Today we’re looking at a top ten matchup in Magness Arena! It’s the first Big 12 matchup for either of these teams, and it’s a big one. Oklahoma is ranked first in the country, and Denver is ranked ninth. Denver will really have to bring its A-game if it wants to come out on top of the number-one-ranked Sooners.
Denver is coming off of a streak of road meets. At Oregon State last weekend, the Pioneers took second place to the Beavers with a 196.725. Denver has proven to be slightly inconsistent on the beam: it can either be super solid or have a fair amount of wobbles. If the Pioneers can get back in the zone and cut out the balance checks, their beam lineup has potential to boost their overall score.
The Sooners tied their highest score of the season last week with a 197.925. Their vaults looked stellar, and they looked extremely confident considering it was only week three. If Oklahoma hits its routines like it did last week, it’ll be really tough for Denver to challenge for first place.
Rotation 1: Denver VT, Oklahoma UB
Brusch (DU): Nice Yurchenko full, good height but hops backwards. 9.8
Sievers (OU): Starts with a Shaposh to the high bar connects to a beautiful Pak. Great pirouette, little short on the last handstand. Sticks the full in dismount! 9.9
B Mabanta (DU): Yurchenko full, very straight body position, takes a small hop on the landing. 9.85
Torrez (OU): Shaposh connected to a Pak, very slight foot separation. Great last handstand, double layout dismount with maybe the tiniest hop in place. 9.875
Casali (DU): Yurchenko 1.5, she got great distance but took a pretty big hop forwards. 9.8
LeVasseur (OU): Starts on the high bar, nice Tkatchev. Shootover down to the low bar, little short of handstand. Hits the last handstand, double layout dismount with a small step and her chest is pretty low. 9.825
Hutchinson (DU): Yurchenko 1.5, I couldn’t totally see the landing but it was pretty good, definitely no big hops. 9.85
Smith (OU): Starts on the high bar with a Ray. Nice Pak down to the low bar, she’s hitting all these handstands. Double layout dismount, she took it out a little far but she stuck it. 9.925
Mundell (DU): Yurchenko 1.5, nice form in the air and took a tiny hop forwards. 9.875
Bowers (OU): Jumps over the low bar to mount, nice first handstand. Huge Jaeger. Nice Pak, very nice form, really good pirouette on the low bar. Hits the last handstand and finishes with a full in with a tiny hop backwards. Great routine! 9.95
Brown (DU): Yurchenko 1.5 with some steps forward, but great form in the air. Great to see her vault again! 9.9
Davis (OU): Jumps over the low bar to start, sky high piked Jaeger as usual. Pretty Pak down to low into a great pirouette. Gorgeous last handstand. Sticks her double front half dismount! Maybe she’ll finally get that 10! Nope, it’s a 9.975.
After 1: Oklahoma 49.625, Denver 49.275
It was a great rotation for both teams. Denver showed some amplitude on its vaults but had some hops on the landings. Oklahoma had a gorgeous bar lineup as usual. Its handstands were right on top of the bar and they gave away very few deductions.
