The season kicks off today for all three of these teams. Bridgeport ended its 2023 season with a 7th place finish at the GEC championship after a season filled with the ups and downs you would expect of a young roster. That young roster has only lost a couple of gymnasts while gaining another large class of newcomers that should strengthen all of these lineups right away.
Where Bridgeport had few losses, LIU had many in the 2023 offseason after a season filled with program record performance. With numerous transfers and expected freshmen leaving the program before competing lineups will be interesting. LIU does have some international newcomers including Brisa Carraro where it will be interesting to see if they compete and how much.
New Hampshire struggled last season and is losing multiple contributors. Lucky for the Wildcat fans, Kylie Gorgenyi is returning for her fifth year which will lessen any potential drop off as the new freshmen get acclimated to the lineups.
If you are tuning into these teams for the first time, watch out for the typical stars to start the year strong with Gorgenyi on bars for New Hampshire in the second rotation, Syd Morris for LIU in the all around, and Olivia Imbarlina on bars and beam for Bridgeport.
It’s fun watching the number of people waiting for the livestream climb.
Rotation 1: New Hampshire vault, LIU bars, Bridgeport beam
Miller (LIU): Opens with a fall on her Maloney. Remounts to the high bar. Some short handstands. Small hop on the double layout dismount. 8.85
Challman (UNH): Stuck Yurchenko full, a little pike in the hips, but great landing. 9.825
MacDonald (UNH): Yurchenko half with good body position in the air and a large hop forward. 9.75
Hinson (LIU): Large step forward on the dismount. 9.5
Mullin (UNH): Hop back on her Yurchenko full with a big pike down. Good height. 9.8
Devincenzo (UNH): Strong Yurchenko full. Good body position throughout with a small hop back. 9.8
Parks (LIU): Hit the last handstand. Short on the double layout dismount with a large step forward. 9.775
Aucoin (UB): Solid side aerial. Slightly short on the switch but hit the tucked 3/4. Hit the series. Step back on the gainer front pike dismount. 9.175
Savino (LIU): High jaeger with some feet. Short last handstand. Short on giant full but small movement on the double tuck dismount. 9.725
Gorgenyi (UNH): Big full there with the smallest hop back and open hips. 9.875
Morris (LIU): Great toe point and last handstand. Hop on the double layout dismount. 9.8
Kenney (UB): Very solid standing front tuck to back tuck. Clean on the full turn. Very short on the switch half. Large step back on the double full dismount. 9.8
Carraro (LIU): Great finish to the giant full before the double tuck dismount. Her legs were glued together on that but had some flexed feet and a small hop. 9.65
Sepulveda (UB): Solid front toss to scale. Clean cat leap to switch side. Multiple steps and legs up to try to save the front toss. Repeats it to put it in connection with a bhs which had bent knees. Small hop back on the Rudi dismount. 9.6
Imbarlina (UB): Great finish to that full turn. Super clean front aerial, but falls off the connecting back tuck. Some feet on the switch to straddle quarter. Step forward on the tucked 1.5 dismount. 9.0
Barry (UB): Wobbles on the bhs loso series. Lots of knees in that series. The switch to loso was solid, but more knees. Front aerial to beat jump. Stuck the front gainer full dismount. Bent knees on just about every skill. 9.675
After 1: New Hampshire 49.050, LIU 48.600, Bridgeport 47.900
New Hampshire did not suffer from first meet vault landings which allowed the Wildcats to soar into the lead here. After an opening fall for the Sharks, LIU was able to bounce back with five hits and a solid team score. Bridgeport did have to count a fall, and was a little shaky throughout, but Barry ended the rotation on a good note heading into floor.
