Utah closes its regular season at home tonight with a chance to pass Florida for the No. 4 ranking spot, depending what score the Gators turn in just as this meet begins. We’ll update you on that when more information is available. Utah has been great for the last three weeks, and this meet is a great opportunity to prove it has the consistency and overall put-together-ness it’ll take to truly challenge the top teams.
Stanford is following up a massive season high at home last weekend. As the Cardinal reintegrates Anna Roberts into its lineups after an injury outage, the big question is how close to that astronomical score Stanford can come on the road.
Utah State, meanwhile, is hoping to use a double-meet weekend this weekend to make a final push toward regionals. It’ll be a very big ask. Though a ranking of No. 42 isn’t that many spots away from regionals, the Aggies’ season high is currently lower than the regionals cut NQS. A season high, ideally a mid-196, would be needed to make a move. Even if it’s not to be, there’s lots of great gymnastics to enjoy from this rebuilding team.
Rotation 1:
Winger (UU): One and a half, looks a little lock legged with a quick step back.
Dean (Stanford): Clean acro series, one and a half dismount with maybe a tiny adjustment leaning forward.
Bibbey (USU): Tkachev, flexed feet, little step on a DLO dismount.
Kirstine (USU): Toe to Maloney, peels on the high bar. Repeats, clean, to bail. Blind full, flexed feet, double back with a foot scoot.
Zirbes (UU): One and a half, higher than Zirbes, stuck with a little lean.
Nguyen (Stanford): Switch switch side, adjustment, straddle to beat. Double full with a big hop to one side.
Glynn (UU): Dynamic one and a half, step back and off to one side.
Aragon (USU): Toe to Tkachev, high but not a ton of counterrotation, bail. FTDB with a pace back.
Smith (UU): Omelianchik, two quick steps back.
Robinson (Stanford): BHS LOSO, nice and clean, switch split steady. Side aerial to beat. Super steady.
Evans (USU): Toe to Maloney to Pak, increasing leg seps. Blind full double back, cowboyed and a step,
Rucker (UU): One and a half stuck with a lean.
McCallum (UU): Half on half off tucked, little scoot back. Good! Nice to see that one again,
Neault (Stanford): BHS LOSO, little lean. Beat to ring. One and a half twist stuck.
Brooks (USU): Ray to overshoot, clean and huge flight, borderline high bar handstand, DLO with a step forward.
Alexeeva (Stanford): Swims on her double wolf, BHS LOSO clean. Switch half, check. Gainer full.
Widner (Stanford): Switch split, good, BHS LOSO and front aerial split are both lovely, great dynamics and the presentation flows from the skill. BHS gainer full stuck.
After 1: Utah 49.500, Stanford 49.225, Utah State 48.900
Strong Utah vault rotation at home. I loved seeing McCallum’s old routine! Stanford was resilient on beam, while WordPress ate my description of a great Juliette Boyer bars routine which I’m super bummed about.
Rotation 2: Utah UB, Utah State BB, Stanford FX
Jelen (USU): Full turn, side aerial BHS with a bit of knees but clean landing. Beat to double stag, iffy position but good balance, BHS gainer full with a step.
Smith (UU): Nice Pak, toe to van Leeuwen, hitting the handstands. Toe to front pike half with a hop back.
Dean (Stanford): Rudi, slightly long lunge, one and a half front full with a nice landing. Switch side Popa, good extenson.
Winger (UU): Maloney to Pak, tiniest of tiny leg seps, full out dismount stuck.
Eagles (USU): Just saw a stuck one and a half dismount!
Zeng (Stanford): Front lay to Rudi, the Mario Kart routine is great. Double back short, step forward.
Zirbes (UU): Super far on her Ray, didn’t look like she even brushed the bar. FTDB with a step
Evans (USU): Switch split, short of split. Front aerial BHS, a bit slow with a little lean. Double full dismount with form and a small step. Apparently her college beam debut!
O’Keefe (UU): Maloney to Pak, nice. Double Arabian dismount with a small step.
Neault (Stanford): Double pike, nice and high. Ferrari, short on rotation. Rudi, a bit short with a bounce back. Solid combo pass to finish.
McCallum (UU): Maloney to Pak to stalder to van Leeuwen, feet throughout, FTDB stuck.
Caught a fall from Dani Kirstine on beam for USU.
Sabado (UU): Jaeger to overshoot, good, swinging clean today, DLO stuck. Nod as she lands that.
Roberts (Stanford): Front lay to Rudi, great landing. Solid double back, clearly she doesn’t need time to dial in these landings.
Brooks (USU): Split straddle quarter, some feet and not sure if she got the legs to horizontal on the straddle, check on a full turn, BHS gainer full with maybe a foot shift.
