Although Ohio State is the favorite to win this meet, there is still sure to be some exciting action! Both teams are coming off nervy beam rotations last week that dropped them a few spots in the rankings. Ohio State will be looking to get back into the national top 10, while Illinois will be hoping to improve upon a performance that put them eighth in the Big Ten last week.
Keep an eye on Ohio State’s star all-arounder, Payton Harris. She went 39.6 last week and has the potential to go 9.9 or better on every event. For Illinois, Abby Mueller went 9.95 on floor last week and will be looking for a repeat performance tonight. Pay attention to beam for both teams, as that event will likely make or break the meet for both. Mia Takekawa’s stunning beam set for Illinois is always a highlight, as is Ella Hodges for Ohio State.
Rotation 1: Ohio State VT, Illinois UB
Grimes (Ohio State): Y full with a bit of a pike down and a hop back. 9.775
Mueller (Illinois): Bit short on the first handstand. Straddle jaeger, bail, good. Double lay with some loose legs and foot form and a small hop. 9.85
Washington (Ohio State): Y full, bit of pike down, small hop back. 9.775
Denning (Illinois): Maloney, bail, slightly loose. Double lay and fights for the stick. 9.9 ties her career high.
Gregory (Ohio State): Y 1.5, nice tight form in the air, hop forward. I think she was a little out of bounds but it’s hard to tell from this angle. 9.875
Knight (Illinois): Maloney, bail. Little low on the last handstand. Gorgeous double lay, stuck! 9.85
Riccardi (Ohio State): Beautiful Yfull, legs glued together the whole time, so much height and distance with a perfect stick. 9.875 feels a little low
Ewald (Illinois): Little short on first handstand. Clean straddle tkatchev, pak, lovely final handstand. Full in dismount, lands pretty deep and takes a big step forward. 9.75
Harris (Ohio State): Y 1.5, lots of distance but not as much height as Riccardi and takes a small hop forward. 9.875
Saltness (Illinois): Gorgeous first handstand and release. Blind full to double tuck stuck with an arm swing. 9.875
Vetter (Ohio State): Yfull, flared and hops in place on landing. 9.9 (or 9.990 per the BTN graphic)
Takekawa (Illinois): Piked jaegar and her hands slip and she falls, ouch. She looks shaken. Bail is nice, last handstand is a tiny bit short. Double lay, stuck. Tough routine for her. 9.15
McCann (Ohio State ex): Yfull, stuck! Great from her.
Morgan (Illinois ex): Little leg form throughout this routine, very low on the last handstand. Blind to double tuck with a big hop back.
After 1: Ohio State 49.300, Illinois 49.225
Even with Takekawa’s fall, Illinois put together a fantastic bars rotation and clinched a season high with that performance. Ohio State will be looking for more sticks on vault moving forward but they still did exactly what they needed to do. This is close after one rotation!
Rotation 2: Ohio State UB, Illinois VT
Byrne (Illinois): Yfull, underrotated and has to take a big step forward. 9.625
Pritchard (Ohio State): Really aggressive swing quality. Huge Geinger to shootover. Bit short on last handstand, but great blind full to double back stuck. 9.9 career hgih for her
Mueller (Illinois): Y full, great distance and a micro slide back. She’s thrilled. 9.8
Washington (Ohio State): Great first handstand. Maloney, pak with a bit of leg separation. Beautiful lines on her handstands. Blind full to double back with a hop back. 9.825
Nataraj (Illinois): Yfull, hands slip on the table and she lands on her knees. So far this isn’t the vault rotation Illinois wanted. 9.125
Vetter (Ohio State): Massive tkatchev, bail is good. Full in with a step back. 9.8
What the heck is happening with the camera right now?
Takekawa (Illinois): Announcer called her Ruthuja Nataraj, oy vey. Y full, nice and clean with a tiny hop back. 9.825
Harris (Ohio State): Big Ray, clean bail. Little short on the last handstand. Blind full to double back, stuck like it’t nothing. 9.9
Coppola (Illinois): Y full with a small hop back and a tiny bit of pike down. 9.8
Riccardi (Ohio State): Massive ray, pak, short on several handstands. Better on the final handstand. Big step on the double back. 9.775
Ward (Illinois): Y 1.5, tiny bit of leg separation and a small hop forward. 9.85
McCann (Ohio State): Ray, pak with leg separation, a little rushed throughout the routine. Blind full is pretty late, double back with a step back.
Ewald (Illinois ex): Front handspring front pike, good form and a hop forward. Definitely a great option for Illinois!
