Cortland NCGA-East Regionals

LIVE BLOG: No. 76 Cortland at No. 75 Ithaca

Now this is MY Cortaca, who cares about football anyways!!!! Long time rivals in sports due to their close proximity and opposing colors, Cortland and Ithaca are always an exciting matchup. Historically, Ithaca has been the favorite in recent seasons, not being beaten by Cortland since February 16th, 2020 during a quad meet at Cornell and once again later that season. The tables have turned this season with Cortland defeating Ithaca all three times they have faced off this season, although the most recent competition was separated by only three tenths. 

The Bombers are ranked directly above in the rankings, but their average is heavily dependent on high home scores which could involve either some home cooking or familiarity with the equipment. The Bombers have not yet scored a 190 or above on the road, a feat the Dragons have accomplished twice. Cortland has been killing it on bars, ranked the highest out of any of their events. This will be a strength for them, as Ithaca fell victim to a bar disaster last week against Brockport. The hopeful addition of Lauren Babineaux back into the vault and bar lineups after being out with sickness should help the Bombers through some of their struggles.

Rotation 1: Ithaca VT Cortland UB

Miller (ITH): Handspring front and sits it down. 8.800

Brown (CT): Straddle half over the bars into a pak and hits her feet and comes off. Love the connection, but didn’t put it together. Ends with a stuck double stuck. Can’t wait to see her put it together. 8.775

Pellegrino (ITH): Tsuk layout with a little pike. Off center and lands outside the lines. 9.500

Pahila (CT): Clear hip shapes into a bail and doesn’t quite get the handstand, but connects to a toe shoot. Stalder to toe front pike dismount. Nice. Would love to see her clean up the legs a bit. 9.175

Freyman (ITH): Big handspring front. Little melt in the knees, but keeps up with only a step forward. 9.550

Adams (CT): Clear hip to beautiful gienger to over shoot. Legs glued together through out. Ends with a blind half to blind half to a stuck double tuck. Will be a huge score. 9.700

Murray (ITH): Front handspring front pike. Lands upright, but a little pegged legged and throws her head back on the landing. Made me jump a bit, but nice vault. 9.675

Adkins (CT): Clear hip to gienger to overshoot and puts her feet down. Lands her dismount with a step back. 9.050

Babineaux (ITH): Tusk Arabian with a great upright landing with just a step back. Huge. 9.650

McSweeney (CT): Toe hand to gienger to overshoot. I liked Adkins a little better, but ends with a swing half swing half double tuck. Nice. 9.500

Steed (ITH): Yurchenko layout half with just a hop forward. SO good. 9.750

Goldstein (CT): Toe hand to piked delchev. I stan. To picture perfect bail to toe shoot with astounding hip rise and turnover to a stuck double tuck. In love with this routine. 9.475. Robbed.

After 1: Ithaca 48.125 Cortland 46.900

Bombers managed to successfully drop the fall on vault and have had an excellent start to this competition. Cortland counting a small mistake, but also counted numerous top scores that they will need to continue to score to stay in this competition.

Rotation 2: Ithaca UB Cortland VT

English (CT):

Steed (ITH): Clear hip to toe up with good turn over. Goes over on her next handstand and covers it with a half pirouette into a giant to her bail. Finishes with a double tuck with a hop. Going to be missing some bonus, but no falls.

Pahila (CT): Handspring front with just a step. A little

Cohen (ITH): Over on the first handstand. Over on the next handstand when she gets back up. Over on the third handstand when she gets back up. Catches the next tckatchev. Loose on the bail catch, but finishes with a double tuck and pulls in. I jumped a little. A struggle.

Brown (CT): Piked yurchenko layout. Lands with the chest a bit down.

Cotteleer (ITH): Maloney to a bail. A little short. Stalder to a double tuck and sticks. Great recovery for the bombs. Looks to be crying on the landing. Judges having a conference. 9.500 season high for her.

Brown (CT): Yurchenko layout full. Chest very down when she lands, but pretty in the air.

Bailey (ITH): Clear hip and almost arches over, but saves it to catch her gienger into a pokey overshoot. Ends with a double tuck with just a step forward. Nice.

Allan (CT): Tsuk tucked full and sticks it cold. WOW.

Goodwin (ITH): Kip hand to ginger and drops. Gets back up to finish with a bail handstand with a small leg separation to a blind full to double tuck. A little sideways on the blind, but ends with a solid double tuck. Bombs counting a fall.

