While this may not be the biggest meet of the weekend, you are sure to have a good time if you tune in to this meet. Competition should be tight between N.C. State, West Virginia and Pittsburgh, even though the ranking numbers don’t necessarily suggest that. Alaska was a late add to what was supposed to be a tri meet, and while the scoring potential is not at the same level as the other three teams, the Seawolves are always a fun team to watch.
West Virginia has been a bit of a mixed bag this year. The Mountaineers are currently ranked eighth in the country on floor, but have had consistency struggles on bars and beam. If they can figure out those two events, the scoring potential is there.
N.C. State has had a good start to the year but has often gotten stuck in the 9.700s, which has held the Wolfpack back a bit this season. If it can turn some of those routines into 9.800s or 9.900s, the team should be in a much more comfortable position. Keep an eye out for Alexis Ortega, who has a unique back handspring to Onodi series on beam.
Pittsburgh is a young team with a lot of potential who I wouldn’t count out of the regionals picture this year. The Panthers have already set a new program record on beam and make improvements with every meet. Freshmen all arounders Hallie Copperwheat and Sidney Washington have both started out their collegiate careers strong, especially on vault and beam.
Rotation 1: Pittsburgh Vault, N.C. State Bars, WVU Beam, Alaska Floor
Miller (Pitt): y full with a small hop back – 9.8Jordan (NCSU): tkatchev, pak, small hop on DLO – 9.775
Beckwith (Pitt): y tuck full with a tiny slide
Merchant (NCSU): falls on cast hs, maloney to pak great, step forward on DLO
Copperwheat (Pitt): y full with the tiniest slide back – 9.825
Chamberlain (Pitt): y full with a small hop back – pretty much identical to the rest
Bonifasi (UAA): crashed double pike. Yikes – she’s down and the coaches are carrying her off
Ortega (NCSU): fall on hindorff, NCSU counting a fall, good bail hs, stuck DLO
Ward (Pitt) – huge y full with a large hop back – 9.775
Shepard (NCSU): beautiful jaeger to pak, stuck FTDT – 9.875
Manley (UAA): clean double pike, 1.5 to front lay good
Rutherford (NCSU): falls on ray – counting 2 falls now, good abil hs, small slide on DLO – 9.125
Robinson (NCSU): jaeger, pak, hop on double tuck
Decious (UAA): finishing up routine with a 1.5 to front lay – landed a bit short but didn’t fall – 9.55
Lewis (WVU) wobble on full turn, leap series good, front toss to bhs, stuck gainer pike
Robinson (UAA): clean double tuck to open, really fun choreography, little wonky on 1.5 to front lay but pulls it off – 9.550
Johnson (UAA): front double full to open – takes a large step forward, rudi tp split to close
Asper (WVU): good triple series, 1.5 to front tuck, stuck dismount
After 1: Pitt: 49.025, WVU: 48.925, Alaska: 47.675, NC State: 47.675
Not the start NC State wanted, but a season high on vault from Pitt and a strong beam rotation from WVU. Alaska didn’t let that injury shake them and finished up the rotation strong.
