The Spartans are undeniably one of the year’s hottest teams, averaging 197.200 in their last three meets. With a suburb trio of all-arounders—sophomores Skyla Schulte and Gabi Stephens and freshman Nikki Smith—at its core and a wealth of specialists rounding out lineups, this is a formidable squad capable of bringing in SEC-sized scores. Bars is going to be the canary in the coalmine for Michigan State: If they go 49.200 or higher, the 197 mark is well within reach.
This was expected to be something of a rebuilding year for a freshman-heavy Iowa program, but no one seems to have told the Hawkeyes that. Bars is iffy as ever, but they’ve looked remarkably strong on the other three events. Stars JerQuavia Henderson, Adeline Kenlin and Linda Zivat continue to shine, bolstered by a wealth of specialists. Michigan State has the advantage coming into this meet, but—score for score—Iowa’s scoring potential isn’t far off.
You can watch along at home on BTN+ and find live scores here.
Rotation One: Iowa vault, Michigan State bars
Chambers (Iowa): Solid Y full to kick things off. Good block, but a bit of pike down and small hop forward. 9.775
Schulte (MSU): Started halfway through. Almost went over on a LB handstand. Sky high, tight DLO with a hop back. 9.800
Zuhlke (Iowa): Her eponymous vault! Fhs onto the springboard, half on tuck full off. Little messy in the preflight, but good height and distance and just a hop back. 9.825
Kellerman (MSU): Shy first handstand. Blind change to a very low straddled Jaeger, doesn’t come close to regrasping. Repeats the skill, absolutely gorgeous this time. Good control in her bail to handstand. A hair late on her full pirouette to double tuck with pointed toes in the air, minor hop forward. 9.175
Laplante (Iowa): Beautiful Y full with tons of pop off the table, sizeable hop backwards and to the side.
Stephen (MSU): Looks like a judges’ conference (even though Kellerman’s score has already been put in). And Kellerman’s score has been raised a tenth. Great first handstand. Stepout into Maloney, minimal leg sep. Bail to handstand looked tight. High FTDT stuck with a little weight shifting to the left. 9.850
Muñoz (Iowa): Saw her with a substantial hop out of what I’m assuming is a Y full. 9.850
Jackard (MSU): Blind change to a gorgeous straddled jaeger. So much hip rotation. Bail to handstand a little loose and not quite vertical. Full pirouette to double tuck with pointed toes, deep landing with a hop forward. 9.875
Zivat (Iowa): Tsuk full with a fair bit of pike and low chest, but a definitive stick! 9.900
Ni. Smith (MSU): Toe hand to Maloney with some leg sep. Shoulders a big closed on her Pak. Pulls back her final handstand to keep from going over. Fabulous DLO, stuck. 9.875
Henderson (Iowa): MASSIVE and clean Y full! Miniscule hop is the only thing. 9.900
Harkness (MSU): Toe hand, good. Legs glued together on her Gienger, so nice. Beautiful position and deliberate handstand on her bail. Floaty FTDT landed deep and staggered, but a stick. 9.850
AFTER ONE ROTATION: Iowa 49.250, Michigan State 49.250
Strong rotations for both teams! As usual, I’d like to see a little more separation in the scores (particularly bars), but–other than the flukey fall from Kellerman–really no major mistakes from either team so I’m not too pressed. Henderson’s vault was the highlight of the rotation for me. Commentators said she’s training a Y 1.5, but I’m not sure she needs the upgrade; that full is a thing of beauty, and no built-in deductions that I can see.
Rotation Two: Iowa bars, Michigan State vault
Na. Smith (MSU): Solid Y full, minor pike down and a legitimately small scoot back. 9.825
Zuhlke (Iowa): Pretty close on the catch of her Ray. Why does no one know the difference between a Ray and a Hindorff? BTN is punishing me because my stream glitched and I missed the rest of her routine… Oops! 9.825
Garcia (MSU): Apparently missed her vault, too. I’M SORRY FOR BEING SNARKY, BTN!! 9.800
McSweeney (Iowa): Good first handstand. Solid blind change, a little bent legs going into a piked Jaeger. Some twist on her bail, but a really pretty FTDT with a hop back. 9.775
Schulte (MSU): WOW. Excellent Y full, stuck like a dart. Tiniest pike down on the replay. Should match or exceed Henderson’s score. 9.900
Rojas (Iowa): Toe hand to Gienger, good height but some leg sep. Very loose bail to handstand. Short final handstand. Strong FTDT with minor foot form, stuckish. 9.775
Kellerman (MSU): Oof… Fhs pike half was WAY close to the table (or rather, “She almost hit the pommel,” according to the Mandatory Male Commentator).
