The Dismount: Week Five

Where to start with this weekend’s slate of competitions… From exciting SEC matchups Friday to Pac-12 showdowns Saturday to Sunday’s marquee competition between two NCAA powerhouses, week five was anything but dull. With a plethora of perfect routines, tight matchups and issues transcending everyday leotards and chalk, we didn’t expect you to catch it all. Brush up on the most exciting aspects, including highlights, event winners and more, below.

No. 1 Oklahoma at No. 4 UCLA
Full Results OU: 198.05 UCLA: 197.95
VT: Dowell, 10.0 UB: Lehrmann, Nichols, 9.95 BB: Nichols, Webb, Lee 10.0 FX: Ohashi, Hano, 10.0 AA: Nichols, 39.9
  • OU’s 49.775 on beam is a program record.
  • The meet’s six perfect 10s tied for the second most in an NCAA competition with the most coming in a dual meet between Michigan and Georgia in 1997.

The banner meet of the weekend did not disappoint and will go down in the record brooks. While there were definitely some scores helped along by our good friend Carol, especially in the final rotation (four 10.000s in a row?!), there was also stellar gymnastics on display on national television for the first ever NCAA competition broadcast on ESPN. Even more importantly, the tribute to survivors that closed the meet, which incredibly also aired live, transcended sport. After Deanna Hong’s emotional video had everyone in tears, both teams came together, holding hands in a circle around the floor for awards. It was an incredible sight and what gymnastics is all about. Kudos to both teams, and head coaches Valorie Kondos Field and KJ Kindler, for putting together something so moving for the gymnastics community.

But back to the gymnastics! The first rotation started out strong for both teams. Nicole Lerhmann and Maggie Nichols closed out the Sooner top six with two 9.950s, but on vault, UCLA took the lead with a rotation of solid landings, highlighted by Nia Dennis’ stuck full and Pua Hall’s career-best Yurchenko one and a half. The fire didn’t stop in rotation two. Brenna Dowell, scored a perfect 10 for her drilled Yurchenko one and a half in the third lineup position. However, both teams also suffered a fall: Anastiasia Webb sat her Omelianchik and Katelyn Ohashi missed her Tkatchev. After two, OU surged ahead by three tenths. Moving into the third rotation, UCLA started out a little wobbly despite leading with a Brielle Nguyen 9.900, but Ohashi put the team on track with a solid performance and Peng Peng Lee’s flawless routine scored the second 10.000 of the meet. On floor, OU was a bit off, giving tenths away on landings and steps out of bounds. Granted, an off rotation for the Sooners still earned a 49.225, anchored by a 9.975 from Maggie Nichols, who seemed to gain confidence when the crowd erupted for Lee’s 10.000 as she landed her first pass. Because this meet was everything we hoped and dreamed, OU and UCLA went into the final rotation tied. OU’s only major mistake on beam came from Carly Woodard as she showed some freshman nerves with a fall. On floor, Felicia Hano hit a spectacular set for a 10.000, which was immediately followed by a 10.000 from Webb on beam, then a 10.000 from Ohashi on floor and finally a 10.000 from Nichols on beam. The sophomore’s 10 clinched the win for the Sooners before Pauline Tratz closed it out on floor, separating the two teams by just a tenth after the final scores came in.

No. 6 Kentucky at No. 2 LSU
Full Results LSU: 197.225 UK: 196.700
VT: Hyland 9.925 UB: Finnegan 9.975 BB: Hambrick 9.925 FX: Hambrick 9.975 AA: Hambrick 39.700
  • Lexie Priessman made her floor debut for the 2018 season.

The Tigers rebounded nicely after a loss at Metroplex last weekend to overtake the Kentucky Wildcats, who scored a respectable 196.700 on the road. Despite the win, LSU struggled on uneven bars after coming off the high from a stellar vault rotation. Sophomore Ruby Harrold had a solid routine going before sitting her dismount, and sophomore Kennedi Edney overarched handstand, forcing the Tigers to count her 9.400. Meanwhile, Kentucky proved itself to be quite the vaulting team, highlighted by junior Alex Hyland’s career high 9.925 Yurchenko full and junior Danaea Davis’ 9.850. LSU’s second rotation opened the door for Kentucky, but failed to secure the 9.900s needed to get the win. Senior Myia Hambrick continued her breakout season for LSU, recording a career high all around total of 39.700, which included another 9.975 on floor, keeping her at No. 1 in the nation.

