It’s the most wonderful time of the year! NCAA SEASON IS FINALLY HERE!! Today I will be live blogging a quad meet hosted by Arizona State featuring Minnesota, Missouri and UIC.
Arizona State is coming off of an exciting 2018 campaign where it qualified to regionals for the first time since 2014. The Sun Devils only lost one senior in Nichelle Christopherson and return several gymnasts who missed the end of the 2018 season with injury, so expect them to continue their upward trajectory into 2019. Expect all arounders Cairo Leonard-Baker and Anne Kuhm to once again lead the way.
In my experience, quad meet streams usually focus on the home team, so we don’t usually get a lot of routines from the other teams, but I will cover whatever I see. Some gymnasts to watch for on other teams include Lexy Ramler, Ona Loper and Ivy Lu from Minnesota; Morgan Porter, Aspen Tucker and Hannah McCrary from Missouri; and Mikailla Northern and Alisa Sheremeta from UIC. UIC is entering what might be the program’s last season ever, so look for the Flames to make the most out of this season.
Fortunately, there aren’t too many injuries to report for these teams, but look for Becca Schugel of Missouri, who is coming off an achilles injury she sustained early last season. She competed bars at the Tigers’ preseason intrasquad, but look for her to add back beam and floor, the other events she regularly competed before her injury.
Rotation 1
ASU – Vault
Minnesota – Bars
Missouri – Beam
UIC – Floor
ASU debuting new leos today.
https://twitter.com/SunDevilGym/status/1081314068265222145
ASU’s lineup on Vault: Kuhm, Lentz, Ginn, K Szafranski, Leonard-Baker, Wilson
Kuhm starts us off with a gorgeous almosy stuck Y-full. Great start! – 9.7
Lentz, who missed the end of 2018 with an injury is back in the lineup! Slightly short on her y-full – 9.325
Tucker – Mizzou – beam – slight wobble on her series.. and that’s all we see
Ginn (VT) – good y-full. Hopefully can drop Lentz’s score
K Szafranski – Almost stuck her y-full. That will be a good score.
Nicholson (Mizzou) – gorgeous triple series!
Baker (VT) – HUGE y-full as usual. Another good score
Ramler (UB) – BEAUTIFUL ROUTINE! – Looks like it got a 9.9
Lu (UB) – slight hop on dismount, but a gorgeous routine as usual. She’s going to get a 10 before the end of season. I’m calling it!
Very nice routine so far from Kelly (Mizzou) on beam.
(UIC) – Not a clue who this is, but gorgeous leaps! Might be Baddeley? Anyway, very nice routine. That should help because they seem to be stuck in the 9.6s at the moment.
Saw the stuck landing from Ward on beam. Must have been a hit, teammates are chanting 10! 10! 10!
Commentators saying this is UIC’s last season. DON’T REMIND ME!! 🙁 🙁 🙁
Sheremeta (UIC) – BEAUTIFUL!! I’M OBSESSED WITH HER! Opens with a front double full and just has the most beautiful lines. That should be a good score.
Northern (UIC) – she was treated for thyroid cancer in the off season, but is now back competing. WHAT A FREAKING BOSS!! Very fun routine. Looks like she’s enjoying herself! Very clean landings so far. Slightly short on her double tuck, but a solid routine!
9.825 for Sheremeta! 9.825 for Northern as well.
Rotation 2
Morgan Hart leading off bars after missing a lot of 2018 with injury. Very strong leadoff capped off by a stuck DLO! Looks like 9.725
Ginn (ASU) – Another (nearly) stuck DLO to cap off a nice routine. Great start for the Sun Devils.
Korlin-Downs seems to have scratched beam? Doesn’t look injured, but saluted and walked off
K. Szafranski (ASU) – Usual form issue, but a nice hit routine with a stuck dismount. They are nailing these dismounts!
Wilson (ASU) – Very nice jaeger. Almost stuck her dismount too. Now for the big ones (Leonard-Baker and Kuhm)
Commentators said Wilson is redshirting a missed season, so looks like we’ll have her back next year!
Fall from Minnesota on beam
CLB (ASU) – HUGE routine with a STUCK dismount. That’s going to be a huge score! Yup, 9.9
Kuhm (ASU) – Unfortunately falls on her jaeger. Luckily, the previous 5 have hit, so they won’t have to count it. Still, it would have been a nice score.
Huge balance break from Minnesota on beam. They are struggling.
Ramler (Minnesota) – gorgeous on beam as usual. This should really help them. They have yet to break 9.7 on beam.
9.9 for Ramler
Fall from Lu in the exhibition spot. Oh, Minnesota…
Tucker (Mizzou) – missed most of it, but finished strong.
Rotation 3
Kuhm (ASU) – Changed her series to a front aerial BHS. She struggled with her BHS LOSO a bit last season, so that’s probably why. Good leadoff routine!
Wilson (ASU) – lovely BSH LOSO series. Very solid routine so far. Finished with a stuck dismount. Great routine!
Lentz (ASU) – Clean routine with few errors. ASU killing it here too!
Leonard-Baker (ASU) – Rock solid as usual. Wobble on her series, but stays on. And sticks her 1.5 dismount!
Callis (ASU) – Gorgeous flexibility and lines. Perfect triple series. Ugh, I love her. Stuck dismount! That should score well!
5 hits for ASU on beam, so pressure off for Udowitch, the anchor.
Albrecht off on bars for UIC.
Udowitch (ASU) – Wobble on series, but stays on. Good so far. slight chest down on dismount and step on landing.
Szafranski in the exhibition spot for some reason. She was a very strong regular last year, so idk. Solid routine so far, with a few wobbles on leaps. Almost falls on rulfova. I missed the end trying to google how to spell rulfova, but I think she hit.
Rotation 4
Lentz (ASU) leading things off on floor. Really glad to see her back after her injury last year. She has Rachel Slocum’s music from last year, love it! Very clean landings so far, and looks like she’s having a lot of fun with her choreo. Good start!
Fall from Kelly (Mizzou) on bars. Beautiful DLO to finish though.
Kuhm (ASU) – whip to double tuck is nice. It’s such a shame that we only get 2 years from her (stupid eligibility rules..). Very strong routine!
Williams (Minnesota) with a huge FTY on vault!
Udowitch (ASU) – slight chest down on double pike to start, but rudi in 2nd pass is good! And finishes strong!
K Szafranski (ASU) – great double pike to start. Looks like she’s having fun with the choreography! And a good finish! Strong routine!
Sheremeta (UIC) – BEAUTIFUL series…and that’s all we see. Still obsessed though.
Ginn (ASU) – Also very fun choreography. ASU has a really good choreographer apparently. Everyone looks great! Crashed her double pike at the end, but looks okay. I was a little worried about an injury for a second there.
Northern (UIC) – looking great on beam, but now we cut back to floor.
CLB (ASU) – HUGE double tuck to start! Really getting into this routine. She’s really a performer. Little chest down on double pike at the end, but great routine! 9.9 for her!
Final scores: Missouri: 195.450; ASU: 195.000; Minnesota: 194.150; UIC: 193.925
Overall was a pretty tightly scored meet, but not a bad start to the season!
Live Blog by Mary Emma Burton
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