Oh, Metroplex, we meet again.
This podium meet is usually filled with some random crack, and there’s no reason to expect this year will be different. Although, we won’t know until after the fact, because this is a Flo-streamed invite so if you were expecting live scores, lol sorry it’s still 1990.
That nonsense aside, this is a fun slate. It’s the Pioneers’ first outing against a team ranked above it this year, and so its first real chance to prove it belongs to sit at the big kids’ table. Alabama is right there, and actually has a higher 2020 high than Denver, a number it put up against Oklahoma. The Crimson Tide will be ready to steal that coveted “No. 4 this spot would put you in the team final” chair out from under Denver should the opportunity arise.
For Georgia, this one is about catching up. Here’s the big stage, the big rivalry; this is showtime. This is a team that needs to prove it can go 197 even without Rachel Dickson, and the sooner the better for NQS reasons.
Oklahoma is on the other end of the spectrum. The Sooners aren’t worried about the teams in the rearview mirror, they’re worried about another 198, and another (or another few) perfect scores. They’re the kid who defines the big kid table. Are they invincible? No. Are they going to score a 198 and win this meet? Probably.
Alright, I’ll eat crow. It looks like Alabama is bringing us live scores! THANK YOU ALABAMA!
The new Flo “your event hasn’t started” music is very Game of Thrones intense. HERE WE GO INTO BATTLE INDEED. Rahhhhh!
Anyway, there has been some Personal Stuff this past week, so I am not emotionally equipped to handle the four streams at once situation; I’ll be blogging off the main feed, and doing my best to get as much from all four teams as possible. I’m sorry please forgive me.
March in time! So I guess we are not in fact going to have first vault on time. Still have four minute touch to go once the intros are done. I assume we’ll get a vault at…7:15ish?
New leo alert! #PioneerTogether #GoPios pic.twitter.com/AJxJwuqaj7
— Denver Gymnastics (@DU_Gymnastics) January 26, 2020
Rotation 1: OU vault, UA bars, UGA beam, DU floor
Weins (OU): Yfull, pretty form, small hop.
Childers (UA): Nice hit, hop back on her dismount.
Magee (UGA): Beat + straddle + straddle 3.4 pretty! Series right on. Big hop on her dismount.
Glynn (DU): Solid double tuck to open, little shy on her 180s in leaps. We missed the end to zoom in on Stern’s vault.
Stern (OU): Y1.5, hop forward.
Gaskins (UA): Stuck DLO.
Lukacs (UGA): Big check on her front toss. Back tuck straddle 1/4 solid. Small step on dismount.
E. Brown (DU): Stumbled out of her double tuck a bit. Stepped out on her closing twisting pass.
Degouveia (OU): Y1.5, leg sep on the table hop forward.
Graber (UA): Bail hand was great! FTDB, feet apart on landing and she pulls together.
Ruiz (DU): Nice opening double tuck.
Webb (OU): Y1.5, knees were messy and she twisted onto the table some.
Givens (UA): Hect mount. Blind + Jaeger good distance. Bail hand little loose. Great last handstand. DLO some feet but a stick.
de Jong (UGA): 9.8, I didn’t see it.
Lockhart (DU): HUGE splits, her Popa is amazing. Landed her combo pass well, low chest on her double pike.
Nichols (OU): Y1.5, her usual.
Smith did an exhibition for OU but I missed the vault.
Oakley (UGA): Wolf full with a small arm wave. Bainer bhs bhs loso, great! Big smile for that one. Split + ring and a leg up check. Side aerial, another leg up check. Just rushing things. Cartwheel gainer 1/1, flaired and stuck.
Karr (DU): Front 2/1 was SO high! Good landing. Tour jete 1/2 + wolf 1/1, little crunchy in the wolf. Good combo pass landing. Great set.
Schoepfer (OU): Y tuck full, locked knee landing and she steps.
Blanco (UA): Maloney loose back to pak, catches close and does a backhipcircle out, and she comes off. van Leeuwen, little loose in the back again. Half in half out to a step.
Baumann (UGA): RO 3/2, stuck.
L. Brown (DU): DLO went for the stick, waved her arms. Little shy of 180 in her leaps, but she sells them. 3/2 + front lay + split, lost momentum on that pass rather than gaining it, had to muscle the leap, but pretty positions. Some Bad Guy music in the back half. Double pike, hops forward.
Vega (UGA): Straddle jump mount. Switch + yang bo (?). Front aerial + split, her best position yet. The moonwalk you know it. Bhs loso some soft knees. No movement on the full turn. Side aerial + 1/1, little hop.
Dickson (UA): Missed her! I’m sorry!
Hawthorne (UGA): Bhs bent arms to high loso, with a bobble. Knee to front toss to sisonne, you love to see that composition. RO 3/2 step back. I think she was exhibition?
