Kathryn McSweeney. Kathryn McSweeney. Kathryn McSweeney. Now that her name’s been said three times, surely that means a return to Cortland’s bars lineup this weekend—right? After stepping away for a semester, McSweeney rejoined the roster last month, and seeing the reigning NCGA-East bars champion back in action would be a welcome sight for the Red Dragons.
For Brockport, bars have been more curse than blessing. Despite looking sharp on floor and steadily improving on beam and vault, the Golden Eagles have yet to find their footing on the event. The lineup averaged just over 9.000 last time out, a number that won’t make qualifying for NCGA Nationals easy. It’s still early—nothing panic-worthy—but definitely something to address sooner rather than later.
Host Ithaca has been cruising with impressive consistency, though bars has also presented challenges. In its last home meet, the Bombers were forced to count some lower scores but rebounded by gaining back half a point in the following outing. And if there’s a safety net in the sport, it’s an Ithaca beam rotation—the Bomber Beam Squad remains absolute comfort gymnastics.
We had the PERFECT view of vault and beam until they zoomed in, so if the universe could go ahead and let them know to zoom on out so we can see vault AND beam, that’d be awesome.
THE UNIVERSE HEARD.
Rotation 1: Ithaca VT, Brockport UB, Cortland BB
Farragher (Ithaca): Y lay, lots of shuffles back., form in the air.
Thompson (Ithaca): Y lay, good height, clean.
John (Ithaca): Y lay, good distance again, strong block, takes a couple of steps, good chest position.
Babineaux (Ithaca): Tucked tsuk arabian, great height in the air.
Steed (Ithaca): Y lay full, strong block, soft knees and legs in the air but love seeing the Bombers vaulting growing every season.
Murray (Ithaca): FHS front pike half, shuffle steps and chest a little low but looked good overall.
Schulman (Brockport): Shy first hs. Comes off on the piekd gienger. Bail to low. Full to double tuck, steps.
Raymond (Brockport): Catches the jaeger, bail to low a little archy. Half to half to double tuck.
Satter (Brockport): Gienger to shoot over, double tuck, steps.
Saravia (Brockport): Half to jaeger. Bail to low is archy. Toe on to pike half, quickly picks her chest up.
Brookins (Brockport): Half to jaeger. Pak has leg sep but looks cleaner than before! Full to double tuck, sticks!
Kay (Brockport): Big first hs. Half to tucked jaeger to shoot over, good! Double lay, small hop back. Brockport won’t need to count a fall! Strong comeback for the Golden Eagles.
Mirigliano (Cortland): Comes off on her bhs, just seemed like the rebound wasn’t there to connect anything. Repeats it fine. Jump series, okay. Flexy feet in the leap series. Good lay 1.5.
Weber (Cortland): BHS LOSO, very soft knees but hits np issue. Switch series, okay, not quite full extension. LEg comes up on her side aerial but saves it. Just a step on the gainer off the end.
Bootman (Cortland): Front aerial, good. BHS LOSO, small check but floats right through. Switch to tuck 3/4 chest down but keeps it on. Gorgeous extension on her leaps. Side aerial to tuck 1.5, step to the side. Good!
Graham (Cortland): Drops her shoulder on her series but immediately squares her hips. ove a triple series. Switch split jump to tuck 3/4, my heart swooned. BHS gainer lay full off side, stuck! LOVELY.
Sutton (Cortland): BHS LOSO. Cat leap to switch side, holds on with her toes, drops her chest in the process. Flutter to front aerial, fights and saves. The flutter didn’t have a ton of oomph. RO 1.5 lay.
Meadows (Cortland): Only routine going right now, Ithaca all cheering her on. BHS BHS LOSO is STRONG. Switch leap to split jump, little rebound bounce but good. Cat leap to side aerial, good. Full turn as second to last skill is a choice, but sticks the RO 1.5 lay! What an absolute clinic on anchoring beam.
AFTER ONE: Ithaca 47.950, Brockport 47.550, Cortland 47.175
Started with a fall, then wound up with their best bar rotation of the season? Could only be the Brockport Golden Eagles. Cortland didn’t quite bring the heat it could’ve on beam to try and push ahead of Ithaca and Brockport early, but like Brockport, the team had a fall on the first rotation but rebounded no issue, including an absolutely lights out routine by Samantha Meadows. If you’re not a football person, I suggest watching that routine on repeat for the rest of the night. Bombers have consistently notched within the 47.400 and 47.500 window on vault all season but outside themselves with an extra four-tenths today, with cleaner landings than when I last live blogged them a few weeks ago.
