Utah hosts Arizona in a top-20 Big 12 showdown!
The Utes are having a stellar season, even after the loss of star freshman Avery Neff to injury against Iowa State. While her return later in the season remains a possibility, Utah’s depth has allowed the team to continue excelling. Makenna Smith has elevated her performance this year, and Ana Padurariu has secured key spots in Utah’s bars and beam lineups, showcasing the team’s strength on those events.
Arizona had a slow start but has quietly built momentum, posting three consecutive scores above 196, including two over 196.500. The Wildcats are looking to keep that momentum going in Salt Lake City, with Alysen Fears, Elena Deets, and Abigayle Martin leading the charge.
Utah ranks No. 3 nationally on bars and beam, while Arizona is in the top 15 on both events, setting the stage for an exciting and competitive matchup in those areas tonight.
Neff is in the projected bar lineup! We’d heard her recovery was going well, but I wasn’t expecting to see her back this quickly.
Rotation 1: Utah VT, UA UB
Zirbes (Utah): y1.5, knees in the air and a step forward. Off-center as well. 9.8
Mueller (UA): fights through the toe on into the Ray, caught close. bail to low. Hits her final hs, tiny slide on the dlo. Not her best. 9.775
McCallum (Utah): y1.5, looks a tad short but she handles it like a pro, just a tiny step. 9.9
Martin (UA): toe one to Maloney to bail, nice leg form. nails the hs on the pirouette. Slightly short final hs. floaty DLO, just a tiny shuffle. 9.8
Winger (Utah): y1.5, some knees in the air and a normal hop forward. Landed right on the directional line. 9.825
Krohnfeldt (UA): nice toe on, but misses the foot placement on the second one going into the Maloney and comes off. redoes it and hits it, some leg sep. hit final hs. fights for the landing but ends up taking a small step. 9.1
Smith (Utah): NAILS her Omelianchik. I could watch her do that vault all day. Her form is so good, and she nailed that landing. 9.975, DESERVED.
Deets (UA): short first hs. pretty tkatchev. bail hs, nice. short final hs. Stuck DLO. Nice recovery after the fall. 9.825
Glynn (Utah): y1.5, leg sep on the entry. Overpowers it and takes a large step forward, she almost tripped over the mat. 9.725
Derr (UA): Ray, caught close. pak good, tiny leg form. Short final hs. FTDT, staggered landing but stuck. 9.9
Morgan (Utah): y1.5, large step forward. Looks like she lost her form a tad going into the landing as well. 9.775
Fears (UA): Straddled tkatchev, lovely. Looked off on her bails but hits it well. DLO, tiny movement on the landing. Good way to close this rotation. 9.85
Johnson (Utah, exh): Only a full as she’s coming back from injury. Lands off to the side with pike down and a hop back. 9.7
Maisel (UA, exh): short first hs. Peels off on her Maloney. barely catches it this time and can’t make her connection, but hits her pak. Breaks her rhythm again and decides to come off and end her routine.
After 1: Utah 49.275, UA 49.150
Utah with a good vault rotation to open, though it’ll want better with a few large steps/hops. I’d say vault is where they’re feeling the absence of Neff the most. Arizona with a solid bars rotation as well; the Wildcats recovered from an early fall and hit the rest of the routines. John Court just called it a “Bear Down” moment and I’m obsessed with using one of the university mottos that way.
Rotation 2: UA VT, Utah UB
Strom (UA): full, clean in the air but pikes down and takes a hop back. 9.775
Smith (Utah): pak, good. potentially slightly short hs. Van leeuwen, tiny crossy feet. toe on pike half, step forward. 9.775
LaRusso (UA): yfull, preflight leg sep but stuck. 9.775
Padurariu (Utah): nice first hs. Maloney to bail, tiny bit of leg sep. Nice final hs. ftdt, small hop back. 9.775
Mueller (UA): yfull, preflight leg sep, pike down and a tiny hop back. 9.8
Neff (Utah): Here we go! clear hip to ginger, finesses it. Hits her bail. short final hs. DLO, small hop back. To think the DLO is a “watered down” dismount for her. 9.825
Martin (UA): yfull, the cleanest of the bunch so far. Tiniest foot movement on the landing, and slightly off to the side. 9.85
Morgan (Utah): malign to bhardwaj, some leg form. Van leeuwen back to high bar. stalder to tuck half, basically stuck, just brings her feet together. 9.9
Janicke (UA): her first vault as a Wildcat, yfull off center with pike down and a large hop back, but excellent in the air. 9.675
Zirbes (Utah): nice first handstand, straddled jaeger to bail somewhere between horizontal and vertical. FTDT, the tiniest foot adjustment. 9.95
Fears (UA): yfull, small preflight leg sep and a good-sized hop back. 9.775
McCallum (Utah): chow to pak, van leuween. maybe a tad short on her final hs. Shuffle on her full in, really fights for that landing. She was right on her heels. 9.9
Stephens (UA, exh): yhalf, could have more height. some form in the air.
Raposo (Utah, exh): chow to pak, leg sep. van leeuwen good. short final hs. DLO, step back.
After 2: Utah 98.625, UA 98.125
Utah built on vault with a nice bar lineup. It was definitely nice to see Neff back, even with a watered down routine. Arizona was solid on vault as well, though it didn’t have any 10.0 SV vaults and will want to hone in on the landings, which are that much more important when you’re not starting from a 10.0.
