The Mount: Week 3

Recap

The Big Storyline: The first half of this one went about as expected, with good vaulting on both sides, and exceptional bars from Michigan. Minnesota started the night on bars with some sloppy landings and missing some positions, giving Michigan the early lead. All hell broke loose in the third rotation. Nicoletta Koulos fell on beam in the two spot for Michigan. Erin Fortman followed that with an awkward fall on her last pass that left her looking sore and confused. Maddie Mariani fell on beam next, and Ali Sonier had a bizarre floor outing with falls on her first two passes. She seemed visibly injured and extremely frustrated. The fourth rotation wasn’t much better, with two more major mistakes for each team. It was a weird one, and both teams would like to forget it and move on.

Implications: There was a lot of panic about this meet on Twitter, but the reality is that this is week two for these teams after an abbreviated preseason. We saw Oklahoma melt down with four falls this weekend, too, and even Florida has shown uncharacteristic weaknesses. This season is going to be weird. There will be meets like this. NQS will only count four numbers this year. Both teams will drop this meet; it’s not the end of the world. More concerning is the possible Gopher injuries. The team does not have great floor depth at the moment, so we should keep our eye on that.

Records: The Wolverines’ back-to-back 49.400 numbers on bars in their first two outings of the year put them in rarified air. Since 1998, only Oklahoma, Florida and Georgia have completed the feat.

Controversies: Crisler floor strikes again! We’ve heard rumblings over the years from gymnasts that the Crisler Center floor is, in a word, a rock. In this one, it seemed to have a dead spot; most gymnasts who fell did so in the same corner, and we could see the floor depress quite a bit in slow motion replays. Here’s hoping that gets addressed before Michigan’s next home contest.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 4 Minnesota at No. 3 Michigan

Why You Should Cancel Plans for It: Both Michigan and Minnesota came out swinging during the first week of competition, becoming the second and third teams in Big Ten history to open the season with a 197 or higher. Minnesota has become something of a power team: Its best event is shaping up to be floor and tit has the potential for four 10.0 starts on vault (just one shy of Michigan’s five). Both teams had a weaker-than-normal event last week, so we will be watching to see if they can clean those up to build on that performance. All in all it should be a really exciting matchup. 

What We’re Watching: Minnesota’s vault rotation: While they managed to salvage it with strong 1.5s from Ramler, Loper and Quarles, there were some things happening on that event last week. Mya Hooten balked on hers and then they threw in a layout from Emily Koch to finish off and avoid counting a zero. We know they are capable of more there. Similarly, we have our eye on Michigan lineups: Nicoletta Koulos performed an exhibition routine on every event but floor, but was one of the most solid performers of the day. We expect to see her breaking into more lineups. 

What Else You Should Know Before Tuning In: The last time these two teams met in a dual meet was 2012(!), so be prepared for an exciting face-off between two of the top ranked teams in the country and enjoy a preview of what we can expect at Big Tens in March.

Recap

The Big Storyline: The Sooners struggled on beam and floor, resulting in the team’s lowest total since 2012. Meanwhile, the Mountaineers came out strong (if a bit conservative) in their debut meet of the season, hitting 23 of 24 routines and outscoring Oklahoma in the final two rotations.  

Implications: Since 2016, the Big 12 has fallen into a fairly rigid hierarchy: Oklahoma, Denver, Iowa State and West Virginia. This meet won’t change those rankings, but it does show that West Virginia has the potential to upset those higher-ranked teams and that Oklahoma isn’t invulnerable. 

Records: West Virginia sophomore Emily Holmes-Hackerd made her all around debut, earning a 38.650.

Recap

The Big Storyline: North Carolina impressed in its season debut, breaking the 195 barrier with the highest opening score in school history. New Hampshire had a few hiccups, including a counting fall on beam, but it was a solid start to the season for the Wildcats.

Implications: North Carolina will move to the top of the EAGL rankings for now and No. 23 overall thanks to its record-breaking score, and sophomore Elizabeth Culton will debut at No. 1 in the country on beam. New Hampshire sits at No. 3 in the EAGL and No. 32 overall.

Records: Culton’s 9.950 on beam is a new career high, and North Carolina’s 195.200 is the highest opening score in program history. New Hampshire’s Robyn Kelley set career highs on vault and floor with a 9.850 and 9.875, respectively. 

