There are a lot of unknowns in this session. Oregon State’s Jade Carey, certainly the best single gymnast in this quad and one of the best in the country, is likely to be limited in her participation this year as she winds up for the Olympic cycle. We don’t know how much of that will be event limits, i.e. competing just bars and beam, and how much might be outright rest weeks. All four of these teams have monster freshman classes, but SUU in particular has about a million freshmen and even more lineup spots to fill: This is going to be a very different-looking group of Thunderbirds. BYU and Minnesota are both teams in transition, working on rebuilding from the loss of program-defining alumni of years past, and have lots of underclassman routines to explore and incorporate as time goes on.
Rotation 1: Oregon State VT, Minnesota UB, SUU BB, BYU FX
Briones (OSU): FTY, clean in the air, didn’t anticipate the ground and comes in substantially short with a big bounce forward.
McClain (SUU): Kickover front BHS a little slow but good enough. Short of positions on her leaps, piked kickover front that didn’t look substantially different from the tucked one, check on the full turn, gainer full off the side with a hop in place.
Kirkham (BYU): Front lay to Rudi, long step out. Tour jete half split full a little chaotic, double pike lands a little heavy with a long step back.
Jencks (Minn): Solid Ray, toe on to bail, handstands not quite there but skills looking solid. Double lay with a step.
Randolph (SUU): BHS back pike… maybe one of those weird NCAA piked layout things. Big check with a step forward. Straddle straddle quarter, not great positions. Kickover front to beat. Looking nervy but getting through. Chaotic on the full turn, stuck the one and a half twist.
Garcia (OSU): Nice FTY, kept the body position open, essentially stuck.
Matern (BYU): Front double full, major leg separation but decent landing. One and a half front lay, switch ring to wolf full hop, the ring position was not … there. Rudi again with leg separation.
Sirjord (Minn): We keep tuning in for just the dismounts here. Blind full double back good.
Schwartze (SUU): BHS LOSO, a little slow but secure, beat to LOSO tentative with an arm adjustment. Split to sheep to beat, not the best sheep position but there was head release and that counts for something. Stuck the gainer full. SUU not looking the most comfortable on beam but fighting.
Lyden (Minn): Toe to Maloney to bail, not quite on the handstand, DLO comes in a bit short with a step forward.
Cacciola (SUU): Cute double buns today. Full turn, switch split LOSO beat super fluid. Smirking as she drills that. BHS LOSO, medium check. One and a half twist, little step.
Eaquinto (BYU): Rudi, little slide. Double pike, bigger slide. Switch switch half wolf full more or less rotated, one and a half front lay is good.
Coutu (SUU): Great BHS LOSO. Split to sheep, hop, again okay not great sheep position. Made the full turn, gainer full with a big hop back. Six for six from the Thunderbirds on beam.
Gerdes (Minn): Maloney to bail solid, FTDB SO CLOSE to the bar but stuck.
Margraf (BYU): Addams Family music! Front double full, big bounce forward and OOB. Rudi, hop back. Switch ring switch half wolf full, shuffle. High energy music with low energy dance in the middle here. One and a half front lay and that’s the first secure landing of the routine.
Hooten (Minn): Arched the first handstand, pike Jaeger to overshoot is solid. FTDB, flung it out but stuck-ish, maybe a foot scoot.
Benson (BYU): Got some lower scores to drop here. Nice double tuck. Switch half Popa. This is a Macklemore routine, isn’t it. A little extra bounce on the combo pass, nothing extreme, good double pike.
After 1: Minnesota 49.275, Oregon State 48.950, Southern Utah 48.950, BYU 48.650
A little nonplussed by a lot of that first rotation work, but nobody had a big problem either. Minnesota took care of business on bars, while Southern Utah avoided having a problem on what can often be a problem apparatus. I’m used to seeing more in terms of performance quality and commitment from BYU, but maybe they’ll warm up as the season goes along.
