Hello! It’s Emily M here, stepping out of my Big Ten bubble to peek at the Pac-12. The Bruins put up a stunner at home last week in that narrow loss to Utah; they’ll be looking to rebound in the conference win/loss columns in Corvallis. Oklahoma and Florida are pretty untouchable, but this squad will want to stay ahead of Utah; the Utes are only 0.135 behind in NQS this week, and are also on the road.
For Oregon State, home has been strong, and it’ll be looking for another solid performance. The Beavers’ first 197 of the season is the shiny goal they’ll be eyeing. The must-drop total holding their NQS down is a 195.325; that should be an easy number to beat, and besting it is the absolute floor they’re looking for here. A 197.000 boosts the Beavers’ NQS to a 196.550 going into next week, which puts them in the neighborhood of Washington, the team currently sitting in the No. 4 spot in the conference.
While we wait, any other running fans out there? Des Linden missed Tokyo by ELEVEN seconds and I…cannot.
This is verrrry interesting:
https://twitter.com/Emilykhf/status/1233841210219008001?s=20
Looks like Ross is getting a bit of a rest, and is sitting out floor today. Wright is indeed in the lineups!
https://twitter.com/uclagymnastics/status/1233858317149040642?s=20
Emily Howell-Forbes is in the arena to photograph, and says it looks like Madison Kocian didn’t travel with the team.
“Isn’t it always leap day at a gymnastics meet?” Oh Jim.
Rotation 1: Oregon State vault, UCLA bars
Peterson (OSU): Y full on pike, not a full rotation onto the table, soft knees, rushed the landing. 9.75
Hano (UCLA): Ray to bail, clean. Blind 1/1 bit late to double tuck good landing. Few handstands that could be shy, but the camera angle is rough. 9.875
Bird (OSU): Yfull, big step and soft knees. 9.725
Kooyman (UCLA): Bit of a wait. Missed her toes on her opening Maloney combination, and has to stop. Wow. Restarts. Gets the Maloney this time, leg sep to sloppy pak. DLO, hop. 9.325
Gill (OSU): Yfull, best amplitude yet, some hips and a hop. 9.775
Shapiro (UCLA): Her first time for a score that counts on bars. Oof talk about pressure after a fall, too! Short handstand, blind 1/2 to Jaeger + bail, good positions. Short handstand again, good blind 1/1 to double tuck with a hop. 9.775
Yanish (OSU): Yfull, biiiig hop back, biiiig vault. Might have twisted a touch early. 9.75
Steele (UCLA): Maloney, some leg sep on backswing to pak. Really confident handstands, stuck DLO. Bruins needed that one. 9.85
M. Dagen (OSU): Y1.5, doesn’t get enough juice and sits it. 9.25
Flatley (UCLA): Higgins to Eagle to Jaeger, good. Toe hand to bail hand, maybe touch off balance on the catch. DLO 1/1, step forward. Chest was a bit low. 9.85
Mack (OSU): Yfull, some arms on the table, big step. 9.725
Ross (UCLA): Maloney to bail hand, her usual. Handstands are on today. Stuck DLO. Carbon copy of the routine you’ve seen 100 times. 9.975.
AFTER ONE: UCLA 49.325, OSU 48.725
Man, the Beavers really struggled with those landings. There are shape issues in the air (piking down, mostly) that cause them to take those steps or hops back, and it’s really killing the team event total. UCLA escaped what could’ve been a really rough rotation with some very nice gymnastics in the back half. Kocian is really a critical piece in that lineup, though, and we’ll need to see how that lineup shakes out if she’s out for more than today.
Rotation 2: Oregon State bars, UCLA vault
Whoops, an edit, Shapiro did compete bars back in 2016. My (and Jim’s) bad!
