LIVE BLOG: No. 23 N.C. State, No. 36 Pittsburgh, No. 51 Temple at No. 30 Towson

In a Big Five meet-esque type fashion, half of the EAGL conference is meeting up in this quad. Temple has been off to a rocky start, but the Owls posted a season high on the road last week and will look to bring that momentum to Towson. Pittsburgh will look to do the same, as the Panthers recorded their second highest team score in program history at home last Friday. Towson has been on a hot streak the past two weeks, especially on bars where the Tigers currently rank 14th in the country. N.C. State has not scored below 196 since the season opener and will be looking to continue that streak on the road. While Temple has yet to hit its stride this season, the other three teams have all posted a season high within half a point of each other. This meet could go any way.

Temple has struggled on floor so far this season, so a big score there could propel the Owls to a big team score here. Pittsburgh matched the program’s bars record last Friday, so keep an eye on that rotation. Watch out for Hallie Copperwheat on beam, as she has been throwing her double turn more frequently in competition this season. In that great Towson bars lineup look out for Clara Hong who posted her career high on the event last week. N.C. States’ key trio of Chloe Negrete, Emily Shepard, and Lauren Rutherford will be crucial to holding off the rest of the teams.

Rotation 1: Towson vault, N.C. State bars, Pittsburgh beam, Temple floor

Copperwheat just nailed her double turn in warm up.

Weitz (TOW): Almost stuck that full with the smallest step back. Good dynamics. You couldn’t see if there was piking from this angle.

This stream will focus mainly on Towson.

Merchant (NCS): Had to stop and start in the routine. Step back on dismount.

Hoffman (TOW): Big distance in that full, but also a very large hop backwards.

Ewing (PIT): Stuck the gainer full dismount.

Davis (TOW): A little off to the side on the table, good amplitude. Small hop in place. Slightly out of line.

Dorunda (TEM): The foot slid back on the opening double tuck. Fell on the last pass.

Bolen (TOW): Slight pike down in her full. Small hop in place.

Childs (NCS): Solid dismount.

Vitoff (TOW): Pretty clean full with good dynamics. Small hop.

Duke (PIT): Solid leap series. Hop forward on the back 1.5 dismount.

Belanovski (TOW): Got the stick on her full. She had to raise up onto her toes on the landing to hold it.

Adomaites (NCS): Small hop on the stalder to double tuck dismount.

Hill (TEM): Chest a little low on the opening double tuck, but solid landing. Short on the double pike and had to take a sizable step forward.

Weiss (PIT): Very solid on the loso series. Not sure if she connected the leaps in that series. Did keep the connection going on the hitch to front aerial to beat jump. Underrotates the back tuck 1.5 dismount and has a hop back and off to the side.

Behner (TEM): Made it around on the front double full. A little wonky in the air and had a big step forward. Seemed a little off on the jump series. Misstimed the punch after the back 1.5 and only dis a front tuck out of it.

Shepard (NCS): Stuck the full twisting double back dismount.

Garvey (PIT): Off on the series. Step forward on the front tuck. Stuck the gainer pike dismount. Rough beam rotation for Pittsburgh on beam so far.

Rutherford (NCS): Great first handstand. That was a scary fall on the Ray. It looks like she is alright though.

Donabedian (TEM): Very solid front double full to end.

Copperwheat (PIT): Solid switch to split jump. Hit the side somi. Slight waiver on the loso series. Great double turn to beat jump. The commentators are in awe. Almost stuck the back 1.5 dismount, just the slightest hop back.

Schugman (TEM): A little off on the rotation of the opening jumps. Off on the back 1.5 to front full and just made it around. Stepped back on the landing though. Short on the double pike and had to take a step forward.

Foy (PIT): Solid on the cat leap to side aerial. Did not hit the full split on the straddle quarter and had a leg up check. Solid loso series. Slight step on the dismount.

After 1: Towson 49.150, Temple 48.600, Pittsburgh 48.225, N.C. State 47.450

That was a great rotation for Towson (3rd highest score in program history), a good rotation for Temple, and a really not so great rotation for both Pittsburgh and N.C. State. The feed was focused on Towson, but N.C. State had three falls, Pittsburgh did not have to count a fall, but there were checks and lost connections that hampered scores. Towson will look to carry the momentum gained that first rotation into the rest of the meet.

Rotation 2: Temple vault, Towson bars, N.C. State beam, Pittsburgh floor

Diaz (NCS): Connected the front aerial to bhs.

Keener (TOW): Great first handstand. Straddled jaeger to overshoot was solid. The giant full was right on top of the bar. Stuck the double back dismount. Great start.

Winder (PIT): Good control on the combo pass. Solid leaps. Held on too long to the double back at the end and had a large lunge.

Hong (TOW): High piked jaeger than the first routine. Slightly short on the bail. Big step forward on the double front dismount.

Behner (TEM): Hop on her full.

Greene (TOW): Short first handstand. Nice endo, but missed the connection after the jaeger and had to take about 3 empty swings before going into the overshoot. Ended well.

Hill (TEM): Chest down on her full with a hop back.

Vaillancourt (TOW): Late on the giant half. Biggest straddled jaeger so far. Stuck the double layout dismount, but had flexed feet throughout the dismount. Seems like a 9.95/9.85 split

Macasu (TOW): Big Ray to open. Legs apart on the pak salto. Slightly over on the giant full and almost sat the double tuck dismount but holds it.

Ortega (NCS): Stuck the gainer pike dismount.

Washington (PIT): Little bent legs in the second salto in the front layout front full combination. Great landing on the double tuck to end.

Minervini (TOW): Hit the tkatchev to pak combination. Slight leg separation in the pak and not the highest releases. Brought the heels together on the double layout.

