It’s time to crown our 2019 Big Ten champion!
Michigan comes into this competition as the favorite. The Wolverines have the highest ranking and have been consistently putting up 197s in the latter part of the season. Not to mention that they have won the competition each of the last five years. However, claiming a sixth-consecutive title won’t be easy.
Minnesota has been the Cinderella story of the season. The Gophers went from barely making regionals two years ago to knocking on the door of the top 10 this year. They have already recorded two scores in the 197s and proved they could compete with Michigan by defeating the Wolverines at Missouri last week.
Of course, it would not be fair to count out Nebraska. The Cornhuskers have had a season full of ups and downs but recorded a huge season high last week. They are known as a team who peaks at the right time, so expect them to bring their A-game into this competition and be right up there with Michigan and Minnesota.
Rotation 1
Nebraska: vault, Minnesota: bye b/f bars, Illinois: bars, Michigan: beam, Iowa: bye b/f floor, Penn State: floor
Farley (Mich) – great triple series, solid side aerial, sticks dismount!
Dujakovich (Neb) – y 1.5 with a low squat
Vereceles-Carr (Neb) – y 1.5 with a large step forward
Osman (Mich) – wobble on series but saves it, rest looked good
DeJesus (Neb) – nearly sits 1.5, takes like 4 steps backwards
Karas (Mich) – great series, nice leap series, gainer LOSO great, hop on dismount
Crause (Neb) – y 1.5 with a small hop
Houchin (Neb) – y 1.5 with the smallest hop forward
Mariani (Mich) – great side aerial, good on leaps, great on acro series! college salutes out of dismount
Otto (Ill) – lovely shaposh to pak to shaopsh 1/2 work, sticks dismount
Quinn (Neb) – y full with a bounce back
Funk (Mich) – great on acro series, leap series is great! slight wobble on switch leap but covers well, and I missed the end…
9.975 for Otto!
Wojcik (Mich) – lovely front aerial to beat jump, perfect acro series, great side aerial, hop on dismount
Garcia (PSU) – good double back to open, I love her choreography! short on double pike but saves it, some music issues going on but doesn’t seem to be affecting her, almost sits last pass but saves it
After 1: Michigan, 49.300, Penn State 49.275, Illinois 49.250, Nebraska 48.900
It’s tight! Penn State and Illinois with great bars rotation and just trailing Michigan.
Rotation 2
Borden (Ill) – cool mount that she does, front aerial to FHS series great, stuck dismount!
Leadoff PSU vault stuck! (Astarita)
Bonsall (PSU) – y full with a hop back
Willmarth (Minn) – great routine from what I saw, stuck dismount!
Sullivan (Iowa) – missed the beginning, too much power on double tuck and nearly goes flying OOB, beautiful leaps
Good routine from Loper from what I saw
Otto (Ill) – great acro series, sticks dismount
Another stuck dismount from Sales (Minn) on bars
Ramler (Minn) – lovely shaposh transition work as usual, stuck dismount!
Scott (Ill) – great front toss to BHS, lovely front aerial, stuck dismount!
Lu (Minn) – great shaposh to pak as usual, stuck dismount! Come on judges, give it to her…looks like 9.95
Roe (Ill) – solid acro series, good leap series, side somi to back full dismount stuck!
Castle (Iowa) – missed beginning, good second pass, great 1.5 to front lay to close
After 2: Illinois 98.500, Penn State 98.050, Minnesota 49.425, Michigan 49.300, Iowa 49.175, Nebraska 48.900
Everyone is bringing it today! I think Minnesota stuck basically all of its dismounts and leads Michigan by just over a tenth now. Illinois killing it as well.
Rotation 3
Heiskell (Mich) – good double pike, good front lay to rudi, great 1.5 to front lay
Hargrove (Neb) great tkatchev, good pak, hop on dismount
Fall from Osman on floor
Loper (Minn) – great acro series, good front toss, stuck (or close to it) dismount!
Brenner (Mich) – great full in to open, good front through to 2.5, slightly short on twist, great double pike to close
Lu (Minn) – missed beginning, wobble on leap, off on side somi, stuck dismount
Well, this is getting interesting….
McLean (Mich) – good double back to open, great front lay to front full, great double pike to close
Schweihofer (Neb) – huge gienger, small hop on dismount
Houchin (Neb) – huge tkatchev, great handstand on bail, stuck dismount. That’s going to be a big score…
Korlin-Downs (Minn) – big wobble on acro series but saves it, sticks dismount
Wojcik (Mich) – hit fist pass, missed if is was th full in or not haha, great front double full to front pike, great rudi to split jump to close
Sales (Minn) – great triple series, beautiful switch leap, stuck dismount
Karas (Mich) – great double arabian to open, I LOVE this routine! great 1.5 to front full, good double pike to close
Ramler (Minn) – great a ro series, lovely front aerial, lovely leaps as usual, stuck dismount!