AFTER ONE: Oklahoma 49.475, Alabama 49.450, Georgia 49.025 , Denver 48.975
Rotation 2: OU bars, UA beam, UGA floor, DU vault
Subject (DU): Yfull, twisted early and hip angle.
Webb (OU): Pak, good open catch. van Leeuwen little sloppy. Toe hand to double front half out small hop, her usual feet.
Gaskins (UA): Candlestick mount was solid. Didn’t see the rest.
Perez-Lugones (UGA): She’s such a great dancer. Switch side popa wolf 1/1, falls out of it a bit, good recovery. Double tuck so high, two steps back.
Ruiz (DU): Yfull, hops right up, some foot form.
Trautman (OU): Maloney leg sep, pak nice catch. Good final handstand. DLO, hop back.
Klopfer (UA): Wolf 1/1 turn is nice. Front aerial bhs, solid, some foot form.
Magee (UGA): Double tuck slightly low chest to end.
Glynn (DU): Missed her! Heard big cheers.
Deniz (OU): Toe hand to Maloney leg sep pak leg sep. Loose body throughout, stuck her landing.
Burgess (UA): Solid on her series, I think a stuck dismount.
Baumann (UGA): Wolf turn 2/1, I like the guts, dances out. 3/2 + front 1/1, foot slid some but she covered it well. Double pike some soft knees but a great landing. Switch ring one of the most legit in NCAA.
Sundstrom (DU): Bit of a wait for her to start. Yfull, pretty body position, hop.
Degouveia (OU): HUGE Jaeger. Toe hand to pak. full out holds the stick with an arm swing.
Hawthorne (UGA): Whip 2/1, short steps forward. Switch side + popa, good straddles. Announcers saying her pike full in to open was nice. Double tuck, held her landing, some deep knees.
L. Brown (DU): Y1.5, Huge, hop forward and loose knees.
Smith (OU): Fall on her release. Didn’t see the rest.
Blanco (UA): Her side roll heart eyes. Solid on her front aerial. Nailed series. Gorgeous work. She’s such a calm beamer. RO 2/1, low chest has to step forward.
Lukacs (UGA): Her signature DLO to start. combo pass had good rhythm. She moves much more confidently this year. Wolf 1/1 in her leap connection was a little low and short on rotation. Double pike little short, chest down and a hop.
Karr (DU): We heard big screams. [SORRY, I mean in a good way! Don’t panic.]
Nichols (OU): Tkatchev huge but feet to pak. DLO, stepped back.
Graber (UA): Bhs layout two feet, beat to knees, just so pretty and creative. Glad she’s back in this lineup. Switch + straddle 3/4, lovely. Cat + Liukin solid. to gainger 1/1 stuck.
Vega (UGA): She gets the big podium stage to herself which is correct and I approve. Performing immediately get it. Double pike, great landing and a huge grin. 3/2 + front lay + split, good. Leap series was strong, rotation was there. Tour jete 1/1 was a touchhhhh short. Double tuck, held the steady lunge. Guys, I don’t know. That Tour jete was really the only thing I had.
Schoepfer (OU, exh): Tkatchev with feet. Stuck her dismount.
AFTER TWO: Live scores are not updating, of course! Will let you know what I hear.
OK here we go: OU 98.950, UA 98.550, DU 98.150, UGA 98.125
WOW name the last quad during regular season when everyone was over 98 halfway. It’s a little crack and a lot of really nice gymnastics.
Rotation 3: OU beam, UA floor, DU bars, UGA vault
Dunn (OU): Triple series very solid. Split + split 1/2 with a check and a touch shy of 180. Bobble on choreography. Front 1/1 soft knees and a hop.
Olsen (UA): Came in the middle. Switch to tour jete 1/1 + split 1/1, really nice. Front through double tuck, some feet.
Sundstrom (DU): Clear hip hand to Tkatchev, good. Bail hand loose back. Good handstands. Clean DLO, stuck.
Woodard (OU): Side aerial bhs, no deductions there. Front toss to beat, good. Bit of a long pause before. Switch small bobble, still connects to split, another bobble. Stuck landing feet a bit far.
Subject (DU): Maloney leg sep, bail hand good. Over on a handstand. DLO with a step.
Desch (UA): Double pike, so high, slides her front foot a bit. 3/2 barani + punch front + split, good! Double tuck, low chest by a bit, feet in the air.
Vega (UGA): Yfull, some knees and a big hop back.
Webb (OU): Her usual quick pace. Feet on her series. Aerial + split, the front toes. stuck landing.
Doggettte (UA): Standing split 3/2 was good. Pike full-in, leg sep but good. Swtich + popa, little off balance in the air. Front through double tuck, short and bounces forward but doesn’t put a hand down.
Hawthorne (UGA): Yfull, huge, just a hop in place. Wow.
