LIVE BLOG: No. 53 Air Force, No. 36 George Washington and No. 42 Pittsburgh at No. 8 Denver

We have an interesting quad meet today in Denver! While nobody’s really asking the question of which team is most likely to come out on top, the battle for second place should be a good one. George Washington and Pittsburgh are fairly evenly-matched, with their NQS’ separated by just under four tenths. As for Air Force, the Falcons are fighting to hang on to their third-place spot in the MPSF. 

Denver is coming off of its season high score of a 197.425, so it’s safe to say that if the Pioneers can hit their routines, they should come out of the meet with a win. Our eyes will be on junior Jessica Hutchinson as she comes off of a 39.575 all around performance, which earned her second place to Oklahoma’s Jordan Bowers. 

George Washington and Pittsburgh are fighting for fourth place in the EAGL, but George Washington currently has the advantage. The Panthers are hoping to come out on top of their conference rivals. Pittsburgh’s Hallie Copperwheat competed in the all around last week and scored a 39.35, which should help the Panthers out. But look out for Deja Chambliss! Her scores have been increasing throughout the year, and if she hits, she could challenge Hutchinson and Rylie Mundell for the all around title. We may have an all around battle on our hands! 

Rotation 1: Denver VT, George Washington UB, Pittsburgh BB, Air Force FX

Silverman (GW): Starts with a piked Jaeger to a shootover, a little loose on the shootover. Hits the last handstand, goes into a blind full to a stuck double tuck! 9.75

Ruiz (DU): Yurchenko full, a little loose in the air and takes a small hop in place on the landing. Overall a good vault! 9.725

B. Mabanta (DU): Yurchenko full, much better form in the air and she sticks it! She does fight for the stick which causes her chest to drop a little bit, but it was better than the first vault. 9.85

Katz (GW): Starts with a shootover down to the low bar. Nice high in bar Tkatchev. She’s short on these handstands. Full in dismount, she takes it out a little bit and she fights for that stick! 9.775

Casali (DU): Yurchenko 1.5, nice form and a small hop forwards. 9.9

McMullen (GW): Starts on the high bar with a Tkatchev and she falls. She gets back up and does a Pak down to low, has some leg form issues. Finishes with a double layout with a hop in place. 8.9

McKean (AFA): First pass is a double pike, it’s a little low but she gets it around. Next is a front full front layout, controls the landing. Switch half Popa Popa, could use a little more straddle position. Tour jete half, again is a little shy of 180. Definitely a hit routine! 9.6

Brusch (DU): Nice high Yurchenko full and she sticks it! The crowd here is loving the vault landings! 9.75

Weiss (Pitt): Flic lay series to start out, very solid. Switch leap straddle quarter. Cat leap to front aerial to beat jump, maybe the tiniest wobble. Back handspring to tucked 1.5 dismount with a hop sideways. Solid routine for Pitt! 9.775

Greene (AFA): Starts out with a front double twist and she nailed that landing! Next pass is a Rudi. Switch side to Popa with some flexed feet. Finishes with a back 1.5 to front tuck and squats down on the landing. 9.3

Garvey (Pitt): Super solid full turn to start it off. Switch leap switch leap to pike jump, nice flexibility in that pike! Flic lay series with a small wobble but she saves it. Front tuck to beat jump was super solid. Finishes with a stuck gainer pike! 9.825

Willis (AFA): First pass is a double pike with a pretty big step forwards. Next is a front layout front full, much better control that time. Switch ring to switch half. Last pass is a double tuck, her chest is down and she takes another pretty big step forwards. 9.45

After 1: Denver 49.275, Pittsburgh 48.9, George Washington 48.725, Air Force 47.7

With the exception of Pittsburgh, each team had some less-than-ideal first rotations. Both of Denver’s Yurchenko fulls scored in the 9.7 range, which is not what the Pioneers were looking for. George Washington fought back after a fall on bars. Air Force had some shaky landings and showed a lack of endurance at the end of its routines. Pittsburgh had a great beam rotations, it really showed some great confidence on the road and finished with a 48.9.

