The week after Big Fives usually brings us some fun cross-conference play among Big Ten teams, and this meet is no exception! The Illini are taking on the MAC’s Bowling Green, and what makes this meet particularly interesting is that both these teams faced off just two days earlier, at a quad meet with Ohio State and Kent State. That ended up being a meet both teams will want to put behind them, so the question here will be whether both can beat double-meet weekend fatigue and put up some big scores.
Last week, both teams had some of their best weeks of the season. The Illini put up a big 196.850 at Big Fives last week, headlined by a near-perfect bars set from freshman Lynden Saltness. They will be looking for another high 196 number here, or that elusive 197, to bolster their NQS-counting home scores.
Bowling Green has been on the struggle bus this season, but managed to put all the pieces together last week for a season high 195.925. If the Falcons can hit bars (and that’s a big ‘if’) they should be able to put up a solid NQS away score. Isabella Rivelli’s clean bars routine is key to the Falcon’s success.
Illinois is likely to walk away from this meet with the victory barring a complete meltdown. However, that doesn’t mean we aren’t going to see some very exciting gymnastics! Both teams are on a hot streak right now, and have the unique chance to compete against each other again in the same week. If they can keep fatigue from getting to them, they can keep their momentum going as the postseason approaches.
Connor McCool and Julia Waight are commentating today!
Nooo, Ruthuja Nataraj was injured in vault warm ups.
Rotation 1: UIUC VT, BGSU UB
Takekawa (UIUC): Yfull with a medium bounce back. 9.8
Bingham (BGSU): Clear hip to straddle tkatchev, gets good height. Some loose legs on the bail. Low last handstand. Pikey double lay and takes an awkward couple hops back. 9.550
Coppola (UIUC): Yfull with a small hop in place. 9.85
Thornton (BGSU): Maloney, pak, leg separation on both. Late on her final handstand. Half in half out with a step back. 9.6
Townes (UIUC): Yfull, small hop back and leans forward to stop herself from taking a second hop. 9.775
Dzialo (BGSU): Nice opening handstand, clear hip to Gienger. Solid bail. Patient final handstand, blind full to double back with a step back. 9.5
Byrne (UIUC): Yfull, great height and body position but lands offline with a small bounce. 9.8
Akpan (BGSU): Falls on her Ray, just can’t get her hands around the bar. Bail is good. Double lay with the tiniest bounce, did a good job minimizing deductions after the fall. 8.85
Mueller (UIUC): Yfull, couldn’t see her feet due to the camera angle but swung her arms in a circle and clearly took a small step. 9.775
Weilbacher (BGSU): Back in the lineup after resting on Friday! Massive straddle jaeger with the tiniest bend in the knees. Pak with a lot of leg separation. Gorgeous final handstand. Half in half out, stuck! First stick of the meet. 9.725
Ward (UIUC): Y1.5 with a controlled hop forward. Really lovely from her! 9.9
Rivelli (BGSU): Lovely straddle jaeger to shootover. Double lay with a step forward. 9.775
Brown (BGSU ex): Nice first handstand. Clear hip to sky high Tkatchev. Bail, a little short, half in half out with a foot slide.
After 1: UIUC 49.125, BGSU 48.150
Not Illinois’ best vault lineup ever, but still a 49+ score on the event and a great performance from Ward in the anchor spot, which is impressive with Nataraj out and coming off a meet on Friday. Bowling Green put up exactly the same bars score as it did on Friday, but did a good job avoiding counting a fall.
Rotation 2: UIUC UB, BGSU VT
Bingham (BGSU): Yfull, gets a bit hung up in the air and lands with her chest really low. 9.5
Mueller (UIUC): Nice extension on her straddle jaeger, good bail. Pretty last handstand. Double lay, rebounds in place. 9.75
Thornton (BGSU): Yfull, whips it around. Not the most height or distance, but a controlled landing with just a small hop. 9.675
Ward (UIUC): Nice straddle jaeger to bail. Patient last handstand. Floaty half in half out, stuck! 9.75
Coburn (BGSU): Yfull, best for BGSU so far, nice form in the air and good height with a hop back. 9.775
Knight (UIUC): Maloney, bail, legs glued together on both. Little short on her last handstand. Double lay with a hop forward. 9.775
Brown (BGSU): Big Yfull with some steps on landing. 9.75
Ewald (UIUC): Catches her straddle jaeger very far, but keeps going. Good last hand stand. Half in half out dismount with a tiny bit of leg separation and a small slide back. 9.75
Akpan (BGSU): Yfull with a controlled hop on landing. 9.825
Takekawa (UIUC): Piked jaeger, bail, lovely handstand positions. Double lay and has to take a small hop forward. 9.775
Weilbacher (BGSU): Dynamic Yfull with a medium slide back. 9.825
Saltness (UIUC): Saltness anchoring just feels correct. Beautiful Ray to pak, great handstand work on the low bar. Giant full to double tuck, stuck! Beautiful, that should absolutely get her the bars title. 9.9
Milligan (BGSU ex.): Ytucked full, very bouncy landing.
