Former Pac-12 foes Washington and UCLA will face off again in Seattle this week, now as Big Ten rivals. Washington is coming off a season-high 195.425 against Minnesota and will aim to replicate or improve on that performance to stay in the regionals conversation. Meanwhile, UCLA narrowly edged out Michigan State last weekend with a 197.300, thanks to a massive 49.800 floor rotation. The Bruins will be looking to drop their 195.200 from earlier in the season when NQS calculations begin, making a strong road performance crucial here.
Rotation 1: Washington Vault, UCLA Bars
Innes (VT): Dynamic FTY, bounce back. 9.700
Campbell (UB): Maloney to bail, some legs, good last handstand, cowboying on the double front and a step back. 9.850 is a generous.
McWilliams (VT): Reealllly bent arms on the table, worried she wouldn’t make it around for a second but does. Big shop and a step. 9.550
Webster-Longin (UB): Maloney, some legs, good Pak, stuck dismout. Great. 9.9
Lin (VT): Nice FTY, some piking down, hop back. 9.700
Malabuyo (UB): Maloney to Pak, some leg separations, pirouette is good, stuck FTDT. Great. 9.850
Bolden (VT): The most powerful FTY of this lineup, good layout position in the air, just has to take two large steps back.
McGowan (UB): Tkatchev to bail, smooth, hop forwards on the double layout. 9.850
Mouyenga (VT): FTY, looked almost a little high on the table, some piking down, hop back. 9.725
Esparza (UB): Maloney to Bharwaj, clean, VL, floaty, stuck DLO. She’s gotten so comfortable with this routine. 9.950
McDonough (VT): FTY with a bounce in place, off direction to the left on the landing.
Chiles (UB): Piked Tkatchev to Pak, late on the pirouette, slightly short on the double layout with a hop forwards – I like this dismount on her over the FTDT. The score is 9.875 with one judge going 9.9 which is kinda bonkers
After 1: Washington 48.550, UCLA 49.425
Good start for both teams. Washington did a good job overrotating vaults, now it just needs to dial in on some of the mechanics. While there were a few silly scores (9.85s for everyone!), UCLA will be thrilled with a 49.425 start, its highest bars score this season.
Rotation 2: Washington Bars, UCLA Vault
Jordan just had the most HILARIOUS vault warmup fail I need someone to GIF that immediately.
Lee (VT): Great FTY to start, not the most distance/amplitude, but it gets the job done. 9.800
McWilliams (UB): Jaegar to bail, good, some short handstands, starfish double layout with a stick.
Webster-Longin (VT): Let’s see how this vault goes today. She gets the 1.5 today! Great form in the air, big lunge forwards. 9.775
Lin (UB): Geinger to bail, some legs and could use some more amplitude, FTDT to finish, step back.
Moors (VT): FHS pike-half, chest a bit down, gets the stick though. So stoked for her to be vaulting like this in her senior year. 9.9
McDonough: Jargar to bail, biiig amplitude, late on the blind-full to double-tuck which is stuck. Nice. 9.875
Campbell (VT): Her usual MASSIVE FTY, gets the stick! The amplitude, the distance, the form, ugh its so good. 9.925
Oppegard (UB): Jaegar, bail handstand, some short handstands, bent elbows in some of the cast handstands, double layout to I think a stick. 9.875 is an interesting score.
Chiles (VT): Half-on, half-off tucked, bounce in place. It’s tricky to see in real-time, but I do think she starts tucking in the pre-flight. 9.850
Russon (UB): Jaegar to bail, catches a little close on the release, double layout is stuck. 9.925.
I’m not sure I’m picking up what the UB judges are putting down?
McGowan (VT): Clean Yurchenko 1.5, medium hop forwards. 9.850
Bolden (UB): Maloney to Pak, legs apart, late on the pirouette, short on the last cast, stuck DLO dismount.
“UCLA with a slight lead” I guess you could say that
After 2: Washington 97.825, UCLA 98.750
A 49.300 is the Huskies’ highest UB total this year and will be stoked with that number. My biggest takeaway from UCLA’s vault rotation was Moors matching her career-high with a stuck vault, and Webster-Longin finally getting the turnover on the 1.5 around.
Rotation 3: Washington Beam, UCLA Floor
Innes (BB): Front aerial to BHS, smooth, cat leap to aerial, confident, a bit short of 180 on the switch leap, small hop on 1.5 dismount. Nice leadoff routine. 9.850
Lee (FX): Double tuck to open, controlled, front layout to full is good, can’t really see her leaps too well but I think they were fine, double-pike is a little crunchy but gets it around. 9.850
Oppegard (BB): BHS LOSO, good save, switch to switch half, side aerial, chest down with a wobble, gainer full with her chest in her knees. 9.825 is nowhere NEAR enough differentiation between her and Innes.
