It’s a Rocky Mountain showdown in Salt Lake City!
Utah aims to bounce back from last week’s season-low 196.600 at Arizona State. The Utes, currently the No. 1 beam team in the country, had an uncharacteristically low beam total that kept them out of the 197s they’re used to. Freshman Zoe Johnson made her competitive debut on floor last week after several exhibitions, scoring an impressive 9.900. Ella Zirbes also shined with a season-best 9.925 on floor in her third meet back, performing a reworked routine designed to manage performance anxiety. Meanwhile, Makenna Smith continues to be the team’s anchor, consistently delivering high scores and sticking her Omelianchik with precision.
Denver had a slow start to the season but turned things around last week with its best performance yet, posting a season-high 197.125 at home. Consistency on beam remains the key for the Pioneers, as the other three events have been solid throughout the season. Junior Cecilia Cooley is having a breakout year after returning from a knee injury, while sophomore Maddison Reidenbach has made waves with her upgraded Yurchenko 1.5, scoring a 9.975 last week. Fellow sophomore Madison Ulrich also recently added her double layout back into her floor routine, boosting the team’s scoring potential.
With only two road meets under its belt so far, Denver is still without an NQS. Tonight’s meet will complete the equation, and the Pioneers will be aiming for a strong score to set themselves up for success in future road meets and to help drop their season-low.
Looks like Neff is back on beam tonight for Utah!
Rotation 1: Utah VT, DU UB
Zirbes (Utah): y1.5, clean in the air but soft knees going into the landing, stuck. 9.925 which ties a career high.
Casali (DU): toe to Maloney to bail hs, super clean. Hits the final hs. DLO, stuck. Great way to start the meet. 9.9
McCallum (Utah): y1.5, tiniest bit of form in the air and a larger step forward. 9.875
Iwai (DU): in for Hebinck. toe to Maloney, breaks the connection to her bail hs which will affect her SV. DLO with a fine landing. Denver will want to drop this score. 9.325
Gilstrap (Utah): yfull, tiny shuffle on the landing. Pretty clean in the air. 9.825
Ulrich (DU): Toe to Maloney to pak, super clean. Nice final hs. Great, stuck DLO. Great routine after the mistake before her. 9.95
Winger (Utah): y1.5, bent knees in the air and a step forward. 9.875
Rorich (DU): blind to jaeger good. Maybe a little shy on the hs. Fine final hs. Double layout, tiny hop. Denver’s really just a double layout clinic on bars. 9.875
Smith (Utah): Omelianchik, short today with a step back. She’s usually so good at finding that landing.
Cooley (DU): Great opening handstand. Huge ray. Bail hs, nice. Great final hs. DLO, another stick for Denver. WOW. 9.925
Totally agree with Jim and Alisa here, Denver started slow but definitely a dangerous team when they figure it out. Still don’t think we’ve seen the best of this team.
Glynn (Utah): y1.5, lands off to the side with w steps forward. 9.825
Mundell (DU): Her Tkatchev is so nice. Bail hs good. Really being aggressive on the handstands there. DLO, small hop back, close to not holding it for long enough. 9.875
Johnson (Utah, exh): yfull with a hop back. 9.725
Reidenbach (DU, exh): Straddled jaeger. Bail hs, archy. DLO, hop forward. Great to see her getting experience on this event, as they’ve given her plenty of opportunities in exhibition this year. 9.65
CLASSY, CLASSY tribute to Daniel L. Ritchie on the Utah stream. What he did for Denver I can’t put into words. The athletic department and this gymnastics program would not be the same without the work he put in as chancellor.
After 1: DU 49.525, Utah 49.350
Great starts for both teams, though Utah’s landings could have been better. What a response from Denver after the early mistake.
