After a week of crazy scores, upsets and program records galore, what might week five have in store for gym fans? With a couple of highly anticipated matchups between top programs, it’s bound to be a thrilling weekend. As always, you’ll find everything you need to follow along with all the meets happening this weekend, including previews of the top matchups, Fantasy Gymnastics resources and every scoring and video link you could ever need.
No. 23 Missouri at No. 14 Georgia: Saturday, Feb. 3 at 2 p.m. ET
Georgia is improving weekly as it moves into this week’s home meet against Missouri. Despite the Gymdogs’ loss to Arkansas this past weekend, Sydney Snead posted career highs on bars (9.9), beam (9.925) and the all around (39.525) to help her team better its away score average. The Tigers have had tough SEC matchups so far this season against Auburn and Alabama. However, they upset Arkansas a couple of weeks ago, a team Georgia recently lost to, making this matchup still one to watch. Tiger Aspen Tucker posted a 39.450 in the all around, making the individual competition as fierce as the team one between her and Sydney Snead, as well as Gymdog Rachel Dickson.
| Alicia | Amy | Caroline | Christina | Elizabeth | EmilyHF | EmilyM | Rebecca | Tara |
| Georgia | Georgia | Georgia | Georgia | Georgia | Georgia | Georgia | Georgia | Georgia |
No. 23 @MizzouGym faces off against No. 14 @UGAGymnastics Saturday at 4 p.m. ET. Who wins? #NCAAgym
— NCAA Gym News (@NCAAGymNews) January 30, 2018
No. 12 Arizona State at No. 13 Oregon State: Saturday, Feb. 3 at 5:30 p.m. ET
Oregon State and Arizona State face off in what is shaping up to be a very close match up between two middle-of-the-pack Pac-12 programs. The Beavers started off their season a little slow but have been quickly improving, particularly with the addition of two 9.9 routines, Maela Lazaro (beam) and Savannah Force (floor), in their last meet against Stanford. Freshman Kaitlyn Yanish has also been a standout for the Beavers on floor, tallying a score of 9.95 last week. The Sun Devils are coming off three wins (two away and one home) and continue hitting more and more impressive scores. They come into this match ranked No. 12, just slightly ahead of the 13th-ranked Beavers. Watch for star freshman Cairo Leonard-Baker, who has posted four consecutive all around scores above 39 and won Pac-12 Freshman of the Week the last three weeks. Don’t miss the Sun Devil’s beam rotation, which is packed with gorgeous lines and unique skills, particularly lead-off Justine Callis and sophomore Ashley Szafranski. This meet is one you don’t want to miss.
| Alicia | Amy | Caroline | Christina | Elizabeth | EmilyHF | EmilyM | Rebecca | Tara |
| ASU | ASU | OSU | ASU | ASU | OSU | ASU | OSU | OSU |
No. 12 @SunDevilGym heads to No. 13 @BeaverGym Saturday at 5:30 p.m. ET. Who wins? #NCAAgym
— NCAA Gym News (@NCAAGymNews) January 30, 2018
No. 22 Minnesota at No. 9 Nebraska: Saturday, Feb. 3 at 8 p.m. ET
It’s another Big Ten battle in Lincoln! Across both teams, this meet features four top 10 event rankings, three top 20 all around rankings and all of the week four Big Ten honorees.The Huskers have been on a roll at home, posting a 196.875 last weekend against Michigan. After putting up a 9.975 on vault, Sienna Crouse landed in a tie for fourth in the nation on that event, as well as notching a Big Ten event specialist of the week honor. After week three, the team is No. 6 on both vault and beam and boasts two of the top 20 all arounders in the nation in Abbie Epperson at No. 17 and Megan Schweihofer at No. 20. The Golden Gophers have also been steadily improving, putting up a 49.550 floor rotation last weekend on the road. That total is tied for second with Utah behind a three-way tie for the highest-scoring floor rotation in the country in 2018. Lexy Ramler comes in as both Big Ten gymnast and freshman of the week. She is tied with Peng-Peng Lee for No. 1 on beam, and comes in at No. 14 in the all around. Ramler is not the only Gopher in the top 10 on an event, though. Ona Loper is tied for No. 7 on floor, and Ivy Lu is ranked No. 6 on beam. This matchup will be a battle of depth and consistency; while Nebraska is the easy favorite, expect Minnesota to rise to the challenge and put up a good meet. Keep an eye on the all around title, too: Ramler is undefeated so far this year, but Epperson and Schweihofer won’t go down easily at home.
