The No. 1 and No. 3 teams in the GEC face off today in Philadelphia, and both are coming off of great performances last weekend. Yale beat its season high by literally over three points while Penn had another near miss from its team program record and beat its program best on vault. Individual performers excelled too, with Yale’s Raegan Walker winning GEC Performance of the Week and Penn’s Sydney Kraez winning Gymnast of the Week. It’s also Penn’s home opener today and its first home meet with fans since 2020.
Rotation 1: Penn VT, Yale UB
Davies (Penn): FTY, twisting on a little and piked with a small step forward. 9.575
Aviad (Yale): Half turn, misses handstand, to Tkachev with flexed feet. Arched a handstand, bail a touch short but not a catastrophe, blind full double back stuck-ish with a low chest. 9.675
There’s already a little lineup fuss for Penn. The coaches seem to have submitted the wrong lineup or something? The scheduled second vaulter was chilling in sweats with no idea that her name was about to be called.
S. Kenefick (Penn): FTY, pikey but good leg form with a little hop back. 9.8
Wilson (Yale): Dropped in halfway to see a good overshoot, blind full double back with a step back. 9.775
Van Horn (Penn): FHS front pike with a big step forward. 9.725
Chia (Yale): Toe blind, pretty but very late, to Jaeger and falls. Likely a ‘dowels not over the bar’ situation. Solid bail, half to half to one and a half twist dismount. 8.95
Hsu (Penn): Solid FTY, slightly more open hips than some of the others, hop to the side. 9.7
Toy (Yale): Blind to Jaeger, got it, bail slightly shy. Blind full double back low with a hop forward. 9.725
DeBarberie (Penn): Slightly soft on the table but good FTY with a hop in place. Something about this vault is so satisfying to watch, it’s very… self-contained? 9.825
Wang (Yale): Blind to Jaeger, chaotic cast handstand goes over and she jumps off. Overshoot, FDTB with a little step back.
Song (Penn): Great FTY, small hop back. Hoping she’ll get her 1.5 going soon. 9.825
Walker (Yale): Blind to Jaeger, great, keeps her hands so close together on the bars which gives her some flair. Great bail, double layout floats in and it’s stuck on her toes. 9.875
Fall from Drutau of Yale on her Jaeger. Another fall on a listless FTDB.
After 1: Penn 48.875, Yale 48.000
Great Penn vault rotation! Just a quarter tenth off of last week’s program best, and that’s with two gymnasts out with (presumably) COVID. It’s Belkoff and Kraez who we’re missing today, but Sara Kenefick and Connie Hsu were money today on their college vault debuts.
Yale bars is SUCH a lovely rotation but those Jaegers were
Rotation 2: Yale vault, Penn bars
Wilson (Yale): Tucked FTY, soft and wonky on the table and travels off to the side, secure landing. 9.6
A. Kenefick (Penn): Full turn with messy feet, may have caught her foot on the Tkachev but works through. Short handstand, overshoot, double layout with leg separation and a step back. 9.425
Meeks (Yale): Powerful Yurchenko layout, looks surprised by the landing and takes a big step back but it’s great in the air. 9.45
Hsu (Penn): Toe on to Maloney to bail, catches over the top of the handstand and jumps off. Double layout pretty, fake stick and steps to salute. 8.95
Titche (Yale): Soft on the table, FTY very low and underrotated with a low chest and a cross step forward. 9.475
Restaino (Penn): Half turn to Deltchev, good, overshoot. Blanked out the dismount but it was good. 9.8!
Wang (Yale): Solid FTY, much higher than the previous ones with a cross step back. 9.725
S. Kenefick (Penn): Shy first handstand, good Tkachev. Missed another handstand, good Pak. Double twist dismount with a hop to the side. 9.6
Walker (Yale): Yurchenko half, lands a little lock legged with two steps forward. 9.8
Marr (Penn): Good to see her back in the bars lineup after a week one hiccup. Toe on to Maloney to bail great, double layout with a little hop forward. Great secure hit. 9.8
Chia (Yale): Great FTY, medium hop back. 9.825
Kuhn (Penn): Tkachev good to Pak with leg separation, FTDB comes in a touch low with a step forward. 9.675
Emma Davies falls on her Jaeger in exhibition for Penn. I think the second exhibition might be Sarah Penuela-Wermers which I’m excited for, she’s lovely.
Penuela-Wermers hit! Piked Jaeger to overshoot, stalder to double back with a little hop in place. Looks thrilled. I’d put that in lineup next week.
She looks completely delighted. Friend (maybe that’s Ali Karpousis?) is absolutely hanging off her. Lovely moment.
