Michigan State entered last week’s Big Four meet as the favorite but struggled throughout the competition, finishing second behind Minnesota. The Spartans still did enough to secure a spot in the night session at the Big Ten championship, but they will be looking to bounce back this weekend at Auburn. Floor will be the key event to watch: Several uncontrolled landings last week led to Michigan State’s lowest floor score since Week 3. Look for Cady Duplissis and Stephanie Lebster to rebound with stronger landings. While Michigan State may not need its very best performance to win this meet, the score will be important as the Spartans aim to maintain or improve their postseason positioning.
Auburn has not had the season it likely envisioned at the start of the year. Bars has been the most consistent weak point, but last week the Tigers’ struggles came on beam and floor. Sophia Bell’s season-ending absence has certainly impacted Auburn’s scoring potential on floor, but the Tigers will still be looking for stronger performances from Julianne Huff and Olivia Greaves this week. Despite the inconsistency, Auburn remains in position to earn a seeded spot at regionals if it can put together a few solid meets over the final weeks of the regular season.
The meet will be streamed on SECN+, and scores can be found on Virtius.
Rotation 1: Auburn vault, Michigan State bars
Greaves (AU): Slight closed hips on the Yfull and a small hop back. A little soft knees as well. Good height. 9.7
Cosman (MSU): Very clean Maloney to pak with legs glues. A little late on the giant full and a shuffle on the double tuck landing. 9.775
Leverton (AU): Small step back on the Y1.5. Did not get a lot of distance but good height. 9.8
Long wait here.
Tucker (MSU): Legs glued on the toe hand to Maloeny to bail. Stuck the toe hand front pike half. 9.9
Neal (AU): Sticks her Y1.5. Holds it on her toes. Not the most distance on that and it was a little off to the side on the landing mat. 9.925
Bars judging is super slow.
Abney (MSU): The camera didn’t show the opening release combo. Just the handstand on the high bar and the clean toe full to stuck double tuck. 9.9
Huff (AU): Large step forward on her Y1.5. Great distance on the vault. Good leg position in the air. Bent arms on the table. 9.825
Zsarmani (MSU): Good amplitude on the Maloney to pak combination. Almost stuck the double tuck with an arm swing but her chest was too low so she stepped forward. 9.775
Zancan (AU): Small hop forward on her fhs front pike. Great pike shape in that. 9.825
Smith (MSU): Legs glued on the Maloney to pak. Double layout was a little close to the bar but it was stuck.
Torry (AU): Sits down her Y1.5. She sat it down in warmups too. Just didn’t have the rotation there. 9.925
Kellerman (MSU): Close catch on the jaeger. Hit the bail. Floaty double layout and sticks it. 9.825
AFTER ONE: Michigan State 49.325, Auburn 49.075
Auburn was building in that vault rotation and had a few good scores mixed in. The fall in the anchor spot really hurt the team score there. Michigan State had a solid first rotation on bars with several stuck landings. That is an event that has been inconsistant, but this was a good outing.
Rotation 2: Michigan State vault, Auburn bars
Duplissis (MSU): Step back on her Y1.5. Almost stuck it but did not have the rotation to hold it since she twitsed a little early on the table. 9.825
Huff (AU): Hit the Maloney to bail. Some elbows on casts. Floaty double layout and stuck the landing. 9.85
Marquart (MSU): Slmost stuck her Y1.5 too but took a cross over step forward and over the line. Some soft knees. 9.8
Neal (AU): Elbows on the Maloney catch before the pak. Had to recast on the high bar before the gaint full and double tuck dismount where she took a small step forward. 9.525
Tucker (MSU): Great block, height, and distance on that Y1.5. A foot shuffle on the landing. 9.9
Jong (AU): Legs together on the Chow to pak. Leg separation on the VL. Sticks the stalder to FTDT. Bends elbows on the stalder. 9.775
Smith (MSU): Tiny hop forward on her Y1.5. Nice flair out. Not the distance of Tucker but good height. 9.95
Greaves (AU): Feet on the church before the pak. Leg separation on the VL. Sticks the FTDT with a little stagger. 9.8
Zsarmani (MSU): Great height and a little more distance on that vault. Stuck the Y1.5 but was a little off to the side on the landing mat. 9.975
Boyd (AU): A little whippy in the Maloney to pk. Hit the last cast into the stalder and hops back on the double tuck. 9.85
Kellerman (MSU): Sticks her front pike half with a little toe raise. Not the most distance and blocked preety forward on the table. 9.975
Irvine (AU): Clean catch on the piked jaeger to overshoot. Took a small step back on the FTDT. Feet on the dismount. 9.85
AFTER TWO: Michigan State 98.950, Auburn 98.200
Huge vault score for Michigan State there that was just 0.025 shy of matching the previous program record set last year. There were a couple of sticks at the end of the lineup, but even the counting vaults that weren’t stuck had very good landings. Auburn had a better bars day today as the Tigers broke 49 on the event, but it was still a struggle without any gymnast breaking 9.9. It is the small things there with the lack of sticks, handstand issues, and bent arms in the routines. Michigan State has a firm grasp of this meet with the back half of the meet to go.
