We’ve somehow already made it to Big Fives. What?!
Quick refresher: The Big Ten Championship is seeded by win/loss. Each of the 10 teams in the conference competes once against each of the other nine teams in official conference play. Five of those nine meetings are head-to-head duals, while the other four happen here, at Big Fives. The top four teams by record will be seeded into the night session of the conference meet, while the other six teams will land in the afternoon. (We think; there’s been no official word on how many teams will be in each session yet.)
As things stand going in, it seems likely that Minnesota and Michigan State from this session will join Michigan and Iowa from yesterday’s Big Five in the conference night session, but nothing will be set in stone until after the final head-to-head duals next week.
Michigan State, Nebraska and Rutgers come into this one on a surge. All three teams have been excellent in recent weeks and will look to keep building that momentum as we approach Big Tens. Minnesota had a tough meet last Sunday, on the back of a double and at its third meet in eight days. The Gophers will be looking to rebound here and reassert themselves as Michigan’s competition for the conference title. Penn State has been pretty consistently decent, but will want to replicate its lone 196 number of the season from late January here, to enter one more strong road number before NQS hits on Monday.
Speaking of NQS, it’s important for Minnesota to not just win the session for seeding purposes, but also to put up a mid-197 for NQS reasons. It so far only has one usable away number, and that’s a 197.125. It needs a statement away meet.
Hi folks, if you’re joining us, just a heads up that MSU Tweeted that first vault won’t be until about 7:21. Warmups ended on the hour, the teams are currently changing and then we have to do march in and play all five intro videos. Welcome to the Big Ten.
If you’re tuned into Flo, there is a stream for each event. When action gets underway we should get a quad box called Flozone, although it was hit and miss last night.
Well. 7:21 was optimistic. We’ve arrived at that time, and we’re only up to the second intro video. Go grab a beer! A wine! A water (look at you go)! A hot chocolate!
Sounds like a pretty solid crowd, there are definitely a lot of Gopher fans in the house.
Rotation 1: MSU VT, PSU UB, UNL BB, RU FX (Minnesota bye)
Wiedeman (MSU): Yfull, some hips and soft knees, tiny hop.
Flozone isn’t up yet, I’m hopping streams and will get as much as I can.
Johanson (PSU): Arched handstand to blind full Tkatchev, quite low. Great handstand to good pak. Late half pirouette on low. DLO, big step.
Spence (UNL): Missed this, sorry!
Newman (RU): Double pike, moved the front foot a tiny bit. Double tuck, better control there. Switch side Popa split full was clean. REALLY pulled the lay at the end of the combo pass in, low and archy.
Hsu (MSU): Saw a good landing in. thebackgroun.d
Johnston (PSU): GREAT bail hand, Short last handstand blind full double tuck little hop.
Curtis (UNL): Triple series, little wobble, great for her, she missed a lot of those in the one touch. Switch to split, clean and a little smile, she’s through the problem stuff. RO 3/2, true stick.
Pagliaro (RU): Caught some clean jumps in the background.
Beckwith (PSU): Great last handstand to DLO, true stick, wow!
Rushlow (PSU): Blind to Jaeger immediate bail, great flow, really nice toes. Short last handstand. Blind full, late, double tuck, small hop.
Higgins (UNL): Candle mount, she does one of the prettier ones, actually hits vertical. Beat to sheep, small check, nice shape in the air. Bhs bhs loso, nailed, no deductions. Straddle jump, good. Gainer pike, step back.
Hofelich (MSU): Yfull, big, just a hop back.
Davis (UNL): Check on her full turn. I’m just hopping in in the end of her routine here. Side aerial full, true stick.
Joyner (RU): Double pike, good lunge, she did land with here feet a little far apart. Tour jete 1/2 was clean, great amplitude. FHS front full front lay was excellent, great body shape. Dances right out of switch side popa. RO 3/2 front pike, another great landing. That’s an EXCELLENT routine.
Stephen (MSU): Yfull, MASSIVE, small hop.
Bonsall (PSU): Looks like she’s following a fall from Bridgens. Maloney, leg sep, bail hand, good catching position. Short handstand to toe hand. DLO true stick.
