Tonight’s debut has been literally years in the making, and most appropriate that it’s happening on a Solid Orange Friday.
Clemson is the first Power Five program to add women’s gymnastics since Arkansas in 2003. Whereas the Razorbacks jumped into the fray with an all-freshmen, the Tigers’ inaugural roster boasts a mix of seasoned veterans—including transfers Lauren Rutherford and Kaitlin DeGuzman, as well as several members from Utah State’s 2022 MRGC championship-winning team—and high profile newcomers, most notably former elite Lilly Lippeatt. This team has made it clear that their goals and expectations for this season are sky high, so don’t expect them to hold anything back tonight.
This is also the first of two historic meets this weekend featuring the Tribe (and blogged in person by yours truly). We’ll both be heading up to Nashville next for the inaugural MLK Invitational hosted by Fisk and featuring the only six NCAA gym teams led by Black women.
For obvious reasons, Clemson will be receiving the lion’s share (Tiger’s share?) of the spotlight at this meet, but don’t sleep on William & Mary! This is a really fun and talented crew coming off of a strong showing at the 2023 GEC championship, punctuated by the team’s highest score of the season and multiple individual career highs. Bars was a highlight last season, and–with the returning one-two punch of Sarah Wozniak and Grace Costello–is shaping up to be a great event this year, too.
Finally, my friend/former Clemson club gymnast Hope Meier is shooting tonight’s meet, so, hopefully, this is the last time I’ll have to use this photo of Littlejohn as a header!
OK, I got stuck in traffic and JUST got here as Eve Jackson was vaulting… Thankfully, our wonderful intern Jessica has been taking notes, which I will add during the break.
Rotation 1: Clemson VT, William & Mary UB
Wells (CU): 9.725
Blatchford (W&M): 8.550
Jackson (CU): 9.750
Laird (W&M): KCH, hop change to a lovely Tkatchev. Good bail. Nice final handstand. A little past vertical on her pirouette, but an excellent double tuck with small hop forward. 9.550
Arnold (CU): Fantastic Y 1.5! Nice height and form in the air, but a touch underrotated and takes a small hop back. 9.775
Sipes (W&M): Nice shaposh to bail. Handstand was a little short. Pretty double layout, slight hop forward. 9.650
Rutherford (CU): OH! A surprise Y 1.5 from her as well. Very similar to Arnold’s: Clean in the air, good height, just a hair underrotated necessitating a hop back. 9.825
Kuper (W&M): Clear hip to Geinger, a little form but awesome height. Good bail to handstand. Strong DLO, chest down and takes a stablizing step to the side. 9.550
Minner (CU): Fantastic tucked Y 1.5 with distance to spare. Again, slightly under and a single step back. 9.600
Wozniak (W&M): Wow, full pirouette to another Geinger! Left arm buckles on the bail to handstand, but she somehow saved it and kept her rhythm. DLO landed crunched. 9.250
Brown (CU): MASSIVE Y full, touch of pike down and a small hop back. She’s almost ready for that upgrade. 9.800
Bare (W&M): Kch, slightly shy. Orphan half to a fabulous Tkatchev, great height. Solid bail, and a full pirouette to double tuck with a substantial bound forward. 9.600
Holman (CU): Exh. FHS PIKE HALF! OK, Clemson, we see you with the upgrades! Landed fairly crunched down, but looked great in the air. 9.625
Ngo (W&M): Exh. Another clear hip to Geinger, very cool! Close on the regrasp and has to take an extra swing. Bail, in turn, is off but she powers through. Beautiful double tuck with pointed toes in the air and a forward hop. 8.700
Lippeatt (CU): Exh. RO Full on pike off, little adjustment on the landing (I think… Dude is standing directly in front of me). 9.700
Frazier (W&M): Exh. Toe hand to Maloney. Bail a little crunched, but lovely final handstand and DLO! Very near stuck.
