Welcome to today’s edition of Friday night MRGC dual meets!
Unranked Boise State heads to Cedar City for the second meet between it and Southern Utah this season. Thanks to a string of COVID combined with a first week bye, the Broncos don’t have enough scores for an NQS yet; tonight’s meet will provide that sixth score and a third road score. Don’t let the unranked status fool you, though. Boise State competed twice last weekend and hit 197 exactly or near-197 both times—this is a team with lots of potential. A good score tonight will be crucial to the Broncos’ quest to drop a couple sub-196 scores—especially that 194.850 from its first meet.
Likewise, Southern Utah also hit 197-even for the first time this season last weekend. This should be a close one, folks! The Thunderbirds used a school record 49.450 on bars in the first rotation to propel them to that season-high 197—the highest road score in program history; they also scored a season-high 49.325 on floor. Southern Utah is currently ranked No. 10 on bars and Boise State is by and large a great bars team; the showdown between the likes of Shylen Murakami, Hannah Nipp, Emily Muhlenhaupt, Alexis Stokes and Emily Lopez is going to be a good one.
Note that Southern Utah’s Emma Wissman announced an ACL tear this week and is out for the season. She was a staple on beam pre-injury amidst a shuffling beam lineup.
Find the meet on ESPN+ and keep up with live stats here.
Rotation 1: SUU VT, BSU UB
Vultaggio (SUU): yfull, hop back. 9.825
Little (BSU): nice first hs; Maloney to pak, legs glued; short on pirouette; nails final hs; dlo with good form, small hop. That’s the way they wanted to start. 9.825
Tervort (SUU): yfull, clean in air, the tiniest bit of pike down and a hop. Solid. 9.8
Blackson (BSU): bail hs, good; hits markelov; into a good next hs; Solid dismount. 9.875
Alfaro (SUU): yfull, clean in air, slightly short with a low chest and a tiny hop forward. 9.775
Nilson (BSU): straddled tkatchev, and she’s off; don’t know what’s up with her and bars this season…bail hs good; dlo, tiny hop. Boise State will want to drop that if possible. 9.125
Smith (SUU): Ro full on tuck, just a step. 9.875
Stokes (BSU): great first hs; shap to bail, nice; she does a true shaposh, we rarely see that; stuck dlo. 9.9
C Kho (SUU): y1.5, way overpowered and takes 2 good-sized steps. 9.775
Lopez (BSU): hitting handstands well, nice piked jaeger; stuck dlo. 9.95
Hartley (SUU): yfull, clean in air, step back. 9.8
Muhlenhaupt (BSU): alright, let’s go! beautiful first hs; straddled jaeger, pretty; nice final hs; dlo STUCK. This may or may not be the one…9.95
Hi commentators, we really love hearing your mics during the commercial breaks.
After 1: BSU 49.500, 49.075
Wowww, Boise State! Despite the fall, the Broncos were able to put up a massive total on bars, led by the Emilys and Stokes. It wasn’t Southern Utah’s best vault rotation—those landings could be much cleaner going forward.
Rotation 2: BSU VT, SUU UB
Masiado (BSU): yfull, decent pike down and a hop back. 9.8
Thomas (SUU): Maloney to pak, good; nice final hs; stuck dlo. Great leadoff! 9.875
Nilson (BSU): yfull, good-sized hop back. 9.825 “avenging her fall on the bars earlier” – SUU commentator
Schwartze (SUU): piked jaeger, good; bail hs, solid; looked like a good final hs; maybe slightly short blind full into a stuck double tuck. 9.875
Lopez (BSU): yfull, flares it! just a small hop on the landing. 9.875
Nipp (SUU): great first hs; straddled jaeger to bail hs, solid; dlo, tiny step. 9.825
Smith (BSU): yfull, pretty good-sized hop and then a step into her salute. 9.725
Bentley (SUU): straddled tkatchev to bail, the tiniest bit of feet but good overall; dlo, lowers her chest in attempt to stick and ends up taking a hop forward. 9.775
Blackson (BSU): she does the y1.5! First time this season, I believe. Just a tiny hop. 9.875
Murakami (SUU): great first hs; blind change straddled jaeger to bail, good; nice final hs; ftdt, tiny hop. Another good one for her! 9.875
Vulaj (BSU): yfull on pike, hop back. Won’t be as good as her 9.925 from last wee, but it’s a solid one. 9.85
McClain (SUU): late lineup switch, was supposed to be Tervort. fine first hs; gienger gorg, finesses next hs; bail hs, solid; nice final hs; dlo, basically stuck. 9.925 – career high!
