It’s already the end of the first week back for college gymnastics! These past three days have been so exciting, and tonight we cap it off with one more meet with Central Michigan facing Arizona State in ASU’s 2024 home opener.
Although Central Michigan was not ranked in the top 36 coming into the 2024 season, they did win the MAC Championship title in 2023 which will hopefully give them that extra boost of confidence they need going into the first meet of the season. CMU lost seven athletes coming into this year, but gained six freshmen, as well as Katie Kowalski who has returned from an injury. CMU ended last year on a high note on all events, and even with the departure of a consistent contributing group, they will be looking to keep this momentum going into their first competition of the year.
Arizona State comes into the 2024 season ranked in the top 20 at no.19. In 2023, ASU finished the year at no.15, so they will be looking to climb back up in the rankings as the year goes on. The Sun Devils have three losses coming into this season, but brought in a class of four freshmen and are also returning Cassi Barbanete from injury. ASU is also returning Hannah Scharf for one final season, who has undoubtedly been one of the key pieces getting Arizona to rise in the rankings over her past five years. Entering their home opener, ASU will be looking to add in more difficulty early in the year with the addition of some 10.0 start value vaults from the freshmen class, which will add a few additional tenths to an historically clean even for the Sun Devils.
Both teams are coming off some of their best seasons, so it’s exciting to see if they will be able to pick up right where they left off!
The meet starts at 9:00 PM. EST, and if you are watching, you can follow along here !
Let’s get into it!!
Warm ups are underway, I am loving these CMU leos!
Cut to commercial right before competition (?)
Rotation 1: ASU Vault, CMU Uneven Bars
The commercial skipped the first couple of routines, but we are back!
Shannon (CMU): Blind, piked jaegar a little close, nice overshoot, short on last handstand, dismount with a good amount of steps back but she stayed on her feet. 9.375.
Scharf (ASU): Yurchenko 1/1, a little piked down but a controlled landing. 9.85.
Johnson (CMU): Toe handstand, huge tkachev to shoot over, stopped after on the kip, big double layout with a big hop forward. 9.25.
Reeves (ASU): Yurchenko 1.5, sits it down. 9.225.
Germond (CMU): Clear hip tkachev, shoot over, misses the last handstand, full in dismount with a slight step back, but good to get them back on track! 9.775
Theodorou (ASU): Half on, half off tucked, good landing! 9.825
Alverado (CMU): Nice handstand, beautiful shaposh to pak, perfect last handstand, a little loose on the blind full and a double tuck dismount, squatty with a slight hop but a good routine! 9.85
Smith (ASU): Yurchenko 1.5, on her feet but takes a step back! 9.85
Kmieciak (CMU): Shaposh to shootover, a little legs but good! Beautiful stuck double layout dismount! 9.9.
White: (ASU) * exhibition Yurchenko 1/1, great landing! Maybe next week we will see her in the lineup! 9.85
Skrupa (CMU): *exhibition, Shaposh to Pak, a little loose but makes it, toe on front half dismount, beautiful! I think she might have earned her spot in that lineup as well!
After 1: ASU: 49.125 VT, CMU: 48.675 UB
So a couple of mistakes for both, just getting the jitters out! ASU is debuting a lot of 10.0 start value vaults, which is great for them, but hopefully they will reap the benefits of doing that difficulty the next time around! The middle of bars for CMU was a little shaky, but the final routines of that lineup really helped them out. Also, both those exhibitions were beautiful! I wonder if there will be any changes in the next meet.
Rotation 2: CMU Vault, ASU Uneven Bars
Germond (CMU): Yurchenko 1/1, a little close to the table and a step back, but great amplitude. 9.75
Reeves (ASU): Little short on first handstand, straddle jeagar to shootover, a little bit of form break on the high bar to low bar, double layout, stuck! 9.825.
Hornbacher (CMU):Yurchenko 1/1 stuck! Nice chest up and good distance from the table. 9.8.
Barbanete (ASU): Blind to piked jaegar to soot over, beautiful handstand, double layout stuck! I’m so excited! She has only been able to compete once and she crushed that! 9.875.
Shannon (CMU): Yurchenko 1/1, small scoot back but a great landing!
Samiley (ASU): Blind to straddle jaegar to shoot over, beautiful, double layout with a couple of steps back, but a clean routine otherwise. 9.70.
Alvarado-Reid (CMU): Yurchenko 1/1, small scoot back but a good landing, pretty identical to Shannon!
Mangahas: (ASU): Blind to piked jaegar to shoot over, great extension, short on the last handstand, full in stuck cold! The only deduction for me would be that last handstand, that was great! 9.85.
