LIVE BLOG: No. 11 Denver and No. 58 Air Force at No. 26 Nebraska

Happy meet day! The postseason is quickly approaching, and today’s tri-meet brings us one step closer! Today’s meet won’t exactly be the most evenly-matched, but the tri-meet format may serve as good practice for the upcoming conference championships. 

Denver and Nebraska are both coming off of season-high scores last weekend, and in Denver’s case, program-high! Denver scored its first ever score above 198, and Nebraska scored a 197.5. Both teams will be hoping to prove that those scores weren’t a fluke, so we’ll have to see if they can deliver. 

Air Force is coming off of one of its lower scores of the season. The Falcons already have some decent scores counting towards their NQS, but a good score today would be great for their confidence heading into the MPSF Championships!

Well it’s almost ten minutes past 6:00 and my stream hasn’t started yet. Hopefully they’re just running a little bit late since it’s senior night and we aren’t missing any of the gymnastics!

Alright it started! Looks like they’re just finishing warm ups.

Rotation 1: UNL VT, AFA UB, DU BB

McClelland (UNL): Nice Yurchenko full, she just landed outside of the lines because she was pretty crooked.

Brown (DU): Front aerial to wolf jump. Sticks the side gainer full dismount!

Kuenemann (UNL): Yurchenko full, pikes it down and hops backwards.

B. Mabanta (DU): Switch leap split jump, beautiful splits. Finishes with a stuck gainer pike.

Hall (UNL): Solid Yurchenko full, just a small hop in place.

Comin (UNL): Another solid Yurchenko full, just that small hop.

Looks like we’ll be seeing all Nebraska routines with some glimpses at Air Force and Denver when there are breaks!

Iwai (DU): Switch leap to straddle quarter, very solid. Flic lay, I think she was supposed to do two but she didn’t. Side aerial to split jump. Cartwheel to side gainer full dismount, she looks like she may have hopped but it wasn’t in frame.

Spence (UNL): Yurchenko 1.5, looked nice in the air and she stuck it! Just had some bent legs throughout but overall it was pretty good.

Thompson (DU): Side aerial back handspring series. Switch leap switch leap, she got a bigger split than she normally does. Nice side aerial to 1.5 dismount and it’s another stick!

(AFA): I don’t know who this is I’m so sorry. As soon as it cut to her it was showing her casting over. She gets back up and finishes her routine with a blind full to double back and takes a step forward.

Mundell (DU): Flic lay, she wobbles and falls. Beautiful switch leap to switch half, sometimes she struggles on that but she nailed it today. Fights for the stick on her roundoff 1.5 dismount.

Kinkade? (AFA): Starts with a Maloney with some foot separation. Shootover down to low, kind of loose throughout. Hits the last handstand. Blind full to double back, also pretty loose and takes a step on the dismount.

Hutchinson (DU): Here’s who you want after a fall! Switch leap to split jump. Beautiful front toss. Dismounts with a cartwheel to side gainer full and she sticks it. I didn’t see the whole routine but the team is chanting for a 10 so it’s safe to assume she stayed on!

Boll (AFA): Beautiful Maloney to shootover combination. Hits that last handstand and sticks the double layout! That was a great routine!

Nelson (AFA): Another Maloney to shootover connection. Finishes with a blind into a double front! She takes it out pretty far and takes a big step forward, but overall another good routine!

After 1: Nebraska 49.375, Denver 49.225, Air Force 48.275

We saw a lot of fight in this rotation! Air Force had some low scores on bars that it had to battle back from, and Denver came back from a fall on beam. Nebraska didn’t seem to have any struggles on vault, and the Huskers put up a solid score to start the meet.

Rotation 2: Nebraska UB, Air Force BB, Denver FX

Ruiz (DU): Her first pass is a front tuck through to a nice controlled double tuck. Switch side Popa Popa. Last pass is a double pike, another controlled lunge out of that pass. 9.85

McClelland (UNL): Nice shootover. Hits her last handstand and sticks the double layout. The commentators said she fell earlier in the routine though. 9.375

Iwai (DU): Double tuck, lunges forward instead of back. They started doing replays before her routine even ended, thanks BTN+ !

Gibson (UNL): Beautiful last handstand. Double layout dismount and she steps forward.

Colombo (UNL): Blind into a nice piked Jaeger, next is a Pak which is pretty archy. Eagle grip into a double front half with a small step on the landing.

Greene (AFA): Switch leap switch leap, a little bit shy of 180. Cat leap to layout stepout to beat jump was solid. Roundoff 1.5 dismount and she sticks it!

Spence (UNL): Maloney to Pak combination, she was pretty close to the bar on that Pak. Van Leeuwen back up to the high bar, hits the last handstand and sticks her blind full to double tuck! 9.975?? Interesting.

Boll (AFA): Split jump to split three quarter I think. Very solid flic lay, nice form and a great landing. Nice Onodi, just a small wobble. Back handspring to a 1.5 dismount and it’s another stick!

Mundell (DU): Starts with a double pike, just a tiny misstep on the landing. Nice front layout to front full. Finishes with a Rudi, her lunge was a little big but still controlled.

Kinkade (AFA): Cat leap to switch side, didn’t quite hit that straddle position. Beat jump to split jump to split three quarter. Nice gainer pike to another stick! Air Force is nailing these beam dismounts!

Simpton (UNL): Maloney to Pak combination, overall nice form just some slightly flexed feet. Sticks the double layout but it was a little bit loose in the air and had some pike down.

Hutchinson (DU): Nice front double twist to start. Back 1.5 to front layout, not her best landing but still controlled. Switch half to split full. Finishes with a nice Rudi to straddle jump.

