It’s time to kick off the Lexington Regional. Day one begins with No. 31 Central Michigan and No. 36 Rutgers battling for a spot in tomorrow evening’s second session. The higher-seeded Chippewas enter with momentum after defending their MAC title, while the Scarlet Knights claimed the final postseason berth and have nothing to lose in chasing an upset.
With an NQS and average roughly two-tenths higher than Rutgers, Central Michigan is the slight favorite in its first team regional appearance since 2021. Two-time MAC Gymnast of the Year Luciana Alvarado-Reid leads the way as the team’s top all-arounder and will compete all four events as an individual if the Chippewas don’t advance. Bars is a clear strength, ranked No. 21 nationally, highlighted by Lia Kmieciak’s 9.905 NQS. Beam, however, has been inconsistent, making a clean rotation essential.
Rutgers may trail in NQS and average, but its season high is more than four-tenths higher—a sign of real upset potential. After early inconsistency, the Scarlet Knights found their rhythm late to secure a regional spot, relying on balanced lineups across all four events. Gabrielle Dildy anchors the all-around, while Emily Leese brings scoring power on vault and floor, giving Rutgers the firepower to challenge for a first-round win.
Follow along with video and live scores!
Rotation 1: Central Michigan Vault, Rutgers Bars
Germond (CMU): Yfull. A bit of bent arms on the block, has to pike it down but just a tiny hop in place. 9.650
Uhlenberg (Rutgers): Mounts to the high bar, archy first handstand but saves it, blind to Jaeger, wonky bail to handstand but fights, nice last handstand, dismounts, double layout, small slide back. Not the start the Scarlet Knights want as the lower seed. 9.275
Reddick (CMU): Yfull. Great block, too much power, big bound and cross-step to her right and well over the directional line. 9.600
Earley (Rutgers): Clear hip to Gienger to oversrhoot, excellent job keeping her legs glued together, dismounts giant full double tuck, leans for the stick. 9.700
Alvarado-Reid (CMU): Yfull. Not a ton of height but clean and straight throughout, hops back. 9.725
Rains (Rutgers): Oopening handstand is good, blind to Jaeger, loses her knees and toes in the overshoot, double tuck with a step back. 9.700
Bootz (CMU): Front tuck half. Stuck cold, decent chest position, too. Kicked out nice and early to find it. The Chippewas are hype. 9.725
Adrian (Rutgers): Great first handstand, Tkatchev to pak is smooth, hits the last handstand, giant full to double tuck, wobbly shuffle. 9.775
Wellmeier (CMU): Yfull. Bent arms on the block but still good distance, small hop in place, slightly to the right. 9.775
Dildy (Rutgers): Ger underway with a toe on to Maloney to pak, good height in the pak, half pirouette, dismounts FTDT with a hop forward. 9.800
Kmieciak (CMU): Yfull. Great block, nice form in the flight, near stick but slightly lifts her heels for it. 9.850
Schenkel (Rutgers): Blind to pike Jaeger to overshoot, good amplitude, nails the last handstand into a toe on pike half off and a stick. Way to salvage that rotation! 9.850
Totals: Central Michigan – 48.725, Rutgers – 48.825
After a precarious start for the Scarlet Knights, they put together quite a rest of the rotation, capped off by a few 9.8s, to seize the lead to begin the meet! That is key, as Central Michigan rotates to its best event, bars, next, so to have a lead is key in offsetting what’s likely to be a high score from the Chippewas. Central Michigan had a solid start despite not beginning with the lead, giving itself a good foundation to build upon the rest of the afternoon.
