Maryland started 2023 with a fully hit meet in the West Virginia tri. Beam was the only event where the Terps struggled, and it’s the biggest area for improvement this week. Still, a mid-195 is a great first-meet score for a group that started 2022 with a 192 and eventually managed three 197s.
Nebraska hit 196 last week on the heels of great performances from Kinsey Davis and transfer Sophia McClelland. The Huskers are a team capable of a big number on a fully hit day. A few weaker early lineup routines on each event are all that’s holding this group back from a high-196 day.
Nebraska had over 4,000 people in attendance Week 1 at home. Keep an eye on that number today as well.
We have Kynsee Roby commentating for tonight’s pink meet. We’re eight minutes past the hour and the national anthem isn’t even over, so classic BTN+ things.
We’re hearing that Ayzhia Hall is out tonight, no word as to why. Kidding, just a “tweak”. Elizabeth Debarberie also has a tweaked ankle.
Sounds like Nebraska will be going five up on vault due to Hall’s absence.
Rotation 1: UNL vault, UMD bars
McClelland (UNL): Yfull, pikey and hopped forward and sideways out of the directional lines. 9.675
R. LeBlanc (UMD): Short handstand. Blind to pike Jaeger, foot form. Bail hand, bit short. DLO holds the stick, just a little arm wave. 9.725
Kuenemann (UNL): Yfull, piked and soft knees throughout, small hop. 9.775
Gatzendorfer (UMD): Announcers mentioning that Kinsey Davis is her best friend from club, that’s cute! Toe hand to Maloney, leg sep on the back swing, knees and sep on the Pak. Stalder to double tuck, true stick. 9.8
Comin (UNL): Yfull, piked a bit but true stick! 9.85
Scores are feeling just about right. They’re definitely not loose, but I don’t think judges are being any pickier than they ought to be.
Debarberie (UMD): Great handstand to Ray, nice. Immediate bail. DLO, step back and covered it with a salute. Glad the ankle is okay! 9.8
Davis (UNL): Yfull, little messy on the block in the elbows and knees. 9.825
Kondo (UMD): Great handstand. Blind to Jaeger immediate bail, little loose in her core on the bail. DLO, leg sep and a hop back. 9.75
Spence (UNL): Y1.5! There it is. Stuck, messy legs in the air, both knees were bent. 9.9, higher than I expected given the way scores have been, but judges love a 10.0 start after a lineup of fulls.
Silberman (UMD): Half to Gienger, clean on the catch. Bail hand, a little short. Arched last handstand. DLO, step back. 9.675, not sure about that one?
Barth (UNL): Yfull, bend at the hips, flexed feet, hop and a step back. They must have thrown her in the lineup late, good for her. 9.6
Tsiknias (UMD): Blind to Jaeger, nice there, very smooth. Great bail hand. Little shy on the last handstand. DLO, really had to throw her head back on the second salto, covered a step by saluting. 9.775
Brozowski (UMD, ex.): Great handstand. Blind to Jaeger, soft knees. Bail hand, quite short, maybe .15 off. DLO, covers a step by saluting.
AFTER 1: Nebraska 49.024, Maryland 48.850
Good start for both teams. That’s about all Nebraska could’ve asked for with a late lineup change and Spence breaking out the upgrade. I’m wondering if the TV angle was bad for handstands and that’s where the Terps were losing some tenths. At any rate, it’s a lineup chock full of single bar releases and E dismounts, and they were performed solidly across the board. The errors are mostly in the high to low bar transitions and some landing errors, all easy enough to clean up as we settle into Big Ten conference action here.
Rotation 2: UNL bars, UMD vault
Rech (UMD): She’s in for Debarberie here. Yfull, piked down and a hop back. Great job for a freshman in the leadoff! 9.75
McClelland (UNL): The transfer is doing a lot of leadoff work! Good handstand. Blind to Jaeger, caught close but her toe point really stands out. Short bail hand. DLO, some shaping issues but true stick. 9.65, that close catch.
McClure (UMD): Yfull, hip angle throughout and a hop back, pretty big one. 9.725
Gibson (UNL): Toe hand to Maloney, Pak, little whippy there but the Maloney was nice. Short handstand. DLO, piked the second salto and two steps back. 9.6, bar judges are pretty consistent here.
Kogler (UMD): Yfull, nice body position, small hop. 9.8
Simpton (UNL): Back in the bar lineup for the first time in 2023. Toe hand to Maloney, som leg sep, little arm bend on the Pak catch. Balance check, a full arm swing, while standing on the low bar. DLO foot form, step forward. 9.55
Silberman (UMD): Yfull-on pike, nice leg form, just bounced up on her toes on the landing. 9.875, might have deducted for some lack of distance, too.
