The seeding order at Pac-12s came down to the wire this year, and ultimately Oregon State missed the No. 4 seed and a place in the night session by only 0.010 in RQS. The Beavers aren’t a team that need the help of the night session atmosphere to register a strong total, though. But they’ll want one; their target will be to stay within the top 12 in national rankings heading into the regionals draw, and they’d need a score of about 197 to guarantee that they will. OSU’s main challenger will be Arizona State, which has proved that it can score competitively on rival Arizona’s floor.
ASU’s individuals will hope to set strong marks that will hold into the night session, but all arounders Cairo Leonard-Baker and Anne Kuhm will have to take Stanford’s Elizabeth Price first; Price is a front-runner to take the all around title in her last Pac-12s. Arizona is looking to put a solid mark in to confirm qualifying to regionals.
Sammy P is chatting with Tanya and trying to make a story about how OSU didn’t make the night session despite having a very good season (and would have were it determined by average). Tanya is very steadfastly insisting it doesn’t matter and they’re just focusing on the meet but her eyes do sort of say murder.
ROTATION 1: OSU VAULT, ASU BARS, STANFORD BEAM, UA FLOOR
GILL – OSU: Piked down, but just a tiny shuffle in place. Good start.
There will be 192 routines at Pac-12s. I’m tired already.
WILSON – ASU: Nice straddle Jaeger, maybe just a slightly piked catch on her bail but very good, full turn to double back with just a bit of leg sep and underrotated.
COLE – STANFORD: Flic loso, a bit tentative but presses her back heel down and makes it work. Switch to double stag – again, just a little bit edgy. Front aerial with a check that she pretended was choreography. Nice full turn, double full dismount and pops up onto her toes and leans forward – but holds onto the stick.
LEYDIN – UA: Front thru double back, awkward almost stick and ends up stepping forward but it doesn’t really reflect the rotation. Fun bit of ground choreography, switch side Popa is solid. Tour jete 1/2 Popa in combination out of a turning entry, which I kind of love, double pike with slightly bent knees but a good landing.
Really solid start for all four!
SINGLEY – OSU: Blocks way off to the side on the table, decent body position in the air, hop back.
K. SZAFRANSKI – ASU: Little over on first handstand, Ray that’s almost a Galante. Messy legs on bail, slightly off on one handstand, full turn with legs to double back with a tiny step in place.
FLAM – STANFORD: Flic to 2ft layout, she wasn’t square in the air and comes off. Full turn, punch front is good. Hitch kick switch side, front full dismount with a hop.
BERG – UA: Solid double pike, split 1/1 wolf 1/1 combo. Arizona all have their A tattoos in the back opening of their leotard, whic his… weird but great? Solid front full front pike, closing with a fhs Rudi to split (short), good landing.
YANISH – OSU: This is a great chance for OSU to push the scores up over 9.8. Absolutely beautiful in the air, big distance, flared with a hop back.
A. SZAFRANSKI – ASU: Also time to go over 9.8. Toe on to Maloney, Pak straddled at the last second, toe 1/2 to squat on, double layout beautiful and hangs on for a second but has to shuffle back to salute.
PRICE – STANFORD: Eyes on the AA. Front aerial with a bit of feet, flic to 2ft layout nailed. Full turn is slightly overrotated, borderline whether it’s a deductible adjustment, switch to split – questionable split positions there. Double pike is great with a step back.
PARKS – UA: Double back, a little rebound to lunge. Popa tuck 3/2 combo, choreo in this one is really fun, switch to double stag, wolf 3/2 maybe a bit underrotated. UA is really big on difficulty from dance on floor, which is smart if endurance is in question. Front lay front full is a little off direction in the air but makes it work with just a little bounce forward.
DAVIS – OSU: Twisting onto the table on FTY, piked down a bit but great landing – just a tiny hop in place.
CHRISTOPHERSON – ASU: Welcome back <3 Toe to Ray, lovely. Great bail to toe shoot. Full turn double back, DRILLED. I think she and Jay both just screamed.
Ugh, that means so much. I was at OSU the day she jarred her ankle on floor and it was just awful, I’m so glad she’s back.
NAVARRO – STANFORD: Flic loso is really pretty, good full turn. Front aerial with just a little knees? Switch to split, a bit tentative on positions to my eye. Double back is underrotated with chest down, hops forward.
CINDRIC – UA: Great landing on double pike, thought she might overpower it but she was on top of it. 3/2 front lay, ooooh that’s low but again she makes it work. Wolf 1/1 wolf 1/1 solid, double back almost stuck, ends up stepping back. That was pretty much the best I’ve seen her do.
