Grab your scarf and your puffiest jacket—today, we’re heading to Ithaca for the Ivy Classic! Think of it as a warm-up for the GEC Championship just four weeks away (seriously, where has this season gone?).
On paper, Penn is the clear favorite to take the Ivy title, with the biggest obstacle being…well, Penn itself. The Quakers are the only team to crack 195 this season, hitting that mark just last week, so they’re heading into Ithaca with serious momentum. Key to defending their title will be standouts Skyelar Kerico and Jordan Barrow.
Adding an extra layer of intrigue, this will be the first meet for newly named Penn assistant coach Mabry Craddock, who brings valuable collegiate experience from her time at Alabama.
But don’t count out the competition. A strong beam rotation from Yale or Cornell could apply pressure, and if the Big Red brings its A-game on floor, things could get interesting. While Penn may seem like the obvious pick, the individual race is wide open. Expect Kerico to face tough competition for the all-around title from Cornell’s Sydney Beers and Avery Byun, Penn’s Marissa Lassiter, and Yale’s Gigi Sabitini.
Looks like touch warm-ups are wrapping up on the ESPN stream.
Rotation 1: Yale VT, Cornell UB, Penn BB, Brown FX
Sabatini (Yale): Y full, foot sep, chest down.
Tashjian (Yale): Y full, similar to the first vault, a bit more height.
Burt (Yale): Y full, good height, stuck.
Strause (Yale): Tucked Y full, steps to the side, leg sep.
Brueck (Yale): FHS front pike, great!
Aucoin (Yale): Biiiig step on the landing, but good distance.
Schenck-Davis (Cornell): Half to straddle jaeger to bail; short on that last hs, full to double tuck, hops.
Tehrani (Cornell): Strong routine, small hop on the double lay.
Rothstein (Cornell): Gienger, good. Very clean double lay, Cornell looking good.
Jhaveri (Cornell): Tone on shaposh to pak to switch kip, a little wild there, shy on the last hs. Full to double tuck, stuck!
Beers (Cornell): Noooo, just gets that tkatchev by her fingers and doesn’t stay on. Half to bail to handstand, leg sep. Dismount looked stuck.
Shambo (Cornell): Blind to straddle jaeger, comes off. Double lay, hop forward.
Lassiter (Penn): Stands up on the wolf turn. Drops her shoulder on the series, but strong otherwise. Straddle jump pause in her jump series. Sticks the front tuck full.
Kerico (Penn): Hits the wolf. Small check on the front tuck. RO lay 1.5, stuck!
Werlen (Penn): Starting this routine amid Cornell bar cheers. Small check on the rise aerial, leg comes up on the leap series, BHS LOSO, BHS lay 1.5, small step forward.
Barrow (Penn): Front toss to beat, tuck 3/4. Tuck front full, hop.
Fletcher (Penn): Front aerial to split jump, good. BHS LOSO, hit. Switch to split, clean. RO 1.5 lay, stuck.
Wu (Penn): Front aerial to beat. BHS LOSO, hits. Split jump to sheep, weird camera angle but looked good. Sticks the piked gainer off the end.
Dewar (Brown): Front lay to front full; popa at the end of her leap series was gorgeous. Double tuck. A little short on that second split in her series.
Fallon (Brown): Rudi, chest a little down, but great rotation (read: no worries about knees), switch half to wolf full is a little short on the shapes; clean second pass.
Walters (Brown): Lovely, lovely, lovely double pike. Gorgeous leap pass, great ring. So clean, that’ll be a strong score. Judges having a chat.
Marcus (Brown): RO double tuck to open. Lovely 180 in her leaps. Great height in all her tumbling.
Davis (Brown): Floaty double pike to start, keeps the heel up and in. Good ring position in the first leap, not as a strong in the second. Controlled second pass.
Bedell (Brown): FTDB to start, good. Exquisite extension on those leaps, and the toe point is chefs kiss. Front tuck through to double tuck, chest a little low, but clean in the air.
After 1: Brown 49.100, Penn 48.925, Yale 48.125, Cornell 47.000
So, Cornell had some bar struggles and the Big Red was forced to count a fall with the last two routines both coming in lower than they’d have liked. Penn looked hot on beam, with a case of highly contagious sticks. Bedell may not have brought the big floor score Brown was looking for, but it stays ahead after the first rotation.
Rotation 2: Brown VT, Yale UB, Cornell BB, Penn FX
The tv announcer is drowned out by the music in the arena and my brain is MELTING.
Martoccia (Brown): Y lay, small hop in place, if not stuck.
Lin (Brown): Y lay, big step back, clean in the air.
Mautner (Brown): Y tucked full, not totally controlled.
El Mammann (Brown): Y full, good distance, some form troubles in the air.
Dewar (Brown): Y full.
Bedell (Brown): Y full, great!
