Kooky inter-conference quad meets like this one are one of the great joys of the first weeks of the season. Brand-new team Greenville has the privilege of opening its story at a Power 5 school, as well as one of the prettiest arenas to host gymnastics in the whole country. This is a small and inexperienced squad that will have to give its all to fill linups in this inaugural season, but it’s so exciting to see Division III gymnastics expand to the Midwest.
Arizona might look like an underdog here, but crazier things have happened—remember when the Wildcats almost upset LSU in the first week of 2020? This is a steady and balanced squad that ended 2022 on a great note and graduated just one routine, so don’t count it out.
Kentucky is the favorite to come away with a win today, but one freshman has already sustained a season-ending injury, and we’re not sure exactly how the others will fit into lineups yet. Will there be surprises, or will Kentucky’s routine distribution skew toward upperclassmen in 2023?
Ohio State is within reach of pulling off an upset over the Wildcats, but far enough below in the rankings that it won’t be a disappointment if it doesn’t happen. Mostly, what we’re looking for from the Buckeyes is strong starts from their great upperclassmen. Payton Harris, a former five-star recruit, looks ready to go and could compete three or even four events from the jump. Sophomore Tory Vetter made a splash in her first meet last year, scoring a 9.900 on beam, but then immediately became injured, so her return today is very highly anticipated.
Oh wow, Coveli is PACKED.
Rotation 1: Ohio State VT, Kentucky UB, Arizona BB, Greenville FX
Good FTY from a Buckeye, we’re zoomed out in the full arena view so I can’t tell who. Oh, Riccardi! Cool.
Malas (tOSU): Oh, nice. Smidge of pike on her FTY but stuck. 9.8 boooo.
Jennings (tOSU): Super straight FTY and held the landing for a second but her weight was forward, stepped forward to salute. 9.85
Harris (tOSU): One and a half, smidge of leg separation at the end and a little side step. Great great start for the freshman. 9.875
Hlavach (tOSU): Full on pike off pretty! Hop back. 9.8
Edwards (tOSU): Essentially perfect FTY and stuck. 9.95! JK they changed it to 9.925 we’ve been scammed. Bamboozled.
Worley (UK): Just getting the tail end here, FTDB with a big hop back.
Deets (UA): Ferrari… kind of? Front lay front full, knees a little soft but landed well. Double tuck a smidge overrotated. Got a 9.65 to drop and that’ll be healthily above.
Carter (GU): BHS LOSO, clean in the air but big-ish check. Switch to split 3/4 with major split issues and a fall. Gets back up and sticks her front gainer full off the end, good for her.
Hargrove (UA): Rocked the full in. Whip half front full super controlled. Switch ring tour jete half, little shuffle is honestly the first deduction I’ve seen, great double back just a smidge overrotated. Nice!
Nelson (GU): BHS LOSO, leg up check, side aerial to split jump really nice. Full turn. Switch to split 3/4, a bit short, one and a half dismount stuck. Nice!! 9.45 which means probably 9.65 without the check. Real potential on this one.
Herry (UA): STUCK the double back. Switch full to Popa is great. One and a half front lay, lunges out which I always love in front passes. Nailed the double pike. This was a great one. 9.825…? I don’t buy it.
Arizona ex: They didn’t announce who this is, my best guess is Emma Strom but if I’m wrong I’m SORRY. Double pike, bounce out of bounds. Nice twisting work.
After 1: Ohio State 49.250, Arizona 49.125, Kentucky 49.025, Greenville 46.025
Great, great, great start from the Buckeyes. We’re going to get all their routines before we see anybody else, but this is BTN+, we shouldn’t have expected anything different. I am curious what happened to get Shealyn Luksik to get a 8.3, hoping she’s good.
Welcome, Greenville! Some jitters in that beam rotation, duh, but some real potential too. Happy to have them here.
Rotation 2: Arizona VT, Ohio State UB, Kentucky BB, Greenville FX
Pritchard (tOSU): Toe on to Gienger to overshoot, just a smidge of leg sep on the GIenger catch, full turn to double back with a tiny step. 9.775
Harris (tOSU): Ray, toe on to bail with a little toe flicker, full turn… arches and falls off. Oopsie. Full turn made, double back… I think that was stuck, coach in the way. 9.275
Edwards (tOSU): Nice to have a veteran to follow. Toe on to Maloney to Pak, SO MUCH AIR. A smidge late on the low bar handstand, giant full double back with a hop back. 9.85
Vetter (tOSU): Full turn to Tkachev MASSIVE. Great bail, FTDB stuck. WOW WOW WOW. Her third career college routine. 9.85 I thought it could have been higher.
Riccardi (tOSU): Lovely Ray, shy on a handstand, pretty Pak. The cast handstands aren’t there. Toe on double back, hop back. 9.825
Miller (tOSU): Maloney to bail, clean, hop back on the double layout. Great. Fall dropped, no problem. 9.875
Patterson (UK): Joining partway. Hitch kick switch side, gainer pike wayy short and a big step forward. 9.25, something must have happened earlier that we missed.
Hankins in the ex for Ohio State. Blind to Jaeger, a bit of form on the blind, Pak to switch kip good, double layout underrotated with a hop forward.
Worley (UK): Cat leap switch side pretty. Front aerial BHS LOSO immaculate. One and a half twist, stuck back. Great great routine. 9.9.
Miller (GU): Front lay front lay pretty good, double tuck straight from round off short, big step forward.
Magnelli (UK): Medium check on acro series, switch straddle quarter is nice. Stuck the gainer pike. 9.875, we gonna pretend we didn’t see that 0.2 wobble? Sure.
