New Hampshire is coming into this meet with some big scores under the Wild Cats belt. In their last home meet, the Wild Cats notched the fourth best score in program history. (Unrelated, I was able to enjoy this in person and I didn’t jinx them!) Penn took a surprise second at the Ivy Classic, despite being an easy favorite to win. Just the third 194 score of the season wasn’t enough to claim victory.
Although in separate conferences, with UNH in the EAGL conference and Penn in the GEC, these teams are tightly matched. The Wild Cats might have the stronger bar team but Penn knows how to show up on beam, look no further than the Marr sisters and their new program records.
Grab your thirsty Thursday kombucha or decaf tea and settle in for a dual that should be close until the very end.
You can grab scores here and watch along here.
Waiting for things to kick off still.
Rotation 1: Penn Vault, UNH Bars
DeBarberie (Penn): Y full, good height, big hop. 9.775
Agarwala (Penn): Y full on, tuck off, tiny tiny hop. 9.800
Kerico (Penn): Y full, looked nice, takes a big step back but doesn’t lift the front foot. 9.750
Lassiter (Penn): Y full, form in the air, but fabulous height and distance. 9.725
C. Marr (Penn): Y full on, tuck off, medium hop back. 9.700
Belkoff (Penn): Y half, stuck! That was absolutely lovely in the air. 9.875 (out of 9.900)
Simpkins (UNH): Toe on shaposh, good form. Good hs. Bail to hs with some leg sep, judges may not have caught it on their angle. FTDB, tiny little hop. 9.750
Moreno (UNH): Toe on shaposh, lovely. Bail to hs looked good. Great last hs. Full to double tuck, tiny step behind. 9.800
Brown (UNH): Free hip bail to hs, almost archy. Khorkina, loooove it, shy on that last hs. Full to double tuck, STUCK! 9.850
Beaulieu (UNH): Just brushes her finger tips and comes off on her jaeger. Bail to hs, good. Shy on that last hs. Just a hop on the double tuck. 9.025
Whitehead (UNH): Geinger with leg sep. Bail fine, shy on that last hs. FTDB, small step back but LOVE it, she gets so much height on that dismount. 9.850
Gorgenyi (UNH): Toe on shaposh to bail, old school toe shoot. FTDB, small hop. 9.850
After 1: UNH 49.100, Penn 48.925
UNH showed up BIG on bars, with four scores over a 9.800, but don’t scoff at the 9.750 the Wild Cats also counted. The Quakers had some dynamic vaults but tiny hops held them back from catching New Hampshire this first rotation.
Rotation 2: UNH Vault, Penn Bars
Biette (UNH): Y full, low chest. 9.400
MacDonald (UNH): Y half, looked like it was meant to be a lay maybe? Big hop. 9.425
Kelley (UNH): Y full, soft legs in the air, hops. 9.700
Beaulieu (UNH): Y full, hop forward, chest a bit down. 9.625
Mowers (UNH): Y half, soft knees in the air, looked stuck. 9.825
Gorgenyi (UNH): Y full, great air, clean, big hop back. 9.675
S. Kenefick (Penn): Tkatechev, nice form. Leg sep on the pak. Shy on that last hs. Full to double twist lay. Looooove it. 9.550
Lassiter (Penn): Blind to straddle jaeger. Bail to low, nice. Good last hs. FTDB, tiny hop. 9.700
Kuhn (Penn): Good first hs. Nice tkatchev to pak, tiny bit of form on both but good overall. FTDB, stuck! 9.875
Oniki (Penn): Ohhh misses the tkatchev. Bail to hs. Good last hs. Double lay, small hop. 8.950
Kerico (Penn): Toe tkatchev on, lovely form. Bail to hs a liiiitle archy and some leg sep. Shy on that last hs. FTDB, chest down with a big step forward. 9.725
M. Marr (Penn): Toe on shaposh, good. Bail to hs a little wiggly. Shy on that last hs. Double lay, small hop forward.
After 2: Penn 97.600, New Hampshire 97.350
Vault just isn’t New Hampshire’s best event and Penn, while the Quakers missed a few handstands and didn’t find all the sticks, pushed past New Hampshire this rotation. However, a quarter of a point only separates these teams and we have a lot of meet left to go.
Rotation 3: Penn Beam, UNH Floor
Belkoff (Penn): Bhs bhs loso, no problem. Smooths over a balance check on her full turn. Switch to sheep. RO 1.5, holds onto that stick. 9.825
Rosen (Penn): No issues on the bhs loso. Balance check on the punch front. Switch to straddle 1/4, good. Straddle half on the transverse. Front tuck full, small hop forward, some form in the air.
