These storied GEC and Ivy League rivals face off several times a year, but it’s never boring. Yale, arguably in a bit of a lull the last few years, is at its home opener here and is more than capable of turning it off and taking advantage of slight mistakes from Penn. The Bulldogs are No. 33 in the country on floor, so make sure to watch to the end. Penn, already notching a record-book score in week 2, has approximately a bajillion options on every event and besides how high the total score will go it’s endlessly interesting to watch this team figure out lineups. Last week we saw a freshman push, including a great week by newcomer Jackie Tunney. Who knows what they’ll try next?
Also, you should know that sometimes Handsome Dan turns up to Yale home meets. Important to watch for.
Rotation 1: Yale VT, Penn UB
Wilson (Yale): They messed up the camera alignment and totally failed to get the vault on screen. Nice. My understanding is that she did land feet first and that’s all I’ve got for you. 9.725
S. Kenefick (Penn): Good Tkachev, comes in a bit high on her Pak but works through it, little leg sep there, shy on the cast handstand, blind full double twist stuck with just a little foot stagger. 9.8
Wang (Yale): Twisting on on her FTY and a little pike throughout but just a tiny pace back. 9.775
Tunney (Penn): Nice Tkachev, shy on a handstand, clear hip to Pak, slightly awkward on the half pirouette, another handstand not quite there, FTDB with a tiny step and an arm circle. 9.8
Tashjian (Yale): Leg sep on the table into a powerful FTY with a long hop back. 9.725
Oniki (Penn): Tkachev, a bit close, clear hip to bail is nice and clean. DLO, medium hop back. 9.725
Sabatini (Yale): Late on the table and a bit of pike in her FTY, medium hop. Maybe a bit more dynamic than some earlier ones, 9.8
Gazdak (Penn): Lots of air on her Tkachev to overshoot, missed a handstand, little bit of foot form on her blind full to double back with a little step. 9.725
AuCoin (Yale): A little bit crunchy on the table and soft knees throughout on her FTY but a smaller hop back. 9.7
Paris (Penn): Maloney, soft knees in the backswing, to bail with tiny leg separation. Stalder double back stuck with a low chest and an arm circle. Made the handstands! 9.875
Brueck (Yale): FHS front pike, clean in the air, little hop. Pretty. 9.7
Kerico (Penn): Ray, gorgeous with great turnover. toe to bail is clean, FTDB with a step forward. 9.8
DeJoy in an ex for Yale, soft on the table in a Yurchenko tuck full and crashes it. Oopsie, luckily she seems physically fine. Donovan hit hers.
Nice clean routine with a long step on the dismount for Isabel Song. Lassiter catches her Jaeger pretty close but a stuck dismount.
After 1: Penn 49.000, Yale 48.750
Event season highs from both teams! Keeping drama low, which is what we need.
Rotation 2: Penn VT, Yale UB
Song (Penn): FTY, touch of pike, chest maybe a little forward and a baby step forward.
Holt (Yale): Blind to Jaeger, not the highest, solid bail. Blind full to one and a half twist, underrotated with an awkward step out. 9.675
S. Kenefick (Penn): Twisting on in her FTY and some body line but stuck it! 9.8
Sabatini (Yale): Toe on to Tkachev with flexed feet to overshoot. Missed a handstand, blind full with leg sep to double tuck with a tiny hop. 9.675
Perkins (Penn): FTY, lots of distance, twisted onto the table. Step back and across the line. Commentators are telling us all about OOB deductions now, don’t know how to tell them that those don’t exist on this event. 9.7
AuCoin (Yale): Blind to Jaeger, slightly soft elbows on the catch, blind full double tuck with a hop back. Big sister Cat, a Bridgeport gymnast, is apparently in the stands cheering for her! 9.75
Lassiter (Penn): Lots of airtime on this one, little bit of pike down and leg sep on her FTY with a medium hop back. 9.75
Wilson (Yale): Ray, awkward angle on the catch and falls onto her knees. Commentator thinks her grips were too far over the bar. Got it the second time, solid overshoot, handstands look easy for her, blind full double back with a small step. 9.2
Kerico (Penn): Nice airy FTY, great block, little hop. Best vault of the day. 9.825
Wang (Yale): Blind to Jaeger, little bit of foot form but great flight, good bail. FTDB is close to the bar, baby step. 9.825
Barrow (Penn): Tons of flight on her FTY, great dynamics, just a little bit of form and a pace back.9.8
DeJoy (Yale): Late blind to pike Jaeger to overshoot, might have hit her feet, DLO with a big step back. Little chaotic throughout that routine but it meeded to be a hit and it was one. 9.6
After 2: Penn 97.925, Yale 97.275
Bars not a strength for Yale but avoided counting a fall. Penn is putting together a really solid meet.
