As we approach the final stretch of the regular season and head into championship season, senior nights are in full swing. Tonight’s West Coast showdown between Air Force and Oregon State marks their second-to-last meet of the regular season, with postseason aspirations on the line for both teams. Historically, Oregon State has dominated this matchup, winning seven of their last twelve contests, including the last four.
Air Force has made steady progress throughout the season, consistently scoring above 49 on every event except bars. After an uncharacteristic performance with two falls on bars last week, they’ll look to bounce back. The Falcons will rely on seasoned all-arounder Maggie Slife and bars specialist Chelsea Boyer to lead the charge. Kylie Greene will also be key for the Falcons on beam, as she nears a 9.800 NQS.
For Oregon State, it’s all about the seniors tonight in their final home meet at Gill Coliseum. The Beavers’ seven-member senior class has been integral to the program’s success since 2022, and they’re heading into the postseason with momentum, led by Jade Carey, who ranks in the top ten nationally across all four events. This senior class has already tallied six scores of 9.900+ this season, and a 197.000 tonight would mark the 60th such score in program history, a fitting tribute for a sold-out crowd.
Today’s meet will be streamed for free on YouTube, with scoring updates provided by Virtius.
Rotation 1: Oregon State VT, Air Force UB
Briones (OSU): gets the meet started with a floaty Y full, will take deductions for soft knees throughout and a hop back. 9.850.
Boyer (AF): toe handstand Maloney small leg separation, bail handstand then back up to high bar with great rhythym. sticks her stalder to double tuck. 9.750
Buckner (OSU): Y full nearly stuck, but not as high as Briones’. 9.825
Brochi (AF): Geinger, then a unique bail hs toe hs series goes smoothly. just about sticks her blind full double tuck. 9.675
Esposito (OSU): best of the three Y fulls so far, hop back should be the only thing the judges can take. 9.850
Hartley (AF): blind half Jaeger, then a tad loose on her bail hs on the catch. Holds the stick on hre blind full double tuck, even after finishing the blind full leaning sideways. 9.575
Garcia (OSU): first Y1.5 of the night, leg separation onto the table, and then a small hop forwards. 9.850
Bigler (AF): massive hecht mount, and keeps her legs glued through her blind full Geinger bail series. STICKS her FTDLO! 9.825
Thompson (OSU): Y full with serious bent elbows on the table, still able to block high and have enough power for a large hop back. 9.800
Slife (AF): longer wait than usual before she can start. Maloney Pak with her legs glued, and attacking each handstand in her routine. Nearly sticks, ultimately has to hop forward from her toe handstand to FTDT. Makes it five for five hits after an uncharacteristic bar rotation last weekend. 9.700
Carey (OSU): Y1.5 into the rafters, small hop forward. 9.950
Santana (AF): clear hip to Maloney and Pak each with small leg separations. will take a UTL deduction competing an isolated double tuck dismount. Long conference for her score before the rotation can officially end. 9.450
Wallace (AF): exhibition — clean pike Jaeger and bail, then a clean blind full before slowing her momentum and coming down without a dismount.
The Beavers start off their senior night with a season high on vault, with the team able to drop Thompson’s 9.800. Air Force’s bars core improves on their season average, thanks in part to each of their single bar releases finishing above bar height. All in all, both teams have set themselves up with strong momentum going into the second rotation!
After 1: Oregon State 49.325, Air Force 48.525
Carey is a quarter of the way through what can be another strong all around meet, in front of judges who are rewarding dynamics — and during a weekend that already has five perfect tens from Friday night. Alyssa Bigler’s bars leads the way for Air Force’s bars campaign with a 9.825, including one of the nation’s few full twisting double layout dismounts. She alongside Slife can put up a powerful one two punch across all four events this afternoon, and are counted on to rally lineups without some of the team’s key contributors.
Rotation 2: Air Force VT, Oregon State UB
Juarez Baez (AF): Y full travels far to the right, and takes a step to the right on her landing. 9.675
DeVries (OSU): toe handstand Maloney Pak, hitting each of her handstands calmly. College sticks her DLO, and breaks out the team’s chainsaw.