Rotation 2: New Hampshire bars, LIU beam, Bridgeport floor
Aucoin (UB): Low chest and awkward landing on the Rudi. Good split ring half. Slightly uncontrolled bounce forward on the front layout to front full. Controlled the back 1.5 to front layout though. 9.475
Fall for UNH on bars
Bauman (UNH): Hit first handstand a big jaeger to overshoot. Some form. Hop forward on the full twisting double back dismount. 9.725
Doten (LIU): Clean bhs loso series. Hit the cat leap to side aerial with some feet. Sticks the front full dismount. 9.8
Singletary (UB): Some knees on the front layout front full combo and the Rudi last pass, but controlled landings. 9.5
Brown (UNH): Hit the bail. Some feet on the Markelov. Some feet on the double tuck dismount and a step on the landing. 9.775
Bills-McCoy (LIU): Off on the triple series. 8.825
Ross (UB): Great landing on the double pike. A little shy on rotation on the leaps. The camera cut away from the combo pass. 9.625
Devincenzo (UNH): Loose form on the Maloney to pak combination with feet and leg separation. Feet on the double layout dismount and a hop back. 9.75
Page (LIU): Clean full turn. Hit the loso series with some knees and feet. Short of split on the switch to straddle quarter combo. Hit the beat jump to loso. Right on for the traverse straddle half. Sticks the back 1.5 dismount. 9.825
Gorgenyi (UNH): Clean Maloney to bail. Slightly short on the last handstand but sticks the full twisting double tuck dismount. 9.85
Morris (LIU): Great switch to pike jump. Very high. Solid on the loso series. Very controlled side somi. Some feet. Hit the traverse pike jump half. Stuck the double twist dismount. Super solid routine. 9.975
Kenney (UB): Great control on the combo pass to end. 9.775
Ricketts (LIU): Wobble on the front aerial. Step back on the loso series. Great toe point. Hit the switch to switch to split jump. Stuck the tucked 1.5 dismount. 9.825
Sepulveda (UB): Fun combination pass with a front pike through to back 2.5 to front tuck. Controlled the landing too. Great Rudi to loso with some crossed legs on the Rudi. 9.825
After 2: New Hampshire 97.825, LIU 97.800, Bridgeport 96.250
New Hampshire had a similar bars rotation to LIU with an opening fall and then hitting five routines to keep momentum going. LIU hit a strong beam rotation even with a mid rotation fall highlighted by a well deserved 9.975 on beam for Morris. Bridgeport showcased lots of great twisting combinations capped off by Sepulveda’s 9.825. That rotation shortened the gap between the EAGL foes so this could get interesting.
Rotation 3: Bridgeport vault, New Hampshire beam, LIU floor
Bauman (UNH): Front aerial to bhs with knees. Slightly off on full turn, but covers. Pause in leap connection. Sticks the gainer full dismount. 9.35
Morris (LIU): Sky high double tuck with controlled step back. Good control on front layout front full combination. Great double pike to end. 9.825
Lindley (UB): Clean Yurchenko layout with just some feet. 9.5
Doten (LIU): Great control on the opening double tuck. Some feet. Switch ring to tour jete half was around, but not the cleanest positions. Clean combo pass. 9.675
Singletary (UB): Crashed Yurchenko tuck full. 8.55
Beaulieu (UNH): Front toss to bhs is cleanly connected. Hit the switch to switch side. Clean full turn. Stuck the back 1.5 dismount. 9.65
Kenney (UB): Low landing on the half on front tuck vault and a hop. 9.675
Savino (LIU): Very high double tuck. Just scooched the front foot back. Good control on the front layout front full. Missed the ring position on the switch ring full. 9.7
Gorgenyi (UNH): Some feet on the bhs loso, but hits it. Leg form and feet on the cat leap to side aerial. Hits the switch to straddle quarter. Hop back on the tucked gainer full off the end. 9.775
Danilchenko (LIU): Good control on the front tuck to double tuck, but low chest. Just about around on the leap combo. Slid the front foot back on the double pike. 9.825
