Welcome back to Sunday afternoon gymnastics! Today’s in conference GEC dual meet will be an important one for both Cornell and Pennsylvania, with the former having improved each weekend of the season and the latter looking to add another big score to their road tally.
A low scoring bars rotation last weekend kept Cornell from breaking into the 193.000 range, counting only two routines over 9.500 on the event. Improving bars today can spell major success for the team, having already shown consistent vault scoring and hit rotation scores over 48.000 on three events. Expect their biggest numbers to come from floor, where five gymnasts led by all arounder Sydney Beers have eclipsed the 9.750 mark.
The visiting Quakers are at the top of the GEC standings for a reason – they’ve shown no signs of a weak event thus far, and are either first or second in the conference on all four. The dynamic duo of Sara Kenefick and Skyelar Kerico will be names to watch for today, being the only two in the GEC to have passed the 39.000 all around benchmark.
Streaming is available at ESPN+.
Rotation One: Cornell VT, Pennsylvania UB
Krueger (CU): tucked Y full, open in the air but underrotated and takes a lunge forward. 9.400.
S. Kenefick (Penn): starts with a Tkatchev, indirectly connects to her pak with a leg separation. Hits her handstands beautifully, then goes into a late blind full to layout double twist. Small hop forward. 9.600.
Walton (CU): Y full, underrotated as well and lunges forward. Almost a carbon copy of Krueger but layed out. 9.525.
Davies (Penn): Muscles her first handstand, into a blind change, Jaeger, bail combo. Muscles her blind full to double tuck as well but puts it to her feet.
Michelini (CU): Tucked Y full and gets loads of amplitude. Flexed feet throughout, but is the first in the lineup to have enough power to step backwards. 9.650.
Lassiter (Penn): Hits her first handstand super calm. Blind change to Jaeger a bit below bar height, then hits her shootover to handstand cold. No handstand nerves today, and takes a small step forwards out of her tucked full in. 9.750.
Whitaker (CU): Tucked Y full, the third of the lineup so far. Lunges back out of it. 9.725.
Kuhn (Penn): Gorgeous Tkatchev form, then a large leg sparation on her Pak. Recovers calmly and sticks cold her blind full to double tuck. 9.625.
Difrancesco (CU): Y half, somewhere between pike and layout and steps forwards. 9.725.
Oniki (Penn): Starts a tad close to the bar releasing on her Tkatchev but moves on calmly. Glues her legs together the entire time, virtually no built in lower body deductions. Hops out of her double layout, but overall a very back-of-the-lineup routine. 9.575.
Beers (CU): Stuck Y full! Piked it down a bit but will pull a big score for the Big Red. 9.825.
M. Marr (Penn): Starts with a seemingly easy toe handstand, Maloney, and overshoot. Cranks her giants around and sticks her double layout! 9.850.
Sakalosky (CU): Exhibitioned a Y layout today, with a bit of a deep landing and step forward.
Werlen (Penn): Exhibitioning today. Toe handstand fights to her Maloney, then short on a handstand and comes off the bar while initiating a blind change. Gets back up and puts her blind full around this time, to a calm double tuck.
M. Garrett (Penn): Second exhibition for the Quakers. Blind half to Tkatchev, then crumbles on her overshoot but stays on the bar. Short on the handstand going into her dismount, but has a great double layout.
AFTER ONE: Cornell 48.450, Penn 48.800
Cornell’s strategy of putting up tucked Y fulls is a valuable start value boost over Y layouts across the GEC, but amplitude deductions today may have levelled out the initial start value gain. When Penn heads to vault next, landings (and importantly, taking backwards steps instead of forwards) will be key to overtaking the Big Red.
Rotation Two: Pennsylvania VT, Cornell UB
Werlen (Penn): Launches her Y full into the air with a massive block, as if she could read what I wrote. Small hop back.
Michelini (CU): Starts with a sound toe handstand, Maloney, and Pak combo. Easy handstands for her, and dismounts with a unique stalder to double tuck. 9.675.
Debarberie (Penn): Great form in the air on her Y full, undercooks it a tad and hops a little sissone forwards. 9.750.
Walsh (CU): Shy on her first handstand, resulting in a fall on her Geinger. Leg separation on her overshoot to handstand, and then cranks her blind full around to a double tuck with a large step. 8.425.
Lassiter (Penn): Loads of amplitude, small pike throughout on her Y full and takes the tiniest hop to control her landing. 9.825.
Beers (CU): Cranks up her initial handstand, and puts it to a Tkatchev between the bars. Blind half to overshoot, and wastes no time on the low bar before going back up for her double layout. Leg separation and different body positions in each salto, but a routine that takes bravery nonetheless. 9.500.
