It’s the last Friday night of the regular season, and I’m ready to bring you all of the action from an exciting non-conference tri-meet! We have a new No. 1 for the first time in 2022, and tonight Oklahoma will look to put up another massive score before it begins a postseason run. The Sooners will face stiff competition from the likes of Boise State and Arizona State, who have both gone 197 in the last month. It’s also senior night for ASU, so you can bet the Sun Devils will be ready to put on a show in front of the home crowd.
Oklahoma comes into this meet after making the most of last weekend’s stratospheric scores. On Friday, the Sooners defeated then-No.1 Michigan 198.475-197.900, posting a school record 49.825 on bars. On Sunday, OU topped the 198 mark again in a quad meet at TWU. The performances pushed the Sooners to the top of the rankings with an NQS of over 198, and they also lead the way on bars and beam. Oklahoma’s freshmen swept the Big 12 weekly awards, with Jordan Bowers named Gymnast of the Week, Danae Fletcher named Event Specialist of the Week and Danielle Sievers named Newcomer of the Week.
Boise State also took home some hardware after a solid 196.550 performance at Illinois, where senior Emily Muhlenhaupt tied the school record of 9.975 to win her 21st career bars title. She was named MRGC Event Specialist of the Week on bars, while her teammates Emily Lopez and Courtney Blackson won for vault and Adriana Popp for beam. The Broncos will be looking to challenge for a top 16 seed by dropping the 195.975 they’re still counting as part of their NQS.
The home team Arizona State made history last weekend, taking home a share of the Pac-12 regular season crown for the first time. The Sun Devils posted a season-high road score of 197.375 to take down Stanford, their third-straight score of 197 or above. Junior Hannah Scharf won the all around with a 39.425, continuing to show consistency in a season where she has only scored below 9.800 four times. Tonight, ASU will honor seniors Jasmine Gutierrez and Megan Thompson, who have been part of the team’s rapid rise in both the conference and national rankings over the past four years.
With conference championships in just eight days, the pressure is on to put on some incredible performances. Oklahoma would like nothing more than to enter the postseason ranked No. 1, and a big number here would all but assure that. Boise State and Arizona State would love to steal a win here, but more than that, tonight is a chance to put up a consistent effort in hopes of raising their national seed. We’re in for an incredible meet!
Looks like the free stream ASU provided is a single camera mounted at the concourse level. It’s pretty far away from the action, so bear with me!
OU wearing this leo tonight. Here are the Sooners’ projected lineups. Olivia Trautman is expected to compete vault!
Arizona State lineups: Vault Bars Beam Floor
Rotation 1: Arizona State VT, Boise State UB, Oklahoma BB
Having some technical difficulties with our stream, it appears. I’ll keep you updated based on live scores and social media.
White (ASU): 9.775
Reeves (ASU): 9.800
Mangahas (ASU): 9.875
Scharf (ASU): 9.850
Theodorou (ASU): 9.875
Smith (ASU): 9.700
Little (BSU): 9.775
Blackson (BSU): 9.800
Nilson (BSU): 9.850
Stokes (BSU): 9.900
Lopez (BSU): 9.900. Back to back 9.9s for Boise State!
Muhlenhaupt (BSU): 9.925 in the anchor spot
Dunn (OU): Leads off with a 9.875
Trautman (OU): 9.850
LeVasseur (OU): 9.925
Davis (OU): 9.900
Woodard (OU): 9.800
Smith (OU): 9.775. Some missed opportunities in the last two spots in OU’s beam lineup.
AFTER ONE: Boise State 49.375, Oklahoma 49.350, Arizona State 49.175
Boise State with a great start on its best event, anchored by three-straight scores of 9.9 or above. The Broncos sit just ahead of OU after the first rotation, with ASU not far behind. The Sooners had some uncharacteristic scores from Woodard and Smith in the last two spots, but nothing crazy. Now beam is out of the way and they can relax. Arizona State will have to be strong on the remaining three events to get back in this thing, but there’s a whole lot of meet left to go. Hopefully we’ll have video for some of it…
Rotation 2: Arizona State UB, Boise State BB, Oklahoma FX
Crossing my fingers, we have video!
