps moving but slow connection; gainer pike basically stuck.
Davis (OU): fhs double full some crossy legs but good landing; ro 1.5 to lay, solid; fhs rudi good. Apparently I missed her leaps. Apologies in advance, still trying to recover from Brown’s injury. 9.9
Mabanta (DU): flinches on wolf turn, doesn’t fall but it’s an obvious mistake; bhs loso good; leap positions gorg; bhs 1.5 stuck. 9.8
Woodard (DU): front double full, front foot crosses body on landing; whip half front full, better; nice leap positions; final pass good. 9.925
Thompson (DU): side aerial loso, good; switch switch, she’s supposed to do a switch half; side aerial full stuck. Not perfect, but another hit! 9.85
Fletcher (OU): whip to double tuck good. ro 2.5, not the cleanest landing. solid leaps. front lay lay full good.
Mundell (DU): bhs loso solid; switch leap good switch half, check but stays on; side aerial secure; ro 1.5 small hop. Not her best, but a hit. 9.725
Abbie Thompson to Rylie Mundell: “there’s more to life than just gymnastics and the sun will rise again tomorrow.”
Bowers (OU): double pike, a little tentative on landing; fhs double full punch front good; nice positions on leaps. 9.925
Sundstrom (DU): she’s the Brown replacement; bhs loso, just way off and can’t save it; literally leaps off the beam like, “noooooope!” very shaky routine, and rightfully so; KJC mentions she didn’t get the proper warmup. She’s not wrong. 9.275
Smith (OU): good double tuck; ro 1.5 to lay solid; switch side wolf full, good; tentative tiny step on double pike. 9.95
FINAL: OU 198.200, DU 196.625
Kudos to Denver for finishing with a solid beam rotation despite the circumstances. It wasn’t the Pioneers’ best beam rotation ever, but still over 49. Given the circumstances, it’s very impressive. Another week in the gym to deal with “what’s next” after Lynnzee Brown’s injury and hopefully things are a little more clear. Meanwhile Oklahoma had a strong performance en route to a 198. The Sooners pulled ahead on beam, capitalizing on mistakes from Denver on floor and sealed it with a solid floor rotation.
Event Winners
VT: L Brown (DU), 9.975
UB: Davis (OU), 9.975
BB: Woodard (OU), 10
FX: Smith (OU), 9.950
AA: Davis (OU), 39.600
Live blog by Tara Graeve
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