C. Marr (Penn): HUGE Y full on tuck off. Rotates the entire full in the pre flight, giving her a good position to block for the tuck rather than just pulling it around. 9.800.
Sakalosky (CU): Small leg separation on her blind half, then fights to stay on from her Tkatchev. Short handstands throughout will add up, but she sticks her blind full to double tuck. 9.075.
Belkoff (Penn): Explodes off the table on her Y half, and does the majority of the post flight doing the salto forwards. Small step forwards. 9.825.
Fitzpatrick (CU): Toe handstand on the high bar to her Tkatchev, then overcooks a handstand and goes over. Toe handstand again this time to a bail. Shy on her blind full to double tuck. 8.925.
Vanhorn (Penn): Front handspring front (very open) pike half, lunge backwards. 9.875.
Stone (CU): Misses her first kip handstand three times, then has a massive Geinger into a few extra long swings before her bail. Double tuck dismount was great. 8.400.
Davies (Penn): Exhibitions a Y full, steps sideways instead of forwards to control her landing.
Mackenzie (CU): Exhibitioning today. Late on the hop but gets tons of height on her Jaeger. Big leg separation on her transition and a few handstands at 45 degrees, but nails her double tuck dismount.
Kent (CU): In the second exhibition spot for the Big Red. Blind half, blind full, overshoot to horizontal. Back up to the high bar, and rocks her blind full to double tuck. Extremely clean. routine, but will need a higher start value to be competitive.
AFTER TWO: Penn: 97.475, Cornell: 93.900
Bars being the great equalizer, our teams are now separated by over three and a half points. Cornell will look to fill in that gap as much as they can on beam in order to go lights out on floor, their best event so far this season. Penn will aim to carry their momentum gained so far, even without Skyelar Kerico today.
Scoring will be added as made available — today’s ESPN+ feed is only updating team scores at the end of each rotation.
Rotation Three: Cornell BB, Pennsylvania FX
Michelini (CU): Great extension in her bhs loso, and carries it through to her switch and switch half. Unfortunately off on her side aerial. Almost sticks her front open tuck(?) full dismount, but takes a well within shoulder width step forwards. 9.200.
Belkoff (Penn): Having fun with her opening choreo, and does a textbook rudi to double stag jump. Switch full gets 3/4 around, masked by a double stag out. Closes with a controlled roundoff 1.5 punch layout. 9.750.
Burton (CU): Back shoulder roll alert! Front aerial to side aerial, super unique (and hard to connect) series. Front toss to beat jump as if it’s on the floor. Short pause, then into her roundoff 1.5 dismount with a small step forward. 9.800.
Oniki (Penn): Long double pike to open, travels the same distance as her handspring. Goes almost right into her punch front layout punch barani, may have wanted it to be a full since those are both B’s. Finishes with a calm roundoff 1.5 punch layout. 9.575.
Demeo (CU): Beam song check: Chicken Fried. Very fluid front aerial to bhs series, and switch to split 3/4. Cat leap to front toss a bit tentative. Dismounts with a front full, travels a tad to the left and hops forwards. 9.650.
Davies (Penn): Opens with a massive double pike, shuffles out of the lunge. Gets right in to her front layout front full, and stutters that landing as well. Sky high on her jumps. Double tuck to finish. 9.775.
Whitaker (CU): Switch switch to beat jump, and then a quick turnaround into a punch front with a small check. Off on her back handspring layout, may be devalued to a pike. Dismounts with a punch rudi, small step forwards. 8.925.
Lassiter (Penn): Super unique fhs front full punch tuck full to open. Double pike launches out of the frame, but takes a small shuffle after going for the cold stick. Switch side half to Popa and some fun ending choreo to finish off her two pass routine. 9.850.
Walton (CU): Floaty bhs loso series to start, and a near textbook transverse split half. Sissone to side aerial, and then more transverse jumps with no issues. Dismounts with a cartwheel to 1.5, small step. 9.800.
S. Kenefick (Penn): Opens with a 1.5 to punch front, stuck cold. two Popas in the corner as she gets ready for her second pass, a front handspring front double twist! Small lunge forwards. 9.750.
Beers (CU): Cat leap to front toss opening her routine. Bhs loso, and then right into her switch to split half. Very calm presence on beam, highlighted by twisting outwards on a full turn. Dismounts with a roundoff 1.5, college stick. 9.775.
Vanhorn (Penn): Sits her fhs double front. Carries on like it’s nothing, lovely Y turn. Cartwheel bhs loso, and then a switch to Gogean. Finishes with a fhs front full punch layout, small shuffle landing it.
Kokaly (CU): Exhibition today. bhs, walks out and redoes it – bhs loso and off the side. Major check on her side aerial as well. Dismounts with a gainer pike off the end.