Mangahas (ASU): Led off with a 9.875
Reeves (ASU): 9.850
Theodorou (ASU): 9.875
Scharf (ASU): 9.875
White (ASU): Great Maloney half, a bit short on the next handstands but swinging well. Nearly sticks the double layout dismount. Good routine! 9.900
Clark (ASU): Good first handstand, floaty Yaeger caught well, legs come apart on Pak, perfect final handstand. Nails the double layout! Beautiful routine! 9.900
Stokes (BSU): 9.700
Masiado (BSU): 9.625
Little (BSU): Great bhs loso series, moving fluidly. Full turn. Switch leap to switch side. Front aerial to beat jump. No wobbles so far. Very large hop forward on the round off one and a half dismount. 9.725
Lopez (BSU): 9.775
Popp (BSU): Solid front aerial to start. Tumbles on the beam with bhs bhs two foot layout. Gainer layout full off the side with a stick. A powerful routine! 9.900
Muhlenhaupt (BSU): Off to the side on bhs loso series and takes a step with a balance check. Great beat jump to sheep jump to split leap. Another wobble on the side aerial. Step backward on the one and a half dismount. Not going to be a great score for Boise State. 9.325
Johnson (OU): 9.850
Sievers (OU): Front through to double back, a bit of a large step. Great double pike second pass, no problems on landing there. Wolf full to straddle full, nice height. Two pass routine performed well. 9.875
Fletcher (OU): Front layout front full, well-controlled. Great height on the leaps. Finishes with a two and a half twist, beautiful form in the air and lands well. Think we missed the first pass. 9.900
Woodard (OU): 9.825
Bowers (OU): Gigantic double pike to start, great landing. Loses form a tiny bit on the front double punch front, but no landing deduction. Another strong routine for the Sooners! 9.925
Smith (OU): Big double tuck to open, well controlled. One and a half to front layout, the front layout just floated. Step forward on the double pike to finish but nothing major. 9.875
LaPinta (OU, exhibition): Triple twist under rotated and knees buckle with a step forward. One and a half to front layout second pass, timing is off on the punch and falls. Slightly short of split position on the leap pass. Big step forward on the double back to finish. That’s too bad.
Rotation 2 Scores: Arizona State 49.425, Boise State 48.725, Oklahoma 49.425
AFTER TWO: Oklahoma 98.775, Arizona State 98.600, Boise State 98.100
Arizona State rocked its landings on bars to stay on pace for another 197 score at the halfway point. Oklahoma had a strong showing on floor to pull ahead, while Boise State unfortunately had to count a 9.625 after the shaky routine from Muhlenhaupt in the anchor position. We’ll see our first glimpse of ASU’s seniors in this next rotation – should be a good one!
Rotation 3: Oklahoma VT, Arizona State BB, Boise State FX
Davis (OU): 9.800
LeVasseur (OU): 9.825
Stern (OU): 9.875
Sievers (OU): 9.875
Trautman (OU): Tries for the stick on the one and a half, slightly deep squat with a hop back. 9.875
Bowers (OU): 9.900
Ramsey (OU, exhibition): Nice Yurchenko full, good height and distance with a hop back. 9.800
Thompson (ASU): Bhs bhs loso to start, no wobbles but a bit flat. Slight wobble on the switch side. Good full turn. Side aerial to layout full dismount stuck. Great way to start! 9.850
Reeves (ASU): Bhs bhs loso done well, some flexed feet in the air. Switch leap to split jump, no problems there. Wobble on the front aerial but keeps moving. Soft knees on the one and a half dismount but sticks. 9.675
Gutierrez (ASU): Bhs loso to start, slightly off but avoids the wobble. Rulfova done well, moving fluidly through the full turn. Slight wobble on the switch side. One and a half dismount with a step forward. Good routine for the senior. 9.825
Clark (ASU): 9.675
White (ASU): 9.850
Scharf (ASU): Double wolf turn, no problem. Bhs loso series, great landing. Side somi, again no wobbles. Switch leap to split jump, beautiful flexibility. High one and a half dismount and fights for the stick! Good routine for ASU! 9.900
Harper (ASU, exhibition): Front toss connected to bhs, no wobbles. Very short of split positions on both leaps. Switch half was better. Sticks the gainer full off the side.
Masiado (BSU): 9.650
Pascal (BSU): Guess we don’t get to see it. Camera pans back to beam. 8.900
McGovern (BSU): Opens with a Rudi to back loso, floaty. Great double tuck last pass. Good recovery routine. 9.800
Blackson (BSU): 9.850
Loyim (BSU): Whip to double back, knees buckle and a big step back. Nice leap pass. One and a half to front layout, good form in the air. Double pike to finish, chest slightly down but a good routine. 9.800
Popp (BSU): Front through to double pike, close to the line but stays in with no landing issue. Misses straddle position on third leap in the pass. Lands with chest slightly down on double tuck to finish, but just has a small hop back. Good anchor performance. 9.775
(BSU, exhibition): Strong double pike to open. One and a half to front layout well controlled. Great position the leap pass. Under rotates on the double back and lands with chest down, stumbles forward.
