It’s Excite Night at Historic Memorial Coliseum, and for Kentucky, it’s a chance to reset after a less-than-ideal season opener. The Wildcats began their year at the Collegiate Quad without Creslyn Brose, who was sidelined with a concussion, and finished with a 194.925. Despite the low total, there were encouraging signs to build on. Delaynee Rodriguez debuted her upgraded Yurchenko one and a half and won the all-around in her session, while Gabby van Frayen made her long-awaited collegiate debut and impressed on beam with a 9.850. If Brose returns tonight, Kentucky will look to her to help steady the lineup; if not, the Wildcats will need to show that last weekend was an outlier and reaffirm their status as a nationals contender.
Arizona State heads to Lexington after placing second in its home tri-meet last weekend. Junior transfer Reese Grolla made her Sun Devils debut on her signature events, bars and beam, and earned Big 12 Event Specialist of the Week honors. The freshmen also made an immediate impact, led by Kylee Bromley, who won three event titles in her first collegiate meet. Arizona State will be looking to clean up mistakes from Sunday—particularly on bars, where it was forced to count a fall. Along with Bromley and Grolla, keep an eye on Kimberly Smith, who opened her senior season with a strong all-around showing and tied Bromley for the floor title.
The meet will begin at 7 p.m. ET and can be streamed on SECN+, with scores found on Virtius.
Brace yourselves everyone…Creslyn Brose is not in lineups as of now. 🙁
Rotation 1: Kentucky VT, Arizona State UB
Table of Contents
Hofseth (UK): Y full, good height off the table, step back on the landing. 9.775.
K. Lee (ASU): struggles on the first handstand, recovers with her blind to Jaeger to overshoot. Heads back up to the high bar, struggles with the last handstand and comes off after going for the full pirouette. Remounts and nails it, blind full to double tuck, deep landing with a step forward. Not the start the Sun Devils wanted. 9.000.
Rizo (UK): Y full, nice straight arms on the block, the tiniest hop back on the landing. Some flexed feet in the air as well. 9.850
El Mammann (ASU): Maloney to Pak, lacked some form in the air, but stays on the bar. Heads back to the high bar, also had some flexed feet, blind full to double tuck dismount with a stick. Good comeback by the freshman! 9.750
Gardner (UK): FHS pike half, lacked some distance off the table. Some bent knees in the air, hop back on the landing. 9.775
Gregoire (ASU): half pirouette to Geinger, short on the first handstand. Overshoot to the low bar, angle was hard to see if she hit the handstand position. Short on the last handstand, double layout dismount with a hop back. 9.750
Noonan (UK): half on, pike half off. A new upgraded vault and I am a FAN. Legs were nice and together, lost some form in the feet in the landing. Tiny hop on the landing. 9.825
Bromley (ASU): beautiful opening handstand. Maloney to Pak, some leg separation in the air. Toe-on pike half dismount with a solid landing. 9.850.
Rodriguez (UK): Y 1.5, good height and distance off the table, step forward on the landing. Some leg separation in the air and on the landing. 9.850
Grolla (ASU): Maloney to Pak, beautiful positions and form. Best handstands of the lineup so far. Blind full and has to SAVE that, to double tuck dismount with a stick. That was close. 9.650
Cashion (UK): FHS pike half, legs together, straight arms on the block with a stick! That should be the top score of the rotation for the Wildcats. 9.950.
K. Smith (ASU): blind to straddle Jaeger, toes were perfectly pointed in the air, bail to handstand, looked like 180 from this angle, double layout, some leg separation in the air with a stick. 9.875.
AFTER ONE: Kentucky 49.250, Arizona State 48.875
Arizona State rebounded nicely after an opening fall, but still tallied a lower score than Jay Santos and company would prefer. Kentucky had a solid opening rotation on vault, capped off by Cashion’s 9.950. Heading to bars, the Wildcats must improve their score from last weekend here if they want to keep distancing themselves from the Sun Devils.
Rotation 2: Arizona State VT, Kentucky UB
El Mammann (ASU): Y full, good position in the air, some bent elbows on the block, chest down on the landing with a hop in place. 9.750.