Nelson(?) (GU): Rudi comes in WAY short, switch side Popa pretty nice. Front lay front full OWW, falls sort of onto the side of her leg. Looks fine.
Gilmer (GU): Double pike, lands directly on her hands. Switch leap split full, front full front lay is good, double back rebounds out of bounds onto her butt.
Jones (?) (GU): Double tuck a smidge overrotated. Front full front pike is great, switch ring switch side, this is going great. One and a half front tuck, not sure she timed that exactly how she wanted to but it landed feet first so who honestly cares. Nice!!
After 2: Ohio State 98.425, Kentucky 98.200, Arizona 98.025, Greenville 92.250
Suuuper intriguing. Kentucky should be pretty comfortable on the leg events, while Arizona never exactly loves vault and got through it fine. Ohio State is a good beam team but beam is still beam. Enjoyed getting a look at Greenville floor. This is already looking like a pretty respectable score for a DIII team in Week 1, but a little more conditioning could go a long way on floor.
Rotation 3: Greenville VT, Arizona UB, Ohio State BB, Kentucky FX
Zaza Brovedani off on her Maloney. Directly connected to front tuck dismount, oopsie.
Oliveros (tOSU): Pretty press work in her mount. Clean series, Cat leap to switch half to beat, side aerial, gainer pike with a step back. 9.775
Procasky (UK): Great double pike, that’s all we saw. Sounds good, though. 9.825
Hankins (tOSU): Full turn, BHS LOSO super clean, kickover front. Switch to split quarter, stuck double full dismount. GREAT. 9.85
Harris (tOSU): Switch to straddle quarter nice and tidy, front aerial back tuck is dead on. So steady. Double full dismount with a step. 9.9
Magnelli (UK): Joining halfway again, switch side Popa great, double pike a smidge low but works through it. I think we’re just going to be seeing Kentucky last passes. 9.825
Jennings (tOSU): BHS side aerial steady. That series always scares me, but not her. Split to straddle half. Gainer full, hop back. 9.575… not sure exactly what happened there.
Patterson (UK): Front full front lay, mistimed but got it to her feet, just made me gasp a little. Switch ring half… that’s a trendy leap now and most of them are bad but hers is okay. Switch ring switch side, pretty. Nice high double back. 9.875!
Pritchard (tOSU): Hitch kick side aerial, aggressive. BHS LOSO, no question. Switch straddle quarter, positions not great but okay, one and a half twist with a hop forward. 9.8
Hodges (tOSU): Nice extension on her leaps, BHS LOSO steady. Standing LOSO and off. One and a half twist stuck. Bummer, could have been a huge rotation score if that Jennings 9.575 could have come off.
Worley (UK): Came in for her leaps, front full front lay is great. Double tuck, a little bouncy. 9.925
After 3: Kentucky 147.475, Ohio State 147.325, Arizona 145.775, Greenville 139.925
Bars disaster for Arizona unfortunately, three falls. Just a 48.9 on beam drops Ohio State back behind UK, but there’s still a chance if home floor catches fire. Could go either way.
Rotation 4: Kentucky VT, Greenville UB, Arizona BB, Ohio State FX
Gonzalez (tOSU): Great double pike, front lay front full and runs out of it but disguises it as dance. We’ll see if the judges buy that. One and a half front lay, layout a little low but fine. 9.8
Patterson (UK): Front pike 1/2 really nice, medium hop back. 9.825
Vetter (tOSU): Double tuck, overpowers and scoots back, heel just stays in bounds. Tour jete half Popa Popa great. Front lay to Rudi, a liiiittle shapey but landed very nicely. 9.85
Worley (UK): One and a half, weirdly kind of underrotated, landed sort of sideways. Hops forward fine but that’s unlike her. 9.825
Harris (tOSU): Double pike, a little overrotated. Switch side Popa also overrotated but clean. Front double full to sissone, little leg form, front lay front full stuck-ish. 9.9
Gagliardi (tOSU): Rudi to double stag jump, a little chaotic in the air but stuck. Double pike super clean. Wow, one of her absolute best and with a 9.9 at her back that could go high.
Sorry Malia Hargrove I tried to write about your lovely beam routine but we kept going in and out to cover Claire Gagliardi 9.95 Mania. It was a GREAT beam routine.
Edwards (tOSU): Double pike is so damn high. Out of bounds on the second pass, leaps gorgeous, double tuck a little awkward.
Hankins (tOSU): Full in is deep and crunchy but chest up and lunges fine. Front lay front full lovely, precisely rotation on the leaps, stumble out of double tuck but stays in bounds.
FINAL: Ohio State 196.775, Kentucky 196.575, Arizona 194.950, Greenville 181.425
WOW WOW WOW what a result for the Buckeyes. Once again I’m going to steal analysis from my own Twitter to save typing.
Kentucky was fine today. Some work to do on landings, some early season jitters, but nothing to sweat about. Arizona had a great meet except bars. Greenville had some bars pain toward the end of the meet as well, but making it over 180 as a DIII team in week one is a good result no matter how many gymnasts are on your team, and Greenville has a lot less than most teams. It’ll rank above at least three pre-existing teams in the opening rankings.
VT: Lexi Edwards 9.925
UB: Colby Miller, Kaitlin DeGuzman 9.875
BB: Payton Harris, Raena Worley, Malia Hargrove, Emily Mueller 9.900
FX: Claire Gagliardi 9.950
AA: Raena Worley 39.450
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Live blog by Rebecca Scally
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