The Big Five meets, as always, are exciting, strange and frankly unintuitively early in the season. Obviously Michigan will win this meet barring catastrophe, but between the other four there’s much more parity than you might imagine. Unranked Maryland, bogged down by a week 1 beam meltdown, scored a 196.700 this past weekend that comes in just a tenth short of Iowa’s. Consistent Iowa is magnificent on floor, but has struggled with its bars and beam lineups all year especially now that star sophomore Adeline Kenlin is mysteriously absent. Ohio State has looked strong all season and seemingly has the goods to defend its regional final appearance from 2021, but the Buckeyes struggled a little last weekend at Minnesota. Illinois, always under the radar, has a great deal of potential but also a lot of injuries and a big beam problem. This could go any number of ways, and we’ll be doing our best to keep track of it all on the undoubtedly high-quality quad screen.
Half an hour past the start time and meet warm up is still ongoing. Everything is fine!
Rotation 1: Iowa VT, Ohio State UB, Illinois BB, Maryland FX
LaPlante (Iowa): FTY solid, slightly closed knees and a hop back. 9.75
Zuhlke (Iowa): Zuhlke clean but a little undercooked with a hop forward. 9.65
Greenwald (Iowa): This was a FTY but I didn’t catch much about it. 9.6
Guerin (Iowa): Big FTY, flared out, correspondingly substantial hop back. 9.775
Killian (Iowa): Another big FTY with an even bigger hop. The podium might be giving the Hawkeyes trouble. 9.725
Henderson (Iowa): Good FTY, just a small hop this time. 9.875
Schweitzer (OSU): Maloney to bail good, blind full and legs come apart a little early to double back. 9.75
Hankins (OSU): Blind to Jaeger too far and falls. Pak, leg separation late, double layout good with a hop in place.
Edwards (OSU): Toe on to Maloney to Pak, little bits of feet throughout. Blind full double back stuck. 9.825
Berger (OSU): Toe on to Maloney to bail beautiful, blind full double back stuck. 9.8 robbed.
Miller (OSU): Missed the beginning, good bail, stuck DLO. 9.85
Riccardi (OSU): Ray good, Pak, blind full double back stuck. 9.9
Mueller (UIUC): Full turn, BHS LOSO, soft knees and a substantial check, kickover front, one and a half twist with two quick steps back. 9.625
Eddy (UIUC): BHS LOSO, check and arm swing, side aerial with another check. Switch straddle 3/4, falls. Punch front tuck full with a hop. 8.75
Borden (UIUC): Good front-front series. Kickover front straddle quarter, tentative, slightly shaky back walkover choreography bit, beat to sheep. Front full more or less stuck. 9.65
Knight (UIUC): We cut in for the side somi tuck back full 9.8
Simons (UIUC): Something to switch side, side aerial, pike jump to straddle quarter. Punch front full with a step forward. 9.75
Takekawa (UIUC): Side aerial BHS, small check. Full turn tentative. Switch straddle quarter, BHS gainer full stuck. 9.875
Rubio (UMD): Double pike, one and a half front lay comes in low with very soft knees. Switch side Popa, double tuck with a small hop.
Silberman (UMD): Rudi LOSO just a little overrotated, front double full good to close. 9.825
R. LeBlanc (UMD): Front double full, step to the side. Switch side wolf full. Didn’t get to see the end, we cut away. 9.825
Osterhout (UMD): Double back with two steps back, switch ring to tour jete half with very dodgy ring position. Popa Popa badly underrotated, double pike well controlled. 9.75
Rothenbuescher (UMD): Whip double back, switch side Popa wolf full decently rotated. Double pike. Slightly lukewarm landings on both tumbling passes, not major overrotations but a wiggly front foot for sure. 9.725
Barber (UMD): Full in fantastic, one and a half front pike well controlled. Switch Popa Popa amazing, high and clean, double back with a clean lunge. 9.9
After 1: Ohio State 49.125, Maryland 49.100, Iowa 48.775, Illinois 48.700
Ohio State leads after a strong bars rotation that honestly deserved more than it got. Iowa might be sweating a little after some struggles to control vault landings, Maryland was all business no drama and Illinois should be happy to have survived its struggle event.