GREENE – OSU: Pike 1/2, doesn’t seem too controlled in the air, cross step forward.
KUHM – OSU: Almost bends her elbows on first cast, nice Jaeger. Misses a kch, so beautiful on bail, double layout nailed. Good one!
BRYANT – STANFORD: Full turn, kicks leg out but I think it’s fine. Flic loso, tiniest wobble before she snaps her arms down and gets it back. Beat to switch jump (still so cool), punch front and again uses her arms to arrest a wobble. Flic bhs double back with a step back. She’s such a calm beamer, it’s amazing.
SCHNEIDER – UA: Great double pike and really shows off pressing through her fingers into it. We cam see Amanda Borden grin as Kennady lands that.. Front lay front full (?) and dances out of it, switch side Popa is beautiful, great landing on double back. Very nice!
JACOBSEN – OSU: Tsuk full, powerful but a bit off direction with a hop diagonally back.
LEONARD-BAKER – ASU: Beautiful Ray, bail to pike toe shoot is amazing, full in dismount with a step back. Insane amplitude on the dismount. Jim is freaking out.
FITZGERALD – STANFORD: They’ll be hoping for something countable here, with the fall from Flam earlier. Full turn is beautiful, front aerial back tuck a little slow but very solid. Switch to beat, questionable split, hitch kick to kickover front is great. 3/2 dismount with a hop forward.
That was suuuuuper solid and exactly what they needed there. Good for her!
Swanson is scratching for UA, so we’re done for rotation 1.
ASU 49.125, OSU 49.025, STANFORD 48.975, UA 48.925
(The livescores are wrong, it’s averaging all four scores instead of dropping high and low like the real scores.)
Great start for Arizona State on bars, getting Christopherson back makes a huge difference and Leonard-Baker is just stupid good. It was a good day all around – OSU can land vaults better than that, but Stanford and Arizona did exactly what they were hoping to do.
.@cairoleonard on point with some huge swing and high flying releases for a 9.875! #SunDevilPower pic.twitter.com/jO9OhWfpNP
— Sun Devil Gymnastics (@SunDevilGym) March 24, 2018
ROTATION 2: UA VAULT, OSU BARS, ASU BEAM, STANFORD FLOOR
PARKS – UA: They shuffled the lineup last second, Parks leading off and Leydin moved down. Y tuck full with a little hop, good start.
KHAMEDOOST – OSU: Good first handstand, toe to Maloney with a bit of leg sep, straight bail. Double layout, has to lean a little to hold the stick but a good one.
LEONARD-BAKER – ASU: Straddle to LOSO, just a bit of feet. Full turn with an arm swing adjustment, beat to straddle 3/4 nailed. Flic loso with a midsize leg up check, 3/2 dismount nailed but she didn’t seem to expect to stick it so couldn’t show it off.
HOFFMAN – STANFORD: Front thru Rudi, super secure. Switch ring tour jete 1/2 is beautiful, double back with a big hop back but stays in bounds. She probably has my favorite choreography of the Stanford lineup, so quirky and fun. Rudi to double stag with a little hop, solid start.
LEYDIN – UA: FTY, a bit piked down with a step back.
COLUSSI-PELAEZ – OSU: Missed first handstand, blind to Jaeger caught with slightly bent elbows. Good bail, short on another handstand, double layout nailed. That dismount has been so good this season.
UDOWICH – ASU: Front aerial-bhs, beautiful form but just a little slow. Switch to split, short of splits, nice full turn, side aerial back full basically stuck. Love seeing Jess Santos leaning to the side as Heather dismounts, like when you’re playing a driving game and you try to steer with your body.
NAVARRO – STANFORD: Double pike with great control landing. Absolutely love this music, switch ring switch 1/2 is really pretty. She’s developed so much finesse on floor, which the Cardinal really needs.
COWLES – UA: Y full, nice body position in the air, off direction and takes a big hop way off to one side, almost runs off the mat.
SINGLEY – ASU: Pretty full turn to Tkachev, slightly bent arms on catch, great final handstand, full turn double back STUCK.
She’s been an absolute machine this whole season, such a weapon for the Beavers.
KUHM – ASU: Flic loso, really nice. Front aerial beat jump, great. For some reason Jim Watson knows how to say “she is on fire” in French and just demonstrated for us. Switch to sheep is great, double twist with a baby hop. Good one! Big hug from Jess <3
FLAM – STANFORD: Double arabian, hop forward. Front full front pike, really controlled in the air there. Switch side to Popa with a hop – they’ll be drilling lunging out of landings instead of hopping in offseason, this happens a lot in this routine. Good switch 1/2, slightly underrotated on double pike with a step forward.