Rotation 3 Scores: Oklahoma 49.350, Arizona State 49.100, Boise State 48.875
AFTER THREE: Oklahoma 148.125, Arizona State 147.700, Boise State 146.975
Oklahoma continues to produce solid, if not spectacular routines tonight, and should be on pace for a respectable road score as it heads to its best event. Arizona State survived the balance beam, in part to Hannah Scharf’s 9.900 in the anchor spot. Boise State struggled a bit with endurance on floor, but still sits just below 196 pace after three. The Broncos may still be able to raise its NQS a bit despite the shaky performances. Should be a great final rotation!
Rotation 4: Boise State VT, Oklahoma UB, Arizona State FX
Masiado (BSU): Nice Yurchenko full, nearly stuck. 9.700
Nilson (BSU): 9.675
Lopez (BSU): Clean, high Yurchenko full with a small hop back.
Blackson (BSU): 9.625
Smith (BSU): 9.775
Vulaj (BSU): 9.825
Sievers (OU): 9.850
LeVasseur (OU): Fall on the Tkatchev, looks like she hit her back/head on the mat which is a bit scary. Gets back up with a beautiful bail to handstand. Nearly sticks the double layout. 9.025
Smith (OU): Perfect first handstand, Ray to Pak done well, slightly short on the final handstand, archy double layout with a hop back. 9.875
Thomas (OU): 9.925
Bowers (OU): Huge Ray, Pak is floaty, slightly short on the final handstand, perfect form on the half in half out, small step back. 9.875
Davis (OU): Floaty piked Yaeger, misses the handstand in the bail a tiny bit but recovers well. Great final handstand and absolutely nails the double front half! Spectacular as always. 9.975!
Jaslow (ASU): Big double pike to start, no landing issues in sight. Front layout front full, another great landing. Strong leaps. Double back, finishes strong! Great opening routine! 9.825
White (ASU): 9.775
Clark (ASU): Double pike to open, nice landing. One and a half front layout, bends knees on the way down. Stumbles forward on the double back to finish. 9.500
Theodorou (ASU): One and a half front layout, no problems there. We got there halfway through the routine, but it sounds like she hit the opening full-twisting double back. 9.825
Mangahas (ASU): Piked full-in, well-controlled. Front through to double back, under rotated and steps forward. 9.775
Scharf (ASU): Front through to double back, front foot slides back on the landing but nothing major. Front full to front tuck, well-controlled. Perfect leap series. Big double pike to finish, another large step with a small shuffle of the front foot. 9.900
Rotation 4 Scores: Boise State 48.800, Oklahoma 49.500, Arizona State 49.100
FINAL RESULTS: Oklahoma 197.625, Arizona State 196.800, Boise State 195.775
OU was able to close this one out in style, with Audrey Davis providing another 9.975 in the anchor spot. Her bars routine is far and away the most impressive in the lineup, and that’s saying something. ASU had some minor landing issues on floor, and after counting a few 9.6s across the four events, will go below 197 for the first time in several weeks. Boise State did its job on vault to close out the day, but those beam mistakes couldn’t be overcome and the Broncos won’t raise their NQS based on this score. Streaming issues aside, this was a fun competition, and there will be lots of room for improvement from everyone as we head into conference championships next week!
Event Winners
VT: Bowers (OU) 9.900
UB: Davis (OU) 9.975
BB: LeVasseur (OU) 9.925
FX: Bowers (OU) 9.925
AA: Scharf (ASU) 39.525
Ryan’s Stories of the Night
From what I saw, Oklahoma wasn’t quite as on with its landings tonight. Nothing catastrophic, but at this point in the season, it’s easy to jump to conclusions about fatigue. A 197.625 being OU’s lowest score in a while is the reason the Sooners are ranked No. 1, but it’s still something to take note of. Arizona State also had some landing trouble, as well as a few wobbles on beam. Bars was fantastic though, and it will be exciting to see what the Sun Devils are able to do in the night session of the Pac-12 championship. Boise State put on a nice performance, but could have taken better advantage of the missteps from the other teams. Let’s hope everyone is saving up for some incredible performances in the postseason.
READ THIS NEXT: Bubble Watch: March 9
Live blog by Ryan Wichtendahl
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