After 2: Penn 97.175, Yale 96.425
Not a definitive rotation for either team there but some high spots. Getting McCaleigh Marr back in the bars lineup is big for Penn and the Walker/Chia pair at the back of the vault lineup is
Rotation 3: Penn beam, Yale floor
Kuhn (Penn): Wolf turn actually kinda pretty, BHS LOSO tentative but made with an arm adjustment. Switch, check. Split to straddle half, check. Side aerial, check. Definitely nervy but surviving. One and a half with a hop. 9.575
Meeks (Yale): Great double pike. Front full front lay, bends her knees down on the layout, switch ring tour jete half wolf full rotated precisely. Rudi with major leg separation and a big step. 9.725
Agarwala (Penn): First time doing beam this year, likely due to some of the illness absences. BHS LOSO great. Split to split 3/4, big check. Cat leap to front aerial, gainer pike stuck-ish. 9.6
Titche (Yale): Double pike, step OOB. Switch side to Popa with iffy positions. Front lay front full. Double tuck, OOB again in the same corner. 9.525
DeBarberie (Penn): BHS LOSO a little tentative, split to straddle half… ish with a check. Full turn tentative. She really is so fun to watch. Side aerial with a baby lean. One and a half twist with a step forward. 9.55
Wilson (Yale): One and a half front lay good, switch to switch ring half. Double pike underrotated, low chest and step forward. 9.8
S. Kenefick (Penn): BHS BHS LOSO, arm swing. Beat to straddle 3/4. One and a half twist with a hop. 9.75
Chia (Yale): It’s a Bad Guy routine, sigh. Rudi to split, traveling back on the leap substantially. Tour jete half wolf 3/2. One and a half front lay. 9.825
Marr (Penn): Full turn, BHS LOSO great. Hitch kick side aerial. Switch switch side. BHS gainer full stuck. AMAZING routine. 9.85 after a conference, for some reason.
Toy (Yale): Double pike a little overrotated, front lay front full good. She’s got great presence. Rudi to split, hop in place. 9.825
Hsu (Penn): Splits the beam on a side aerial and REALLY fights, laughing a little as she walks away. Sometimes it’s not your day. BHS LOSO and falls again.
Wang (Yale): Double pike good, chaotic rotation on her leaps. Double tuck a little awkward. One and a half front lay shuffly. 9.825
Van Horn in the ex for Penn, Rebekah Lashley was also rostered apparently. I’m pretty sure I see Lashley off to the side in street clothes but I could be wrong. Two falls in the exhibition for Yale’s Seina Cho on floor, crashes a double pike to close.
After 3: Penn 145.500, Yale 145.425
Penn was lukewarm on beam and Yale had a superb floor rotation, so suddenly this is close. Closing on beam is tough but floor is one of Penn’s weaker events, so we’ll see how this goes.
Rotation 4: Yale beam, Penn floor
Mangiacapre (Yale): Doing beam to Don’t Stop Believeing has gotta be fun. Full turn, BHS LOSO, major check, FIGHTS. Switch to split to split 3/4, didn’t make any of the splits. Front aerial tentative, gainer pike stuck. 9.25
Song (Penn): Beautiful dancer, really knows how to take up space and move slowly with confidence which is such a challenge for a lot of gymnasts. One and a half front lay just a touch overpowered, switch half wolf 3/2. Double tuck a little overrotated. 9.8
Wilson (Yale): Full turn, a little deep on her front tuck, switch to split. BHS LOSO with a substantial check, cat leap side aerial back full with a hop. 9.5
I. Garrett (Penn): Her twin Marigold is coming up later. Double pike, OOB. One and a half front tuck, very borderline whether her butt touched the ground or not. Chaotic leaps, double back underrotated but made. 9.15
Walker (Yale): BHS LOSO, full turn, switch split beat. Very solid so far. Side aerial back full stuck with chest just a touch low. 9.85 ties her with McCaleigh Marr which I love.
Van Horn (Penn): Double front cowboyed but landed WELL. Wow. Double tuck overrotated with a rebound back. Switch ring tour jete half. Front full front lay great. 9.75
Toy (Yale): BHS LOSO with an extra step. Switch ring OK, full turn, split to sheep, side aerial back full with a low chest. 9.75
Davies (Penn): Double pike, chest a little low, front lay front full a bit bouncy. Tour jete half Popa, double tuck OK. 9.8
Chia (Yale): Full turn, BHS LOSO, various pretty leaps that I lost track of, cat leap side aerial back full stuck. 9.825
S. Kenefick (Penn): Believe she has a shot at the AA title here. Two and a half front tuck is great. Switch to Popa Popa. Front double full great, a touch underrotated but well controlled. Could go high. Or it could go 9.825, I guess.
Meeks (Yale): BHS LOSO, switch to split quarter to split half. Emphatic side aerial, full turn, great gainer pike. Fall = dropped, great finish for Yale. 9.85
M. Garrett (Penn): Good double pike, front foot adjustment. Tour jete half Popa Popa OK with flexed feet, double tuck a little low, front full front lay good. Fall = dropped for Penn too and that should be the win for the Quakers. 9.75
FINAL: Penn 194.425, Yale 194.200
A lot to love here. That’s a season high for Yale and a very useful road score for NQS. Penn’s down a few tenths from its recent weeks, but in a COVID-limited week with a number of brand new routines it must feel great to be able to pull off what turned out to be the top home score in program history.
AA Champ: Sara Kenefick (Penn) 38.975
VT Champ: Rose DeBarberie, Isabel Song (Penn), Lindsay Chia (Yale) 9.825
UB Champ: Raegan Walker (Yale) 9.875
BB Champ: McCaleigh Marr (Penn), Reagan Walker, Riley Meeks (Yale) 9.850
FX Champ: Sara Kenefick (Penn), Lindsay Chia, Kendal Toy, Sherry Wang (Yale) 9.825
Live Blog by Rebecca Scally
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