LIVE BLOG: No. 13 Iowa at No. 8 Minnesota

Happy Friday, folks! Few things bring me more joy than the friendship between Iowa and Minnesota, so getting to cover this meet in person is always a good time.

The winner of tonight’s meet will, in all likelihood, earn the final spot into the night session at Big Tens. (Technically, if the Gophers win today and Nebraska defeats Michigan, Nebraska would earn that spot—but that is a tall order for the Huskers). Minnesota was upset by both Michigan State and Nebraska at Big Fives, which is why it now finds itself fighting for that final spot against Iowa. It’s kind of crazy to think that either the reigning Big Ten champion or the reigning regular season champion won’t qualify to the night session, but here we are. 

(I should also mention we don’t have confirmation that only four teams will be in the night session—because of course we don’t—but as far as we know, that is the plan.)

Minnesota will be looking to come back big tonight after a few uncharacteristic “off” meets, specifically on beam, where it has struggled this season. Notably absent from competition tonight is Maddie Quarles, who seems to be out with an undisclosed injury. That’s a big score for the Gophers to make up on vault and floor.

Iowa will be looking for a big road score tonight so it can drop a 196.125 for NQS purposes. Will this meet also mark the return of Linda Zivat, who has been absent for the last two outings? The Hawkeyes will certainly benefit from her return, especially on vault.

Scores here, video here.

Lexy Ramler warmed up the Ramler, will we see it tonight???

https://twitter.com/lil_livkay/status/1497321661577801733?s=20&t=Nc9r0ouipF5Q8KCRszATFA

I am seated further away then normal due to BTN being in the building, and my vantage point on vault landings is terrible so those of you following along on TV/streaming will likely have a better idea of how that rotation goes for both teams.

Nice stuck 1.5s from Hooten and Loper in warmups.

BTN just confirmed that there will be four teams in the night session at Big Tens, so again – the pressure to win this meet is hiiiiiiiigh.

Oh hey my vars view is almost completely blocked by the entirety of the Gopher team too. So I’ll do my best.

Rotation 1: Minnesota vault, Iowa bars

Jencks (MIN): FTY, bouncy landing and slightly crooked off the table it looked like. 9.725

Henderson (IA): Good first HS, maloney. Bail to HS was a little short. Good final HS. FTDT dismount – lean but maybe stuck? Can’t see it.  9.650

Gerdes (MIN): FTY, slightly crooked off the table as well but looked like a good landing, small bounce back.  9.875

Rogers (IA): slightly short first HS, toe on maloney to pak, solid. HAd to muscle the handstand to get back up to the high bar. DLO dismount looked clean, landing IDK. 9.525

Hooten (MIN): Y1.5, stuck. Better than her warmups one. 10 from one judge I think. Yep, 9.975

Oh hey I just realized they’re playing the BTN broadcast in the arena as well. That will help with my bars vantage point.

Greenwald (IA): Good first HS, big tkatchev with some piked feet. Straight pak, lovely. DLO dismount, landing stuck. Solid routine for Greenwald.

Ramler (MIN): Y1.5 with a hop forward. 9.875

McSweeney (IA): Blind change to piked jaeger, caught very close to the bar. Short on the final hs. Hop back on her dismount.  9.725

Loper (MIN): Y1.5, tries to stick but a hop/lean to the side. 9.875

Steffensmeier (IA): Beautiful first HS. Blind change to piked jaeger, floaty and lovely. Nice pak. Finishes strung with blind full double tuck, close to the bar and a hop on the landing but good routine. 9.850

Looks like Grotenhuis might be subbing in for Koch

Grotenhuis (MIN): FTY, bounce back on the landing.  9.800

Kenlin (IA): Maloney to pak, looks like her spotter might have made contact with her, though – fairly sure that isn’t allowed but we’ll see if that affects the score. Short final HS, kind of a wobby blind full to double back dismount.  9.750

Koch (MIN – EX): tucked 1.5, big step to the side off the mat.

