North Carolina is coming off its first showing of the year in Las Vegas to now host N.C. State back in North Carolina. This matchup is the first meeting between what looks to be the top two teams in the EAGL this season. Both teams finished the 2022 season ranked very closely, but both also failed to claim the EAGL title. In what will be the last year the Tar Heels and Wolfpack will be in the EAGL, the title is on the minds of both teams heading into 2023.
This first meet for the Wolfpack marks the return of a key three-eventer in Chloe Negrete, who missed all of the 2022 season with an Achilles tear suffered before the start of the season. She has been doing all three of her typical events in preseason intrasquads, so expect her to contribute heavily this meet and moving forward. This will also be a good way to see if Emily Shepard is going to be paced in the all-around like she was in 2022, where she did not compete on vault until the end of the season. We also just saw the Tar Heels on Friday and have a good idea of how the team looks this early on, but we could also see some rotation in the lineups with it being a double header.
Rotation 1: North Carolina vault, N.C. State bars
Greene (UNC): Yurchenko full to lead off. Pretty good body position, only a slight pike. Small hop back. 9.625
Merchant (NCS): Good first cast to toe on to Maloney to Pak salto. Good last handstand and a step on the double layout dismount. Not the tightest form overall. 9.775
Shinohara (UNC): Solid Yurchenko full with just a small hop on the landing and landing mostly in the center of the mat. 9.8
Childs (NCS): Mounts on the high bar with a hop grip to jaeger. The bail was a little short of handstand with a soft back. The giant full was a tad late, but she stuck the double back dismount. 9.8
Fink (UNC): Another full for her with a bigger pike down and hop back. She did a Yurchenko 1.5 in level 10 so she may be looking to upgrade later in the season. 9.675. Tight scores overall so far.
Adomaites (NCS): Freshman debut here. Nice first handstand. A toe on to Maloney to Pak with a slight leg separation on the Pak. Just a step on the dismount. 9.825
Knower (UNC): Best full so far with better height, body position, and just a small hop. 9.8
We love when the live scores don’t work.
Ortega (NCS): Big Hindorff with relaxed feet. Hit the last handstand going into the double layout dismount, but had a hop back. 9.725
Forbes (UNC): Her Yurchenko 1.5 has such beautiful form. She has great height and distance. Just a small hop forward. 9.875
Shepard (NCS): Beautiful first handstand and handstand after the giant half. A little close on the jaeger. Great form on the pak. The giant half on the low bar was solid. She is hitting all of these handstands. The full twisting double back was stuck. 9.875
Dekanoidze (UNC): Just the full today, but she stuck it. She definitely has the time to do the other half twist. 9.9
Rutherford (NCS): Great first handstand. Huge Ray. Great position on the bail and into an immediate toe shoot to the high bar. The double layout was a little overcooked and she had a pretty good size hop back. 9.825
(NCS) Exhibition: I missed who this was but nice handstand. Very close on the Ray. Shy of the handstand on the bail. Multiple large steps back on the double layout.
After 1: N.C. State 49.100, North Carolina 49.050
This is very close after one. North Carolina is still building in its vault lineup, but great scores from Forbes and Dekanoidze helped the Tar Heels go above 49. North Carolina showed some strong handstand positions for early on in the season, and will be happy with that performance.
Rotation 2: N.C. State vault, North Carolina bars
Diaz (NCS): Flexed feet throughout ton the Yurchenko full, and just soft form overall with a small hop. 9.625
Shearer (UNC): A little close on the the jaeger, Slight leg separation on the bail. Solid final handstand and almost stuck the double layout dismount. 9.75
Zultevicz (NCS): Just a small hop on her full with cleaner form, but still some pike down.
Knower (UNC): Slightly short on the first handstand. There was a little leg separation on both the geinger and the bail. She stuck the full twisting double tuck cold. 9.85
Ortega (NCS): Clean form in her full, but it was a little off to the side and with a small pike down and hop. 9.7
Fink (UNC): Alight bent arm on the catch of the jaeger. Clean form on the bail. Good handstands throughout. The double layout was flung out quite a bit and she took a large lunger forward. 9.75
Rutherford (NCS): Very solid Yurchenko full. The slightest of pike downs and hops, and the best form of the lineup so far. 9.8
Dekanoidze (UNC): Clean first handstand and toe hand. The Maloney to bail was done very well with legs glued together. The double layout dismount was stuck. That was a great routine. 9.975 deserved. That is her new career high.
