This is an intriguing quad meet with four teams who are having fantastic seasons so far. Watch those program records.
Towson, controversially (i.e. I personally disagreed) excluded from the WCGA preseason poll, has had a red-hot start to the season. Penn, regardless of a recent potential injury to star freshman Skye Kerico, still looks capable of pushing program records. Ursinus and West Chester are both producing some of the best results in their respective program histories. A lot to love and a lot of super exciting gymnastics on the agenda. Plus, keep an eye out for Ursinus’ fantastic new leotard.
Rotation 1: Penn VT, Towson UB, West Chester BB, Ursinus FX
Werlen (Penn): FTY, pikey with a step forward. 9.7
Allen (WCU): BHS BHS LOSO, lovely. Switch to tuck full, check. Missed the dismount. They’re not telling us very many names, so I’m going to do my best. 9.625
DeBarberie (Penn): FTY, short, rebounds forward onto her hands and almost hits the table. Oopsie. Laughing it off. 8.95
Hong (TU): Nice clean pike Jaeger, bail super straight, Blind, maybe a touch late, to double front with knees together and a pace forward. 9.825
Matteucci (UC): One and a half front lay, knees slightly soft. Wolf full tour jete half, a little short of split. Double back, chest a smidge low but lunges out fine. 9.75!!
Lassiter (Penn): FTY, a bunch of form on the table, stuck but looked a little underrotated. 9.8
C. Marr (Penn): Full on tuck off, a little short but clean in the air, hop forward. 9.775
Vaillancourt (TU): Blind, a touch late, to nice Jaeger to overshoot. Drilled the double lay. WOW. 9.95
Rodriguez (WCU): Side aerial a little awkward but made, BHS LOSO and off. Cat leap switch side. Nice gainer pike.
Belkoff (Penn): Yurchenko half, a little leg form on the way down, hop forward. 9.825
Van Horn (Penn): Handspring pike, playing it safe with a fall earlier on. Big step forward.
Macasu (TU): Ray, nice, Pak with a little leg separation, caught a little high but no drama. Blind full double back, close to the bar, big step back. 9.8
Minervini (TU): Joined halfway for her Pak, DLO drilled. Nice! 9.925
DeLorme (UC): One and a half front lay, big jump forward. Slightly chaotic leap series with some imprecision on positions. Rudi, shuffle back.
Whitaker (WCU): Switch split, a little short of positions. Split jump full. BHS LOSO, some f1orm and a TINY adjustment. Full turn, check. Clean kickover front. Solid dismount. 9.75
McFarland (WCU): BHS LOSO, misplaced her feet and falls. Full turn, check. Switch split, a little awkward. One and a half twist stuck. 9.075
Schreiber (UC): Looked away from the first pass but landing was really nice, tour jete half split full with incomplete rotation, backspin YAS. Rudi double stag
After 1: Towson 49.375, Penn 48.800, Ursinus 48.225, West Chester 47.750
Amazing opener from Towson on its pet event. Solid start for Penn on vault with some personnel changes from previous weeks. For Ursinus, it’s the first 48.000+ rotation of the year, while West Chester won’t be thrilled to count a fall on beam but it’s hardly a disaster.
Rotation 2: Ursinus VT, Penn UB, Towson BB, West Chester FX
Fred (WCU): Double pike, chest a little low and lunge goes forward. Switch side wolf full nice and square. Front full front pike, step back. 9.7
S. Kenefick (Penn): Joing partway, Pak with leg separation, blind full to double full dismount with a step to the side. 9.625
Bolen (TU): BHS LOSO, steady. Switch straddle quarter very nice. BHS gainer full, baby hop back. 9.75
Hong (TU): Side aerial to CUT AWAY SO WE CAN’T SEE IF SHE MADE THE SERIES. This feed makes me mad. Split to straddle 3/4. Full turn. Believe that was a one and a half dismount. 9.7
Cascadden (WCU): Wolf 3/2 actually really nice, double tuck short but stuck-ish. Switch side Popa nice and clean. One and a half front tuck, bounces out and just lands it in an arabesque like it was intentional.