Holt (Yale): Shy on that first hs, blind to straddle jaeger. Full to lay 1.5, great, small step over.
Luu (Yale): Toe on shaposh, bail to hs. Double lay, doesn’t move her feet.
Kearns (Yale): Blind to straddle jaeger, nice. Full to double tuck, hops forward.
Kriz (Yale): Toe shaposh to pak, lovely. Hop on the dismount.
DeJoy (Yale): Piekd jaeger to shoot over. Double lay, step back.
Sabatini (Yale): Blind to straddle jaeger, bail to hs, shy on that last hs. Double tuck, doesn’t move her feet.
Kokaly (Cornell): BHS loso, hits. Side aerial. Small step on the dismount.
Michelini (Cornell): BHS LOSO. Switch leap to switch half, small check. Side aerial. Tuck front full.
Tehrani (Cornell): Clean routine, ends with a piked gainer, holds on with her toes and sticks!
Shambo (Cornell): Comes off on the bhs loso. Side aerial, a balance step. Gainer off the end.
Beers (Cornell): Cat leap front toss to beat, hits. BHS LOSO, wobble. Switch to split half, toes not totally pointed. Gainer full off side, stuck.
Burton (Cornell): No one deserves this anchor spot like Burton. Front aerial to side aerial, excellent in every way. Switch leap to split jump. So calm, cool, collected. Front toss. It is NOT quiet there. RO 1.5, small movement in one foot!
Davies (Penn): Big double pike to start. Beautiful leap series. Good double tuck to end.
Werlen (Penn): Double tuck to open, biiiig bounce back, looks like she kept it in. Switch series, lovely. RO 1.5 pass was loaded and clean. Good routine.
Fofana (Penn): Double pike, great control on the landing. Switch side to popa., toes could be a little more extended. RO 1.5 to front lay. Double tuck, good.
Lassiter (Penn): Fhs front lay full front tuck full, good. Fantastic double pike. Switch side to popa, fabulous.
Kerico (Penn): RO 1.5 to a floaty front lay. The team choreo from Penn wins my heart today. Great height on her leaps, the extension is remarkable, no notes. Double tuck, chest a bit down but lunges super quick to smooth it over nicely.
Gazdak (Penn): Front through to double tuck, good height. Switch to wolf full, good. Double pike, slides the front full back as she lunges but controlled.
After 2: Penn 98.050, Brown 97.125, Yale 96.825, Cornell 95.650
Penn charged into first after the second rotation, but with a floor rotation like that, I think we all saw that coming. While no one has touched Maya Davis’ 9.900 in that first rotation, Gazdak threw up a 9.875 to anchor Penn. Cornell survived beam without having to count a fall this rotation, so things should be smoother sailing for the Big Red the rest of the meet. Brown will need to contend with bars where things could get interesting.
Penn may not be quite out of reach, but the Quakers are hot on bars, but first, they’ll need to stick vault.
Rotation 3: Penn VT, Brown UB, Yale BB, Cornell FX
Lassiter (Penn): Y full, wanted that stick, small step forward, great distance.
VanHorn (Penn): FHS front pike, step forward. Oh, that was nice!
Zuccaro (Penn): Y lay half, good. Takes a step.
Fofana (Penn): Y full, good, leg sep, small hop.
Kerico (Penn): Y 1.5, great!!!
Barrow (Penn): Y full, that was FANTASTIC.
Fallon (Brown): Blind to Straddle jaeger. Bail to hs, good. Chest down on the dismount.
Dewar (Brown): Shy on that first hs. Free hip to piked geinger to shoot over. Sticks the double tuck.
Ford (Brown): Blind, stalls, comes off. Arches on the hs. Blin to straddle jaeger but has troubles, kips again. Ah, comes off again nears the end. Not sure what’s going on here.
Marcus (Brown): Toe on shaposh to bail to hs. A little wiggle in that hs. Full to double tuck, small hop forward.
Davis (Brown): Toe on shaposh. to pak, lovely. Toe circle, leg comes up. Full to double tuck, stuck.
Walters (Brown): Toe on tkathev to bail, good. Great form. Shy on that last hs. Double lay, hop forward.
Sabatini (Yale): BHS LOSO, good. Side aerial, small check. RO 1.5 lay, good!
Chu (Yale): Beautiful full turn. BHS bhs loso, good. Side aerial. RO 1.5 lay, hops forward.
Tahjian (Yale): BHS loso, no problems. Side aerial. Gainer lay full off side.
Strause (Yale): BHS LOSO. Front aerial to split jump, good. Switch leap to split jump, nice. Big step to the side on her dismount.
Kriz (Yale): BHS LOSO. Switch leap to split quarter. RO 1.5 lay, small step behind and to the side.
Brueck (Yale): BHS loso, tiny adjustment. Front aerial. Good leap series, back leg could be a little higher. Step on the dismount.
