Michigan had a very uncharacteristic start last weekend. The Wolverines lacked the landing crispness and steadiness we expect, and had an especially shaky beam rotation. That isn’t cause for panic: There’s plenty of time for this roster to find its footing in what is certainly a rebuilding year. Plus, Bev Plocki is managing a number of injuries that should be healed by mid-season, plus McCaleigh Marr’s adjustment after her transfer.
We won’t see Kaylen Morgan or Farah Lipetz for a few weeks yet, and Marr doesn’t seem quite ready. That means the lineups we saw in week one need to do the work for improvement this weekend.
Stanford will also be without Anna Roberts, who is out for the year, and doesn’t plan to compete any freshmen tonight. Anapaula Gutierrez’s return is all the more important, and we should see plenty of gymnastics from names like Chloe Widner and Ira Alexeeva. The Cardinal lineups will be interesting to be sure.
Oh friends. An angry tree leo! Listen. CGN has had an angry tree emoji loaded into our slack for years now. This is a big day. https://x.com/StanfordWGym/status/1745905546434158625?s=20
In less happy Stanford news, looks like the Cardinal will be going five-up on bars. Mmm.
Rotation 1: Michigan vault, Stanford bars
Jordan (UM): Her collegiate debut! Yfull, very tidy! Hop right up and down on the landing. Not much amplitude, up or out. 9.850
Dean (Stan.): Ray, feet and low. Pak was nice. Blind full after short handstand, short on her landing, a step forward and deep in the knees. 9.7
Guggino (UM): Y1.5, little hop onto her toes, then a small step. Good in the air. 9.875, scores seeming pretty middle of the road so far, not tight but not silly.
Sorrento (Stan.): Her collegiate bars debut! Long wait for Dean’s score. Arched handstand. Toe hand to Maloney, nice. Pak, hit her stomach on the bar but stayed on. DLO chest forward on the landing but held her feet. 9.325
Mulligan (UM): Y1.5, leg sep on the table, good distance. Big step forward. 9.85
Neault (Stan.): Another bit of a wait. Maloney, some leg form on the backswing, nice Pak. Toe hand, some arch, blind full, arches over, takes an empty swing and then comes off the bar. Remounts, toe hand and falls again. Remember, Stanford has to count this score, so additional falls do matter. Remounts, good toe hand, falls a third time on the toe full. She’s going to go again. Crowd is fully behind her. Just does the double tuck, takes it to her knees. She just wore herself out, but she made it through. 7.4
Morrison (UM): Y1.5, big hop forward, some soft knees in the air. 9.875
Alexeeva (Stan.): This Neault score will likely take quite awhile. Toe half, nice piked Jaeger, caught with bent arms. I missed her high to low transition. Short on a low bar handstand. DLO, step back. 9.825
Wilson (UM): Y1.5, her usual big vault, small forward hop on the landing. 9.9
Widner (Stan.): Huge Tkatchev, nice catching position. Blind full to bail hand, good.Nice final handstand. DLO, tiny scoot hop backward. Nice way to cap the rotation. 9.875
Brooks (UM): Y1.5, great distance, hop in place on the landing. 9.975, I would be the 9.95 judge
After 1: Michigan 49.475, Stanford 46.125
A great recovery for the Wolverines from last week. Everything looked more sharp, and what we expect to see on this event. Scores were not strict, but not goofy either, excepting the judge who went 10 for Brooks.
Oh, Stanford. Five-up and a many-fall routine is brutal. Props to Neault for finishing and not just saluting and walking away, but that’s not a fun way to start the season.
