The Mount: Week Six

Preview, The Mount
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After a week as exciting as the last one, how can it possibly be topped? The slate of meets this 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. 9 Alabama at No. 5 Florida: Friday, Feb. 9 at 6:45 p.m. ET

This matchup between perennial SEC powerhouses is important for each team for a number of different reasons. Florida is looking to add another big score to the 198 it scored in the Carol Classic a couple weeks ago. Meanwhile, Alabama finally showed the potential it’s capable of for the first time this season last week in Tuscaloosa against Arkansas. But now is the time to see if the Crimson Tide can replicate, or even improve upon, the performance on the road. There’s also a number of underlying storylines going into the conference matchup. Alabama junior Peyton Ernst will return to her former school for the first time since she was forced to either transfer or medically retire. Tide freshman Bailie Key was also once committed to Florida before switching and signing with Alabama. Also keep an eye on Florida’s lineups as it tests depth thanks to a couple of injuries to its beginning-of-the-season starters in Sierra Alexander (Achilles) and Jazmyn Foberg (seen in boot).

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UF UF UF UF UF UF UF UF UF

No. 13 Georgia at No. 6 Kentucky: Friday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. ET

Georgia is coming off a weekend where they finally broke 197. Kentucky has remained consistent throughout the season, earning some solid road scores to add to its RQS but has not yet reached 197. Neither team considers vault a strength and Georgia can capitalize on its bars performance if the Wildcats have a sub-par first rotation, but this meet may ultimately come down to floor. Georgia, already depleted in floor depth, lost GiGi Marino to an achilles injury in the first meet of the season. The team made up for it in the power of Sabrina Vega, Sydney Snead and Rachel Dickson, two of whom earned huge scores last weekend, and all three are likely to hit (and score) big again in Lexington. Meanwhile, Kentucky has the advantage of a full lineup on the apparatus and can count on a reliable anchor in Sidney Dukes and the powerful Alex Hyland. Kentucky should feel comfortable at home, but as long as Georgia remains focused and utilizes its depleted lineups well, this could be a fight until the very last routine.

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Kentucky Kentucky Kentucky Kentucky Kentucky Kentucky Kentucky Georgia Kentucky

No. 11 Oregon State at No. 16 Washington: Saturday, Feb. 10 at 4:30 p.m. ET

This should be an exciting and close battle between these two Pac-12 teams who appear to be fighting for a spot in the evening session of the conference championship alongside Arizona State. The Beavers are coming in with a slight advantage, having a season high of 196.975 against Washington’s 196.525, and were impressive last weekend in a win over the Sun Devils. They will want to repeat their performance and again hit 24 for 24 routines to challenge the Huskies at home. Don’t miss them on floor, where they sit at No. 6 in the nation, and particularly sophomore Isis Lowery and freshman Kaitlyn Yanish who have both been lights out these past few weeks. While Oregon State has the numbers, the Huskies are back on home turf after two weeks on the road. Washington’s beam lineup is one to watch, with Malory Rose’s return to the top six after recovering from last season’s ACL injury, making nearly 10 lineup-quality beam routines for Washington to choose from. Beam was the Huskies’ best event last year, but they haven’t quite scored to their potential in 2018. If the team can hit beam and get a big score, as well as perform as well as they have been on the other three, it could put up a good fight against OSU.

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OSU OSU UW OSU OSU UW OSU OSU OSU

No. 21 George Washington and No. 27 West Virginia at No. 12 Denver: Saturday, Feb. 10 at 8 p.m. ET

George Washington and West Virginia travel to Denver to take on the Pioneers in the annual Winterfest Classic Saturday. The Mountaineers are the first Big 12 opponent for the Pioneers, who finish off a three meet homestand Saturday evening. The Pioneers are coming off of a 196.750, which earned the team a win over four middle-of-the-pack teams. The team returned Kaitlyn Schou to the vault lineup, giving the Pios a full six for the first time this season. The team also added Emily Glynn back to bars after her injury in the team’s home opener. This turned out to be a blessing because had she not been back, the team would have had to count two falls rather than just one. The Pioneers again look for consistency on the event, as the team has only had one completely hit bars rotation all season. Highlights per usual are beam and floor, though, thanks to Maddie Karr and Lynnzee Brown. The Colonials are coming off of their best meet yet, scoring a 196.525 in their recent pink meet in Washington, D.C. The team has improved on its score each week, so don’t let the ranking fool you. The team will be waiting to capitalize on any Denver mistake that could give it an edge. The Colonials especially excel on vault and floor—and watch out for the combination of Camille Drouin-Allaire and Jillian Winstanley in the all around as they look to challenge Karr, Brown, and Mia Sundstrom. After a rough opening meet, the Mountaineers have found their consistency in the low to mid-195 range; the team’s last two meets have a separation of just .025 in total team score, so at least the consistency is there. The dynamic Kirah Koshinski is one to watch for on vault and floor in particular, as well as 2017 nationals individual qualifier Zaakira Muhammad in the all around.