Rotation 2: Rutgers Vault, Central Michigan Bars
Chevaire (Rutgers): Yfull. Pops up so high off the board, not a ton of distance but nails the landing. Stuck. 9.825
Shannon (CMU): Blind to piked Jaeger, nice bail, bent arms on the last handstand, double layout, waves and a bend at the hips to keep the feet in place. 9.750
Larsen (Rutgers): Yfull. Some shoulder angle on the table but nice and clean in flight, another stick! 9.850
Wellmeier (CMU): Short on the first handstand, blind to Jaeger to overshoot, slightly loose, short handstand, clear hip to toe on front pike half, loses her form a bit throughout, chest down on a steppy landing. 9.675
Schenkel (Rutgers): Tsuk tucked 1.5. Still a bit tucked going into the landing, big lunge forward. 9.725
Johnson (CMU): Mounts to the high bar, good handstand, toe on to Ray to overshoot, no issues, hits last handstand, dismounts double layout, gets the stick. 9.775
Riley (Rutgers): Y1.5. Great form throughout, good distance, lacked some height, hop mostly in place. 9.850
Schwab (CMU): Opens with a hit handstand, clear hip to Geinger, caught really close, good bail, short on last handstand, dismounts double layout, legs glued together and sticks it. 9.750
Dildy (Rutgers): Yfull. Lots of height, straight body position in the air, hop back. 9.800
Alvarado-Reid (CMU): Great opening handstand, toe on to Maloney to pak, so smooth, easy half pirouette and last handstand, dismounts giant f9.825ull to double tuck. Stuck. That’s the routine CMU needed to get back on track.
Leese (Rutgers): Y1.5. Great distance, hop forward, clean throughout. 9.775
Kmieciak (CMU): Lovely first handstand, toe on to Maloney to overshoot, smooth, tiny bit short on last handstand, sticks her double layout. 9.875
Rotation Totals: Rutgers – 49.100, Central Michigan – 48.975
Totals: Rutgers – 97.925, Central Michigan – 97.700
Matching its season high on vault, Rutgers extends its lead after the second rotation as the Chippewas weren’t able to capitalize on what has been their best even all season long. Starting off with a pair of sticks really swung the momentum in the Scarlet Knight’s favor, but with just two-tenths separating the duo, Central Michigan is certainly still in it. Both teams’ lowest-ranked event is beam, meaning there is still plenty to be decided in the next two rotations.
Rotation 3: Central Michigan Beam, Rutgers Floor
Germond (CMU): Forward roll onto the beam, cat leap to switch half, slightly short of rotation, full turn, BHS LOSO, soft knees, switch leap, view was blocked for the rest of the routine, but no issues from what I can tell. 9.750
Uhlenberg (Rutgers): Front layout to Rudi, easy landing, messy feet at the end of the twist, double tuck second pass, lots of height, switch half to wolf full x2, no issues getting any of them around. 9.825
Bootz (CMU): Full turn to open, BHS LOSO, leg check, switch leap to split leap to pike jump, slightly shy of 180 in the switch leap, front toss to beat jump, wobbles but covers well, gainer pike dismount, stuck. 9.700
Larsen (Rutgers): Mounts with a double pike, problem free, FHS Rudi stag jump, switch half to wolf full, RO 1.5 front layout, could use more rise at the end, but overall solid routine. 9.825
Johnson (CMU): Low beam choreo to get going, solo beat jump, front toss to back tuck, big check at the end, slight lean in the connection, front toss to scale, hand check on the full turn, switch leap to straddle side, best elements of the routine so far, dismounts gainer pike, good height, sticks it. 9.675
Adrian (Rutgers): Begins with a RO 1.5 front full, lunged back, slightly under, switch half to wolf 1.5, gets it around, Rudi, controls that lunge. 9.825
Zimmerman (CMU): Candlestick mount, well controlled, cartwheel, full turn, tiny check, switch leap to split jump, BHS LOSO, waves her arms to control, cat leap to switch half to beat jump, well done, punch front full dismount with just a step forward. 9.800
Goldsmith (Rutgers): Front double full to mount, steps out of it right into choreo, getting the crowd into it with her mix of 2000’s hip-hop, front full front layout, excellent body shape, switch side to Popa, Rudi to layout to straddle jump, fun combo and does it well! 9.850
