This meet will be another exciting battle of the Utahs, but this time will be Southern Utah at Utah State. These closely matched teams will be fighting it out until the end of the competition with last week’s season debut scores only separated by .3 tenths favoring Southern Utah.
Southern Utah had a solid performance last weekend highlighted by a 49+ rotation on bars and a stellar all around performance by Niya Randolf. The Thunderbirds lived around the 9.700 range and will be looking for more routines to break into the 9.800+ range on Friday. The Thunderbirds struggled with consistency on beam, but as the season goes on confidence will only continue to improve.
Utah State had a comparable opening weekend at Utah last week landing themselves a 194.450. The Aggies also lived very solidly in the 9.700s, but showed a consistent fight and did not count a fall on any event. The Aggie’s Week 1 lineups were dominated by freshmen who will only continue to improve as they get more collegiate competition experience under their belt. Vault was a weakness for Utah State last weekend and they will be look to tap into their power to show some dynamic vaults.
Rotation 1: Utah State VT Southern Utah UB
Randolf drills her split leg DLO in warmup!
Brooks (US): Nice Yurchenko Full to start. Small pike down and small scoot back. Great dynamics. Would love to see this later in the lineup. 9.775
Christensen (SUU): Piked jeager with some soft knees. Great bail. Big double layout with the smallest step back. Great start. 9.875
Gatzlaff (US): Another yurchenko full, not quite as dynamic as Brooks and little more piked, but another solid score. 9.700
Neff (SUU): Feet GLUED on her maloney to bail handstand. A little too eager on the double layout and lets go a bit early. Steps forward. Great potential here. 9.850
Vandertool (US): Yurchenko full with a small hop. Not quite the amplitude I would like to see, but a solid vault with good leg form. 9.750
Hampton (SUU): Off the jeager to start. Was beautiful in the air though. Get back up with a pak. Nice double layout with a step back. 8.9750
Bibbey (US): Flares out her yurchenko full. Little bit of leg form. Would like to see those feet glued together, but the dynamics are there.
Goodman (SUU): Big pike jeager. Pak down to the low bar. Blind full right on top of the bar and sticks her double tuck, but lands with her chest down. 9.800
Morabito (US): HUGE Yurcheko full. Now thats more like it!! Big hop back, but stunning and powerful in the air. 9.825
Randolf (SUU): Opens with a true shaposh to bail. Pikes a bit when she catches the maloney, would love to see the hips a bit more open on that. Ends with a clear hip to immediate STUCK split leg double layout!! More of these please!! 9.850
Stuart (US): Solid Yurchenko full. Would like to the hips a bit more open. 9.750
Ferguson (SUU): Misses her piked jeager. SUU will be counting a fall. Clear hip to a pak. Double layout with a hop forward. Not what the Thunderbirds were looking for. 8.875
After 1: Utah State 48.875
Big improvement from last week for the Aggies on vault, while the Thunderbirds are now counting a fall on bars despite some big scores from the rest of the rotation.
Rotation 2: Utah State UB Southern Utah VT
Cacciola?? (SUU): Nice body position on the yurchenko full with a tiny hop back.
Orengo (US): Sticks her double lay at the end. 9.325
Kelley (SUU): Full on pike off vault. Get great amplitude and slides back. 9.775
Jelen (US): Maloney to pak to open. Her hand seems to slip a bit and lightly taps her foot. Steps back on her double lay.
Vandertoolen (US): Toe hand to maloney to pak. Little bit of leg separation. Squat on but falls backwards and save it with a toe circle.
Hampton?? (SUU): Little bit of arm bend on the table to a yurchenko full.
Bibbey (US): High Tckatchev. Clear hip to a bail with a small leg separation. . Feet glued on her double lay to finish.
Randolf (SUU): Quick yurchenko full with nice, straight body position throughout. Pulls her toes under a bit too much and takes a big hop back.
Brooks (US): Nice ray to a shootover and drills the double lay. Oh wow. In love with her lines. 9.900 finally gettibg what she deserves. So why isn’t she the anchor again???
Christensen (SUU): Lands her yurchenko 1.5 with just a hop. Tucks her knees slightly throughout, but the dynamics were there.
Medrano (US): Maloney and misses the handstand on her bail forcing her way to muscle it a bit. Sticks her double lay to finish.
After 2:
Rotation 3: Utah State BB Southern Utah FX
Jelen (US): Side ariel to backhandspring and does not move! Sticks her backhandspring gainer full off the side. Great!
