Western Michigan has spent the last three weeks working to match its standout 195.350 from Week 3. Beam has been the Broncos’ Achilles heel, with inconsistent performances throughout the season. If they can avoid counting a fall, they have a strong chance of winning. Cassie St. Clair is a key player to watch, consistently delivering big scores on vault and floor.
Bowling Green has also struggled with consistency this season. Former four-star recruit Kayla Shaw is critical for the Falcons’ success, particularly on floor where she excels. Like Western Michigan, beam has been a challenge for Bowling Green, so this meet may ultimately be decided by which team can hit five-for-five on beam.
Rotation 1: Bowling Green VT, Western Michigan UB
Thornton (Bowling Green): Yfull, pikes it down and takes two small hops. 9.6
Garvey (Western Michigan): Huge straddle tkatchev, in the rafters. Unique straddle back into handstand. Her lines are just gorgeous throughout the routine. Ends with a double layout with a big hop back. 9.7
Dzialo (Bowling Green): Yfull, very similar to Thornton in the air but just one controlled hop on landing. 9.7
Freeman (Western Michigan): Piked jaeger to overshoot, a little crooked. Blind full to double tuck with a step back. 9.775
Bingham (Bowling Green): Yfull, a bit flat and a pike down with a small hop. 9.75
Moravansky (Western Michigan): Straddle jaeger, catches very close and goes into a wild overshoot with a lot of leg separation. Double lay, great form in the air and just a small step on landing. 9.625
Coburn (Bowling Green): Yfull, lots of distance with a sizable bounce back. 9.675
Samuelson (Western Michigan): Straddle jaeger, slightly short handstand into a pretty pak. Lovely final handstand, nice stretched double lay with a small hop. 9.85
Brown (Bowling Green): Yfull, doesn’t get much pop off the table and takes a couple steps on landing. 9.7
King (Western Michigan): Bit low on the first handstand. Lovely straddle jaeger to a very lose bail. She manages to stay on the bar, low last handstand to a double lay with a step. 9.475
Mendez-Abolnik (Bowling Green): Yfull, by far the best form in the air of the lineup with a small hop. 9.8
Korfhage (Western Michigan): Clear hip to a straddle Tkatchev with very flexed feet. Lovely bail. Another clear hip to a toe front pike half with a small hop. 9.775
After 1: Western Michigan 48.725, Bowling Green 48.625
Solid rotations from both teams, and a one-tenth meet after one rotation. Samuelson’s bars set was the highlight for me. Let’s see if this meet stays close moving forward!
Rotation 2: Western Michigan VT, Bowling Green UB
Milton (Western Michigan): Yfull, stuck! Great leadoff for Western Michigan. 9.8
Dzialo (Bowling Green): Clear hip to a nice high Gienger to bail. Quite short on the final handstand to a blind full to double tuck with a small hop. 9.525
Garvey (Western Michigan): Yfull, pikes down with a small hop. 9.7
Thornton (Bowling Green): Maloney, pak, a bit of leg separation but hard to see from the judges’ angle. Full pirouette on the high bar and nearly loses it but manages to stay on the bar. Full in, lots of height and a small step on landing. 9.525
Gelesko (Western Michigan): Front tuck half with a big step forward. 9.8
Bingham (Bowling Green): Clear hip to a huge straddle Tkatchev to bail. Double lay with a big hop back. 9.775
Roy (Western Michigan): Yfull with a bit of pike down and a hop back (NOT a stick, commentators). 9.75
Shaw (Bowling Green): Tkatchev to either a very low bail or a very high overshoot. Really overcooks the last handstand and comes off. Blind full to double tuck with a step back. 9.075
Moravansky (Western Michigan): Yfull, decent form in the air and a small hop on landing. 9.825
Akpan (Bowling Green): Straddle tkatchev, not the most height but gets it around. Low on the bail and the final handstand, into a pretty double lay with a medium hop back. 9.475
Faulkner (Western Michigan): Yfull, gorgeous in the air and a tiny hop on landing. 9.825
Kreinbrink (Bowling Green): Arches the first handstand and comes off. Bowling Green now counting a fall. Pretty Gienger into a lose overshoot. Double tuck (I think? Could have been a layout that she turned into a tuck) and sits it down. Tough routine for her. 8.325
After 2: Western Michigan 97.725, Bowling Green 96.000
Western Michigan had a phenomenal vault rotation, going 49.000 and counting no scores below 9.750. Unfortunately, Bowling Green couldn’t match that energy on bars. Counting a fall and a low 47 score on bars certainly isn’t what the Falcons were looking for. However, this meet isn’t over yet: both teams still have to get through beam.
