After two Big Ten losses in a row, Illinois will be looking to win a meet in which they are very much the favorite. The Illini are coming off a shaky showing at Ohio State, where a season high bars rotation suggested they might have the potential to challenge the top teams in the Big Ten, but was followed up by weaker performances on leg events. Abby Mueller’s floor routine is a must-watch, as is Mia Takekawa on the beam.
Rutgers is also looking to put all the pieces together to get that elusive 196+ score they’ve been working for. If the Scarlet Knights can put up five clean bars and beam routines to compliment their solid vault and floor lineups, they are in with a chance to rise through the rankings. Keep an eye on Emily Balser on bars, whose steady set is key to Rutgers’ success on that event. And don’t assume this will be a walk in the park for Illinois – if it stumbles and Rutgers goes lights-out, this meet could be far closer than the Illini want it to be.
Rotation 1: Illinois VT, Rutgers UB
Mueller (Ill): Yfull, lots of heigh and distance and a hop back. 9.75
Dinovi (RU): Maloney, pak with leg separation, switch kip. Little late on the giant full. Double back, stuck! 9.675
Takekawa (Ill): Yfull, similar hop back to Mueller and then takes another step back. 9.7
Manifold (RU): Lovely first handstand followed by a gorgeous Ray. Blind change to front 1.5 twist, underrotated with a hop back. 9.775
Nataraj (Ill): Y full, bit of pike down and a controlled hop. Good redemption for her! 9.75
Judge’s conference on Manifold’s score.
Rains (RU): Little low on the first handstand. Straddle jaegar and falls, ugh, that’s not the way you want your season debut to go. Pak, comes in to close and has to do an extra swing. Stalder into double back with a step to the side. Rough outing for her. 8.6
Coppola (Ill): Yfull, takes a tiny hop to the side, might have gone over the line but I couldn’t tell from the camera angle. 9.8
Jeez these UB judges are slow. Loving the commentators complaining about them though.
Aird (RU): Lovely first handstand to a great piked jaeger. Short on the next handstand, good bail. Low last handstand. Releases the bar early on her double lay and is a bit piked but sticks it! 9.775
Ward (Ill): Y1.5 with a small step. Illinois needed that. 9.825 feels too low, but these vault scores have been stingy.
Daniels (RU): Nice pirouette to bail. Low handstand to in-bar tkatchev. A little low on the last handstand as well. Ugh, double lay and lands on her knees. 9.225
Fitzgibbon (Ill): Yfull, whips it around. Has some flexed feet and bent knees and a big hop back. 9.75
Balser (RU): Big straddle jaeger, beautiful pak. Short on the last handstand. Double lay to a college stick. 9.725 feels low.
Ewald (Ill ex): Front pike with a hop forward.
Goldsmith (RU ex): Hindorff, a little soft in the knees and catches far. Double lay, stuck with an arm swing. Definitely made a good case for a lineup spot there. 9.6
After 1: Illinois 48.875, Rutgers 48.200
In this season, it feels strange to complain about stingy scoring, but I feel like both teams put up some routines that could have gone higher. Illinois will be disappointed to not break 49 on vault, but has a very comfortable lead after Rutgers had to count a fall. Rutgers will want to avoid any more costly mistakes to be able to put up a solid meet after a rough bars rotation.
Lol the commentators still have their mics on and don’t realize. “One down” “This is the transition period, soon you’ll see people actually doing gymnastics”
Rotation 2: Illinois UB, Rutgers VT
Lorrente-Garcia (RU): Welp, the camera person seemed to forget to film most of that vault, so I only caught the end. Looked like a pikey Yfull with a hop. 9.75
Mueller (Ill): Straddle jaeger, bail, good. Double lay, stuck! Great leadoff. 9.775, at least the stingy scoring is consistent for both teams.