Rizo (UK): blind to straddle Jaeger high above the bar, bail to handstand looked clean, tiny bit short on the final handstand, and a really whippy piked down DLO dismount but it was a stick so….9.825
Purler (ASU): half on, front tuck off, good block off the table, step forward on the landing. 9.800
Noonan (UK): Ray to overshoot, solid connection, nice handstands on the bar, DLO dismount, leans forward and has to take the step forward on the landing. 9.775
Kelly (ASU): Y full, off center off the table, good distance, low chest with a sidestep on the landing. 9.750
van Frayen (UK): blind to straddle Jaeger, nice and high above the bar, some bent elbows on the catch, really sits on top of the bar in that handstand and wow, that was pretty. Step forward on the dismount. 9.750
Bromley (ASU): Y full, some leg separation in the air, big hop backwards on the landing. 9.775
Bennett (UK): Short on the opening handstand, Maloney to Pak was solid, much better handstand that time, DLO dismount with a stick! 9.825
K. Smith (ASU): Y full, big block off the table, nice form in the air, hop back on the landing. 9.825
Rivelli (UK): blind to straddle Jaeger, missed it on her fingertips and falls. Shame because it was super nice and high in the air. Restarts the routine, gets the release that time to the overshoot, DLO dismount with a step back. 9.150
Gregoire (ASU): Y 1.5, some knee form issues in the air, opens up early and takes a big hop forward. Might end up being the drop score. Oh jk, it was a 9.800? Okay cool.
Rodriguez (UK): Tkatchev to open, catches it with nice straight arms. Bail to handstand, maybe a tiny bit short? Pretty final handstand, DLO dismount, stuck but steps backward on the salute so I’m not sure if she’ll get credit for the stick. 9.825
AFTER TWO: Kentucky 98.250, Arizona State 97.825
Much improved bars rotation from last week! The Wildcats avoided counting Rivelli’s fall and have the lead at the halfway point. The Sun Devils had a clean rotation on vault but really needed more sticks to keep pace with Kentucky.
Rotation 3: Kentucky BB, Arizona State FX
S. Lee (UK): This routine will set the pace for the rotation. No pressure. BHS BHS LOSO, big wobble but stays on. Switch leap to straddle quarter, lacked some split on the switch. Balance check after the full turn. RO 1.5 dismount with a stick. Some wobbles but stayed on the beam.
K. Lee (ASU): FHS front double full, stumbles out of it and didn’t quite get the twist around. Switch ring to switch half, missed the split position in the air. Back 1.5 to front layout second pass, a little whippy in the air but gets it around. FHS Rudi to close it, more controlled on the landing on that pass.
Rizo (UK): Front aerial to open, tiniest bit of knee bend in the air. BHS LOSO, missed her foot on the layout and comes off the beam. Kentucky will be in a pressure situation for the second week in a row on beam. Wobbles after the leap series, side aerial was better. RO 1.5 with a stick.
Platkin (ASU): Sun Devils might be able to capitalize here. Rudi to double stag jump to open, good height in the air on the Rudi. Goes into the double pike, gets the landing on that one as well. Nice amplitude in the leap series. Back 1.5 to front layout, good rise in the layout as she finishes her routine.
Bennett (UK): BHS LO LOSO, nails it right down the middle. Cat leap to front aerial, bends at the waist to try to save and ends up touching the beam. Despite what the commentary says, it will be counted as a fall and not just a “major deduction”. Gainer pike dismount with a stick.
Bromley (ASU): Big height on the double pike, sizable step back and out of bounds. Front full to front layout, better control on that landing. Lots of height on the leap series! Double tuck to close, chest down on that landing. I firmly appreciate this floor team for doing three passes, it feels like a rarity now.
Gormley (UK): Switch leap to straddle quarter, nice extension in the air. BHS layout to two feet and falls. This is really not what Kentucky needed tonight. Repeats the skill perfectly that time. Nails the rest of the routine, side gainer full with a stick to close.
Gregoire (ASU): Front through to double tuck, bit of a low chest on the landing but recovers. FHS Rudi to layout step out, love the toe point in that skill! Short and sweet, just like we like it.
van Frayen (UK): Bit of a rough situation unfolding here for the Wildcats, hopefully the freshman can right the ship. BHS Onodi and…falls. Wow. I’m speechless. Genuinely don’t know what else to say about this for them. Better dismount but the damage may already be done.
Kelly (ASU): FHS front double full to punch front, solid pass to open! You can tell the Sun Devils are feeling how the momentum has switched. 2.5 twist with a really nice landing. Missed the straddle position on her leap series, but overall a really nice routine.