No. 15 Washington at No. 3 Utah
Full Results Utah: 197.700 UW: 196.250
VT: Merrell-Giles 10.000 UB: Riley 9.900 BB: Skinner 9.900 FX: Merrell-Giles 9.975 AA: Merrell-Giles 39.675
  • Utah’s Kari Lee made her 2018 floor debut, replacing Missy Reinstadtler who was resting a sore foot.

The Utes hit a new season-high score of 197.700 for the win against Washington, pushing the team ahead of LSU in the national rankings for the first time this season. The star of the meet was senior MaKenna Merrell-Giles as she scored her first ever 10.000 on vault with a stuck Yurchenko 1.5, flirted with perfection on floor for a 9.975 and won the all around title with a 39.675. The Utes took the lead right from the start and never let it go, posting a 49.625 in the first rotation and showcasing postseason-like landings and form. Despite mishaps on bars from Kim Tessen and on beam from Missy Reinstadtler, the Utes didn’t count anything below a 9.800 on these events and finished off strong on floor for a 49.600. The Huskies had a strong meet and scored above or nearly above 49 on all events. Their start on bars was delightful, with Monica Riley eventually winning the event title with a 9.900. After a lot of bouncy landings on vault that kept scores at 9.825 or below, they came back strong on floor, their highest event score of the night. Finally, junior Malory Rose made her season debut on beam, performing as the leadoff where she scored a 9.750.

No. 5 Florida at No. 17 Auburn
Full Results UF: 197.400 AU: 197.000
VT: McMurtry 9.950 UB: McMurtry 9.975 BB: Boren 9.925 FX: Boren 9.950 AA: Boren 39.550
  • Florida gymnast Sierra Alexander injured her achilles on Wednesday of last week.

Florida didn’t replicate its massive 198 from last weekend, but it still came away with a win against the Auburn Tigers, who cracked its first 197 of the season. Senior Alex McMurtry replicated another perfect vault, this time for a Yurchenko full valued at a 9.950. Auburn had its own fantastic vault rotation, with a season high 49.350 and the best event score of the meet for the team. Sophomore Gracie Day scored a career-high 9.925 while freshman Jada Glenn tallied a 9.900 and lead-off freshman Drew Watson tied a career high of 9.875. The Gators saw adversity in the final hour on beam. Freshman Alyssa Baumann, usually a rock-solid member in the lineup, missed a connection for a 9.675. Hoping to cancel that out, Florida followed with its usual strong scores, but a fall from McMurtry forced the Gators to count Baumann’s low mark. Despite a narrow loss, Auburn is rejuvenated by a group of underclassmen who have proven to be crucial members, including Day (who didn’t receive below a 9.9), Glenn, Watson and freshman beam lead-off Allie Riddle. With its first 197 under its belt, Auburn is proving to be a threat and contender for the night session in the SEC.

No. 36 Maryland at No. 7 Michigan
Full Results UM: 196.875 MD: 195.05
VT: Zaziski, Karas,  9.9 UB: Zaziski, 9.9 BB: Zaziski, 9.9 FX: McLean, 9.925 AA: Brown, 39.425
  • Michigan’s Olivia Karas presumably tore her Achilles during her floor routine.

The Junior Curse has struck again. Crowd-favorite and Michigan team leader Olivia Karas landed her final floor pass on her knees, clutching her ankle and having to be carried off. Though not confirmed by the team, some sources are calling it an Achilles tear. After what was an exciting three rotations for both teams, Karas’ fall took the air out of the Crisler Center. While Michigan was trying to recover, Maryland struggled through a 48.0 beam rotation, a blow to the team after its lights-out performance on the event last weekend. Alicia Farina led the Terps on every event except beam, where Kirsten Peterman put up the 9.800 high score from the lead-off spot. For the Wolverines, Brown competed in the all around for the second straight week. We also saw two bar routines from Sydney Townsend: She performed once in the lineup with her usual giant full to double back dismount and once as in an exhibition to test a blind change to double front. She scored a 9.825 for both routines, so whether we see that upgrade in competition is up in the air. With Karas and her high difficulty out indefinitely, it will be interesting to see whether coach Bev Plocki has gymnasts add upgrades or if she has her team play it safe with lower difficulty routines.