Pagliaro (RU): Yfull, bit of pike down and not a lot of distance. 9.775
Denning (Ill): Maloney, bail, short on last handstand. Double lay, stuck. 9.875
Riley (RU): Yfull, again not a ton of distance, small hop. 9.775
Knight (Ill): Maloney, bail, double lay, another stick! Love to see Illinois finding their landings on bars. 9.875
Aird (RU): Yfull, most dynamic of the Rutger’s vaults, small foot slide. 9.85
Ewald (Ill): Straddle jaeger, pak. Half in half out with a tiny slide back. 9.75
Dildy (RU): Y full, big hop back and to the side, over the line. 9.725
Takekawa (Ill): Nice piked jaeger, bail right on top of the bar. Perfect last handstand. Double lay, stuck! Amazing routine for her! 9.9
Leese (RU): Y1.5 STUCK. Amazing routines for both teams! 9.875, come on.
Saltness (Ill): Big Ray to pak. Giant full to double back, has to take a couple steps back.
Koopman (RU ex): Tucked 1.5, a bit wild in the air and has to take several steps to the side. 9.575
Ward (Ill ex): Straddle jaeger with some flexed feet, overshoot. Huge half in half out, stuck. 9,875
After 2: Illinois 98.075, Rutgers 97.600
Illinois went lights-out on bars (well, as lights-out as it could with lower scoring judges), extending their lead over Rutgers. The Illini have really found their landings on the event over the last few weeks. Rutgers did what it needed to do on vault, and will be thrilled to break 49 on the event.
Rotation 3: Illinois BB, Rutgers FX
Townes (Ill): Switch leap, straddle quarter, solid. Cat leap, aerial, no wobbles. BHS LOSO again rock solid. Full turn, a little off but covers it. RO tucked 1.5 dismount with a step to the side. 9.8
Zannella (RU): Double tuck, lunges forward. Front layout to front full, good. Whip to double twist, gets nice air time on that. Switch ring to switch ring half, doesn’t really hit the ring position on either. 9,75
Mueller (Ill): Full turn, nice and quick. BHS LOSO, a little off line but keeps things under control with just a small shift. Switch leap, split jump, very slow connection. Little balance check on her choreography. Beat jump, front toss, lifts her leg up. Another check on her choreography, she seems nervous. Switch leap, straddle quarter, maybe the first leap series rattled her. Sticks the 1.5 twist dismount. 9.725
Dildy (RU): Front tuck to double back, bouncy lunge back. Switch side half to Popa, hits oversplits. Big double pike with a controlled lunge. Very fun choreo! 9.8
Coppola (Ill): Beam competition debut! Full turn good. Side aerial, big check and has to repeat the series. Side aerial to round off is good the second time. Switch leap, switch leap, splits the beam and falls. Ouch. Aerial round off again. Gainer full dismount with a hop. 9.025
Aird (RU): Double pike, nice. Leaps are a bit shy of splits. Front layout to what was meant to be a front full, but ended up being a front half with a hop around. Double back, shows off the stick before lunging. 9.725
Ewald (Ill): One armed BHS to BHS, solid, but it looks like she doubted herself a bit and wobbled. Switch leap, LOSO, fun combo! Full turn is good. Split jump, switch switch leap, slightly underrotated straddle quarter. Kick rudi dismount, stuck. Clutch routine for her. 9.85
Wester (RU): Full twisting double back, very wild lunge out of it. Great extension on her leaps. Front tuck to double back, takes several steps back. Just needs to get her power under control but a fun routine! 9.6
Knight (Ill): Candle mount. Switch leap into scissone into beat jump. Side aerial BHS, big hip check but stays on. Illusion and falls. Illinois now counting a fall. Gainer full, stuck. 9.200
Wood (RU): Rudi to LOSO, lots of power. Tour jete half into split full into tuck full, very bouncy. Front double twist to close. 9.825
Takekawa (Ill): If I had a nickel for every time Takekawa had to follow a fall on beam…Side aerial to BHS, gorgeous. Full turn, beautiful. Swich leap, gainer, tiny bobble but keeps it under control. BHS gainer full, takes a tiny step back but still a hit. 9.875
Leese (RU): Full twisting double back, foot slides back on the lunge. A little shy of splits on leaps but lots of height. Front tuck, double back, too much juice and maybe OOB, hard to tell from this angle. 9.775, I guess the judges didn’t take the OOB
Byrne (Ill ex): Candle mount. BHS LOSO and falls. Straddle leap, connected to nothing is a little odd. Beat jump, sheep jump, rock solid. Good full turn. Double twist dismount with a small step back. 9.2
Connor McCool is enraged that judges didn’t take the OOB on Leese.
