Happy Monday and end to the first weekend of the college gymnastics season!
Tonight we have an interesting matchup between New Hampshire and Southern Utah.
After competing at the Super 16 challenge in Las Vegas earlier this weekend, Southern Utah returns home to host the Wildcats. The Thunderbirds placed first overall in their session, led by Karley McClain’s return to the all around and Trista Goodman’s 9.9 collegiate debut on bars. New Hampshire returns key seniors Kylie Gorgenyi and Kenadi Brown. Senior Robyn Kelley is also expected to return for the Wildcats after missing last season with a torn Achilles. Freshmen poised to make an impact include Serena Mullin and Leah Moreno; both showed multiple events at the team’s December intrasquad. The Wildcats are particularly strong on beam and typically show fun floor music and choreography.
Live stats can be found here!
Rotation 1:
Vultaggio (SUU): yfull, pretty clean in the air and nearly stuck. Commentators are doing a good job explaining the new vault landing deductions. 9.8
Whitehead (UNH): almost over on first hs, pulls it in. hits gienger; bail hs good; nice final hs. ftdt, very low chest and a step. A hit, but they’ll want to drop that. 9.5
Cacciola (SUU): another yfull, more distance than Vultaggio, just a step again. 9.8
Brown (UNH): great first hs; clear hip bail hs, solid; markelov, nice; blind full double tuck, unfortunately puts her knees down. What a shame — that was a great routine until that point! 9.125
Ka. McClain (SUU): yfull, clean but less distance than Cacciola and a STICK. ICYMI: her younger sister Kennedi is a freshman at SUU this year! 9.825
Moreno (UNH): her collegiate debut; Maloney to bail, the slightest leg sep on the Maloney; last hs slightly short but probably in the range; blind full double tuck, small step. Gets the Wildcats back on track.
Smith (SUU): yfull on tuck, the tiniest of steps. 9.825
Graver (UNH): missed her Shaposh, UNH now counting a fall…not an ideal start. nails it this time, but the pak is wonky. good chance she touched the ground, significant knee bend at the very least. fine double tuck.
Pardue (SUU): y1.5, some knees and a good-sized step. 9.775
Beaulieu (UNH): short first hs, straddled jaeger good; good last hs; tiny hop on double tuck. 9.25, I must have missed something.
Hartley (SUU): yfull, slight pike down, big bounce with a step. 9.65
Gorgenyi (UNH): great first hs; Maloney to bail, excellent’ nails final hs; ftdt, tiniest of hops. Easily the best bar routine so far. 9.85
After 1: SUU 49.025, UNH 47.450
A solid start for Southern Utah with just over a 49 on vault. It definitely looked like a early-season vault lineup in terms of landings, but the foundation is there. New Hampshire will look to put a subpar bars performance behind it for the rest of the meet; Gorgenyi was the clear highlight.
Rotation 2:
Moreno (UNH): yfull, clean in air but some pike down and does hop out of the vault line. 9.7
C. Kho (SUU): misses the catch on her Maloney. repeats and catches this time, connects directly to a solid pak. late turn on her low bar pirouette. Solid ftdt to close. Not the leadoff SUU wanted. 9.225
Mullin (UNH): yfull, good distance and a small hop. Looked clean in air but we got wonky camera work. 9.8
Schwartze (SUU): pretty piked jaeger; hits bail hs; nails final hs; blind full double tuck, the tiniest of hops and the slightest forward chest. Gets SUU back on track. 9.725
Mowers (UNH): late lineup change. yhalf, pretty clean in air, tiny step back. 9.725
Ka. McClain (SUU): good first hs; clear hp gienger, nice; good bail hs; hit final hs; dlo, tiny slide back and great in air. I think she’s back, guys. 9.9
Beaulieu (UNH): yfull, pretty short with pike down and a step forward. 9.6
Goodman (SUU): she anchored last meet…great piked jaeger; beautiful next hs direct to pak, lovely; nice final hs; double tuck, step back. Great routine for the freshman. 9.825
Kelley (UNH): solid joyful, some pike down and a chest forward. 9.6
Stufflebeam (SUU): she lives! fine first hs; straddled jaeger, good; hit bail; dlo, some leg sep but fine landing. 9.725
Gorgenyi (UNH): yfull, best of the UNH fulls, great body position and just a hop back. 9.85
Neff (SUU): great first hs; Maloney, leg sep on the backswing to bail hs, good; pulls the blind full around and a stuck double tuck. 9.85
After 2: SUU 98.050, UNH 96.125
No Murakami in bars tonight, and a slightly different lineup for SUU in general. Not reading too much into it, though, with the double meet weekend and a fairly large roster to begin with. The Thunderbirds rebounded nicely from a leadoff fall, and New Hampshire hit six vaults after a rough opening bars performance.