Michelini (Cornell): Double tuck to open, chest down. Switch ring (good) into switch ring half (not as good). Strong routine over all.
DeFrancisco (Cornell): Double tuck to start. Good leap series, extension is just what you want. Front full to front lay, steps back but so beautiful in the air.
Whitaker (Cornell): Rudi to stag jump. Awkward bobble/jump forward in the leap series. Double tuck to end, doesn’t move her feet.
Rothstein (Cornell): Chest up on that double tuck. Her straddle jump is a dream. Switch side to popa, good. Great height on that. Double pike, lands a bit deep on that but good in the air.
Moylan (Cornell): Rudi to back tuck, OBSESSED. More of that, thank you. Defying gravity, who. Great leap series. Great routine.
Beers (Cornell): Double tuck, so floaty, so lovely, so Beers. Switch half to popa to popa, effortless. Front through to double pike, barely moves her feet.
After 3: Penn 146.775, Yale 145.775, Brown 145.625, Cornell 144.675
So long as the Quakers don’t have any major breaks or quakes on bars, they’ll cruise right to the win today. Brown will need to wrap things up on beam and need to do so without any errors if it hopes to push past Yale or even topple Penn. But Brown would need a little help to get that done. The Bulldogs could add some pressure to Yale with some sparkling floor routines.
Rotation 4: Cornell VT, Penn UB, Brown BB, Yale FX
Rothstein (Cornell): Y full, hop back, leg separation.
Whitaker (Cornell): Y tuck full, step forward.
Jhaveri (Cornell): Y full, form in the air, step to the side.
DeFrancisco (Cornell): Y haf. tops forward, soft knees in the air.
Beers (Cornell): Y full, good height, hops.
Goetter (Cornell): Y half, soft knees, small step back.
Oniki (Penn): Bail to low, good. Shy on that last hs. Double lay, step forward.
Lassiter (Penn): Blind to straddle jaeger, great. Bail to hs. Full to double tuck, tiny hop in place.
Paris (Penn): Toe on shaposh, to bail to hs. Shy on that last hs, stalder to double tuck. Small foot movement.
Barrow (Penn): Blind to straddle jaeger to bail. medium step forward on the double tuck.
Gazdak (Penn): Tkatchev to bail, so quick!! Hits that last hs. Full to double tuck, small hop back.
Kerico (Penn): Good hs. Toe on to bail to hs, gorgeous. FTDB, she wanted that stick but moves the feet.
Marcus (Brown): BHS LOSO. Front tuck. Step forward on the 1.5 dismount.
Martoccia (Brown): Off on the BHS LOSO. Gainer pike off end.
Van Eyk (Brown): Switch leap tp split half, great. Toe point is lovely. BHS loso. Side aerial. Solid routine so far. Gainer full off side, stuck.
Ford (Brown): BHS LOSO, lovely. Switch to split jump, the stuff dreams are made of. Split jump, good. Hitch kick to side aerial. BHS gainer lay off side, stuck.
Lin (Brown): Switch leap to split half, beautiful. FLOATS the bhs loso. Steps forward on the dismount, flawless routine otherwise.
Walters (Brown): Front aerial to bhs swing down. Check on the jump series. Front toss. Beat to split 3/4. RO 1.5 lay off the screen, but the team mobs her so that must’ve been nearly a stick.
Strause (Yale): 1.5 to front tuck. Good leaps. Double back to end.
Sabatini (Yale): Double tuck. Good popa at the end of her series. 1.5 to front lay, good. FHS rudi to straddle jump, with a lot of travel backwards.
Brueck (Yale): Front lay to rudi, good. Good leaps, a little soft on the second leap series. Front lay to front full, steps to the side.
Kearns (Yale): Front double full, mat kinda slips under her feet as she finishes twisting but she stays up. 1.5 to front full.
DeJoy (Yale): Front double full, great height and set on that. A little short on the switch side to popa. RO 1.5 to the floatiest front lay. Rudi to end.
Tashjian (Yale): Closing out the meet, all eyes on her. Big double pike to open, slides that front foot back and the mat slides with her. YALE, control these mats. Switch series is great. Front full to front lay. Her form is out of this world. Double tuck, lands with chest a touch down.
FINAL: Penn 195.375, Brown 194.800, Yale 194.775, Cornell 192.875
Brown certainly went lights out on beam, going 49.175 and the best of any team on beam today, and just passing Yale. But Penn takes the cake by a comfortable margin here today, with Kerico leading the way and winning over Brown by 0.575. The best meet for Brown and Yale so far this season, this peek into how the GECs could play out should have everyone excited.
VT: Barrow (Penn) 9.875
UB: Kerico (Penn) 9.875
BB: Ford (Brown) 9.900
FX: Davis (Brown) 9.900
AA: Kerico (Penn) 39.275
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Live blog by Allison Freeman