Cesarone (CMU): Yurchenko 1/1 hop back, a little too much power, but better that at this point! She will definitely get that landing as time goes on.
White (ASU): Shaposh 1/2 gorgeous, shoot over right to handstand, beautiful last handstand, double layout dismount with a small hop forward. 9.825
Kmieciak (CMU): Yurchenko 1.5, one step forward but beautiful form! 9.825
Clark (ASU): Blind to piked jaegar little close, good pal a little legs, 1/2 pirouette, good last handstand, double layout slight step back. 9.8.
(CMU): *exhibition front pike 1/2, a step back but on the landing.
Theodorou (ASU): *exhibition, just waiting for Clark’s score, taking a bit, its the first weekend for the judges too! Straddle jaegar, shoot over, blind to double front dismount, big step forward but made!
After 2: CMU 97.650, ASU 98.200
Definitely starting to settle in a bit more! This was a much better rotation for both teams. CMU is still struggling to get over that 49 mark, and ASU had a couple of uncharacteristic mistakes, and a confusing judging debate on Clark’s score on bars. Overall, this rotation was much better and these little details will come with time!
Rotation 3: ASU Balance Beam, CMU Floor
Lee (ASU): First routine of the night for her! Fun mount. Split leap to full turn, slight wobble. BHS BHS LOSO, solid! Flutter to sheep jump, a little check on the landing. Round off, 1.5 slight step back. A great first routine for her and a great lead-off, that spot is HARD. 9.725
Hornbacher (CMU): Front lay to front 1.5, good landing. Double tuck for the second, great landing with a little chest down! The first two pass routine, I’m very intrigued to see if anyone will do three tonight. 9.85
K. Smith (ASU): Good side aerial to open. Nice full turn, BHS LOSO, very solid. Fun stag handstand down to the beam, I love the fun choreo. Switch leap, straddle 1/4, good landing. Round off 1.5, slight move forward, great routine! 9.775.
Mueller (CMU): first floor routine ever for the senior!!! Great double pike to start. Front rudi, rolls back and falls out of bounds. Last pass, back 1.5 to front lay, good landing. A strong finish! 8.9
Reeves (ASU): BHS BHS LOSO to open, perfect! Switch leap to split, solid, good full turn to follow. Beautiful front aerial. Round off tuck 1.5, small step forward. A great routine to get back on track for her individually after vault! 9.8
Skrupa (CMU): Back 1.5 to front lay to start, moves out of it good. Second pass, huge double tuck! Switch ring to switch 1/2 to end. A great routine to get back on track! 9.725
Clark (ASU): BHS BHS LOSO, another stuck! Split to stag ring, so fun and beautifully done! Front aerial a little check to the side. Gainer front full stuck to end! That was a great routine! 9.875
Cesarone (CMU): Double pike for second pass and takes a few steps forward, switch side to split full, not all the way 180. Double tuck to end, slides back but ends with her chest up! 9.775
Scharf (ASU): BHS LOSO to open, slight balance check. Side sumi, solid. Switch to split, just a little off on the landing, looks like she might be second guessing those landings, but NAILS the round off 1.5 to end! 9.85
Alvarado- Reid (CMU): Front 1.5 to double stag jump, so much height. Loving the Britney music, absolutely. Front 1.5 to layout good landing, fun dance to end another two pass routine! 9.85
White (ASU): BHS LOSO, huge series. Such good fluidity in her movement. Front aerial with a slight bobble on the landing. Split jump to double stag, great extension. BHS 1.5 to dismount, step forward, but a great routine to make up for a lower score in the beginning! 9.8
Veglucci (CMU): Front 2/1, great landing! Double tuck, lots of height, a little out too much power on the landing. Switch half to straddle half, a little short of 180. Last pass, 2.5 to punch front, (as a last pass!) That was a hard routine, but done so well! 9.85
Mangahas (ASU): *exhibition front aerial BHS to start, solid and great connection. Swith leap to switch half, perfect, got it all the way around. Front pike (!!) stuck cold. Gainer pike stuck dismount. Exhibition!! That truly looked like a veteran performance, I don’t think it will be long before she sneaks into a spot in this lineup.
Shannon (CMU): *exhibition Front lay to rudi, touches the ground on the 1.5, a little short on the rotation. Double pike, much better landing. So good to get out there and get this experience so early in the season.
After 3:
CMU is building every rotation and ASU looks great, they both do! ASU’s beam looked extremely clean and beam the first meet (and truly all year) is difficult! ASU hasn’t had the best past with beam, so it was great to see them have such strength on this event. CMU looked strong, well-conditioned to do these routines. They had a couple of breaks, but for the most part, this was a great first floor rotation for the year. On to the last!
