Washington travels to Minnesota this weekend for the first time since joining the Big Ten. The Huskies have had a challenging start to their season, yet to break the 195.000 mark. However, there were bright spots in Week 4, with Emily Innes and Mary McDonough tying for the floor title at Michigan, each scoring a 9.900. Washington will be aiming to replicate those strong performances as they look to gain momentum in this matchup.
Minnesota, on the other hand, is coming off a stellar 197.325 at Iowa in Week 4—a full point higher than their Week 3 score. The Gophers overcame some early struggles, notably from fifth-year Mya Hooten, who had difficulties on vault and bars. She was replaced in the floor lineup by junior Seria Johnson, who stepped up in a big way, securing a share of the floor title with a career-high 9.925. Despite Hooten’s absence from the floor lineup, Minnesota still posted an impressive 49.475. The Gophers have been on an upward trajectory this season and will be looking to keep that momentum going strong tonight.
Rotation 1: Minnesota vault, Washington bars
Pearl (Minn): Opens the meet with a high yurchenko full with a hop back, could use some more distance. 9.775
Navarro (UW): Short first handstand. Toe on, Maloney, bail – some leg separations throughout. Finishes with a stuck full in – a solid leadoff for the Huskies. 9.750
Steensland (Minn): Big yurchenko full with a small step back. 9.800
McWilliams (UW): Blind change to jaeger, doesn’t get much turnover and the connected overshoot is a little stiff. Finishes with a double layout with a shuffle back. 9.725
Moraw (Minn): Yurchenko full is a little underrotated, pikes down with a step forward. 9.750
Lin (UW): Clear hip to gienger, catches close with bent arms. Overshoot with a big leg separation. High full in dismount with a step forward. 9.750
Crump (Minn): Nice high yurchenko 1.5 with a lunge forward. 9.800
McDonough (UW): Blind change to jaeger to overshoot – lovely form throughout. Blind full to double tuck, stuck – great routine for Washington. 9.825
Stewart (Minn): Yurchenko 1.5 with great distance and form in the air, steps forward on the landing. 9.875
Oppegard (UW): Blind change to jaeger, very nicely done – goes over on her cast handstand and nearly falls, impressive save! But that will hurt her score. Bail handstand with some leg form. Finishes with a stuck double layout. 9.150
Hooten (Minn): Big yurchenko 1.5 with a step forward. The second half of this vault lineup is really great stuff. 9.850
Russon (UW): Blind change, jaeger, overshoot – catches with some bent arms. Double layout dismount with a pike down and a small shuffle. Well done after a mistake from Oppegard. 9.800
Ex – Jencks (Minn): Yurchenko full with very little height, underrotates and lands forward – it looks like she really stung her ankles, she looks like she’s in pain and immediately leaves with the coach. I hope she’s okay! 9.450
Ex – Mouyenga (UW): Pak with a big leg separation. Van leeuwen, short handstand on the cast up. Blind full to double tuck dismount, solid. 9.675
Ex – Lewter (Minn): Yurchenko full with good height, some funky leg form off the table and a step back. 9.725
After 1: Minnesota 49.100, Washington 48.850
This is a season high for the Huskies on bars, so a great start to this meet for them. Minnesota’s vault landings weren’t quite as secure as they were last week, but it still puts up a solid number thanks to those three great 10.0 starts in the back half of the lineup.
Rotation 2: Washington vault, Minnesota bars
Innes (UW): Yurchenko full with great distance, overcooks it a bit with a big lunge back. 9.675
Jencks (Minn): Glad to see her okay after that vault. Tkatchev with good height. Clear hip to bail, very clean. Finishes with a stuck double layout – excellent leadoff! 9.825
McWilliams (UW): Yurchenko full with a big leg separation on the table, looks a little underrotated but this camera angle is…creative. 9.750
Harrington (Minn): Maloney to pak with small leg sepertions. Fantastic handstand up on the high bar. Blind full to full in dismount, really nicely done. 9.850
Lin (UW): Yurchenko full with a step back – not as dynamic as Innes but the cleanest of the three so far. 9.775
Stewart (Minn): Maloney to pak with legs glued together – that’s how it’s done. Van leeuwen, with a great handstand on the high bar. Blind change to double front dismount, with a small hop. 9.850
Bolden (UW): Good yurchenko full with a hop, some leg seperation on the table. 9.775
Crump (Minn): Toe on, Maloney, pak – very clean. Excellent handstands throughout – the Gophers are killing it with those tonight. Double layout with a small step back. 9.875
Mouyenga (UW): Yurchenko full with a step back, some leg form and pike down. 9.750
Lyden (Minn): Maloney to bail with a small leg seperation. Handstands are great. Double layout – I love how she keeps her arms stretched out to the side in that skill – with a step forward. 9.850
McDonough (UW): Beautiful yurchenko full, gets great height off the table. Lunge back – and maybe didn’t hold her finishing position for long enough? 9.800
Hooten (Minn): Blind change, jaeger, overshoot – great height, nicely done. Dismounts with a full in, lets go early and lands low with a big lunge forward. 9.700
Ex – Fisher (Minn): Clear hip, shaposh, overshoot – overshoot is a little low. Very nice and high full in dismount with a small step back. That could definitely make this lineup in the future with a little cleaning up. 9.800
Ex – Swartzmiller (Minn): Blind change to piked jaeger, pretty low and doesn’t manage to catch. Gets back up and does an overshoot with some leg seperation. Finishes with a blind full to full in dismount with a little hop back. 8.600
After 2: Minnesota 98.350, Washington 97.700
Minnesota widens its lead with its highest bars score of the season. It’s great to see how much the freshmen are contributing to that lineup, with Crump getting the highest score. Washington showed a solid set of yurchenko fulls but would benefit from cleaning up landings.