Rotation 3: Utah BB, UA FX
Padurariu (Utah): Lovely mount sequence. Double wolf turn, secure. Front aerial to bhs, makes it look effortless. The tiniest lean on her beat jump. Split jump to sheep jump, tiny lean. Flashes the U before going for a gainer pike, hop forward. Nice leadoff. On replay, she may have adjusted her foot the tiniest bit between her acro connection. 9.8
LaRusso (UA): Opens with a front double full, secure landing. Switch side popa, solid. Back 1.5 to lay, tiny bit of leg form and didn’t exactly rise on the second salto. Closes with a strong Rudi. 9.775
Winger (Utah): BHS LOSO LOSO, rock solid. Switch to split, good positions. Small lean on her full turn, but she finesses it. Stuck gainer full, slightly low chest. 9.85
Fears (UA): Back 2.5 to open, large step on the landing. Good positions on her leaps. They weren’t happy with her early season floor results, so they reworked the order of her tumbling passes. Back 1.5 to front full, small shuffle step forward and narrowly stays in bounds. 9.85
Smith (Utah): Starts with a candle mount and a fun choreography sequence on the beam. Calm, confident full turn. Secure bhs loso. Front aerial to split jump to straddle quarter, tiny arm movement. Gainer pike, stuck. Love the way she works the beam. 9.925
Judging conference on floor right now. Sounds like there’s debate about Fears’ leap pass.
Krohnfeldt (UA): opening double pike, large step back. Ring leap to switch half, good. Back 1.5 to lay, nice. Double pike, low chest but controlled landing. 9.725
Morgan (Utah): BHS BHS LOSO, good work to keep that on the beam with hardly any deductions. Hit her leaps. Stuck front gainer full. Another good routine for Utah. 9.875
Martin (UA): double pike, front foot slides in the lunge. Front lay front full, better landing there. Switch ring to tour jete half, could have better positions. Double pike, slides a little bit out of the lunge. 9.825, a little surprised that went over 9.8
McCallum (Utah): Nails her wolf turn sequence. BHS LOSO, her hips were off but she manages just a small lean. Hits her leap series, maybe a little pause between the two. Stuck gainer tuck full. 9.925
Strom (UA): Opening rudi LOSO, OOB. Switch to switch ring half. Didn’t realize her mom was a gymnast at Denver! 1.5 to front full, some leg form but a good landing. 9.75
Gantner (Utah): BHS LOSO, secure. Switch half to straddle, nice. Tiny lean on her full turn. Stuck 1.5. 9.9
Mueller (UA): Nice opening double pike. I’m enjoying these Arizona floor routines. Leaps hit. Back 1.5 to lay, good. Closes with a controlled double tuck. 9.875
Gilstrap (Utah, exh): BHS LOSO, can’t save it and comes off. Split jump to ring jump, small check. Gainer pike, small step back.
After 3: Utah 148.100, UA 147.200
Really nice beam rotation from Utah, showing why it’s been the top beam team since Dockendorf took over the event. Arizona was overall good on floor too, with a few small errors holding it back from slightly higher scores.
Rotation 4: UA BB, Utah FX
Fears (UA): bhs loso, small lean. Another small check on her full turn. Secure side aerial. Siplt to double stag, solid. Back 1.5, tiny shuffle forward. Leadoff hit is always good. 9.775
Glynn (Utah): Front double full to open, large-ish step but dances right out of it to minimize the deduction. Triple leap combo, good positions overall. Back 1.5 to lay nice. 9.9
Wise (UA): BHS BHS, she was completely off and bails on the LOSO. Secure full turn. Beat to straddle 3/4, good. Back 1.5, some knees and a step back. She won’t get the connection bonus and acro series due to the fall as well. 8.45
Zirbes (Utah): front double full, super controlled. Switch half popa, good positions. They built in some extra choreography in the corner to give her a bit more of a breather. Back 1.5 to front full, nails it. Super nice to see her go out and hit a good routine after the early season struggles and everything she’s going through. 9.875
Lenczner (UA): BHS LOSO, finesses it. Split to double stag, small pause and don’t think she totally got to 180. Small check on her side aerial. Back 1.5, stuck. Good recovery after the fall before her. 9.75
Winger (Utah): Back 1.5 to front full, lifts her back leg. Switch ring to tour jete half, could have a better ring position. Switch full short of rotation. Back 2.5 with crossy legs. 9.875
Mueller (UA): Side aerial to loso, my stream glitched. Switch leap to straddle, nice positions. Working the beam well. Back 1.5, stuck. Finally seeing her full series on replay, she did have a bend at the hips but she stayed on. 9.825
Smith (Utah): front double full to punch front, so impressive to connect out of that. Cat 1.5 to wolf full, super unique. Did some simple back tumbling as choreo to get that requirement in. Lovely rudi to loso. 9.95
Deets (UA): BHS LOSO, small check. Secure full turn. Switch kick to straddle 1/4, rock solid. Cat leap to front toss, hit. Switch leap into a gainer full, sticks it but lands with her feet pretty apart, comes close to bringing the heels together. 9.8
Gilstrap (Utah): Front lay to Rudi, the amplitude is so nice on it. Her leaps are SO GOOD, does three connected together. Front lay front full to close, tries to hold onto the stick but takes a step back. 9.925
Martin (UA): Switch leap to double stag, hit. BHS LOSO, tiny lean back. Secure front aerial. Hits her full turn. Gainer full, small shuffle. Arizona won’t count the fall.
McCallum (Utah):
Strom (UA, exh):
Johnson (Utah, exh):
After 4:
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Live blog by Tara Graeve