Rotation 2: Oklahoma VT, Denver UB
Sievers (OU): Yurchenko 1.5, great form in the air but a small step forwards. 9.875
Ruiz (DU): Starts with a blind full into a Tkatchev. Nice shootover to the low bar. Hits that last handstand and finishes with a double layout with maybe the tiniest hop in place. 9.85
Torrez (OU): Another Yurchenko 1.5, it was hard to see the landing on that one but the team seemed pretty excited about it. 9.85
Rorich (DU): Starts on the high bar with a blind into a nice Jaeger. Good shootover. Great last handstand then stuck the double layout dismount. What an awesome debut! 9.9
Stern (OU): Yurchenko 1.5 with a decent sized step forward. Great form in the air though. 9.85
Casali (DU): Nice Shaposh connected to a shootover. Holds that last handstand and does a double layout. Takes a hop backwards on the landing. 9.825
Bowers (OU): Beautiful Yurchenko 1.5 with a small hop forwards. 9.9
Brown (DU): Shaposh to Pak combination to start. Nice Van Leeuwen back up to the high bar. Sticks the double layout dismount! Some foot separations throughout the releases, but overall a good routine. 9.875
LeVasseur (OU): Yurchenko 1.5, I couldn’t see all the way but I think she stuck it. The team is super excited! 9.975
Hutchinson (DU): Starts with a beautiful Shaposh to Pak combination. Van Leeuwen back up to the high bar, a little short on the last handstand. Sticks the double layout dismount. 9.9
Davis (OU): Another (I think) stuck Yurchenko 1.5! 9.95
Mundell (DU): Starts on the high bar with with a good handstand and then a nice Tkatchev. Good shootover right to handstand. She’s hitting all these handstands. Takes a hop back on the double layout dismount. 9.875
After 2: Oklahoma 99.175, Denver 98.675
Oklahoma was flying on vault! All of the vaults from the Sooners had beautiful form in the air, and they even had some sticks at the end of the lineup. As for Denver, the handstands were almost always there, but it could get a few extra tenths back by sticking all of its landings. Overall, an awesome rotation for everyone!
Rotation 3: Denver BB, Oklahoma FX
Brown (DU): Starts with a nice front toss to back handspring series. Switch leap to split jump, nice position in the air. Front aerial to wolf jump, very solid. Dismounts with a side gainer full. Really great leadoff routine! 9.9
Johnson (OU): First pass is a front layout to Rudi, very nice control. Switch half to wolf full was nice. Finishes with a double tuck with another controlled landing.
Iwai (DU): Switch leap to straddle quarter to start out. Flic lay series, I think it was supposed to be a flic lay lay but she fell on the first layout. Side aerial with a pretty big wobble and I think was supposed to be connected to a split jump. Finishes with a cartwheel gainer full dismount. 8.85
Smith (OU): Starts with a double tuck and slides out of bounds. Next is a back 1.5 to front layout, much better control on that landing. Switch side to wolf full, great straddle position. Nice double pike to finish. 9.675
Thompson (DU): Side aerial to back handspring series, very solid landing. Switch leap switch leap, maybe a little short of 180. Side aerial to 1.5 dismount to finish it off, and she fights for that stick! Good routine to follow up a fall! 9.85
Sievers (OU): Starts off with a full in, nice form and a controlled landing. Next pass is a front tuck through to a double tuck, again a very controlled landing. Switch side to Popa. Very clean routine! 9.9
B. Mabanta (DU): Starts with a nice wolf turn. Gorgeous flic lay series with no wobbles. Split leap to switch half with a tiny wobble but great form. Switch leap to split jump. Finishes with a gainer pike and fights for the stick. 9.825
Fletcher (OU): Solid triple full to start out, nice form and a great landing! Next pass is a front layout front full, also very nice. Switch half to Popa was good. Finishes with a 2.5, again a very controlled landing, very impressive! 9.875
Mundell (DU): Starts with a flic lay with a tiny wobble. Gorgeous full turn. Super solid switch leap to switch half, sometimes that gives her trouble but she nailed it today. Roundoff 1.5 dismount with a tiny hop backwards. 9.85
Bowers (OU): Starts with a really high double pike, good landing. Front double twist to front tuck, slightly less controlled landing but shouldn’t be a huge deduction. Switch half to wolf full at the very end was nice. 9.95
Hutchinson (DU): Front toss to back handspring series, very solid. Gorgeous switch leap to split jump. Super solid piked front toss and then a super solid full turn. Finishes with a cartwheel to side gainer full and sticks it. Wow. That was the definition of no wobbles. 9.925. I know this sounds crazy but I don’t know how one of the judges found a full tenth to take off.