Garvey (PIT): Great front full to front layout. Controlled step forward. They took the camera off this routine for an exhibition where she fell…

Shepard (NCS): Very solid on the side aerial. Great leaps. Big hop forward on the side aerial to back 1.5 dismount.

Copperwheat (PIT): Great control on the double tuck to finish.

Negrete (NCS): Stuck the back double full dismount.

After 2: Towson 98.550, Temple 97.250, Pittsburgh 97.175, N.C. State 96.250

Towson did keep the momentum going with a huge 49.400 that has the Tigers currently on 197 pace. Towson is having a completely different meet than the other three teams right now. N.C. State is already looking at this meet as a non-counter when it comes to NQS and Pittsburgh is in a similar position. Temple has been better on bars and beam than floor and vault this season and will be trying to have good rotations in the last two events to get a solid score here.

Rotation 3: Pittsburgh vault, Temple bars, Towson beam, N.C. State floor

Brooks (TEM): Great opening bail. Stuck the double tuck out of the giant full.

Weiss (PIT): Underrotated her full and had a pike down and hop forward.

Bolen (TOW): Solid on the series and front toss. Good positions on the leaps. Very confident so far. Stuck the gainer full dismount. Great routine.

Dorunda (TEM): Big Ray. Short on these handstands. Stuck the double tuck dismount though.

Ortega (NCS): Came in on the leaps which were around. Solid landing to the back 1.5 to front layout.

Vaillancourt (TOW): A little low on the standing front tuck to beat jump. Somehow stays on during the loso series. Lots of leans and arm waving. Good switch to switch. Wobbles on the full turn, but hits the dismount.

Whalen (TEM): Step forward on the full twisting double tuck dismount.

Zultevicz (NCS): Great back 2.5 to front tuck. Controlled the step out.

Keener (TOW): Solid loso series. A little long in between the jumps in the series, but should get the connection. Very deep in the front toss landing with a lean. Stuck the gainer full.

H. Stallings (TEM): Hop on the dismount.

Ward (PIT): Flares out the full a bit, but landed off to the side. Small slide on the landing.

Hong (TOW): Hit the side aerial to side aerial series. Slightest lean on the straddle 3/4s. Hit the next leap series. Undercooks the front full dismount and has a hop back.

Rutherford (NCS): Gets the back 2.5 to front tuck. Small slide on the double tuck.

Stuart (TOW): Great loso series. Smiles at the end. A little low on the front toss, but not as deep a landing as the other two. Just short of 180 on the leaps. Hop forward on the back 1.5 dismount.

Shepard (NCS): Huge double tuck to end with a controlled landing.

I think most of the exhibitions that have been shown on the stream have had falls.

Girot (TOW): Slightly off to the side on the bhs bhs loso series, but does not give up a check. Does give up a bend at the waist check on her leaps though. The smallest hop forward on the dismount.

Negrete (NCS): Kind of whips over the front layout after the front full. Great leap series. Looked like she would have to step forward on the double tuck, but doesn’t.

After 3: Towson 147.300, Temple 146.100, Pittsburgh 146.025, N.C. State 145.625

Towson had its first less than ideal rotation, but is still well out ahead in this matchup. N.C. State showed out on floor after having a rough start to the meet. Temple is also in a good spot to have a season high.

Rotation 4: N.C. State vault, Pittsburgh bars, Temple beam, Towson floor

Washington (PIT): Leg separations on the Maloney to pak. Giant full to double tuck with a hop.

Schugman (TEM): Short on the leaps.

Hong (TOW): Not completely rotation on the front double full, but controls the step forward. Almost around on the tour jete half to split full. Slight lack of control on the back half to front full. Clean Rudi to finish.

Garvey (PIT): Came in short on the toe front half dismount and stepped forward.

Scheuerman (TEM): Solid series. Lean on the side aerial.

Belanovski (TOW): Controls the step out of the double full fairly well. Does a punch front thought to Rudi and controls the lunge. Clean triple leap combination.

Glynn (TEM): A little bit tentative on the loso series. Her foot seemed half off the beam on the front aerial, but connects it to the split jump.

Casper (TOW): Takes a couple steps back after the opening double pike and might have barely gone out of bounds, you couldn”t tell from this angle. Clean combo pass though after. Almost goes out of bounds at the end of the double tuck and has both heals on the line and swings her arms to stay in.

Dorunda (TEM): Very solid bhs loso loso series. Clean on the leaps. Slightly awkward on the full turn. Hop on the dismount.

Vaillancourt (TOW): Big double back to open. Great extension on the leap series. Gets the back 1.5 to front layout controlled, but has to whip the layout a little. Rudi to huge, but controlled straddle jump.

H. Stallings (TEM): Slow in the switch to straddle quarter connection. The front foot came off the beam on the loso series, but stays on.

Minervini (TOW): Great control on the front layout to Rudi. Strong leaps. Front foot slides a little on the double pike landing.

Donabedian (TEM): Really crisp full turn. Super solid front aerial to two bhs. Right on for the side somi. Great dance out of that. Very confident.

Stewart (TOW): A little uncontrolled on the front layout to Rudi. Not completely around on the split full after the tour jete half. Out of control a bit on the final double tuck and steps out of bounds.

FINAL: Towson 196.425, Temple 195.300, Pittsburgh 195.275, N.C. State 194.775

Towson and Temple are going to love this meet with both teams recording their season highs. Pittsburgh will look at this meet as a lost opportunity for a solid road score and N.C State will wish this meet never happened.

VT: Belanovski, Shepard 9.9
UB: Minervini, Pawlak, Copperwheat 9.95
BB: Donabedian 9.9
FX: Negrete 9.925
AA: Shepard 39.3

READ THIS NEXT: Will Pittsburgh Qualify as a Team to Regionals?


Live blog by Alyssa Van Auker

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