Senior nights abound! The Illini are saying goodbye to Rachel Borden, McKenzie Eddy, Mallory Mizuki, Olivia O’Donnell, Arayah Simons, Mia Takekawa, Mia Townes and Julia Waight this afternoon. That’s…a big scary list but for now we’ll stick to being sad and not trying to thing about lineups next year.
Anything over a 196.425 is a win for Illinois here, NQS-wise. Something more in the 196.700 vicinity would be ideal. Kentucky absolutely needs one more strong away score to add to its NQS, so this is a big moment for the Wildcats. It’s 197-or-bust. Kentucky could go as high as No. 7 with a big number.
Illinois State will be looking more closely at individual NQS numbers: Jaye Mack and Nirel Bart-Williams are in the hunt on floor.
Rotation 1: Illinois VT, Kentucky UB, Illinois BB
Davis (UK): DLO, little hop back. Didn’t actually notice they’d started there.9.8
Mueller (UIUC): FTY, some leg sep, hop straight back.
Wabi (ISU): Kickover front BHS pretty. Split split 3/4, check and falls. Full turn. Cartwheel gainer full stuck.
Waight (UIUC): Yurchenko half. Pikey throughout but stuck! 9.8
Procasky (UK): Maloney to Pak, some leg sep, nice half turn on the low bar. Borderline cast handstand, blind full double back stuck. Nice. 9.875
Green (UIUC): FTY, twisting onto the table and some body line issues throughout. Big step back. 9.8
Fitzgibbon (UIUC): FTY, some closed hips, underrotated with a big dive forward. 9.575
Davis (UK): Blind to Jaeger, pretty. Missed a handstand, good bail. DLO stuck. 9.9!
Donovan (ISU): Kickover front LOSO, falls. Counting one now.
Townes (UIUC): Bent elbows on the table, one and a half with a bounce straight forward. 9.85
DeGuzman (UK): Blind to Jaeger to overshoot, just beautiful, so technical. DLO stuck, maybe salutes a little fast but I loved it. 9.875
Nataraj (UIUC): Nice one and a half, step forward and another to salute. 9.8, guess they took both.
Ziegenfelder (ISU): Kickover front LOSO, check first one to make the series! Liukin a little bit shaky. Split split 3/4. Gainer full, hop forward. 9.65
Takekawa in the ex for Illinois, FTY stuck, blocked way to the side on the table.
Luksik (UK): Nice Ray, toe on to bail. Maybe late on the last cast handstand, stuck DLO. These landings are nuts. 9.825
Laster (ISU): Split split 3/4, missed the split and a check. Good kickover front, BHS LOSO and falls. 9.1
Worley (UK): Clear hip to Tkachev, great! Nice straight Pak, maybe a tiiiiiny bit late on her low bar half turn, almost arched a handstand on the high bar but got it back fast. FTDB with a tiny foot shift. 9.925
Bart-Williams (ISU): BHS LOSO LOSO, lean and hangs on. Split to split 3/4, one of the better splits we’ve seen but not perfect, little check. BHS gainer full stuck. Probably the best so far. 9.725
Labat (ISU): Super steady front aerial, BHS LOSO pretty with a lean. Full turn, switch switch half underrotated with a check, one and a half twist with a hop forward.
After 1: Kentucky 49.450, Illinois 49.000, Illinois State 47.275
Mini-disaster there for ISU, this probably won’t be a counting NQS score, but moving on to a more comfortable event now is a comfort. Great start for UK, those landings were really extraordinary, while Illinois got through an event that can be weaker with no drama.
Rotation 2: Illinois UB, Kentucky BB, Illinois State FX
Luksik (UK): Had a little bit of lagginess here, pace back on her gainer pike.9.7
Wabi (ISU): Wrapping up with a pretty Rudi LOSO. 9.825
Think I missed Rachel Borden here. We’re getting some error messages from the bars feed.
Ewald (UIUC): Blind to Jaeger, TOUCH of loose legs as she catches, nice Pak. Full out, hop back. 9.875 nice!
Procasky (UK): Gorgeous BHS LOSO. Switch ring nice, front aerial to beat. Gainer pike, step. 9.875
Laster on floor, the box is so tiny I can’t actually see what she’s doing. Oh finally we’re zooming in! Nice Rudi LOSO. 9.85
Mizuki (UIUC): Blind to pike Jaeger is so clean. Solid bail, blind full double back flung out with a hop back.
Bunn (UK): Full turn, BHS LOSO LOSO with a leg-up check. Switch split, check. Double full, close to stuck, maybe a right foot shuffle. 9.8
Donovan (ISU): Nice double back, switch side wolf full nice and tidy. Front lay to Rudi well controlled. Fully rotated wolf 3/2 jump, what is this?? 9.85
Knight (UIUC): Toe to Ray to overshoot nice! Blind full double back, wow. That’s her bars debut this year, she’s a late sub. 9.875
Patterson (UK): Front aerial, check. Switch switch lovely. Gainer pike, stuck on her toes. I promise there was an acro series in there.
O’Donnell (UIUC): Blind to Jaeger, too far and falls. Sounds like she clipped her heels on the low bar.
Labat (ISU): Front double full, little bounce. Tour jete half split full OK. One and a half front lay, looked almost stuck before she danced out. Shuffle back on the Rudi. 9.875
Takekawa (UIUC): Nice pike Jaeger, bail solid. No drama I JINXED IT, casts over, turns back around. DLO shapey with a slide back. 9.675
Worley (UK): Pretty front to back series, I was a touch distracted with Takekawa doing whatever that was but it’s normal for her. One and a half, scoot back. Commentators think it was stuck, I disagree. 9.975 lol
Bart-Williams (ISU): Rudi LOSO, a little straddled in the air but good control. Then she got covered up by a score graphic!