Rotation 2: Alaska Vault, Pittsburgh Bars, N.C. State Beam, WVU Floor
Gillings (Pitt): beautiful jaeger to pail hs, step on dismount – 9.7Diaz (NCSU): full turn, forn aerial bhs – wobble, hop on dismount
Hildebrand (UAA): hs front tuck with a step back
Ewing (Pitt): good piked jaeger, good bail hs. small hop on dismount – 9.7
Combs (WVU): front tuck through to double pike, I missed the middle pass, double tuck to close – 9.85
McClure (UAA): missed what the vault was but she stuck it
Hutchinson (Pitt): little close on jaeger but pulls it out, a bit short on bail hs, stuck her dismount – 9.725
Lewis (WVU): coming in here halfway through, big clean double tuck to end
Chamberlain (Pitt): great jaeger, good hs on bail, perfect on last hs, stuck dismount – best routine for Pitt so far – 9.875
Pierson (WVU): missed the first pass, good front lay to front full, great double tuck to close
Washington (Pitt): good maloney, a but of feet on pak, maloney half, stuck dismount – 9.775
Copperwheat (Pitt): beautiful jaeger, bail hs, stuck dismount – 9.875
Aww man, missed Ortega’s BHS onodi 🙁
Shepard (NCSU): L turn great, beautiful leaps, beautiful bhs loso, gorgeous side aerial, oversplit on all her leaps – gahh, small hop on dismount. – 9.900
Webb (NCSU): full turn, slight wobble on bhs loso, good leap series, front aerial solid, sheep jump, small step on dismount
After 2: WVU: 98.075, Pitt: 97.975, NC State: 96.850, Alaska: 95.275
Great comeback from NC State after that rough bars rotation. Alaska appeared to hit all its vaults, and WVU is great as usual on floor. Pitt had a great bars rotation and just seems to have tons of energy, so it should hopefully be a good finish.Rotation 3: WVU Vault, Alaska Bars, Pittsburgh Beam, N.C. State Floor
Chamberlain (Pitt): large hip break on triple series but stays on, good leap series, small step on dismount. Score in arena flashing zero – not sure if mistake or? Nope, now showing 9.675Yancey (WVU): stuck y full
Alban (WVU): y full with a small slide
Washington (Pitt): small check on bhs layout series, good leap series, full turn, slight check on front toss, hop forward on dismount – 9.675
Hornung (WVU) stuck y full
Pierson (WVU) – sat y 1.5
Robatin (Pitt): front toss to bhs, leap series solid, beautiful Liukin, small hop on dismount – 9.850
Manley (UAA): huge tkatchev, great bail hs, small step on double pike dismount – 9.675
Copperwheat (Pitt): good leap series, slight check on side aerial but pulls it off, bhs loso, double turn perfect, stuck dismount – 9.925
Beckwith (Pitt): full turn, slight check on bhs loso, falls, stuck dismount
Shepard (NCSU): huge double pike, 1.5 to front lay, double tuck to close – 9.875
Ewing (Pitt): slight wobble on front aerial – not sure if she’ll get the connection to bhs, solid leap series, stuck dismount – 9.65
Jordan (NCSU): slightly short on front double full and takes a step back, 1.5 to front tuck, rudi to close
After 3: WVU: 147.075, Pitt: 146.750, NC State: 145.675, Alaska: 142.875
Bit of a tentative beam rotation from Pitt but didn’t have to count Beckwith’s fall, so that’s good. NC State didn’t have its best rotation on floor, but Shepard was a highlight per usual. WVU did well on vault, and Alaska didn’t have to count any falls on bars.
Rotation 4: N.C. State Vault, WVU Bars, Alaska Beam, Pittsburgh Floor
Miller (Pitt): clean double tuck to open, good front lay to front full, leap series good, double pike to close – little bit squatty but landed fine – 9.75
Merchant (NCSU) – y full with small hop back
Fairbarn (UAA): bhs loso, side aerial, stuck or nearly stuck dismount
Beckwith (Pitt): double pike to open, falls on 1.5 to front lay, leaps solid
Benson (NCSU): tucked Omelianchik with step forward
Anand (NCSU): hs pike with a small hop – 9.775
Rutherford (NCSU): y full with a tiny hop back – 9.825
Ortega (NCSU): y full with a hop forward
Hutchinson (Pitt): front double full to open, leaps good, 1.5 to front full solid
Combs (WVU): maloney to pak great, hop forward on dismount
Pierson (WVU): good maloney, ezhova solid, back tuck dismount ( but she was facing the other way, I don’t know what you call it?) with a small hop – that was a very unique routine
Ewing (Pitt): huge double tuck to open, leaps good, 1.5 to front lay, double pike to close – 9.875
Johnson (UAA): wolf turn solid, bhs loso with a tiny check, front aerial, stuck dismount
Copperwheat (Pitt): double tuck to open, 1.5 to front lay, double pike to close – 9.875
39.500 in the AA for Copperwheat—Pitt’s third highest score ever.
Washington (Pitt): oob on double pike, 1.5 to front lay, double tuck to close
Final: WVU: 195.925, Pitt: 195.800, NC State: 194.550, Alaska: 191.250
Good finish from Pitt on floor for a season high. I missed a lot of Alaska’s beam, but I liked what I saw. NC State solid on vault and WVU solid on bars to just get the win.
Live Blog by Mary Emma Burton
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