Rotation 4: CMU Balance Beam, ASU Floor
Veglucci (CMU): Final rotation! full turn, good. BHS LOSO, a good save a slight check. Cat leap to switch side, stays on but falls forward. Side sumo is off the beam. Round off 2/1 dismount with a slight move back. She just looked a little unsure but that is so common this first week. A little more pressure on the rest of the lineup now.
Purler (ASU): Double pike to open, jumps to lunge is a little forward but good. Front lay to front full, good landing. Switch ring, to hop wolf 1/1. Back 1.5 5o front layout, great finish! Yay first routine as a Sun Devil! 9.75
Lankamer (CMU): Candle mount, Front toss to BHS, great fluidity. Switch leap to sheep jump, solid. Round 1.5 slight hop forward. A great routine to get back on track! I love her unique skills! 9.825.
Theodorou (ASU): First pass, full in to her knees, lands safe, but lands really low. Back 1.5 to front lay, under rotated and falls on this pass. Not the routine she wanted, but ASU will have to come back strong in these last four. 8.325
Mueller (CMU): BHS LOSO, a slight wobble but snaps back on. Switch to switch 1/2, solid. Front aerial, might have touched the beam on trying to save it. Cartwheel gainer 1.5 to end. The score will be up to the discretion of the judges if they count this as a fall. 9.625
K. Smith (ASU): Really nice double pike to open. Random but I love the ring kick! Back 1.5 to front layout, great. Such fun choreo! Torjete 1/2 to split full, gets both to 180. Double tuck, a little short landing, but a great hit routine to pick back up the momentum! 9.825
Skrupa (CMU): Nice jumps to start, BHS LOSO, a little check but great landing. Good full turn, front aerial to split jump, good connection. BHS 1.5 dismount, I’m not sure if this was a lyout of tucked shape (?) They might take for this, but a good routine! 9.775
White (ASU): Front double to start, great landing. Back 1.5 to front full, comes up short and is down. Definitely not what she was expecting and with having to count a fall, the next few will have to come up big to stay in front of CMU. 9.025
Bustelo (CMU): BHS LOSO to start, very nice a little balance check but great form. Switch leap, split 3/4, front aerial to flutter, beautiful. Tucked front full dismount, stuck! That was a great routine and definitely what they needed to not count that early fall!
Mangahas (ASU): Full in to start, great landing! Very fun routine so far, very up beat. Front thru to double tuck, a little low but keeps it up! This was a hard routine, but she executed it great. 9.85
Alvarado-Reid (CMU): BHS LOSO is off. Front aerial, almost misses her foot but stays on. Switch to switch 1/2, good landing, gets it around. Gainer pike to end. Unfortunately they will also have to count a fall, but a strong finish to an otherwise really good routine. 9.35.
Scharf (ASU): Front thru double tuck to start, really nice landing, chest up and dances out. Front full to front tuck great height. Switch 1/2 to wolf full, gets both fully around. Double pike, great landing. That was a great routine to end the rotation, even with some of the struggles for ASU, Scharf is able to end it on a high note for the night. 9.875
Cesarone: (CMU): Came in late on this routine, an exhibition, a round off 1.5, nails her stuck dismount!
Gregoire (ASU) *exhibition full in to start, a little low, but lands good! Switch 1/2 to straddle full leap pass. Front rudi to back layout step out to end! This is another I could see quickly making her way into the lineup!
FINAL: ASU 195. 725 CMU 195.125
VT: Scharf and Smith 9.85
UB: Kmieciak 9.9
BB: Clark 9.875
FX: Scharf 9.875
AA: Alvarado-Reid 38.875
Okay, first meet of the season! There were ups and downs for both of these teams, but overall, a good opening meet for both ASU and CMU. Both teams had to count a fall which they definitely did not want, but, they were able to finish strong on the events they had trouble with. Each team also had a handful of good exhibitions that could easily go into the lineups if there needs to be a change on each event. ASU looks to have struggled a bit with endurance on floor, but in the last rotation of the first meet, this will build back up with time and confidence. CMU looked strong on floor, but just looked to lack a bit of confidence ending on beam. Again, there were several highs and lows for each team and this meet really did go back and forth, but the potiential for both is undoubtedly there. Both teams have a quick turn around both competing on Friday once again. This is just a short amount of time to fix this hiccups, but the first is out of the way, and this one is definitely the hardest. It will be interesting to see if any of the lineups change, especially with every exhibition hitting their routines, so this will be something to look for in four short days.
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Live Blog by Julianna Roland