After 2: Nebraska 98.875, Denver 98.425, Air Force 97.15

Well this was an interesting rotation. Scores are looking a little bit interesting. Scores are a little bit higher that I’ve been expecting for Nebraska and a little bit lower than I was expecting for Denver and Air Force. But overall we saw some great gymnastics! Air Force was killing it on beam, especially with the dismounts, and Denver was feeding off of the away crowd’s energy on floor. Husker fans were very excited about Nebraska’s 49.5 on bars.

Rotation 3: Denver VT, Nebraska BB, Air Force FX

Carswell (AFA): We missed her first pass because they decided to show the crowd dancing instead, thanks again BTN+. Switch ring to switch half. Solid double wolf turn. Double tuck, underrotated and landed with her chest down and stepped forward.

B. Mabanta (DU): Nice Yurchenko full, good form in the air and she sticks it.

Mundell (DU): Yurchenko 1.5, had some bent knees throughout, was a little bit crooked and hopped back a tiny bit.

Simpton (UNL): Her foot slipped on her series so she just did two back handsprings and fell off. Looks like she isn’t going to try again. Split jump to sheep jump. Finishes with a stuck side gainer full.

Martyna (AFA): Last pass is a Rudi which is pretty low and connects it to a straddle jump that goes really far backwards.

Casali (DU): Stuck Yurchenko 1.5! Nice form in the air too.

Gard (UNL): Alright let’s see if the freshman can handle the pressure of going after a fall! Flic lay, solid landing but some bent legs throughout. Split jump to split three quarter. Solid side aerial. Switch leap connected to a gainer pike and takes a step back on the landing.

Kabat (AFA): Front tuck through to a huge double tuck! She almost goes out of bounds but she knows exactly where her foot is. I don’t know why the people running this stream are insistent on replaying the passes during the routine! Nice double tuck but steps forward. Switch half to split full.

Colombo (UNL): Nice front aerial to flic flic series. Split jump to double stag jump. Dismounts with a cartwheel to back 1.5 and I truly don’t know if it’s supposed to be tucked or a layout. Takes a step on the landing.

Spence (UNL): Starts out with a double wolf turn. Very pretty front aerial to flic flic series. Switch leap to beat jump. Roundoff 1.5 dismount and she stuck it!

Greene (AFA): Switch side to Popa. Back 1.5 to front layout.

McClelland (UNL): Double wolf turn, wobbled a little bit but covered it. Solid flic lay series. Straddle jump beat jump double stag connection. Back handspring to tucked 1.5 dismount with a small hop.

Brochi (AFA): Front double twist to start out, her lunge was a little big. Front full to front layout, nice control on that landing. Just got a replay of her first pass which was a 2.5 that she took a big stumble out of.

Carlisle (AFA): Her second pass is a front full to front layout, nice form and a good landing. Popa to wolf full.

After 3: Nebraska and Denver 147.825, Air Force 145.05

From what I saw of this rotation, scores seemed more accurate. Nebraska battled back after a fall on beam, and Denver put up a 49.4 on vault despite a 9.3 from Lynnzee Brown. With Denver’s vault score, the Pioneers and the Huskers are tied going into the last rotation.

Rotation 4: Air Force VT, Denver UB, Nebraska FX

Kuenemann (UNL): Starts off with a double tuck, nice controlled lunge out of it. Front layout to front full. Switch full to wolf full. Back 1.5 to front layout for her last pass. Solid leadoff for Nebraska!

McKean (AFA): Tucked Yurchenko full, just a step on the landing.

Willis (AFA): Yurchenko full, piked throughout and hops back.

Rourke (UNL): Nice double pike. Switch half to Popa to wolf full.

Brochi? (AFA): Nice Yurchenko full, good position in the air and a good landing!

Greene? (AFA): Another Yurchenko full, pikes it down a little bit and hops sideways.

Comin (UNL): Nice half in half out, good control on her landing. Solid back 1.5 to front layout. And of course I missed the leap pass!

Boll (AFA): Yurchenko full with a slight pike down and a hop back.

Berger (AFA): Yurchenko layout that’s actually pretty piked.

McClelland (UNL): Starts with a front double twist. Next is a back 1.5 to front layout with awesome control. Switch half to Popa. Finishes with a Rudi to a double stag jump that travels backward a bit.

Spence (UNL): Front tuck through to a solid double tuck. Double wolf turn. Switch ring to switch full. Finishes with a double pike and jumps into her lunge.

Piringer (UNL): Starts with a nice high double tuck. Next is a back 1.5 to front layout, nice form and control. Switch side to Popa, just a little shy of 180. Finishes with a double pike and takes a shuffle back but covers it up.

Final: Denver 197.375, Nebraska 197.275, Air Force 193.925

This was a pretty solid meet for every team here! Air Force scored its second-highest road score of the season! Denver’s score wasn’t as high of some of its other scores this year, but who can complain about a road 197.375? Nebraska was right behind the Pioneers with a 197.275. The Huskers almost pulled off an upset on senior night, but they couldn’t quite keep up with Denver’s bar rotation. But Nebraska should be thrilled with yet another 197!

Event Winners:

Vault: Casali, 9.95

Bars: Spence, 9.975

Beam: Hutchinson and Thompson, 9.9

Floor: Piringer, 9.925

All Around: Spence, 39.65

READ THIS NEXT: “Last One, Best One:” Lynnzee Brown Honors Denver Brown Girl Legacy With Sixth-Year Floor Routine


Live blog by Emily Lockard

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