| Alicia | Amy | Caroline | Christina | Elizabeth | EmilyHF | EmilyM | Rebecca | Tara |
| Nebraska | Nebraska | Nebraska | Nebraska | Nebraska | Nebraska | Nebraska | Nebraska | Nebraska |
No. 22 @GopherWGym is at No. 9 @HuskersWGym Saturday at 8 p.m. ET. Who wins? #NCAAgym
— NCAA Gym News (@NCAAGymNews) January 30, 2018
No. 1 Oklahoma at No. 4 UCLA: Sunday, Feb. 4 at 4 p.m. ET
In one of the most anticipated matchup of the weekend, the No.1 team and back-to-back national champions Oklahoma face off against No.4 UCLA, who is back at home, undefeated and fresh off a victory over No. 2 LSU. The Sooners are coming off one of their best showings this season at Florida where they scored a huge 198.125. They were absolutely stellar on all four events and already looked ready for the postseason. While Maggie Nichols continues to the star of the team, the freshmen have shown they are more than up to the task of handling the expectations of being on the squad everyone wants to beat. Anastasia Webb has been stellar in the all around, recording a 39.625 in Gainesville and ranking seventh place nationally. Carly Woodard was in the beam lineup once again and recorded the best score on the event for OU with a 9.950. Finally, Evy Schoepfer made her official debut in the floor lineup for a 9.900 and proved she deserved to stay. Sophomore Jade Degouveia was out of the lineups with plantar fasciitis, and no further information has been released on a potential return date to competition. The Bruins had a fantastic showing last weekend at the Metroplex Challenge, beating LSU to earn their best team score this season with a 197.625. The Bruins look more prepared and in shape than in past years and will look to keep this momentum going through April. Peng-Peng Lee earned a 10.000 on beam while sophomore Kyla Ross found her groove as an all arounder, delivering stunning performances week after week as she currently sits third nationally. Also of note, this meet will honor sexual assault survivors as part of the “Together We Rise Meet,” and teal poms poms and wristbands will be distributed to fans in attendance.
| Alicia | Amy | Caroline | Christina | Elizabeth | EmilyHF | EmilyM | Rebecca | Tara |
| OU | OU | OU | OU | UCLA | UCLA | OU | OU | OU |
It's a big showdown between No. 1 @OU_WGymnastics and No. 4 @uclagymnastics Sunday at 4 p.m. ET! Who wins? #NCAAgym
— NCAA Gym News (@NCAAGymNews) January 30, 2018
No. 19 Arizona at No. 31 California: Sunday, Feb. 4 at 5 p.m. ET
The Golden Bears will finally compete at home for the first time after four grueling weeks on the road. They have shown shades of what could be stellar performances but have faltered before being able to put together complete meets. Bars has been extremely problematic, not being able to complete a rotation so far without a fall. Beam had been their best event until last weekend against Arizona State where they had a complete meltdown with three falls, which added on to those from the bar rotation. Hopefully being at home will settle the Golden Bears as they desperately need a solid, hit meet to not only climb up the rankings but to also build confidence going forward. On paper, the talent is there and this team should not be anywhere near its current ranking of No. 31. Don’t miss senior Toni-Ann Williams in the all around and especially on floor, where she tied her career-high last weekend with a 9.975. Freshman Nina Schank has been an absolute rockstar on bars, so make sure to catch her there as well. Arizona is coming in as the favorite here and has been improving slowly but steadily. The Wildcats finally passed the 196 mark last weekend (196.325) against Utah, and it wasn’t even one of their best showings as they still counted a fall on beam. They were delightful on bars where they are ranked 10th in the nation, but showcased an incredible floor rotation against the Utes to tie them with a big 49.425. Finally, don’t miss freshman Payton Bellows on vault as she stuck her Yurchenko one and a half last weekend to win the event title with a huge 9.950.
| Alicia | Amy | Caroline | Christina | Elizabeth | EmilyHF | EmilyM | Rebecca | Tara |
| Arizona | Arizona | Cal | Cal | Cal | Cal | Arizona | Cal | Arizona |
No. 31 @CalWGym makes its home debut against No. 19 @ArizonaGymCats Sunday at 5 p.m. ET. Who wins? #NCAAgym
— NCAA Gym News (@NCAAGymNews) January 30, 2018
Other Notable Matchups
No. 5 Florida at No. 17 Auburn: Friday, Feb. 2 at 7 p.m. ET
As the Gators head to Auburn, the cards are stacked in their favor. The team is coming off the highest score in the nation so far, and heading into week five Florida will want to show that last week’s meet wasn’t a fluke. This season, Auburn has had its ups and downs, but despite a loss to Kentucky last weekend, the Tigers seem to be heading in the right direction with consistency. Relief for the Tigers comes from juniors Abby Milliet and Samantha Cerio. Having Milliet back from season-ending injury in 2017 has given the Tigers a much-needed boost, especially on floor. Cerio, on the other hand, is helping Auburn break records on bars, earning a season high 49.350 last week in no small part thanks to Cerio’s 9.900—her third of the season. For the Gators, all eyes will be on senior Alex McMurtry, who completed the “Gym Slam” last weekend with her first perfect mark on beam. She also tallied no deductions on vault, giving self two 10s in one meet, a first for Florida.