Spence (UNL): Maloney to Pak, nice catch. van Leeuwen, good. Didn’t get any real distance on the double tuck out of her blind full, stepped back. 9.775
Rothenbuescher (UMD): Tsuk full, wow! Stuck! Some pike down and leg sep during the block. 9.825
Colombo (UNL): L grip to pike Jaeger, Pak with leg sep. Short handstand. L grip front giant to double front half out, arm swing and she was a bit off balance, but didn’t move her feet. 9.75
Rubio (UMD): Yfull, gorgeous, stuck, best body position of all the fulls tonight. 9.875
Davis (UNL): SO patient, lovely toes. Leg sep on her Maloney. Clear hip hand to Jaeger, REALLY close catch, quite bent arms. Bail hand was a touch short. DLO hop back. Not her usual, I think she changed her composition in the moment. 9.575
Gilbert (UMD, ex.): Yhalf, really arched and not much block plus bent knees.
Bacskay (UNL, ex.): Clear hip hand to Pak some leg form, to Maloney, again leg form. Clear hip hand to half pirouette, DLO, step. Soft knees throughout and just a little more labored than you want to see.
AFTER 2: Maryland 97.975, Nebraska 97.375
Bar judging was definitely tighter than vault, true for both teams, but the Terps used some clean landings late in the lineup and those two 10.0 starts to take the lead. Nebraska made it through without any falls, but whatever caused Davis to change her routine mid-set held the score back, as did some wonky DLOs.
Rotation 3: UNL beam, UMD floor
Simpton (UNL): In Hall’s usual spot. Bhs loso loso, really steady, just a flexed foot on all three elements. Split to sheep, maybe a little too much distance between her feet and head. Gainer full off the side, low chest and moved backward. 9.775
Rech (UMD): Punch 2/1, lunged a little to the side, some soft legs. Double tuck, great landing, maybe shuffled her front foot. Tour jete half to wolf full, clean there. RO 3/2 front lay, nice body position in the lay, slid her foot a touch. 9.75
Bacskay (UNL): Lots of form on her triple series. Switch to split, great there. RO 2/1, hop back. 9.775
R. LeBlac (UMD): FHS 2/1, clean in the air, again just lunged off to the side a little. 3/2 front lay, soft knees in the lay. Switch side wolf full, soft knees in both. FHS rudi, nice lading. 9.825
Gard (UNL): Bhs loso, leg up check with an arm swing, soft knees in the bhs. Split to split 3/4, really nice. Side aerial, flexed feet and a hesitation, think she meant to connect to something. Switch leap to gainer pike off the end, stuck. 9.65
Osterhout (UMD): Front through double tuck, slide back and OOB. Low back leg and fairly short of 180 in a lep element during her dance pass. Double pike, great landing this time. 9.675
Colombo (UNL): She has such pretty and fluid quality of movement. Front aerial bent knee to bhs bhs, steady. Split to double stag, clean. Little check on the full turn. Cartwheel 1.5, soft knees and was a little forward on the landing, hopped to salute. 9.85
Silberman (UMD): RO 3/2 barani straddle, good throughout, nice twisting form. Switch side popa was nice. FHS 2/1, some leg form but great landing. Love to see that as a last pass! 9.775
Spence (UNL): Wolf turn double, really nice, kept the extended leg up. Front aerial bhs bhs, just some foot and knee form in the aerial. Switch to beat, nice 180. RO 3/2, soft knees and a hop forward. 9.825
Rothenbuescher (UMD): Whip to double tuck, pointed toes stood out, good landing. Side somi, unique to see that on floor. Switch side Popa wolf full, cheated the Popa rotation by overcooking the switch. Double pike, low chest and steps forward. OK! The somi is her front salto element. Creative! 9.775
McClelland (UNL): Wolf turn double again! Clean here too. Bhs loso, moderate check, leaned to the side but kept her feet down. Straddle to beat to double stag, arm swing check. Bhs tuck 3/2, step back. 9.675
McClure (UMD): Double tuck, hops into the lunge. She flips so patiently, really lets herself get her feet under her. Front lay to rudi, slid her front foot on that landing. ’70s disco routine for her this year, and it’s as fun as you’d guess. Tour jete half wolf full was clean. Front lay front full, great body positions and a good landing. 9.875! Correct, the best of the bunch for sure.
