Ohio State has gotten off to a very strong start this year, and things could get even better for the Buckeyes: Star freshman Miriam Perez was missing from training updates in December and didn’t compete in the first week of the season, but she did an exhibition on floor on the road at N.C. State last week. Ohio State recorded a 196.025 at that meet, and a few more strong routines could make this team positively scary.
Penn State will be happy to be home after two road meets in a row, but it’ll be a surprise if the Nittany Lions can upset the Buckeyes. Some of Penn State’s borderline-lineup routines are quite tenuous, and all arounder Lauren Bridgens doesn’t seem to have hit her stride yet. But a home dual is a great chance to settle into the season and build on a solid start.
https://twitter.com/OhioStateWGYM/status/1086375599814389760
Ohio State’s got a new leotard today. I’m lukewarm on it.
Ready to go at Rec Hall vs. No. 17 Ohio State!!! Turn on Big Ten Network!
Follow live scoring here: https://t.co/Or35k6gril pic.twitter.com/jKkgIObeSD
— Penn State Women’s Gymnastics (@PennStateWGYM) January 19, 2019
PSU’s lineups here. The livescore link doesn’t work though.
This afternoon we begin on bars! Catch us on @BigTenNetwork right now!#GoBucks #WeDecide pic.twitter.com/bKzsjvNTzQ
— Ohio State WGYM (@OhioStateWGYM) January 19, 2019
ROTATION 1: PENN STATE VAULT, OHIO STATE BARS
BONSALL – PSU: Yurchenko full, twists onto the table a touch, nice in the air, hop forward on the landing.
HUANG – OSU: Blind to Jaeger, really pretty, arms extended on the catch. Good bail, full in dismount with a tiny step.
GARCIA – PSU: Yurchenko arabian, powerful and stumbles forward.
HINTERBERGER – OSU: Blind to Jaeger, feels a touch shy on some of the handstands, blind full to double back.
ASTARITA – PSU: Really good full! Tiny step to the side but a good one.
MILLER – OSU: Just over on her first handstand but holds onto it. Maloney to bail, tiny leg sep, blind full double back. Little step.
CHINNERY – PSU: Big full, two quick steps back but really dynamic.
STONE – OSU: Blind change to Jaeger, narrow straddle but catches it well. Gorgeous technique. Maybe shy on the last handstand, oooh going the wrong direction on her blind full and falls. Repeats it, stuck double back, that’s a pity. Perfect otherwise.
LAGUARDIA – PSU: Yurchenko full landed short with a couple of hops. Pushed really hard for the layout position and just wasn’t quite around.
AEPLI – OSU: Toe to Maloney, gorgeous, to bail. Her technique on bars is spectacular. Half in half out, legs come apart a bit, and STUCK.
BRIDGENS – PSU: Just the full today, super powerful with a midsize hop back.
SWARTZENTRUBER – OSU: Maloney to Pak, lovely, van Leeuwen is great. Double lay a touch whippy in the air with a big hop back. She gets a OSU flag around her shoulders for that.
Bastardi in the exhibition for Penn State, starts twisting really late, very pretty position but nowhere near around, lands on hands and knees. Abanto up for Ohio State, toe on to Maloney, bit short on bail, full turn to double back with a hop. She’s technically great, just needs to feel her handstands a bit more to crack the lineup there
OHIO STATE 49.025 – PENN STATE 48.550
I think Ohio State was lowballed throughout bars there, but I checked in with my friend and our Big Ten editor Emily Minehart who informed me that “PSU scoring is always straight trash,” so I won’t be too upset about it. It’s still a good rotation score and puts it on pace with the very best of the Big Ten so far. Penn State put a solid six vaults up but needs to clean them up technically.
ROTATION 2: OHIO STATE VAULT, PENN STATE BARS
SWARTZENTRUBER – OSU: Yurchenko full gorgeous in the air with a big hop back.
ALLEN – PSU: This is my first look at the transfer from UK. Bent knees on her Jaeger and an awkward catch, slightly short on her bail, nice double lay with a big hop back.