No. 22 Minnesota at No. 9 Nebraska
Full Results Neb: 196.85 Minn: 196.375
VT: Crouse, 9.875 UB: Lu, 9.925 BB: Williams, 9.925 FX: Schweihofer, 9.95 AA: Ramler, 39.475
  • Lexy Ramler (Minn) remains undefeated in the all around this year.

After a stellar bar performance in rotation one, the Gophers kicked off the meet with the lead—just half a tenth ahead of Nebraska. Ivy Lu, who hasn’t scored below a 9.9 on bars in 2018, led the Gophers with a 9.925. In the second rotation, Nebraska had a solid but not stellar bars performance, while Minnesota struggled a bit on vault. The Gophers only put up five vaulters, choosing to drop Abby DeMuse from the sixth spot. DeMuse is battling back from injuries and hasn’t put up a solid performance on the event yet. After two, the Huskers overtook the lead by three tenths. Minnesota moved to floor, where a lights out rotation for the second week in a row propelled the team forward, not counting a score below 9.8. Meanwhile on beam, Nebraska had a few uncharacteristic mistakes. Kynsee Roby’s typically solid lead-off set only scored a 9.75, and Danielle Breen continued to struggle. Only Grace Williams scored above a 9.825. Moving into the final rotation, the Huskers maintained the lead, but it had narrowed to just a quarter of a tenth. Everything changed once they hit floor, with a low score of 9.85 and rotation total of 49.475. The Gophers had a 9.7-heavy beam rotation, with only two scores above a 9.75. After an incredibly exciting contest, the Huskers pulled out the win and remain undefeated this year. The all around contest also came down to the end as Lexy Ramler pulled just ahead of Megan Schweihofer by a quarter of a tenth to continue her undefeated streak.

No. 8 Arkansas at No. 10 Alabama
Full Results Ala: 197.000 Ark: 196.350
VT: Guerrero, Speed 9.850 UB: Winston, Brannan 9.900 BB: Guerrero 9.925 FX: Winston, Desch 9.950 AA: Shaffer 39.350

Alabama and Arkansas each had a lot to prove this week as they went head to head. Alabama entered the meet coming off an uncharacteristically low 195 while Arkansas had one of its best meets in program history against Georgia. But on Friday, the Razorbacks were just shy of beating the Crimson Tide, who broke the 197 barrier for the first time this season. Sophomore Wynter Childers, who was out with an injury last week, returned to the lineup, adding a 9.825 on beam. The always solid seniors Nickie Guerrero, Mackenzie Brannan and Kiana Winston won event titles while freshman Lexi Graber, an unexpected highlight from last weekend, scored another 9.900 on balance beam. Arkansas struggled on vault with only five athletes competing, counting a low 9.6 and multiple 9.7s. Freshman Sophia Carter, who last week broke school records with a 9.975 on beam, didn’t quite replicate the magic this week but still scored a solid 9.825, and redshirt freshman Sarah Shaffer, won the all around title over Yamzon with a 39.350. Arkansas, who has been comfortable at home, will look to gain stronger road scores over the next few weeks to stay in contention for the night session at the SEC championship.

No. 44 Ball State, No. 34 Bowling Green and No. 18 BYU at No. 11 Denver
Full Results DU: 196.750 Ball St.: 195.450 BYU: 194.875 BGSU: 194.250
VT: East, Karr 9.925 UB: Hawes, 9.925 BB: Karr, Sundstrom 9.925 FX: Brown, 9.950 AA: Karr 39.625
  • Denver set an attendance record for a meet held in Hamilton Gymnasium (a smaller capacity than Magness Arena, where the home opener’s attendance record was set).
  • The meet was briefly paused in the third rotation after the uneven bars broke, leaving the final two BGSU competitors waiting until the apparatus was fixed.

