Maryland is coming off a rocky meet against Minnesota where it only scored 195.625, its second-lowest score since last season. One of the culprits behind the season low is bars, which the Terps have a love-hate relationship with. The talent is there with Hailey Merchant, Rhea LeBlanc, and Sierra Kondo all having the ability to put up 9.85+ scores, but consistency issues continue to plague the team.
Ohio State is coming off a big win against Illinois last week with a 197.100 and should be able to come away with the win against Maryland. The Buckeyes have been impressive this season from the get-go where they almost outscored LSU at home. The team, led by Payton Harris and Tory Vetter, should be able to put up mid-49 scores on each event but pay attention to vault and floor where they’re ranked ninth and seventh respectively.
Really exited to live blog this one! This is my first time EVER sitting with the press so this is a super exciting moment for me 🙂
Rotation 1: Maryland Vault, Ohio State Bars
Warmups beginning now…
Rech – Maryland: Solid opening FTY, small hop on the landing. 9.775
Pritchard – Ohio State: Nice Geinger to bail, good handstands, blind full into double tuck. Gets the landing! 9.775
Weir – Maryland: FTY, pike down on the landing and a little untidy in the air. 9.800 – interesting I would’ve had Rech ahead of Weir
Washington – Ohio State: Maloney to Pak, some legs, good handstand position on the pirouette, late on blind full into double tuck. Stuck landing. 9.9 (9.95/9.85 split, 9.95 is A LOT)
Kogler – Maryland: Gorgeous FTY, the best one so far. Small hop on the landing. 9.8 is an interesting choice
Hankins – Ohio State: A little close on Jaegar, some legs on the Pak, a bit straddled on the DLO but finds the landing. 9.850
LeBlanc – Maryland: FTY – good amplitude and tidy in the air, crunchy landing though
Vetter – Ohio State: Huge Tkatchev, nice clear hip to bail handstand, full-in dismount, small hop. 9.850
Martin – Maryland: Yurchenko 1.5, her best one so far this season! Teeny tiny slide on landing. 9.875
Harris – Ohio State: Ray, bail handstand, small leg separation, good handstands, blind full to double tuck with a step.
Rothenbuescher – Maryland: Tsuk full, leg separation in the pre-flight and didn’t get the most amplitude, but does a good job at finding the landing. 9.8
Riccardi – Ohio State: Big Ray, wonderful Pak, stalder to double tuck with a hop. 9.850
Gilbert – Maryland: Exhibition, Yurchenko half, doesn’t get a ton of amplitude and is pretty piked in the air, step forwards.
McCann – Ohio State: Exhibition, Legs on Maloney to Pak, catches the Pak to close and is off, stuck double layout.
Hammer – Maryland: Exhibition, FTY, pike down and some crossed legs in the air.
After 1: Maryland 49.100, Ohio State 49.250
Maryland had a good opening rotation on vault, highlighted by Martin’s 9.875. Next is bars which gave Maryland problems last week so I’m interested to see if there will be any lineup changes this week. Ohio State also had a solid opening and leads Maryland by .150 with Washington’s 9.9.
Rotation 2: Maryland Bars, Ohio State Vault
Grimes – Ohio State: Great FTY! I think stuck? There are a ton of people standing in the way haha. 9.9
Brozowski – Maryland: Nice Jarger, bail to handstand is a little wonky, nice casts, clean stuck DLO. 9.750
Washington – Ohio State: Another good FTY but small pike coming down, I can’t really see the landings super well but it was nearly stuck. 9.8
Gatzendorfer – Maryland: Maloney to Pak, clean, stalder, some bent arms, to stuck double tuck.
Gregory – Ohio State: Sits her 1.5. 9.175
Kondo – Maryland: Jaegar to bail, clean, great handstands, DLO with a hop and then a step back.
Riccardi – Ohio State: Nice FTY, could get some more distance from the table, finds the landing just a shuffle back.
Bacheler – Maryland: I think this is her lineup debut! Nice opening Jaeger, bail handstand with some legs, DLO with a step back. Happy for her!
Harris – Ohio State: Gets the 1.5 around, slightly underrotated and has to take a step back. 9.825
Rothenbuescher – Maryland: Catches Jarger close and has to really pull the bail around, good full-in dismout with a step.
Vetter – Ohio State: Floaty FTY, 9.850
LeBlanc – Maryland: Clean Jaeger, bail handstands, gets the handstand position, leg separation in the DLO, hop back.
McCann – Ohio State: Exhibition, FTY with a pike down and hop back.
Ruffing – Maryland: Exhibition, off on the Jaeger, orphan bail, didn’t anticipate the landing on the DLO and took a lunge forward
After 2: Maryland 98.000, Ohio State 98.450
Maryland got through bars this week for a 48.900, its second-highest bars score of the season. I’m wondering when Hailey Merchant will make her appearance back in the lineup because once she gets back in I think Maryland could easily break into the 49s as long as everyone hits. Ohio State had a good vault rotation with a 49.200, but Gregory sitting her 1.5 was a missed opportunity to increase their separation from Maryland.
Rotation 3: Maryland Beam, Ohio State Floor
The Ohio State fans in here are awesome, they’re taking up an ENTIRE section and cheering so loudly.