Hankins (Ohio State ex): Straddle jaeger, pak, switch kip, pikey double lay with a small step back.
After 2: Ohio State 98.500, Illinois 98.025
Ohio State has started to pull away after hitting a clean bars rotation. Illinois will be disappointed to not break 49 on vault, and will need to be at its absolute best on beam and floor to stay in the meet.
Rotation 3: Ohio State BB, Illinois FX
Pritchard (Ohio State): Hitch kick, side aerial. Full turn is clean. BHS LOSO, rock solid. Beat jump, straddle 3/4, little wobbly. 1.5, stuck with a lean forward. 9.825
Takekawa (Illinois): I can’t with this shaky camera. Rudi to split jump to open. Really intense performance quality. Clean through her leap series. Front 1.5 to a front layout to close. 9.775
Hankins (Ohio State): Full turn, a little off but covers it well. BHS LOSO, again a little off line and covers it. Front toss, aggressive and landed well. Switch leap, split 1/4. RO double twist, lands with a bit of chest down and a small hop forward. 9.825
Ward (Illinois): Front lay, front full, front pike, nice series! Switch half, wolf full. Beyonce dance break time! High double tuck, front foot slides back a bit on the lunge. 9.825
Harris (Ohio State): Smooth BHS to open. Beat jump, stumbles a little. Switch leap, straddle 1/4. Full turn great. She’s so calm and collected on this event. Front aerial, back tuck. Wobbled after the aerial and leg check on the back tuck. Double twist dismount with a small bounce back. 9.875 is a tiny bit too high in my opinion.
Fitzgibbon (Illinois): Front lay, front 1.5 with a bit too much juice and a bouncy lunge back. Nice oversplit on her leaps, and great precision on her split full. Great double pike to close. 9.825
Vetter (Ohio State): The shaky camera is back right as she goes for a full turn which is very motion sickness inducing. BHS LOSO is solid. Beat jump, aerial, good. Switch leap, misses the connection into the split jump but gets the next connection into the straddle quarter. RO 1.5 twist dismount with a step forward. 9.775
Morgan (Illinois): Great musicality right off the bat. Big double tuck, snaps her arms back to conceal a slight stumble. Tour jete, wolf 1.5, nice. Front lay, front full, lovely. BHS to split jump at the end is a little random but she makes it work somehow. 9.825
Hodges (Ohio State): Switch leap, straddle 3/4, gorgeous oversplit. BHS LOSO, solid. Full turn. Beautiful gainer layout step out. 1.5 twist with a step forward. Gorgeous routine! 9.925
Knight (Illinois): Opens with a big double tuck, a tiny bit too much juice and hops back a bit in the lunge. Wolf full, switch half. Illusion, lovely. Rudi to straddle jump, great height. Front 1.5 to front layout, very off balance as she dances out and steps OOB. 9.7
McCann (Ohio State): RO layout, falls. Tough for her. A little shy of split on her leaps. Beat jump connecting into nothing, which I always find a little odd. Full turn is lovely. RO 1.5 twist with a small hop forward. 9.1
Mueller (Illinois): Front tuck to double back, gorgeous. Very fun choreography. Front lay, front full, a little low but makes it work with just a small slide. Switch half to straddle jump, nice. Such a fun routine! 9.825
Walker (Ohio State ex): Lovely clean full turn. BHS LOSO, big hip check but stays on. Cat leap, switch 1/4. Front aerial, small adjustment and then a beat jump. RO 1.5 twist with a big hop forward.
After 3: Ohio State 147.725, Illinois 147.100
Ohio State extended their lead even more this rotation, thanks to a beautiful beam set from Ella Hodges and due to Illinois not performing to the best of their ability on floor. Ohio State will want to close out clean on floor to secure the win, and Illinois will want to put up a strong beam rotation to end its meet.
Rotation 4: Ohio State FX, Illinois BB
Townes (Illinois): Switch leap, straddle quarter, a little shy of split on the switch leap but otherwise solid. Cat leap, aerial, nice. BHS LOSO is good, as is the full turn. Tucked 1.5 dismount, stuck! Great leadoff. 9.825 feels a little low and Olivia Karas agrees with me.