No. 12 Kentucky at No. 20 Missouri 

Featuring Lindenwood, Northern Illinois and SEMO in Nashville.

Recap

The Big Storyline: Lindenwood made Division II proud this weekend, beating DI Northern Illinois by almost a point and losing to DI SEMO by only 0.050, which corresponds to about half a step. SEMO was the most consistent team across the four apparatuses, with four solid scores in the 48s while Lindenwood struggled on bars but posted an impressive 49.150 on vault. By comparison, UCLA posted a 49.200 in its season opener on vault this weekend. The Nittany Lions’ vault rotation was topped by Courtney Mitchell’s huge 9.900 for a stuck Yurchenko half. SEMO sophomore Dahlia Solorzano-Caruso impressed with a 39.050 in the all around, which included a 9.850 on vault and a 9.825 on floor, while sophomore Jolie Miller posted a 9.800 on bars for the second consecutive week. Northern Illinois struggled quite a bit on bars but posted the highest score of the day on beam, topped by Mia Lord’s 9.800. Natalie Hamp posted a 9.825 on bars for a routine that included a blind full to double layout dismount.

Implications: With more teams competing this week and many upping their game, both Lindenwood and SEMO dropped in the rankings despite posting higher scores than last week, with Lindenwood dropping from No. 30 to No. 35 and SEMO from No. 35 to No. 43. The Lions remain the top DII team in the country, as well as the top team in the MIC while SEMO stations stably at No. 3 in the conference behind Lindenwood and Texas Woman’s, which did not compete this week. In its season debut, Northern Illinois started at No. 37 and in third place in the MAC behind Kent State and Eastern Michigan.

Records: Courtney Mitchell’s 9.900 on vault was a career high for the Lindenwood senior.

Recap

The Big Storyline: The first meet of the season to end in two 197-plus scores came down to the final rotation. Florida narrowly edged an impressive Arkansas team in the Razorbacks’ “sold out” arena. While there were some slightly inflated scores, Arkansas looks about as legitimate as the score indicates. The Gators had yet another solid night with some unfortunate misses on beam, including the second in a row from Trinity Thomas (not a fall, but she put her hand down); it’s nothing major to worry about yet, but it’s certainly something to watch going forward.

Implications: Florida will remain in the No. 1 position, and Arkansas rises to No. 6.

Records: Arkansas earned its third highest score in program history tonight. Florida senior Megan Skaggs notched a career high of 9.950 on beam en route to her first collegiate all around title, which was also good enough for the highest all around score in the conference this weekend.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 1 Florida at No. 8 Arkansas

Why You Should Clear Space on Your DVR: Arkansas has been on fire these past two weeks, and a home matchup against the top team in the country should be an exciting opportunity for the Razorbacks to prove they’re legit. 

You Can Fast Forward, but not Through This: Check out Maggie O’Hara’s bars and beam routines; the Michigan transfer has been quietly slaying these past few weeks, recently earning SEC Specialist of the Week for her efforts. Arkansas always shows out for floor, especially at home, so that should be a fun rotation too. Also, #TrinityThomasRevengeTour2k21. After a rare fall last week, we expect nothing less than the Florida junior standout to come back swinging. 

Recap

The Big Storyline: LSU swept the event titles with another 197-plus week. The Tigers also showcased their depth with exhibition performances on every event. On the other hand, Georgia continues to struggle with depth as a result of injuries, with lineups changing even more this week. However, the Gymdogs got back on the right track this week with their highest score of the season.

Implications: LSU will surpass Oklahoma and Michigan after the latter two teams scored uncharacteristically low. On the injury front, Georgia junior Rachael Lukacs added beam to what has so far been a one-event season for her, making it clear that the junior continues to progress on the comeback trail. Her classmate Mikayla Magee was once again absent on her typical events.

Records: Georgia junior Sterlyn Austin earned a career high score of 9.875 on floor. LSU senior Sarah Edwards earned a career high of 9.925 on floor, which was good enough for her first career event title.

Controversies: Many were surprised when Haleigh Bryant’s seemingly low-deduction floor routine earned a 9.850. One possible explanation, as astutely pointed out by former UC Davis assistant coach Carolyn Kampf, is an obscure UTL rule that requires a series to have three elements. Each of Bryant’s passes technically only have two elements each.