Rotation 2: DU VT, Utah UB
Brusch (DU): yfull, hop back. Good dynamics. 9.8
Smith (Utah): Good opening hs. Floaty pak. Short hs on the low bar. Good van Leeuwen. Hit final hs. Toe on toe off, low chest but stuck. 9.9
Mabanta (DU): yfull, hop back but clean in the air. 9.825
Glynn (Utah): Good opening hs. Maloney to bail, slight leg sep on the Maloney. Stalder to double tuck, bent elbows going into it but a stick. 9.95
Ulrich (DU): FHS pike half, probably the best landing I’ve seen from her this year. 9.85
Neff (Utah): Clear hip to gienger to bail, clean. Good final hs. DLO, slide back. She says it’s hard for her to find the stick, the FTDLO is easier for her to do that. 9.85
Reidenbach (DU): y1.5, nearly stuck but chest forward. Tiniest bit of form in the air. 9.875
Morgan (Utah): Great first hs. Maloney to bhardwaj, little shoulder van Leeuwen before dismounting with a tuck half, really fights for the stick. 9.875
Casali (DU): y1.5, I really thought she had the stick but she does make a tiny foot adjustment. 9.925
Zirbes (Utah): Good first hs. Barely catches her straddled jaeger but it’s so pretty. It definitely messed up her rhythm as she caught her bail hs out of position. Big hop back out of her FTDT. 9.775, feels generous…
Mundell (DU): y1.5, just a tiny hop forward. What a vault rotation for Denver. Confirmed that they have been resting her this season. 9.875
McCallum (Utah): Nice first hs. Chow to pak to toe on to van leeuwen. Crossy feet on the VL. Stuck full-in. 9.975
Hargraves (DU, exh): yfull, clean in the air but off to the side with a large hop back. Confirmed she’s been training a 1.5, I heard murmurs of that in the preseason. 9.7
Winger (Utah, exh): Toe to Maloney to pak, good. Hits her final hs. Ftdt, nails the landing. 9.85
After 2: Utah 98.900, DU 98.875
We have ourselves a meet in SLC! That was a great vault rotation from Denver, even with Brusch and Mabanta taking slightly larger hops than we normally see out of them. Utah was able to shed the mistake from Zirbes and put up a great number on bars.
Rotation 3: Utah BB, DU FX
It’s “stripe the Huntsman” night for ALS awareness.
Morgan (Utah): Calm and collected so far. BHS BHS LOSO, secure. Switch half to beat good. Front gainer full stuck. Nice leadoff. 9.925
Rorich (DU): Front through to double tuck, hop lunge back. Switch side half popa, great positions. Double pike, better, controlled landing there. 9.825
Winger (Utah): BHS LOSO LOSO, that gave her trouble last week but she nails it tonight. Switch leap lean to split jump. Secure turn. Gainer full, small foot adjustment. We’ve got a conference, as one judge didn’t give her the connection. 9.675
Brusch (DU): Double pike, finesses the landing. Triple leap combination with good positions. Front through to double tuck, great landing. 9.825
Smith (Utah): Didn’t hold the position on her candle mount. Could lose the value part. BHS LOSO good. Front aerial small adjustment to split to straddle 1/4. Gainer pike stuck. 9.9
Cooley (DU): I absolutely love her Taylor Swift reputation music. Front lay to rudi very lovely. Switch ring half to split good. 1.5 to lay, absolutely gorgeous. 9.875
McCallum (Utah): Nails her wolf turn sequence. BHS LOSO, her hips looked off bur she gave nothing. Switch leap to split jump good. Small waver on her back dive. Gainer tuck full stuck. 9.975
Mabanta (DU): Love her artistry on floor. Front lay rudi, looked low on the lay but pulled it around nicely and got the landing. Switch ring to split, really love her positions. 1.5 to lay, controlled landing. 9.85
Neff (Utah): Side aerial to bhs secure. Cat leap to side aerial to shush, wow! Stuck gainer full. What a return to the lineup!
Ulrich (DU): DLO, lovely. Switch side to popa, good positions. Back 1.5 to lay to ring kick nice. Double pike, great control. 9.875, what’s it gonna take for this girl to go 9.9?