Rotation 3: Auburn beam, Michigan State floor
Ahern (AU): Clean double wolf turn. Slides the front foot back on the loso series. Clean cat leap to switch side. Sticks the ro back 1.5 dismount. 9.875
Lebster (MSU): Pike down on the Rudi before the loso. Not the most height on that. Big step out of that front double full. Good amplitude on the switch side half to straddle jump. Way over split on the straddle. 9.825
Zancan (AU): Love the press mount. Solid loso series. Feet and a lean on the front tuck. Clean switch to split. Slight adjustment on the full turn. Leg separation on the back 1.5 and sticks it. 9.7
Marquart (MSU): Huge full in with a controlled landing. Lacks height on the Rudi to loso. Hits the switch ring to tour jete half. 9.85
Huff (AU): Solid side aerial to loso series. Hit the full turn. A little close hips on the split to straddle quarter. Sticks the gainer full with a low chest. 9.9
Duplissis (MSU): Feet on the piked full in and steps out of bounds. Hit the switch side half to straddle. A little stutter step on the landing of the back 1.5 to front layout. 9.725
Hagle (AU): A little arm wave on the full turn. Adjustment between the front aeirial to bhs. Tentative side aerial. Much more confident on the leaps into the bhs swingdown. Sticks the gainer pike. 9.775
Ortiz (MSU): Feet and a little bounce on the full in landing. Feet on the front tuck through to double tuck and sticks it. Hits the switch side to Popa. 9.875
Irvine (AU): Agressive front toss to bhs. Solid full turn. Hesitates between the switch and one are bhs. Does a beat to wolf. Sticks the tucked gainer full off the end. 9.85
Tucker (MSU): Floaty Rudi to loso. Controls the step out of the front double full. Good height and around barely on the switch half to Popa. 9.925
Neal (AU): An arm wave out of the full turn. Slight should dip on the bhs loso loso series. Hit the switch to split. Small hop on the back 1.5. 9.85
Smith (MSU): Feet on the Full in and controlled the landing. Good position on the switch side half to straddle. Controls the front tuck through to double tuck with some feet throughout the flip. 9.925
AFTER THREE: Michigan State 148.350, Auburn 147.450
One thing I noticed with Michigan State on floor the last couple times I live blogged was the choice for leap passes. The Spartans do a good job of picking combinations that the gymnasts can hit the rotations cleanly and that made identifying the leaps so much easier.
There were some wonky landings near the beginning of that Michigan State floor rotation, but the back half of that lineup did its thing. Auburn had some really solid routines and some other shaky routines which is to be expected based on what this team has shown to this point. Michigan State is heading to beam so while this meet is likely in hand, you never know.
Rotation 4: Michigan State beam, Auburn floor
Biro (MSU): A heel shift on the landing on the loso series. Clean switch to switch side. Shoulder lean on the front toss before the beat. Quick through the full turn. Small step back on the back 1.5. 9.7
Irvine (AU): Flew out of bounds on the jump out of the Rudi. Off on the rotation on the leap combo. Large step out of the whip half to front full. 9.725
Trostel (MSU): Slight adjustment on the switch to split quarter. Hit the front aerial. Feet and knees on the loso series. Small hop back on the gainer full. 9.775
Bartman (AU): Floaty back 1.5 to front layout. Hit the switch side half to straddle. Smooth double wolf. Feet on the double pike and controls it. 9.85
Zsarmani (MSU): Arm wave in the piked front toss to bhs. Slow connecting the cat leap to switch side. Sticks the back 1.5. Great amplitude on that. 9.925
Ahern (AU): A little short on the double wolf turn. Flung backwards on the Rudi to loso but kept it in bounds. High back 1.5 to front layout. Great amplitude on the switch to straddle. 9.9
Smith (MSU): Feet and knees on the loso series. Good height on the beat jump to straddle half. Finished the full turn on releve. Sticks the double tuck. Great height. 9.925
Huff (AU): Controls the full in with feet throughout. Didn’t get the tour jete half around fully out of the switch ring. Sticks the landing on the front layout to front full to front tuck combo. 9.95
Tucker (MSU): Smooth cat leap to front aerial to bhs. Lean on the beat to split 3/4s. Feet and a lean on the side aerial. Hits the full turn. Sticks the gainer full. 9.9
Neal (AU): Huge double pike and controlled the landing. Great amplitude on the switch ring to switch half to wolf full. Slight lean back on the front tuck throught to double tuck landing. 9.95
Cosman (MSU): Hits the double wolf turn. Feet, knees, and a lean on the side aerial to bhs. Smooth switch to bhs swingdown. Sticks the back 1.5.
Greaves (AU): Feet on the front tuck through to double tuck. Didn’t get the ring on the switch ring half after the switch ring. Bounce back out of the double pike. 9.825
FINAL: Michigan State 197.700, Auburn 196.975
Michigan State set a new season high with that beam rotation. This was a complete meet from start to finish for the Spartans will have some momentum building with the post season just a few weeks away. While Auburn did not set a season high, the score the Tiger put up was still higher than the season average to this point and will help the NQS as Auburn fights for one of the last seeded regional spots.
VT: Zsarmani, Kellerman 9.975
UB: Smith 9.925
BB: Zsarmani, Smith 9.925
FX: Neal, Huff 9.95
AA: Smith 39.725
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Live blog by Alyssa Van Auker