After 2: BSU 98.725, SUU 98.450
SUU put up another great showing on bars, where Shylen Murakami was gorgeous as always and Karley McClain came into the lineup last minute and put up the Thunderbirds’ only score over 9.9 on bars. It was also a solid vault rotation for BSU; Blackson finally debuted her 1.5 this season.
Rotation 3: SUU BB, BSU FX
Murakami (SUU): bhs loso bhs; secure jumps; side aerial tuck full, solid landing. 9.925, what a way to lead off!
Masiado (BSU): double pike, lands with low chest but a controlled landing; solid leaps; lay lay full, good; fhs rudi, clean. 9.8
Smith (SUU): ro loso, secure; small check on hear leap series; ro 1.5 stuck. 9.85
Loyim (BSU): whip to double tuck, overpowered and takes a bunch of steps out of it, oob also; ro 1.5 to lay, better landing; double pike to close, overrotated and falls back. They’ll want to drop that if possible. 8.9
Vultaggio (SUU): “on her vault routine,” sir, there isn’t such a thing as a routine on vault; bhs loso loso secure; nice leaps from what I caught; ro 1.5 hop forward. 9.875
Popp (BSU): front punch through to double pike, short and a step forward, should be a decent deduction; triple leap series, I’d like a little more extension; double tuck, another short landing with a step forward. She stayed on her feet, though. 9.575
Nipp (SUU): front aerial beat, secure; bhs loso, good as ever; split split 3/4, tiniest of checks; gainer full, low chest but stuck. 9.825
McGovern (BSU): rudi loso, good; double tuck, solid; I missed part of it. 9.875
Cacciola (SUU): check on turn, off on series; pretty leaps; ro 1.5 stuck.9.275
Pascal (BSU): double tuck, solid; switch ring tour jete half, good positions; ro bhs 1.5 to lay, nice; fhs rudi split, secure landing. 9.825
Hernandez (SUU): bhs loso, secure; check on her jumps and ends up coming off; gainer full tiny hop. Welp, SUU is counting a beam fall. 9.000
Blackson (BSU): fhs double full, barely stays in bounds; ro whip half front full, solid; leaps good; fhs rudi, looked awkward in the middle but she pulls it around well. 9.85
After 3: BSU 147.650, SUU 147.200
Well, that wasn’t the best rotation for either team, with SUU counting a fall and BSU counting a routine with major mistakes on floor. BSU extended its lead, but it’s still within 0.5 with one rotation to go!
Rotation 4: BSU BB, SUU FX
Stokes (BSU): bhs loso, secure; pike jump straddle half, good; front toss beat jump, hit; switch leap into gainer pike, solid landing. 9.85
Horton (SUU): opens with a wolf jump full; ro 1.5 lay full, good; rudi, well-controlled; solid leaps; ro 1.5 to lay, clean. Great way to lead off. 9.825
Little (BSU): bhs loso, small foot adjustment; switch leap straddle 1/4, good; front aerial beat, nice; ro 1.5 tiny hop. 9.85
Vultaggio (SUU): solid first pass; fhs front full front lay, well controlled; nice double tuck to close. 9.925
Muhlenhaupt (BSU): bhs loso, secure; beat jump sheep jump split jump, little bit of a pause after the sheep; side aerial, low chest and comes off; ro 1.5, stuck. 9.35
Smith (SUU): whip to double tuck, nice; triple leap combo to shush, nice; “it’s hard to do bad gymnastics when you’re dancing to Beyonce”; combo pass well-controlled. 9.85
Lopez (BSU): solid leaps; front toss small pause to beat jump; bhs lay 1.5 and she sits it. I guess Boise wanted to get in on the beam fall fun? 9.3
McClain (SUU): big double pike to open, great landing; ro 1.5 to lay nice; controlled leaps; double tuck stuck cold. That’s another great floor routine for her! 9.85
Popp (BSU): front aerial, secure; bhs bhs two-foot lo, small check; gainer full stuck. 9.85
Schwartze (SUU): fhs double full, clean; triple leap series, solid; fhs rudi loso, lovely. 9.9
Masiado (BSU): late lineup change, big check on her bhs loso; solid leaps; lay full, small hop. 9.65
Nipp (SUU): nice double pike; fhs front full front lay, solid; great positions on her leaps; nice double tuck to close. 9.95
FINAL: SUU 196.675, BSU 196.225
Oh, Boise, you were doing so well until near the end there…Meanwhile SUU used a season-high on floor to close out the meet strong and edge out BSU. Let’s just say the beam wasn’t everyone’s friend tonight.
Event Winners
VT: Smith (SUU), Lopez, Blackson (BSU), 9.875
UB: Lopez, Muhlenhaupt (BSU), 9.95
BB: Murakami (SUU), 9.925
FX: Nipp (SUU), 9.950
AA: N/A – no one competed AA
Live blog by Tara Graeve
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