Malabuyo (FX): Double pike, good control, nice leaps, gets the double wolf around today, 1.5 to layout rushes the landing but disguises the landing. 9.900
Russon (BB): Front aerial to BHS BHS, smooth, waver on the ring jump, hop on 1.5 dismount.
McGowan (FX): Powerful FTDT, controlled landing, rushes the 1.5 to full and has a weirdy on the landing but not a big deal. 9.850
McDonough (BB): Solid BHS LOSO, solid aerial, good leap positions, biggest wobble so far on a full turn which is SO gymnast, double-full dismount. “Way to recover from that full turn” I’m dead!
Moors (FX): Front double-full to front tuck, great, floaty LOSO, gets the leaps around, I think she held her front foot on the landing on the Rudi? 9.950
Hallinan (BB): Front toss to back tuck, a little low on the toss but gets it, switch leap to split jump, nice, shuffle on the 1.5 dismount. 9.9
Campbell (FX): Her music didn’t start so she’s just in a bent-over position and it’s kinda hilarious. FTDT, good landing, controlled leaps, good rise in the combo pass, double tuck, easy. 9.925
Lin (BB): BHS LOSO, some knees and a slight wobble, holds it, switch to switch half, short on splits and bend at the waist, hop on the 1.5 dismount. 9.7
Chiles (FX): Double layout nearly stuck, I think she hopped into a lunge? Arms a little wavey in the wolf jump full, front tuck to double-tuck to finish, lots of power and lifts her front heel. 9.950
After 3: Washington 147.150, UCLA 148.325
Another big 49.5+ floor rotation for UCLA will help them hold the no. 1 spot on floor in the national rankings. A 49.300 on beam is Washington’s highest beam total this year.
Rotation 4: Washington Floor, UCLA Beam
Lee (BB): Front aerial to split jump, smooth, BHS LOSO, confident, switch leap to the slightest hesitation to straddle, almost a check on the full turn, gainer full dismount is stuck. 9.900
McWilliams (FX): Rudi to LOSO, solid, gets the double pike around, good control. 9.850
Chiles (BB): BHS LOSO, cat leap to switch straddle, good, side aerial, double-full with a shuffle back. 9.9
Oppegard (FX): Rudi to straddle, nice amplitude, 1.5 to layout, would like to see more rise in the layout. 9.775
Campbell (BB): BHS lay-pike, tiniest hesitation, slow in the leap connection, stuck gainer full dismount, great amplitude. 9.925, kinda feels like the beam judges are giving random scores to each gymnast?
Russon (FX): Double pike, lunges out, front layout to full, controlled. 9.750
Moors (BB): Front aerial to BHS, smooth, cat leap to side aerial, waver, great switch half, stuck dismount. 9.9
McDonough (FX): I like her intricate opening choreo, Rudi to LOSO, good but could use more rise in the LOSO, juuuuust gets the double-full around and has to take a big step back to save it. She’s hopping on one foot after.
Alipio (BB): BHS BHS LOSO, solid, side aerial, aggressive with it, split leap to switch leap to beat jump, nice, stuck gainer full dismount. Redemption from last week. 9.950
Innes (FX): Front double-full to pike, nice I think she juuust saves it and doesn’t go OOB, 1.5 to layout with excellent rise, huge Rudi to finish, great work. 9.9
Malabuyo (BB): Solid wolf turn, BHS LOSO, great, front aerial misses the connection but does a great job at saving it. Split jump to ring jump to beat jump. All of her teammates are holding their index fingers up right before the dismount I want to know what this is. Stuck gainer full dismount. 9.950
These beam scores are so random lol!
Bolden (FX): Big double pike to open, some knees in the air, front layout to full, switch leap to switch half? Not sure what that was to be, switch half to wolf full, crunches it around. 9.7
FINAL: Washington 196.125, UCLA 197.950
Well there was some really… interesting… judging here. Despite that there were some great performances that warranted big scores. Huge improvement for Washington here, a 0.7 improvement over its previous season-high shows the Huskies are moving in the right direction. The Bruins finished just south of a 198 for their highest score of the season.
VT: Campbell (UCLA) 9.925
UB: Esparza (UCLA) 9.950
BB: Alipio, Malabuyo (UCLA) 9.950
FX: Chiles, Moors (UCLA) 9.950
AA: Campbell (UCLA) 39.625
READ THIS NEXT: A Day in the Life of a College Gymnast: Home Meets Versus Away Meets
Live blog by Daniel Rothwell