No. 8 Arkansas at No. 10 Alabama: Friday, Feb. 2 at 8:30 p.m. ET
Last weekend Alabama came away against Missouri with an uncharacteristically low score and two injuries from crucial gymnasts; Arkansas meanwhile beat Georgia with a record night and for just the third time in program history. The hero of Arkansas’ story is freshman Sophia Carter, who set a school record on balance beam with a near perfect routine, helping the Razorbacks break 197 for the first time in two years. With such a historic night leading into an away meet, Arkansas should feel confident in its abilities to perform. This week will be all about redemption for the Crimson Tide. Despite a win against Missouri, Alabama performed below its abilities, only landing a team score of 195. The question for Alabama will be if it is able to rebound without sophomores Wynter Childers and Shea Mahoney. Both were injured last week with no word on when the duo will be back in lineups. Alabama will look to move past the rough outing and get itself back in the conversation for not only the win but for nationals and the Super Six as well.
No. 6 Kentucky at No. 2 LSU: Friday, Feb. 2 at 8:30 p.m. ET
LSU is back at home after a tough loss to UCLA at the Metroplex Challenge last weekend. A string of average performances for the Tigers made for a lackluster meet—one they went in expecting to win. Meanwhile, Kentucky continues to improve upon its own performances week after week, earning a coveted road win last week against Auburn and sitting at No. 6 in the country. While the meet between the individual teams should be a fantastic match-up in celebration of Mardi Gras, the individual all around competition between LSU’s Sarah Finnegan and Myia Hambrick with Kentucky’s Mollie Korth will be a nail-biter. All three gymnasts have won an all around title at least once this season and are all capable of performing near-perfect routines on each event. Watch for LSU to improve upon all apparatus scores, but especially its uncharacteristically weak vault, beam and floor performances from last week. For Kentucky, the Wildcats will look to strive for an unprecedented upset over No. 2 LSU, potentially handing the Tigers their first home loss since 2013.
No. 15 Washington at No. 3 Utah: Saturday, Feb. 3 at 3:30 p.m. ET
Utah and Washington have already met once this season in the Reno Elevate the Stage quad meet. There, the Utes finished second with a 196.975 and the Huskies placed third with 195.725. The Utes are entering the meet as the favorites here, having never lost to the Huskies, and are just coming off a season-high score of 197.550. The Utes are ranked this week No. 1 on floor, No. 2 on vault and No. 3 on bars, and we can expect them to dominate right from the start, especially with the leadership of the dynamic and reliable all arounder pair of Mykayla Skinner and MaKenna Merrell-Giles. The Huskies are also coming off a season-high of 196.525 at the Metroplex Challenge. They finished third there with a solid showing, including a 9.900 from senior Hailey Burleson on balance beam.
No. 30 Penn State at No. 43 Michigan State: Sunday, Feb. 4 at 1 p.m. ET
This Big Ten matchup should be a close battle, as both teams are still looking to really settle into the season. Penn State has been hurt by inconsistencies—especially on bars and beam. Briannah Tsang has led the Nittany Lions every step of the way; she is undefeated in the all around thus far. But for the most part, PSU is still trying to find the right lineups, with minor adjustments continuing each week. Michigan State is coming off of an emotional quad last weekend in East Lansing. The Spartans won the meet, upsetting favorites Pittsburgh. Like PSU, however, inconsistencies have taken a toll on team totals. Depth is still also a question, especially with Ally Hoyer seen in a boot last weekend. This meet may come down to which team can hit beam, and look for Tsang to continue her all around title streak.
No. 36 Maryland at No. 7 Michigan: Sunday, Feb. 4 at 2 p.m.
Michigan will look forward to being back in the Crisler Center this week after struggling at Illinois and having a decent but not up to calibre performance at Nebraska in the past two weeks. Weak vaulting rotations have been the biggest problem, and Olivia Karas has had one fall in each of her last three outings. Michigan will be looking for her to put up a solid all around performance. Despite a less than stellar two weeks, Michigan is still ranked No. 5 on bars, Emma McLean comes in at No. 5 on floor and Brianna Brown’s debut all around performance last week lands her in a tie for No. 17. Though Michigan is likely to dominate this Big Ten contest, Maryland could put up a decent road score. One of the most surprising teams in the conference, the Terps stunned Penn State and kept pace with Iowa over the past two weeks. The team is rock solid on beam—ranking No. 24—and is surprisingly led by underclassmen on the event. Last weekend in a beam rotation with no falls, Maryland put up four freshmen and two sophomores, so keep an eye on the Terps in Ann Arbor Sunday.
These aren’t the only meets happening this weekend. To see all the matchups all in one place, take a look at our master schedule. You can also find live scoring and video links for all this weekend’s meets below.
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Don’t worry! We haven’t forgotten about Fantasy Gymnastics players. We have a number of resources to aid in your weekly success. Check out our updated injury report to see if any of your gymnasts have been out of action. We also have a list of teams on byes, as well as those with multiple competitions, this week.
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Article by the editors of NCAA Gym News
