Towson finally broke the 196 barrier last week, a much-needed boost in its push for a fifth consecutive regionals berth. That score was fueled by a stellar floor rotation, and the Tigers will aim to replicate that success at LIU. Clara Hong contributed to the floor total with a season-high performance and will be one to watch. Meanwhile, Isabella Minervini has continued to shine, particularly on bars and vault—but don’t overlook her on beam. With a 195.375 still lingering in its NQS, Towson will be eager to replace it with a stronger road score.
It’s been a rebuilding year for LIU following a coaching change and several athlete departures, but the Sharks have shown steady improvement in recent weeks. Freshman Kaira Cartwright has been a standout across her three events, and she’ll be one to watch on vault, beam, and floor. This meet also marks a special occasion for LIU’s three seniors—Ella Barrington, Brooke Burkhart, and Kira Sanchez—who will be honored in their final home competition. The Sharks will be looking to send them off in style with a season-high performance.
Rotation 1: LIU vault, Towson bars
Sanchez (LIU): Ylayout. Not the most open hips. Large step back. Pretty square on the table. 9.5
Keener (TOW): Good toe point on the jaeger to overshoot. Small step back on the double tuck after the giant full. This is a terrible bars angle to see any deductions.
Holmes (LIU): Bigger Ylayout than Sanchez onto a higher mat and a small hop back. More open hips as well. 9.45
Perreault (LIU): Leg seperation on the block on the front pike half. Low chest and little distance on that but stuck it.
Greene (TOW): Great toie point and position on the endo to jaeger to overshoot. Large step back on the double tuck.
Claiborne (LIU): Feet and knees throughout that Yfull. Had very little height or distance and crunches it around to her feet with a step forward. 9.2
Portillo (TOW): Leg separation on the Maloney backswing in the tow hand Maloney to pak combo. Small foot movement on the double layout landing. 9.825
Burkhart (LIU): Big tucked Yfull with a small hop back. Had a good tuck position in that. 9.625
Cartwright (LIU): Sticks her Yfull with a lean forward and armwave to hold it. Good open body position and solid dynamics. 9.775
Trotter (TOW): Was in the middle of a jaeger when my stream froze. Looks like she fell. Got back on and just does the overshoot. Wonky giant full, but sticks the double tuck. 8.8
Hong (TOW): Nice high piked jaeger. Clean bail. Legs glued throughout this routine. Almost sticks her double front, but takes a step to the side. 9.825
Minervini (TOW): Great turnover and toe point on the tkachev and connects it to the pak with her legs glued. Sticks the double layout dismount. Great one. 9.9
After 1: Towson 49.075, LIU 48.025
This meet is so strange. LIU apparently just vaults whenever and does not care about alternating. There also isn’t live scores so the only scores I have are the few that were shown and what was said by the commentator. Towson had a solid bars rotation capped off by two really strong bars routines by Hong and Minervini after the Trotter fall. LIU also had a strong couple of vaults at the end of that rotation with big Yurchenko fulls by Burkhart and Cartwright.
The in arena announcer was just about to announce the team scores and the stream went to commercial. T
They now have a score bug at the top that doesn’t fit all the digits it needs to.
Rotation 2: Towson vault, LIU bars
Toland (TOW): Started turning early on the table on that Yfull and lands low with a hop.
Hogan (LIU): Hit the first release and the bail. Wonky giant full but pulls the double tuck dismount around and stutters on the landing, but holds it.
Poblete (TOW): Gets the full twist around on the full on pike off. Large step back and lands with a low chest. A .45 difference in scores between judges.
Welch (LIU): Falls immediately. Gets the jaeger to overshoot with some feet and loose form. Small step on the giant full to double tuck.
Harper (TOW): Big Yfull. A little high on table, but keeps a open body position throughout and just a small hop on the landing. 9.8
Sanchez (LIU): Bent elbow on the jump change. Hits the jaeger with some feet. Feet on the bail as well. Small step on the double layout.
Hoffman (TOW): Similarly big Yfull with a hop back. Leg separation on the blog. A little more closed hips than Harper.
Minervini (TOW): Cut to her full on pike off as she was landing. She took a large step back.
Kliewer (LIU): Leg separations on the clear hip to shaposh to bail. Leg separation and a step forward on the double layout.
DeCroo (TOW): Sticks her Yfull. Flairs it open at the end and absorbs the landing well. Not the biggest vault.
Holmes (LIU): Small leg separations on the Maloney to bail. Giant half to giant half ans sticks the double tuck. 9.7
Carraro (LIU): Legs glued on the tow hand to Maloney to pak. Switch kip. Wonky giant full and took a step forward on the double took.
After 2: Towson 97.something, LIU 96.something
Towson will be happy with many of those landings while knowing there is still room to grow on the full on vaults. LIU had a fall in the rotation, but will not have to count it. That is a big win for a Shark’s team that has been struggling this year. The stream showed even less individual scores in the last rotation so sorry about the lack of scores.
Since the score markers don’t have the space for a five digit number, it shows the scores as whole numbers *insert facepalm emoji*.
Rotation 3: LIU beam, Towson floor
Danilchenko (LIU): This routine I thought was a part of warmups but she hit the loso series and dance series. Wobble on the front aerial. Knocked the beam cap off on the ro 1.5 dismount and falls in a crumple.
Calafati (TOW): Little crocked on the front double full to front pike, but controls it. Good height on the Rudi to back layout to double stag.