Castellanos (Iowa): Nice first handstand. Pretty iffy leg form on her Tkatchev, and closed elbows on her regrasp. Rushed through the bail to handstand. DLO with significant leg sep and foot form, but drilled the landing! 9.725 is high for me
Ni. Smith (MSU): Y 1.5 landed very deep, going for the stick and has to hop back. Beauty in the air, though! 9.800
Kenlin (Iowa): Seems like there’s another bars inquiry and conference. Lost her form on her LB handstand and big leg sep on the Maloney. Very far over on the Pak. Swam on her squat on and almost came off. Significantly cowboyed double tuck, basically stuck. 9.800
Stephen (MSU): Her usual floaty, clean Y full. Small hop back. 9.850
Muñoz (Iowa): Hop to piked Jaeger, gorgeous! Lost her form on her bail to handstand. Bent elbows on her toe hand, but perfect position in the actual handstand. DLO, stuck! Best routine of the rotation, one of the best of the meet. 9.850
AFTER TWO ROTATIONS: Michigan State 98.450, Iowa 98.275
Bars isn’t Iowa’s strong suit, but that was a very solid rotation with no major breaks. The lineup banked several tenths on stuck landings alone, which gives them some extra breathing room heading into beam.
Meanwhile, this was a good but not great vault rotation for the Spartans. Like Iowa, no major mistakes, but not quite as clean as they’re capable of being.
Rotation Three: Iowa beam, Michigan State floor
Henderson (Iowa): Shoot through mount. Full turn initiated from the ankle and kicked out, lovely. Bhs loso with beautiful extension. Switch leap to switch half with a lean backwards, but stays on. RO double tuck with a large hop back. Great lead-off routine. 9.800
Ny. Smith (MSU): Front tuck through to a very high double tuck with a well-controlled landing. Switch side to Popa well over 180, maybe a little off-kilter? Front full to front lay with slight knee softness. Powerful double pike with a big step OOB and front foot lift. 9.775 is pretty high with that last pass
Zuhlke (Iowa): Cut to her right as she came off on a loso. Switch leap to a split 3/4 that likely won’t get credited. Cartwheel side gainer full with a hop back. 9.050
Kalefe (MSU): Strong punch double twist to open. Switch leap to wolf full to Shushunova, no problem. Rudi with zero punch and undercuts her loso, lands crumpled but she seems OK. 8.925
Ebeling (Iowa): Steady bhs loso, lovely extension. Full turn, good. Split to ring to beat; head on camera angle, but they seemed good to me. Front aerial with a moderate hip check. Piked gainer, stuck. 9.800
Harkness (MSU): Pretty half in half out to open, landed OOB. Excellent positions on her switch leap to switch full to wolf full. Perfect control on her front tuck through to double tuck. 9.725
Nick (Iowa): Again, coming in mid-routine. Bhs loso with foot form, but so steady. Floaty front aerial, beautiful! RO back 1.5 with a college stick. 9.850
Stephen (MSU): Huge front tuck through to double pike with a big leg-up bounce. Leaps looked fairly shy, but the camera angle is admittedly weird. Fhs to double twist, excellent. Front toss to kneeling, very cool. 9.850
Rojas (Iowa): Nice full turn. Bhs bhs loso, comes off unfortunately. Switch leap to split 3/4, back leg a bit low on the latter. Side gainer full, stuck. Strong finish. 9.000
Ni. Smith (MSU): WOO! Big FTDT, minor foot slide. Switch full to Popa, low front leg on the former but tons of height on the straddle. Back 1.5 to front lay, really good rise on both saltos. Pretty much perfect double tuck with pointed toes to finish. 9.875 seems low compared to the rest of this rotation
Kenlin (Iowa): Flawless bhs loso. Front aerial to split to a textbook split 3/4. Emphasizes the position on her full turn, gorgeous. Cartwheel side gainer full with a hint of a pike down, but STUCK. 9.950
Schulte (MSU): Another big opening FTDT. Swtich full to Popa to straddle, big amplitude and oversplits. Punch front tuck through to double tuck, small scoot on the landing. 9.850 really seems low
AFTER THREE ROTATIONS: Michigan State 147.525, Iowa 146.725
You know what I was saying about need more score differentiation? Nowhere near enough separation on either event. I’m glad the judges did at least reward Kenlin’s superlative execution on beam.
