Ursinus has been a team to watch in the NCGA-East this season, being one of three teams in the conference to break 190+ during a quad meet at Bridgeport. After not breaking 189.000 last season, this is a year of resurgence for Ursinus. Although currently ranked 5th in the East, the Bears have proven they have the potential to be a top three team when nationals comes around. Their NQS is low due to weak performances during week one and two scoring a 182.4250 and a 185.3500, but scored a 189.300 last week at home against West Chester, showing that the 190+ performance was not just a fluke. This team can really put it together to give the rest of the East a fight for that spot to nationals, but needs to get their falls in check and be able to hit week after week, routine after routine. The Bears have not broken 190.000 since 2017, the last season they qualified to nationals. This season could follow a similar pattern.
After finishing sixth at USAG championships in 2023, West Chester will be looking to improve on that and place higher in ranking. The Rams have been putting up scores consistent with their performance last year, dancing around the 193.000-194.000 mark. This has placed them third in the GEC, and 61st overall similar to last year’s 60th place ranking. West Chester has started out stronger than previous seasons, only dipping below 193.000 once so far this season and will want to build upon the momentum it has created.
This meet will absolutely favor the Rams over the Bears, but this weekend is not about winning to the Bears, but rather about competing with themselves and putting together another high scoring meet without any major disasters to build their consistency.
Rotation 1: West Chester VT Ursinus UB
We have a sister match up today with the Colemans! Love! Also, first time blogging with Virtius and I can already tell it will be so helpful
Sullivan (WCU): Clean layout, she does a flared almost whipped version. I love this technique. Let’s see if the judges agree. 9.575
Tanguay (UC): Half pirouette to aggressive bail handstand. Finishes with a clean double tuck. Not the hardest routine, but so clean with solid, held handstands. Great start. 9.250
Rodriguez (WCU): Tuck full with a step back. Maybe a little lack of precision on the tuck shape, but love the power. 9.675
Leo (UC): Blind full right on top of the bar to a clean tkatchev. Okay combination queen. Picture perfect bail handstand. Finishes with a double tuck and crashes it to the mat. Great potential, can’t wait to see her put it together. 8.775
McFarland (WCU): Clean tuck full with the chest up and a tiny hop back, even better than the last. 9.750
Troilo (UC): Blind to straddle back to handstand to toe shoot. Blind full was a little sideways to a double tuck and unfortunately pulls it in and almost clips the high bar. Have to say I jumped a little bit, but she keeps it to her feet with a few steps back. 9.225
Gruber (WCU): Great Yurchenko layout with just a step. Interesting lineup order for this. I would’ve expected to see the twisting vaults after the layouts. 9.525
Coleman (UC): Here goes sister number one! Clear hip shaposh. Big piked on the catch and not much of a back swing. Blind to straddle back. Finishes it out with an open toe front dismount with just a step forward. I have to Stan. 9.050
Coleman (WCU): Sister number two! Unfortunately didn’t get to see on the broadcast and scores a 9.500
Eskew (WCU): Full on entry to back tuck off with just a step back. Highest SV in the rotation. 9.750 tying for the high score this rotation
Matteucci (UC): Bail handstand to clear hip to toe up. Finishes with a double tuck with a great chest up landing. Small step back. 9.150
Roth (UC): Clean pike jeager to bail. Finishes with the toe front with a small step forward. Big team reaction. Not the highest difficulty rotation for the bears, but have avoided counting a fall. 9.275
After 1: West Chester 48.275 Ursinus 45.925
The Rams killed it on vault, nailing every single vault they put up. This rotation was highlight by their anchor, Sarah Eskew with that 9.95 SV vault. The only thing that could be improved for both teams is that difficulty component. Neither team put up any routines that started from 10.0, putting them at a bit of a disadvantage when the post season comes around. The Bears avoided counting any falls or big mistakes, but did not see any big scores. Bars is a weakness for them, so they will be looking to really make up for it on the next three.
