The MIC’s two best teams meet tonight for the second time in two weeks. Last week, the Redbirds topped the Redhawks by nearly two points (194.600 to 192.875) while counting two falls. Tonight could be a big road total if the Redbirds avoid similar errors. Notably, they arrive in Cape Girardeau with the No. 30 floor squad in the country; watch for some fun routines there.
It’s fair to say the road team has the higher ceiling tonight, but don’t count out SEMO at home. The Redhawks took a hit when they lost key floor worker Jordan Jones to a recent Achilles tear, but they’ve done their best in the meantime. Freshmen Taylor Ingle has stepped up in the all around and has shown herself to be a key part of the future in Cape Girardeau. It should be a close battle between her and Illinois State’s stars for the title tonight.
Rotation 1: SEMO VT, Illinois State UB
I’m a fan of these lineup graphics.
Ingle VT: knees bent in the air on yfull, step back. 9.700
Hawksworth UB: nice first handstand, catches gienger, last handstand very short looking labored now, DLO stuck. 9.500
Reader VT: tucked yfull, little hop back. oh actually not tucked, legs were just decently bent. 9.800
Wabi UB: first handstand nice, good height on piked jaeger, over a bit on handstand into bail, full turn double back mega cowboyed in the second flip, good landing. 9.625
Webb VT: yfull piked way down, step back. 9.800
Laster UB: good bail, gigantic air on tkatchev between the bars, double front also very cowboyed at the end. 9.725
Lopez VT: tries for stick on yfull but steps back a bit. 9.800 seems to be the trend for this vault lineup.
Bart-Williams UB: big jaeger to bail, beautiful last handstand, double front super high. Good one. 9.775
Green VT: chest mostly up on yfull, small hop. 9.825
Bars judges taking longer for sure.
Heiner UB: Maloney legs apart, same on bail and falls on her way back up. Looks like it hurt. She touches her neck, goes to rechalk. Let’s see if she tries again. She does. DLO big step back. 9.125
Ockler VT: yfull small hop back. 9.875
Labat UB: good first half, full-in just a small step back. 9.825
Mallory Desch sits her vault exh.
After 1: SEMO 49.100, Illinois State 48.450
Rotation 2: SEMO UB, Illinois State VT
Donovan VT: good yfull to start, step back. 9.825
Ingle UB: falls on jaeger to start. handstand a bit off to end, double back step. 8.925
Mack VT: yfull not the most amplitude step. 9.850
Miller UB: Tkatchev to Ezhova good, DLO step back. 9.750
Heard VT: yfull very squatted, steps back. 9.625
Webb UB: nice first handstand, jaeger flexed feet catches, bail legs apart, double back legs together step back. 9.675
Bart-Williams VT: y1.5 not great block, lands on one leg and hops forward to keep balance. 9.775 that’s high.
Lopez UB: catches Jaeger, short handstand to bail, double back legs squeezed together. 9.750
Laster VT: steps forward, lands to the side on y1.5. 9.875..
Ockler UB: legs apart on Maloney, same on Pak, good last handstand, full-in stuck to end! 9.850
Labat VT: y1.5 high, step forward. 9.875
Moffitt UB: Jaeger caught close, double back not cowboyed whatsoever, sticks. 9.725
After 2: SEMO 97.850, Illinois State 97.650
Rotation 3: SEMO BB, Illinois State FX
Maxwell BB: fights for the save on BHS LOSO but falls. quarter switch not 180, sticks back 1.5 to end. 9.050
Wabi FX: front double full great e pass to open the lineup! Straddle leaps not fully 180. Front rudi to LOSO, my favorite floor pass tbh. 9.825
Speller BB: leaps 180 position, aerial to scale struggles but stays on. Punch front full sticks. 9.525
Laster FX: another front full dances out. Rudi to LOSO LOSO is a little wonky. 9.850
Moffitt BB: BHS LOSO beautiful no hesitation, cat to switch half not 180, loving the Jeremih beam music, back 1.5 holds stick. 9.775
Donovan FX: “salt bae” hand-ography interesting lol…double tuck chest up, leaps about 180, front lay front rudi. 9.850
Ingle BB: BHS LOSO off counting a fall. sticks back 1.5 to end. She’s had a two fall night. 9.125
Labat FX: double full smooth, back 1.5 to front lay, front lay back 1.5. Dynamic. 9.825
Webb BB: leaps looking 180, front aerial hesitates before Rulfova, gainer full off the side small step. 9.625
Bart-Williams FX: front rudi to LOSO, lot of the same passes here, love her jazzy dance, stuck cold double tuck. Fire routine! 9.875
Reader BB: confident series, good landing. 9.825
Mack FX: bounces way out of piked full-in looks like OOB, love this music. 9.800
After 3: SEMO 145.725, Illinois State 146.875
Away team officially leading. Super impressed with the Redbirds on floor.
Rotation 4: SEMO FX, Illinois State BB
Wabi BB: front toss to BHS slight check. check on beat again. leaps about 180. back full off the side stuck. 9.825
Ingle FX: back 1.5 to front tuck fun floor, has anyone else ever done Crazy in Love? We see so much Beyonce but it’s usually the first bars of Formation. Double pike. 9.850
Kipp BB: front toss slight check, turns out she WAS off back tuck fall. Now it will get interesting. dismount looked stuck. 9.075
Maxwell FX: Good oversplit, double tuck controlled landing, front lay back 1.5. back 1.5 front lay. 9.775
Ziegenfelder BB: front aerial to BHS little wobble, aerial to scale perf, gainer full small step. 9.725
Reader FX: Tia Tamara routine AMAZING once again. huge double pike. Front lay front full. Big double pike controlled lunge. 9.850
Laster BB: leaps 180, check, front toss no hesitation floaty, BHS LOSO big check arms wave but stays on. another big one on front full, shaken now. front lay stuck to end. 8.650
Webb FX: front double full floaty nice, front rudi to huge leap, ring head goes back, great routine. 9.675
Bart-Williams BB: triple series arm waves but stays on. sticks gainer full off the side to end. 9.875
Moffitt FX: big double tuck, straddle 180 “welcome to the party” music, front full front lay. double pike. love her music! 9.850
Labat BB: front aerial, BHS LOSO no hesitation, leaps 180 and confident. Much cleaner than the last few, back 1.5 big step forward. 9.875
Greene FX: front full front lay, big double tuck. 9.925
FINAL: SEMO 194.975, Illinois State, 194.025
The Redhawks counted two beam falls but bounced back from two straight 192 range scores. The Redbirds put up a fight on the road and should feel buoyed by some really strong leg events.
EVENT WINNERS
VT: Labat, Laster, Ockler 9.875
UB: Ockler 9.850
BB: Bart-Williams 9.875
FX: Greene 9.925
AA: Bart-Williams 39.300
READ THIS NEXT: Bubble Watch: March 1
Live blog by Katherine Weaver
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