DeCroo (TOW): Controlled the double tuck. Some feet in that. Very wonky leap rotation, not sure if she attempted the switch side to Popa or switch side half.. Controlled the back 1.5 to front layout.
Figueroa (LIU): Fall on beam during the floor routine and came back just for the back 1.5 dismount with a small hop forward and leg crossing.
Toland (TOW): Great height on the double pike and controls it. Good rotation on the truple jump combo. Slide back on the front tuck through to double tuck.
Perreault (LIU): Beam going at the same time with a switch to switch half. Sticks the back 1.5. There was jumping back and fourth between these last two routines.
Kenefick (TOW): Falls on the double pike. Controles the back 1.5 to front full.
Bills-McCoy (LIU): Great series and split to split ring. Small adjustment after. A lot of celebration on the landing, but the stream didn’t show the dismount.
These floor and beam routines are going on at the same time instead of one at a time and the stream will show a part of one and then jump to part of the other.
Cartwright (LIU): Hit the beat to switch side. Wobble on the full turn. Feet on the bhs loso, but good amplitufe. Hit the side aerial. Small hop back on the ro double full.
Hong (TOW): Controls the front double full. Good rotation on the tour jete half to split full to split full. Great toe point on the whip half to front full. 9.875
Cane (LIU): Solid front toss to bhs. Clean split to double stag. Hit the hitch kick to side aerial with some feet. Hop back on the front gainer full. 9.775
Hoffman (TOW): Feet on the FTDT. Controlled the landing. Good rotation on the switch side to Popa. Controls the front tuck through to double tuck.
Danilchenko (LIU): Came back on it looks like, but the commentator was confused. She fell early on so I am not sure this routine will actually score much better.
After 3: Towson 146.something, LIU 144.something
LIU started off that rotation with a couple of falls, but came back strong with some hit routines. The discussion after the beam cap in the first routine caused multiple routines to be competed at the same time while the stream only showed one so it showed parts of each routine by jumping back and forth. That is why many of the routines in there are incomplete. Towson had a fall as well, but did not have to count it.
Kenefick is apparently going again for some reason and hits the double pike and jump combo. Not sure why she was able to go again. It is after a commercial break so I am confused. Controls the back 1.5 to front layout. Good if the score counts, but that is so weird.
Towson posted that the scores are 146.600 to 144.500, but I will keep what the stream says.
Rotation 4: Towson beam, LIU floor
Kenefick (TOW): Feet and a wobble on the bhs bhs loso series. Full turn. The commentator calls it a twirl. Clean switch to split quarter. Small hop forward on the back 1.5 dismount. 9.725
Sanchez (LIU): Large lunge back on the double pike. Controlled the front tuck through to double tuck. Feet on that. Great rotation on the triple leap combo. 9.825
Minervini (TOW): Solid bhs to side aerial. Slow connection on the split to split 3/4s. Shoulder dip on the full turn. Pikes down the gainer full and sticks it. It looks like her legs were staggered on the landing, but it was a bad angle.
Perreault (LIU): Good amplitude on the switch side half to Popa. Feet and slight bounce on the double tuck. Almost gets the switch full around. Short of split. Runs out of the front layout front full combo. 9.825
Trotter (TOW): Feet and a lean on the loso series. Arm wave on the full turn. Clean split to split 3/4s. Front toss to her but. Almost sticks the bhs gainer full dismount and has an arm wave. Lacked some amplitude on the dismount though. 9.8
Cartwright (LIU): Controlled the back 2.5. Lacked amplitude on the front layout out of the back 1.5. Might have been short on the switch side to Popa. Feet on the double tuck and takes a step forward. Just broke out early, but had the height.
Keener (TOW): Goof amplitude on the loso series. Smooth switch to tucked 3/4 connection. Hit the cat leap to front toss to beat. A low landing on the front toss. Sticks the gainer full. 9.825
Barrington (LIU): Didn’t hit the positions on the split full to wolf full. Controlled the double tuck well. A little large of a step out of the back 2.5. The front leg could be higher on the wolf full out of the switch half. Controls the front full to front layout.
Hong (TOW): Feet on the side aerial side aerial. Great split position in the split to split 3/4s. Solid full turn. Small hop to the side on the front full dismount.
Danilchenko (LIU): Controls the front tuck through to double tuck. Chest a little low on that. Switch ring to switch half to wolf full was around, but the front leg could be higher. Low chest on the double pike, but controls the lunge back.
Portillo (TOW): Great front aerial amplitude. Solid split to split ring. Very solid bhs loso.
Overturns the full turn. Pikes down the gainer full and takes a hop forward.
Holmes (LIU): Feet on the double tuck, but controls the landing. Switch to almost switch full. Slight leg crossing and lack of amplitude on the back 1.5 to front layout. Controls the landing though. Leg crossing on the front layout to front full and has a wonky step forward.
FINAL: Towson 195.650, LIU 193.300
The lack of live scores means that I don’t actually know how well this meet went. LIU had one of its best meets of the season and was able to send its seniors out on a high note. Towson seems to have scored about what the Tigers having been scoring all season with a very similar performance.
The real story of this meet was the chaos from lack of scores, weird score cards, routine redos and simultaneous routines causing routine jumping.
As I am writing this the stream came back from commercial to show another exhibition.
VT: DeCroo 9.825
UB: Mivervini 9.9
BB: Hong 9.85
FX: Hong 9.875
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Live blog by Alyssa Van Auker