AFTER ONE: Minnesota 49.4, Iowa 48.575

Super solid vault rotation to start for Minnesota, and especially sans Quarles, they should be happy with that score. Ramler and Loper weren’t as “perfect” as they can be here but the lineup was buoyed by Hooten’s near-10. Iowa had typical Iowa issues on bars, but I’ll be honest my vantage point for that was not great (the entirety of the Gophers team and staff were standing in front of me) but from what I could tell there were lots of little things to clean up there.

Rotation 2: Minnesota bars, Iowa vault

Greenwald (IA): FTY, bounce back. 9.775

Remlinger (MIN):  beautiful handstand, ray was good. Bail to HS a little short. Solid final handstand, stuck FTDT 9.875

Zuhlke (IA): did her Zuhlke vault (FHS tsuk full), looked solid from my angle 9.750

Hooten (MIN): Solid HS, blind change to beautiful piekd jaeger to overshoot. FTDT dismount with a hop back 9.875

Laplante (IA): FTY, lots of distance but big hop back and to the side 9.725

Willmarth (MIN): Caught her ray a little close but otherwise good. Saved an arched handstand on her bail to HS and held that HS for an extra beat to prove her point. Blind full double back, stuck. 9.900

Guerin (IA): FTY, flared out with a hop back. 9.850

Loper (MIN): Maoney to pak, lovely as always. Good final HS. Blind full to double back dismount, tiny hop back. 9.925

Killian (IA): FTY, stuck landing , chest a little low though. Ok, maybe not after watching the replay. 9.900

Sales (MIN): Bail to HS, beautiful. Stick straight. Khorkina/Markelov, good. Landing stuck but she kind of hopped back to salute? Overall gorgeous routine. 9.900

Henderson (IA): Big FTY, tiny hop back.

Ramler (MIN): Maloney to pak, her usual. Van leeuwen, Ramler today; toe handstand; FTDT with a small hop.

Gerdes EX for MN,

AFTER TWO: Minnesota 98.950, Iowa 98.000

Absolutely lovely bar rotation for Minnesota. Second highest team score ever on that event. Iowa also had a solid vault rotation, just shy of their season high.

Rotation 3: Minnesota beam, Iowa floor

Koch (MIN): BHS LOSO, solid. Beat jump, split quarter, shy of 180. Front toss to scale, controlled. RO 1.5 stuck. Great start for MN. 9.850

Killian (IA): Opens with a big triple full, controlled step on the landing. FHS, front full, front pike looked good, a little lack of amplitude possibly there but no issues. Sky high double back to finish. 9.825

Gerdes (MIN): Front aerial, solid. BHS LOSO, balance check but saves it.  Big bobble on her full turn. Split jump, double stag, good. Side aerial to a full, stuck with a lean forward. 9.800

Rojas (IA): I am *obsessed* with this music. Punch front through to a double back, kind of stumbles out of it. Leap series looked pretty good, a touch shy of 180 on her splits. Double pike second pass, lands low. 9.500

Loper (MIN): Let’s see how she bounces back from last week. BHS LOSO, totally controlled. Front toss, piked, good. She looks DETERMINED. Leaps were good. RO 1.5, stuck. Nice routine. 9.900

Greenwald (IA): Opens with a full in, solid. Super solid leap series, controlled landings too. I love this routine and its choreography SO MUCH. Finishes with a double full to punch front, solid.

Sales (MIN): BHS BHS LOSO, solid. Full turn, good. She has such lovely presence on beam. Super solid beat to double stag. Switch side, good. This is where she came off last week. Gainer pike dismount, stuck. Gorgeous.

Kaji (IA): I feel lucky to get to see Kaji in person one last time. Opening combo pass looked good, might have touched OOB but hard to tell from my angle.  Big double pike second pass. Overall lovely.