MCLELLAND – OSU: Yurchenko Arabian, nice controlled step. Good one!
VERDEFLOR – PSU: Excited to see Ava in two events today. Blind change to Jaeger, gorgeous, over on a handstand, takes some extra swings to get it back. Nice bail, blind change double back to her hands and knees.
JENNINGS – OSU: Yurchenko full, wraps the twist really deliberately like a diver which I love, pikes down a touch and takes a step back. Really nice one, though.
MCCRACKEN – PSU: Aggressive on her handstands! Really nice Tkachev, great bail, love this. Toe on to stalder to double back STUCK.
LOWE – OSU: Beautiful full with a step back. Ohio State’s series of fulls is worlds different from Penn State’s. They’re in control in the air and it shows in the landings.
BRIDGENS – PSU: Maloney to bail to toe shoot, really nice, Funny that she’s in the ten spot. Blind full double back, tiny foot shift.
AEPLI – OSU: Coach standing behind her is making her laugh while she waits for the flag. Gorgeous full, small step back, best vault of the day to my eye.
BONSALL – PSU: Messy Maloney with huge leg sep, comes in high on her Pak but works through it, lots of power though. Double layout is solid with a hop back.
STONE – OSU: Normal gorgeous Yurchenko arabian with a small hop. Really solid vault lineup from the Buckeyes.
GARCIA – PSU: Pike Jaeger is nice, toe on to bail, double lay stuck. 9.95!
A fall for Bastardi on her Jaeger in the exhibition.
OHIO STATE 97.95 – PENN STATE 97.725
Fantastic bars rotation for Penn State, but scores were noticeably higher for the Nittany Lions than for Ohio State. A 9.825 for a beautiful Aepli hit next to a 9.800 for Bonsall who had major leg form issues throughout plus the same dismount hop is difficult to understand. Really thrilled for Garcia though especially after an iffy vault.
ROTATION 3: PSU BEAM, OSU FLOOR
GARCIA – PSU: Hitch kick switch side great. Side aerial with a bit of a check, flic loso great. nice full turn, solid sheep jump, gainer full with just a toe shift.
HUANG – OSU: Double pike always feels a bit low to me but she always gets it around with no chest position drama. Two and a half with a slightly bigger lunge out but it’s very pretty. Switch half to Popa is nice, one and a half front lay, misses her punch and sits.
VERDEFLOR – PSU: JESUS. Front aerial and her first heel doesn’t make it onto the beam, drags the rest of her down with it and she skims the side of the beam in a very painful looking way. Hopefully that foot’s okay, she stayed down for a second. Okay she looks good. Dance series solid, side somi back tuck full! Inspired by Danusia Francis apparently, which makes sense.
ABANTO – OSU: Phew, took a second to breathe after that fall but Abanto had a great first couple of passes. Great double back to close, hop to lunge but she put together a great set after two consecutive misses.
BASTARDI – PSU: Lots of pressure here but you can see her style from the very beginning. Front aerial bhs tentative but works through. Kickover front to beat, she’s getting through, switch to straddle, side aerial back full stuck! Good one.
GAGLIARDI – OSU: Double pike, super powerful, has to use her arms to arrest it like you would on beam Front lay I think? to Rudi, and now we’re in the dance sequence which is my FAVORITE. She’s an icon on this event. Little scoot on her double back, dramatic closing sequence. Rockstar.
MCCRACKEN – PSU: Front aerial with a bit of a lean, pretty side scale choreo, split to double stag with a leg up check. Cat leap front aerial, bend check, still no acro series, flic gainer full. That’s going to be a problematic score.
AEPLI – OSU: Beautiful dancer. Nailed her double back, tj1/2 to Popa, this is a Greatest Showman routine which I have to respect. Front full front lay was kind of piked, JUST short of the line but I think she stayed in. Double pike underrotated with a hop forward.
BRIDGENS – PSU: Hitch kick kickover front nailed. Switch to tuck 3/4, full turn really pretty, flic loso looked off line in the air to my eye but she doesn’t have a problem. One and a half twist with a hop forward. Great hit!
