We’ve got a Friday night Pac-12 showdown between two top 20 teams!
Arizona State has been quietly cruising this season, led by freshman Alex Theodorou and all-arorunder Hannah Scharf. The Sun Devils hit 196 in all but one meet thus far, including a huge 197.800 at home to upset UCLA. They’ve put up solid road numbers so far, but it’s nothing to write home about. This team may just be peaking at the right time, but tonight’s meet will be about showing they can replicate those 197 performances on the road. Arizona State needs at least a 196.125 to increase its NQS, though the Sun Devils will certainly hope for more.
Stanford is also having a solid season after missing most of 2021 due to COVID. It hasn’t been without its ups and downs, but the Cardinal have proven that the talent is there. Like Arizona State, Stanford also upset UCLA in Palo Alto, albeit by a smaller margin of just 0.050. The Cardinal hit a bump in the road last weekend at Oregon State—note that all-arounder Kyla Bryant did not compete last week due to the death of her grandmother. This is the first of two meets this weekend for Stanford and its final home meet of the season; it will honor its seniors after the meet before heading to Washington for a tri-meet with Utah State. Stanford looks to rebound tonight and get back into the 196s. The bigger chance to increase its NQS, however, won’t come until Sunday since Stanford is counting a 195.725 road score and doesn’t have a road score above 196.275.
The meet is being streamed on Stanford’s live stream and live stats are set to happen here. We can only hope the stats are functional.
Rotation 1: Stanford VT, ASU UB
Stanford vault lineup:
ASU bars lineup:
Chrobok (Stan): yfull, pretty clean, small hop. 9.9
Mangahas (ASU): my stream glitched…but looking solid so far. ftdt stuck. Nice finish! 9.85
Zeng (Stan): another solid yfull, legs glued but some pike down and a hop. 9.775
Reeves (ASU): good straddled jaeger connect to bail, stuck dlo. 9.875
They keep cutting really quick to bars and we are missing parts. I’m doing my best, folks!
Gutierrez (Stan): y1.5, some knees and a step back. 9.85
Theodorou (ASU): bail hs good; great next hs; dlo with a step forward. yeah, we definitely missed the beginning of that routine.
Neault (Stan): yfull on pike, hop back. 9.8
White (ASU): solid bail hs; good hs; dlo, looked like she missed her release point and underrotated it with a step.
Brunette (Stan): yfull, preflight leg sep and a good-sized hop back.
Scharf (ASU): Maloney to pak, good; hitting hs well; ftdt stuck!
Bryant (Stan): yfull, super clean in air, just a hop back, maybe a slight pike down.
Clark (ASU): great first hs; blind change straddled jaeger good; pak, slight leg sep; stuck dlo. Great way to close out the rotation!
AFTER 1: ASU 49.250, Stanford 49.200
Both teams should be happy with that start. Stanford will want to clean up those vault landings moving forward, but the return of Bryant meant a full lineup of six was back. What we saw of Arizona State looked good as well. The live stats are indeed not functional at the moment, so I’m relying on this stream’s commentary and Twitter to relay the scores. I’m doing my best.
Rotation 2: ASU VT, Stanford UB
ASU vault lineup:
Stanford bars lineup:
Jaslow (ASU): solid yfull. 9.9
Waguespack (Stan): Maloney to pak, good; nice hs; dlo small slide. Nice! 9.85
Reeves (ASU): tucked 1.5, slightly deep landing but is able to control it. 9.85
Lawson (Stan): Maloney to bail, slight leg sep on bail; nice pirouette that ends in vertical; double tuck small step. 9.825
White (ASU): yfull, not the most dynamic and lands with a slightly low chest, nearly stuck. 9.825
Brunette (Stan): deltchev, good; bail solid; dlo small hop. 9.775
Mangahas (ASU): yfull, flared out and nearly stuck. Better distance than White. 9.9
Neault (Stan): Maloney to pak, solid; finishes pirouette in vertical; blind full double tuck, hop back.
Scharf (ASU): um…I think we just completely missed this vault in favor of Stanford gymnasts standing?
Bryant (Stan): clean straddled tkatchev; nice next hs; pretty pak; double layout with a normal-sized hop followed by a little hop.
Theodorou (ASU): yhalf on tuck half, hop back. Nice way to end the rotation for ASU!
Widner (Stan): straddled tkatchev, good; solid next hs; bail hs, hit; blind full double back, small slide back.
Redmond (ASU, exh): clean yfull.
Micco (Stan, exh): gets to exhibition on her senior night! very short first hs; loses momentum and can’t complete blind half, and she’s off; picks it back up and completes it better, does a nice jaeger; rudi dismount, you don’t always see that in NCAA!
AFTER 2: ASU 98.550, Stanford 98.325
ASU brought its trademark vault lineup and hit it well. Stanford wasn’t perfect on bars, but it was a hit rotation and clean overall.
Rotation 3: Stanford BB, ASU FX
ASU floor lineup:
Stanford beam lineup:
Stephenson (Stan): bhs loso secure; she’s very calm and collected; split jump sheep jump, good; gainer layout stuck. That’s the start they wanted. 9.9
Jaslow (ASU): clean double pike; lay lay full, slightly underrotated and archy but pulls it around; solid leaps; double tuck, slightly low chest but a good landing overall.