Gantner (Utah): Good BHS LOSO. Switch half small lean to a straddle jump. Small shoulder drop on her full turn. Back 1.5 stuck.
Reidenbach (DU): Whip half to rudi controlled. You don’t see a whip half every day. Switch half to wolf full, weird landing. She usually does two wolf fulls so we could see a SV issue. Good double pike to close. Great routine aside from the end of that leap combo. 9.775
Glistrap (Utah, exh): Finesses her full turn. BHS LOSO, can’t save it. Split to ring jump, wobble. Gainer pike with a hop forward. 9.05
Hargraves (DU, exh): Nice front lay to rudi. Tour jete half to popa, maybe slightly shy of 180. Back 1.5 to lay, nailed it. That’s given her trouble in exhibition before. 9.825
After 3: Utah 148.475, DU 148.125
Nice bounce back on beam for Utah after last week. It wasn’t perfect, but this is what a top beam team is made of. Denver with a nice floor rotation as well, with room for improvement, too.
Rotation 4: DU BB, Utah FX
Cooley (DU): BHS LOSO, nails it. Switch to switch half to beat, controlled. Secure full turn. Stuck gainer full to close, slightly low chest. Nice start for Denver. 9.875
Glynn (Utah): Front double twist, good. Good positions on her leaps. Back 1.5 to lay, a little tentative on the landing. 9.85
Iwai (DU): Switch to straddle 1/4 secure. BHS LOSO LOSO, wowww, she looked off but handled it like a pro and gave absolutely nothing away. Stuck gainer full to close. Way to work through that routine. 9.95
Zirbes (Utah): Stuck front double twist. Good switch half popa. Back 1.5 to front full, controls the landing.
Gallen (DU): This is her first competitive routine! Last-minute sub for Hebinck. BHS LOSO, knees in the air. Switch to switch half to beat secure. Gainer pike, stuck but chest movement to hold it. 9.85
Johnson (Utah): Double pike controlled. Great positions on her triple leap series. FHS front full front lay, her foot slipped and she stumbled on the landing. I don’t know how she stayed on her feet. 9.525
Thompson (DU): Side aerial to bhs rock solid. Switch to side somi, small check. Such a unique connection. Secure full turn. Gainer pike with the tiniest step. 9.85
Gilstrap (Utah): Front lay to rudi, so lovely. She got SO HIGH on that Rudi. Gorgeous leaps. She’s one of the best floor workers artistry-wise. Nice front full to lay to close. 9.95
Mundell (DU): Love her mount sequence on the beam. BHS LOSO good. Secure turn. Beat to switch half, leg up but stays on. Straddle 3/4 lovely. Forward roll to get the front requirement in. Gainer pike, hop back. 9.725
Smith (Utah): Front double full to front tuck, that will never get old! Switch ring into a cat 1.5. Floaty rudi loso to close. 9.925
Denver already with a season-best before Ulrich’s routine.
Ulrich (DU): Straddle 3/4 rock solid. BHS LOSO, tiny check. Secure full turn. Hitch kick to straddle 1/4 good. Front aerial to beat lovely. Stuck gainer pike. Great way to close the meet for the Pioneers. 9.875
McCallum (Utah): Secure ftdt with foot form. Front through to a double tuck good. Leg wavered a tad in her wolf. Switch leap to tour jete half with good positions. 9.975
Hampp (DU, exh): Front toss to beat jump secure. Side aerial to bhs, takes a step back out of it. Small lean on her full turn. Switch leap to split jump, good positions. Small bobble on her dance, the most unsuspecting element. Gainer pike with a hop back. Not a perfect routine, but a hit and another good routine to have in Denver’s back pocket. Nearly every gymnast on this team trains beam—it’s a matter of who can consistently hit. 9.625 with a 9.7/9.55 split. OK then.
FINAL: Utah 198.075, DU 197.525
Season bests for both teams tonight! Both teams looked great and even then there’s still room for improvement on both sides. That was Denver’s best beam rotation of the season, while Utah ended with a bang on floor.
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