Smith (OU): Bhs loso solid, some knees. Front aerial to straddle is lovely. Big check in her mixed series. Held the landing, feet were a bit far, but she pulled them in.
Graber (UA): Standing Popa with her amazing straddle position. Full-in, big lunge but not uncontrolled. Front through double pike, good landing. She’s baaaack folks.
Lukacs (UGA): DTY, leg sep, pulls her feet together.
Karr (DU): Blind 1/1 to Gienger to bail. Short last handstand. DLO, holds a stick, pulls heels together.
Nichols and Blanco at the same time okay that’s just rude! Scores are moving to crack o’clock here.
Nichols (OU): Aerial to split to bhs swingdown, good. Bhs loso adjusted her front foot a smidge. RO 3/2, holds on for a stick.
Blanco (UA): Her carriage is so good. It makes everything she does 10 % better. Massive double pike, great landing. Some rotation issues on jumps. Stuck combo pass. 5/2, short and she puts her hand down.
Baumann (UGA, exh): Yfull, bounce back.
Schoepfer (OU, exh): series is solid. Shy of 180 on her leaps. RO 3/2 some form problems but a stick.
Klopfer (UA, exh): Double tuck, good controlled landing. Tour jete 1/2 to split 1/1 good. 3/2 to front lay, holds the landing. Double pike, deep knees on the landing.
AFTER THREE: OU 148.175, DU 147.700, UA 147.625, UGA 147.075
Rotation 4: UA vault, UGA bars, DU beam, OU floor
Desch (UA): Yfull small hop back.
Lukacs (UGA): Short first handstand. Low Tkatchev. pak, leg sep. DLO, leg sep again.
Nichols won’t be on floor.
L. Brown (DU): Front toss bhs, solid.
Draper (OU): Double pike, low chest but good lunge. combo pass had a bit of a foot slide.
Cashman (UGA): Tkachev some knees leading into it. Bail hand loose legs. DLO low chest but stuck.
Smith (OU): Slight foot adjustment on the double tuck. Barelyyyy keeps her combo pass in, but does. Switch side to wolf 1/1, wolf was a weird position. Low chest on double pike.
Lapinta (OU): 3/1, a few stumble steps and legs crossed in the air. Front 1/1 to front lay much better control. Leaps were nice. Double tuck, good chest up landing.
Burgess (UA): Yfull, bit of an early twist, step to the side.
Roberts (UGA): Maloney was good. Dlo hop back.
Degouveia (OU): Front lay to front 1/1, that was supposed to be a 2/1, we’ll see what she does. Front lay front 1/1 repeated. I don’t think she’ll have enough bonus? This will be interesting. She can’t do another lay or front 1/1. Short rotation on her popa. 3/2 + front 1/1, but the 1/1 won’t get credited I don’t think, since it was her third.
Olsen (UA): DTY, didn’t see it clearly if I’m being honest.
Karr (DU): Side aerial bhs, solid. Hitch to side somi, some wonky knees? Looked like she bailed on a side aerial to be honest. RO 3/2 stuck.
Webb (OU): Long wait while the judges figure out what to do with Degouveia’s score. Looks like the SV was 9.800. OK, Webb’s up. FHS 2/1, good landing. Good combo pass. Hopped out of her leaps a touch. FHS rudi to end, controlled lunge.
Graber (UA): Y1.5, really deep knees on the landing, has to take a big lunge forward. It was a great save.
Oakley (UGA): Gorgeous handstand. Blind to Eagle to pike Jaeger. Some leg sep on pak, but lovely shoulder angle. Almost over on handstand, pulls it back, FTDB, good landing.
Vasquez (DU): Big wobble on choreo. Front aerial, solid. Bhs loso, pretty, now she’s solid. Y turn, good control. Tried to hold stick on her dismount, turned and saluted to cover a step.
Deniz (OU): She’s in last second for Nichols, this is her floor debut. Whip 5/2 wowowowow that’s gorgeous. Touch of toe cross but really lovely. Switch ring to tour jete 1/2, good. FHS rudi to split, she smiled in the split. Really nice. Good for her!
Stern (OU, exhibition): Double pike, bounced back a bit, maybe OOB? Split 1/1 + wolf 1/1 the split was wonky in the air and wolf position was off. Good landing on combo pass. Tour jete 1/2 with a suuuper low back leg. Double tuck, deep knees and feet form in the air.
FINAL: OU 197.525, UA 196.575, DU 196.525, UGA 196.300
Event Winners:
VT: Nichols, 9.975
UB: Karr, 9.975
BB: Webb, Nichols, L. Brown, Karr, 9.900
FX: Karr, Graber, Webb, Denzi, 9.900
AA: Webb, Karr, 39.650
Live blog by Emily Minehart
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Great job Sooners!