Nguyen (Stanford): DLO, slightly bouncy lunge. Switch side Popa, good rotation. Two and a half punch front pike, weirdly timed punch and travels far forward.
Aragon (USU): Switch split, nice extension, full turn. BHS LOSO, lean. Kickover front way off, leaning, to split, another check. No way that gets credited but good try. BHS gainer full, scoot.
Widner (Stanford): Front lay front full, nice. Switch full is awesome, high and clean, seeing that one done well is always a good day in NCAA. Double pike, scoot back.
After 2: Utah 99.000, Stanford 98.150, Utah State 97.250
Rotation 3: Stanford VT, Utah BB, Utah State FX
Zeng (Stanford): FTY, piked throughout, big hop back.
Winger (UU): Cat leap kickover front to split, kepti t moving when I thought she was offline. Switch split, good. BHS LOSO, lean and an arm swing. Full turn, shaky. Front gainer full stuck.
Neault (Stanford): Full on pike off, chest a little low with a hop.
Eagles (USU): Front lay to Rudi, great landing. Double tuck good with a smidge of cowboying.
Widner (Stanford): FTY, hop back, nice dynamics.
Smith (UU): Front aerial to split, steady, BHS LOSO super solid. Great gainer full.
Gutierrez (Stanford): One and a half with soft knees and a small hop.
Stuart (USU): Front lay front full, a bit short with a step back.
Roberts (Stanford): One and a half, moves so fast, step to the side.
Nguyen (Stanford): Another one and a half, bounce
Brooks (USU): Front lay to front double full, bounces RIGHT into the corner, I’m not sure if she’s in bounds. Rudi, slightly soft legs
McCallum (UU): Triple wolf to double wolf, nailed them both. BHS LOSO with a tiny bit of form but very straight. Tucked gainer full with maybe a tiny foot scoot.
Morabito (USU): DLO, low chest and awkward to lunge. Tour jete half to split full, oversplits! One and a half front full, long lunge.
Paulson (UU): Side aerial LOSO, steady, switch split is nice. Gainer full stuck! 10 and we have tears.
Evans (USU): Front lay to Rudi, overcooked and a big step back, almost lost her balance! Switch ring tour jete half, really nice. Solid double back to finish.
O’Keefe (UU): Switch split normal, side aerial LOSO with the usual touch of feet but quick and precise. BHS gainer full, step back.
Ostendorf (USU): Solid Rudi to start, a little bit flat on her straddle leaps, nice landing on the double back at the end.
After 3: Utah 148.600, Stanford 147.350, Utah State 146.325
Well! We have score spacing.
Rotation 4: Utah State VT, Stanford UB, Utah FX
Gutierrez (Stanford): Nobody told me this started, just saw blind to double front half out with a step.
Smith (UU): Front double full, long lunge. Rudi layout to arch jump is pretty. Rudi to straddle, good.
Brooks (USU): FTY, bit of pike and a hop.
Sorrento (Stanford): Toe to Maloney to Pak, half pirouette a little chaotic. DLO over and falls backwards.
Gatzlaff (USU): Similar FTY, some body shape and a decent sized hop.
Paulson (UU): Front through two and a half, good. Front lay front full to stag, one and a half layout stuck! Good one.
Neault (Stanford): Maloney to Pak, solid half pirouette, shy ona handstand, has to recast, toe blind full double back with a hop.
Alexeeva (Stanford): Toe blind to pike Jaeger, pretty. Pak to switch kip, no issues. Iffy handstand, blind full double back stuck!
Morabito (USU): FTY, nice dynamics, little hop.
Rucker (UU): Full in, good landing! Switch side half to Shushunova. One and a half front lay, little bounce.
Stuart (USU): FTY, piked down a bit with a medium hop back.
Roberts (Stanford): Pak, toe to van Leeuwen with a bit of leg sep, missed a handstand, DLO with a step.
Gilstrap (UU): Front lay to Rudi, switch half to Sissone good. Front lay front full, really nicely controlled step forward.
McCallum (UU): Full in, great landing! Switch to tour jete half Popa. Front lay to Rudi, a tiny bounce but keeps the feet in place.
O’Keefe (UU): Double pike, substantial slide back. Front lay front full awkward, step to the side. One and a half front lay, nice.
FINAL: Utah 198.275, Stanford 196.500, Utah State 195.225
Great home closer for Utah with a season high. Unfortunately it won’t result in a ranking improvement, but there’s still next week. A solid score for Stanford but not one that will help a lot with its ranking, while Utah State likely is eliminated from regionals now but still has a lot to be proud of this year
VT: Ella Zirbes/Grace McCallum (UU) 9.925
UB: Grace McCallum (UU) 9.975
BB: Abby Paulson (UU) 10
FX: Grace McCallum (UU) 9.975
AA: Grace McCallum (UU) 39.825
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Live blog by Rebecca Scally
