Welcome to Kent State’s senior night, and our last taste of maction live blogging before the conference’s championship! The Golden Flashes will look to register their fifth score in a row over 196, while the visiting Falcons are aiming to wipe out one of their mid 194 scores from their NQS. If Bowling Green can get off to a strong start on bars, the sky is the limit for this team – look for strong vaulting and bars from Love Akpan and Isabella Rivelli respectively, and a veteran all around presence from Kathryn Weilbacher. Kent State’s specialist-centered approach has given fans an onslaught of names to look for, but today’s focus will be on the home team’s five seniors: Karlie Franz, Sarah Haxton, Izzy Geig, Kennedy Weinpert, and Kyndall Gilbert.
Rotation 1:
Rankin (KSU): Y full, soft knees and a small hop back. 9.750
Bingham (BGSU): starts with a clear hip, and a sky high tkatchev, shootover right to handstand. nails her double layout! 9.850
Migliore (KSU): almost sticks her y full, leg separation on the landing but probably won’t be seen from the judges’ vantage point. 9.825
Akpan (BGSU): massive Ray and catches a little close. makes it through the interior of her routine with no issues, and nearly holds the stick on her DLO! 9.775.
Rudnitskaya (KSU): FTY with her legs glued together as soon as they leave the board. gets great height and only allows for a small hop back. 9.850
Dzailo (BGSU): clear hip to Geinger, and putting on a handstand clinic! a tad short on her blind full, but pulls it to a stuck double tuck. 9.800
Weinpert (KSU): stuck Y full! 9.850
Kreinbrink (BGSU): big toe handstand to Geinger, and right into a bail with a small brush. cranks her giants to a DLO, with a small step forward to compensate for slow rotation. 9.275
Behner (KSU): small shuffle back on her Y full, completely flared in the air and gets great lift before starting to twist. 9.800
Weilbacher (BGSU): toe handstand half to Jaeger, and a textbook Pak. making the most of her toe handstand skills, she does another to prep for her dismount (and wins the fight to stay on), then sends her double tuck. 9.775
Gilbert (KSU): Y1.5 with power to spare! lands nearly at the end of the mat, and takes a large step forward. 9.600
Rivelli (BGSU): blind half to Tkatchev and shoot, and her signature double layout with most of her rotation happening above the high bar. nearly stuck! 9.800
Morgan (KSU): exh – Y full, with two small steps back. 9.675
Fuertez (KSU): exh – Y half on, very clean front tuck! Looking to upgrade to pike for next season.
After 1: Kent State 49.075, Bowling Green 48.975
The Golden Flashes will gladly take a low 49 with a case of the bouncy landings to start their senior day, spearheaded by Nastia Rudnitskaya and Kennedy Weinpert’s 9.850s. Bowling Green nearly tied their bars season high, almost cracking the 49 barrier thanks to Megan Bingham’s leadoff 9.825. Both teams will head to events where they can continue successes from last weekend, including a pair of Yurchenko fulls over 9.9.
Rotation 2:
Bannister (BGSU): the most distance I’ve seen her get on her Y full all season! she’ll get deducted for bent elbows on the table, but all in all a strong vault in a last minute leadoff spot. 9.600
Behner (KSU): Maloney to bail handstand with a small leg separation, and a nearly stuck stalder to double tuck! 9.800
Bingham (BGSU): Y full with a slight pike, and small hop back. 9.725
Schultz (KSU): clear hip and Shaposh to bail all very floaty, and nearly sticks her double layout – only a hop back. 9.825
Thornton (BGSU): stream is showing only her present at the end, and a parade of high fives. 9.750
Tsipis (KSU): blind half to Jaeger super high, as is her Pak. one of the calmest bar routines in the conference, and closes it with a blind full to nearly stuck double tuck. 9.825
Coburn (BGSU): Y full, strongest landing so far of the day. 9.825
Gilbert (KSU): starts with her blind full to Tkatchev and a massive shootover. short handstand into her second blind full, into a double tuck with a hop back. 9.825
Akpan (BGSU): Y full, again only showing the present on stream. 9.825
Rudnitskaya (KSU): blind half to piked Jaeger, and a floaty Pak before coming back to the high bar. cranks her giants and PLANTS her double layout. 9.925.