The Pioneers comfortably won this quad meet by over a point despite having to count a miss on bars. They started off on vault where they were able to field six athletes for the first time this year thanks to Kaitlyn Schou’s return on the event. They were also able to put up six gymnasts on uneven bars after a few weeks of competing with only five, as freshman Emily Glynn returned after missing two meets with an injury. The Pioneers did, however, end up having to count a miss after Claire Kern overarched a handstand and Diana Chesnok missed her Tkatchev. Beam was Denver’s strongest event where it earned a 49.375, but floor was also as strong as usual, notching a 49.350 despite only five gymnasts competing. Ball State had one of its best meet of the season and broke 195 for the second week in a row. Bars was a highlight for the Cardinals where they scored their highest total of the season with a 49.025, topped by a 9.875 from sophomore Maddie MacDonald. BYU started the competition strong on uneven bars and was led by a 9.925 from senior Brittni Hawes, which gave her the event title, while freshman Haley Pitou showed her uneven bars prowess, scoring a 9.875. Unfortunately, three falls on balance beam took the Cougars out of the race halfway through the meet. Living up to the expectation of being ranked eighth on floor in the nation, they came back strong on that event for a 49.200, which allowed them to jump to third. A season-high of 48.975 on vault maintained the lead over Bowling Green in the end. The Falcons had a rough start on floor where they had to count a fall, and they couldn’t rebound on the other three events. Sophomore Jovannah East was the highlight, though, scoring a 9.925 on vault and earning a share of the event title with Denver’s Maddie Karr.

No. 12 Arizona State at No. 13 Oregon State
Full Results OSU: 196.725 ASU: 195.050
VT: Wilson, Davis 9.875 UB: Leonard-Baker, Minyard 9.875 BB: Dessaints 9.900 FX: Lowery 9.925 AA: Gill 39.375
  • ASU senior Nichelle Christopherson went down with an injury during her floor routine.

Oregon State registered a steady performance at home to hold off surging Arizona State. While the Sun Devils had a challenging meet, the fact that a 195 is a disappointing mark for them shows how far they’ve come this year. ASU started strong on bars, with four stuck landings and an event title for freshman Cairo Leonard-Baker, dropping Anne Kuhm’s score due to an accumulation of handstand errors in her kip-heavy routine. They followed it up with a stick from Morgan Wilson, capping a strong rotation on vault. OSU started with a typically strong vault rotation, one that was capped off with an exhibition from Lena Greene who deubuted a 10.0 start for the Beavers. On bars, the team showed great strides in execution, led by ninja sophomore Alyssa Minyard. On floor, things got tricky for the Sun Devils, as Nichelle Christopherson couldn’t complete her routine due to an ankle injury. Slow motion replays show her rolling it, and no injury has been reported by the team. On beam in the fourth rotation, ASU again had to count an error as Justine Callis uncharacteristically fell and Ashley Szafranski had a challenging routine with two major errors. The team rallied, though, with Kuhm recording a career best 9.825. Meanwhile, Oregon State performed solidly on beam and closed with an electric home floor rotation that showcased some of their most artistic routines in recent years, with Isis Lowery bringing the house down for a 9.925 while Kaitlyn Yanish earned a 9.9 thanks to her exquisite tumbling. A compelling battle is shaping up between these two Pac-12 teams, as well as Washington, for the night session of the conference championship.

No. 23 Missouri at No. 14 Georgia
Full Results UGA: 197.000 Mo.: 195.850
VT: Dickson, Snead 9.850 UB: Dickson, Oakley 9.900 BB: Dickson 9.925 FX: Dickson, Snead 9.950 AA: Dickson 39.625
  • Georgia broke 197 for the first time this season, becoming only the eighth school in the nation to do so.

One thing is for sure this season: Don’t count out Georgia. The Gym Dogs had their best meet of the season against Missouri, finally breaking the 197 barrier. Vault and floor are still weak points for this Georgia team, but it made each routine count. The Gym Dogs came alive on bars thanks to freshman Marissa Oakley and sophomore Rachel Dickson’s 9.900s on the event. Floor was the event of the day for Georgia, with back-to-back 9.95s from Dickson and junior Sydney Snead, both going one-two in the all around, respectively, and Dickson claiming or sharing all four event titles as well. Missouri struggled on bars as senior Shauna Miller fell on her release, and Morgan Porter failed to secure a needed 9.900. Vault saw mostly 9.800s for the Tigers, and another fall on floor from junior Michaelee Turner sealed their fate to second place. Missouri saw solace in sophomore all around gymnast Aspen Tucker, who didn’t score below a 9.8 all meet and placed third in the all around just below Snead.