Dennis (UCLA): Hi, if you’re new and here via viral floor routines, Nia Dennis is an incredible vaulter, too. Yfull, flared, a little stumble step back. 9.825
Yamaoka (OSU): Toe hand to Maloney, leg sep. Some soft knees out of it. Toe hand to bail hand, good. Blind 1/1 late to double tuck, tiny hop. 9.8
Kramer (UCLA): Y1.5 knees in the air and a hop. 9.825
Lowery (OSU): Toe hand to Maloney with leg sep to big pak. Good handstands. DLO, stellar landing, stick. 9.875
Poston (UCLA): Big FHS pike 1/1, very low chest on the landing, hops. 9.775
Bird (OSU): Stalder to bail hand touch short. Nice Tkatchev. Full-in, step back, some leg sep in the air. Touch shy on a handstand in there. 9.8
Wright (UCLA): Y1.5, knees and hips, way too much, takes several bounding steps forward. 9.7
Minyard (OSU): Hop change to Jaeger to bail, good throughout. Short handstand. DLO, lands on her heels and takes a big step back, tries to cover with salute. 9.875
Hano (UCLA): Y1.5, nicest one yet, hop forward, touch of hips in the air. 9.85
Briscoe (OSU): Blind to Jaeger, very nice. Great handstands. Bail hand maybe a tiny bit short. DLO stuck. Great set! 9.95, huge cheers when it gets flashed. Career high! Very legit score, too. I have the 0.05 on the bail.
Ross (UCLA): Y1.5, small hop to the side. 9.875
Gill (OSU): Toe hand to Maloney, to pak, some leg sep on pak and backswing. DLO stuck. Following the 9.95, that could go big. 9.925
AFTER TWO: UCLA 98.475, 98.125
Apparently vault landings are just not allowed in Gill today; UCLA suffered from a few of the same issues that Oregon State did, and the score difference on the event was bigger amplitude and small steps/hops. The Beavers came back big on bars. Those last two sets were great. Overall, scoring on bars was more generous, but it held for both teams and I only lol’ed at a UCLA score, honestly; I would’ve gone lower on Flatley.
Rotation 3: OSU beam, UCLA floor
Nia Dennis is doing the cha cha slide, so that’s where we’re at.
Davis (OSU): Front aerial to back tuck, some knees on both, little pause in the connection. Split + double stag, again a sluggish connection. We’ll have to see what the judges do with those. Front toss, good. Gainer front 1/1 off the end, forward chest but stuck. 9.8, she got those connections.
Lashbrooke (UCLA): Lol she was a bit off balance on her first pose. Music stopped, and she steps off. Okay, restarting. Big double tuck, leans back in her lunge but doesn’t move her feet. 3/2 to front lay, leg sep in the twist and it got a little offline. Leap series was nice. Double pike, little low, but a good landing. 9.825
Peterson (OSU): Really fun shoulder stand mount. Hearing L. Dagen out with a sore knee. Split 1/2, good. Solid jump series. Bhs bhs loso, could’ve been off balance but she holds it so well. Gainer pike, tiniest step. 9.85
Andres (UCLA): 5/2 + punch front, travels too far on the twist and steps out. Switch side popa was fine, couldn’t see split positions. RO double tuck, picks front foot up the tiniest bit. FHS rudi, little off balance on that landing. Just lacked precision on those landings. 9.7
Lowery (OSU): Headstand mount. Bhs loso, solid. There we go. Switch to split to straddle 1/4, low back leg in the second. Transverse split 1/2 was good. Side aerial, small check with a bit of a hip bend. Front 1/1 stuck. 9.875
Tratz (UCLA): Double pike, good. Switch ring to tour jete 1/2, little low on the second. Sits her combo pass, she just feels flat on this set, lacking amplitude, but the performance is there. Double tuck, feet in the air, low chest. 9.15
Domingo (OSU): Front aerial back tuck, good. Very smooth. Switch to straddle to split 3/4, little foot adjustment on the final jump. Gainer 1/1 off the side, stuck. 9.825
Hano (UCLA): Big DLO, low chest but pulls it up quickly, some knee softness in the air. Front 1/1 to barani to double stag, good amplitude in each. Solid jump combo. Double pike, good landing, maybe slid the front foot the tiiiiiniest bit. 9.875
Gill (OSU): Split to double stag, good, very solid and confident. Front aerial bhs, she was off balance in the connection but kept moving. Split 1/2 + split, traveled pretty far on the second but landed well. Gainer 1/1, hop straight up. 9.825
Dennis (UCLA): I mean you’ve watched this one by now! FHS front layout step out to double tuck, great landing. Strong positions on her leap series, touch of imprecision in the rotation. FHS front 1/1 front lay, goes up on her toes and swings her arms but stays in bounds. FHS rudi to split to close, huge. 9.925
M. Dagen (OSU): Bhs loso, very solid. Her beam posture is so nice. Switch to switch 1/2 to beat, low back leg in the half. Side aerial to 1/1, stuck. 9.875
Kramer (UCLA): FHs front 2/1 pike front, low on the pike but a good landing. 3/2 + front lay + shush, much better amplitude. Switch side popa a little off on the rotation. FHS rudi to stretch jump. 9.925
AFTER THREE: UCLA 147.725, OSU 147.375
The Beavers looked good on beam. Scores were a touch generous in places, but they were on floor, too. This has been a weird, slightly nervy meet for the Bruins, so we’ll see how they close out on beam.