Weilbacher (BGSU): again not shown until the high fives. 9.825.
Haxton (KSU): blind to Jaeger and shoot, then quick handstands and launches her double layout almost to the end of the mat with a small shuffle back. 9.925.
Fuertez (KSU) – exh blind full to Tkatchev well above the bar, and shootover nearly to handstand. blind full to double tuck and another near-stick.
Migliore (KSU) – exh blind half to Jaeger and takes it to her stomach today. gets back up to do her shootover without any issues, and then lands her double layout short but keeps it on her feet.
After 2: Kent State 98.400, Bowling Green 97.925
Kent State is starting to pull away with their lead, thanks to a mid 49 on bars. Bowling Green’s vault scores indicate another strong rotation for them, but without having seen the vaults it’s hard to say for sure.
Rotation 3:
Haxton (KSU): confident as ever in her mount and choreo, and takes it to her clean front toss. bhs loso as if it’s on the floor. split and split 3/4 with a small check, and then sticks her front full dismount. two for two hits on her senior day! 9.825
Bannister (BGSU): strong punch layout to full starting off her routine, and gets great height on her switch side and Popa. closes out with a double tuck that goes just out of bounds with her step back. 9.625
Rankin (KSU): bhs loso and off the beam quickly. switch to straddle 1/4 without a hitch, same with her aerial. transverse split half and her gainer pike off the end looking very confident. 9.075
Decious (BGSU): wolf 1.5 before getting to tumble – opens with a punch layout to front full. switch half to wolf full with amazing precision in her turning as she dances to the corner. closes with a rudi to split jump. 9.725
Riley (KSU): bhs loso a little twisty but keeps it on. switch and split full get great height! tuck full without any issues, working towards her side aerial. closing with her gainer full off the side, with a step back. 9.800
Brzoska (BGSU): Britney Spears alert! Roundoff 1.5 punch layout to start, plenty of room to spare as she goes into her wolf full. Great height on her leap series, then moves quickly into her double tuck. 9.825
Fuertez (KSU): cat leap to a BIG switch side, then her signature bhs bhs loso with a small check. switch to split jump, and a punch front full with power to spare. Of note, she doesn’t twist her full until passing through vertical, making it harder to stick. 9.800
Akpan (BGSU): Sky high double pike, steps to the side out of it. A few seconds later she heads to her double tuck, and lofty switch side to two Popas. Closes with a front lay to front full, with a few steps backwards to keep it on her feet. 9.725
Guns (KSU): beat to split 3/4 to start off, then another beat to front aerial. bhs loso without any issues, and moves quickly into her switch to split jump. cartwheel to stuck gainer full, huge lift before she starts the twisting. 9.875
Thornton (BGSU): having fun in her first corner, then heads into her front tuck through to double tuck! looking way more confident in her landings now than in January, and she’s able to dial into her dance. HUGE switch half to Popas. Double pike and a big smile to finish. 9.875
Schultz (KSU): beat to split 3/4, and then her calm front toss series. bhs loso with about as much of a celebration as you can have mid-beam routine, and then limits it to a small hop forward on her roundoff 1.5. 9.800, with head coach Brice Biggin inquiring with judges. The score stands.
Weilbacher (BGSU): front tuck through to double tuck, then plays up her dance. Tour jete half to Popas, and then quickly into her double pike. 9.875
Weinpert (KSU): exh – split to split 3/4, then off on her front toss moments later. bhs loso and off again. sticks her punch front full dismount!
Geig (KSU): exh – bhs loso calm as ever. front aerial with a small check, but keeps moving. switch to switch split jump gets good lift off the beam, and sets her up well for a bhs 1.5 dismount. Great routine for a home crowd filled with young gymnasts from her club team!