Morgan (UIUC ex.): Nice first hand stand. High tkatchev to shoot over. Low on her last handstand, giant full to double back with a college stick. Definitely a good option for Illinois!
After 2: UIUC 98.075, BGSU 97.000
Bars scoring was very tight this meet, which will keep Illinois from the 197 they’ve been looking for, but Lynden Saltness’ 9.9 routine was absolutely fantastic. Bowling Green was up and down on vault, but improved on Friday’s score by over two tenths and put up some really dynamic vaults at the back half of the lineup.
Rotation 3: UIUC BB, BGSU FX
Townes (UIUC): Switch leap, straddle quarter, solid. Cat leap, side aerial, big leg check. BHS LOSO, good. Quick full turn. RO tucked 1.5, stuck. 9.825
Bannister (BGSU): Front lay to front full, big step out. This is a big pet peeve of mine but it feels like she could be doing this dance to literally any music. Very short of split on her leaps. Double tuck, more control on her landing than her opening pass. 9.725
Knight (UIUC): Candle mount. Switch leap, leap, beat jump, very offline but keeps everything moving. Side aerial, BHS, another shoulder check. Just needs to calm down and settle into the routine a little more. Side somi, another check. Full turn, still off line but avoids a balance check. Gainer full off the side, stuck. Good fight from her. 9.75
Brzoska (BGSU): Back 1.5 to front full. Just about at 180 on her splits. Double tuck, lands short and lunges forward. She had very dramatic music and her choreography does not match. 9.625
Ward (UIUC): First competitive beam routine for Ward! Double wolf turn, gorgeous. BHS LOSO, solid. Front aerial with a leg check. Split leap, bobble, straddle quarter, unclear if they’ll give her the connection. Gainer dismount with a step. 9.75, they credited the connection.
Coburn (BGSU): Yay her choreo matches her music! Front tuck to double tuck, good lunge. Switch half followed by straddle leaps of ambiguous direction, again short of split. Double pike, takes a couple steps out of it. 9.625
Mueller (UIUC): Full turn, good. BHS LOSO, big hip check. Switch leap, leap, good. Beat jump connected to nothing. Retries, beat jump, again can’t connect into the front toss. Adds an additional leap to get to the 10.0 start value. RO 1.5 twist, small hop. Good quick thinking from her, and another gritty routine from Illinois. 9.475
Akpan (BGSU): Nice double pike to open. My favorite choreo for BGSU so far. Double tuck with a really big lunge. Switch side to two Popas, good extention and height. Front lay to front full, very nice control on landing. 9.8
Ewald (UIUC): One armed BHS to BHS, lovely. Switch leap to LOSO, good. Quick full turn.Split leap, switch leap, straddle quarter, nice. Front 1.5 twist dismount, stuck. Clutch routine for her. 9.825
Thornton (BGSU): Little music malfunction. Punch front to double back, stumbles OOB. Switch half, two Popas, a little overrotated. Double pike, small foot adjustment on her lunge. 9.575
Takekawa (UIUC): Illinois really needs a big number here. Side aerial, BHS, clearly off but minimizes deductions in that classic Takekawa way. Full turn, a little off but no wobbles. Switch leap, doesn’t connect into the Gainer LOSO. Tries it again, gets it there. BHS Gainer off the side, stuck. 9.85
Weilbacher (BGSU): Has the ability to put up a big score on this event. Front punch to double tuck, slide back on the lunge. Gorgeous extension on her leaps. Double pike, more control on her lunge. 9.8
Morgan (UIUC ex.): Didn’t see it but she put her hands down on the beam. Split leap, beat jump, good. Hitch kick, switch half, a little underrotated but no checks. Full turn, keeps it under control. Gainer pike off the end of the beam with a small hop in place.
Castiglia (BGSU ex.): Double pike and stumbles out of bounds. A little short of split in her leaps. Dials in the landing on her double tuck. Front full to front pike is a bit low but a solid landing.
Byrne (UIUC ex.): Candle mount. BHS LOSO, hip check. Straddle jump, nice and crisp. Small bobble during her dance. Beat jump, sheep jump, small bobble. Full turn, solid. RO double twist, stuck. Solid exhibition for her.