No. 16 Boise State at No. 39 Utah State
Full Results BSU: 196.625 USU: 195.150
VT: Bir 9.950 UB: Remme 9.900 BB: Esmerian, Means, Remme 9.875 FX: DeHarde 9.925 AA: Remme 39.350
  • BSU freshman Emily Muhlenhaupt scored a 9.850 in her competitive debut on the uneven bars
No. 19 Arizona at No. 31 California
Full Results Cal: 195.950 Ariz.: 194.425
VT: Robinson 9.900 UB: Schank 9.850 BB: Cindric 9.875 FX: Williams 9.950 AA: Cindric 39.225
  • Arizona’s Kennady Schneider was pulled from the meet at the last minute.
No. 45 Southern Utah at No. 20 Central Michigan
Full Results SUU: 195.825 CMU: 195.675
VT: Pedrick, Me. McBride 9.850 UB: Plaksa 9.900 BB: Clements 9.925 FX: Pedrick, Jorgensen, Ma. McBride 9.875 AA: Pedrick 39.350
No. 40 San Jose State, No. 65 Seattle Pacific and No. 21 Stanford at No. 48 UC Davis
Full Results Stan: 196.050 UCD: 195.150 SJSU: 192.975 SPU: 190.750
VT: Price, Flam 9.875 UB: Price 9.925 BB: Cole, Flam, Brown, Kessler 9.825 FX: Flam, Kessler 9.875 AA: Flam 39.375
  • UCD redshirt freshman Cammi Johnson made her competitive debut on vault. She joined the team in December after being a member of the dive team her freshman year.
No. 46 Northern Illinois, No. 27 West Virginia and No. 58 Yale and No. 24 Iowa State
Full Results ISU: 196.200 WVU: 195.025 NIU: 194.375 Yale: 192.800
VT: Young, Muhammad 9.900 UB: Young, Green, Sievers 9.875 BB: Young 9.875 FX: Young, Martucci 9.900 AA: Young 39.550
No. 25 N.C. State, No. 50 Temple and No. 42 Towson at No. 38 Pittsburgh
Full Results NCSU: 194.600 Temple: 193.875 Pitt: 193.124 Towson: 192.050
VT: Itcush 9.775 UB: Brechwald, McGrady, Tripp 9.825 BB: Knight 9.800 FX: Brechwald, Everett, Knight 9.875 AA: Brechwald 39.075
No. 32 Kent State, No. 79 UW-Oshkosh and No. 57 William & Mary at No. 25 George Washington
Full Results GWU: 196.525 Kent St.: 195.275 W&M: 193.225 UW-O: Score
VT: Drouin-Allaire, Winstanley 9.900 UB: Stypinski 9.950 BB: Stypinski 9.925 FX: Drouin-Allaire 9.925 AA: Stypinski 39.550
No. 37 Iowa at No. 28 Illinois
Full Results Illinois: 195.325 Iowa: 195.150
VT: Meeks 9.850 UB: Biondi, Balthazor 9.900 BB: Sullivan, Youd 9.875 FX: Roe, Zurawski 9.875 AA: Biondi 39.325
  • Illinois’ Sarah Lyons (bars) and Julia Hutcherson (beam) made exhibition debuts.
  • Illinois’ Kylie Noonan made her floor debut (9.85).
No. 29 Ohio State, No. 70 UW-Whitewater and No. 62 West Chester at No. 53 Rutgers
Full Results tOSU: 195.850 RU: 194.800 WCU: 191.600 UW-W: 191.175
VT: Mattern, Lowe 9.875 UB: Hofland 9.825 BB: Shank 9.850 FX: Stone 9.875 AA: Mattern 39.150
No. 30 Penn State at No. 43 Michigan State
Full Results PSU: 195.600 MSU: 195.550
VT: Tsang 9.850 UB: Bridgens, Garcia 9.925 BB: Westney 9.900 FX: Tsang 9.925 AA: Tsang 39.475
No. 33 Western Michigan at No. 61 SEMO
Full Results WMU: 192.425 SEMO: 191.650
VT: Brawner 9.775 UB: Mohler 9.825 BB: Juncaj 9.775 FX: Brawner 9.900 AA: Spence 38.825