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Denver Denver Denver Denver Denver Denver Denver Denver Denver

No. 20 Stanford at No. 25 Arizona: Sunday, Feb. 11 at 2 p.m. ET

The Cardinal is coming off a very encouraging showing after its away quad meet last weekend, as it finally hit 196 despite resting Elizabeth Price on beam and floor. The team hit a solid performance overall, but the nice surprise came from freshman Rachael Flam who hit all of her four events for the first time this season and finally seemed to be coming into her own after a rough start to the season. The Cardinal is still putting up five athletes on bars, but it showed it could more than just survive the rotation by scoring above a 49 for the second week in a row. Finally, Stanford teased gymnerds with a video of Price training—and sticking—a gorgeous double-twisting Yurchenko, and we can only hope to see it sooner rather than later. For Arizona, the Wildcats had one of their rougher showings of the season against California and did not break 49 on any events. The team had to pull senior Kennady Schneider from the lineups at the last minute, which may have rattled the team. Hopefully Schneider will be back for this meet as it will also serve as Arizona’s senior night. However, let’s not count the team out quite yet, as its season high is higher than Stanford’s (196.325 to the Cardinal’s 196.050), and this meet could be a close one if both teams hit to their potential.

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Stanford Arizona Stanford Stanford Stanford Stanford Arizona Stanford Stanford

Other Notable Matchups

No. 28 Illinois at No. 18 Minnesota: Friday, Feb. 9 at 8 p.m. ET

Minnesota has been on a roll and will look to post a mid-196 at home in this Big Ten matchup. Lexy Ramler has been unstoppable in the all around, and is fresh off of taking that title in Lincoln last week as well as yet another Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor. Illinois has yet to hit a strong meet. The Illini are still looking for their first 196, so that will be the goal this week. They put up some strong exhibition routines at home, so look for lineups on bars and beam to shift. It will be hard to beat the Gophers at home, but Illinois should be able to put up a fight and secure a strong road number if the team can find some consistency. That’s a big if, though, especially on the road.

No. 3 LSU at No. 24 Missouri: Friday, Feb. 9 at 8:30 p.m. ET

It’s Tigers versus Tigers in this SEC matchup in Columbia, Missouri. Throughout the season, LSU has remained consistent in its 197 scores but has yet to break past 197.450. Vault, previously one of the most exciting events for LSU, has become one of its weakest, often setting an average pace for the rest of the meet. But the team should feel comfortable against Missouri regardless of being away, as it’s currently undefeated in the SEC. But the pressure is mounting, and to stay in the race, they need to gain more consistency and focus. Look for Sarah Finnegan and Myia Hambrick to continue their quest of perfect scores on bars and floor, respectively. Missouri had a tough outing at Georgia last weekend with lackluster performances and only one 9.900 but at home will try and regain some of the magic via their big all arounder, Aspen Tucker, who will contend for the title with her opposing Tiger counterparts.

No. 17 Arizona State at No. 2 Utah: Friday, Feb. 9 at 9 p.m. ET

This should be an easy win for the Utes who have been improving week after week, even passing LSU for the No. 2 position after week five. We can undoubtedly expect another strong performance, especially in front of their home crowd. Junior MaKenna Merrell-Giles has turned into a stellar all arounder, and combined with the strengths of Mykayla Skinner, Kari Lee, Missy Reinstadtler and Tiffani Lewis, this team is looking more and more like a serious contender for the national title. Arizona State had one of its rougher showings against Oregon State last weekend and will want to improve on all events but especially on beam after having to count a fall. But don’t miss the Sun Devils on uneven bars as they are currently ranked No. 9 in the country. Finally, fans are in for a nice all around battle as freshman phenom Cairo Leonard-Baker has shown she can hang with the big dogs and could upset Skinner or Merrell-Giles if they have an off day.

No. 4 UCLA at No. 29 California: Saturday, Feb. 10 at 2:30 p.m. ET

After an intense and emotional competition at home against Oklahoma, this should be an easy win for UCLA, who could possible use this away competition as a time to test its depth. The Bruins had a fantastic showing in week five, scoring a huge 197.950 highlighted by 10.000s from Peng Peng Lee (beam), Katelyn Ohashi (floor) and Felicia Hano (floor). While these three are must-see, don’t miss Kyla Ross in the all around as well. California finally had its first home meet last weekend after a month on the road and scored a season high of 195.950. The Bears will look forward to breaking 196 and to not count a fall for the first time this season. They kind-of, sort-of finally survived bars and put up six hit routines, but they can and should continue to improve there. Beam should also get better as fluke falls from Toni-Ann Williams and Alicia Gallarzo forced them to count a low score against Arizona. Another hit performance at home could only be a confidence-booster for the Bears who are very much in need after a rough four weeks to kick off 2018.