Rodriguez (UK): Switch leap to split jump, lost the toe point a tiny bit, but not too bad. BHS BHS LOSO, tiny balance check but stays on, which is most important right now. Side somi, nailed. RO 1.5 with a hop forward. A much needed hit.
K. Smith (ASU): Double pike to open, low chest on the landing. FHS front full to front layout, lacked some rise on the layout, but keeps it on her feet. Beautiful extension on the leap series! Double tuck to close, underrotated and had to step forward with a low chest.
AFTER THREE: Arizona State 146.925, Kentucky 145.250
The Sun Devils take a lead of over a point and a half after Kentucky scores a 47.000 on beam with three falls. Arizona State improved its floor score from last week, capped off with three scores of 9.800 plus. An upset (?) might be brewing in Lexington, but Kentucky still has floor to go.
Rotation 4: Arizona State BB, Kentucky FX
K. Lee (ASU): Split jump looked like it lacked some split. Nails her triple series! Beat jump to ring jump, this is some really nice difficulty. RO 1.5 dismount, slight lean to the side on the landing.
van Frayen (UK): Really nice double tuck to open, nice and high! Switch ring to switch half, nice extension and position. Front layout to Rudi, nice tight twist in the air. Two pass routine but after a rough go on the beam, she’ll be glad to have that as a confidence boost.
Kelly (ASU): BHS LOSO, a couple of balance errors but stays on. Switch leap switch leap, needed a little more split position on those leaps. RO double full dismount, really close to missing her foot, but makes it with a tiny hop back. Two down.
Bennett (UK): Double pike to open, okay queen find those cameras. Switch ring to L jump full, nice toe point. Front layout front full, good rise between the skills. Yay a three pass routine! Double tuck to close, she also comes back really strong after a miss on beam.
El Mammann (ASU): Side aerial LOSO, balance checks but keeps it on the beam. Split jump straddle quarter, leans back on the landing but stays on. Really pretty split on those jumps too! RO 1.5, step forward, bit of a balance check on the landing as well.
Gardner (UK): Double layout to open, some form issues in the air and underrotated with a low landing, first time she’s competed that here so good for her for going for it! Front through to double tuck, solid landing. Good, but really needs to clean up the form in the air if she’s going to consistently compete the double lay.
Bromley (ASU): Slight bobble on the full turn. Beat jump to ring jump, another wobble on the landing. BHS BHS LOSO, and another wobble. Front aerial, much more composed on that skill. BHS 1.5, some knee form in the air, with a stick. Some wobbles, but Arizona State just needs to stay on the beam at this point.
Rizo (UK): Pink Panther??? Big height on the double pike! Comes back with a double tuck, bit of a low chest on that landing. Good extension on the leaps, angle made it really hard to see if she got them all the way around. Low landing on the third tumbling pass, but overall a really fun routine!
Grolla (ASU): Handstand to BHS LOSO, leans to the side afterwards. Pretty leaps on the beam, cat leap to side aerial, looked like she wanted to stumble but didn’t. Cartwheel to gainer full off the end of the beam, hop forward on the landing.
Rodriguez (UK): Rudi to back layout, really nicely done. Switch ring to switch full, nailed the extension on that leap series. Double tuck, nice high chest on that landing. Ends her routine with a back 1.5 whip half and a nice high straddle jump!
K. Smith (ASU): All-around race coming to a head right here. BHS LOSO, slight stumble out of the layout. Standing LOSO to split jump, might not get credit for that correction, looked like she took a slight pause between skills. Switch leap straddle quarter, nice height on that. RO 1.5 dismount, some leg separation, with a stick.
Rivelli (UK): Double twist to open, Switch side straddle full, really high amplitude in the air! Kentucky really came back strong on floor and I am impressed. Rudi to back tuck, she mistimed the punch after the Rudi, so I’m not sure if that’s what it was supposed to be or not. Finishes with the cat claw.
FINAL: Arizona State 195.700, Kentucky 194.325
VT: Cashion (UK) – 9.950
UB: Smith (ASU) – 9.875
BB: Bromley (ASU) & Rodriguez (UK) – 9.850
FX: Rodriguez (UK) – 9.875
AA: Rodriguez (UK) – 39.400
Kentucky came back strong on the floor, but it’s not enough to help its score as it goes 194 for the second straight week. The Sun Devils didn’t have any falls, but they wobbled through a lot of their beam routines and will want to clean that up before welcoming BYU to town. Kentucky…you have so much potential, please fix beam. I beg of you.
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