Who’s down for a good old under-the-radar matchup? Frankly, I’m not even sure which way this is going to go myself.
Southern Utah, in its first season in the MPSF, has been relatively consistent most of the season. Freshman Niya Randolph has come in and helped mitigate the sting of losing several seniors last year, competing all-around in every meet and scoring as high as 39.325. Several returners have stepped up to fill lineup spots (Kennedi McClain is in the land of the living!) so this is a team that could make a run at a team spot in the postseason. The Thunderbirds need to drop a 195.075 for improvement in NQS rankings, and they’ve scored 196 plus the last three weeks. Another 196 would be key right now.
As for the Cyclones, just when it seemed they had turned a corner, some inconsistencies on the balance beam kept them in the 195’s for the last three meets. They’re also coming off of a Friday night quad meet, so rest and recovery are going to play a role in this one. Noelle Adams has continued to be the Cyclones’ freshman phenom, but returners like Kaia Parker and Lauren Thomas have stepped up to become very consistent for Iowa State. It needs another 196 to keep them in the hunt for postseason.
Rotation 1: SUU vault, ISU bars
Cacciola (SUU): yfull, slight preflight leg sep and a hop back. 9.85
Sorry, some technical difficulties and missed a couple routines!
Wills (ISU): nice first hs; Maloney leg sep to pak, also leg sep, caught close and had to bend her knees, but doesn’t come off. This angle shows all the leg seps, unclear how noticeable it is from the judges’ angle. Short on her final hs. Stuck DLO. Kudos to her for staying on, but that should be the score ISU wants to drop. 9.45
McClain (SUU): yfull, preflight leg sep and a hop back. 9775
Schell (ISU): piked jaeger good, finesses the handstand. bail hs hit. Stuck double tuck, I missed the blind full. Good rebound routine for the Cyclones. 9.825
Pardue (SUU): y1.5, leg sep and knees with a step forward. That’s the first 10.0SV of the day for the Thunderbirds. 9.875
Basuel (ISU): good first hs. blind to straddled jaeger, pretty. Bail to hs good. blind full double tuck, step back. One of the best routines so far. 9.8
Christensen (SUU): we haven’t seen her vault much this year, but she has a y1.5 as well. step back, so she’ll get hit with underrotation too. 9.75
Cooke (ISU): good to see her back in bars. shap to pak, gorgeous. Slightly short final hs. DLO, really tries to hold on to her toes for the stick but did move her toes a tad. 9.825
Goodman (SUU): yfull, low chest and bounds forward a tad. 9.775
Thomas (ISU): nice first hs; straddled jaeger, looked close but we got a camera switch. has to muscle out of her pak but stays on. short final hs. DLO, step back. That should probably be better than 9.45, but not sure how much.
After 1: SUU 49.075, ISU 48.900
Neither team started as strong as they’d like. SUU couldn’t find its landings and while Iowa State had five hit bar routines, two had significant errors on their Pak saltos that prevented higher scores.
Rotation 2: ISU vault, SUU bars
Wills (ISU): yfull, little bit of legs preflight and a tiny step forward. 9.7
Christensen (SUU): fine first hs; piked jaeger some sep before the release. Bail to hs hit; Fights for the final hs. DLO, tiny step back. Solid leadoff. 9.8
Loyim (ISU): yfull, preflight legs and a large hop back before another tiny hop. 9.65
Routsis (SUU): Maloney to bail, solid; Nice finally hs. DLO, tiny step back. Bars landings better so far for the Thunderbirds, though they’re not sticking yet. 9.8
Parker (ISU): yfull, off to the side but just a small hop on the landing. Best vault so far for ISU. 9.725
Goodman (SUU): slightly short first hs; piked jaeger, may have caught close but pulled it in. Harder to tell from this angle. Pak good. Hit the rest of her handstands. Blind full to double tuck, step back. 9.725
Adams (ISU): yfull, great in the air, just a hop in place. 9.875, deserved!