Rotation 2: West Chester UB Ursinus VT
Betts (WCU): Blind full to bail handstand to immediate toe up. Finishes with a double layout with a small pike down. Clean start. 9.575
Matteucci (UC): Yurchenko layout with a step. 9.525
Rodriguez (WCU): Blind full, but doesn’t make it over so does a switch kip to repeat the element and connect a pak out of it. Might have hit her feet. Nice pirouette and finishes with a textbook full twisting double tuck to a stick. 8.850
Stubbs (UC): Another clean layout with a big hop backwards. A bit more dynamic than the last, but a bigger landing deduction. 9.400
Ringas (WCU): Clear hip to ginger, catches a little close. Kips into a nice bail handstand. Finishes with a flared double layout. Love the body position on that. 9.550
Hurtado (UC): Back in the lineup. Handspring front and sits it down. 8.000
Shelton (WCU): Pak to a short half pirouette. Finishes with a crooked blind full, but finishes through to a nice and high double tuck. 9.600
Troilo (UC): Interesting straight leg hurdle into a Yurchenko layout. Very clean, but would like to see some more height a distance. 9.400
Eskew (WCU): Blind full to great geigner. So clean on the catch. Fluid pak salto. Doesn’t make the first pirouette over, but tries again and finishes right in handstand. One giant to a double lay. Flings it out a bit, but lands chest up with a step back. Beautiful. 9.575
Cromer (UC): Yurchenko half and crumbles backwards a bit, but holds on to avoid sitting it down. Her legs just didn’t look quite ready for the landing and I know they will be a little sore tomorrow. 9.400.
Coleman (WCU): Blind change to jaeger to bail. Doesn’t get the best turnover on that jaeger, so the bail was a tiny bit short, but finishes with a dynamic blind full to stuck double tuck. Straight legs and pointed toes throughout with great handstands. 9.875
Roe (UC): Nice Yurchenko layout. Similar quality to the rest of the lineup. 9.500
After 2: West Chester 96.450 Ursinus 93.150
Very impressive bar lineup for the Rams with big dismounts, dynamic releases, and solid handstand positions: everything a bar lineup should have. The Bears held it together on vault, but is lacking the difficulty to be competitive with other top teams this year. Hopefully we will see a twisting vault or two thrown in there by regionals.
Rotation 3: West Chester BB Ursinus FX
Marshall (WCU): Split jump to straddle quarter. No wobbles in sight. Handspring lay with straight legs and a spot-on landing. Side Ariel with a balance chest. Gainer full off the end with a chest down stick. 9.600
Gregory (UC): Stumbles forward on her opening 2.5, but keeps it up. Rudi with the chest a bit down. So bouncy in her choreo. Wolf full wolf full with great precision. Ends with a back double full to punch front. Anyone who knows me knows I absolutely adore that pass. 9.325
Eskew (WCU): Handspring layout step out and if off the beam. Switch leap to split jump to straddle quarter. Ends with a stuck gainer full off the side. Good recovery, but puts the pressure on her teammates. 9.250
Back to split screen so bear with me, as I try to include everything.