AFTER ONE ROTATION: Clemson 48.875, William & Mary 47.600
So Clemson coming out hot with nearly a lineup’s worth of competition-ready 10.0 SV vaults! Scoring was tighter than what we’re used to seeing at a Power Five meet (not incorrect, per se, just tighter) so don’t be put off by the sub-49 total. That was a damn good rotation to kick off Clemson Gymnastics.
Similarly, the Tribe is nothing short of impressive on bars. Such fun and difficult routine construction, and overall execution is solid. They’ve put in the work on their dismounts and landings in the preseason, and it shoes.
Also, let’s talk about the size of this crowd: Tiger fans SHOWED UP.
Rotation 2: Clemson UB, William & Mary VT
Costello (W&M): Fantastic Y tucked full to open things up. Landed with chest down and a hop back, but great over all. 9.550
Wells (CU): Orphan half to a pristine Tkatchev. Her swing is so easy. Bail, no problem. HUGE FTDT, definitively stuck. Great start! 9.800… Easily a half tenth higher in most top 36 meets.
Kuper (W&M): Y half. Didn’t get a ton of height or distance and had to tuck it down to a squat, but hung onto the landing. 9.725
Jackson (CU): Aggressive kch. Didn’t get quite the turnout on her straddled Jaeger and caught it a hair close as a result. FTDT was an absolute beauty, hangs on with her toes for the stick. 9.825
Blatchford (W&M): Tucked Y full, chest down on the landing and has to take a small step off to the side. 9.375
Lippeatt (CU): kch, Gorgeous first handstand. Textbook Ray, Pak a shade close but doesn’t affect her flow. Full pirouette to double tuck is excellent, and a third consecutive stick for the Tigers! 9.900
Burd (W&M): Block got deleted, apologies! 9.575
DeGuzman (CU): Lovely handstand position. Outstanding straddled Jaeger to bail. Ever so slightly shy of vertical on her final handstand. A touch close on her DLO and has to take a micro step back. 9.875
Burke (W&M): Big Y half, good air. A little deep landing with a step, but the strongest vault of the bunch so far. 9.675
Rutherford (CU): Fantastic handstand stepout to Ray. Very crisp bail to handstand, and a stick straight DLO with a hint of leg sep and minor hop back. 9.825
Kuebler (W&M): Another Y half, comes in low and has to sit it. 9.000
Brown (CU): Kch to an easy Shaposh, so floaty. Slightly shy on her bail to handstand. Slow, deliberate final handstand, really shows off the position. A beauty of a DLO with a tiny adjustment. 9.800
Webb (CU): Exh. Excellent form on her Pak/Maloney. Rushes the half pirouette, but makes it work. Textbook DLO with a small scoot. Gorgeous debut for the freshman who just joined in December! 9.750
Berry (CU): Exh. Powerful Maloney to Pak with slight leg sep on both. Again, rushes the half pirouette. Aggressive final handstand, and nails her DLO like a dart. Wow! 9.725
AFTER TWO ROTATIONS: Clemson 98.100, William & Mary 95.500
Fantastic rotation for Clemson, and the first 49-plus score in program history–a well-deserved 49.225. They’ve really honed in on the details: Handstands were aggressive, positions were tight throughout releases and transitions, and the dismounts were nothing short of stellar.
W&M turned in a serviceable vault rotation. They started from an automatic deficit with lower start values, but–barring a few hiccups–did a
Rotation 3: Clemson BB, William & Mary FX
Lippeat (CU): Front aerial to Korbut, so excellent. Switch leap to split leap, perfect. Side aerial to split jump with the tiniest pause (should still get credited, no problem). Transverse split 3/4 juuuust shy, but very secure. And a stuck front gainer full to cap it off! She hasn’t lost a step. 9.750, please be serious…
Blatchford (W&M): Tidy back 2.5; landing was a little wonky because she landed partly on the stinger. Switch ring half pretty shy, and lost some precision in the switch ring as well. Back 1.5 to front lay, very nicely done. Got a big round of applause from the Clemson cheer team (as she should). 9.100 is harsh, even with the issues on the leaps.