Randolph (SUU): Snaps into her first hs with precision; shap to bail hs, good. Nice final hs. DLO with nice form and basically stuck. 9.875
Bergstrom (ISU): yfull, little shuffle step forward and looked like slightly low chest, hard to tell from this angle. 9.75
Neff (SUU): great first hs; pulls in the next. Maloney to bail hs, hit. Nice final hs. DLO, step back. 9.825
Hong (ISU): y1.5, knees and a hop forward. Also lands off to the side. Should be better than the 9.65 they’re trying to replace. 9.625—I stand corrected! They really nailed her form.
Schwartze (SUU): piked jaeger nice. Hits next hs. Bail hs, hit. Good final hs. Rudi dismount, pulls the heels together. It’s so good to see her hit that routine, it hasn’t come easy for her this season! 9.9
After 2: SUU 98.275, ISU 97.600
SUU built on the first rotation with a nice bar lineup, capped off by Schwartze’s 9.9. ISU didn’t perform its vaults to the degree it’s capable of, though Adams’ Yurchenko full was the clear highlight—it was quite lovely!
Rotation 3: SUU beam, ISU floor
Fernandez (SUU): Secure full turn to start. Side aerial to bhs, hit. Front toss, controlled. Beat jump to split 3/4, would like to see more split. side aerial to 1.5 stuck. Nice leadoff! 9.8 with a 9.9 SV from both judges, that’s probably the hold up.
Hong (ISU): double tuck to open, the front leg scotches back on the lunge. Was typing, but had a nice straddle position in a leap. Combo pass, much better landing. Switch side half wolf full wolf full solid. 9.825
Believe the beam judges are conferencing after Fernandez’s routine. Long wait for McClain.
McClain (SUU): OK, finally a go. That was a long wait. front toss tiny check to bhs. Straddle to straddle 1/4, good positions. Cat leap front toss, small check. Hits her full turn. Stuck gainer full. Impressive performance after that long wait. 9.9, UM, WHAT?
Maternach (ISU): Front tuck through to double tuck good. Solid double pike. Good positions on her leaps to close out the routine. 9.85
Cacciola (SUU): Switch to split to loso, check, to beat jump. They shouldn’t credit that final part of the connection but they might anyways. Working her way through the rest of the routine nicely. Roundoff 1.5, step forward. 9.775
Another long wait for the judges on floor.
Wilke (ISU): back 1.5 to lay, fights to stay in bounds. switch side half straddle, bouncy landing. Double tuck, overpowered and takes a step back with her back leg out of her lunge. 9.7
Randolph (SUU): Bhs layout, She had that landing but is unsure of it and bends her hips a tad. Hits her leap connection. Front toss to beat jump, good. Roundoff 1.5, step back. 9.6
Loyim (ISU): DLO, low chest but controlled landing. back 1.5 to lay, tiniest bit of leg sep. Switch side half popa wolf full, nice. She’s pumped! 9.825
Coutu (SUU): bhs loso, pretty, but a foot adjustment on the landing. Sissone to sheep jump, Small checks on both, theoretically that connection should be broken. Tentative full turn but doesn’t wobble not he landing. Cat leap to side aerial, tries to cover up her loss of balance by turning sideways. gainer full, piked down and stuck. 9.775, ok then, I wouldn’t go that high…
Parker (ISU): Opens with a wolf turn. Front tuck through to double tuck, lunges but forward. Switch side half to straddle jump, good. Short double pike, large step forward. 9.7
Hartley (SUU): Check on her full turn. Bhs loso secure. Split to straddle half, small check. Solid side somi. Back 1.5, tiny bit of foot movement. 9.675
Adams (ISU): Front lay to rudi, clean. Tour jete half to popa, good. Nice double tuck to close. Adams with ISU’s best routine of the rotation again.
Looks like SUU put out an inquiry on Fernandez’s routine and got the SV up to a 10 and the score to a 9.9.