LEUNG – UA: Second week in this lineup, twisting onto the table but good in the air with a hop back.
JACOBSEN – OSU: Big Tkachev to overshoot, always a tiny bit of feet on that but nothing crazy. Short on one kch, double front with a baby step. I love that dismount so much, her feel on it is just amazing.
WILSON – ASU: Scores building really nicely here. Flic loso, quick check. Switch to tuck 1/1 is good, kickover front comes in a bit low. Gainer full off the side with a little step.
LAWSON – STANFORD: Switch to tour jete 1/1, good one. 3/2 with messy legs thru double, such an impressive pass in college. Bound out of her orphan punch front. Deep on double back, lands on her toes and has to step forward.
SWANSON – UA: FTY, little bounce on her toes but great landing. Massively superior block to the rest of the lineup.
BRISCOE – OSU: Absolutely nailed first handstand, Jaeger a little close to the bar, great bail. Full turn to double back, hangs onto the landing with just a tiny bounce on her toes. Good one!
A. SZAFRANSKI – ASU: Front aerial to Korbut is beautiful, side aerial looks like it comes in a little short but uses her arms to make it work, switch to split is good. Rulfova, a little underrotated as usual but so gorgeous, gainer full off the side with a hop to salute.
BRYANT – STANFORD: Double layout is so powerful, lunges almost to the line but it’s fine. Front thru double pike with a hop to lunge, switch side to Popa is next level, open double back and flies back to lunge. She’s just so powerful, it’s really insane, but simultaneously has probably the most artistic finesse of the lineup.
CINDRIC – UA: FTY, splits her legs a little and shifts the front foot but a really good landing.
DESSAINTS – OSU: Blind change to Jaeger is awesome, great Pak. Front of her knee is taped, but nothing too crazy. Double layout, tiny hop on her toes but holds it and she is basically immediately crying. Me too.
CALLIS – ASU: Her mount series is everything. Looks maybe a little nervous off the top? Flic flic loso, never gets the second foot down, check but holds on. Great full turn, she’s smiling now. Split to double stag is pretty, handspring to knees is awesome, side aerial back full – direction looked wacky in the middle but makes it work, stuck.
PRICE – STANFORD: Stuck double lay. Okay there. Front thru double back, has to keep her lunge small to stay in bounds. Switch side to Popa is great, lands a bit staggered on double pike but steps into lunge and everything’s fine. That was pretty awesome. 9.95!
OREGON STATE 98.225, ARIZONA STATE 98.20, STANFORD 98.20, ARIZONA 97.725
It’s such a pity this meet isn’t very close or competitive, guys :-/
That was an awesome rotation. Ebee on floor was absolutely stellar, and Dani Dessaints on bars was such a moment.
ROTATION 3: STANFORD VAULT, UA BARS, OSU BEAM, ASU FLOOR
COLE – STANFORD: Y full, piked down with a hop straight back.
LEYDIN – UA: Coach Court’s messing with the lineups again. Toe on to Pak with a straddle, blind change to Markelov, so good! Full turn to double back with a step forward.
SINGLEY – OSU: Split to double stag is great, little check on a full turn. Her splits are always next level. Kickover nailed, love her side scale choreo, cartweel to gainer full with a tiny foot shift.
CALLIS – ASU: Double pike is good, 5/2 twist with a little bit of Mustafina legs. Switch ring switch side switch drop. Her performance quality is so stellar. 3/2 front lay, looks a bit off in the air, but makes it work. Great start!
FITZGERALD – STANFORD: Block isn’t quite there, pikes down aggressively but gets it with a secure landing.
HENDRICKSON – UA: Blind change to Jaeger to overshoot is good, not crazy amplitude but great leg form. Double layout with slightly flexed feet, near-stick.
MINYARD – OSU: Switch to straddle is good, front aerial-bhs is quick with just a bit of legs on the handspring. Full turn overrotated but just owns the extra quarter and presents right to the judges, cat leap switch side nailed, side aerial tuck back full – off direction but nailed the landing.
UDOWICH – ASU: Double pike is good, looked like it might come in a bit deep but actual landing is fine, some leap to split 1/1 wolf 1/1 is really nice. Rudi beautiful, 3/2 front pike with messy legs but a great landing!
NAVARRO – STANFORD: Twisting onto the table and one hand nearly slips off the back of the table, crazy block and pikes throughout to get it on her feet. Amanda stopped breathing there for a second, Lauren’s laughing it off.
