Due to conference realignments, Penn State will travel to Los Angeles for its first-ever dual, in-conference meet against UCLA. While I sit on my couch live blogging this late-night event (with a bag of potato chips), I can’t help but feel for the Penn State gymnasts competing essentially at midnight, with the meet starting at 11:00 p.m. EST. Fellow East Coasters, brace yourselves for a long night!
Penn State comes into this meet riding a three-week winning streak against Rutgers, Illinois, and Maryland. Continuing that streak won’t be easy, but it’s possible if UCLA shows some of the inconsistency from earlier in the season. However, UCLA has exceeded expectations this year and nearly hit 198 last week against Washington, posting the highest road score for any team this season.
Also Frida Esparza performed the national anthem to start the meet love that for her
Rotation 1: UCLA Vault, Penn State Bars
Looks like Jenkins will be the leadoff over Lee on vault
Jenkins (VT): 1.5, legs split upon contact with the table, hop on the landing. 9.800
Johnston (UB): Good cast, Maloney to bail, clean, blind full to stuck double tuck dismount. 9.850
Moors (VT): Front handspring pike half, medium-sized scoot back. 9.800
McElligott (UB): Maloney to Pak, some leg separations, late pirouette, stalder, some bent arms, to double tuck, leans back and takes a step on the landing.
Webster-Longin (VT): Here we go, great 1.5! This was by far her best this season. Great form in the air just a small hop forward. 9.850
Leary (UB): Big Jaegar to bail, I think she dragged her feet on the ground, late blind full to double tuck.
Campbell (VT): Sky high FTY, almost travels to the very end of the mat. 9.825
Gallentin (UB): Maloney to Pak, some leg flickering, a little late on the pirouette, stuck DLO. 9.875
Chiles (VT): Half-on, tucked half-off, small hop back on the landing. 9.825
Latronica (UB): Jaegar, nice, bail to handstand, short on handstand, toe-shoot half dismount, small step. 9.800
McGowan (VT): Clean 1.5, big hop forwards on the landing.
Barbanente (UB): Jaegar to bail, some legs, short on the double layout and has to take multiple steps to save it. 9.525
Anastasi (VT): Exhibition, goes for the 1.5, soft knees throughout the post-flight, big step back to save it. 9.650
Kaempfer (UB): Off on the Jaegar, Pak, late pirouette, off again on the cast handstand, muscles the blind full and still goes for the double tuck and lands on her hands and knees.
After 1: UCLA 49.100, Penn State 48.825
Kind of a “meh” start for the Bruins on vault with some landing issues and no scores breaking into the 9.9 range. Penn State with a rough start counting Leary’s 9.550 after Barbanente’s dismount stumble.
Rotation 2: UCLA Bars, Penn State Vault
Vihrova (VT): Front handspring pike, medium lunge forwards. 9.675
Campbell (UB): Arch on the first cast, Maloney to bail, good, stuck double front dismount. 9.875
Kaempfer (VT): FTY, small hop back, not the most amplitudey but gets the job done. 9.725
Webster-Longin (UB): Maloney to Pak, shy on the pirouette, clear hip to full-out, hop back. 9.825
McElligott (VT): More dynamic FTY, small hop back, some piking coming down.
Malabuyo (UB): Maloney to Pak, great, shy on the pirouette, stuck full-in dismount. 9.9 is a gift.
Leary (VT): FTY, stuck, some piking down and some shoulder angle on the table. 9.825
McGowan (UB): Tkatchev to bail, great, aggressive handstand, nearly stuck DLO dismount.
Johnston (VT): Another stuck FTY, gets some more distance than Leary. 9.850
Esparza (UB): Maloney to Bharwaj, VL, clean handstands, stuck DLO. I love seeing how as a fifth year she has gotten so confident with this routine. 9.975
Monahan (VT): Short on the tucked Tsuk full, not the best dynamics and takes a step out of the lines
Chiles (UB): Piked Tkatchev, late on the pirouette, stuck double layout. I love this dismount change for her. 9.975 with one judge going 10 with the late pirouette i-
Anyimi (UB): Exhibition, piked Jaegar, misses it, resumes from the bail, full-out dismount with a hop.
After 2: UCLA 98.675, Penn State 97.675
A 49.575 is a season-high bars score for the Bruins thanks to two 9.975s from Esparza and Chiles. Penn State matches last week’s 48.850 vault score.
Rotation 3: UCLA Beam, Penn State Floor
Lee (BB): Front aerial to split jump, a little slow in the connection, solid BHS LOSO, switch leap to straddle, stuck gainer full dismount. Great start. Janelle put her in the back half of the lineup challenge GO.
