It’s rivalry weekend (kind of) in NCAA gymnastics! This meet, gymnastics’ version of the Territorial Cup, is a fiercely-contested affair made even more exciting by the fact that these two teams are relatively close in ranking this year. Arizona State has won the last six editions of this dual meet, but this one is hardly a guarantee for the Sun Devils.
Arizona, three meets in, is still a bit of an unknown quantity: After a bars meltdown in an opening quad meet at Ohio State, the Wildcats have only competed at home in front of their notoriously stingy home judges. Arizona State, meanwhile, is closing out a three-meet homestand and should gain a substantial advantage from hosting this matchup. The peaks of these two teams, however, are not all that different, especially considering ASU’s apparently-significant injury load. The Sun Devils are still the favorite today, but we might learn some things about how these teams look as the season progresses.
Rotation 1: ASU VT, Arizona UB
Reeves (ASU): FTY, substantial pike and flexed feet, big hop back. 9.8 is high for that.
Deets (UA): Half turn to Tkachev, good, nice bail, tidy double layout with a hop in place. Nice! 9.75…
White (ASU): FTY, great form, big hop back and to one side outside of the lines. 9.75
McCabe (UA): Shy on first handstand, blind to pike Jaeger, soft elbows. Didn’t get the position emphatically on her bail, double layout with flexed feet but stuck. 9.775
Smith (ASU): One and a half, big leb split on the table and some feet, close to stuck. 9.95
Mueller (UA): Got the first handstand, huge Tkachev with feet a little flexed, doesn’t make her toe on and falls. Arching again, off again. Just going for the dismount, double lay. 7.85
Mangahas (ASU): Great FTY, splits her legs out a bit at the end and a medium hop back. 9.8
Linton (UA): Maloney, a little shapey, to Pak. Nice clean half pirouette, double layout with a little hop forward.
Theodorou (ASU): Half on tuck half off, flexed feet, hop in place. 9.9
Fears (UA): Tkachev, high and pretty, clear hip to bail is super precise. Really nice. DRILLED the double layout. Fantastic routine. 9.85 I feel scammed
Scharf (ASU): FTY, a little leg separation onto the table but nice and high, medium hop back. 9.85
LaRusso (UA): Blind to Jaeger, a little imprecise on the handstand positions but not short, bail just a little iffy and there was a missed a handstand, FTDB stuck.
After 1: Arizona State 49.300, Arizona 48.900
Good job for Arizona bouncing back after a disaster in the 2 spot and a nice steady vault rotation from the Sun Devils.
Rotation 2: Arizona VT, ASU UB
Herry (UA): Yurchenko full, piked down a little and has to hop forward. 9.675
Reeves (ASU): Blind to Jaeger to overshoot, foot form throughout, missed a handstand, DLO with very flexed feet but stuck. 9.575
Mueller (UA): Twisting on a little, piked throughout on her FTY with a hop to the side. 9.775, generous.
Samiley (ASU): Arched the first handstand, stalder to blind to Jaeger to overshoot very nice, keeps form through a very long combination. Double layout, stuck, looks a little surprised by it. 9.775
Nosek (UA): More open FTY than we’ve seen so far, leg split on the table, hop straight back. 9.8
Mangahas (ASU): Missed the first handstand, blind to piked Jaeger to overshoot pretty nice, not sure about that handstand, FTDB a little short with a hop-step forward. 9.575 they’re killing both teams on bars, I was wondering if it was partisanship last rotation but this is fair, just harsh.
Hargrove (UA): One and a half, STUCK. On her heels, but didn’t move a bit. 9.95
Scharf (ASU): Maloney to Pak, leg sep throughout, FTDB stuck dead. 9.875
Castles (UA): Nice FTY, fairly straight throughout, bounce in place.
White (ASU): Shy on the first handstand, nice clean van Leeuwen, half turn to bail, double lay with flexed feet stuck.
LaRusso (UA): Solid FTY, saw some leg separation there, medium bounce.
Clark (ASU): Blind to Jaeger, little bits of foot form, Pak super straddled and caught awkwardly high. Borderline cast handstand, double lay stuck. 9.875
After 2: Arizona State 98.275, Arizona 98.125
Evened out a bit in the second round thanks to some extremely stingy bars judges. Might come down to beam now.