Rotation 3: Bowling Green BB, Western Michigan FX
Dubin (Bowling Green): Bhs bhs loso with just a tiny wobble. Beat jump to straddle 3/4, a little low. Side aerial with the tiniest foot adjustment. Full turn with a shoulder dip. Front tuck full, stuck! First stick of the meet for the Falcons and a great reset for them. 9.7
Garvery (Western Michigan): Opens up with a double pike, small slide in the lunge. Little crunched in her leap combo. Punch front pike to a double tuck with a small hop. 9.725
Shaw (Bowling Green): Switch leap, split 3/4 and she’s off. Pressure is on for Bowling Green. Side somi, really pretty. Wolf turn, good. I’m really impressed with her poise on the beam following a fall. Bhs loso, rock solid. Gainer pike with a hop forward. 8.8
Milton (Western Michigan): Front lay to Rudi to split jump, great combo! Double tuck, gets a little hung up in the air and ends up having to take a step forward into the lunge. 9.75
Bingham (Bowling Green): Good full turn. Bhs loso, solid.Cat leap to side aerial with a small shoulder check. Beat jump to split 3/4, great extension. RO 1.5 twist, stuck! Clutch routine. 9.8
The (extremely biased) commentators trying so hard to stay optimistic is very funny.
Roy (Western Michigan): Double pike, practically stuck and the lunge is a formality. Punch front to double back, nice height. 9.75
Parente (Bowling Green): Bhs loso, dips her shoulder slightly. Cat leap to switch half with a low back leg. Side aerial, better landing there. Good full turn. RO 1.5 with a big hop forward. 9.75
St. Clair (Western Michigan): Back 1.5 to front lay and a bit of a crooked lunge out of it. Big switch full and Popa right in the corner. Front double full to close, another crooked lunge but such an impressive last pass! 9.65
Milligan (Bowling Green): Bhs loso, small leg up check and then a check on the dance, but stays on. Side aerial, drops her chest but again stays on. Switch leap, straddle quarter, much more confident. Full turn, another leg up check. Straddle half, no wobbles. RO 1.5 twist with a small step back. No fall, but lots of little errors that will add up. 9.45, that will have to count.
Schaupp (Western Michigan): Rudi to a loso, fun pass! Front double full, good. A bit short of split on final leap pass. 9.775
Brzoska (Bowling Green): Clean full turn. Bhs loso loso and she’s off. Bowling Green will have to count a fall on beam as well. Beat jump to switch leap, slight connection break before the straddle quarter. Beat jump to side aerial. RO 1.5 twist with a hop to the side.
Korfhage (Western Michigan): Opens with a double pike with a very slide-y landing. Rudi to a floaty loso. Switch full to split full. Front full to front lay. Three pass routine, we love to see it! 9.275
Akpan (Bowling Green ex.): Beat jump to switch leap, breaks the connection to the straddle quarter. Good full turn. Bhs loso and she falls. Unique Barani, super solid. RO 1.5 with a slide forward. If she can get this routine consistent it could be a great option for the Falcons.
King (Western Michigan ex.): Double tuck, nice landing. Doesn’t quite hit the ring position on her leap pass. Front lay to Rudi with a bit of adjustment in the lunge.