Gonzalez (Ohio State): Double pike, lands a bit short and has to take a couple steps before lunging. Front lay, front full, a little flat. Hits the oversplit on her leaps. Front 1.5 to front lay, her best pass of the routine. 9.825 I’m sorry that routine was not of the same caliber as Townes’
Mueller (Illinois): Full turn, a little overrotated but keeps it toether. BHS LOSO with a big bobble and a leg check. Switch leap, switch leap, clean. Beat jump, front toss, off line but doesn’t budge. RO 1.5 twist with a shuffle back. Not her cleanest beam routine. 9.725
Washington (Ohio State): Sky high double pike with a big lunge. Front lay, front full, kind of leaps into the lunge. Switch half, wolf full. Massive double tuck with a perfectly controlled lunge. I’m kind of obsessed with her floor music medley. 9.85 feels too high.
Ewald (Illinois): One armed BHS to LOSO with a small check. I love the way she’s working to this music. Switch leap to standing layout step out and another small check. Good full turn. Split leap, switch leap, straddle quarter, great. Rudi dismount with a small shuffle. 9.85
Mintz (Ohio State): Massive full twisting double tuck with a small slide back in the lunge. Great, dynamic leaps. Front lay, front full, another big lunge. Big double tuck, a tiny bit short and has to lunge forward. 9.8
Knight (Illinois): Nice candle mount to start. Really engaging choreography, especially for beam. Switch leap, leap, beat jump, nice. Aerial, back handspring, has to swing her arms quite a bit. Illusion with a big leg check. Gainer full off the side with a hop background. Bit shaky from her but held it together. 9.775
Vetter (Ohio State): Absolutely textbook double tuck with a perfect landing. Little crunched on her leaps but she makes it work. Love Meredith Paulicivic dancing along with the team. Front lay, front 1.5, good. Nice routine from her! 9.9
Nataraj (Illinois): BHS LOSO, rock solid. Switch leap, straddle quarter and she falls. This is just not her night. Beat jump, front aerial, check on both. Full turn, another wobble. RO 1.5 twist with a small hop. 9.050
Harris (Ohio State): Front double full to a punch front with a hop forwards. Good leaps. I like her jazzy choreography. Big double pike to finish with a small slide on the lunge. 9.875
Takekawa (Illinois): Second week in a row that Takekawa has a pressure anchor set on beam. Side aerial, BHS, off line but finds her center and keeps it clean. Good full turn. Switch leap to gainer LOSO, so hard and so well done. BHS gainer back full, stuck! What a routine! 9.9
Hodges (Ohio State): Big double pike to open. Very dramatic music and a performance quality to match. Lovely precise leaps. Rudi to layout step out, great. She really is one of the best in the country on floor. 9.925
Coppola (Illinois ex): Full turn, solid. Side aerial to a round off, very flexed feet but otherwise okay. Switch leap, switch leap. Nice side aerial to two feet. Gainer full off the side, stuck with chest down.
Grimes (Ohio State ex): Very bouncy double pike and has to wave her arms around to stay in bounds and on her feet. Back 1.5 to front lay. Has to fight to get her leaps around. Double back, good.
FINAL: Ohio State 197.100, Illinois 196.175
Well, the meet started out close and ended up being…not quite as close. Illinois will be a bit disappointed not to have cleaned up its details, especially on beam, but pushed through Nataraj having an off meet and an uncharacteristic fall from Takekawa. Ohio State will be happy to have broken 197 but needs to put up slightly higher scores moving forward if they want to break into the Nationals conversation.
VT: Vetter (9.900)
UB: Harris, Pritchard, Denning (9.900)
BB: Hodges (9.925)
FX: Hodges (9.925)
AA: Harris (39.525)
READ THIS NEXT: Judge’s Inquiry: Taking Another Look at 9.975s – Which Judge Was Right?
Live blog by Naomi Stephenson
Wow – some serious overscoring at this meet too! Lots of wobbles and legs up on the beam that didn’t seem to get fill deductions…just wondering thoughts.
While beam had a few higher scores, I actually thought there were some floor and vault scores that could have gone a bit higher, especially compared to what we are seeing elsewhere.
I have to say this meet was judged much more realistically than what we saw this weekend elsewhere around the country. Ohio State needs to clean up some landings (as do most teams), but this 197.100 would have been higher at other schools. Vetter, Harris, Hodges, and Riccardi have STUNNING gymnastics. I hope people start appreciating Ohio State. It will be hard to make Nationals this year because all of the host schools are likely to be ranked teams and beating Arkansas or Florida, for example, with their home scoring will be tough. That being said, Ohio State nearly knocked off Oklahoma at home in regionals last year.
* comparing Gonzales and Townes scores are a bit unfair. Compare Gonzales to the Illinois floor scores. They were pretty in line. Different panel judges for each event.