Penn State will come into this meet as the heavy favorite trying to start the season on the right track. As for New Hampshire and Penn, this matchup should be incredibly close. These two teams finished last season ranked 48th and 49th, respectively, but Penn had the higher peak score of the two. Both teams are likely going to be on the outside looking in for regionals contention, but it should be a fun matchup to watch.
The meet presents a great opportunity to see some of the new freshmen set to make collegiate debuts. Penn State freshman Elizabeth Leary is a former five-star recruit who was featured on the conference’s preseason watchlist. Look for her on beam, where she has a national title from her level 10 career. Penn’s graduating class left a lot of holes in the lineups, but the Quakers’ star-studded freshman class seems poised to step in. New Hampshire has a notable freshman of its own, with former four-star recruit Cléante Théorêt set to make her debut. Like Leary, watch out for Théorêt on beam.
Rotation 1: Penn State vault, New Hampshire bars, Penn beam
McElligott (PSU): Yfull with a piked hip position throughout and a small hop. 9.75
Leary (PSU): Much bigger Yfull with more open hops and looks to have had a small step in place. 9.75
Before (UNH): Had to recast after the toe on. Cuts during routine so we come back to see a clear hip on the high bar before cutting away again. 8.75
Lassister (Penn): Front full dismount with a stuck landing. 9.75
Josnston (PSU): Yfull with small hop in place and good hip position. 9.8
This in arena announcer keeps saying the wrong people so sorry if any of these are incorrect.
Kaempfer (PSU): This announcer said she stuck the Y1.5 but she did not and it was a small hop with some knees and closed shoulders on the block. 9.7
Barrow (Penn): Hit the switch the tuck 3/4s. Stuck the back 1.5 with a lean. 9.65
Mullin (UNH): Fall on bars both after the release and on the dismount. 8.4
Kerico (Penn): olf turn to open. Cuts away to a bars routine. Can back to a fall on the loso series. Solid front tuck. Hop forward on the back 1.5. 9.3
Moreno (UNH): Giant full to double tuck with a locked out pogo stick landing. 9.5
Arthur (UNH): Big Ray. Feet and close catch on the pak and has to rekip. Giant full with an extra giant before the double tuck. 8.55
Fofana (Penn): feet on the loso series. Solid full turn. Split to split 3/4s was around and solid. Slight lean on the front toss. Hop forward on the back 1.5. 9.8
Reade (UNH): Wobbles on the high bar after the opening release to overshoot combination. Small step on the double layout. 9.65
Werlen (Penn): Side aerial with some feet, but solid. Short on the cat leap to switch half to beat jump. Wobble on the full turn. It cuts to a bars routine with a fall. Comes back to a solid loso series. Step forward on the back 1.5. 9.775
After 1: Penn 48.700, Penn State 48.7, New Hampshire 46.025
New Hampshire struggled mightely on bars with numerous falls that will need to be cleaned up as the season progresses. Penn State was missing some landings on vault, but both Penn and Penn State looked about how you would expect for the first meet of the season.
Rotation 2: Penn State bars, New Hampshire beam, Penn floor
Johansen (PSU): Low tkatchev after the toe hand. Hit the pak. Slight leg separation in the double layout, but stuck. 9.55
Ockerbloom (UNH): Stuck the back 1.5 dismount. 9.675
Rosen (Penn): Short on the double tuck to end with a lunge forward. 9.675
Leary (PSU): Clean giant half to big jaeger to overshoot. Stuck the double tuck dismount. 9.8
Harvey (UNH): Hit the bhs bhs loso combo with soft knees and low a lack of amplitude. Hit the switch to split. Beat to ring jump wiyth a slight adjustment. 9.825
McElligott (PSU): Hit the Maloney to pak combo. Muscles up the stalder before the double tuck and a step forward. 9.725
Davies (Penn): Keeps to opening double tuck barely in bounds but did not control the lunge. Hit the front layout front full. 9.725
Johnston (PSU): Maloney to vertical bail. Nice position. Great pointed toes on the double tuck dismount and stuck. 9.85
McMullen (UNH): Came to this routine after either a fall or huge wobble. 9.35
Barbanette (PSU): Elbows on the jaeger catch to overshoot. Great double layout position in the air and stuck the landing. 9.825
Théorêt (UNH): Great beat to straddle quarter after a fit series. Leg up wobble on the side somi. 9.7
Kerico (Penn): Feet on the double tuck, but a controlled landing. 9.75
Gallentine (PSU): Clean Maloney to pak but a wonky cast half. Alomst held onto the double layout landing with an arm wave, but had to take a step. 9.675
Challman (UNH): Hop back on the back 1.5 dismount. 9.75
Fofana (Penn): Bounce back on the opening double tuck. Switch side half to straddle half. Cut away to an exhibition routine. 9.725
Mullin (UNH): Big bend at the hips on the series. Hit the switch combo and the cat leap to side aerial. Hop forward on the back 1.5. 9.65
Gazdak (Penn): Front tuck through to double tuck with feet throughout, but a controlled landing. Cut away in the middle. Controlled the double pike to end. 9.825
Lassister (Penn): Ended with a controlled double pike. Funky rotation on the leaps. 9.7
After 2: Penn State 97.725, Penn 97.425, New Hampshire 94.625
New Hampshire was able to rebound well on beam, but it would be difficult to come back from the fast rotation hole. Penn lost some ground to Penn State largely on landing with Penn State having many stuck landings on its bars dismounts. Théorêt had a strong beam debut and now it will be Leary’s turn to start the next rotation.