After 3: Michigan 98.750, Illinois 98.500, Nebraska 98.225, Penn State 98.050, Minnesota 98.025, Iowa 98.025
Looks like Minnesota counted a fall and a 9.675 on beam. That will make the upset very difficult now with Michigan’s great floor and Nebraska hitting bars there.
Rotation 4
Scott (Ill) – good front double full to open, great 1.5 to front lay, great rudi to close
Maxim (Mich) – tsuk 1/2 with a step forward
Brenner (Mich) – y 1.5 with a small hop forward,
Otto (Ill) – good first pass, good 1.5 to front tuck, good rudi to close
McLean (Mich) – stuck y full!
Karas (Mich) – y 1.5 with a step back
Schweihofer (Neb) – good acro series, solid full turn, missed the end, but sounds like a hit
Wojcik (Mich) – y 1.5 with a small hop forward
Crouse (Neb) – good front aerial to bhs series, good leaps, good front toss, stuck dismount
Houchin (Neb) – good acro series, missed some there while watching bars and she must have fallen?, big wobble on leaps, slight wobble on side aerial, hop on dismount
Garcia (PSU) – great jaeger, hits bail, small slide on dismount
Hassel (Neb) – good acro series, small hop on dismount
Roe (Ill) – Ice Ice Baby! great front lay to rudi to open, good leaps, good 1.5 to front lay to finish, slightly overpowered it but didn’t go OOB
After 4: Michigan 148.025, Illinois 147.700, Penn State 147.325, Nebraska 147.250, Minnesota 98.025, Iowa 98.025
Illinois still gaining on Michigan, but vault is its weakest event, so an upset will be hard unless Michigan has mistakes.
Rotation 5
Dwyer (Ill) – stuck y full!
Higgins (Minn) – front double full, a little short on the twist, good 2.5 to front pike, good rudi to close
Otto (Ill) – y full with a small hop back
Howell (Ill) – y full with a hop back
Scott (Ill) – y full chest a little down and step forward
Sullivan (Iowa) – good tkatchev, and stuck dismount!
Sonier (Minn) – good double pike to open, good rudi, good 2.5 to front lay to close
Meeks (Ill) – y full, sticks it but then college salutes out
Jones (Ill) – y full with a large hop back
Ung (Minn) – good double pike to open, little uncontrolled on 2nd pass but saves it well, good rudi to close
Loper (Minn) – great front lay to Rudi, great 2.5 twist, great rudi to close
My WiFi went out, so sorry about the delay. I think we’re good now.
Ramler (Minn) – great double pike to open, nice rudi, her dance is SO PRETTY! and beautiful 1.5 thorough to 2.5 to close.
Williams (Minn) – beautiful front double full, gorgeous leaps, huge 1.5 to front lay, great rudi to close
After 5: Illinois 196.650, Penn State 196.100, Michigan 148.025, Minnesota 147.375, Nebraska 147.250, Iowa 147.150
Michigan needs just a 48.625 on bars to pass Illinois. Minnesota and Nebraska still in it if Michigan has mistakes and they both go huge in the last rotation.
Rotation 6
Johnston (Neb) – good double pike to open, great second pass, great double back to close
Hit from Heiskell on bars, and Minnesota stuck its first 2 vaults.
Mariani (Mich) – great tkatchev, good handtands on bail, college stick on dismount
Williams (Minn) – huge y full with a bounce back
Brenner (Mich) – great jeager, good handstand on bail, stuck dismount
Ramler (Minn) – y 1.5 with a tiny hop forward
Loper (Minn) – y 1.5 with a hop forward
DeJesus (Neb) – good triple full slight chest down, good double pike, this routine is fun!
Karas (Mich) – good shaposh, great bail, stuck dismount!
Minnesota didn’t catch Illinois, and I think don’t really think anyone can catch Michigan at this point
Wojcik (Mich) – great jaeger, good bail, small hop on dismount. That should clinch it.
Missed most of Houchin’s floor, but looked like she hit I think?
Maxim (Mich) huge tkatchev, good bail, small hop on dismount
Hassel (Neb) – missed first pass, almost sits 1.5 to front tuck (I think she was intending a layout), good rudi to close
Crouse (Neb) – good front double full to front lay, great split on leaps, beautiful second pass, great rudi to LOSO to close
Final:
Michigan: 197.400
Illinois: 196.650
Nebraska: 196.550
Minnesota: 196.425
Penn State: 196.100
Iowa: 196.075
Live blog by Mary Emma Burton
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