Huang (RU): FHS 2/1, no deductions on that landing. FHS rudi to HUGE loso, she gets so much air on it. Switch side wolf 1/1, little overrotated on the former. FHS rudi, chest a bit low and has to lunge forward.
AFTER 1: Nebraska 49.300, MSU 49.200, Rutgers 49.175, Penn State 49.050
Well well well. Everyone is over 49! What a great rotation. The Bridgens mistake held PSU back a bit from its potential. Nebraska will be THRILLED with that beam showing, not easy to start there. MSU is used to higher numbers on vault, so they’ll have some work to do moving forward.
Good news is I got a quad box going, bad news is now everything is blurry and laggy, love that for me.
Rotation 2: RU VT, MSU UB, PSU BB, Minnesota FX (Nebraska bye)
Hughes (RU): FTY, hop.
Stephen (MSU): GREAT handstand. Toe hand to Maloney, leg sep on the release. Toe hand to bail hand, good verticals on both. Blind full late double tuck, hop.
Romagnano (PSU): BHs lobhs loso, feet and knees on all three. Touches the beam on her leaps, that’s .3 plus the leg up. Low chest and hop on dismount.
Koch (Minn): Clean first combo pass. Nice side back full.
Newman (RU): Yfull, hop.
Garcia (MSU): Toe hand to Maloney, legs on the release again. Bail hand touch shy. Blidn full to dlo, small hop.
Gerdes (Minn): Good double tuck. Short splits on her leap series. Double pike, great landing.
Betancourt (RU): Yfull, small hop.
Ayers (PSU): Front aerial bhs, tiny adjustment on the bhs. Check on front aerial. hop on dismount.
Joyner (RU): Yfull, giant hop back.
Mitchell (MSU): To ehand to Maloney, gorgeous. Bail hand clean. DLO FLOATS it stuck.
Salcedo (PSU): Little adjustment on her bhs loso. Good jumps, stuck landing.
Ramler (Minn): RO 3/2 to 2/1, great, just some leg cross. RO 3/2 front lay, some knee bend on the lay but clean landing.
Leese (RU): Y1.5, deep squat.
Huang (RU): Yfull, leg sep on the table.
Jackard (MSU): Blind to Jaeger, lovely. Great handstand. Bail hand, touch over. stutter steps on landing.
Vihrova (PSU): Clean front tuck. Bhs loso, good. Bobble on a split 3/4. Big step forward on her dismount.
Remlinger (Minn): Full-in, hoppy out of it into the lunge.Clean leaps. Much better on her combo pass. Double tuck, good again there.
Schulte (MSU): Maloney leg sep on backswing. DLO, big hop back.
Bridgens (PSU): Time to come back from that fall for her.
Harkness (MSU): Toe hand to HUGE Gienger, nice! Bail hand clean. Her handstands are so patient. FTDB hop.
Well, Flo just kicked me out, so I’ll work on that! Sorry folks! Missing the last beam!
I’m back but no sound, caught the end of Loper floor looking strong.
Johanson (PSU): Didn’t miss it after all! Wobble on her bhs loso, clean jumps. RO 3/2, good.
Hooten (Minn): True stick on the full-in. BIG switch side popa. FHs front 1/1 front pike, does lunge but it’s controlled. Double tuck, again a true stick. I mean. Not much to take there. Better than the 9.975 last week tbh.
AFTER 2: MSU 98.200, RU 97.900, PSU 97.350, Minn 49.550, UNL 49.300
Okay now we’re cooking. The Gophers have clearly already forgotten about the tough meet last week, floor was excellent. MSU had some hoppy things on landings, podium seems to be impacting them more than other teams so far. PSU’s struggles continue, with a tough 48.300 rotation. It’s going to be a readjustment bye for the Nittany Lions who have half a meet to bring it back.
Clara Colombo is absolutely having a blast dancing in front of the floor cam.