After 3: SUU 147.300, ISU 146.675
That was a shaky beam rotation for SUU, but the Thunderbirds pulled out six hits. Iowa State had its rough spots on floor, but turned out a solid set of routines overall and broke 49 for the first time tonight.
Rotation 4: ISU beam, SUU floor
Loyim (ISU): switch to straddle 1/4 foot movement on the landing but controls it. Bhs loso, solid. Front aerial to a slightly tentative beat jump. gainer full, pikey and lands with a hop forward and low chest. 9.75, at least the judges are gifting both ways so far.
Fernandez (SUU): double tuck, tad bit of bhs form but a good landing. switch half wolf full wolf full, front leg slightly low on the wolfs. Back 1.5 to lay solid. Closes with a back double full, may have twisted into the ground a tad but I didn’t see it well enough to say for good.
O’Brochta (ISU): Cool little tick tock in her choreo at the beginning. bhs loso loso, tiny check. switch leap split jump, good. Split 3/4, tiny foot adjustment. Gainer pike, small step back. 9.725
Pardue (SUU): roundoff directly to double tuck and the still nearly over powers it. Slightly tentative landing on her combo pass. Hit her leaps. Controlled double tuck but may have landed with a slightly low chest. Hard to tell from this angle. 9.825
Wilke (ISU): Tiny hip check on her full turn. Cat leap front toss bhs, slightly tentative front to back connection but they’ll probably credit it. Small check after the bhs. Cat leap to switch side (I think? Sort of missed it). Stuck back 1.5 to close. 9.725
Cacciola (SUU): double tuck, secure. Front full to front lay, drags the back foot a tad. Good splits in her leaps. Closes with a solid Rudi.
Adams (ISU): Bhs loso, not the best feet but a solid landing. Switch leap to switch, secure. Hit her side aerial. Tiniest of checks on her full turn. Cat leap to front aerial, looked off but she didn’t show it at all on the landing. Stuck gainer full. 9.925, go off, Noelle Adams!
Gull (SUU): double pike, bouncy lunge. Back 1.5 to half to split, crossy legs in the twist. tour jete half wolf full, underrotated that wolf and uncontrolled landing. Good double tuck to close. 9.725
Bergstrom (ISU): cat leap front toss bhs, hit. Switch leap to switch, great positions. Another gorgeous split with a split jump. Stuck tucked 1.5. 9.85, that honestly could’ve gone 9.9.
Christensen (SUU): Double pike, slightly underrotated but a controlled landing. Back 1.5 to lay, better. Switch half wolf full wolf full, actually gets the wolf position. Rudi to close, crossy legs in the twist. 9.8
Thomas (ISU): Secure beat jump. Front toss small lean to bhs. Switch leap, check. Repeats to connect to a split and nails it this time. Back 1.5, crossy legs and a hop forward. 9.7
Randolph (SUU): Split leg DLO today! She doesn’t always do it, but it’s super fun when she does. Switch side half straddle jump hit. Front tuck through to double tuck good. What a way to end the counting portion of this meet! 9.925
FINAL: SUU 196.500, ISU 195.700
It wasn’t completely the meet ISU wanted, but the Cyclones finished strong with 49s in the back half of the meet. This was a display of some of the potential the Cyclones have on beam—it’s a matter of hitting for this Cyclone team. SUU also closed the meet well with a solid floor rotation; Niya Randolph’s routine was the perfect way to close out this meet. Its 196.500 is three tenths shy of a season best and will allow the Thunderbirds to drop a 195.075 from their NQS.
VT: Kayla Pardue (SUU), Noelle Adams (ISU) 9.875
UB: Aubri Schwartze (SUU) 9.900
BB: Noelle Adams (ISU) 9.925
FX: Niya Randolph (SUU) 9.925
AA: Niya Randolph (SUU) 39.200
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Live blog by Savanna Wellman