Rotation 2: BYU VT, Oregon State UB, Minnesota BB, Southern Utah FX
Gull (SUU): Double pike, overrotated with a scoot back. One and a half to layout Barani to straddle, a little loose in form throughout. Tour jete half wolf full, underrotated. Nailed the double tuck to finish.
Briones (OSU): Maloney loose-legged to solid Pak, nice balanced half pirouette. DLO piked down a bit with a scoot back.
Fernandez (SUU): Double tuck, close to the corner, I think she kept her heel up? Nope, OOB. Leaps rotated, one and a half front lay comes in a little low but steps out fine. Finishes well with her Rudi. 9.625
Pearl (Minn): BHS LOSO, just a touch of form, solid. Switch straddle quarter, good extension. Front aerial to beat, a little off line but covers well. BHS gainer full with a scoot-step back. Good one.
DeVries (OSU): Maloney, wildly shapey, to decent Pak. Still a little loose. Good cast handstand, DLO with a little scoot.
Kirkham (BYU): Solid FTY, good dynamics, medium hop back.
Cacciola (SUU): Nice double back. Front full front lay, controlled, switch ring switch half wolf full nice and tidy. Finishes with a Rudi. Really really solid routine. 9.6? I’m confused. She was well, well inside on all her passes and there’s an OOB
McMillan (OSU): Shy on the first handstand, toe to Maloney with leg separation to nice bail. DLO, pike down but stuck. 9.95… judges are getting real happy on bars.
Benson (BYU): FTY, comes in short, holds the stick but bet her ankles felt that.
Schwartze (SUU): Front double full, step out is maybe a bit long.
Randolph (SUU): Nice double layout!! Pretty straddle leaps and then we lost her because Jade happened.
Carey (OSU): Maloney to Bhardwaj, a little loose legged, substantial leg separation on the van Leeuwen. Full in dismount with a little foot scoot. 9.975 great fine whatever
Rowray (Minn): BHS LOSO, really steady. Switch to straddle half, pretty! Kickover front. Switch side with a little lean. Front gainer full
After 2: Minnesota 98.625, Oregon State 98.575, BYU 97.875, SUU 97.675
I’m not sure what happened on bars there. The landings were good, but I saw a lot of form. The judges saw no form. Whatever. Minnesota was really solid on beam, while floor seems to be the trouble event today.
Rotation 3: SUU VT BYU UB Oregon State BB Minnesota FX
Esposito (OSU): Switch standing switch, both short of split, to LOSO with soft knees. BHS LOSO, adjustment. Double full with a hop back.
Jencks (Minn): Front double full, twisted into the ground but controls the landings. Switch half Popa pretty well rotated, one and a half front lay good. Rudi, maybe a smidge underrotated but good landing again,
Buckner (OSU): BHS LOSO, better form, fall. Hop back on her dismount.
Cacciola (SUU): Solid FTY with a scoot back.
Goodman (SUU): FTY DEEEEEP but stuck. Ow. 9.775 is very kind.
Pearl (Minn): Front full front lay nice and controlled. Little bouncy on the double pike.
Weaver (OSU): Double wolf, drops the leg, big check. BHS LOSO good. Nice switch split. Check on the aerial, stuck dismount. Conference on this one. 9.325, they probably didn’t credit the wolf.
Eaquinto (BYU): Toe to Maloney to Pak. Double layout with a hop.
Pardue (SUU): One and a half with a step! Fun.
Johnson (Minn): Wolf one and a half, pretty clean. Front full front half very clean, good control. Switch side Popa. Double tuck, too much oomph, rebound back.
Hunter (BYU): Nice high Tkachev caught on her fingers, shy on the next handstand understandably. Good bail. hop on dismount.
Young (OSU): Front aerial back tuck, feet throughout, full turn with nice releve but a little check. Split to ring leap with very very questionable position. Front gainer full stuck.