Shepard (NCS): So she is already vaulting in week one… The biggest full so far. She gets a lot of distance and was a little off to the side and had a pretty sizable hop. 9.8
Culton (UNC): Great first handstand and stalder. The tkatchev was low. The bail had great form. Stalder to double tuck dismount with a small step back.
Negrete (NCS): Stuck cold Yurchenko full. Best of the day. That was an amazing first competitive routine after her Achilles tear last year. 9.875
Schaefer (UNC): Huge jaeger after two great handstands. The clear hip was a little short and it made her bail a little bit off. Huge height on the full twisting double back with a little hop.
N.C. State had another exhibition and the vault was a pretty solid full, just a little off to the side.
After 2: North Carolina 98.25, N.C. State 97.95
North Carolina took the lead after some great bars routines. Seeing both Shepard and Negrete in the vault lineup already will be great for the Wolfpack throughout the season. Dekanoidze was the highlight of that rotation though with one judge throwing a 10.
Rotation 3: North Carolina beam, N.C. State floor
Nam (UNC): Solid loso series. Soft feet in the series and her leap series. Cast leap to side aerial was solid. Solid on the full turn. A little too far forward on the back 1.5 dismount. 9.8
Merchant (NCS): Some stumbles back on the double pike. A little bit of a studder on the landing of the back 1.5 to front layout. A side aerial in the dance. The front Rudi was landed and then a jump to the lunge. 9.5
Greenlow (UNC): Nice chest stand mount. A fall on the loso series. A little bit too off to the side to stay on. The beam struggles continue from Friday. The cat leap to side aerial was solid. A new leap combo for her today with split leap to switch half which was short of the 190. Just a hop forward on the back 1.5 dismount. 9.225
Zultevicz (NCS): Opens with a back 2.5 to front tuck. Tour jete half to wolf jump full was squeaked out. A little bit short on the double tuck with a step forward. 9.825
Schulze (UNC): Just a beat jump to start. Walks out of her loso series, but stay on. Wobbles on the switch leap so has to change her leap combination. Does the side aerial to back 1.5 dismount and undercooks it a little with a step backwards. 9.6
Rutherford (NCS): Great back 2.5 to front tuck. She really floats the tuck. Not in complete control after the leaps. Sky high double tuck with her legs glued together in the air and a slightly larger lunge back than ideal, but she kept the front foot down. 9.85
Fink (UNC): Great switch to switch to split jump. Very solid on the loso series. Confident full turn. A bend at the waist on the front aerial. It wasn’t fully rotated. The bhs to back 1.5 just had a small hop. 9.65
Diaz (NCS): A little bit low on the double pike and had to step forward. The front layout front full was solid. She is really using the facial expressions here. Great form on her double tuck and it was landed very well. 9.825
Culton (UNC): Great form and control on the loso series. The leap series was landed perfectly. Slightly off on the front aerial, but moved right into her leap without a wobble. Held the stick, but she had her chest forward and had to wave her arms. 9.85
Shepard (NCS): The double pike was great in the air, but opened up too early and had to take a step forward. Great leaps. Missed the punch after the front layout going into the Rudi and the Rudi was a bit low and she had to take a step forward there too. Held onto the double tuck a little bit too long and took a big lunge back and couldn’t keep the front foot in place. 9.65
Knower (UNC): Very solid loso series with great form. I appreciate the height on her front toss. She was off to the side on that though and had to hop to recenter herself on the beam because her feet were half off of it. The leaps were clean. Almost stuck the back 1.5, just slightly moved her right foot. 9.875
Negrete (NCS): Very solid double pike. Made it all the way around on her leap. The front full to front layout was very well controlled. Kind of sprung out of the double back with a step forward. Great to see her back on floor. 9.775
Shearer (UNC): Exhibition. Solid on the loso series. Big leg up wobble on the front toss. The switch leap to straddle quarter was clean. One handed front walkover to gainer full off the side for her dismount which is cool.