Torrez (OU): Nice double layout, maybe a little bit too much power but she covers it up. Tour jete half to wolf full. Front tuck through to a double tuck. Nice routine! 9.925
After 3: Oklahoma 148.7, Denver 148.025
Denver did a great job of rallying back after a fall from Momoko Iwai in the second spot. Similar to bars, the Pioneers could earn some extra tenths back by sticking those landings. Oklahoma showed off some great floor routines. The Sooners had beautiful choreography and gorgeous tumbling, and they didn’t give too much away other than Ragan Smith’s out of bounds.
Rotation 4: Oklahoma BB, Denver FX
Dunn (OU): Flic flic lay to start out, small wobble at the end. Split jump to straddle half, another small wobble. Side gainer full to finish, and she sticks it! 9.925. I think that’s a little high.
Ruiz (DU): First pass is a front tuck through to a double tuck, nice controlled landing. Switch side Popa Popa, nice form. Finishes with a double pike and holds the landing before stepping back into her lunge. Very solid leadoff! 9.875
LeVasseur (OU): Starts with a very floaty flic lay. Switch leap to straddle quarter, very pretty split position. Nice front aerial to beat jump. Dismounts with a back handspring to side gainer full with a lot of height. 9.95
Iwai (DU): Starts with a back 1.5 to front layout into a stag jump. Oops I missed the leap pass, I always miss at least one a meet! Next pass is a double tuck, she hops forward just a tiny bit. Switch side to split full to finish off. 9.825
Bowers (OU): Super solid flic lay to start the routine. Split leap to switch side, maybe the tiniest wobble at the end. Roundoff double full dismount to a great stick! 9.9
B. Mabanta (DU): Nice back 1.5 to front layout to start, just a little too much power on the landing but covered it up with some dance. Switch side ring to split jump was pretty. Front layout to Rudi to split jump to finish it off, I thought her chest was going to land low but she seemed to get the split jump up just fine. Nice routine! 9.9
Davis (OU): Nice flic lay series, no wobble on the landing. Front aerial with a slight balance check. Beat jump to ring jump. Finishes with a roundoff double full, some slight foot form issues but fought for that stick. 9.85
Mundell (DU): Starts off with a double pike, nice control on the lunge back. Switch ring to switch half to wolf full, very impressive. Next is a front layout to front full, I think the landing was pretty good but I couldn’t see all the way. Finishes with a Rudi. 9.925
Trautman (OU): Trautman on beam! Starts with a very nice flic lay. Cat leap to switch side. Nice piked front toss. She really is not wobbling. Roundoff 1.5 dismount, I don’t for sure know that she stuck it but the team looks pretty excited. Nice season debut for her! 9.95, very well deserved!
Casali (DU): First pass is a Rudi to layout step out, pretty solid! Switch half wolf full wolf full, gets some great height. Finishes with a 2.5 to front tuck, she hops back on the landing. 9.85
Smith (OU): Even without this routine, Oklahoma has scored the highest team score in the country this year. Nice flic lay to start out. Solid front aerial. Straddle half to back handspring swing down. Back handspring to side gainer full dismount and she sticks it. It’s a 10!
Hutchinson (DU): Beautiful front double full to start out, she’s competing while Ragan Smith just got a 10. Back 1.5 to front layout. Switch half to split full, great split positions. Finishes with a Rudi to straddle jump. That was a very nice routine. 9.925
Final: Oklahoma 198.425, Denver 197.45
Both teams finished an already great meet out very strong! Oklahoma scored a huge 49.725 on beam, including a perfect 10 from Ragan Smith. Denver scored its season-high floor score with a X. Right now, Oklahoma is looking pretty hard to beat. As for Denver, the Pioneers got their groove back after counting some low scores at Oregon State last weekend.
Event Winners:
Vault: LeVasseur, Oklahoma, 9.975
Bars: Davis, Oklahoma, 9.975
Beam: Smith, Oklahoma, 10
Floor: Bowers, Oklahoma, 9.95
All Around: Bowers, Oklahoma, 39.7
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