An. Alvarado (BYU): Great body line, nice open hips on these handstands, Maloney to Pak is nice and clean. FTDLO STUCK. Wow. 9.95
Gonzales (OSU): Front aerial back tuck is slow but landed well. Good side aerial, cat leap switch half just a little short of position. Front gainer full landed a little lock legged, step back.
Gerdes (Minn): Front through double back, little scoot. STUCK her double pike! Maybe a little short but that’s most NCAA floor sticks.
Bramblett (BYU): Huge Ray to overshoot! So much flight. DLO with a little hop.
Carey (OSU): Full turn is good. BHS LOSO, super control. Switch switch half, made the splits. Front aerial, adjustment, gainer full stuck.
Hooten (Minn): Full in, so easy in the air, little scoot back. Front full front pike stuck dead, can’t ask for more control than that. Double tuck, scoot back again.
Thompson in the ex for OSU. BHS LOSO, soft knees and a check. Split wolf 3/4, missing positions and falls.
After 3: Minnesota 147.800, Oregon State 147.300, BYU 147.300, SUU 146.725
Rotation 4: Minnesota VT SUU UB BYU BB Oregon State FX
Christensen (BYU): Nice Jaeger, nailing handstands. Little touches of feet, nothing substantial. DLO with a pace back.
Jencks (Minn): Not a lot of block on that FTY but found the landing, just a foot shift.
Briones (OSU): Rudi LOSO with messy legs. Switch side Popa underrotated. Double pike, enough height but mistimes the landing, chest forward and a bounce back up.
Mason (BYU): BHS LOSO, soft knees and a bend check. Double full dismount with a hop.
Nguyen (Minn): FTY, piked down with a pace.
Schwartze (SUU): Saw just the second half, drilled her Rudi dismount. 9.9
Dudley (BYU): BHS LOSO, small leg up check. Switch straddle quarter, positions okay. One and a half dismount good. 9.75
Esposito (OSU): Front double full, messy legs and a big step, not great control. Long step back out of her double pikes. Rudi, low chest.
Routsis (SUU): Maloney, low, to good bail. Hasn’t made either cast handstand. Toe on to double lay, step back.
Millar (BYU): BHS LOSO, a little off line but fixes it with her arms. Cat leap switch half, arm adjustment. Beat to straddle half tidy. Front full dismount with a hop.
Moraw (Minn): Solid FTY, little pike, long pace back.
Goodman (SUU): Blind to pike Jaeger, not making the cast handstands, Pak, gorgeous half pirouette. Blind full double tuck, falls to her knees.
Margraf (BYU): Kickover front back tuck, a little wild in terms of directions but not too slow. Front aerial. Switch split, a bit tentative, punch front full dismount with a tiny hop.
Garcia (OSU): One and a half front lay solid. Closing with a double tuck, fine.
Gerdes (Minn): One and a half, landed on her heels, quick step back.
Randolph (SUU): Maloney to bail, little foot flicker in the Maloney but got the form back, clear hip to DLO a touch short with a hop forward.
Thompson (OSU): One and a half front lay, slightly awkward step. Double pike, squats a little bit.
Hooten (Minn): One and a half, big hop forward.
Neff (SUU): Toe to Maloney to bail, great catch position. Making all the handstands. Piked down the DLO, bounce in place.
Rollins (BYU): Just looks delighted to be on the beam. Switch straddle quarter, front aerial with a check. BHS LOSO, big check. Solid dismount.
Young (OSU): Music is Celebration. Good double tuck, switch to switch ring full, not great position. Front full front lay, long lunge.
FINAL: Minnesota 196.850 Oregon State 196.525 Southern Utah 196.025 Brigham Young 195.750
Some really aggressive ranking debuts from this meet! Minnesota on top of the Big Ten!
VT: Jorgensen/Benson 9.875
UB: Carey 9.975
BB: Rowray 9.975
FX: Gerdes/Hooten/Weaver/Garcia 9.875
AA: Hooten 39.450
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Live blog by Rebecca Scally