Meccia (AF): Y full with soft knees throughout, and a small hop back. Goes much further than high, so we should see that reflected in the score. 9.775
Briones (OSU): attacks her toe handstand Maloney Pak similar to DeVries before her. stronger DLO and maintains her shape throughout, then takes a hop back. 9.800
Greene (AF): Y full, steps back to stay up after landing with a low chest. 9.750
Caso (OSU): Maloney to Pak with some bent elbows, then massive transition back to the high bar before drilling her blind full to double tuck. 9.750
Raife (AF): highest FTY from Air Force so far. hops to the side landing. 9.725
McMillan (OSU): toe hs Maloney bail hs, showing off vertical every chance she gets. double layout with a shuffle back. 9.750
Slife (AF): first vault stick of the night with her FTY! 9.800
Thompson (OSU): toe handstand Maloney Pak virtually flawless, also making a point of her handstands. sticks her DLO to cap off her traditionally strongest event. 9.925
Bigler (AF): Y full slightly piked, small hop. 9.750
Carey (OSU): toe hs to Pak, then nails her Maloney half and soars through her double layout to find the stick. 9.975
Beeman (OSU): exhibition — blind half to a big Jaeger, truly goegeous extension in her handstands. struggles with the power out of her Pak, but rallies for a nearly stuck double tuck. 9.400
Weaver (OSU): exhibition — blind full to Geinger and a strong bail handstand. closes with a stuck blind full to double tuck. welcome back to bars after more than a year! 9.800
After 2: Oregon State 98.550, Air Force 97.375
Two strong rotations done for both teams! Both go again over their season average, and just shy of season highs. The name of the game today continues to be the height that sets up the stick, moreso than the sticks themselves.
Rotation 3: Oregon State BB, Air Force FX
Esposito (OSU): switch, switch jump, loso series! she gets full extension in her ankles for all three, and then carries her calm momentum through to an easy bhs loso. sticks her double twist, but will take a small hit on leg separation. 9.850
Greene (AF): completely dialed in on her opening choreo, and goes fluidly through her fhs front double twis and her fhs Rudi shortly after. switch to split full and wolf full, then closes with a roundoff 1.5 punch lay. 9.800
Buckner (OSU): small check on her bhs loso. split jump to double stag jump both get excellent height. small check on the side aerial, then college sticks her bhs 1.5! strong routine to build back from a miss last weekend. 9.725
Meccia (AF): longer than normal wait time, with a conference happening in the middle of the floor. no scores are in yet for the rotation. she’s having fun with her music, then has a bobble out of her roundoff 1.5 front full. nails her 2.5 twist to finish. 9.850
Letzsch (OSU): textbook front aerial to back tuck, maintaining momentum throughout. sticks her gainer front full, and has an well deserved emotional celebration with the team. career high 9.950!
Martyna (AF): sky high double tuck with an incredibly controlled step. Rudi to straddle jump just as clean – -a tad short in the release on her switch ring but carries it through to her switch half well. stays in bounds by a hair on her final pass! 9.650
McMillan (OSU): front toss to swing down series calm as ever. split jump to double stag jump gets her usual height, and then takes a small hop on her gainer full. 9.875
Willis (AF): big double tuck, and strong switch half to Popa series. roundoff 1.5 front pike, may lead to start value issues. goes even higher on her double pike to finish than her first pass, then puts in two split fulls before finishing. 9.700
Gonzales (OSU): off on an otherwise incredibly smooth front aerial to back tuck. fluid cat leap to side aerial and jump series, as if the acro series never happened. finishes with a stuck gainer front full. 9.050
Bigler (AF): squeaks around her punch double twist, and her unique switch to cat leap 1.5 nd wolf hop full. she RALLIES with her roundoff 2.5, and gears up for pass three. front layout to front full with a squat, but keeps it up with minimal adjustments. 9.650.
Carey (OSU): the arena is even quieter than dead silent. front aerial to bhs loso, and switch to split without any checks. sticks the gainer full, and I don’t see how this doesn’t get the ten on senior night. There it is!! 10.000, her first of the season and 13th total.
Slife (AF): incredible toe point and control in her double pike. clean through her roundoff 1.5 punch layout and jumps before her double tuck to finish. 9.875
Heather (OSU): exhibition — front toss to swing down, and an incredibly confident wolf turn before her switch half in series. small step backward out of her gainer pike, closing a calm exhibition.
Brochi (AF): exhibition — roundoff 2.5 with super precise twisting, allowing the controlled lunge. fhs front double twist, then small hesitation before launching her closing fhs front lay front full.