CINDRIC – UA: Good Jaeger, nice bail. Blind change double front is so beautiful, legs together toes pointed and drilled. Absolutely stellar.
YANISH – OSU: Flic loso, nailed. Switch to loso is good, really nice full turn. She’s moving quickly and confidently today. Switch to straddle 1/4 is great, front handspring with a little adjustment, gainer full with a bounce on her toes. Really that FHS was the only thing there, great
GINN – ASU: Double back, rebounds up and forward. Good leap series, front lay front 1/2 is nice and controlled. A little deep on double pike, takes a big lunge back and lifts the front foot.
FLAM – STANFORD: Omelianchik, great in the air with a big lunge forward.
SPENCER – UA: Gienger with just a flicker of feet, toe on to bail is great, double layout really nice in the air with a step back.
LAZARO – OSU: Flic loso, crooked in the air but pivots back easily. Switch to straddle 3/4 is beautiful, lovely full turn. Side aerial back full with a baby hop back.
K. SZAFRANSKI – ASU: Double pike is half laid out, super secure landing. Double back is super open too, same landing, tour jete 1/2 Popa. She’s got so much power here, I think she can do more than she has. 3/2 front lay, beautiful!
(Train a double layout. Don’t break yourself though.)
BRYANT – STANFORD: Beautiful in the air, flared with huge distance, step back.
ORTIZ – UA: Clear hip to Tkachev to overshoot is absolutely wild, almost overshoots a handstand but it’s fine, full in dismount with a stumble back. Looks pretty bummed, it was going so well.
GILL – OSU: Full turn is pretty, split double stag is great. Front aerial-bhs is beautiful, switch 1/2 a little underrotated and her weight is back, has to fight to stay on. Gainer full off the side with a bounce on her toes.
KUHM – ASU: Whip to double back with a big lunge, front full front pike stag jump – just a little lack of control at the end there. Switch ring switch 1/2 is great, smiling throughout today. 2.5 twist with a step forward, good one!
PRICE – STANFORD: DTY, off direction, baby step forward. Good one, probably 9.9.
BERG – UA: Beautiful blind change to pike Jaeger – looks like dowels not over the bar and drops to her knees, looks painful. Half in half out dismount with a little hop.
DAVIS – OSU: Every OSU beam routine has been 9.8-9.85. Consistency is good but they’ll want a bit more. Beat to wolf, front aerial-back tuck is nailed. Switch to straddle 1/4 – was off to one side in the air but landed like it was nothing. Adjustment on full turn, front full stuck.
LEONARD-BAKER – ASU: Double back, huge but well controlled. Tour jete 1/1 to Popa is great, maaaaybe a little short of split? 3/2 front full is beautiful, nailed double pike. Huge smile as she salutes, ten hands from the team.
OREGON STATE 147.425, ARIZONA STATE 147.325, STANFORD 147.275, UA 146.575
Oregon State so so steady on beam and that’s a serious weapon. ASU might not be able to threaten at this point unless the Beavs make mistakes – vault is realistically capped at a certain part. Stanford, too, because Stanford bars. For OSU, it’s now about putting up a mark that might keep them inside night session range.
ASU VAULT, STANFORD BARS, UA BEAM, OSU FLOOR
K. SZAFRANSKI – ASU: FTY, a bit piked down with a little hop.
LAWSON – STANFORD: Maloney to bail to toe shoot with leg sep and feet, full turn with leg sep to double back stuck-ish.
HENDRICKSON – UA: Great split mount, flic loso is beautiful, switch to split 1/4, side aerial is great. Gainer full, stuck. Good start!
They keep mentioning about trying to match that program record 49.5whatever beam rotation. I don’t know if that’s going to happen, guys…
JACOBSEN – OSU: Huge double pike, well landed. Tour jete 1/1 split 1/1 to tuck jump is great, love the random creepy Swan Lake bit in the middle, Rudi comes in way short.
GINN – ASU: FTY slightly piked down with a step back.
NAVARRO – STANFORD: Missed first handstand, good Tkachev. Toe on, pops out a little early, to straddled Pak. Miseed another handstand, full in dismount with a big hop to one side.
LEYDIN – UA: Good wolf turn to open, switch to split. Flic loso is okay with a bit of an adjustment. Cat leap side somi nailed. Pike jump back tuck also great – queen of mixed combos! 3/2 dismount is good with a little shift of one foot.
GILL – OSU: Love watching her start floor – she’ll half smile in her opening pose and then as soon as the music starts its’s Gone. Double pike is always close to the line but hops to lunge to stay in today. 3/2 front full is great, switch ring switch 1/2 solid. Nailed double back, this one of her absolute best, love the ending pose.