Davies (Penn): Blind to Jaeger to overshoot, a little low and some form throughout. Blind full with leg break to double tuck, step back. 9.725
Cromer (UC): Yurchenko layout, nice and open, medium step back.
Stuart (TU): Full turn, BHS LOSO nice. Kickover front, a little deep, to beat jump. Cat leap switch side, adjustment. One and a half twist stuck. 9.8
Kuhn (Penn): Just saw her drill her FTDB like she does every week. It’s seriously magical. 9.8
Weitz (TU): Switch to LOSO with some form to beat, check. Front aerial nice. BHS LOSO, major form, major check. Gainer full stuck.
Rodriguez (WCU): Double pike, a little overrotated. Front full front lay. Really nice presentation. Double tuck, short with a big step forward.
Oniki (Penn): Clear hip to overshoot, double layout with a step forward. We keep missing the major releases. Dumb stream.
Girot (TU): They just identified her as Macasu, lol. BHS BHS LOSO. Switch to tuck 3/4. Full turn, overturned, check. Side aerial to tuck 3/2 dismount, stuck. Best routine so far. 9.8
M. Marr (Penn): Maloney, leg separation on the backswing, to lovely bail. Double layout with a hop back.
Fanara (WCU): NAILED her double pike. Switch side Popa, nice. One and a half front tuck, small step to the side. Double back, slightly overrotated and slides the front foot back. Nice one. 9.825
Macasu (TU): Front aerial BHS lovely, so fluid. Switch half split sissone GORGEOUS. Major check on an aerial, touches the beam. Nice gainer full. 9.5
Sarah Penuela-Wermers in the bars ex for Penn. Hope she’ll be back soon.
Kissinger (WCU): Rudi LOSO, nice and clean, tour jete full WHEW. One and a half twist, tour jete half Popa. Believe that was a Rudi to double stag. 9.75
After 2: Towson 98.150, Penn 97.575, West Chester 96.475, Ursinus 95.050
Rotation 3: West Chester VT, Ursinus UB, Penn BB, Towson FX
Allen (WCU): Tucked FTY, high and clean, hop straight back. Really pretty, really square.
Belkoff (Penn): BHS BHS LOSO, wonky and falls. Switch to sheep, check.
Hong (TU): Front 2/1, a little overpowered, big hop forward. Nice extension on her leaps, whip half front full. Rudi, super precise, lunges out perfectly.
Kissinger (WCU): FHS 2/1, a little short and steps it around. Always a little scary but she’s competed this thing a million times.
Rosen (Penn): BHS LOSO, super steady, full turn. Front tuck, overrotates, chest super low, steps and falls. Counting one now. Switch straddle quarter. Punch front full.
Belanovski (TU): Believe that was a Rudi LOSO, cut in the middle so I’m not sure. Front through Rudi, interesting! Maybe a touch overcooked. Switch side Popa Popa nice.
Johnson (WCU): FTY, leg sep onto the table and pikes down but nearly stuck.
S. Kenefick (Penn): Full turn, check, BHS BHS LOSO and falls. Beat to straddle 3/4 nice, one and a half dismount underrotated with a hop.
Casper (TU): Double pike, overrotated. Nailed double back. 9.925
We haven’t seen so much as a glance at Ursinus on bars.
Eskew (WCU): Full on tuck off, low chest with a big step forward.
Kuhn (Penn): BHS LOSO, steady, nice leaps, side aerial check and… okay. I’m jumpy after three misses. BHS gainer full, hop back. Stops the bleeding.
Vaillancourt (TU): Double tuck directly from round off, substantially overrotated. One and a half front lay, slightly odd direction, layout right on top of herself. Rudi to straddle, travels back like five feet.
C. Marr (Penn): They’re so lost on IDs, they said this was McCaleigh. BHS LOSO, big check but hangs on. Switch to straddle quarter and falls. BHS gainer full, hop back. THEY STILL THINK IT’S MCCALEIGH.
