This meet could go a lot of different directions. Minnesota is definitely the strongest team and a fairly strong favorite in this meet, but Boise State has been improving rapidly in recent weeks and the tradition of MRGC judging persists after the demise of the conference itself. Washington has scored around 196.400 nearly every week this season and needs to break out of that rut to avoid being a sitting duck in NQS rankings. UC Davis has great potential but hasn’t put it all together yet. With a top score of 196.175, the Aggies could be in the mix with a weaker day from any of the other teams here.
Rotation 1: Boise State VT, Minnesota UB, UC Davis BB, Washington FX
Kho (BSU): FTY, bit of pike down, hop
Scafani (UCD): BHS BHS LOSO, foot form and a check, tour jete 1/4. Gainer full, tiny scoot
Jencks (UMN): Ray with lots of foot form, DLO with a little hop
McGovern (BSU): FTY, smaller hop
Pires (UW): One and a half front lay, great control, switch side straddle. Double back, low chest but hops to lunge fine.
Abraham (UCD): Two foot lay, little adjustment. Cat leap switch side. BHS one and a half, deep with legs way apart.
Nguyen (UMN): Major arch on first handstand, blind to Jaeger. DLO, a bit short with a step forward
Popp (BSU): Pike half, big hop.
McWilliams (UW): Rudi LOSO, great landing. Switch side straddle full.
Sirjord (UMN): Off on her release.
Holtan (UCD): Side aerial, little check. Triple series, another small check. Fighting. Switch split quarter. Full turn, good gainer pike.
Vulaj (UCD): Full on pike off, little hop.
Russon (UW): Split 3/2 jump, good. Nice control on the combo pass. Switch ring tour jete half. Really using the leaps for SV here which I’m always a fan of. Double pike, short, ankle stinger there.
Lyden (UMN): Maloney to bail, missed a handstand badly, DLO stuck.
Otsu (UCD): Double wolf, slightly awkward, medium check on acro series. L hop switch side, nice, side somi. Absolutely planted the one and a half dismount.
Killough Wilhelm (UW): Front double full, pretty. Switch switch ring half nice. One and a half front lay, great.
Lopez (BSU): Pretty high FTY, smallish hop back.
Ray (UCD): Big check on switch half and falls. Step on her front full dismount.
Blackson (BSU): One and a half, baby step forward. A good one there.
Gerdes (UMN): Maloney to bail, dynamic, FTDB stuck absolutely dead.
Innes (UW): Front double full, scooty landing. Great control on her Rudi.
Hooten (UMN): Bit short on the first handstand, too far on her Jaeger and falls. Counting one now for UMN.
Navarro (UW): Double back, maybe a little scoot back. One and a half front lay, our angle was super weird and I wasn’t sure about the punch but she rotated the layout cleanly with no knee bend so I assume it was fine. Double pike, chest a little low but lunges out fine.
After 1: Washington 49.475, Boise State 49.100, UC Davis 49.075, Minnesota 48.225
I asked Washington to break out of a rut this meet and what a start! Solid rotations from the Broncos and the Aggies, while two falls from veterans is a disappointment for Minnesota.
Rotation 2: Washington VT, Boise State UB, Minnesota BB, UC Davis FX
Tubbs (UW): FTY, nice and straight, little hop back.
Werline (BSU): Maloney to Pak, slightly chaotic half pirouette, stalder double back stuck-ish. Little foot wiggle most likely, wasn’t clearly on camera.
Koch (UMN): Full turn, BHS LOSO slightly soft knees. Beat split 3/4, short of split with feet. Liukin, swims with the arms to hang onto it. One and a half stuck. Great landings from the Gophers.
Holtan (UCD): Front lay front full a little bouncy. Double pike, rebound OOB.
Lin (UW): Solid FTY, step to the side.
Buell (BSU): Toe to Maloney, bits of form, to bail. Short of handstand, DLO with a little hop back.
Pearl (UMN): BHS LOSO, knee form. Full turn. Switch straddle quarter, great. BHS gainer full, hop back.