No. 40 Michigan State at No. 7 Michigan: Saturday, Feb. 10 at 4 p.m. ET

The Wolverines are at home in the Crisler Center for the second week in a row and will look to add a big score and rebound from losing leader Olivia Karas to a torn Achilles the last time out. Michigan will have to play with lineups, especially on beam where Karas lead off, and floor where she anchored. Expect to see Polina Shchennikova and Lexi Funk take on bigger roles. The Wolverines won’t only be hurting for lineup spots, though—they’ll also need to find a new team leader. Though Michigan should win this meet easily, even without Karas, expect MSU to put up a good performance. The Spartans have been steadily improving and finding lineups that work. Lea Mitchell has settled into her role as a freshman all arounder, and Drew Hendershot has stepped up and made a big difference on floor. Look for MSU to notch an RQS-worthy road score in Ann Arbor.

No. 33 North Carolina at No. 1 Oklahoma: Sunday, Feb. 10 at 4:45 p.m. ET

Oklahoma is back at home after scoring above 198 for the second week in a row. Despite the big scores and the plethora of 10.000s—Brenna Dowell, vault; Maggie Nichols, beam; Anastasia Webb, beam—the Sooners showed they weren’t invincible, with the freshmen showing nerves, stepping out of bounds and showing short landings on floor and off-days from typically steady performers AJ Jackson and Anastasia Webb on three events. The Sooners could, however, potentially use this meet to rest some of its top performers. The Tar Heels had a strong showing against UNH and scored above 195 for the second time this season. They are capable of a stronger performance even still, particularly on beam as they had to count a few falls last weekend. And don’t miss them on floor, as they rank No. 12 in the nation, with sophomore Khazia Hislop particularly stellar on the event.

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.

DateTime (ET)TeamsScoring LinkVideo LinkAvailability
Fri, Feb 96 p.m.NIU at EMUScoresVideoESPN3
Fri, Feb 96 p.m.PSU at tOSUScoresVideoLive Stream
Fri, Feb 96:45 p.m.Ala at UFScoresVideoSECN
Fri, Feb 97 p.m.Alaska at CentenaryScoresVideo
Fri, Feb 97 p.m.UGA at UKScoresVideoSECN+
Fri, Feb 97:30 p.m.Winona at UW-LCScoresVideoLive Stream
Fri, Feb 98 p.m.Aub at ArkScoresVideoSECN+
Fri, Feb 98 p.m.CMU at Ill StScoresVideoLive Stream
Fri, Feb 98 p.m.LU, UW-S, UW-W (Harley Davidson)ScoresVideo
Fri, Feb 98 p.m.Ill at MinnScoresVideoBTN+/FloGym
Fri, Feb 98:30 p.m.LSU at MizScoresVideoSECN
Fri, Feb 99 p.m.ASU at UtahScoresVideo | RadioP12N/A/M
Fri, Feb 99 p.m.BYU at SUUScoresVideoPluto TV
Fri, Feb 910 p.m.Boise St, Iowa St at SJSUScoresVideoLive Stream
Fri, Feb 910 p.m.Sac St, USU at UCDScoresVideoLive Stream
Sat, Feb 101 p.m.Bridgeport, SCSU, Springfield at YaleScoresVideoIvy League Network
Sat, Feb 101 p.m.Brockport, WCU at CornellScoresVideoIvy League Network
Sat, Feb 102 p.m.UW-O at GustavusScoresVideo
Sat, Feb 102:30 p.m.UCLA at CalScoresVideoP12N/BA/LA
Sat, Feb 104 p.m.MSU at UMScoresVideoBTN+/FloGym
Sat, Feb 104:30 p.m.OSU at UWScoresVideoP12N/O/W
Sat, Feb 105 p.m.Neb at IowaScoresVideoBTN+/FloGym
Sat, Feb 107 p.m.Towson at UNHScoresLive Stream
Sat, Feb 108 p.m.GW, WVU at DUScoresVideoFloGym
Sat, Feb 108 p.m.SPU at USAFAScoresVideoLive Stream
Sun, Feb. 111 p.m.Bridgeport, Temple, Ursinus at PennScoresVideo
Sun, Feb. 111 p.m.Brown, RU, W&M at UMDScoresVideo
Sun, Feb. 111 p.m.KSU at WMUScoresVideo
Sun, Feb. 111 p.m.RIC at CortlandScoresVideoLive Stream
Sun, Feb. 112 p.m.BGSU at Ball StScoresVideoLive Stream
Sun, Feb. 112 p.m.Stan at ArizScoresVideoP12N/A/BA
Sun, Feb. 113 p.m.Alaska at CentenaryScoresVideo
Sun, Feb. 113 p.m.Aub, NCSU, Pitt at TWUScoresVideoLive Stream
Sun, Feb. 113 p.m.NIU at UICScoresVideo
Sun, Feb. 114:45 p.m.UNC at OUScoresVideoPaid Stream
Mon, Feb. 129 p.m.USU at SUUScoresVideoPluto TV
Wed, Feb. 146:30 p.m.Cortland at IthacaScoresVideo

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 at NCAA Gym News

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