Leo (UC): Double pike with the chest down, but keeps it up. Tour jete full is a bit under-rotated and questionable for credit. Back 1.5 to a front layout. A little low, but pulls it around. Ended with an additional leap series. 9.250
Vargo (WCU): Front Arial to back handspring for her series. Fluid connection. Solid side arial and finishes with another gainer pike off the end. 9.625
Troilo (UC): Double and stumbles back and out of bounds. Can’t see if she stayed on her feet. Second pass is a back double full. No bonus for this pass. I wonder why they don’t just change it to a two pass? Value part needed maybe? Closes with a beautiful 1.5 to front layout. 9.250
Whitaker (WCU): Beat to split full. Handspring layout step out with no checks in sight. Dismount with a gainer pike to a stick. Very popular dismount for this team and I can see why with all these sticks. 9.775
Ellis (UC): Back 2.5. A little under twisted, but good landing. Closes with a difficult back 1.5 to front full. Keeps it to her feet. Ends with a switch full to a tuck 1.5. 9.700
Cascadden (WCU): Standing layout step out. Love. Switch half to straddle quarter. Also very popular. Great splits. Handspring layout step out. Rock solid. Roundoff 1.5 with just a stop forward to finish. 9.650
Matteucci (UC): Back 1.5 to a front layout. Lower than the 1.5. Wolf hop full to tour jete half. Double tuck with a solid chest up landing. 9.650
McFarland (WCU): Handspring layout step out. Drops the shoulder ever so slightly, but covers it well. Switch leap to split half. Roundoff 1.5 with the landing cut off. Very quick routine with quick movements. 9.825
Cromer (UC): 1.5 front layout with a solid landing. Double tuck with a bit chest down, but controlled landing. Switch ring (attempted, but should not be counted as such) to switch half to finish out the rotation. 9.625
After 3: West Chester 144.925 Ursinus 140.700
Again very impressed with the Rams who showed strong routine after strong routine. So locked in on those handspring layout step outs. Noticed very similar routine composition for each athlete, but it is evidently a well crafted formula for the Rams. The Bears avoided disaster on floor, competing no falls, but still looking for those controlled landings and high amplitude tumbling passes in order to get more of those 9.5-9.7+ plus scores that Bears need. I do not think today is the day for a 190 score.
Rotation 4: West Chester FX Ursinus BB
Carroll (WCU): Round off double tuck with a controlled step. Switch side half to a wolf full. Front lay to front full to close. Great routine. 9.700
Leo (UC): Front to a wobble to back handspring. Let’s see if they count. Switch leap to a straddle quarter to a small check. Roundoff 1.5 dismount and almost sits, but stumbles back to stay on her feet. Gave her the series for a 9.425. judges… can we please talk about what a connected series is? I will never stop complaining about this!!!!!
McFarland (WCU): front through to a high double tuck and ends with a clean double tuck. Love the difficulty and the doubles. 9.650
Eskew (WCU): Double tuck with great amplitude. Opens a bit early to step forwards. Super clean front lay to front full with a slide forward. 9.775
Ellis (UC): Tuck full a little under cheated. Roundoff back tuck a small balance check. Queen doing queen things. Off of the side arial again. Same thing I saw her fall on last time. Roundoff to a STUCK double full. Wow!!!! Can’t wait to see her hit and maybe work around that side arial in composition. 8.850
Rodriguez (WCU): Double pike and jumps to a lunge. The difference in amplitude is very obvious in these rotations. 1.5? to front tuck. Double tuck just as high as the first pass to another very controlled lunge. Fabulous stuff. 9.750
Warburton (UC): Off on the handspring layout. Bears counting a fall. Switch half to wolf 3/4. Lands with her shoulders back and fights to stay on. Lands with the shoulders back on the side sumi and is off again. Roundoff 1.5 with a step back. 8.100
Zimmerman (UC): Full turn with an arm swing. Front arial and is little crooked but keeps the arms moving to connect to a back handspring. Front toss with a low landing to a beat jump. Gainer pike off the end with a step back. 9.350
Casscadden (WCU): Double pike with great amplitude, but chest a bit down. Front lay to front full. Very clean. Closes with back 1.5 to front pike. Sticks. Doesn’t even need the step. Way to anchor. 9.725
Roth (UC): Press handstand mount. Queen. Switch switch pike jump. Fantastic position on that jump. Cat leap to side arial. Handspring to layout step out and is off. Oh boy. Bears counting two falls. Not the way they would’ve liked to end the meet. 8.700
FINAL: West Chester 193.750 Ursinus 186.575
VT: McFarland and Eskew 9.750
UB: Coleman 9.875
BB: McFarland 9.825
FX: Fred 9.875
AA: Eskew 38.350
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