Rotation 3: Minnesota beam, Washington floor
Koch (Minn): Opens with a super solid back handspring, layout steout. Split jump 3/4 is good. Front toss to arabesque lands super low, covers it up well. Round off 1.5 dismount with a small step. 9.775
McWilliams (UW): Rudi to layout stepout first pass, nicely done. Switch side, straddle full, straddle jump – good height. Finishes with a double pike, chest is a little low. 9.800
Stewart (Minn): Split jump to ring jump with a balance check. Front aerial to korbut, very nice form. Wolf turn full is clean and controlled. Back handspring gainer full dismount with a stick, great set from her. 9.875
Oppegard (UW): Rudi to straddle jump, gets good height on the jump but the landing is a little uncontrolled. 1.5 to front layout, lacking height on the second salto. Switch ring half – did not look like she hit ring position at this angle. Switch ring to switch half – again the ring looked a bit questionable. 9.675 – I do think they got her for those dance elements, unfortunately.
Moraw (Minn): Back handspring, layout stepout – lands crooked with a big balance check but saves it. Cat leap to side aerial, small wobble. Beat jump to straddle jump 3/4, more solid than the acro. Back handspring gainer full dismount with a stick. A bit of a wobbly routine for her but she handled it well. 9.775
Russon (UW): Split jump full, good. Double pike first pass, super controlled and clean landing. Front layout to front full, very clean. Switch ring through to split full – I am not sure why Washington is insisting on these switch rings in otherwise clean routines. 9.750
Lyden (Minn): Opens with a double wolf turn – hers is the only one I enjoy watching. Back handspring layout stepout, solid. Hitch kick to switch side, lovely lines. Round off 1.5 goes a bit crooked off the side, lands with a small step forward. 9.875
Bolden (UW): Double pike, overrotates a bit with a slide back. Front layout to front full, nice controlled landing but could use more height. Switch half to wolf full, needs a bit more height to get the rotations fully around. 9.6500
Pearl (Minn): Back handspring layout stepout, rock solid. Switch leap to straddle 1/4, great split positions. Front aerial to beat jump with great straight legs. Back handspring gainer full dismount, hop in place on the landing. Another excellent beam set for the Gophers. 9.875
McDonough (UW): Rudi to layout stepout, very low on the second salto and lands low. Split leap full to straddle full, better on the dance elements here. Front double full, underrotates and stumbles backwards but stays on her feet. 9.550
Rowray (Minn): Back handspring layout stepout – huge wobble and hip break, hops in place on one foot and somehow manages to stay on? That was kind of magical. Good splits in her dance series. Front toss is a bit low with a wobble. Switch side, good. Front gainer full dismount with a step forward – definitely not her usual work, but that save was seriously impressive. The preceding scores were strong enough that this shouldn’t be an issue for the Gophers. 9.550
Innes (UW): This is a big one for the Huskies. Front double full to front pike, very dynamic but shuffles forward and out of bounds. 1.5 to front layout, very clean and high. Finishes with a solid rudi. Shame about the out of bounds, but it should be a solid score nonetheless. 9.700
Ex – Steensland (Minn): Back handspring, layout stepout with a small adjustment. Front toss with a balance check, breaks the connection to a beat jump. Split 3/4 is good. Round off 1.5 dismount, a bit underrotated with a step back. 9.625
Ex – Olfshefski (Minn): Gainer layout stepout to beat jump – very cool series and nicely done. Back handspring layout stepout with a balance check. Switch leap to straddle 1/4, splits look a little short. Back handspring gainer full dismount with nice height and a stuck landing.