Lawson (Stan): standing Arabian, a small foot adjustment; hits her leap combo; bhs loso, small foot adjustment; stuck gainer pike. 9.85
White (ASU): fhs double full, slightly short of rotation on the twist and as a result not the most controlled landing; nice, extended leaps; fhs front full front pike, better. 9.775
Navarro (Stan): she’s back! apparently she wasn’t cleared for a bit after initially starting the season; bhs bhs loso, she’s off and comes off; switch leap split jump straddle 1/4, solid; ro 1.5, tiny hop back. Definitely not her best.
Clark (ASU): double pike, sticks it before moving to a controlled lunge; back 1.5 to lay, good; switch ring switch half, good positions; nice double tuck to close.
Neault (Stan): bhs loso, secure; calm and steady so far; nice front aerial; switch ring beat jump, good extension; ro 1.5, small slide. Nice recovery after the fall before her. 9.925
Theodorou (ASU): full-in, overpowered and not the most controlled landing; ro 1.5 to lay, good. Definitely think we missed part of this routine? 9.85
Bryant (Stan): bhs loso, woah, her leg looked out to the side but she controls it so well; great splits on her leaps; big check on her front punch but doesn’t come off; double tuck, just a step back. Not her best, but it’s a hit. She could’ve easily fallen, but she came in clutch for this Stanford team.
Mangahas (ASU): full-in, better control than Theodorou before her; front punch through to double tuck, solid; hits her triple leap series. 9.925
Gutierrez (Stan): bhs loso, brings her leg out to the side to about horizontal on the landing. switch switch half, slightly slow connection, though she kept it moving; ro 1.5, hop forward. Not a perfect routine, but Stanford will avoid counting the fall.
Scharf (ASU): front tuck through to double tuck, well-controlled; fhs front lay front tuck, good; switch half wolf full, nice amplitude; large lunge out of her double pike. 9.925
Widner (Stan, exh): well, we just saw the end of it…Guess we don’t get to see the full routine.
Gutierrez (ASU, exh): opens with a back 2.5, solid; rudi, well-controlled; nice leaps; lay lay full, slightly underrotated and a step.
AFTER 3: ASU 147.950, Stanford 147.400
That beam rotation was an improvement from last week, but it’s still not an ideal beam performance from Stanford. Meanwhile on the floor, Arizona State put up a strong performance.
ICYMI, Stanford soccer goalie Katie Meyer tragically passed away this week and the gymnasts are honoring her with bows with her initials on it and Stanford Soccer t-shirts. They’re also donating money for every stick Stanford has tonight. Looks like ASU has her initials on their back too.
Rotation 4: ASU BB, Stanford FX
ASU beam lineup:
Stanford floor lineup:
Thompson (ASU): bhs bhs loso, solid; secure leaps; side aerial lay full, low chest but stuck. 9.9
Gutierrez (Stan): back 2.5 to punch front, good; tour jete half popa, beautiful extension; double pike, low chest and bounds back a bit – definitely not controlled. 9.775
Reeves (ASU): bhs bhs loso, small correction and some knees; switch leap split jump, secure; front aerial, small check; ro 1.5, some knees but nearly stuck. 9.8
Stonecipher (Stan): whip half rudi; leaps good; double tuck, slightly short and a deep landing. 9.775
Gutierrez (ASU): bhs loso, small check; rulfova, nice; fhs, secure; beat jump straddle 1/4, small check; ro 1.5, step forward. 9.85
Brunette (Stan): clean front lay rudi to open; hits her leaps; double tuck, secure landing. 9.9
White (ASU): bhs loso, secure; front aerial beat, good; split jump double stag, great extension on her split position; side aerial lay full stuck. 9.925
Hoang (Stan): nice dlo to open; great extension on her leaps; fhs front lay front full, slightly underrotated and a step back; solid double pike to close. 9.925
Clark (ASU): bhs loso, very pretty and well-controlled; good split positions and secure landing on leaps; front aerial, nice; ro 1.5 stuck. That’ll be a good score. 9.85
Lawson (Stan): ro 1.5 through to ro bhs double tuck, solid; hits her leaps well; double pike, good landing. 9.95, which is a career best.
Scharf (ASU): bhs loso, secure; side somi, solid; switch split, good; ro 1.5, sticks it but leans forward. 9.9
Bryant (Stan): full-in, overpowered and a bounce back – she did stay in bounds though, it appears; front punch through to double pike, much better landing – basically stuck; open double tuck, well-controlled. Biggest deduction was that first pass. 9.925
We just caught the end of an ASU beam exhibition. Not sure who it was.
FINAL: ASU 197.375, Stanford 196.875
It was overall a good meet for both teams, even with some score-happy floor judges. ASU’s beam was great—I didn’t realize the score was that high until I looked at the live stats (which were fixed halfway through the meet, because Stanford things); Stanford had a good performance on floor to close out the meet as well. Both teams will be happy to add these scores into their NQS. It’s ASU’s first road 197, and Stanford will be able to erase a 196.25 from its NQS—again, Stanford’s bigger chance for an NQS increase will come at its road meet this weekend.
Event Winners
VT: Mangahas, Jaslow (ASU), Chrobok (Stanford), 9.900
UB: Scharf, Reeves (ASU), 9.875
BB: White (ASU), Neault (Stanford), 9.925
FX: Lawson (Stanford), 9.950
AA: Scharf (ASU), 39.425
Live blog by Tara Graeve
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