Rotation 3: Penn vault, Penn State beam, New Hampshire floor
Song (Penn): Yfull with some piking and a step back. 9.65
Leary (PSU): bhs +bhs +loso with a small lean on the end. beat jump to sheep jump the didn’t fully reach the position. Lean after. Hop forward on the back 1.5. 9.55
Simpkins (UNH): Thr screen card blocked the landing of the double tuck, but it looked out of bounds. 8.95
Zuccaro (Penn): Bigger full with a more open body position and barely any movement on the landing. 9.65
McMullin (UNH): Switch half to wolf full wolf full with the last one not all the way around. High double tuck to end is controlled. 9.725
Maul (PSU): Clean loso series Cut away from routine. Back for the switch the split quarter. Stuck the back 1.5. 9.85
Kerico (Penn): Big Y1.5 with a small hop on the landing. 9.85
McElligott (PSU): Feet on the bhs bhs loso combo. Clean leg position in the switch to split quarter. Holds on to the stick on the back 1.5 with a lean. 9.825
Minaev (UNH): Low landing on the final double pike with chest down and a step forward. 9.6
Monahan (PSU): Feet on th front toss connected well to the bhs swingdown. Good amplitude on the wolf jump. Hit the full turn. Beat to straddle 3/4s. Small hop to the side on the landing of the back 1.5. 9.775
Reade (UNH): Great amplitude on the jumps. Bounds forward after the front layout to front full. 9.8
Herring (PSU): Big front toss to bhs. Clean full turn. Good amplitude on the switch side. Hit the beat to straddle 3/4s. Small hop forward on the front tuck full off the end. 9.75
Challman (UNH): Diagnol step out of the front double full. Around on the jump combo. Clean Rudi to loso. 9.825
Johnston (PSU): Great amplitude and pointed feet on the loso series. Steady on the split to sheep. Feet on the beat to side aerial. Hit the full turn. Stuck the cartwheel to gainer full. 9.775
Mullin (UNH): Front tuck through to double tuck was controlled. Hit the switch half to wolf 1.5. Fully rotated too. Cut to an exhibition routine. 9.75
After 3: Penn State 146.700, Penn 146.125, New Hampshire 143.325
Penn State showed some nerves on beam, but did not have any falls. New Hampshire on floor showed some bright spots, namely Challman and Mullin. For Mullin, it is not often you see wolf one and a halves be fully rotated. Penn was missing some of the landing, but that is typical on vault at this point in the season.
Rotation 4: New Hampshire vault, Penn bars, Penn State floor
Kramer (PSU): Front double full to front tuck with a slight bounce out. Good height on the jump combo. This is the first time I have seen a gymnasts name card show up on the screen. Cut away to vault. 9.8
Harvey (UNH): Not a lot of height on that full and it was piked down with a large step back. 9.675
Moreno (UNH): Slightly bigger full, but with closed hips and a large hop back. 9.725
Maul (PSU): Did a rouge switch half to beat and I am not sure if it was intentional. Cut away as she went into another leap pass though. Clean combo pass at the end. Looked like a fron layout front full but it cut back late. 9.775
McMullin (UNH): Not the highest yfull with more open hips though and a smaller hop back. 9.75
Barrow (Penn): Clean jaeger to overshoot combo. Late on the giant full, but stuck the double tuck out of it. 9.8
Leary (PSU): Legs were crossed in the front double full to front tuck, but a controlled landing. Funky leap combo there with a switch ring and wolf full maybe. Clean back 1.5 to front layout. 9.8
Gazdak (Penn): Deep on the double tuck landing out of the giant full and took a large step. 9.55
Reade (UNH): Large step back on the vault. 9.75
Kaempfer (PSU): Multiple steps back out of the opening double tuck. Switch half to Popa. Cut away here and came back for the back 1.5 to front layout that was a little archy. Rudi to straddle jump, but the jump was low and travelled. 9.6
Kerico (Penn): Great first cast and huge Ray. Clean bail. Step back on the FTDT. 9.825
Johanson (PSU): Controlled the double pike. BAck 1.5 to front half to jump. The front half was very low. Controlled the double tuck to end. 9.85
McElligott (PSU): Love the dance at the beginning of this routine. Tight tuck position in the double tuck with a bounce on the landing. Switch ring to switch ring half with solid positions. Clean back 1.5 to front layout. 9.85
FINAL: Penn State 195.775, Penn 194.650, New Hampshire 192.025
It was not the start that any of the teams wanted, but there is plenty of good to build upon as the season continues. New Hampshire would have been right in the mix with an improved bars rotation, and landing improvements will be key to growth for all teams.
VT: Kerico 9.85
UB: Johnston 9.85
BB: Maul 9.85
FX: Johanson, McElligott 9.85
AA: McElligott 39.150
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