Hampton (SUU): Opens with a front double full with a step forward. Little bit of crossed feet. Rudi to a stuck layout step out.
Eagles (US): So Solid on the handspring layout step out. Side arial split jump. Very short on the switch leap. Roundoff 1.5 with a hop to end. Little bit of soft knees throughout the routine. 9.750
Christensen (SUU): Back 1.5 to front full with lots of power to start. Switch side to straddle half. Decent splits. Ends with a double tuck. Great amplitude and slides back into a lunge. Another solid addition.
Orengo (US): Cat leap to a from toss and almost connects but bails. Repeats and makes it but the connection is slow. Wobbles on her full turn. Switch leap to split jump, back leg is quite low on both. Sticks her round off 1.5 to end. Lots of little things all over that will add up.
Cacciola (SUU): Bounces out of her whip to double tuck to open. Switch ring to switch half to wolf full as her dance combo. Ends with a rudi and jumps to her lunge. Looks very excited with her performance.
Medrano (US): Very solid on the handspring layout to open. Solid side arial. Split jump to split 3/4. Back knee is soft. Hops back on her gainer full off the side.
Gold (SUU): Great full in to open and jump to a lunge. Tour Jete half to a wolf full. Continues with with a back 1.5 to front half to a bouncy split jump. Ends with a HIGH double tuck with power to spare. Chest is up. Props for the three passes.
Witte (US): Handspring handspring layout with the smallest check. Front arial with a step forward and dances out of out it. Lands a bit short on her gainer full and steps forward.
Randolf (SUU): Double lay and jumps right a lunge. Dr. Dre music. The best dancer we’ve seen all day. Johnson to a straddle jump. Front layout to a roundoff double tuck, somehow pull it around despite the funky front layout.
Brooks (US): Front arial to one back handspring. Tiniest check. Wobbles on the straddle half. Repeats and connects a korbut. Stick the gainer full off the side. SO much potential.
Fernandez (SUU): Nice double tuck to open. Chest is UP. Switch half to wolf full wolf full. Back 1.5 to front lay with some legs. Ends with a rudi. 9.700
Scoring system hates me so no scores yet
After 3:
Rotation 4: Utah State FX Southern Utah BB
Bringhurst (SUU): No wobbles on her handspring layout stepout to open. Beat jump split jump 3/4. Piked front toss. Great. Sticks the dismount. wow. 9.925 in this economy???
Fernandez (SUU): Side arial back handspring and fights to not wobble. Side arial to back 1.5 and sticks!
Medrano (US): Front through to double tuck with a fantastic landing. Switch half to wolf full, looks like she wanted to do a 1.5. Might lose SV. Back 1.5 to a very controlled front layout.
Randolf (SUU): Front toss to back handspring back handspring. Okayyy triple series! Cat leap to side sumi??? Looked more like a front toss to me. Roundoff to 1.5 with two steps forward.
Orengo (US): Opens with a very controled double pike right to the lunge. Switch half to wolf full is all the way around. Pulls her toes too far under her in the double tuck and sits it down. Better over than under, but not what the Aggies wanted. 9.65
Cacciola (SUU): Switch leap to split jump to layout step out to beat jump. What a combo! SO solid on the handspring layout. Sticks the roundoff 1.5. beautiful!
Vater (US): Front double full and steps forward. Would like to see more control. Switch leap to a johnson. Such a fun routine! 1.5 to front lay and barely needs that step forward.
Christensen (SUU): Slides down the side on her flight series. Front toss. Ends with a roundoff to 1.5. Oof.
Morabito (US): Nice full in to open. Gets right to that lunge. Beautiful extension of the switch full to split full. Ends with a front lay to front full to front tuck. SO nice!
North (SUU): BHS to layout is nice. Under rotated on the switch half. Just a hop back on the roundoff double full dismount.
Stuart (SUU): Front through to double tuck and lands with the chest slightly down. Whip half to a front full and doesn’t get it to her feet. The Aggies will be counting a fall on floor. 8.85
FINAL: SOUTHERN UTAH 195.000 UTAH STATE 194.075
VT: Ellie Cacciola (US) 9.850
UB: Brianna Brooks (US) 9.900
BB: Elliot Bringhurst (SUU) 9.925
FX: Nyla Morabito (US) 9.850
AA: Niya Randolf (SUU) 39.125
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