  • SEMO’s Alexis Brawner’s 9.900 on floor is a career-high.
No. 35 North Carolina at No. 41 New Hampshire
Full Results UNH: 196.125 UNC: 195.075
VT: O’Leary 9.875 UB: Mulligan 9.925 BB: Lauter 9.950 FX: Hislop 9.925 AA: Lane 39.200
No. 51 UIC at No. 47 Eastern Michigan
Full Results EMU: 194.900 UIC: 194.250
VT: Hultgren, Snyder 9.775 UB: Rubin, Baker 9.825 BB: Valentin 9.875 FX: Dobronics, Rondeau 9.825 AA: Dobronics 39.075
  • UIC sophomore Abby Hasanov scored a 9.475 on the first competitive vault of her career.
  • UIC freshman Kayla Baddeley had the flu and was unable to travel with the team.
No. 49 Lindenwood and No. 74 Winona State at No. 63 Illinois State
Full Results LU: 193.600 Ill St: 191.200 Winona: 186.825
VT: Cooke 9.750 UB: Marema 9.750 BB: Henry 9.825 FX: Cooke 9.875 AA: Wiggle 38.650
No. 52 Bridgeport and No. 82 Rhode Island at No. 64 Brown
Full Results Bridgeport: 194.350 Brown: 190.900 RIC: 177.100
VT: Campbell, Kistner, Reimers 9.700 UB: Nelson 9.825 BB: Butchness 9.800 FX: Reimers 9.850 AA: Campbell 38.850
No. 54 Air Force and No. 55 Sacramento State at No. 68 Alaska
Full Results USAFA: 193.100 Sac St.: 193.000 UAA: 190.125
VT: Salamone, Soliwoda 9.775 UB: Soliwoda 9.850 BB: Daniels 9.875 FX: Fox 9.875 AA: Jaurez 39.125
No. 56 Texas Woman’s at No. 80 Centenary (Friday)
Full Results TWU: 193.700 Centenary: 185.700
VT: Lazarus, Moredock, Jones 9.750 UB: Northrop 9.850 BB: Alderman, Moredock 9.775 FX: Jones 9.825 AA: Smith 37.175
No. 56 Texas Woman’s at No. 80 Centenary (Sunday)
Full Results TWU: 192.650 Centenary: 189.750
VT: Jones 9.800 UB: Northrop 9.800 BB: Kelly 9.825 FX: Jordan 9.800 AA: Jones 38.475
No. 60 Penn at No. 59 Cornell
Full Results Penn: 192.675 Cornell: 192.400
VT: Shen 9.850 UB: Murphy 9.825 BB: Matsuda 9.850 FX: Haklik, Henry, Smith 9.825 AA: Nelson 37.250
No. 81 Gustavus Adolphus and No. 77 UW-Eau Claire at No. 66 UW-La Crosse
Full Results UW-L: 189.600 UW-EC: 183.750 GAC: 179.875
VT: Wiekamp 9.550 UB: Enright 9.675 BB: Weyker 9.625 FX: Beckman 9.750 AA: Erickson 37.500
No. 82 Rhode Island at No. 67 Southern Connecticut
Full Results SCSU: 189.525 RIC: 177.550
VT: Avendano 9.625 UB: Aberger 9.600 BB: Balasco, Dawkins 9.650 FX: Aberger 9.800 AA: Murphy 36.525
No. 71 Ithaca at No. 69 Brockport
Full Results Brockport: 188.925 Ithaca: 188.575
VT: Mager 9.775 UB: Christoforo 9.500 BB: Kowalik 9.750 FX: Kowalik 9.750 AA: —
No. 76 Cortland at No. 72 Springfield
Full Results Springfield: 188.700 Cortland: 187.000
VT: Filipski 9.625 UB: McConnell 9.700 BB: Clemens 9.675 FX: Twomey 9.825 AA: Clemens 35.725
No. 78 UW-Stout at No. 75 Hamline
Full Results Hamline: 186.150 UW-S: 184.525
VT: Bugge 9.675 UB: Beaver 9.450 BB: Sirjord 9.525 FX: Cooper 9.700 AA: Beaver 37.150

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Article by the editors at NCAA Gym News

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