After 3: Kent State 147.500, Bowling Green 146.950
Another strong rotation for both teams, staying above that coveted 49 benchmark. The Golden Flashes have had more success with stuck landings in the third rotation, allowing them to grow their lead to 0.550, as they head to their traditionally strong event. Bowling Green will look to counter with their specialist heavy beam lineup as they close out their regular season.
Rotation 4:
Castiglia (BGSU): front toss with a small wobble into her bhs, we’ll see if it gets credit. piked front toss right after! beat to straddle 3/4 with tons of height, and carries that momentum to a stuck punch front full. Laying down the gauntlet on behalf of the Falcons. 9.675
Rankin (KSU): front tuck through to double tuck, and gets the dance party started. switch side to Popa and wolf full, and then launches her double pike with a lunge back. Kent State fans are blowing out the speakers on the stream, if that’s any indicator of today’s floor party. 9.875
Akpan (BGSU): beat to switch, and straddle 1/4 to open her fourth routine of the day. bhs loso and aerial roundoff without any issues today. Sticks her roundoff 1.5 today as well! 9.850
Rudnitskaya (KSU): Josie Angeny is having fun in the back dancing along with the start, en route to her corner. Double pike to open, and then quickly into her switch side and Popa. Roundoff 1.5 to layout, then turns around almost right into her double tuck – takes it out of bounds. 9.700
Parente (BGSU): bhs loso, and then a short switch half. side aerial without any hesitation, and carries that momentum to a stuck roundoff 1.5. 9.850
Schultz (KSU): Keeps the party going with her rudi to loso. Switch side to wolf full into her second corner, for her double pike and wolf full Shushunova. 9.950
Brzoska (BGSU): bhs loso loso! makes quick work of her leaps, and then nearly sticks her roundoff 1.5.
Fuertez (KSU): roundoff double pike to start, hops back into her lunge. sky high switch side in her leap series, then keeps the height up in her front layout front full. closes her day with a textbook double tuck. 9.975
Bingham (BGSU): bhs loso, and then off on her side aerial. short again on her split 3/4, but maintains focus for her roundoff 1.5 keeping it to one step forwards out of it.
Guns (KSU): opens with her punch layout to rudi, small slide back. switch ring to switch half, and a clean switch full en route to her second corner. throws down a massive double pike, and then absorbed into the celebration right after her music ends. 9.925
Weilbacher (BGSU): bhs loso fluid as ever, then has two breaks in her jumps. floaty front toss, and a fun gainer tuck full off the end! 9.575
Franz (KSU): rudi loso into the rafters to start her last routine in the MACC. switch half to wolf full rotates precisely around, as she gets ready for her last pass – double tuck to her signature finger guns. 9.875
Ross (BGSU): exh – bhs loso, off after one foot lands. cat leap, then walks back to re-do – cat leap to front aerial and a sissone. beat to double stag, sets up well for her gainer full.
Gilbert (KSU): exh – front layout to front full , and a high switch side to split full shortly after. double pike, and another switch side for good measure.
Riley (KSU): exh – Tokyo Drift gets her started, absolutely LAUNCHING her fhs rudi loso right off the floor. Huge switch side to Popa as well. double tuck again with extra power, but keeps in bounds this time. This routine will be a heavy hitter for the Golden Flashes’ 2024-25 roster.
FINAL: Kent State 197.100, Bowling Green 195.750
Today’s win for Kent State earns them a share of the regular season MAC title alongside Ball State, and a strong argument to avoid the play-in round at regionals. While mathematically out of regionals contention, today is a win on all accounts for Bowling Green — recording their second highest score of the season heading into next week’s conference championship.
VT: Nastia Rudnitskaya, Kennedy Weinpert, 9.850
UB: Nastia Rudnitskaya, Sarah Haxton, 9.925
BB: Alyssa Guns, 9.875
FX: Dani Fuertez, 9.975
AA: Love Akpan, 39.175
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Live blog by Peri Goodman