Pelfrey (CMU): Backwards roll to get underway, side aerial to roundoff, sturdy, confident full turn, switch leap to split 3/4, leg comes up a bit, dismounts cartwheel to gainer full, tiny slide back. 9.775
Dildy (Rutgers): Starts with a front tuck to double tuck, no issues into the lunge, chest up, switch 3/4 to Popa, closes with a double pike, chest a tad forward but chose to lunge that time, didn’t need to. 9.900
Alvarado-Reid (CMU): Low beam work to open, BHS LOSO, slight lean, switch leap to switch half ot beat jump, dips the chest between the last two elements a bit, large check on a side aerial, full turn and another wobble, ends with a gainer pike with a hop forward. 9.675
Leese (Rutgers): Giant full-in top begin, well controlled, switch half to Popa, nice positions in the air, front tuck to double tuck, bouncy into the lunge but keeps her front foot down. 9.875
Rotation Totals: Central Michigan – 48.700, Rutgers – 49.275
Totals: Rutgers – 147.200, Central Michigan – 146.400
What a stellar floor rotation for Rutgers! While Central Michigan did put forth one of its better beam rotations of the season, its top score was still lower than anything the Scarlet Knights put up on floor and creating the eigth-tenth gap between the pair heading into the final rotation. With beam Rutgers’ problem event, this still isn’t over, but the Chippewas will need to be lights-out on at least five routines to end their afternoon.
Rotation 4: Rutgers Beam, Central Michigan Floor
Adrian (Rutgers): Full turn to open, tiniest of arm waves, BHS LOSO, lovely toe point, check to the side, switch leap to switch half, good chest position, beat jump, dismounts RO double twist, stuck. 9.775
Germond (CMU): Mounts with a front tuck to double tuck, chest low but controls the lunge, RO 1.5 front layout, switch 3/4 to straddle jump, needs more extension through her knees and ankles. 9.850
Rains (Rutgers): Gets going with a BHS LOSO, solid, cat leap to front aerial, confident leaps, full turn, stuck gainer full. 9.800
Parker (CMU): Begins with a front layout to front full, lacked some height, switch leap to straddle 3/4 to straddle jump, really nice split positions, double pike to close, easy. 9.825
Larsen (Rutgers): Low beam work to begin, BHS LOSO, big check, switch leap to switch half, shy of 180 on the second leap, RO 1.5 dismount, hop foward. 9.700
Bootz (CMU): Wolf jump full twice to open, slightly flexed feet, Rudi, RO 1.5 front layout, more unpointed toes, switch side to Popa. 9.850
Smith (Rutgers): Starts off with a BHS BHS LOSO, clean, full turn with an agressive leg kick out, switch leap x2, RO 1.5, stuck cold. 9.850
Zimmerman (CMU): Lovely front double full, cartwheel LOSO, switch ring leap to switch half to split full, great toes, front layout front full to close. 9.850
Riley (Rutgers): Opens with her flight series, BHS LOSO, smooth, split jump to split 3/4, lean forward, side aerial, no issues, full turn, tiny adjustment, BHS 1.5, step with the right foot. 9.775
Wellmeier (CMU): Begins with a nice and open double pike, RO 1.5 front pike right into choero, clean through her leap series, finishes with a double tuck, gets the landing. 9.850
Dildy (Rutgers): Front toss piked to BHS, fluid through the connection, cat leap to switch side, good height, full turn, split jump 1/4, isn’t afraid to jump as high as possible, cartwheel to stuck gainer full. 9.800
Alvarado-Reid (CMU): Mounts with a FHS Rudi to stag jump, nice form throughout, switch full to sissone, RO 1.5 front layout, good height, switch half to wolf jump full, gets it around easily. 9.900
Rotation Totals: Rutgers – 49.000, Central Michigan – 49.300
Final: Rutgers 196.200, Central Michigan 195.700
Ending with their best rotation of the night, it was just too little too late for the Chippewas as the Scarlet Knights put up one of their best beam lineups of the year to hold onto their lead and advance to the second round. Quite the accomplisment for the final team qualifier this season!
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Live blog by Brandis Heffner