Silberman – Maryland: BHS BHS LOSO, lean, switch to straddle quarter, tries really hard to save it and goes on for like a good 5 seconds but comes off, step on 1.5. If she saved it that would’ve been a Bailey Bunn-level balance beam save. 8.975
Gonzalez – Ohio State: Great control on the double pike, front layout into full, nice control, 1.5 to layout, not as much amplitude in the layout but good landing control. 9.825
Weir – Maryland: Off on the BHS LOSO, switch directly into LOSO, a bit short on the switch side, step on the 1.5. This one is going to have to count… 9.150
Washington – Ohio State: Good double pike, front layout to full has good control, good positions on the leap series, great double tuck to Justin Timberlake’s Sexy Back I’M DEAD. 9.9
Martin – Maryland: BHS LOSO is solid, cat leap to aerial, solid, switch directly to switch, stuck 1.5 dismount. That was a really important routine for Maryland and she delivered. 9.875
Mintz – Ohio State: Big full-in to open, good positions on the leap, nice control on the front layout to full, double tuck to finish. Great routine. 9.875
Gatzendorfer – Maryland: Solid BHS BHS LOSO, switch to straddle quarter, a bit tentative in the connection, switch to split jump, stuck gainer pike dismount. Getting things back on track. 9.800
Vetter – Ohio State: Solid opening double tuck, great positions in the dance series, front layout to Rudi, great control.
Komoroski – Maryland: One-armed BHS to LOSO, great, cat leap to front aerial, solid, switch leap to split jump, tiny hesitation on the full turn, her toe point could sharpen knives, small step on 1.5 dismount. 9.850
Harris – Ohio State: Bounce on the front double full to front tuck, big double pike, great routine.
Kogler – Maryland: Nice opening series, solid BHS BHS LOSO, a little short of 180 on the dance series, hop on gainer full dismount. Great way to finish. 9.850
Hodges – Ohio State: Double pike, lunge back, Rudi to LOSO, solid, great routine. 9.95
Bredlinger – Maryland: Exhibition, BHS LOSO, bent knees, switch leap into switch half, short of 180, good front toss, stuck 1.5. 9.750
Grimes – Ohio State: OOB on the double pike, 1.5 to floaty layout, good control on the landing, solid double tuck to finish.
After 3: Maryland 146.525, Ohio State 148.000
Maryland had some issues opening the rotation going just 48.525 with two falls but got things back on track with an important hit from Martin. Ohio State had a great rotation on floor going 49.550, almost tying its season high of 49.5750.
Rotation 4: Maryland Floor, Ohio State Beam
Pritchard – Ohio State: Cat leap to aerial, slow connection, balance check on BHS LOSO, 1.5 dismount with big lunge. 9.725
Rech – Maryland: Front double full, a little deep but gets it, fantastic double tuck! Good positions in her dance series, finishes with a 1.5 to layout, slightly underrotated and has to take a sizeable step back. 9.725
Hankins – Ohio State: BHS LOSO, big break at the hips, front toss, solid, double-full, finds the landing.
Sirota – Maryland: Good control on the double tuck, front layout to full, misses some of the positions in her leap series, very deep double pike but does a good job to save it.
Harris – Ohio State: Switch leap to straddle quarter, solid front aerial to back tuck, stuck double-full dismount.
LeBlanc – Maryland: Great opening double-full, 1.5 to layout, lunge forwards, great Rudi to finish. 9.850
Vetter – Ohio State: BHS LOSO, 0.1 lean to the side, tentative in the cat leap-aerial series, some leg form issues in the 1.5 dismount. 9.650
Komoroski – Maryland: Opening Rudi with a lunge back, nice ring position in the switch ring but kind of misses the Ferrari, good finishing 1.5 to layout. 9.875
Hodges – Ohio State: Solid opening dance series, solid BHS LOSO series, gainer LOSO, small check, stuck 1.5 dismount.
Rothenbuescher – Maryland: Whip to double tuck, back foot has a small slide, STUCK double pike. Awesome. 9.925
McCann – Ohio State: Pause before the RO layout, comes off – a shame because it was so spectacular in warmups, check on the full turn, stuck 1.5 dismount.
Martin – Maryland: Big opening full-in, shuffle to the side, hop on the 1.5 to layout, good positions in the leap series, lunge back on the double tuck. Great routine. 9.9 is very high, one judge even went 9.95
Warga – Ohio State: Exh. Nice front aerial to BHS series, solid front toss, I missed the dismount. 9.725
Gilbert – Maryland: Front tuck into double tuck, nice positions in the leap series, lunge forwards on the front layout to full and some crossed legs in the air.
Rotation 4: Maryland 195.800, Ohio State 196.625
Ohio State comes away with the win on this one but will take this as its season low. Maryland redeemed itself on bars from last week but had issues on beam, having to count a 9.150.
FINAL: Maryland 195.800, Ohio State 196.625
VT: Kaitlyn Grimes 9.9
UB: Sidney Washington 9.9
BB: Payton Harris 9.9
FX: Ella Hodges 9.95
AA: Payton Harris
READ THIS NEXT: The Impact of Foam Pits on Division III Gymnastics Teams
Live blog by Daniel Rothwell