Rotation 3:
K. Kho (SUU): bhs layout, rock solid, some pike in the layout; secure leap combo, would like more split though; split hop loso, solid; gainer pike stuck. Exactly what you want in a beam leadoff. 9.825
Biette (UNH): fhs double full, nice; ro 1.5 to lay, pulls the landing around; good split and rotation on her leaps; fhs rudi, some leg form and an iffy landing. 9.575
Smith (SUU): ro loso, tiny check; leap combo, solid; ro 1.5 stuck. Another hit routine! 9.825
Himes (UNH): lay rudi, both feet go OOB. switch half popa, fine but could be better; double tuck, slightly large lunge. 9.35
Vultaggio (SUU): bis loso loso, pretty off and can’t save it – comes off; solid leaps; tiny check on full turn; ro 1.5, small step. SUU will want to put that in the rearview mirror. 9.025
Gorgenyi (UNH): great double pike; fhs lay lay full, misses her feet and can’t bring it around. fhs rudi, looked like she almost missed her foot there too and was able to bring it around. 8.5
Cacciola (SUU): bhs loso, secure; beat jump loso, the tiniest shoulder correction; switch switch split, good positions; ro 1.5 tiny step back. Better! 9.825
Brown (UNH): ro 1.5 lay full, little unsure on the landing but brings it around ok. my feed buffered, apologies if I missed something; her leaps looked good from what I saw; Her routines are always so fun, and if I remember right she helped choreograph it! Good rudi to close. 9.7
Schwartze (SUU): nice bhs loso; beat standing loso beat jump, solid; split sheep, secure; gainer full stuck. 9.8
Worthington (UNH): fhs front lay front full straddle, nice; music starts with seven rings/my favorite things, whatever you choose to call it; fhs rudi split, solid; nice switch side popa. One of the highlights of this floor rotation. 9.775
Ka. McClain (SUU): bhs loso, rock solid; switch split, nice landing and positions; cat leap side aerial, good; split straddle 1/4, small check; ro 1.5 stuck. Again, SHE’S BAAAACK. 9.85
Beaulieu (UNH): nice opening double tuck; front lay front full, not the best landing but stays in bounds; solid leaps; some fun choreo happening; rudi split, good. 9.825
After 3: SUU 147.175, UNH 144.450
SUU overcame a fall on beam to not count a score below a 9.8. Murakami again was absent, but I’m chalking it up to double meet things. New Hampshire left a lot to be desired on floor, but the back half of the lineup was decent.
Rotation 4:
Bauman (UNH): “no relation to Scotty Bauman” – this commentator man. fhs bhs, keeps arms moving but a pretty slow connection otherwise; cat leap front toss, secure; switch sheep beat, good landing, sheep position could be better; gainer full, nearly stuck. Strong leadoff routine. 9.725
Schwartze (SUU): fhs double full, step to the side; good split positions; closes with a fhs rudi loso, nice. 9.6
Gorgenyi (UNH): looking to bounce back from floor; bhs loso, rock solid; side aerial, hit; straddle straddle 3/4, small check; gainer tuck full off the end of the beam, small step. 9.575
Cacciola (SUU): double tuck, potentially a tad short, step forward; front full front lay, better landing; good split positions in her leaps; rudi split jump, a touch uncontrolled. 9.725
We’re told they’re “resting several gymnasts,” including Murakami.
Beaulieu (UNH): front toss bhs, secure; cat leap switch side, great positions; ro 1.5, squatty landing and a tiny hop back. 9,7
Vultaggio (SUU): double pike, clean with a great landing; great split positions in her leaps; side tumbling pass! back 1.5 to lay I think? Was distracted by the coolness! good closing double tuck. Another good routine for SUU. 9.825
Mullin (UNH): bhs loso, ever so slightly off but can’t save it and comes off; UNH is counting Gorgenyi’s 9.575 now. Front toss to beat, secure; bhs lay 1.5, nearly stuck. 9.2
Ingrassia (SUU): front punch through to double pike, slightly under rotated; triple leap combo, good positions; this is a really fun rock music medley. double tuck, overrotated with a large step back. 9.725
Worthington (UNH): if you’ve never watched her beam, please do. side aerial bhs, lovely; Y-hold to relive, gorgeous; cat leap switch half, tiny check; gainer pike, stuck. Not entirely her best, but definitely a good routine. 9.725
Ka. McClain (SUU): we’ll see if she does the full-in again like at Super 16; just a double pike today, but a good one, reasonable decision there with the double meet; back 1.5 to lay, great; leaps good; nice double tuck to close. Signature Karley McClain. 9.9
Kelley (UNH): bhs loso loso, great; switch leap beat jump, good; front toss, small check; bhs lay full, basically stuck. 9.75
Gull (SUU): solid opening double pike; ro 1.5 to lay, secure; fine leaps, wolf full slightly underrotated; double tuck stuck but chest slightly low. 9.75
FINAL: SUU 196.100, UNH 192.875
Definitely not the meet New Hampshire wanted, but it did at least slightly recover after the disastrous bar rotation. Lots to improve on there, especially with Gorgenyi’s uncharacteristic mistake on floor. Meanwhile, Southern Utah put up another 196 in its home opener while resting certain gymnasts that have been staples in its lineups in the past. Definitely a meet the Thunderbirds will accept and want to improve on.
Event Winners:
VT: Gorgenyi 9.850
UB: Karley McClain 9.900
BB: Karley McClain 9.850
FX: Karley McClain 9.900
AA: Karley McClain 39.475
READ THIS NEXT: Sisters Karley and Kennedi McClain Share Close Bond, Look Forward to Competing Together at Southern Utah in 2023
Live blog by Tara Graeve
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