Michigan just provided an updated stats link: https://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=499669
Rotation 2: Stanford vault, Michigan bars
Dean (Stan.): Yfull, some bent arms on the table, hop back. 9.725
Morrison (UM): Gienger, nice, some leg separation. Bail hand, little offline. Short handstand, DLO, step back. Overall nice, just a few little things. 9.8
Zeng (Stan.): Yfull, rotated on the table, soft elbows. 9.8
Vore (UM): Short hanstand. Toe hand better, Tkatchev, soft knees and falls. Short bail hand, it should’ve been connected so didn’t need to be to handstand. DLO, small step forward. 9.025
Neault (Stan.): Let’s see how she recovers after bars. Yfull-on pike, little low, low chest on landing and a step. 9.725
Wilson (UM): Some pressure now after the Vore miss. Blind to pike Jaeger, foot form, close to the bar, bent knees on catch. Bail hand, very arched, fights and saves it. DLO, little foot shuffle on the landing. 9.8
Widner (Stan.): Yfull, hop in place. 9.85
Zabrowski (UM): A chance to come back from an off debut last week. Really messy on the mount kip, knees and elbows. Blind to Jaeger, foot and knee form. Pak, feet again. DLO, step back. 9.8
Nguyen (Stan.): Y1.5, big bound forward, bent arms on the table. 9.675
Bauman (UM): Toe half, Jaeger, nice, bail. Arch on the last handstand. Blind to double front, great landing, feet were a touch staggered. 9.925, seems right given the prior scores.
Brooks (UM): Blind to pike Jaeger, some foot form. Toe hand to bail hand, her usual, which is to say lovely. FTDL, small hop. 9.9
Jordan (UM, exh.): Blind to Jeager, nice, some foot form on the catch. Bail hand very clean. Blind full, bit late, double tuck, landed with her chest forward and took a step.
After 2: Michigan 98.700, Stanford 94.900
A much better rotation for the Cardinal! A good way to respond to some adversity. Michigan also showed some mental strength, recovering after the Vore fall. The Wolverines are much more on track than last weekend. Ava Jordan will absolutely be in competition to appear in that lineup once she cleans up her dismount landing.
I do have some questions about why Stanford is going five-up on two events. That’s concerning to say the least. Let’s hold judgement until it’s next meet, but maybe yikes.
Rotation 3: Michigan beam, Stanford floor
Mulligan (UM): Cat to front aerial bhs, nice toes. Slight bent arms on the bhs. Beat to straddle half, nice. Clean side aerial. Bhs tuck 3/2, step forward. 9.825
Dean (Stan.): Double pike, slightly low chest, jumps to lunge. Tour jete half, clean. RO 3/2 front 1/1, nice there, not a ton of rise in the second salto. Switch half popa, a little off kilter in the air. Solid leadoff! 9.85
Guggino (UM): Wasn’t in this lineup last week. This is where the Wolverines struggled the most, so lineup shuffling makes sense. bhs loso, great amplitude, balance check. Straddle to straddle half, soft knees. Good side somi. Bhs 3/2, step forward. 9.775, judges are hitting soft knees/arms I think.
Zeng (Stan.): Front lay rudi, good landing, not a ton of amplitude. Double tuck, foot form in the air, chest a pinch low on the landing. Cheated her leap rotations and was a bit shy of 180. 9.85
Wilson (UM): Hitch kick. Bhs loso, soft knee on the trailing bhs leg. Michigan is TUMBLING on beam, though. Her switch splits had some movement between, but I think she’ll get the connection. RO double tuck, moved one foot. 9.85
Neault (Stan.): Double pike, feet throughout the pass. Little messy on her switch ring full, hard to see if she hit the shape from the camera angle. FHS rudi, again, not the sharpest form but a good landing. RO 3/2 front lay, same soft form but dances right out of it. 9.85
Vore (UM): A chance for redemption after bars. Bhs loso, leg up check and soft feet and knees. Check on her front toss, just in the arms. Really pretty on her straddle half to beat. RO 3/2, soft knees and a step forward. 9.675
Widner (Stan.): Front lay leg sep front full, good landing. Tour jete half was nice. Double pike, really held a tight lunge, seemed like she thought she was close to going out and held herself back a touch. Clean leaps to end. 9.85, do the judges know other numbers?
Bauman (UM): Bhs loso, just some foot form on the trailing foot in the loso. Short on her switch half. Nice piked side somi. Pike gainer off the end, true stick. 9.9
Nguyen (Stan.): DLO, form in the air, but good amplitude. Switch side Popa, nice there. 5/2 to punch front pike, that’s a fun pass! And well done. 9.9, they do know other numbers!