Rotation 2: Air Force VT, Denver UB, George Washington BB, Pittsburgh FX

Ruiz (DU): Starts on the high bar with a blind full to Tkatchev. Shootover down to the low bar. A little archy on that last handstand. Finishes with a stuck double layout.

Winder (Pitt): First pass is a double pike with a hop back wards. Next is a front layout front full with another slide forwards. Tour jete half to Popa was pretty. Finishes up with a double tuck with her chest a little bit low. 9.625

McKean (AFA): Yurchenko full, pikes it down and hops backwards. 9.65

Rorich (DU): Great first handstand. Hits her foot on the bar on her Jaeger and falls. Gets back up and does her shootover to low bar. Dismounts with a double layout and takes a step. 8.925

Greene (AFA): Yurchenko full, also a pretty big pike down and hop back on the landing. 9.675

Ewing (Pitt): First pass is a super high double tuck to a very controlled landing. Next is a back 1.5 to front layout, also very solid. Switch half to wolf full. Finishes with a double pike. Super solid routine! 9.85

Looks like Lynnzee Brown hit her bar routine after Rorich’s fall!

Hutchinson (DU): Gorgeous Shaposh, but a little foot separation on the Pak and the Van Leeuwen. Sticks the double layout dismount! 9.85

Copperwheat (Pitt): Starts with a front tuck through to a double pike. The double pike is pretty low but she makes it work. Switch half wolf full wolf full. Finishes with a nice double tuck. 9.825

Rylie Mundell hit a gorgeous anchor bar routine so the Pioneers should be able to drop Rorich’s score.

Washington (Pitt): Super high double pike to start off the routine. Beautiful tour jete half to wolf full. Next is a front layout front full, good control throughout. Finishes with a double tuck, again it was very high and had a good landing. That routine was very solid. 9.85

Garvey (Pitt): First pass is a front layout front full. Next is a beautiful double pike to a great landing. I must’ve missed the leap pass on that one because the routine finished and I didn’t see it! 9.875

Whitman (GW): Front aerial to roundoff series, just a little bit sobbly. Switch leap to switch jump to split jump. Dismounts with a front gainer full with a small step forward. 9.775

After 2: Denver 98.725, Pittsburgh 98.0, George Washington 97.4, Air Force 95.825

The bar struggles continued into the second rotation! Kiley Rorich fell but the Pioneers fought back and ended up scoring a 49.45. Air Force hit its vaults but they had some form and landing issues that can be cleaned up to save the Falcons some tenths. George Washington had to count some 9.6s on beam due to a 9.2 from Deana Sheremeta, but it showed off some confident routines from Chambliss and Zois. Pittsburgh came to play today! The Panthers showed us some sky-high tumbling and very controlled landings.

Rotation 3: Pittsburgh VT, Air Force UB, Denver BB, George Washington FX

Weiss (Pitt): Yurchenko full, a little bit of a pike down and a hop on the landing. 9.725

Lynch (GW): Starts with a back 1.5 to front layout and she was happy about it! Wolf 1.5. Next is a super high double tuck but she doesn’t open up in time so she jumps forward. Switch side to Popa. 9.475

Garvey (Pitt): Yurchenko full with a hop back on the landing. 9.725

Sheremeta (GW): Starts with a nice Rudi. Next is a back 1.5 to front layout. Switch ring to switch half to wolf full, nice split positions. 9.65

Duke (Pitt): Yurchenko full, straighter body than the rest of the vaults and she may have stuck it but I couldn’t see. Either way it was a good landing. 9.85

Boll (AFA): Starts with a really nice Shaposh to shootover combination and really fights for that handstand on the shootover, she almost went over. Hits her last handstand and finishes with a double layout dismount. She had a pretty big step forwards. 9.525

A. Mabanta (DU): Very pretty flic lay to start out. Switch half to beat jump, great split position. Solid front aerial to beat jump. Finishes with a stuck cartwheel gainer full dismount. I believe that was her beam debut, and it was a great one! 9.85

Silverman (GW): Starts with a back 1.5 to front layout. Nice Popa. Next is a solid double pike. Switch leap to switch half to wolf full. 9.7