Warren (UNL, ex.): She has really nice presence. Bhs loso, check and knee form on both. Switch half to beat, some soft knees. Front toss, good. RO 3/2, soft knees.
Komoroski (UMD, ex.): FHS rudi, pretty big sep into the lunge. Switch ring to switch ring full, wow difficult! Little low front leg in the full and it was just a pinch labored. RO 3/2 front lay, good landing there. Definitely could push into a lineup spot with a little work on that leap series.
AFTER 3: Maryland 146.975, Nebraska 146.275
Probably not quite the beam rotation the Huskers hoped for, but not bad considering they’re missing Hall’s high ceiling number. Maryland retained the lead despite some form issues and landing errors. Overall nothing was egregious and everything can be cleaned up with some finessing in the gym, so I’m sure the Terps are perfectly happy with that 49 flat, knowing that the potential is much higher. Beam queen McClure has really emerged as a floor star, and rightfully holds that anchor role.
Rotation 4: UNL floor, UMD beam
Silberman (UMD): Check on her full turn. Bhs bhs loso, little foot adjustment on the landing and soft front knee throughout. Switch to straddle 1/4, really lovely! RO 3/2 big hop forward. 9.675
Kuenemann (UNL): In for Hall here. Double pike, slid her front foot back a bit in the lunge. Front lay to front full, nice. Struggled on her wolf shape and rotation on her wolf 3/2. Clean 3/2 to lay to close. 9.775
Rubio (UMD): Standing front tuck bhs, just a soft knee on the bhs. Stradle to split 3/2, just off balance from the second takeoff, falls. Beat jump. Cartwheel tuck 3/2, just picked one foot up and placed it back down. 9.125
Rourke (UNL): Front through double tuck, many stutter steps back and OOB, plus foot form throughout. Double pike, better feet, lunged forward. Switch half split full wolf full, clean. 9.4
McClure (UMD): Pressure’s on now, but McClure is a pro. Front aerial bhs, little slow on the transition but she kept moving. Switch to straddle 1/4, nice extension. Front toss to beat, no movement. She is on. Gainer rudi, her signature skill, just a hop! Great set. 9.825
Piringer (UNL): Double tuck, good landing. RO 3/2 front lay, excellent body position and a good landing. Switch side Popa, touch short of rotation on the Popa but it was minor. Double pike, slid her front foot some in the lunge, her weight was just back a bit far. 9.8
Gatzendorfer (UMD): Bhs bhs loso, check there, in her shoulders. She seems calm now with the series out of the way. Straddle to ring, bit slow in the connection. Gainer pike off the end, hopped her feet together. 9.675, maybe they didn’t give that connection.
McClelland (UNL): Punch 2/1, little uncontrolled in the lunge out. RO 3/2 front lay, really good amplitude on the lay. Switch half to Popa, short of 180 on both. Rudi to double stag, little loss of control in the jump. 9.85
Komoroski (UMD): One-arm bhs loso, nice! Clean front aerial. She’s so steady. Switch to split was also nice. Beat to sheep, the tiniest check. She does not perform like a freshman in January with a preceding fall! Small check on the full turn. Stuck RO 3/2. 9.875
Spence (UNL): Front through double tuck, good landing there. Wolf turn, nice, just a little arm swim. Switch ring to switch full, nice. Double pike, touch deep in her landing but hops right into the lunge. 9.9, not mad about that.
Kogler (UMD): Nice in her leaps. Bhs bhs loso, solid! Brett Nelligan is getting hype. Pretty front walkover for her front element. Switch to split, just a tiny adjustment between the two. Gainer full off the side, covered a step by saluting. 9.85
Comin (UNL): HIHO, lands forward and hops. Switch full straddle 3/2, little imprecise in the rotations and short on the straddle. RO 3/2 front lay, nice.
Kondo (UMD, ex.): Bhs loso, knees on both but solid landing. Switch half straddle with a check and some form on the switch. Switch side, solid there. Gainer full off the side, stuck.
FINAL: Maryland 195.875, Nebraska 195.325
The Terps will be thrilled with both the score and the poise with which a really young lineup recovered from the fall in the two spot on beam. Nebraska fell off some from last week’s 196, but some of that can be attributed to Hall’s absence. The Huskers will hope that her tweak heals quickly. That said, there were definitely bright spots, and clear areas to improve especially on bars.
EVENT WINNERS:
VT: Spence 9.900
UB: Gatzendorfer, Debarberie 9.900
BB: Komoroski, 9.875
FX: Spence, 9.900
AA: Spence 39.400
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Live blog by Emily Minehart
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