It’s time for another in-state rivalry meet, with a Western Michigan team that’s been steadily climbing and an Eastern Michigan roster that’s yet to find its stride this season so far. The Broncos have a deeper team on paper after the Eagles have largely been stuck in the 9.600-9.750 range, but as is ever so common in the MAC, anything is possible.
Be ready to watch a beam battle, with both teams boasting notable beam workers leading the conference in the Eagles’ Ella Chemotti and the Broncos’ Amanda Gruber. The Eagles currently hold an even 49 as their beam high, 0.025 over the Broncos – however the Broncos are averaging nearly two tenths higher. Both teams have demonstrated a knack for sticking beam dismounts over the past month, which should provide great drama in the back half of the meet.
Today’s meet will be broadcasted on ESPN+, with scoring available here.
Rotation One: Western Michigan VT, Eastern Michigan UB
Binstock (WMU): shoulders hit the sweet spot on the table, and she gets loads of height on her Y full. Sticks it but via a piked landing. Last second sub for Abby Singh based on WMU’s lineup posts. 9.675.
Chemotti (EMU): Starts with a toe handstand to Tkatchev, and then an archy but hit Pak. Nails her final handstand and floats her double layout to a nearly stuck dismount. 9.675.
Petrousek (WMU): Pikes down to reign in a HUGE post flight on her Y full, and takes a large step back. 9.650.
Lowe (EMU): Starts with EMU’s signature Hecht mount, and nails her handstands going into her blind half to Jaeger and Pak. Nearly sticks her double front tuck, just a small hop forwards. Gives away very little in the body of her routine. 9.800.
Faulkner (WMU): Flares her Y full and keeps her hips open until landing. Contacts with one of the directional lines, but will be the highest scoring of the three so far. 9.850.
Hartung (EMU): Opens with her hop to Tkatchev, finishes the hop before passing too far from vertical. Hits her shootover with no leg separation, and then back up to stick her double layout. Huge routine for the senior! 9.800 — long awaited personal best after a string of 9.750’s in her career.
Murphy (WMU): Tiniest of hops on the landing, but maintains the flare throughout the twist on her Y full. 9.800.
Macy (EMU): Hecht mount to a short handstand, blind half and piked Jaeger. Shootover right to handstand then right back up — lands her double layout but not without the help of each salto being a different shape. 9.775.
St. Clair (WMU): Small hop forward out of her Tsuk tuck 1.5, but twists it so fast that there’s almost nothing to take in the air. In the slow mo, she keeps her ankles glued on the pre-flight. 9.800.
Crossen (EMU): Starts with a toe handstand to shootover, then back up to a Tkatchev between the bars in her unique release-in-the-middle composition. Sticks her double layout! 9.875.
Moravansky (WMU): Another nearly stuck Y full for the Broncos! This team produces BIG flared post-flights. 9.825.
Boris (EMU): Blind half to piked Jaeger, in combination with a shootover! Nailing all of her handstands today, and then nearly sticks her full twisting double back. 9.900.
Roy (WMU): Exhibitioning today, and pikes her Y full. Hops into her step back.
McCullough (EMU): Exh – Hecht then into a handstand masterclass. Piked Jaeger to shootover, and then the camera zooms in on her grip work. Nearly stuck arabian double front!
AFTER ONE: Eastern Michigan: 49.150, Western Michigan: 48.950.
Eastern Michigan has had themselves quite a bar rotation, nearly tying their season high. Crossen and Boris contributed large scores, complimented by Hartung’s new career best. Western Michigan fell victim to bouncy landings today — but given their four counting 9.950 start values, this is still anyone’s meet.
The video feed cut during commercials, so now it’s time to hope it comes back in time for rotation two.
Rotation Two: Eastern Michigan VT, Western Michigan UB
Faulkner (WMU): Back in time for her blind full to double tuck with a small hop back. 9.750.
Lewis (EMU): Hit the sweet blocking spot for her Y full, but piked down and landed with straighter-than-planned knees causing a large step back. 9.600.
Petrousek (WMU): Shy on her handstand into the Tkatchev, nails her toe handstand shootover connection. A tad short on her final handstand, but pulls it around for her blind full to double pike. 9.775.
Parris (EMU): Another piked post-flight on her Y full, and contacts the directional lines. 9.725.
Roy (WMU): ROCKS her handstands today, and keeps great form in her Shaposh. Pikes the start of her double layout but lands it clean. 9.775.
Boris (EMU): Y full on tuck off! Salutes as she’s still mid-step back. 9.600.
Murphy (WMU): Hop to front giant, pauses a bit into the half turn to her Deltchev and shootover. Blind full with no issues, and rises well above the bar for her toe on barani tuck dismount. 9.875.