York (GW): Starts with a triple full that’s a little bit short of hitting the trible. Tour jete half to wolf full. Back 1.5 to front full. Finishes with a back 1.5 to front layout. 9.675

Nelson (AFA): Starts with a beautiful handstandinto a Shaposh. Shootover down to low. Finishes with a double front dismount with a lot of steps backwards. She had some leg separation throughout. 9.65

Hutchinson (DU): Rare wobble on the front toss, she redoes the front toss to back handspring series. Switch leap to split jump. Piked front toss and lifts her leg up on the wobble. Finishes with a stuck cartwheel gainer full. She must’ve been nervous because I’ve never seen her wobble like that. 9.825

After 3: Denver 148.1, Pittsburgh 146.95, George Washington 146.1, Air Force 144.975

This rotation was a lot more solid for most of our teams! Pittsburgh had some solid vaults, Air Force showed off some high-flying releases, Denver hit six beam routines, and George Washington showed off its choreography. Unfortunately Air Force gave away a lot of tenths on its landings, and George Washington had to count some 9.6s on floor.

Rotation 4: George Washington VT, Pittsburgh UB, Air Force BB, Denver FX

Ruiz (DU): First pass is a front tuck through to double tuck, nice landing. Switch side Popa Popa, very nice positions. Finishes with a double pike, it’s pretty low and her chest is down on the landing. 9.75

Katz (GW): Super high and pretty Yurchenko half! 9.825

Garvey (Pitt): Starts with a beautiful handstand. Really high Jaeger and then a shootover down to low. Nails that last handstand and finishes with a toe on front pike half dismount. 9.85

Casali (DU): Starts with a Rudi to layout stepout, very floaty. Switch half wolf full wolf full, really high jumps. Finishes with a 2.5 to front tuck with a small hop forwards. 9.875

Jakab (Pitt): Starts off with a Shaposh to Pak combination with some foot separation. Doesn’t make the pirouette the first time but does it the second. Short on the last handstand. Blind full to double tuck with a step back. 9.575

B. Mabanta (DU): Starts with a back 1.5 to front layout, a little crooked and is a little low on the landing. Switch half ring to split jump. Finishes with a Rudi to a super high split jump. 9.775

Brochi (AFA): Flic lay with a wobble to start out. Switch leap to straddle quarter, she had some bent legs. Beat jump to a solid side aerial. Finishes with a stuck roundoff 1.5! 9.55

Pawlak (Pitt): Starts with a nice Shaposh into an uprise into a shootover, very nice lines. Short on that last handstand and takes a small step back on the double layout dismount. 9.825

Zander (AFA): Front toss to beat jump, super solid. Front aerial to back handspring series was also nice. Switch leap to straddle quarter. Finishes with a front full dismount with a small hop. Really nice routine! 9.525

Hutchinson (DU): First pass is a very nice front double full, great control on the landing. Next is a beautiful back 1.5 to front layout, very floaty. Switch half to split full. Finishes with a Rudi to straddle jump. Beautiful routine as usual! She got a 10! So well deserved!

Boll (AFA): Split jump to straddle 3/4. Super solid flic lay, she has great lines. Nice Onodi! Finishes with a back handspring to 1.5 dismount and gives us the college stick. Great focus while the crowd is erupting for Hutchinson’s 10! 9.8

Final: Denver 197.5, Pittsburgh 195.775, George Washington 195.175, Air Force 192.425

Denver had a season-high performance of a 197.5, capped off by a 10 from Jessica Hutchinson! Pittsburgh also had a great showing, the Panthers finished strong on bars despite some falls from Jordyn Ewing. George Washington finished strong on vault with a 49.075, which was the Colonials’ best rotation of the day. Air Force showed some shakiness and inconsistency, but it also had some super solid routines that show a lot of potential.

Event Winners:

Vault: Casali, Mundell, Chambliss; 9.9

Bars: Brown, Mundell; 9.9

Beam: Brown, 9.9

Floor: Hutchinson, 10

All Around: Mundell, 39.625

READ THIS NEXT: Photo Essay: Oklahoma at Denver


Live Blog by Emily Lockard

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