Senthil (UCD): One and a half front lay, bit of leg sep. Tour jete half wolf 3/2, short of split with some feet. Double tuck, doesn’t really kick out of it and rolls straight onto her back.
McDonough (UW): FTY, bit of pike down with a medium hop back.
McGovern (BSU): Short of handstand, clear hip to Gienger to overshoot with only a little leg sep, short on handstand again, FTDB stuck with feet a little staggered.
Moraw (UMN): Full turn, BHS LOSO slightly shaky. Side aerial, straddle straddle 3/4 is nice. BHS gainer full stuck.
Otsu (UCD): Rudi, huge rebound back. Switch side half. We cut away from the end đ
Innes (UW): FTY STUCK. Absolutely on the floor watching Jen Llewellyn’s reaction to that.
Hamby (BSU): Ray to overshoot, close to the bar on that catch, short of a handstand, DLO with a little hop. Very fast routine.
Gerdes (UMN): Front aerial, check. BHS LOSO, good, full turn. Split to double stag, check. Gainer full, stuck.
Moneymaker (UCD): OOB on her front through double pike, two steps back there. Short on her double tuck, big step forward.
Killough Wilhelm (UW): Little scoot back on her FTY, Boise commentators described it as “ginormous” which strikes me as a difference of opinion from UW home judges but I won’t complain.
Horak (UMN): BHS LOSO, slightly off but minimizes adjustment, pike to straddle half. Standing LOSO.
Blackson (BSU): Bail good, blind to Markelov good, DLO with a big hop back and an arm swing.
Navarro (UW): One and a half, quick hop forward.
Abraham (UCD): DLO, little scoot back. Front through double back, great landing.
Sirjord (UMN): Candle mount, full turn, BHS LOSO steady. Switch to double stag, weak stag position. BHS gainer full, good.
Lopez (BSU): Pike Jaeger, bail, pretty, DLO stuck. Definitely her normal good one.
Ray (UCD): Front through double back, steps onto the line, not sure if that was out from here. Strong leaps, nice double pike to finish. This music is totally Rolling in the Deep.
After 2: Washington 98.700, Boise State 98.200, UC Davis 97.700, Minnesota 97.500
Strong spread here at the midpoint!
Rotation 3: UC Davis VT, Washington UB, Boise State BB, Minnesota FX
Holtan (UCD): Tucked FTY with a hop.
Jencks (UMN): Front double full, nice controlled step. Switch half Popa, solid rotation, one and a half front lay good. Nice control on her Rudi.
Kho (BSU): BHS back pike, medium check. Tentative full turn. One and a half, hop forward.
Lin (UW): Shy on the first handstand, clear hip to Gienger to overshoot with minimal leg sep. FTDB, little step back.
Moneymaker (UCD): FTY, tiny step back.
Johnson (UMN): Wolf 3/2, a little chaotic, front full front half nice and controlled. Switch side Popa great. Round off double tuck, awesome control! Good one.
Loyim (BSU): BHS LOSO LOSO great. Nice side aerial. Switch… broke connection. Gainer full.
Oppegard (UW): Blind to Jaeger, good turnover, bail. DLO stuck. Some great Husky landings today.
Otsu (UCD): Omelianchik, pretty and strong dynamics with a little hop forward.
Pearl (UMN): One and a half front lay, slightly bouncy. Switch side half straddle half, nice rotation. Double pike, slight scoot into lunge.
Killough Wilhelm (UW): Blind to pike Jaeger to overshoot, great form, blind to half to double back with a little step back.
Ray (UCD): Half on half off tucked, little scoot.
Gerdes (UMN): Front through double back, great. Switch ring tour jete half split full. Double pike, overrotated with a slide back.
Popp (BSU): Two foot layout, little foot adjustment. Cat leap switch half, check. Stuck dismount.
Tubbs (UW): Toe to Maloney to bail, borderline cast handstand on high, DLO stuck.
Koch (UMN): Front double full, long step. One and a half front lay is nice. Good Rudi to finish.