Rotation 3: Minnesota VT, RU UB, MSU BB, UNL FX (Penn State bye)
Wiedeman (MSU): BHs loso, small check. Front toss to beat was good. Split 3/4, nice. Gainer tuck 1/1, good.
Grotenhuis (Minn): Yfull, small hop to the side.
Spence (UNL): RO 3/2 through double full, some leg form on the twisting. Clean leaps. Double tuck, good landing.
Bars camera is fully frozen, my apologies to Rutgers!
Kalefe (MSU): Bhs bhs loso, feet on all three, good steadiness. stuck dismount.
Zieden-WEbber (RU): Tkatchev, good. Clean bail. I think she hopped on the dismount.
Hooten (Minn): Y1.5, hop forward.
Hall (UNL): HUGE double tuck, really bounces out of it. FHS rudi, hops back. FHS front lay front 1/1, best landing.
Remlinger (Minn): Yfull, small hop.
Stephen (MSU): Front toss clean. BHS loso, knees and a check. Stuck 2/1 dismount.
Pringle (RU): Blind late to pike Jaeger, missed a hand and falls.
Curtis (UNL): Double pike, great lunge. Clean combo pass. Double tuck, low chest.
Ramler (Minn): Camera cut out.
Loper (Minn): Y1.5, knees, and she just underdoes it and puts a hand down.
Schulte (MSU): Swtich to switch half, leg up and falls.
Joyner (RU): Hop on her DLO.
Kuenemann (UNL): BIG double tuck, some bounciness in the lunge. Clean combo pass. Little off balance on her jumps. Knees on the combo pass.
Gerdes (Minn): Yfull, hop back, good distance.
Balser (RU): Blind to Jaeger, knees. Pak, little closed in the shoulders. GREAT pirouette on low bar. DLO step.
Mitchell (MSU): Bhs lbhs loso, medium check. Great front aerial. Stuck3/2 dismount.
Piringer (UNL): Huge double tuck to start! Double pike, great landing.
Garcia (MSU): Bhs loso, steady! Front aerial to split, good. She’s. a great anchor. Side aerial full, low chest and arm swing.
Higgins (UNL): FHS 2/1, lunges to the side a bit. Clean combo pass. RO 3/2 front lay stuck.
AFTER 3: MSU 147.500, RU 146.650, Minn 98.700, UNL 98.625, PSU 97.800
That Loper fall really held back the Gopher vault rotation, as did some hops. Nebraska only trailing them by .075 is the story at the moment. Keep in mind Minnesota ends on beam, the event that gave it. so much trouble last week. Michigan State and Rutgers are rolling right along and are about where they want to be at this point.
Rotation 4: UNL VT, Minnesota UB, RU BB, PSU FX (MSU bye)
Bonsall (PSU): Double tuck, good. Clean combo pass. Double pike, way short, very deep, maybe hit a knee. onthe floor?
Higgins (UNL): Yfull, great landing.
Battavio (RU): Bhs loso, huge leg up check, falls. Stuck dismount.
Spence (UNL): Yfull, piked down and a hop.
Hooten (Minn): Blind lat to pike Jaeger bail, soft knees in bail. FTDB stuck.
Rushlow (PSU): Bounces out of double tuck. Archy lay on her comob pass, good leaps.
WIllmarth (Minn): Good tkatchev. Bail hand, clean. Step on dismount.
Hall (UNL): Deep knees but didn’t move her feet.
Manifold (RU): Bhs loso, knees but solid. Clean leaps. Low chest on dismount.
Piringer (RU): Big Yfull, hop.
Davis (UNL): Yfull, small hop.
Loper (Minn): Maloney, leg sep, pak, leg sep. Good handstand. Blind full to double tuck, small hop.
Bridgens (PSU): FHS rudi loso, soft knees. Clean leaps.
Curtis (UNL): Yfull, hip angle hop.
Newman (RU): Bhs two feet loso, check. Cartwheel gainer 1/1, stuck.
Vihrova (PSU): Double tuck, great lunge. Clean combo pass. Nice leaps.
Sales (Minn): Bail hand, good. Blind to Markelov, nice. Step on the dismount.