KUHM – ASU: FTY, really nice in the air, baby step back.
FLAM – STANFORD: Misses first handstand, toe 1/2 with a leg flicker to pike Jaeger. Slightly messy bail, just short on another handstand, FTDLO with a tiny hop.
SCHNEIDER – UA: Kickover front, pretends to be confident but doesn’t connect. Redoes it, connects to back handspring but it’s slow. Split to sissone is pretty, beat jump to sheep with iffy position, great front full dismount stuck.
DAVIS – OSU: Insane set on her double pike that looked like she might be going for a DLO but pulls it in and lands it well, switch to tour jete 1/2 is great. Double back, a little deep and hops to lunge – that was close to the line, Michael Chaplin visibly gasped in the background. Isis Lowery is moving around the floor to be behind Destinee for every tumbling pass, front lay front full great.
LEONARD-BAKER – ASU: FTY, a bit of leg split on the table, and DRILLED landing. Lands it like she just jumped up in the air, jaw drops as she realizes.
BRYANT – STANFORD: Nice Tkachev, a lottle over on a handstand, Pak is pretty. Double layout, pops up onto her toes but hangs onto the landing.
COWLES – UA: Nice leap series, pretty full turn. Flic loso really nice, maybe a bit of knees, switch split like it’s nothing. Front full dismount, a little off balance but manages not to shift a foot.
SINGLEY – OSU: Front thru double back, beautiful and snaps into the landing. Double pike, pulls her front foot up, good leap series. I love this routine to death, so creepy and epic. Rudi comes in a little short but makes it work, awesome closing series.
WILSON – ASU: Strong FTY, hop back.
PRICE – STANFORD: Maloney to clear hip, church to bail is great, awesome Ray. Double layout with flexed feet but legs together, stuck. One of her best – it’s just the feet on the dismount debatable, as usual.
ORTIZ – UA: Flic loso beautiful, switch beat double stag (?) series is good. Cat leap side aerial back full with a foot shuffle.
LOWERY – OSU: Double pike nailed! Tour jete 1/2 to Popa is great, Rudi and presses into the lunge, gets a cheer for the worm choreo. Front lay front full, STUCK. That was stupid good.
RUSHTON – ASU: Tuck FTY with a step back, good direction. They probably didn’t need that, but it’s good to give her the routine practice.
ROGERS – STANFORD: Got swapped into the lineup at the last minute. Tkachev low, never really gets her hands on the bar and drops. Solid Pak, wacky switch kip action, full turn slow to double back with a step back.
CINDRIC – UA: Final routine at home </3 Flic loso a little off but hangs onto it. Great side aerial. Split sheep with a check, gainer pike airy and stuck.
YANISH – OSU: Double layout and keeps the front foot down! For a long time, the foot slide there was the only thing holding her short of a 10, so we’ll see how the rest of these passes go. Front full front lay is beautiful. switch side to Popa and jumps into choreo which is a great way to avoid landing deductions. Rebound back out of double back – not today.
FINAL: OSU 196.575, ASU 196.425, STANFORD 196.35, UA 195.825
With 195.825, Arizona is officially eliminated from regionals contention.
(Shame no one told the Pac-12 Network)
— BalanceBeamSituation (@TheBBSituation) March 24, 2018
Really solid day for everyone – unfortunately just not quite enough for Arizona, which will miss regionals this year. Stanford had a great meat headlined by Price, but Kyla Bryant shone too in her first collegiate postseason. ASU and OSU both felt a little better than they scored, to me – there were a couple routines, including Lowery on floor and Singley on bars, that I thought were significantly better than what they scored. That said, both teams have some wobbles that they can work out before regionals. I belieeeeve this is also enough to take ASU up over Georgia in regionals seeding – could be wrong on that.
SESSION 1 LEADERS:
VAULT: Leonard-Baker, Price 9.90
BARS: Price 9.975
BEAM: Ortiz, Szafranski, Davis 9.875
FLOOR: Price 9.95
AA: Price 39.65
Oh hey, I just saw this:
Reunited with this gem today prepping for tomorrow’s @pac12 Gymnastics Championships in Tucson! 1st session kicks off at 1pm MST #pac12gym pic.twitter.com/KiZN5k7L7I
— Amanda Borden (@AmandaKBorden) March 24, 2018
Borden-Peszek-Watson is literally the dream team and should be mandatory for every gymnastics meet ever. Thank you universe. Goodbye. See y’all in fifteen for SECs.
Live blog by Rebecca Scally