Rotation 2: Ithaca UB, Brockport BB, Cortland FX
Kaupp (Ithaca): Great hs. Free hip to pak, nice. Toe cricle to hand to double tuck, hits.
Thompson (Ithaca): Long pause from the judges here. Free hip to toe to high and great height but just doesn’t get the distance and brushes with her finger tips. HS, can’t turn, recasts to hs. Big double lay to end, takes a step.
Blake (Ithaca): Free hip to gienger to shootover, leg sep form throughout but nice and quick, ends with double tuck, small step. Back on track.
Lane (Ithaca): Free hip to geinger to shoot over, hits her feer ton the shoot over, Winds up to doubel lay, hop forward.
John (Ithaca): Comes off on the set up for her Maloney. Full to double tuck, doesn’t get teh rtoation, puts her hands down.
Babineaux (Ithaca): Half to jaeger, can’t catch it. She has SO MUCH height on that too. Full to double tuck, chest down, takes a step.
Kay (Brockport): Soft knees in the switch half side but good height otherwise. Leg up and comes off on her series. Small checks. Split 3/4 is a little uneven. Hop on the dismount. Falls on hs before dismount.
Schulman (Brockport): Hits the BHS LOSO. Switch leap to tuck 3/4, leg comes up, soft knees in the leaps. Transverse split jump half, shy. Front toss, small step back. Hits the dismount.
Strain (Brockport): Front aerial to loso, gooood, but drops the shoulder, stays on. Switch leap to straddle 3/4, beautiful extension throughout. Split jump to flutter, that toe point is lovely. Sticks the gainer off the end.
York (Brockport): BHS LOSO, takes a step backwards to square things up, good choice. Switch leap to split half, swoooon. Bobble in the front aerial. Front lay full, small step forward.
Gleason (Brockport): Front aerial to bhs loso, breaks at the hips, keeps it on. Switch leap to split 3/4, low back leg, fights to keep that on. RO 1.5 lay, good!
Hockman (Brockport): Hits the leap series. Front aerial, good. I missed her series but the team is looking happy through this routine. Leg comes up on the full turn a bit. Front lay full, sticks!
Mirigliano (Cortland): Leg sep in the front full in her opening pass. Chest down on the double pike, picks it up quick, good form in the air. Hitch kick to death drop is a fabulous choreo choice.
Bootman (Cortland): Small hop backwards in the front lay opening pass. RUDI to loso, good. Great height in her leaps.
Adkins (Cortland): Front lay to rudi but big chest down and bounces. Excellent front full in her last pass.
Fishkin (Cortland): FHS rudi to massive split jump rebound. Rewind and repeat for the next hour, thanks. Good height on the leaps, a touch shy on the extension that really only stands out because of her float split jump in the first pass. Front lay frotn full, good.
Roberts (Cortland): Biiiiiig double pike to open. Gorgeous extension on her switch half, great height on the straddle. Great routine.
Sutton (Cortland): Double pike, big lunge as she picks her chest up in a hurry. RO 1.5 to front lay, good!
AFTER TWO: Brockport 95.225, Cortland 95.150, Ithaca 93.425
Brockport’s toughest events are behind it now, and Ithaca can focus its beam squad on doing its job. Cortland has been debuting some big vaults and vault rotations since the end of last season, so this next rotation with the Red Dragons should be an absolute treat.
Rotation 3: Cortland VT, Ithaca BB, Brockport FX
Sutton (Cortland): Y lay, flat hips, good chest position.
Mirigliano (Cortland): Y lay half, a little short on the rotation, steps back. Not quite as a strong of a block as she would’ve wanted.
Brown (Cortland): Y full, open hips, good, takes a couple of steps.
Meadows (Cortland): Y half on tuck off, running steps forward, so much power.
Chapman (Cortland): Y full, chest a bit down, big bounce and leg comes up, but again, some good power to work with there.
Graham (Cortland): Y full, great block, best Y full we’ve seen today!
Horike (Ithaca): BHS LOSO series has a small check at the end but no issues. Good leap series. RO 1.5 lay, good.
Desjardins (Ithaca): Love her full turn method. Side aerial to side aerial, slow, takes a few steps after the second, okay. Finishes strong.
John (Ithaca): Hits her series. Foot shuffle on her side aerial. Beat to split 3/4, good toe point. Front tuck full, hop forward.
Foster (Ithaca): BHS LOSO, oh no comes off. That was such a floaty LOSO. Switch leap to straddle with a small check. Oh no, saw her come out of the corner of my eye.