After 3: Minnesota 147.525, Washington 146.275
It wasn’t the absolute beam clinic that Minnesota put on at Iowa last week, but it was still a solid rotation led by a trio of 9.875s. Washington is really hurting itself with poor choice in dance elements. There’s some great tumbling in that lineup and I wish it wasn’t overshadowed by questionable ring positions and underrotated jumps!
Rotation 4: Washington beam, Minnesota floor
Innes (UW): Front aerial to back handspring, connection is a bit slow. Cat leap to side aerial, solid with some leg form. Switch leap to straddle 1/4, good. Round off 1.5 dismount with a small hop forward. A good start to the final rotation! 9.800
Jencks (Minn): Opens with a very high front double full, controls the landing well. Switch full to split full, good. 1.5 to front layout, great rise on the layout. Rudi to straddle jump, little bounce on the landing. 9.825
Oppegard (UW): Back handspring to layout stepout, solid with some soft knees. Switch leap to switch half to beat jump, splits look short from this angle. Side aerial with a small balance check. Gainer full dismount, good height and stuck. 9.850
Steensland (Minn): Rudi to layout stepout, excellent height! Back 2.5, again super high and clean. Switch half to wolf full, good. 1.5 to front layout – I just love how much height she gets on every pass. 9.875
Russon (UW): Front aerial to two back handsprings, nicely done. Switch leap to ring jump, ring looks better here than it did on floor but hard to say from this angle. Round off 1.5 dismount with a hop in place. 9.875
Pearl (Minn): 1.5 to front layout, well controlled. Switch side half to straddle full, good height. Double pike, great height but bounces back a bit. 9.825
McDonough (UW): Super clean back handspring layout stepout to start. Cat leap to side aerial, very solid. Switch leap with a balance check – breaks the connection to the split jump. Repeats the series, gets it with a wobble at the end. Round off double full dismount, clean with a hop in place. Doesn’t really hold the landing position. 9.775
Koch (Minn): Front double full, solid. Split leap full to wolf full, very nice. This routine is so fun and the crowd likes it too! 1.5 to front layout, not quite as high as the others but clean. Finishes with a clean rudi. 9.850
Hallinan (UW): Front toss to back tuck, connection is a bit slow but super clean. I love to see a more unique acro series. Switch leap to split jump, splits are good. Front aerial to beam jump, very nice. Round off 1.5 dismount with some leg form and a small hop. 9.850
Johnson (Minn): She did so well stepping in for Hooten last week, let’s see what she can do here. Front full to front half, a little low but well controlled. Huge double pike, lands a little low with a step forward. Switch side to straddle full, good. Double tuck to finish, pretty much a perfect landing. 9.800
Navarro (UW): Glad to see Navarro back after injury. Back handspring, back handspring, layout stepout – clean and controlled. Beat jump to switch side, lands with locked legs and has a big wobble. Round off 1.5 dismount, a little underrotated with a step back. 9.750
Hooten (Minn): Let’s end this meet with a bang. Big full in, nice control on the landing. Switch side to wolf full, split didn’t look quite there. Front full to front pike, excellent rise and drills the landing. Double tuck stuck COLD. Thrilled to see her hit in a big way after not competing on floor last week! 9.925 – the first 9.900+ score of the night, and it was well deserved.
Ex – Lin (UW): Back handspring, layout stepout – leg up and a fall. Switch leap to switch half to beat jump, small adjustment. Round off 1.5 dismount, underrotates and steps back. 9.150
Ex – Lyden (Minn): 1.5 to front full, a little uncontrolled on the landing. Back 2.5, underrotates and steps back. 9.625
Ex – Harrington (Minn): Super fun choreography, a bit of that creepy Gracie Kramer style? Very high double tuck with a step maybe out of bounds. 1.5 to front layout, sticks it. Switch side to straddle full, good. Double pike, controlled landing with a low chest. I know this lineup is hard to break into but I’d love to see this routine join it in the future. 9.775
FINAL: Minnesota 196.825, Washington 195.425
A solid score and a solid day for the Gophers, who benefitted from a return to form for Hooten and a clutch three event performance from Stewart. Minnesota remains undefeated going into Week 6 and should be pleased with its performance tonight.
Washington, I was not familiar with your beam game. A very impressive final rotation after some struggles earlier in the meet. They’ll be pleased to have surpassed the 195.000 mark and set a season high. But I really, really want those switch rings to go.
VT: Stewart – 9.875
UB: Crump – 9.875
BB: Stewart, Lyden, Pearl, Russon – 9.875
FX: Hooten – 9.925
AA: McDonough – 38.950
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Live blog by Sophie Poirier
Excellent narration Sophie, thank you!