MCLELLAND – OSU: Big double pike, pulls her front foot back a little, front full front lay is airy and gorgeous. Switch side to Popa. This floor seems really springy, you can hear the bounce during passes and the Buckeyes are consistently just a little overpowered. Double back gorgeous.
HOSEK – PSU: Another really awful looking fall on her LOSO, way off to one side and seemed to take the brunt of the fall onto the back of one thigh. Good mixed series to her knees, pretty leaps,
STONE – OSU: This one is just exquisitely choreographed, double pike perfect, two and a half punch front right on top of herself and dances straight out of it, another two and a half I think and beautiful lunge.
Two falls from Bonsall in the exhibition and wildly underrotated on her gainer pike with a big step forward.
Perez on floor for OSU! She fell last week but I’m really hoping for her to get into some lineups. Little shuffle back on her double pike, she’s fantastically expressive and has a great smile. Front full front lay, switch ring switch 1/2 great, double back underrotated with a step forward. Yay!
OHIO STATE 146.900 – PENN STATE 145.850
Penn State might get away with a decent total after the struggles on beam, but it’s likely given up its chance at a win over the Buckeyes. Ohio State, meanwhile, gave up a little ground with some of the landings on floor there but still has a look at one of the best scores in the Big Ten so far this year.
ROTATION 4: OHIO STATE BEAM, PENN STATE FLOOR
SWARTZENTRUBER – OSU: Flic loso way off line and falls. Hitch kick to kickover front to beat is great. Good leap series, gainer full with a stick. Would have been stellar without the fall.
Okay, things are about to get rocky because my next meet is starting and this is nowhere near done.
ALLEN – PSU: Double pike a bit chaotic. Missed the middle, front thru double back to close is really solid.
HUANG – OSU: Clean through acro series, split to sheep, double full stuck with a lean. Great! She’s so precise.
BONSALL – PSU: Great double back to open. She’s got some beautiful dance sections in here. Apparently she was a in-meet decision for this spot. Big double pike to close, manages to keep her front foot down despite being mildly overpowered.
CHINNERY – PSU: Whip double pike MASSIVE with a great landing. Super impressive! Double back massively powerful, and she’s got the performance quality too, great expression in her face. Switch side Popa with slightly questionable splits, one and a half front pike. Fabulous.
LOWE – OSU: Flic loso nailed, switch straddle 1/4, she’s so solid. Cat leap side aerial with a little hesitation but pulls it into line, full turn, one and a half dismount with a little hop. Nice!
ASTARITA – PSU: Open double back is huge, step forward but it’s rotated. One and a half front lay, could have stuck it, switch side to Popa maybe a touch underrotated. Great double pike.
STONE – OSU: Flic loso airy and super controlled, full turn is great, orphan beat jump, hey, you gotta get those A skills somehow. Cat leap switch side I think, two and a half twist with a step back.
BRIDGENS – PSU: They’re making a fuss of upgrades, we’ll see what she throws. Double back to open, front double full is really nice with a big step. Switch 1/2 wolf 1/1 I think. Front full front lay is great.
GILSON – OSU: Flic loso, super steady and great leg form. Cat leap switch 1/2 wow!! Tiny hesitation on the landing but no biggie. Great sheep, bhs 3/2 twist with a bit of leg form and a side step.
GARCIA – PSU: Missed her first pass, great double pike, pretty leaps, one and a half front lay with a little bounce. Great finish for the Nittany Lions.
AEPLI – OSU: Aepli trying to bring it home for the Bucks. Pretty full turn, flic loso, kickover front to beat. Switch to straddle is really pretty, gainer full STUCK.
Abanto in exhibition for Ohio State, flic loso good with a bit of knees. Switch straddle 1/4, great elevation on her leaps. Beautiful Y turn, punch Rudi to close.
OHIO STATE 196.075 – PENN STATE 194.850
Live blog by Rebecca Scally
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