Brooks (UM): Bhs loso loso, no movement. Switch to beat, maybe a pinch low with the back leg. Clean front toss. Bhs 2/1 stuck with feet slightly staggered. 9.975
Jessen (Stan.): Front through double tuck, some form throughout and low chest on the landing. Switch side Popa, short on rotation and a little off balance in the air. RO 3/2 front pike, little piked in the twist. Double pike, soft knees, very low chest on the landing, crunched an ankle pretty badly on the landing. Getting helped off, but doesn’t seem to be a major injury. 9.775
Marr (UM, ex.): Bhs loso, good landing. Hitch to side aerial, slight check, just in her arms. Switch to straddle quarter, slow connection there and a low back leg in the switch. Step forward on the gainer full.
After 3: Michigan 148.025, Stanford 144.200
Much better beam rotation than last week for Michigan. Marr has a case for lineup time if she can clean up her leap series, especially with two shaky Vore routines in a row.
Stanford looks clean on floor. Only Jessen seemed to have any endurance issues. Everyone else was a little untidy in tumbling, but for a first meet, it was a good showing.
Rotation 4: Stanford beam, Michigan floor
Dean (Stan.): Side aerial loso, clean there. Straddle to straddle 1/4, short of 180 and with her chest a bit forward on the rotating jump. RO 3/2, found the stick. 9.875
Bauman (UM): FHS 2/1, good landing. Switch half wolf full wolf full, about as nice as a wolf full ever looks. RO 3/2 front lay, soft knees toward the floor but a good landing. 9.925
Nguyen (Stan.): Standing loso loso, some knees. Switch side, clean. Straddle to beat. Tiny bit over on her full turn. Covered it well. RO 2/1 leg sep and a hop. 9.775
Mulligan (UM): Front through double tuck, cowboyed and foot form throughout the pass. Switch side? to straddle, couldn’t really tell what the rotation was mean to be. Double pike, good landing, kind of wild leg sep on the bhs. 9.925
Carter (Stan.): Triple series, dropped her chest and some foot form. Straddle half to beat, chest forward on the beat. RO 3/2, hop and a step forward. 9.75
Guggino (UM): Front lay through to double pike, leg sep on the pike, such a cool pass. Switch side Popa, best one we’ve seen so far. Front lay to rudi, clean there. 9.925, it’s the new 9.85.
Neault (Stan.): Fun side roll mount. Bhs bhs loso, really steady. Switch to split, low back leg in the second. Front aerial, clean. RO 3/2 true stick. 9.85
Morrison (UM): FTDB, foot form, great landing, really emphasizes it. Switch half to wolf full, good height. Front through to double tuck, lunges forward and flexed feet. 9.925, come on now are we in the Matrix.
Alexeeva (Stan.): Her on the beam mount work is so pretty. Nice wolf turn. Bhs loso loso, a check, really saved that, she was offline between the two losos. Pretty switch to beat. Front gainer full off the end, held the stick. 9.875
Brooks (UM): A 9.95 will break her all around record. FTBD, good lunge. Switch full to split half, maybe a bit off balance in the air, but clean rotation. Front through to double tuck, another great lunge. 10
Widner (Stan.): Switch to split, low back leg on both. Bhs loso, amid screams for Brooks’ 10. Front aerial to split, check in between, very slight and she kept the connection. Bhs gainer full, stick. 9.95
Wilson (UM): FTDB, solid. Camera missed her jumps, the final landing was good. Front lay rudi, stumbled a bit on the rudi landing trying to keep it in bounds. She didn’t go out but it was a maybe .15 deduction on the landing.
Trinidad (Stan., ex): Bhs loso, falls. Trying to make the lineup after coming back from an ACL injury last year. Pretty split ring. Front aerial, falls again. Bhs gainer full, step to the side.
Vore (UM, ex.): Double pike, good landing, some foot form. Switch half to straddle? Rotation was pretty unclear. RO 3/2 front 1/1, bit off on the last punch, so her last landing had a step or two, but kept it on her feet.
FINAL: Michigan 197.725, Stanford 193.525
Much better showing for the Wolverines! Scores were a little generous but it was largely not outrageous. Stanford has a lot of information about areas for improvement and the team now knows it can recover from what might feel like disaster in the moment.
VT: Brooks 9.975
UB: Bauman 9.925
BB: Brooks 9.975
FX: Brooks 10.0
AA: Brooks 39.850 (Michigan program record)
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Live blog by Emily Minehart