Recap

The Big Storyline: Auburn continues to test its depth as Cassie Stevens was again missing from the lineups and Aria Brusch is on the sideline with a shoulder injury. According to Gobourne’s mom on Facebook, Brusch should be back next week against LSU. Alabama improved on its weak event from last week, totaling a huge 49.425. Sophomore Luisa Blanco also debuted her Yurchenko 1.5 for the first time. Tiger senior Drew Watson also competed a Y1.5, but she struggled for the third consecutive week. The broadcast did announce that Watson had COVID-19 in the fall, which could explain her slower start. 

Implications:  Alabama was just shy of a 197 tonight, and we expect to see it hit that mark in the coming weeks. As it stands now, Alabama is fourth in the SEC, holding onto the final spot in the night session of the conference championship, just over three tenths ahead of Georgia.

Records: Alabama scored its highest beam total since 2019 with a 49.425. Sania Mitchell put a career best 9.900 on the floor and claimed her first event title. Gabby McLaughlin had a career high 9.875 on beam. Sophomore’s Anna Summer and Piper Smith also put up career high scores on bars with a 9.800 and 9.850, respectively. 

Recap

The Big Storyline: You would never know beam rotations were looking awfully rough after week one for these two teams. Southern Utah put up a 49.250 on beam while Utah State also capitalized on the event with a 49.275, thanks in part to Autumn DeHarde who made her return to the lineup with a 9.925 after missing the first meet of the year. Mayson Bentley notched another 9.900 on bars to tie her week one score after falling against Air Force.

Implications: Don’t count the MRCG teams out from making a big splash in the rankings. While other top 15 teams struggled this week, these two programs were able to put up 196-plus team totals. Even more impressive? Both teams did this without certain gymnasts competing on all their events due to injury. DeHarde was only on beam for Utah State and Nipp was scratched from the remainder of her events after a fall on bars.

Records: Southern Utah set a program record road score with a 196.650. Maia Fishwick scored a career high 9.950 on bars for Utah State.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 19 Southern Utah at No. 24 Utah State 

Why You Should Make Time to Tune in: Utah State may be ranked lower than Southern Utah, but the Aggies were able to hold off the Thunderbirds to take third place at Best of Utah to open the season. Utah State is coming off a bye and is expected to get senior Autumn DeHarde back after she suffered a “dinger” in practice and didn’t travel in week one. Meanwhile, Southern Utah was able to improve upon its performance with outstanding beam and floor routines from Hannah Nipp and Karley McClain during its home opener. These two teams will be fighting for a higher standing in the MRGC conference rankings all season long. It should be a rivalry to keep an eye on. 

Need More Proof? DeHarde is expected to make her season debut for Utah State. The senior is a lineup mainstay on vault, beam and floor. Also, she didn’t compete at Best of Utah, but we have our eyes on Anique Grenier eventually making her debut on bars for Utah State. Greiner joined the team as a junior after taking a break from gymnastics. Nipp has a stunning floor routine in the anchor spot for Southern Utah. The Thunderbirds also have a junior addition to their team in Mayson Bentley, who immediately made an impact with a 9.900 routine on bars in week one. She struggled last week, but we expect to see more great routines from her in the future.

This meet has been postponed. Maryland will now compete with Illinois at Rutgers.

Recap

The Big Storyline: In its home opener, Utah had no problems getting past Arizona in its season opener by sweeping the meet and notching a new season high team total. Maile O’Keefe led the way for the Utes, notching event titles on bars and beam and scoring 9.900s on both as well. Freshman Jessica Castles made a statement in her Wildcats debut, tying O’Keefe for the event title on beam and also making an appearance on floor.

Implications: Utah became the sixth team this season to hit 197 and will slide back into the top four in the rankings, the highest of any Pac-12 school. Arizona will debut at No. 15, currently good for third in the conference.

Records: Arizona’s team total was the highest for the Wildcats in a season opener since 2016.

Preview

Current Rankings: Arizona at No. 6 Utah

Why You Should Clear Space on Your DVR: Until a few uncharacteristic falls and wobbles on beam took them out of contention in its final rotation last week against Oklahoma, Utah showed that it has realistic national title hopes this season after staying right with the Sooners for a majority of the meet. The Utes should be able to bounce back well at home against an Arizona team making its season debut, giving us an early look at if the Wildcats will be able to challenge for a spot in the top half of the Pac-12 this year.