Mirigliano (CT): Yurchenko layout full with a little pike, but a better landing than the last.

Babineaux (ITH): Blind full to blind half to a bail and misses the handstand. Toe up to the high bar. A bit of a dead hang, but continues to a blind half, front giant to blind half to an open double tuck. Love her lines and the front giant technique. 9.350/9.550 split. Crazy.

After 2: Ithaca 94.450 Cortland 94.800

Rotation 3: Ithaca BB Cortland FX

Freyman (ITH): Split jump to tuck 3/4. Nice. Front tuck, wobble, back tuck. I would not connect. Ends with a Rudi off the ends. Great. 9.425

Adkins (CT): Front lay to Rudi with a controlled step. So solid and difficult. Front lay to front full and sticks it cold. Great opener. 9.700

Chesshire (ITH): Front toss to scale. Back leg a little low on the scale. Nails her jumps. Front toss to back handspring. Better connected than Freyman’s. Stuck gainer full off the side. 9.725

Hamilton (CT): Double pike with a big step out of bounds. Ends with a 1.5 to front lay. 9.400

Foster (ITH): Back tuck to back tuck with a great connection. Switch switch with a small check. Arial with a small check. Backhandspring and holds onto her stick. 9.700

Cave (CT): Opens with a double pike and hold on a little too long and falls back onto her back off the floor. Out of bounds on her chores lol. Front lay to front full. Nice. Switch side to popa. Good rotation on the jumps. 8.700 Dragons will want to drop.

Goodwin (ITH):Front tuck with a small check. Full turn a little over turned. Handspring to layout step out. Stuck. Small wobble on the split 3/4. Gainer pike off the ends and sticks. What a beamer. 9.700

Nadler (CT): Front lay to rudi. A little under rotated. Front lay to front full with a controlled lunge and college finish. Stunning. 9.650

Pellegrino (ITH): Front toss to a connected backtuck. Perfection. Switch side with a small lean. Sticks the front full. Bombers came to play on beam today. 9.,775

Brown (CT): Whip tp 1.5 to front tuck. SO unique. Rudi to a huge split jump. 9.725

Kobusky (ITH): No singing today because floor music. Roundoff to layout step out. Stuck cold. Sheep jump to beat jump. Small pause in the connection. Stuck gainer front full. I see an all American title in her future. 9.825

Mirigliano (CT): Double pike to a controlled lunge. Great performer. Back 1.5 to a pikey front layout. 9.700

After 3: Ithaca 143.175 Cortland 142.975

Bomber leading after 3.

Rotation 4: Ithaca FX Cortland BB

Cohen (ITH): Barely stands up the double back. Front full front tuck. Rudi to a straddle jump with her chest down. Good start. 9.500

Wong (CT): Wobbles on the full turn. Front handspring to back tuck. Slow on the connection. Lands her dismount and finishes her routine with no falls.

Pellegrino (ITH): Rudi, maybe a little off center. Front full to front lay with an extra controlled step. Jumps fully rotated and great splits. 9.700

Pahila (CT): Handspring layout step out and sticks cold, but a little bit of legs. Arial to two feet and comes off. Beat jump to straddle jump. Gainer pike off the end and sticks. 8.875

Chesshire (ITH): Double pike to a step back and lifts the front foot from the lunge. Back 1.5 to front half to a big split jump. 9.750

Fall from Cave. Dragons counting a fall.

Freyman (ITH): Front double full to front tuck. Great. Rudi to a single stag. Beautiful. 9.825

Goldstein (CT): Handspring handspring layout. Stuck cold. Side arial with a small check. Sticks her gainer full off the side. 9.750

Foster (ITH): Front last to front full. SO good love her body positions. Ends with a powerful double tuck with a small slide back. 9.825

Mirigliano (CT): Could not see much due to where the athletes were standing, but a stuck dismount. 9.050

Murray (ITH):Front full to front lay. So controlled. Sticks her double pike cold. Chest maybe a bit down, but I say give her the 9.9. Booooo 9.825

Meadows (CT): Off on the handspring handspring layout. Recovers well with a stunning cat leap to side arial.

FINAL: Ithaca 192.100 Cortland 189.925

VT: Steed 9.750
UB: Adams 9.700
BB: Kobusky 9.825
FX: Freyman, Foster, Murray 9.825

READ THIS NEXT: Judge’s Inquiry: Observations About Judging From the 2024 Season So Far


Live blog by Mary Collier

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