After 3: UIUC 147.075, BGSU 145.575
Illinois’ double meet fatigue really started to show itself on beam. There weren’t any falls, but everyone was just a little bit off and had trouble settling into their routines. The Illini were still able to hit 49, which they didn’t on Friday, so there is still a bright spot.
Like bars, Bowling Green’s floor score was identical to what they put up on Friday, highlighted by a great set from Weilbacher. The main thing for Bowling Green is control on their landings, but everyone has more than enough power to display some big tumbling.
Nataraj is currently on crutches.
Rotation 4: UIUC FX, BGSU BB
Castiglia (BGSU): Full turn, solid. Front toss, BHS, tiny bobble. Piked front toss to beat jump. Beat jump, straddle 3/4, a bit of low chest but otherwise okay. Front full dismount with a small shuffle. Confident lead off performance from her! 9.8
Ward (UIUC): Front lay, front full, front pike, stuck cold. Switch half to wolf 1.5, very floaty. Double pike, small slide on the lunge. Great routine to conclude her all around debut! 9.875
Akpan (BGSU): Beat jump, switch leap a little short of split, straddle quarter. Full turn with a shoulder dip. BHS LOSO, solid. Aerial roundoff, unique and well executed! RO 1.5 twist dismount, stuck! 9.825
Ewald (UIUC): Front double twist, a little underrotated but a controlled lunge. Front 1.5 to LOSO. Lovely extension on her leaps. Short and sweet routine! 9.75
Parente (BGSU): BHS LOSO, solid. Cat leap, switch half, short of split on her leaps. Side aerial, confident. Quick full turn. RO 1.5 twist, stuck with an arm swing. 9.825
Mueller (UIUC): Punch front to double back to open with a tiny slide back. Nice switch leap full. Front lay to to front full, really short and sits it down. Rough routine for her. 9.075
Brzoska (BGSU): Full turn good. Triple series, BHS LOSO LOSO, secure. Beat jump, switch leap, straddle quarter, a bobble between all of them but the judges will probably credit the connection anyway. RO 1.5 twist with a step forward. 9.775
Byrne (UIUC): Back 1.5 twist to front pike, just keeps it in bounds. Great extension on her leaps but a little ambiguous in terms of direction. Double pike, almost stuck. Clutch routine. 9.775
Bingham (BGSU): BHS LOSO with several arm swings and a shoulder check. Cat leap, side aerial, another check. Beat jump, straddle 3/4, a bit short of split and chest down. RO 1.5 twist, hangs onto the stick. 9.7
Connor McCool throwing shade at judges for scoring discrepancies is always fun.
Fitzgibbon (UIUC): Front lay, front Rudi, perfect control on her lunge. Double pike, another fantastic landing. Good routine, especially considering she competed it on Friday as well. 9.775
Weilbacher (BGSU): BHS LOSO, lovely. Switch leap, straddle quarter, pretty extension. Full turn is good. Little wobble on her dance. Front toss and falls. Gainer full tucked, college stick. 9.125
Townes (UIUC): Front 1.5 to a straddle jump, change in routine construction and good quick thinking from her. Back 1.5 to front full, small slide but nothing major. Nice Billie Jean dance break. Through in a wolf 1.5 to boost her start value. 9.825
Ross (BGSU ex.): BHS LOSO, hip check. Cat leap, front aerial, big check and she falls. Beat jump, stag ring, doesn’t quite hit the ring position. Full turn good. Gainer full to what looked like a stick.
Morgan (UIUC ex.): Came in at the middle of her routine. Unfortunately underrotated on her final pass and takes a couple step backwards. Same pass that she fell on on Friday.
Knight (UIUC ex.): Double tuck opening pass, stuck cold. Back 1.5 to front lay, solid. Definitely made a good case to return to the lineup there!
FINAL: UIUC 196.075, BGSU 194.500
A difficult meet overall for Illinois, with fatigue catching up to them, but it still managed to scrape a 196. Unfortunately, with several teams breaking 197 for the first time this week, Illinois will need to put up bigger scores moving forward to hold on to a top 25 ranking. There were some bright spots with the Illini, claiming all the event titles and Arielle Ward taking winning the all-around in her competitive all-around debut.
Bowling Green put on a good show on beam, especially in the first half of the lineup. They’ll happily take a 194.500 to add to their NQS and as an improvement over their score on Friday.
Overall, a tough weekend for both teams, but onwards and upwards!
VT: Ward (9.900)
UB: Saltness (9.900)
BB: Takekawa (9.850)
FX: Ward (9.875)
AA: Ward (39.275)
READ THIS NEXT: Judge’s Inquiry: 20 Beam Connections From Week 7 I Wouldn’t Have Credited
Live blog by Naomi Stephenson