After 3: Western Michigan 146.500, Bowling Green 143.975
Western Michigan has a comfortable lead going into the last rotation, and will be looking to close the meet with a hit beam rotation. Counting falls on both bars and beam certainly isn’t how Bowling Green wanted this meet to go, but the Falcons have their home floor rotation to look forward to.
Rotation 4: Western Michigan BB, Bowling Green FX
Garvey (Western Michigan): Bhs loso, no bobbles. Switch half, a bit short of split into a beat jump. Standing loso, rock solid. Good full turn. RO double twist, STUCK. Great leadoff! 9.825
Dzialo (Bowling Green): Front lay to Rudi, good control on the lunge. Switch leap indirectly connected to a wolf 3/2. Back 0.5 to front full, really floaty. Front lay to front full to close. Yay for another three pass routine! 9.7
Samuelson (Western Michigan): Bhs loso, solid. Full turn with a small hip break. Front aerial to beat jump, no problems. Split jump, ring leap, not a bad ring position. Front full, stuck. 9.875
Williams (Bowling Green): Front lay to Rudi to open. Switch half to a bit of a wild wolf 3/2. Standing back tuck added into the choreography. Front lay to a front full with a slightly sideways lunge. 9.5
Korfhage (Western Michigan): Opens with a full turn. Clean bhs bhs loso. Split jump to a really low split 3/4. Front full dismount, stuck. 9.775
Bingham (Bowling Green): Whip to double pike, a bit underrotated and she steps forward into the lunge. Direction is a little wild in the leaps. Double tuck, again has to lunge forward. 9.6
Mills (Western Michigan): Beat jump to a split full. Bhs to front toss and a big shoulder check. Recovers with a much cleaner front toss and a careful full turn. RO 1.5 with a shuffle forward. 9.6
Coburn (Bowling Green): Double pike, can’t absorb the landing and stumbles OOB. Beautiful height and extension in her leaps. Punch front to double back, undercooks it this time and stumbles forward. 9.375
Moravansky (Western Michigan): Bhs bhs loso, big leg up check and drops her chest, but stays on. Switch leap to loso, gorgeous. Full turn with a big shoulder dip. RO to 1.5 twist stuck. 9.550
Shaw (Bowling Green): Double pike, great control out of it. Pretty leap series. Punch front to double back, lunges forward. 9.725
Milton (Western Michigan): Confident full turn. Side aerial to Barani with a small wobble. Switch leap, straddle quarter, pretty. Gainer full, stuck. 9.750
Thornton (Bowling Green): Opens with a front handspring Rudi. Back 1.5 to front lay, good lift on the front lay but a hoppy lunge. Switch full to Popa with huge oversplit. Double back with a slide in the lunge.
Krzciok (Western Michigan ex.): Good control out of her full turn. Side aerial and falls. Repeats the skill, connects into a loso and falls again. Beat jump to straddle 3/4. Side aerial to 1.5 twist with a small hop back. 8.4
Parente (Bowling Green ex.): Opens with a double front, couldn’t quite tell but I think she might have gone OOB. Switch full, a little short of split. Switch half to Popa, better split position. Back 1.5 to front lay, very pretty.
FINAL: Western Michigan 195.325, Bowling Green 192.275
A 195.325 is just a quarter tenth shy of Western Michigan’s season high, and this a road score the Broncos will be happy to have under their belt. Reese Samuelson had herself a day and took the bars and beam titles. As for Bowling Green, this is a meet to move on from. There were some bright moments in the vault and floor rotation, but consistency remains an issue, especially on beam.
VT: Moravansky (WMU), Faulkner (WMU) – 9.825
UB: Samuelson (WMU) – 9.850
BB: Samuelson (WMU) – 9.875
FX: King (WMU), Korfhage (WMU), Schaupp (WMU), Thornton (BGSU) – 9.775
AA: Garvey (WMU) – 38.950
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