I. Garrett (Penn): Exhibition. Opening with a roundoff 1.5 to layout, small stumble with the blind landing. Low on her double tuck. Switch full to split full, both a tad short of split. Double pike lands higher than her double tuck, lunge back to finish.
Phair (CU): Exhibition. Off on her bhs tuck series. Long pause before her front toss, takes a check on the landing. Breaks connection on her switch to tuck full. Pauses, and then gainer full off the side.
M. Garrett (Penn): Exhibition. Almost sticks her double pike cold! Front full to front lay, shuffles backwards. Switch full on the way over to her third pass, ultimately puts her hands down on her double tuck.
AFTER THREE: Penn: 146.175, Cornell: 142.125
Cornell did everything in its power to make up for bars, even posting two 9.800’s. However, it wasn’t enough to gain on Penn, who had themselves what looked like a stellar floor rotation. Of course, we won’t know how stellar until the scoring comes in.
Rotation Four: Pennsylvania BB, Cornell FX
Belkoff (Penn): bhs bhs loso to kick off rotation four, and a switch to sheep jump! Finishes with a roundoff 1.5, small step on the landing. 9.825.
Michelini (CU): Music troubles, and she’s off the floor. Opens with a huge double tuck, really stalling the block before pulling to make the tuck appear even higher. Rudi to stag jump comes next, covering the low chest on the rudi with the immediate jump. Switch ring without much head release to switch. Closing out with a roundoff 1.5 punch barani, and fights to keep it in bounds. 9.725.
Rosen (Penn): Fluid bhs loso, great tempo setting up for her skills after. Punch front with no issues. Cat leap to switch side. Nearly stuck front full dismount, hops forwards out.
Whitaker (CU): Opens with a front double twist! Tons of height on her switch half and tuck 1.5, then crosses off backwards tumbling with a standing tuck to one knee. Front layout to rudi and a stag jump to close it off. 9.750.
S. Kenefick (Penn): bhs bhs loso straight out of the FIG illustrated CoP. Small hop forwards out of her roundoff 1.5 dismount.
Demeo (CU): Starts off with a fhs rudi to a huge (and extended!) split jump. Takes a second to get ready, and then pulls out a wolf 1.5 to wolf full. Second pass is a roundoff 1.5 to layout, taken almost right into her choreo and a switch ring. 9.725.
C. Marr (Penn): bhs loso, small check. Great extension on her switch and straddle 1/4. Hesitates before her cat leap to side aerial, but pulls them off easily. Sticks her bhs gainer full off the side. 9.925.
Quiana (CU): OOB on her double pike. Switch ring on its own in the middle, and then front full to layout to finish the two pass. 9.800.
Kuhm (Penn): Starts it off with a wolf tun, and a small check on her bhs loso. Great switch, into a balance check on her straddle half. Recovers with a side aerial, and some calm low to the beam choreo. Sticks her bhs gainer full off the side!
Beers (CU): Getting her team into the choreo, and then opens with a punch front through to double pike! Switch half to two Popas right in time for the music to get intense again. Double tuck with a controlled lunge to end. 9.900!
M. Marr (Penn): bhs loso with audible cheering from the side. cat leap to aerial equally fluid. switch to straddle half carries her beam momentum so far. dismounts with a bhs gainer full, shuffles back.
Walsh (CU): Welcome to the Jungle. Front tuck through to double tuck, hands and knees down. Switch ring doesn’t get her back leg high enough, affecting the other two jumps in her series. Switching now into Seven Nation Army before her second pass: double tuck on its own and crashes again. 7.900.
Werlen (Penn): Exhibitioning today. cat leap side aerial lands square, as does her switch to straddle half. Getting more comfortable with her routine as it goes on, no hesitation going into her bhs loso but takes a small check on it. Dismounts with a bhs 1.5, small hop.
I. Garrett (Penn): Exhibitioning as well. handstand to two losos, getting big cheers. Switch leap to a short straddle 1/4. Loses the fight to stay on for her side aerial. Resets, and dismounts with a bhs 1.5, small hop forwards.
FINAL: Penn 195.250, Cornell 192.025
Cornell and Penn finished the first rotation tied, and put up the same floor score this afternoon at 48.700. The difference today was bars by and large, giving Penn a lead that grew from three and a half points to just over four points. Sydney Beers continued to lead the way for the Big Red as an all arounder, while the Quakers relied mainly on specialists today with Skyelar Kerico’s absence.
The Big Red will compete at home again next weekend, hosting Brockport, Cortland, and Ithaca College on Sunday at 1:00 p.m., while Penn will host Towson, Ursinus College, and West Chester at 2:00 p.m. that afternoon.
VT Winner: Vanhorn, 9.875
UB Winner: Marr, 9.850
BB Winner: Marr 9.925
FX Winner: Beers, 9.900
AA Winner: Beers, 39.000
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