Rotation 2: Maryland VT, Iowa UB, Ohio State BB, Michigan FX
Henderson (Iowa):
Rogers (Iowa):
Greenwald (Iowa):
Steffensmeier (Iowa):
Kenlin (Iowa):
McSweeny (Iowa):
Schweitzer (OSU):
Hankins (OSU):
Pritchard (OSU):
Berger (OSU):
Jennings (OSU):
Warga (OSU):
SORRY FOLKS, Rebecca’s computer crashed, Emily M subbing in while she gets sorted. We missed a rotation because this is the fastest Big Ten meet ever?!
After 2: tOSU 98.375, UMD 97.825, Iowa 97.825, UM 49.625, UIUC 48.700
Maryland will be thrilled to be tied with Iowa, although the Terps are through their best two so bars will be a test! Michigan did Michigan things on vault, and Ohio State is having a nice go here! A 49.250 on beam is exactly what the Buckeyes needed.
Folks I’m not seeing the quad box, if it doesn’t pop up I’ll get us through UM vault and then hop around events. Sorry! I do not know what Flo is doing, per usual.
Rotation 3: Michigan VT, Maryland UB, Iowa BB, Illinois FX
Guggino (UM): Y1.5, stuck cold, her usual soft knees.
Henderson (Iowa): Can see her in the backgound! Kind of. Good through early dance. Saw her hug coaches after the landing, seemed happy.
Wojcik (UM): Y1.5, way short! Deep squat, big step back, stays on her feet.
Heiskell (UM): Y1.5, pretty in the air, overcooks it and big step forward.
Morrison (UM): Y1.5, soft knees on the last half and a little shuffle step.
Killian (Iowa): Caught her behind vault landing her series cleanly.
Brooks (UM): Y1.5, HUGE, clean, small step back.
Wilson (UM): Y1.5, nice, slightly deep knees on the landing but stuck.
OKAY LET’S SEE SOME OTHER STUFF.
DeBarberie (UMD): Ray, clean to immediate bail, slightly loose core. Short handstand. Blind 1/1 touch late DLO, deep knees and a step back.
Takekawa (UIUC): Double pike, pretty bouncy into the lunge, #podium. RO 3/2 barani to split, cleanest she’s been in the jump in a bit. Good through her jumps. Rudi to split, travelled pretty far back.
HEY WE GOT FLOZONE, but it’s the wrong team on beam. so idk. THERE WE GO we’re in business.
Rojas (Iowa): Front tuck to beat, good. Little check on jumps, low back leg in rotating split. Small hop on gainer 1/1.
Tsiknias (UMD): Blind to Jaeger, clean, really nice extension. Bail, good. Short handstand by a hair. DLO, just a hop. Beautiful!
Knight (UIUC): FHS 2/1, good landing there. Clean double tuck, she’s not fazed by the podium. RO 3/2 front lay, little bit of soft knees on the lay.
Barber (UMD): Clear hip hand to Hindorff immediate bail, clean, little sloppy on the bail. Arched last handstand a smidge. DLO, step forward, covered it by saluting.
After 3: UMD 146.825, Iowa 146.800, UM 99.125, tOSU 98.375, UIUC 97.900
Rotation 4: Illinois VT, Michigan UB, Maryland BB, Ohio State FX
Powe (UIUC): FTY high and clean, chest a little low but stuck.
Simons (UIUC): FTY great with a tiny step back.
Heiskell (UM): Blind to aeger super clean, good Pak, blind full double back stuck.
Brooks (UM): Blind to pike Jaeger, toe on to bail, FTDLO with a hop back.
Wojcik (UM): Shy on the first handstand, toe on to Deltchev to overshoot solid. DLO stuck on her heels.
Silberman (UMD): Off on her series. Switch switch side good, one and a half stuck-ish.
McClure (UMD): Front aerial, adjust, BHS, not sure if she gets that connection. Switch straddle quarter. Front aerial to switch, another adjustment, Rudi dismount with a step. 9.775
Kogler (UMD): Switch straddle quarter solid, BHS BHS LOSO emphatic. She’s been so great lately. Front walkover, switch split quarter, gainer full with a cross step. 9.775
DeBarberie (UMD): BHS LOSO very secure. Switch tuck 3/4, cat leap… to nothing, cat leap front aerial. One and a half with a step forward.
Barber (UMD): Can’t quite get the Terps to 196, but she can get pretty close with a strong routine here. Front aerial tentative, BHS LOSO with a check. Kickover front to beat, switch split, good double full dismount.