Magnelli (UK): Triple series. Switch to straddle quarter. They keep putting the score graphic over the videos oh my god. Front aerial, check. Full turn, gainer pike that really could have been anything because of the aforementioned graphic. 9.9
Mack (ISU): Pike full in, kept the front foot down… mostly. Switch side Popa, not the greatest splits there, front through double pike, little shuffle into lunge. 9.95 oooookay.
After 2: Kentucky 98.825, Illinois 98.050, Illinois State 96.700
Amazing 49.425 there for ISU, Illinois had to count a little drama but hung onto 196 pace, while Kentucky has to be pretty happy about this meet so far.
Rotation 3: Illinois State VT, Illinois BB, Kentucky FX
Donovan (ISU): FTY looks good in the air, comes in short with low chest and a big hop forward. 9.325
Knight (UIUC): Candle mount, a little piked but is that even a deduction? Literally who knows. Switch split good. Side aerial BHS, check. Gainer full with a hop back. 9.725
Procasky (UK): Front lay front full lovely. Switch ring to tour jete half looks nice. Pretty double back to close. 9.85
Mack (ISU): FTY, hop back but powerful and cleanish. Commentators have a very different definition of stick to me. 9.75
Heard (ISU): FTY, more amplitude than Mack, hop straight back. 9.825
Bourque (UK): Full in, beautiful! Combo pass not the greatest control, switch side Popa. OOB on her double back.
Bart-Williams (ISU): The first one and a half, big step forward and some form in the air.
Mizuki (UIUC): Full turn, nice BHS LOSO, great leap positions, gainer pike stuck. 9.875
Laster (ISU): STUCK ONE AND A HALF. Feet a little far apart. 9.925
Labat (ISU): One and a half the cleanest yet, big step forward. 9.825
Patterson (UK): One and a half front lay, scoot forward. Solid switch ring half, switch ring switch side is OK. Double back, short with a step forward. 9.9
Mueller (UIUC): Full turn, not very controlled. BHS LOSO, lean, switch switch good. Kickover front solid. One and a half dismount, baby hop forward. 9.85
Magnelli (UK): Rudi LOSO, nice control. Switch side Popa with aggressive positions. Double pike OK. 9.9
Townes (UIUC): Switch straddle quarter nice. For some reason the camera is super dark right now. Cat leap kickover front nice and clean. BHS LOSO, steady. Tucked one and a half WOW. Bits of form but so steady. 9.85
Nataraj (UK): BHS LOSO, great. Switch straddle quarter, easy, little check on a mixed series. Tiny adjustment on full turn/ One and a half, hop forward. 9.7
Davis (UK): Double pike, nice switch side Popa. One and a half front lay, missed the punch and the timing was weird but got it to her feet. Great double tuck. 9.95 I’m so confused
Takekawa (UIUC): Side aerial BHS, looked a little wonky in the middle of the pass but adjusted just fine, no check. Switch straddle quarter good. BHS gainer full stuck.
Worley (UK): FTDB, we didn’t see the landing. Maybe slightly overcooked on her combo pass, on her toes before she dances out. Double back, lunge a little long but throws her head back and dramatizes it.
After 3: Kentucky 148.400, Illinois 147.275, Illinois State 145.825
Kentucky needs a 48.675 to clinch the SEC night session spot. So.
Rotation 4: Kentucky VT, Illinois State UB, Illinois FX
Procasky (UK): FTY, little bit of leg sep, hop back. 9.875
Hawkwsworth (ISU): Solid routine until a DLO goes to her knees.
Takekawa (UIUC): Rudi to split jump, travels back really far in the leap but sticks. Double pike great. One and a half front lay, nice. 9.875
Wilson (UK): We barely caught her front pike 1/2, looks like a medium hop back.
Patterson (UK): Front pike half, big step to the side. 9.85
Wabi (ISU): Blind to pike Jaeger, some soft knees under the bar but otherwise pretty. Blind full double back, cowboyed with a hop.
Waight (UIUC): Double pike, looked slightly on her toes but hopped to lunge OK. One and a half front lay pretty and controlled. Wolf full to tour jete half, maybe a little short. Nice double tuck.
Laster (ISU): Bail, slightly loose-legged, once Tkachev. Late blind, double front with a step.
Magnelli (UK): Front pike half, short with a step forward. 9.75
Worley (UK): One and a half, pace forward. 9.925
Bourque (UK): Nice one and a half! I think her best in college. 9.875
Mueller (UIUC): Full in, debuts that skill in college, OOB. Solid double back.
Bart-Williams (ISU): Great Jaeger, misses I think the toe hecht.and falls.
Nataraj (UIUC): FTDB, nailed. Switch ring switch half wolf full, stream acting up again. 9.9
FitzGibbon (UIUC): Front lay to Rudi, lovely. Super high double pike, overrotated, scoot back.
Labat (ISU): Great Ray to overshoot, FTDB with two quick steps back. Nice finish and can drop one of the two falls.
Townes (UIUC): Front double full, cross step, touch of extra energy on that landing. One and a half front lay is great. Tour jete half Popa, solid!
FINAL: Kentucky 197.800, Illinois 196.800, Illinois State 193.850
One of the best scores in program history for UK. The Wildcats are now #8 nationally, #3 in the SEC. Illinois had a great senior night, while Illinois State counted a few too many falls but had a lot of great individual accomplishments.
VT: Alana Laster 9.925
UB: Raena Worley 9.925
BB: Raena Worley 9.975
FX: Raena Worley 9.975
AA: Raena Worley 39.775
READ THIS NEXT: Nadalie Walsh Wants to Elevate Illinois. Mia Takekawa’s Perfect 10 Is an Early Sign It’s Working.
Live blog by Rebecca Scally
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