It’s our first night of MRGC duals, as Boise State competes against BYU at the same time this meet between Utah State and Southern Utah is happening.
Both teams competed at Best of Utah last weekend and were separated by less than four tenths overall, with Southern Utah edging out Utah State 196.175 to 195.800.
Best of Utah marked Utah State’s season opener, and the Aggies performed quite well considering the changes the team underwent in the offseason. There’s still plenty of room for improvement, especially on vault, but a near-196 for this team to open the season is nothing to laugh at. All three transfers were in action—Jenna Eagles, Payton Gatzlaff and Alivia Ostendorf—and Sofi Sullivan once again dazzled on beam for the Aggies, posting a 9.900. There was one notable absence, though, as one of the team’s frequent bars competitors, Maia Fishwick, did not make an appearance last weekend for unknown reasons.
Southern Utah posted its highest score of the season so far in Week 2 and on the road. When NQS kicks in later this season, that will be a solid number to count. The Thunderbirds mostly returned to “normal” lineups after its double meet weekend. Karley McClain brought her full-in back on floor after watering down her routine for the first weekend’s second meet and took second in the all-around behind Utah’s Grace McCallum. The Thunderbird beam lineup also overcame a leadoff fall to hit five straight routines and close out the rotation strong.
USU lineups:
SUU is rocking a new leo tonight!
Rotation 1: SUU VT, USU UB
Vultaggio (SUU): yfull, clean in air, slight pike and a tiny hop forward. 9.725
Gutierrez (USU): good first hs; loses rhythm on her toe-on and comes off, woof. better this time to get the Maloney, solid bail hs; dlo, some leg sep and a hop in place. 9.175
Cacciola (SUU): stuck yfull, slightly low chest. 9.85
Bibbey (USU): fine first hs; straddled tkatchev, fine; arches over her next hs, tries to recover but has to come off and regroup, not an ideal start for the Aggies; fine hs; bail hs solid; fine final hs, some arm bend; dlo stuck. 9.15
Ka. McClain (SUU): yfull, very clean, small hop back. 9.825
Brooks (USU): nice first hs; ray, good; hit bail; dlo, leg sep but stick. Much much better. 9.875
Pardue (SUU): y1.5, some leg form and direction (in the lines) and a step forward. 9.85
Aragon (USU): hit first hs; another overarched hs and comes off…at least these are aggressive mistakes? good tkatchev; bail hs, slightly short; ftdt basically stuck. 9.25
Smith (SUU): yfull on pike, step back. solid. 9.775
Kirstine (USU): great first hs; Maloney to pak, nice; good final hs; double tuck, tiny slide back. It’s a hit! 9.8
Hartley (SUU): yfull, significant pike down and a large step back. 9.7
Evans (USU): great first hs; Maloney to pak, archy but hit; fine final hs; double tuck stuck. Nice finish. 9.725
After 1: SUU 49.025, USU 47.825
SUU with a solid vault rotation to open, just need to lock in the landings more as season goes on. Not an ideal start for USU on bars; it’ll want to put that in the rearview after a strong bars performance at Best of Utah.
Rotation 2: USU VT, SUU UB
Stuart (USU): yfull, some piking, hop back.
C. Kho (SUU): good first hs; Maloney to pak, hit; maybe slightly short last hs; stumbles a bit out of her ftdt, but stays on her feet. 9.625
Gatzlaff (USU): yfull, hop back, a little bit of premature twisting onto the table.
Schwartze (SUU): piked jaeger, always so pretty but she faceplants the time; great hs ups remount; bail hs good; late turn on blind full, double tuck small hop. Are these bars cursed today? 9.025
Ostendorf (USU): yfull, best we’ve seen from USU so far, some preflight leg sep and a hop.
Bentley (SUU): fine first hs; ray to bail, hit; short hs muscled up, dlo hop back. It’s a hit, but she can do that better. 9.75
Brooks (USU): yfull, not the most distance but clean in the air, some pike down.
Ka. McClain (SUU): good first hs; clear hip gienger, solid; bail hs nice; fine final hs, slight arm bend; dlo tiny hop. 9.85
Evans (USU): my stream froze and I missed this 🙁
Murakami (SUU): good first hs; BEAUTIFUL straddled jaeger to bail; great final hs; ftdt nearly stuck. I love her bars. That’s all. 9.925
Eagles (USU): first vault of the season, yfull with significant pike down and a tiny hop back.
Neff (SUU): good first hs; Maloney to bail, archy catch; solid final hs; late blind full into double tuck, small step. 9.8
After 2: SUU 97.975, USU 96.375
Not SUU’s best bars rotation, but the Thunderbirds avoid counting a fall. A lineup of hit vaults for USU, they’ll want to rein the landings in as well and creep closer to 49 than the mid 48s.