Devincenzo (UNH): Hit the full turn. Low landing on the cat leao to front toss, but adds the beat jump out. Hesitation after the switch leap before the straddle quarter. Falls on the bhs loso combination with bent knees throughout. Hit the second jump combo. Small slide back on the gainer full. 9.125
Sepulveda (UB): Stuck Yurchenko full with good body position throughout. 9.775
Miller (LIU): Small slide back on the double pike. Just stays in bounds on the back 1.5 to front layout. Step forward on the double tuck. 9.775
Challman (UNH): Hesitation on the front tuck to bhs connection. Shouldn’t get credit. Short on the back 1.5 dismount. 9.55
Barrington (LIU): Tries a turn combination. Bounds out of back 2.5. A little short. Hit the leap combination. Hit the back 1.5 to front layout. 9.65
Mullin (UNH): Clean loso series and dance combo. Strong front toss to beat jump. Not really connected. Small hop forward on back 1.5 dismount. 9.825
After 3: LIU 146.475, New Hampshire 145.975, Bridgeport 144.675
The falls and broken connections hurt New Hampshire this rotation as the Wildcats had to count some lower scores and gave up the lead to LIU. LIU did not have the best floor rotation, but the Sharks stayed on their feet to take the lead with vault to go. Bridgeport had some rough vaults, but also had some great one’s from the last two in the lineup Sepulveda and Staruk.
Rotation 4: LIU vault, Bridgeport bars, New Hampshire floor
Miller (LIU): Pikes down the Yurchenko full a lot and lands short and takes a large step forward. 9.575
Fall for New Hampshire on floor
Imbarlina (UB): Great toe hand and a little low on the tkachev and has some feet, but hits the bail. Holds onto the stick of the double tuck after the giant full. 9.725
Savino (LIU): Step to the side on the landing on her tucked tsuk full. 9.725
Page (LIU): Lands with a low chest and straight legs on her Yurchenko full with a small step. 9.725
Fall for Bridgeport on bars
Minaev (UNH): Great control on the opening double pike. A little archy on the front layout after the back 1.5. Small hop on that. Underrotated the double tuck and stepped forward. 9.625
Morris (LIU): Good dynamics in their Yurchenko full with a slide back. 9.775
Ricketts (LIU): Pikes down her full with a small hop, but good toe point and her legs are glued together. 9.775
McMullen (UNH): Controlled step forward on he back 1.5 to front full. Hit the leaps. Chest down and stutter steps the double tuck. 9.575
Parks (LIU): Clean full with a small pike down and hop. Not the biggest vault. 9.75
Nokes (UB): Leg separation on the giant half before the jaeger to overshoot. Falls on the double tuck dismount. Just short on that. 9.225
Challman (UNH): Big step out of the front double full but controls it. Clean leap combination. Controls the landing on the Rudi to loso. 9.85
Mullin (UNH): Great front through to double tuck. Wonky leap rotation. Almost falls on the combination pass, but saves it. 9.75
Aucoin (UB): Leg separations on just about all skills in the geinger, pak bars routine. 9.725
Gorgenyi (UNH): Hops to the lunge position out of the double pike. Clean landing on the front full to front pike. Hits the final landing. 9.875
Kenney (UB): Clean clear hip to bail. Muscles up the toe shoot. Great stalder tuck half dismount. 9.75
FINAL: LIU 195.225, New Hampshire 194.800, Bridgeport 192.800
New Hampshire will be looking back fondly at that vault rotation and look at the beam rotation as a main place to improve with deductions coming in different ways between missed combinations and falls. LIU exceeded expectations early on in this meet especially on bars and beam. Scoring over a 195 in the first meet is a great starting point. Bridgeport had few major mistakes in this meet and will be able to look at this meet similarly to LIU as a great building block for the season.
VT: Gorgenyi 9.875
UB: Gorgenyi 9.85
BB: Morris 9.975
FX: Gorgenyi 9.875
AA: Gorgenyi, Morris 39.375
READ THIS NEXT: Syd Morris’ Journey to LIU Was Anything but Straight-Forward
Live blog by Alyssa Van Auker