Jackson (CU): I don’t know if she chose I Want It That Way for her beam music, but I approve. Excellent bhs loso loso with some well-controlled nerves. Switch leap to cat leap half, which is so weird and cool. Very nice height and rise on her RO back 1.5, minor hop forward. 9.775
Penzi (CU): WOW, powerful RO straight to double pike! Back 1.5 to front lay taken right up to the edge, but stays in as far as I can tell. Oh no, bounces out of her RO double tuck and has to put hands down. Really fun and dynamic performance, though. 9.050
Kuhl (CU): Get ready, folks! Bhs bhs loso, so. freaking. pretty. Switch leap to beat jump. I love a good full turn, and that’s a good full turn. Front toss to beat jump, so clean and secure. Big back 1.5 with a moderate step forward. 9.700
Burke (W&M): Couldn’t actually see her first pass. Lost her posture on the wolf full, but covered well. Switch full didn’t quite get all the way around, but good position. VERY cool fhs front lay to front full to close. She came in deep and just muscled the stick. Awesome job. On replay, first pass was a double tuck with the landing cut off. Clemson was watching and dancing along.
Wells (CU): Switch leap to switch 3/4 with a swim. Bhs loso, no problems. RO double full, tight in the twist and definitively stuck. This beam squad is doing a great job of working through glitches without getting rattled. 9.875 is more like it!
Ngo (W&M): Tidy punch Rudi with a leg up on the landing. BIG air on her Popa series to wolf full, very nice positions. Solid back 1.5 to front lay. Final switch side is a little off-kilter, but a great routine for the Tribe. 9.700… Apparently, someone told the judges this is NCAA and not L10. Not mad at Ngo’s score, just annoyed that the front half of the rotation was comparatively underscored.
McCright (CU): Such a stylish full turn! Bhs loso was perfect, but she got a little anxious after landing it and so turned a hip check into a hip pop with a wink. Tucked full to beat jump, awesome. Side gainer full with the tiniest hop. Love it! Looks like they’re having a conference over her score. 9.675… OK, maybe not.
Costello (W&M): Double pike is slightly under, so she takes a little step forward. Doesn’t get the punch out of her back 1.5 to front lay and falls down. Strong Rudi to end. Even with the fall, very fun performance (Clemson was bopping along, too). 9.025
Clark (CU): Wooo! Standing front tuck to straddle jump, gorgeous! Bhs loso, super clean and steady. Split jump to straddle jump 1/4 with a negligible trunk correction. Front full, stuck. 9.850
Chandler (W&M): Under on her back 2.5 and stumbles back, but keeps it to her feet. Front full to punch front, good. Couldn’t see the leaps over the team. RO back loso is nice! Punch Rudi comes out low and she falls forward. 8.500
Holman (CU): Exh. Bhs loso with a little wave. Same on the full turn. Switch leap to tuck jump 3/4, small adjustment. Side aerial, good. RO back 1.5 with a little hop forward. Nerves showed through at the start, but she found her groove. 9.450
Frazier (W&M): Exh. Super high double tuck! Nice position and height on her wolf full. Fhs front full with some legs to punch tuck. Switch half is shy of horizontal, but she gets it around. Back 1.5 to front lay with pop to spare and a well-controlled landing. 9.475
Church (CU): Exh. Straddle mount. Bhs loso with slight softness in the knees, but oh so secure. Beat jump to split to straddle 3/4, gorgeous! Side aerial to wolf jump, picture perfect. RO back 1.5 with a small forward hop. 9.600
AFTER THREE ROTATIONS: Clemson 147.050, William & Mary 141.925
I say this not as a Clemson fan or because I approve of over-scoring: That beam rotation should have been well over 49.000. Put that up against any top 10 beam lineup in the country. That rotation was a master class in style, precision, and confidence from start to finish.
Similarly, the Tribe had obvious issues and deductions, but that 46.425 is exceptionally stingy. There was a lot to like in that rotation, and the scores simply don’t reflect that.