Zannella (RU): Short of 180 and a check on her switch ring. Check on jumps, has to repeat.
Astarita (PSU): Open double tuck, good lunge. Clean combo pass. Short of 180 on a split in her leaps. Clean double pike to end.
Ramler (Minn): Maloney, good. Pak, no trouble. step on dismount.
Joyner (RU): Mini adjustment on her bhs loso. Stuck dismount.
Salcedo (PSU): Breakout floor of the year right here! Double front, little deep on the landing but she covered it well. Clean leaps. Front lay front 1/1 front pike, good.
Huang (RU): Nice beat to straddle 3/4. RO 2/1, step.
Well. Flozone came on in the middle of Salcedo/Huang and kicked me out of my stream so I missed some of that. Oh, we’ve had commentators this whole time?! who knew?!
AFTER 4: RU 195.475, Minn 147.850, UNL 147.525, MSU 147.500, PSU 146.875
Rutgers is done. A mid-195 is a solid result, but we’ll have to wait and see how it holds up. Minnesota is a little funky tonight, but it’s nothing horrendous. Beam is the test as always, though. So far Nebraska is the surprise of the night, sailing through.
Rotation 5: PSU VT, UNL UB, Minnesota BB, MSU FX
Ewing (MSU): FHs 2/1, hops forward and is a little off balance, but stays in bounds. Switch to tour jete 3/2, good. RO 3/2 front full, clean pass.
Koch (Minn): RO 3/2, little underrotated and a step.
Bonsall (PSU): Yfull, knees hips and a hop.
Stephen (MSU): FHS 2/1 punch front, great. Excellent double pike.
Chinnery (PSU): Yfull, hips and a hop.
Tyson (Minn): Wobble on her split to double stag. Side aerial 1/1, off balance but didn’t move her feet.
Colobmo (UNL): Piek Jaeger, good. Pak some leg sep. Higgins into double tuck stuck.
Loper (Minn): Solid bhs loso. Fall, beam is the make or break again.
Harkness (MSU): Good double tuck. Has to pull her combo pass around.
Spence (UNL): Maloney to Pak. Arches over on her pirouette, falls. Stuck double tuck.
Salcedo (PSU): Yhalf on pike, great!
Nylin (Minn): Solid triple series. RO 3/2, holds the stick.
Harkness (MSU): Clean FTDB. Tour jete half to wolf full, good. Front through double tuck, little forward on the landing.
Davis (UNL): DLO, stutter step back.
Bridgens (PSU): Yfull, great in the air, I think a small hop, Ralph Rosso was a bit in the way.
Schulte (MSU): HUGE full in, little foot movement on the landing. Nice through her leaps. Front through double tuck, lunges forward.
Sales (Minn): Bhs bhs loso, clean. Fall on her switch side! Oh, Minnesota, counting a fall again. Gainer pike, stuck.
Ramler (Minn): Big pressure on her now. Bhs loso, solid. Front aerial to beat, no issues. She’s on. Beat to ring, lovely, big smile. Side aerial 1/1, stuck. Bout as good as she can do it.
Hofelich (Minn): Whoops, music issue. It was bound to happen eventually. She’ll step off. Allllright here we go. Double pike, great landing. Switch side popa, nice. RO 3/2 fornt lay, feet slid a little on the landing. Double tuck, no deductions. Wow!
FINAL: MSU 196.975, UNL 196.500, Minn 196.500, PSU 196.125, RU 195.475
Well that’ll do it folks! What a finish for the Spartans. Beam continues to rankle Minnesota. Nebraska will be especially thrilled with a stellar night, and Penn State will likewise be very happy with the 196.
Conference standings:
Michigan 8-0
Michigan State 6-2
Ohio State 6-2
Iowa 5-3
Minnesota 4-4
Nebraska 4-4
Illinois 3-5
Maryland 2-6
Rutgers 2-6
Penn State 1-7
EVENT WINNERS:
AA: Ramler 39.575
VT: Johansson 9.900
UB: Colombo 9.900
BB: Ramler, Thaler 9.950
FX: Hooten 9.975
Live blog by Emily Minehart
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