Rotation 3: SUU BB, USU FX
Murakami (SUU): bhs loso, small check; cat leap side aerial, check; kinda nervy so far; split sheep, better; stuck gainer full; not perfect, but a leadoff hit. 9.7
Peterson (USU): front lay Rudi into an arch jump thing, hit; ro double tuck, good landing — no bhs for her; I 100% missed her leaps. 9.8
Smith (SUU): ro loso, secure; leap pass, would like more split; ro 1.5, tiniest of steps forward. “she does that in her series so that’s why she can do it so well” um ok then. 9.8
Brooks (USU): front lay front double full, very chaotic twisting, short of rotation, and a step forward, she went oob; front lay lay full, some form but better landing; leaps shy of 180. 9.375 they REALLY nailed her for that first pass, as they should.
Vultaggio (SUU): bhs loso loso, comes off; switch split, good split positions; ro 1.5, tiny hop forward. 8.975
Stuart (USU): double pike, solid; whip half front full, good; switch ring switch half, good positions; short double tuck, but stays on her feet. 9.65
Cacciola (SUU): bhs loso, secure; beat jump loso, good; switch switch split, fine; ro 1.5 looked like a stick but they changed the camera angle on me mid landing. 9.925 – career high!
Ostendorf (USU): front lay rudi, some crossy legs but a good landing; wolf full switch side straddle jump good; double tuck, a tad short with a step forward. 9.8
Schwartze (SUU): bis loso, secure; beat jump loso beat jump, solid; split sheep, good; gainer full stuck. Great routine from her! 9.9
Toomey (USU): Rudi loso, nice, always love a good Rudi loso; fine leaps; front full front full, some leg form but fine landing. Lots of 2 pass routines for USU. 9.825
Ka. McClain (SUU): bhs loso, rock solid; switch split, good positions, secure landing; cat leap side aerial, good; split straddle 1/4, secure; ro 1.5, small slide forward. No, commentator, it was not stuck. 9.875
Evans (USU): fhs front lay rudi, solid landing; good split positions in her leaps; double tuck, slightly low chest with a step forward. Good way to end the rotation. 9.8
After 3: SUU 147.175, USU 145.250
A solid beam performance from SUU, and it avoids counting the fall. USU floor looks very early season, but hopefully the endurance comes down the line—it wasn’t a bad rotation by any means, either.
We’re told Scotty Bauman has taken over coaching beam for Southern Utah. Big step from not watching it at all in the past!
Rotation 4: USU BB, SUU FX
Eagles (USU): bhs loso, some knees, comes off; side aerial split jump, slightly tentative landing; switch split, fine; ro 1.5 almost stuck. 9.125
Vultaggio (SUU): good opening double pike; tour jete half popa, nice; ro 1.5 to lay across the side of the floor, solid; double tuck stuck to close. 9.875
Aragon (USU): switch split, good positions; bhs loso, hips are off and she can’t save it, USU will count a fall now; front toss to split jump, good; bhs 1.5, smallest of hops. 9.15
Cacciola (SUU): opening double tuck, well-controlled; front full front lay, good; switch ring switch half, nice positions; rudi to split jump, good landing. 9.85
Ostendorf (USU): bhs loso, small check but stays on; split jump tuck full, secure; front toss, slightly tentative; ro 1.5 small hop back. That’s a well-needed hit! 9.625
Smith (SUU): whip to double tuck, controlled landing; good positions in her leaps; rudi split jump, nice. 9.925
Brooks (USU): front aerial bhs swing down, nice; switch half split, small check; bhs gainer full, low chest but stuck. 9.775
Ka. McClain (SUU): full-in, STUCK. back 1.5 to layout, very well-done; switch half wolf full, good; double tuck, nice. 9.925
Sullivan (USU): switch leap back tuck, secure; I definitely missed something while being in awe of her beam; small slide on her dismount. 9.825
Schwartze (SUU): fhs double full, fine landing; switch tour jete half wolf full, good positions; fhs rudi loso, nice. 9.85
Kirstine (USU): bhs loso, solid; cat leap side somi, secure; good positions in her leaps; front gainer full, maybe a tiny foot slide. Ends the meet on a high note for the Aggies. 9.8
Gull (SUU): double pike, slightly large and slightly uncontrolled landing; back 1.5 to front punch, sits it; fine leaps; better double tuck, step forward.
FINAL: SUU 196.600, USU 193.425
That’s a well-earned season high for SUU. The Thunderbirds ended the meet with their highest event total of the night at 49.425, highlighted by McClain and her full-in. Utah State had a rocky start to the final rotation, but managed to hit four straight routines at the end of the lineup to only count one fall. Definitely a meet to forget for the Aggies, with lots of room for improvement.
Event Winners:
VT: Cacciola, Pardue (SUU) 9.850
UB: Murakami (SUU) 9.925
BB: Cacciola (SUU) 9.925
FX: Karley McClain (SUU) 9.925
AA: Karley McClain (SUU) 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
Like what you see? Consider donating to support our efforts throughout the year! [wpedon id=”13158″]