Kuhn (Penn): Wolf, tiny check. Bhs loso, shoulder tiniest bit down but smooths that over. Switch to straddle half. Bhs gainer full off side, stuck. 9.825
Werlen (Penn): Cat leap to side aerial. Low back leg on her split jump half, foot a litttttle flexed. Bhs loso, tiny wobble. Bhs 1.5, holds onto it with her toes, some form in the air. 9.800
C. Marr (Penn): Bhs loso. Switch leap to straddle quarter with gorgeous extension. Cat leap to side aerial, toes could be a little pointier. Check on the full turn. Bhs lay full off side, stuck! 9.700
M. Marr (Penn): Bhs loso, flawless. Noo comes off on the hitch kick side aerial. Switch leap to straddle quarter. Bhs full off the side, stuck. Lovely minus that fall. 9.050
Bauman (UNH): Opens with a back 2.5, keeps it on her feet. Okay leap series. Not quite that full extension. 1.5 to punch front, sits it down. 8.500
Judges are having a coffee.
Mowers (UNH): Double pike to open, chest down though. Front lay to front full, good. Lovely leaps, great popa. Good double tuck. 9.675
Kelley (UNH): Double pike to open, big step back, keeps it in, doesn’t pick up her front foot. RO 1.5 to front lay. Switch side to popa looked good. Double tuck to close. Good routine. 9.725
Brown (UNH): Ro 1.5 to front full, doesn’t move her feet. Good dance series. Rudi lands with her chest up. Great routine. 9.800
Gorgenyi (UNH): Double pike to open, great height and form. HERE for this super hero pose. No notes. Ro 1.5 to front pike. Switch side to wolf full. Fhs rudi, good chest position. Nice routine! 9.725
Beaulieu (UNH): Double tuck to open, keeps it in. Clean second pass. Doesn’t quite hit that wolf position in her leap series. Rudi, lands with her chest a little down. 9.800
After 3: Penn 146.700, New Hampshire 146.075
Uncharacteristic fall from M. Marr to close out the Penn beam rotation but that beam team held it together wonderfully to add a little more distance from New Hampshire. The Wild Cats didn’t have the same floor scores as a few days ago but the put up several routines over 9.700s.
Rotation 4: UNH Beam, Penn Floor
Bauman (UNH): Front aerial to bhs. Cat leap to front toss, lands that a liiiittle low. Switch to sheep, nice. Gainer full off side, stuck. Nice. 9.725
Mullin (UNH): Bhs loso but comes off. Hits her leap series but not quite full extension. Cat leap to front toss and keeps that on despite a check. BHS 1.5, hop forward. 9.050
Simpkins (UNH): Tiny check there on the full turn but smooths it. Bhs loso, hits. Cat leap to side aerial, check but keeps it on. Some form there, too. Good leap series, great ring. Bhs gainer full off side, holds onto that stick! 9.725
Beaulieu (UNH): Front toss to bhs. Cat leap to switch side. Tiny check on the full turn. RO 1.5, stuck. Lovely routine! 9.775
Worthington (UNH): Wobble on the full turn. Side aerial bhs series, excellent. That Y-scale is lovely. Cat leap to switch side, no problem. Excellent jump series. Piked gainer off end, stuck! 9.800
Kelley (UNH): Wild Cats need this to be a hit. No problem on the bhs loso triple series. Switch to beat, good. Front toss, tiny adjustment. Bhs gainer full off side, stuck!
Oniki (Penn): Double pike to open, medium lunge back. Front lay to front full. Good height on leaps. Ro 1.5 to front lay, good. 9.575
Belkoff (Penn): Rudi with a double stag rebound, good. Leap series didn’t quite have a full extension there. 1.5 to front lay, good. 9.500
Judges conference on floor.
Rosen (Penn): 1.5 to front lay, good. Good leaps, lovely extension in the popa. Double tuck, lands with chest up. 9.675
Davies (Penn): Opens with a double pike, small shuffle of the feet. Front lay to front full. Great extension on her leap series. Double tuck to close. 9.825
Kenefick (Penn): Fhs double full to punch front but sits to down. Switch side is immaculate, popa could be a little more extended. 2.5 to end, excellent form in the air on that. 8.675
Lassiter (Penn): Sits down her first pass and it looks like she may have gone out of bounds. Double pike, great height. Love her switch side to popa, great position on that. 8.925
FINAL: New Hampshire 194.950, Penn 194.200
That was CLOSE. Even without Penn counting a fall on floor, New Hampshire would’ve had an edge. The Wild Cats didn’t score quite as high as they did a few days ago, nonetheless, it was a successful meet as they polish up for EAGLs. Quakers definitely need to do some last minute fixing to be competitive against the rest of the GEC as the season winds down.
VT: Belkoff 9.875
UB: Kuhn 9.875
BB: Kelley 9.850
FX: Davies 9.825
AA: Beaulieu 38.225
READ THIS NEXT: Is Bars Historically the EAGL’s Best Event?
Live blog by Allison Freeman
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