Jones (RU ex): Double pike, underrotated and lands low with a step forward. Front lay to front 1.5, nice. Shows lots of personality in the choreography. A little wild in her 1.5 twist to front lay. 9.775
After 3: Illinois 146.525, Rutgers 146.475
Counting a fall on beam really hurt Illinois, and a hit floor rotation from Rutgers puts them within a tenth of the Illini going into the last rotation. This could be very close!
Commentators have forgotten to silence their mics again and are now ranting about Leese’s score in a slightly less measured manner.
“Are we at LSU?” lol.
Rotation 4: Illinois FX, Rutgers VT
Koopman (RU): BHS BHS LOSO, little tentative but no wobbles. Full turn with a bit of an arm swing. Switch leap, takes a bit of a check, to side aerial. Might be a broken connection. Gainer full, stuck with an arm swing. 9.55
“The judges are embroiled in controversy” Okay, that’s a bit much.
Ward (Ill): Front lay, front full, front pike with a little hop back. Switch half, tuck full, great height. Double tuck, sky high and a tiny foot slide on the lunge. 9.85
Manifold (RU): BHS LOSO, very secure. Cat leap, side aerial, again solid.Split jump, split 3/4, good. Full turn, lovely. Side aerial to 1.5, hop forward. Nice routine for her! 9.8
Fitzgibbon (Ill): Front lay to Rudi, a little lack of control on the lunge. Switch side to split full, nice extensions. Double pike, lands short and has to lunge forward, but keeps it on her feet. 9.75
Dildy (RU): Cat leap, front toss, BHS, clean. Cat leap to switch side is good. Reverse full turn, solid. Straddle quarter is solid. Cartwheel gainer full, stuck. 9.775
Morgan (Ill): Double tuck, tries to disguise the foot slide on the lunge with a toe point. Tour jete half, wolf 1.5, good. Front lay front full, lovely.
Aird (RU): Candle mount. Full turn nice. BHS LOSO and she’s off. Rutgers will have to count Koopman’s 9.55. Switch leap, switch half, tiny bobble. Gainer full forwards off the side, stuck. 9.15
Knight (Ill): Double tuck, OOB. Wolf full, switch half, a bit shy of splits. Illusion, very nice. Front 1.5 to split jump. 1.5 twist and keeps it under control. 9.65
Riley (RU): BHS LOSO, nice. Side aerial with a small bobble. Split leap, split 3/4, lovely lines. Full turn is good. BHS 1.5 twist, stuck. Clutch routine for her. 9.9!
Townes (Ill): Back in the floor lineup! Front double twist, gorgeous. Really fun dance. Back 1.5, front full, lovely. Beautiful leaps to close. What a come back for her! 9.9
Zannella (RU): Nice scale. Switch leap, ring leap, small check. BHS BHS LOSO, lovely. Full turn, a little offline but covers well. Side aerial tucked 1.5, snaps the heels together and tries to sell the landing as a stick, but not quite.
Mueller (Ill): Front tuck to double back, nice and controlled. Front lay to front full, controlled again. Switch full to straddle jump, not the most precise. 9.75
Rains (RU ex): BHS LOSO, lovely lines. Cat leap to front aerial with a small wobble. Split jump, ring leap. Full turn, very controlled. Gainer full with a slide back. 9.725
Ewald (Ill ex): Front double twist. Little bit of leg form on her combination pass. Good final pass.
FINAL: Illinois 195.650, Rutgers 194.925
This wasn’t the meet that either team wanted, with both counting a fall. However, Rutgers will be pleased to have come within striking distance of Illinois after the third rotation, and Illinois will be happy to notch their first Big Ten victory. Onwards and upwards for both teams!
VT: Leese (9.875)
UB: Takekawa (9.900)
BB: Riley (9.900)
FX: Townes (9.900)
AA: Mueller (39.00)
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