Rotation Four: Iowa floor, Michigan State beam
Kalefe (MSU): Little deep coming out of her full turn. Bhs bhs loso right to the edge and comes off. Very similar to Rojas’s fall. Switch leap with back leg a touch low, tucked 3/4 with a foot up check. Cartwheel to side gainer full nearly stuck. 8.850
Castillo (Iowa): Front tuck through to double pike, chest down a bit but really lovely. Popa to straddle to Shushunova, awesome positions. Solid double tuck to finish. Great start for Iowa! 9.925
Jackard (MSU): Bhs loso with a small foot adjustment. Switch leap to switch side, slightly low. Cat leap to side aerial, loses her chest position and comes off. And no, this is emphatically *not* Olivia Zsarmani no matter what the commentators say. Split leap to Sissone, good. Piked gainer, stuck. Both teams counting falls now. 8.925
Libby (Iowa): Looks like there’s an inquiry on Castillo’s floor score, so Libby’s just sitting on the floor. Love it. Fhs to front double twist, beautifully done. Back 1.5 to front lay with nice rise. Switch ring to switch half, front leg looked low to me (with the caveat of it being a head-on camera angle). Solid Rudi to finish. 9.800 seems low.
Schulte (MSU): Lovely full turn. Shoulder cartwheel looked a little stilted, but I’m not sure it’s not *supposed* to look like that. Split to switch half to beat, beautifully done. Slide down to straddle. Bhs loso with soft knees on the loso. Switch split to a stuck gainer full, chest forward. Fabulous! 9.800 is low compared to the last rotation’s scores.
Zivat (Iowa): Front tuck through to double tuck, very quick. Switch full to split full, just a hair low on the back leg. Rudi to loso to finish, well done. Shushunova. Love the intensity of her dance! 9.825
Ni. Smith (MSU): Bhs loso with a shoulder waver, but corrects herself. Switch split to switch side, beautifully done. Full turn with a slight shoulder dip (judges might not see from their angle). RO double tuck with a negligible slide back. 9.825
Muñoz (Iowa): Front tuck through to double tuck, good. Switch full to wolf full were both a little wonky in the air, but she finessed them well. Overpowers her double pike, has to take a significant hop back. Didn’t quite hit 180 on her Gogean. Really fun performance from the freshman!
Stephen (MSU): Judges conference over on beam. Second time they’ve iced Stephen this meet, so that’s fun for her. Shoot through mount. She has such a uniquely powerful but elegant style. Laid out front toss, small shoulder dip. Front aerial, lovely. Bhs loso, steady as can be. Beat to straddle half, good position. RO double full with some leg form, stuck! Shouldn’t go as high as Kenlin, but that was great. 9.900
Kenlin (Iowa): Fhs to front double twist, lovely and well-controlled. Switch leap to Ferrari, a little off-kilter on the Ferrari. Back 1.5 to front lay, very smooth. 9.925
Garcia (MSU): Beautiful full turn. Bhs loso, flawless. Front aerial with a slight correction to split, didn’t affect the connection. Switch split to split, lovely. Bhs to side gainer full with a very tiny hop back. 9.850
Henderson (Iowa): Big FTDT, front foot slide on the landing. Switch side to Popa to straddle, really dynamic and gorgeous position. Front ruck through to double tuck, perfectly controlled. 9.950
FINAL: Iowa 196.150, Michigan State 195.725
Despite counting a fall on beam, the Hawkeyes come from behind to steal the win. I told you those stuck landings on bars would come back to help Iowa!
VT: Skyla Schulte, JerQuavia Henderson, Linda Zivat; 9.900
UB: Nikki Smith, Jori Jackard; 9.875
BB: Adeline Kenlin, 9.950
FX: JerQuavia Henderson, 9.950
AA: Gabi Stephen, 39.450
READ THIS NEXT: Iowa’s Libby Advocates for Transparency in Postseason Process
Live blog by Claire Billman
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