Rotation 4: Clemson FX, William & Mary BB
Kuper (W&M): Cool round-off mount over the beam. Switch leap switch straddle 1/4, a touch shy on both but very steady. Bhs loso with soft legs and a leg up check, which she reins in. Front toss to beat, very nice. Kicked out full turn, good. Bhs back 1.5, a touch low with a step forward. Strong lead-off for the Tribe! 9.400
Holman (CU): Y’all, it’s about to get loud. Fhs front full with a little stutter step out. Tuck jump full, good. Switch side to Popa, nicely done. Crowd is already clapping along. Fhs Rudi to a floaty loso. Great start! 9.825
Faulkner (W&M): Bhs loso, lovely extension and a well-finessed step out. Switch half a little shy but secure. Side aerial, good. Switch leap to split, very pretty. Side gainer full with a small adjustment. Lovely routine.
Lippeat (CU): Pink Panther routine with some crowd (and W&M) involvement. Beautiful double tuck to open. Switch side to Shushunova, awesome. Back 1.5 to front full with a dance out to the crowd. 9.825
Blatchford (W&M): Love her poise. Bhs loso loso, great in the air with an adjustment after landing. Side aerial with another arm wave. Switch leap to switch side, lovely extension. 9.650
Arnold (CU): GEEZ, sky high FTDT. Switch half to wolf half, good positions on both. Super clean back 2.5 to front tuck. Another good one for Clemson. 9.875
Frazier (W&M): Full turn. Bhs loso that I think was supposed to be two? Switch leap to split 3/4, good. Front toss to beat with a slight hesitation but secure. Excellent RO back 1.5 with a minor hop forward. 9.625
Rutherford (CU): State-of-the-art back 2.5 to front tuck. Seriously, just gorgeous technique, plenty of rise, and impeccable control. Couldn’t quite see her leap series, but it’s Lauren Rutherford. I’m sure it was great. Big double tuck with a teeny foot adjustment. I definitely caught the judge smiling during that one.
Ngo (W&M): Pretty full turn. Bhs loso with a touch of softness, nice flow though. Pretty switch leap to a low split 3/4. Cat leap to side aerial with a small lean. Stuck side gainer. Fabulous routine! 9.800.
Clark (CU): The ’90s kid in me is all about Boyz II Men. WOOO, her trademark DLO that just about touches the ceiling. Crowd is loving the dance. Switch full to a Popa, hangs in the air. Kicks in the door and does some breakdance to a Simone butt-bounce. Front lay to front full to front tuck, outstanding. Crowd and team are cheering for a 10. Probably not, but it was a fantastic routine. 9.900
Costello (W&M): Ooh, aggressive bhs loso. Switch leap series, good. Very shy switch 3/4 with a lean back. Big RO back 1.5 with a hop forward. Excellent finish. 9.675
Wells (CU): Overcooks her big FTDT and has to put hands down. First significant error we’ve seen from Clemson tonight. Switch leap full to Popa series, big height and great position. back 1.5 through to double full.
Burke (W&M): Side aerial with leg free to a round-off, little hesitation. Switch leap a touch shy, but she works through. Very deliberate, kicked out full turn. Switch half was good! Punch tucked full with a small step. Nice job. 9.100…
Brown (CU): Huge front tuck through to a tight double tuck, stuck. Switch side series, nice height and position. And here we goooo–she’s stepping and strolling. MASSIVE double pike to close, and a crown.
Minner (CU): Stellar fhs front double full! Seriously, gave me chills. Popa to wolf full, great. Shushunova and a back spin, too fun. Fhs Rudi to loso, a touch low but she pulled it around. Awesome job from the hometown walk-on!
FINAL: Clemson 196.325, William & Mary 190.150
Realistically, I’d put the Tigers’ debut right at or above 196.500 (I’ve seen worse performances go 197…). This was about a strong of an opening meet as anyone could have hoped for, particularly the 8,018 fans in attendance. Clemson is officially a gymnastics school! NCAA gymnastics programs take note: The Tigers have arrived, and they’re coming in hot.
VT: Rutherford (CU), 9.825
UB: Lippeatt (CU), 9.900
BB: Wells (CU), 9.875
FX: Clark (CU), 9.900
AA: Lippeatt (CU), 39.175
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