Fisher (EMU): Closest we’ve seen to a stick today from the Eagles’ vault rotation. Flexed feet throughout the post flight on her Y full. 9.700.
Moravansky (WMU): Hecht mount (right out of her opponents’ playbook), blind half to straddle Jaeger to shootover. Soars on her double layout and maintains the same body shape throughout. 9.900.
Quoss (WMU): First exhibition today on bars for Western Michigan. Short first handstand, pulls loads of height from it into her Tkatchev between the bars but peels off. Gets back up for a blind half to shootover, and catches it with bend elbows to come off again. Spotted on her blind full to double tuck.
Freeman (WMU): Second exhibition for the Broncos on bars. Staying calm during the long wait. Blind half to piked Jaeger and shootover goes smoothly, and so does her blind full to double tuck! Only a small hop back.
AFTER TWO: Western Michigan: 98.050, Eastern Michigan 97.550.
The landing hops that factored into the Broncos’ vault scoring factored into the Eagles’ as well. Western Michigan’s bars efforts were led by Moravansky’s career high anchor 9.900, but as a team finished 0.05 behind Eastern Michigan’s bar total.
The Broncos have big scoring potential on beam, which if hit will feed into their floor energy. The Eagles will need to save every tenth possible at their upcoming floor rotation.
Rotation Three: Western Michigan BB, Eastern Michigan FX
Binstock (WMU): Solid jump combination to open, and carries the energy into her bhs loso. Super efficient beam routine. A tad tentative hitting 180 on her switch half, and then nearly sticks her roundoff 1.5 with a small hop forward. 9.750.
Chemotti (EMU): Huge double pike to start. Switch full, split full, wolf full – chest down a bit on the last of the three. Roundoff 1.5 to layout finishes off her two pass routine. 9.750.
Petrousek (WMU): Bhs loso, and aerial to beat jump look as calm as the photographer behind her, who’s lying down. Jumps are clean, and she nearly sticks her punch layout full. 9.700.
Stuckey (EMU): Switch full, Popa and straddle jump open her routine instead of tumbling. “opens” with a roundoff 1.5 to layout, and then tumbles right away again with a double pike. Step back hovers over the line, we’ll see if it counted as in bounds. 9.750.
G. Singh (WMU): Taking her time with choreo into her bhs bhs loso, goes off without a hitch. Leans forward on her split 3/4, but masks it as a squat. Gainer pike off the end looked like it wanted to stick, but she lifts up one foot. 9.775.
Lowe (EMU): Chest down and bounces back from her double pike, but keeps the energy up with her Mr. Pinstripe music. CLEAN punch Rudi, just hops back into her lunge. Leap combo goes into a high Shushunova. Finishes it off with a roundoff 1.5 to layout, cleanest of her three landings. 9.650.
Moravansky (WMU): bhs bhs loso like it’s on the floor. Small pause between her switch and loso, likely just a tempo deduction. Roundoff 1.5 with the college stick — notably without a hurdle, just standing roundoff 1.5. 9.750.
Crossen (EMU): Squats a tad landing her front layout front full. Unique switch side to straddle Shushunova half, with the second lifting higher than the first. Double tuck with no landing issues. Switch side (again) to straddle, and a quick ending pose. 9.800.
Gruber (WMU): Flashes a W before nailing her bhs loso. Very calm presence on beam — carries it through her switch half, and split to straddle 3/4. Holds the stick on her roundoff 1.5. 9.900.
McCullough (EMU): front layout to front double full! Switch ring to switch full without a hitch, into her loso-in-the-choreo. Finishing her routine with a similar front layout to rudi, lands with her chest a tad low before the lunge. 9.850.
Murphy (WMU): Front toss in an open pike to start, and another nailed bhs loso. Unique beat jump to ring jump! Sticks her gainer full off the side. 9.850.
Boris (EMU): Starts off with a double pike, and quickly goes into a roundoff 1.5 to layout for her second pass. Switch half to split full gets loads of height, just a bit split shy. Closes out with a double tuck and a big smile. 9.850.
Thomas (WMU): Exhibition today, coming back from breaking her foot in preseason – bhs loso, and aerial are incredibly fluid. Split to straddle 1/4 are a bit short. Holds the stick on her gainer pike off the end, and is almost immediately rushed for hugs by her teammates and coach Jernigan.
King (WMU): Second exhibition for the Broncos on beam, and so far the lone freshman to go up (in any spot) on the team. Cat leap to front aerial with no stopping, but then off on her bhs loso. Floaty straddle and straddle half. Nearly sticks her gainer pike, but steps sideways past shoulder width.
AFTER THREE: Western Michigan 147.075, Eastern Michigan 146.550.