Benson (NCS): Exhibition. Solid double pike. The landing of her combination pass was stuck cold. Great amplitude on the leaps. A slight step forward on the double tuck. That one should have been in the lineup.
After 3: North Carolina 147.025, N.C. State 146.875
N.C. State is not there yet with the floor landings as is typical for this early in the season. There were quite a few steps forwards instead on backwards. North Carolina’s beam struggles have continued, but it was not to the same extent today which is a good sign. North Carolina is on 196 pace which is a mark it would love to get.
Rotation 4: N.C. State beam, North Carolina floor
Diaz (NCS): Starts with the full turn. Relaxed form on the front aerial to bhs series. It was well connected though. Solid on the leaps. Hesitation after the cat leap before the side aerial to beat jump. The bhs to back 1.5 tucked with just a small hop. 9.575
Nam (UNC): Big double pike with a solid lunge out. Got the leaps around. Does a second leap series where the wolf full was not all the way around. Does a back 1.5 to front full with slight soft knees and steps right out of it into her dance. 9.8
Judges conference on beam.
Jennings (NCS): Overcooked the full turn a little. Nice bhs to bhs to loso with a slight lean at the end. Does a switch leap to tuck 3/4 as her leap series which was solid. A bit of a pause before the dismount, but does the back 1.5 dismount with just a small step back. 9.725
Shinohara (UNC): Front tuck through to double tuck which was landed very well. Did a switch side to Popa to wolf full and made them all around. Took a step forward out of the double pike at the end, but got her chest up quickly. 9.825
Zultevicz (NCS): Nice full turn. Good loso series as well. Very confident. A little short of the split jump after the switch leap. Solid cat leap to side aerial. Almost stuck the 1.5 dismount, but did not bend her knees to absorb the landing and had to take a small step back. 9.7
Greenlow (UNC): She cut her own music which is cool. Solid double pike to open. Onto the third song. Almost stuck the orphan back 2.5 with just a small hop in place. Controlled landing on the back 1.5 to front layout. I think that was four or five songs that she cut into her floor music. 9.85
Ortega (NCS): Does the L turn, but is a little bit off. Still manages to connect it into a split jump. Does her signature bhs to Onodi, but unfortunately falls off this time. Solid on the leaps. A step out of the front handspring. Stuck the gainer pike dismount off the end of the beam. 8.9
Culton (UNC): Small hop back on the double tuck. Lands it a little bit low and does not go into a lunge. Does a front layout to Rudi and stepped out of bounds when she lunged back. The leaps were solid to finish the routine. 9.625
Shepard (NCS): Straddle split mount. Very solid L turn. Really held her leg up there. Great on the switch to straddle quarter. Strong loso series . Does not fully rotate the side aerial and swings the back leg through into a big balance check. Has to add in another jump connection. Big step forward on the back 1.5 dismount. 9.675
Forbes (UNC): Studder steps on the full in and had a leg separation in the first flip. Great landing on her combo pass. Did not get all the way around on her Popa. Landed a little bit short on the double tuck and took a step forward. 9.8
Negrete (NCS): Leap up onto the beam. Very clean front aerial to bhs with pointed toes. The leap series was done well. This is a very calm routine. Does a double full dismount and it almost looks like she doesn’t make it around, but it was squeaked out with just a small hop. 9.775
Knower (UNC): Very great control on the high double pike. The front full to front layout was floaty and well controlled as well. Made it around on the leaps. Nailed the landing of the double tuck to end. Great chest positions on the double flipping skills. 9.925.
NCS Exhibition: Again, I didn’t see the name, but a great loso series. The leaps missed the position a little. Loose form overall. A bend at the waist on her second leap combo. Stuck the gainer full dismount though.
FINAL: North Carolina 196.225, N.C. State 195.325
A much better showing for North Carolina today. More control on landings, and a little bit of a better beam rotation helped raise the score here. N.C. State had some first meet struggles on both beam and floor as one might expect. Balance checks on beam and floor landings seem to be the main pieces to work on for both teams as the season continues,
VT: Dekanoidze 9.9
UB: Dekanoidze 9.975
BB: Knower 9.875
FX: Knower 9.925
AA: Knower 39.45
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Live blog by Alyssa Van Auker
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