Rotation 3: Yale BB, Penn FX
Strause (Yale): BHS LOSO, steady, front aerial, grabs the beam and falls. Switch split, BHS BHS double full with a step. 9.075
Gazdak (Penn): Front through double back, skids backwards a bit but stays in bounds. Switch side wolf full, flexed feet. Double pike, solid landing. 9.75
Chu (Yale): Switch, check, switch half, check again. Might need a backup dance series there. Full turn, adjustment. BHS LOSO good. Split to beat, smart. One and a half twist with a hop. 9.45
VanHorn (Penn): Double front, pretty deep but hops to lunge OK. Switch tour jete full rotated well, I’m not sure about the positions. Y turn, pretty, front full front lay with some form, has to yank that layout around. 9.55
Sabatini (Yale): Full turn good, BHS LOSO steady. Switch straddle 3/4, lukewarm positions. Side aerial, check. Wild off the beam on her one and a half dismount and comes in deep, hop back. 9.65
Tunney (Penn): Full in, a little short, small hop forward. Switch side Popa underrotated. One and a half front full, missed the punch and sits it. 8.925
Tashjian (Yale): BHS LOSO, lean. Switch straddle quarter is solid. Hitch kick side aerial, bend check, hangs on. Sideways switch, check. Gainer full, hop. 9.65
S. Kenefick (Penn): Two and a half punch front, solid. Switch side to Popa Popa, ambiguous rotation. Front double full good, long step out. 9.825
Mangiacapre (Yale): BHS LOSO, lean. Switch split split 3/4, short of split on the turning leap but secure. Front aerial to beat. Gainer pike with a little step. Good! 9.75
Lassiter (Penn): Front lay front tuck full, a little bouncy. Double pike, nice and secure. Switch side half Popa. Nice! 9.825
Wilson (Yale): Front tuck to beat, nice, switch split good. BHS LOSO with a bit of form but secure. Side aerial to split, little adjustment. Punch front full, holds the stick. 9.875
Davies (Penn): Double pike, stuck-ish. Front lay front full, little bit of form, tour jete half Popa. Great double tuck. Really good one to finish for the Quakers!
Two exhibitions for each team in this rotation, with the highlight being Ana Kenefick on floor for Penn.
After 3: Penn 146.725, Yale 145.650
Rotation 4: Penn BB, Yale FX
Oniki (Penn): Switch switch to split, solid. BHS LOSO, step and a bend check. Hop back on her gainer full. 9.725
Strause (Yale): Two and a half punch front, really well controlled landing. Switch through tour jete half split full. Great double pike. 9.825
Wu (Penn): Full turn, slightly tentative, front aerial to beat good. BHS LOSO very secure. Split to sheep, lean. Gainer pike stuck. 9.725
Brueck (Yale): Double tuck, good. Front lay front full looks really good but trips forward and puts a hand down, I’m not really sure what happened there. Tour jete half split full, short of splits. Rudi to split is solid. 9.075
S. Kenefick (Penn): BHS BHS LOSO, emphatic landing. Beat to split 3/4 solid. One and a half twist, hop. That’ll be an AA title for her. 9.75
Wang (Yale): One and a half front lay, soft knees but a secure landing. Switch side half. Switch side Popa, double tuck with a great landing. Good one. 9.775
Marr (Penn): BHS LOSO, lean. Switch straddle quarter, stream froze there on a clear full split! Cat leap side aerial. Full turn, BHS gainer full stuck. 9.85!
Tashjian (Yale): Great double pike. Front full front lay, super square and good landing. Tour jete half Popa, messy positions and flexed feet. Double tuck, stalls in the air and comes in pretty underrotated, step forward. 9.775
Kerico (Penn): Slightly shaky on the wolf turn. Split to split half, adjustment. BHS LOSO tentative but no overt check. Front tuck is really good. One and a half twist, step back. 9.725
DeJoy (Yale): Front double full, maybe slightly underrotated but stepped around. Switch side Popa, legs don’t reach horizontal on the Popa. One and a half front lay is clean, Rudi slightly awkward with a cross step back. 9.825
Werlen (Penn): 9.725 to drop. Cat leap side aerial, check. Switch split half, full turn, check. BHS LOSO, solid. One and a half twist, cross step. 9.7
Wilson (Yale): One and a half front lay, scoot back. Switch to switch ring half, loose position. Double pike, little hop. 9.825
Another fun cluster of exhibitions. Really happy to see Connie Hsu hit a beam routine! She’s been out for a while.
FINAL: Penn 195.550, Yale 194.625
Another top-3 program history score for Penn, and as a NQS road score, this could be valuable down the line. Nice solid home debut for Yale, too. This team feels intangibly much more solid than last year’s.
VT: Kerico (Penn) 9.825
UB: Paris (Penn) 9.875
BB: Wilson (Yale) 9.875
FX: Davies (Penn) 9.85
AA: S. Kenefick (Penn) 39.175
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Live blog by Rebecca Scally