Western Michigan is taking full advantage of exhibition spots today — both normalizing new / returning routines to home meet days, and building confidence equally from first to eighth in coach Jernigan’s depth charts. They’ll look to build on their momentum on floor to close the meet.
Eastern blew past their prior season floor high by 0.425, highlighted by a 9.850 from both Boris and McCullough.
Rotation Four: Eastern Michigan BB, Western Michigan FX
Macy (EMU): Showing off her flexibility in her opening bhs loso. Initially slated as an exhibition this morning, but now leading off after a hit against Kentucky earlier this weekend. Beat jump to split 3/4 with no landing issues. Nearly holds the stick, small hop forwards out of her roundoff 1.5. 9.700.
Moravansky (WMU): BIG double pike to start off, keeps it narrowly in bounds. Almost right away into her double tuck. Switch full to two wolf fulls, low shoulders on the last two. Closes with a front layout front full, very controlled. 9.850.
Lowe (EMU): Fluid bhs loso, and cat leap to switch side. Side aerial with a slowly but surely connected sissone. Almost sticks her roundoff 1.5, small hop backwards. 9.800.
Petrousek (WMU): Compresses her double tuck so tight it actually appears higher, calm landing. Forwards combo pass without a hitch, same as her switch half to wolf full. Finishing with a textbook double pike, lands with her chest up and another calm landing. 9.900.
Stuckey (EMU): Connects (?) a split jump to the end of her bhs loso. Gets huge amplitude on her jump connection, but takes a balance check. Dismounts with a handstand to gainer full, knee form throughout but to a secure landing. 9.600.
Gruber (WMU): Floats her opening front layout, but it leads to a strange punch into a low but safe Rudi. Hops forwards and fights to save her double tuck. Switch half to straddle half both got massive height to close out the routine. 9.525.
Crossen (EMU): Another hit bhs loso for the Eagles. Hesitates before her front toss, but lands it with no major issues. Switch leap to sheep jump gets minimal head release. Cartwheel to gainer full with the college stick to finish it off. 9.700.
Binstock (WMU): Opens with her signature fhs Rudi back full to straddle jump, and then carries that height into her leap series. The camera is now split between her and her teammates, doing her choreo on the side. Closes with a perfectly gauged double pike. 9.900.
Boris (EMU): balance check on her opening bhs bhs loso, but smiles and recovers well. Beat jump to split 3/4 with no landing issues. Finishes with a stuck roundoff 1.5! 9.725.
St. Clair (WMU): Floats her opening roundoff 1.5 to layout, with the layout going even higher than the 1.5. Split camera again to show her teammates. Short on the 180 on her switch half and Popa. Wraps around her punch double full and keeps her ankles glued throughout it, always finds the blind landing. 9.900.
Chemotti (EMU): Takes a check on her full turn. Second one on her front aerial to bhs loso, but stays on. Standing switch split to split both get great lift. Sticks her roundoff 1.5 and holds it before celebrating. 9.700.
Murphy (WMU): Punch front roundoff double tuck into the rafters. Switch ring to switch full into the corner, and then her Rudi to straddle that you could drive a car under. Western Michigan has been putting on a clinic on building floor around each athlete’s strengths, and it ends with Murphy’s controlled double tuck. 9.975!
Butler (EMU): Exhibition spot today, checks on her side aerial. Goes again, side aerial to roundoff series. Rock solid landing on her front toss, and then sticks her piked gainer off the end.
Roy (WMU): Full in to start off, very rare in the MAC. Switch half overrotates, causing her Popa to underrotate. Closes with a punch front through to double tuck, which lands as if it were her opening pass.
Bergin (EMU): Second beam exhibition for the Eagles, and the second sheep jump in their lineup. Holds the stick on her front gainer full off the end of the beam.
Schaupp (WMU): Opens with a textbook Rudi to loso, but takes it out of bounds before she can get her feet down. Finishes with a low punch Rudi.
FINAL: Western Michigan 196.600, Eastern Michigan 195.175
A program record 49.525 sealed the deal for Western Michigan’s win and first 196+ of the season, although not without a good fight and season first 195+ from Eastern Michigan — an improvement over their prior season high by more than a point. Count this meet as a win for both programs, between high scoring and showcasing depth in exhibitions.
The Eagles will have a quick turnaround, competing at Northern Illinois on Friday the 17th to complete their third meet in eight days. The Broncos will next compete at home on Sunday the 19th, hosting Central Michigan.
VT Winner: Faulkner, 9.850
UB Winner: Boris, Moravansky, 9.900
BB Winner: Gruber, 9.900
FX Winner: Murphy, 9.975
AA Winner: Murphy, 39.500
READ THIS NEXT: Depth, Execution and More Depth Are the Keys to Vault in the MAC
Live Blog by Peri Goodman
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