Gagliardi (OSU): Front lay to Rudi very solid. Little rebound on her double pike, gets it to lunge okay.
Hankins (OSU): Full in overrotated, front lay Barani split. Switch ring tour jete half precisely rotated, great double tuck.
Edwards (OSU): Double pike overrotated, couple steps back but I believe she was in bounds. One and a half front lay okay, switch side Popa. Double tuck just has so much extra time.
Hlavach (OSU): Great pike full in. Switch side to… series of turning things that I couldn’t track, double tuck slightly underrotated but no major drama.
After 4: Maryland 195.725, Michigan 148.725, Ohio State 147.750, Illinois 147.075, Iowa 146.800
Rotation 5: Ohio State VT, Illinois UB, Michigan BB, Iowa FX
Grimes (OSU): Great FTY, stuck. 9.8
Riccardi (OSU): FTY a touch short, step forward. 9.725
Jennings (OSU): Super high flared FTY, hop back. 9.825
Edwards (OSU): Another huge FTY, medium hop. 9.825
Hlavach (OSU): Full on pike off gorgeous but with a longer hop back. 9.775
Malas (OSU): FTY stuck to finish OSU’s day.
Borden (UIUC): The bars stream is offline which I love.
Mizuki (UIUC): Back just in time for a blind full double back, hop to salute.
O’Donnell (UIUC): Blind to Jaeger great, blind full double back stuck.
Knight (UIUC): Blind to pike Jaeger, leg flicker on the bail. blind full double back stuck. Bars is going great for the Illini from what I’ve seen.
Takekawa (UIUC): Good pike Jaeger, arched the bail but saved it.
Morrison (UM): Candle mount, BHS LOSO unsteady with an extra step. Gainer pike high, hop back.
Guggino (UM): Full turn, BHS LOSO with a small check that escalated into a sideways arm swinging situation. Cat leap side somi, BHS 1.5 stuck.
Brooks (UM): Triple series unsteady but avoided major drama. Kickover front, majorly lost in the air on her double full and falls sideways.
Heiskell (UM): This meet is moving so fast that she doesn’t get a ton of time to breathe after the Brooks fall before she’s up. Switch switch, little check, BHS LOSO tentative but made. One and a half stuck.
Heiskell (UM): Front aerial to beat good, switch split. Nailed the triple series. One and a half with a hop.
Vore (UM): BHS LOSO tentative. Full turn, check, kickover front, straddle straddle half beat. One and a half and the MAT SLID, survived with a step back. That could have been a big problem so easily. 9.775
Killian (Iowa): Triple twist messy and underrotated. One and a half front pike, switch half Popa, stream skipped the last pass. 9.825
Rojas (Iowa): Front through double back, slightly overrotated. Sat her double tuck.
Greenwald (Iowa): Good double tuck. Two and a half front tuck well landed.
Kaji (Iowa): One and a half through double full with a little extra oomph. Lost the rest of this one in the Brooks beam is-she-hurt situation but it looked OK.
Henderson (Iowa): Full in slightly overcooked, switch side Popa. One and a half through double tuck with a hop. 9.95 ok
Guerin (Iowa): Full in, pulls the front foot back. switch side Popa straddle pretty. Front through double back solid. 9.925
FINAL: Michigan 197.950, Ohio State 196.900, Illinois 196.375, Iowa 196.225, Maryland 195.725
What a day for Ohio State! Top five score in program history for the Bucks and they line themselves up ahead of Iowa for the night session spot pending next week’s results. Michigan’s narrow survival on beam produced another great road score and Illinois came close to its season high. Like last year, Iowa seems to be coming back to earth a little after a great start to the season. Maryland has a lot to be happy about, too: This is a robust road score that will go a long way toward helping the Terps qualify to regionals. They still have a 192.925 from Week 1 haunting both their average and their NQS, but any sort of halfway respectable performance next week at Penn State will take that score off the books permanently.
AA Champ: Abby Heiskell (UM) 39.475
VT Champ: Gabby Wilson, Reyna Guggino (UM) 9.975
UB Champ: Natalie Wojcik (UM) 9.950
BB Champ: Jojo Warga (OSU) 9.925
FX Champ: Gabby Wilson (UM) 9.975
Live Blog by Rebecca Scally
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