(UC): Shy on the first handstand, blind with leg sep to Jaeger, a little close. Badly misses a handstand, clear hip to bail with major form, double tuck with a hop. I might never find out who you are, I’m sorry queen.
Minervini (TU): Front lay to Rudi, rebounds a little but stays in bounds. Tour jete half wolf full low and a little underrotated. Double pike deep but lunges out fine.
Stewart (TU): Front lay to Rudi, good, imprecise rotation on her leaps. Double back undercooked, step forward. 9.9 oh these floor judges are happy.
M. Marr (Penn): They finally figured out that that was Campbell. BHS LOSO, good. Hitch kick side aerial. Switch straddle quarter. Icy so far. BHS gainer full, little hop back.
Aww, Rebekah Lashley in the second exhibition for Penn! We got a couple exhibitions for Ursinus which I enjoyed but I unfortunately have no earthly idea who they are.
After 3: Towson 147.500, Penn 144.075, West Chester 144.625, Penn 144.075, Ursinus 140.600
That beam rotation can only be described as an oof for the Quakers. That’s life sometimes. With floor scores going high all day, don’t give up on Penn’s chances of finishing second yet. Towson is cruising, with a real shot at locking in a top-5 all time team total today.
Rotation 4: Towson VT, West Chester UB, Ursinus BB, Penn FX
Betts (WCU): Might have missed something at the beginning here. Blind full on top of the bar to bail, nice, Double lay with a step back.
Belkoff (Penn): Rudi double stag, substantial sideways travel on that, not super controlled. Switch half double stag. Nice one and a half front lay. 9.675
Scarapetti (UC): BHS LOSO, small leg-up check. Split 3/4, short of position and a check. Switch tuck 3/4 with a check and falls. Front full dismount, sits.
Rodriguez (WCU): MIssed the start again, nice clean Pak, toe hecht. FTDB a little lock-legged, step forward.
Davis (TU): Huge clean FTY, super open hips, hop in place.
Oniki (Penn): Double pike, controlled well. Front lay front full, lovely. One and a half front lay. Awesome routine. 9.775
Bolen (TU): Some leg sep on the table, FTY with a baby hop forward.
Ricci (UC): Back tuck, nice, full turn with a check. Switch split good. Side aerial with a little check. Smiling through this whole routine. Gainer full, stuck with chest a little low.
Vitoff (TU): FTY, close to the table, two steps back.
Wicker (WCU): Full pirouette with leg separation to Tkachev, nice, bail, short on a handstand, shapey DLO with a tiny step.
Belanovski (TU): Super airy FTY, stuck!
Davies (Penn): Double pike, a little overrotated, keeps her heel up to avoid going out of bounds I THINK. Front lay front full, form throughout. Nice double tuck, a little overrotated. 9.8
Coleman (WCU): Jaeger to overshoot, nice and clean, clear hip to blind full to double back drilled. Fantastic.
S. Kenefick (Penn): Some minor landing drama on her first pass. Switch side to split full Popa. Front double full, nice, steps around just a touch.
Lassiter (Penn): Dude commentator can’t say her name right to save his life, there’s always an extra S floating around. The front full front tuck full is awesome, overrotates her double pike a bit, nice amplitude but imprecise rotation on her leaps. 9.875
Van Horn (Penn): Double front, overrotated, big step forward. Pretty Y turn. Switch leap tour jete I don’t even know how much, certainly not an even number of half turns. Nice clean combo pass to finish.
Horton (UC): Front handspring back tuck, nice and clean, full turn overturned. Cat leap tour jete 1/4, falls.
FINAL: Towson 196.450, West Chester 193.050, Penn 193.025, Ursinus 185.025
Great finish from the Tigers (even with some tight vault judging at the end – that event was strict all day, while floor was pretty loose) and a very valuable road score heading toward NQS. For West Chester, this is a huge upset, while for Penn, it’s one to write off as a fluke and forget about.
VT: Polina Belanovski 9.900
UB: Grace Vaillancourt 9.950
BB: McCaleigh Marr 9.825
FX: Paige Casper 9.925
AA: Kristina Rodriguez 38.600
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Live Blog by Rebecca Scally
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