Rotation 4: OSU floor, UCLA beam
G. Glenn (UCLA): Bhs loso, good. Front aerial to split, no movement. Switch to split. Her oversplit kills me. Bhs gainer 1/1 off the side, bit of a foot adjustment on the landing. 9.925
Peterson (OSU): Double tuck, clean, it traveled back much more than up. Front lay to front 1/1 good. Split 1/2 to popa. Double pike, skids back into the lunge, her front foot moved some. 9.825
Sakti (UCLA): Loso loso, HUGE amplitude. Switch to split, low back leg in the second. Dances right out of her full turn. Check on the side somi. Side aerial to 1/1, holds a stick, but dropped chest and arm swim. 9.85
Bird (OSU): Front lay to rudi to split, good landing but lacked some amplitude and soft knees throughout. Split 1/2 + popa, good. 5/2 clean landing, some leg cross in the air. 9.875
Flatley (UCLA): Front aerial to back pike, soft knee in the aerial. Side aerial, better, no deduction. L turn to split, great. Bhs 3/2, up on her toes but covers it with the salute. 9.9
Force (OSU): Double pike, off balance and steps back. Jumps were nice in the air, short on rotation on the second. Front lay front 1/1, better landing. Double tuck, short and hops forward. 9.8? I…okay. With two bad landings? Hmm.
Shapiro (OSU): Switch + switch, low back leg in both. Bhs bhs loso, no deductions. Now she’s smiling. Side aerial 1/1, hop back. 9.875
M. Dagen (OSU): 2/1 some leg cross in the air. Leap series was clean. Front lay front 1/1, better twisting form but still not quite fully clean. Double pike, touch of a low chest but controls the lunge. 9.9
Hano (UCLA): Bhs layout two feet, back knee softness in the bhs. Switch 1/2, cleanest position we’ve seen so far in a twisting split position on beam tonight. Switch to split, good. RO 3/2, hops forward. 9.85
Lowery (OSU): 2/1, great landing, drops right in. 3/2 to front lay, she thought about holding the stick then decided to lunge. Split 1/1 to popa, good. Rudi, hops the tiniest bit with her back foot in the lunge. 9.9
Ross (UCLA): Get someone who looks at you the way Kyla looks at the beam. Bhs loso, great. Switch ring to beat, no deductions. Front aerial to beat, again, rock solid. Side aerial to 1/1 true stick. I mean, I don’t know what to say. 9.975 yes ma’am.
Yanish (OSU): DLO hops into lunge. FHS front 1/1 to front lay, little low and rushed on the full, didn’t impact the lay. Good switch side popa. Double tuck, good landing, moved her front foot just the tiniest bit and she didn’t need to! 9.95
FINAL: UCLA 197.250, OSU 196.825
Scores got…a little happy there at the end. The Beavers will easily drop the score they needed to for NQS reasons, as will UCLA. A success all around, with some weirdness thrown in.
EVENT WINNERS:
VT: Ross, 9.875
UB: Ross, 9.975
BB: Ross, 9.975
FX: Yanish, 9.950
AA: Hano, 39.450
Live blog by Emily Minehart
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Steele deserved so much better on bars.