Nylin (MIN): Full turn to start, good. Lots of deep breaths for Nylin. BHS BHS LOSO, right to the end of the beam always makes me nervous — but solid. Leap series was solid. RO 1.5 with a tiny step forward. 9.750

Guerin (IA): Opens with her giant full in, good. Switch side popa straddle, looked good. Finishes with punch front through to double back. TBH I was sucked into her routine and almost forgot to do the blogging thing for a minute. 9.925

Ramler (MIN): Full turn, lovely. BHS LOSO, controlled and lovely as usual. Front aerial to beat jump, giant smile on Ramler’s face. Very bouncy music  for a beam rotation. Ring jump gorgeous. Side aerial to a full, stuck. 10

Henderson (IA): GORGEOUS full in to start. She just commands your attention on this event, its spectacular. Finishes with her front through to double back, stuck cold. Just great.

beam ex from Katie Horak

AFTER THREE: Minnesota 148.375, Iowa 147.275

Minnesota FINALLY put together a great beam rotation, and it is setting them up for a huge score as they go to their best event to finish. Sitting on the edge of my seat here, tbh. They need a 49.400 on FX for a new overall program record, and a 49.625 to crack into the elusive 198 territory. Difficult – but doable. Their high on FX this season is 49.700.

What can I say about Iowa on floor? They just put on a show, its honesty hard to remember to do my job and keep track of what is happening for blog purposes.

Rotation 4: Minnesota floor, Iowa beam

There is a BUZZ in the Pav tonight. Also, the yodeling gopher is back to hype the crowd up. It’s so perfectly Minnesotan.

Henderson (IA): BHS LOSO, big bend at the waist. Switch to side, just a little shy of 180. HUGE RO double back dismount with a hop. 9.725

Koch (MIN): FHS through to 2/1 to front tuck, some legs and lack of amplitude, but controlled it. RO 1/1 side pass. FHS to 1.5, solid. 9.825

Nick (IA): BHS LOSO and she’s off. Just a little too crooked on the beam. cat leap to front aerial, good. Finishes with RO 1.5, stuck. 9.175

Gerdes (MIN): Punch front through to double back, slight lack of control on her landing with a big lunge. Leaps looked mostly solid, touch shy of 180 on her final one maybe. Double back to finish. 9.850

Killian (IA): The music was just SO loud for the start of this, but thankfully they turned it down. BHS LOSO, good. Punch front, solid. Switch switch, good. Finishes with a RO full and a hop forward.

Ramler (MIN): Ring jump full to start, her usual. RO 1.5 stepout RO BHS back 2/1,  controlled lunge back. Switch ring lovely. FHS to rudi, stuck cold. RO 1.5 to front lay, beautiful. This looked great from where I’m sitting. 9.9/10 split

Kaji (IA): Full turn BHS LOSO, solid. Cat leap to side aerial, lovely. Split jump split 3/4, great. BHS to gainer full dismount. 9.900

Remlinger (MIN): Beautiful full in to open, controlled landing. Also controlled on her leaps. RO 1.5 front lay, very solid. Finishes with a double back, her usual. 9.925

Rojas (IA): BHS LOSO, light and controlled. Punch front to beat jump, good. Leap series was good. Gainer full dismount.

Loper (MIN): Front lay to rudi, right to the corner it looked like but good. Switch to tour jete half. RO BHS 2.5, lovely. Finishes with RO 1.5. Her usual.

Kenlin (IA): BHS LOSO, good. Front aerial to beat jump, controlled and lovely. Switch to split, good. Nailed her dismount.

Hooten (MIN): Opens with a big full in, great landing. witch side + popa, good. FHS + front 1/1 + pike; Finishes with RO BHS double back – sky high double back. AND ITS A 10!!!

MINNESOTA JOINED THE 198 PARTY!! I am unwell. The end.

FINAL: Minnesota 198.025, Iowa 196.375

All Around: Ramler, 39.775
Vault: Hooten, 9.975
Bars: Ramler, 9.950
Beam: Ramler, 10
Floor: Hooten, 10.

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Live blog by Kalley Leer

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