Freyman (Ithaca): Long pause from the judges here.Full turn to beat jump. Front tuck, shoulder drop, to back tuck. Switch leap, leg comes up, back tuck. Ithaca is having some beam troubles today.
Kobusky (Ithaca): Long pause again. Kobusky will be the only one competing when the judges figure out what’s going on with Freyman’s routine. RO LOSO, back leg doesn’t get one, she tries to muscle through to save it but comes off. Sticks her gainer off the end.
Czarcinski (Brockport): Front flay to front full, great form in the air. Switch side to popa is lovely. Absolutely great chest position on the rudi.
Kay (Brockport): Double pike to open, good. Frton lay to front full, good. Switch ghalf to popa has great extension through the toes.
Wood (Brockport): Double tuck, chest a liiiittle down. Front lay to front full with some quick choreo steps to smooth things over.
Brookins (Brockport): Missed her first front pass, but good chest position, quick twisting. Looked like a front lay to front full second pass, good form in the air! RUDI to good chest position! She’s really cleaned that up!
Saravia (Brockport): Looked like front double full to open out of the corner of my eye. Whip half pass looked good. Love that she kept the dive roll, she flies in that choreo. Strong routine for Brockport.
Hockman (Brockport): Double tuck, good chest position. Switch ring to switch half, good. Sharp positions on both. Front full to front lay, bounces into some choreo. Tuck full to wolf series.
AFTER THREE: Brockport, 143.925, Cortland 143.450, Ithaca 139.300,
Ithaca did not have a good time on beam after not having a good time on bars, either. A bright spot, however, is that even the hometeam might be struggling a bit, the Bombers will get to close out the meet and senior day on floor. Brockport will look to clinch a win today on vault, but if the Golden Eagles get overzealous and swap since steps for too many shuffled landings, then Cortland will be ready to take the W.
Rotation 4: Brockport VT, Cortland UB, Ithaca FX
I am 99% I just heard Ithaca cheer, “Floor party!”
Gibbs (Brockport): Tucked tsuk full, low chest, leg sep. Good start for the rotation, however.
Saravia (Brockport): FHS front tuck, oh that was DREAMY.
Kay (Brockport): Tucked y full, chest down ish, but just a small hop, good control.
Weaver (Brockport): Y lay, not as dynamic a vault as we’ve seen from Brockport today but still a strong landing.
Langdon (Brockport): Tucked y full, bounces/steps back, good block.
Hockman (Brockport): Y lay full, good!!
Roberts (Cortland): Catches her release, bail to low, good. Double lay, just a shuffle!
Chapman (Cortland): Great hs. Shaposh to bail, great leg form, tiniest arch on the bail. Winds up to dobuel tuck, bounce in place.
Baradic (Cortland): Great hs. Half to tkatchev that is SKY high. Double lay, a liiiittle short, she wants the stick, hop forward.
Wong (Cortland): Free hip to gienger to shootover, good. Feet may have tapped but I’m not positive. Half to half to double tuck, bounce forward.
McSweeney (Cortland): Good hs. Toe circle. Gienger to shoot over, good! Half to half, good hs. Double tuck, STICKS. Welcome back, McSweeney!
Adkins (Cortland): Gienger to shootover, leg sep at the bottom but keeps her toes pointed. Dobule lay, not the flattest, but sticks!
Kaupp (Ithaca): Rudi, good. Love a fun cartwheel to loso knee choreo. Front lay to front full. Lovely extension in her switch side. Fabulous start, back on track for Ithaca in the final rotation.
Farragher (Ithaca): Front lay to front full, awkard rebound, takes several running steps backward. Switch half to wolf full. Takes double tuck right into the corner.
Thompson (Ithaca): Feels like she may have overcooked the double pike to open, she’s out of view. Switch to switch side to wolf 1.5. RO 1.5 to front lay, good.
Arias (Ithaca): Long wait here. Front full to front lay, a little archy on that second flip. Strong routine overall!
Freyman (Ithaca): Front full to front tuck, I think she may have gone OOB. Also second guessing myself on that first pass. The problems of watching two routines at the same time. Switch to wolf full wolf full, good. Rudi to stag, good!
Murray (Ithaca): Waiting, waiting, waiting, Front full to front lay, no notes. Switch side half to popa, lovely extension. Great double pike to end.
FINAL: Brockport 192.175, Cortland 190.975, Ithaca 187.475
VT: G Murray Ithaca, T Graham Cortland 9.750
UB: E Brookins, L Kay Brockport 9.725
BB: K Hockman Brockport 9.750
FX: G Murray Ithaca 9.825
AA: L Kay Brockport 37.650
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Live blog by Allison Freeman