After 3: Oregon State 148.075, Air Force 146.125
Strong third rotations for both teams, no doubt highlighted by Carey’s ten. Air Force hit six routines with more difficulty than needed, with some gymnasts doing three passes even with full difficulty after two. Landings hampered the Falcons’ quest for their second 49+ on floor this year, with only Greene and Slife able to reach the 9.800 benchmark.
Rotation 4: Air Force BB, Oregon State FX
Brochi (AF): very quick bhs loso, then gets tons of height in her switch to straddle 1/4. hitch to aerial with a small check, and corrects it fast. small hop forward on her roundoff 1.5, getting the Falcons off to a strong start in their final rotation. 9.700
Miller (OSU): double pike with a slide back to start, plenty of height. roundoff 1.5 punch lay lands short and stumbles, lacked the rebounding height it typically gets. lights out on her double tuck. 9.775
Hartley (AF): cat to aerial, off after a fight. handstand bhs loso with another fight, but she wins this time! split jump to double stag jump, and some fun front roll adjacent choreo. does her jump series a second time with a check, then sticks her gainer full. 8.750
Buckner (OSU): Rudi to straddle, ankles glued through her twisting. switch full to stag jump gets her out of the corner, for a fun roundoff back tuck double stag jump. she takes her time before pass “two”, front full to front full with a small adjustment on her landing. 9.850
Bigler (AF): side aerial to somi, wins an impressive fight to stay on then NAILS her standing loso. beat jump to spit 3/4 without any checks, then almost sticks her roundoff 1.5. 9.550
Esposito (OSU): front tuck through to double pike, and a textbook split full before her leap series. she’s making the most of the build up before pass two, then nearly sticks cold her front layout to Rudi. 9.925
Slife (AF): bhs loso to open, and a massive front tuck! switch to straddle 1/4 goes as high as her front tuck. closing with a stuck roundoff 1.5, with plenty of time to flare out from her twisting before finding the landing. 9.875
Thompson (OSU): floats her opening roundoff 1.5 punch layout. switch side straddle half each get plenty of extension in her hips, as she prepares for the second pass. big double pike, and keeps her foot planted in the lunge out. 9.900
Greene (AF): gainer bhs to loso to start. switch switch series, and cat leap gainer loso both calmly through, with only a small check after the loso. sticks her roundoff 1.5! 9.725
Garcia (OSU): dynamic roundoff 1.5 punch full, and sends her jump series up into the rafters shortly after. dials in for her second pass and delivers a double tuck that nearly goes out of the stream’s frame! 9.950
Bacott (AF): waited all meet to be the last counting score for the Falcons, and she rises to the occasion. side aerial with a check, so she’ll repeat the series. side aerial to side aerial scale, connected beautifully this time. switch to double stag jump without any issues, and then sticks her gainer full. 9.725
Carey (OSU): double double hangs in the air, and keeps her foot planted for the lunge backwards. this is Jade’s world and we’re all just living in it for the next minute. roundoff 1.5 punch layout and jumps without anything for the judges to write. double tuck to close, in what again looks like a ten waiting to be flashed. 10.000 again!
DeVries (OSU): exhibition — joining halfway through. very graceful 2.5 twist, and switch half to wolf full. short on her fhs Rudi, but keeps it to her feet with a pike down from the apex.
Air Force put up four consistent rotations, staying within 0.3 across all four events with leadership from Slife, Greene, and Bigler. The Falcons ultimately could not put up the depth that the Beavers displayed today, who registered nine scores at or above 9.900. Both teams will raise their NQS going into week twelve, and were able to count hit rotations on the events that gave them trouble a week ago. With tonight’s all around score, Carey becomes the 13th ever to go 39.9+, and now is tied for fourth all time all around. For the statistic nerds, she’s tied with Maggie Nichols, Haleigh Bryant, and Jordan Bowers — and is the lone gymnast in the four-way tie to not have a national championship.
Next week, Oregon State will play host to Fisk in lieu of either team having a conference championship to compete in. Air Force will be on the road at San Jose State for the Mountain West championship, where Slife enters as the most likely contender for the conference’s all around title.
FINAL: Oregon State 197.700, Air Force 194.700
VT: Carey (Oregon State), 9.950
UB: Carey (Oregon State), 9.975
BB: Carey (Oregon State), 10.000
FX: Carey (Oregon State), 10.000
AA: Carey (Oregon State), 39.925
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Live blog by Peri Goodman