Abraham (UCD): One and a half, way short and sits it.
Leitch (BSU): BHS back pike, solid. Switch switch 3/4, lean check, hangs on. Kickover front to beat. Switch gainer pike, short with a step forward.
Russon (UW): Joining halfway, DLO with a step back.
Hooten (UMN): FTDB great, front full front pike nice and airy, double back strong lunge. Good one.
After 3: Washington 147.950, Boise State 147.300, Minnesota 147.100, UC Davis 146.650
Strong position for Washington heading into its best event, while Minnesota is making the best of this meet after its bars miss.
Rotation 4: Minnesota VT, UC Davis UB, Washington BB, Boise State FX
Jencks (UMN): FTY, medium hop back.
Scafani (UCD): Fall on her Gienger.
Hallinan (UW): Kickover front back tuck, fall. Switch to split, full turn, front aerial to beat. One and a half twist, stuck.
Vulaj (BSU): Front lay front full, slightly bouncy into lunge. Great double pike to finish
Nguyen (UMN): Solid FTY, tiny scoot.
Innes (UW): Full turn, check. Nervy. Front aerial BHS, good. Hitch kick side aerial great. Switch straddle quarter, one and a half with a little step forward.
Otsu (UCD): Blind to pike Jaeger, a little close, good bail. DLO with soft knees, little step back.
Pearl (UMN): Solid FTY, little hop in place.
Pascal (BSU): Double pike, scoot. switch half wolf full good. Front lay front full solid. Double back, little bit scooty.
Russon (UW): Front aerial BHS BHS nice and straight. Switch to ring jump. One and a half twist, hop straight forward.
Laird (UCD): Blind to Jaeger, little loose on the feet, Pak comes in low. Blind full double back with a little hop.
Moraw (UMN): FTY, short with low chest.
Pascal (BSU): Double back, slide back, close to the line but stays in. Switch ring tour jete half, iffy splits. One and a half front lay is solid.
Navarro (UW): BHS BHS LOSO nailed. Beat switch side, good. Full turn, one and a half with a little slide into the salute.
Wakita (UCD): Blind to Jaeger, good, nice Pak, shy om a jamdstamd. DLO hop forward.
Gerdes (UMN): Solid one and a half, big step forward.
Loyim (BSU): Whip double back, slight slide back. Switch side Popa straddle. Nice double pike.
Killough Wilhelm (UW): Front aerial BHS LOSO beautiful. Full turn, switch split, side aerial one and a half with a little scoot forward.
Hooten (UMN): One and a half, tiny hop.
Fitzgerald (UCD): Jaeger to overshoot, DLO with a hop-step back.
McGovern (BSU): Rudi LOSO, staggered on the punch and the Rudi was a little wonky. Switch half Popa is substantially short. Double tuck, slide back.
Moodu (UW): BHS LOSO, fumbles for the beam with her back foot and finds it. Switch split. Side aerial to split. One and a half, flung out with a little hop back.
Moneymaker (UCD): Toe to Maloney to bail, quick and dynamic, slight arch on the high bar, DLO with a hop back.
Blackson (BSU): Front double full punch front, keeps it in bounds this week. Tour jete half split full, little bit bouncy. Two and a half twist, a bit of knee form but good control.
FINAL: Washington 197.200, Boise State 196.825, Minnesota 196.425, UC Davis 195.425
Did we talk about a ceiling for Washington? What ceiling? I forget. Doesn’t sound familiar.
Good recovery from Minnesota and a strong day overall from Boise.
VT: Hooten (UMN) 9.925
UB: Gerdes (UMN), Lopez (BSU) 9.925
BB: Popp (BSU) 9.900
FX: Loyim, Blackson (BSU), Pearl, Hooten (UMN), Killough-Wilhelm (UW) 9.950
AA: Gerdes (UMN) 39.575
READ THIS NEXT: Judgeâs Inquiry: 20 Beam Connections From Week 7 I Wouldnât Have Credited
Live blog by Rebecca Scally