Maul (FX): Big double tuck to open, just gets her jumps around, 1.5 to layout, pretty low saltos. Did JaNay just say the 1.5 to layout is a “unique” pass? 9.775
Chiles (BB): BHS LOSO, good, small check on the switch side, side aerial, right on, bounce in place on the double-full dismount. 9.850 with a 9.8/9.9 split
Vihrova (FX): Front tuck to double tuck, just holds it in bounds, switch ring to switch half, double wolf turn is around, almost buckles the 1.5 to layout but gets it around.
Campbell (BB): BHS lay-pike, solid, split to switch half to beat jump, good rhythm, stuck gainer full off the beam. 9.9
Kaempfer (FX): Double tuck, controlled, switch half to Popa, Rudi to straddle, the jump doesn’t rise too much though, 1.5 to layout, again neither salto rises too much.
Moors (BB): Front aerial to BHS, great rhythm, side aerial, solid, switch half to beat jump, great, stuck front full dismount. Her best work this year. 9.9
Leary (FX): Front double-full to punch front with great amplitude, OOB, soesn’t totally get the positions in either of her leaps, good 1.5 to layout to finish.
Alipio (BB): Waver on the full turn oops! BHS BHS LOSO, some helicopter arms, solid aerial, great rhythm in her leaps, stuck gainer full off. 9.875
Kramer (FX): Lands the front double-full extremely short and does the punch front to her bottom, Rudi to LOSO, great finish. Unfortunate opening pass. 9.075 with a 9.8 SV
Malabuyo (BB): BHS LOSO, confident, wobble on the front aerial, split ring to split to beat jump, good, stuck BHS gainer full dismount. 9.825
McElligott (FX): Switch ring to switch ring half, 1.5 to layout – solid finisher. 9.875
Rosen (BB): Exhibition, glad to see her back. Switch to split jump, beat jump to Onodi, nice, BHS LOSO, small waver, full turn waver, hop on the 1.5 dismount.
After 3: UCLA 148.125, Penn State 146.500
Beam has become a strength for this UCLA team. The Bruins’ 49.450 here puts them on pace for a mid-197 score. Penn State having some troubles on floor, but lowkey that would be me too if I had to do gymnastics at what is essentially midnight for them.
Rotation 4: UCLA Floor, Penn State Beam
Just noticed UCLA has a new floor so will be interesting to see if the firm new equipment might impact anyone’s tumbling.
Maul (BB): BHS BHS LOSO, confident, not the most amplitude on the dismount but gets the stick. 9.800
Webster-Longin (FX): Controlled front double-full, 1.5 to floaty front layout, switch ring to switch half, Rudi. Great start. 9.9
Leary (BB): BHS BHS LOSO, lean, full turn, waver, split to not-so-sheep jump, step on the 1.5 dismount. 9.650
Malabuyo (FX): Double pike, controlled lunge, great leaps, gets the double wolf turn around, 1.5 to layout, could use some more rise in the layout. Nice. 9.9
McElligott (BB): BHS BHS LOSO, great, confident leaps, sticks the 1.5 dismount. Great. 9.875
McGowan (FX): Short on the full-in, switch side to Popa is good, 1.5 to full, would like to see more rise in the front full. 9.825
Monahan (BB): Front toss to BHS swing down, gets it, beat jump to straddle 3/4, 1.5 dismount with some knees.
Moors (FX): Front double-full to front tuck, under control, elegant LOSO, flares out the Rudi. Idc just give her the 10 already!!! 9.950
Latronica (BB): Confident BHS LOSO, waver on full turn, gainer full dismount stuck. 9.800
Campbell (FX): Big full-in, lunge back with borderline control, layout to full, almost thought she was gonna sit it for a second but gets it around, great double tuck to finish. 9.850
Johnston (BB): BHS LOSO, some soft knees, split to sheep jump, doesn’t really get the sheep position, beat to aerial, solid, wobble on the full turn, stuck gainer full dismount. 9.725
Chiles (FX): Close to OOB on the double layout but holds it in, leaps are under control, she’s so playful and charismatic she was BORN to be a collegiate gymnast, front through to double-tuck, controlled. 9.950
Rosen (FX): Exhibition, double tuck is under control, double pike, chest a little low, 1.5 to layout to finish. Great to see her back on floor.
FINAL: UCLA 197.675, Penn State 195.450
Another solid meet for the Bruins, things started slow on vault, but a season-high bars score helped carry some positive momentum forward for a mid-197 score tonight. Penn State had a few stumbles on nearly every event but had a good finish on beam.
VT: Webster-Longin (UCLA), Johnston (Penn State) 9.850
UB: Esparza (UCLA), Chiles (UCLA) 9.975
BB: Lee (UCLA) 9.925
FX: Moors (UCLA), Chiles (UCLA) 9.950
AA: Chiles (UCLA) 39.600
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Live blog by Daniel Rothwell