Rotation 3: Arizona State BB, Arizona FX
Lee (ASU): BHS BHS LOSO, soft knees and a check. Split to sheep, nice and steady. One and a half twist, a little unsteady, quick cross step forward. 9.7
Orman (UA): Front lay to Rudi, little bit of leg form but landed well. Switch half Popa great. Double pike a little bouncy. Solid start. 9.8
Harper (ASU): Kickover front BHS, nice, full turn. Cat leap switch half, short of split with poor toe point, BHS gainer full… close enough to stuck. 9.9
Larusso (UA): Front double full, a little leg form. Cat leap switch side Popa is nicely rotated. One and a half front lay, steps out quickly, Rudi a little overrotated with a longer lunge. 9.85
Reeves (ASU): BHS BHS LOSO, lots of leg form and a lean. Switch split, iffy split positions, front aerial with foot form, one and a half twist with soft knees but stuck. 9.8
Mueller (UA): Double pike overrotated with an extra step back. One and a half front lay, nice and steady. Clean double back to finish. 9.775
Clark (ASU): Full turn, check, BHS LOSO with soft knees and a check. Split, double stag, lean. Front aerial, lean. Getting through but not really on her game today. One and a half twist with a step forward. 9.75
Deets (UA): Split ring 1/1, relatively good for what that leap is, front lay front full solid. Tour jete half Popa. Double back, tiny front foot shuffle that she disguised as turning out and may have gotten away with it. Nice one. 9.725 I’m confused… did they not credit the ring leap or something?
White (ASU): BHS LOSO, nice and clean. Front aerial to beat. Split to double stag, great, BHS one and a half with a tiny step. 9.925
Hargrove (UA): Full in, a little overrotated, just drags the front toes back an inch. Whip half front full, steps out quickly but no extra steps. Switch ring tour jete half, shuffle, not sure about that ring leap. Double back, nice and clean. 9.85
Scharf (ASU): Double wolf, steady, BHS LOSO, knees slightly soft and a lean. Side somi great. Switch split good. One and a half twist short with a large-ish cross step back. 9.8 Looks like she slipped as she came off the beam there.
Herry (ASU): Double tuck, two steps back, stayed in bounds, nice switch half Popa. Great one and a half front lay, nailed the double pike to finish. 9.75
After 3: Arizona State 147.450, Arizona 147.150
Two good but not perfect rotations: Both teams had a few more tenths in the bank here. Arizona beam and ASU floor can both be great, so we’ve got a lot to look forward to here.
Rotation 4: Arizona BB, ASU FX
Fears (UA): BHS LOSO, check with an arm swing, hangs on. Full turn, hitch kick side aerial, beat double stag. One and a half twist, hop forward. 9.725
Lee (ASU): Front double full, underrotated and stepped around. Front full front lay, solid, nice Rudi to finish. 9.8
Herry (UA): Full turn, BHS LOSO very steady, side somi. SO far so good. Split to straddle half good, one and a half twist with a baby hop forward. 9.8
Clark (ASU): Great double pike. Nice combo pass, switch ring switch half clean, solid double back with a little shuffle. Really nice. 9.875
Deets (UA): Nailed the BHS LOSO, full turn a little awkward, hitch kick switch side steady, cat leap kickover front, looking good. Gainer full stuck. 9.875
Jaslow (ASU): Double pike very slightly awkward, switch side Popa. Front lay front full comes in a little sideways, might hit her on amplitude there, double back shuffley. 9.9…
Mueller (UA): Side aerial LOSO, a little knee form but super solid. Switch to straddle is good. One and a half twist with a little hop back. 9.85
White (ASU): Front double twist, one and a half front lay, switch ring switch half with sketchy positions. Great landings so far. Front full front lay and sits it.
Castles (UA): Tictoc very nice, BHS LOSO, switch to split, clean so far. Front aerial to sissone, a little off but keeps it moving. Triple wolf has the commentators pretty much floored, stuck dismount. 9.9
Mangahas (ASU): Totally nailed the full in, so satisfying. Front through double back. Not a lot to take here. 9.9
Linton (UA): Double wolf, nice, triple series fabulous, switch split beat… maybe a touch slow in the middle there but kept her arms moving. Gainer full stuck. Really nice.
Scharf (ASU): Needs a 9.55 to tie, I believe. Front through double back, overrotated with a shuffle back. Nice front full front tuck. Double pike, major rebound back, like a yard, but stays in bounds. 9.875 HAHAH ok.
FINAL: Arizona State 196.800, Arizona 196.475
Nice meet, judges only a little silly. Probably should have been a little closer than it was, but what can you do. That’s a season high for both teams, which is awesome, but extra awesome for Arizona to do it on the road. This’ll pay majorly when NQS season comes around.
VT: Anaya Smith, Malia Hargrove 9.950
UB: Emily White, Sarah Clark, Hannah Scharf 9.875
BB: Emily White 9.925
FX: Jordyn Jaslow, Jada Mangahas 9.9
AA: Hannah Scharf 39.400
READ THIS NEXT: Judge’s Inquiry: Comparing Yurchenko Fulls Across the Country
Live blog by Rebecca Scally
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Bars scoring definitely seemed harsh for the first several girls on both teams then towards the end it’s like the judges realized oh maybe we were being too harsh. Judges need to be more consistent especially when other teams get gifted high scores for worse routines.