You Can Fast Forward, but not Through This: Arizona lost a majority of its high scoring routines from last season, so keep an eye on freshmen Jessica Castles and Elena Deets as the Wildcats look for new lineups options in 2021. Utah’s Maile O’Keefe is off to a hot start this season, ranking second on beam and seventh in the all around in the country for the Utes, who have also been getting great contributions from sophomore Jaedyn Rucker after missing her freshman season with injury.

Results

Recap

The Big Storyline: This was a much-anticipated meet, and it did not disappoint. It was a neck and neck until the very end, with both teams struggling with their floor landings but nailing the other events. For the Bruins, freshmen Chae Campbell and Frida Esparza impressed in their debuts, Margzetta Frazier competed in the all around for the first time since Jan. 18 of last year and a few gymnasts made their collegiate debuts—Sara Taubman and Paige Hogan competed for UCLA for the first time on bars and floor, respectively, Pauline Tratz debuted on bars and Savannah Kooyman on beam. Lineups are clearly not finalized, and the Bruins had to deal with a last-minute foot injury to Norah Flatley during warm-ups, which compromised the bars and beam rotations. Given that no team seems especially polished this year, who knows what can happen at the end of season. As for Arizona State, the Sun Devils are turning into a solid beam team. Cairo Leonard-Baker is still struggling with her ankle injury and was limited to bars. Sophomore Hannah Scharf has really taken ownership of her gymnastics this year. She continued to impress this week after last week’s stellar performance, winning the all around title and anchoring three out of four lineups.

At the meet, both teams kneeled  in support of social justice.

Implications: As of Saturday night, the Bruins sit at No. 11 in the NCAA, behind Georgia and ahead of BYU while ASU remains stable at No. 15, tied with Arizona, which also debuted this week.

Records: This was UCLA’s 24th-straight victory over Arizona State, though the Bruins’ team score was the lowest since Feb. 20, 2017.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 15 Arizona State at UCLA

Why You Should Clear Space on Your DVR: This meet will be UCLA’s season debut, as well as its first competition since the graduation of its exceptional senior class last summer. This year’s preseason coaches poll ranked the Bruins No. 7 in the nation, despite finishing third in the national rankings last year. It will be interesting to see whether the prediction is accurate or if the Bruins will defeat the odds and prove to be national title contenders. Unlike UCLA, this meet will be Arizona State’s third after competing against Oklahoma and BYU in the past two weeks. After struggling, especially on beam, in week one, ASU came back strong last week, outscoring its season opener by a point and a half and posting its first 196-plus of the season. Will the Sun Devils be able to keep up the good scores?

You Can Fast Forward, but not Through This: It will be hard to replace Kyla Ross, but don’t underestimate the potential of the UCLA freshman class. Watch out for the debuts of Chae Campbell, Frida Esparza and Sara Ulias; they will surprise you. UCLA is also known for its floor choreography. We look forward to finding out what BJ Das has in store for 2021. Will a Bruin go viral once again? ASU sophomore Hannah Scharf had a terrific meet last week, which included a 9.925 on beam and a 9.900 on floor. Hopefully she’ll replicate the performance in Pauley this weekend.

Recap

The Big Storyline: Iowa’s week one outing was no fluke. The Hawkeyes bettered their first number by 0.150 to remain in the mid-196s. This squad hit 196 only three times in 2020, all in February and March; they are solidifying a place with the leaders in the Big Ten for 2021. This is the highest number in the conference this week. The Buckeyes had a bumpy ride on floor after some mistakes on bars. They pulled themselves together for a strong beam rotation, though, which is a good sign for this program. It’s early and the mistakes are fixable. Proving they’re tough mentally is great progress over 2020.

Implications: With Michigan Athletics on a full pause for the next two weeks, Iowa will have a chance to keep charging toward the top of the conference, especially if Minnesota indeed suffered injuries this week. That also means Ohio State gets a bye next week to regroup, unless it joins another scheduled competition.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 13 Ohio State at No. 9 Iowa

Why You Should Make Time to Tune in: Look at those rankings! Both of these teams had very strong first meets and look poised to well outperform their preseason rankings and 2020 finishes. 

Need More Proof? Meredith Paulicivic and Larissa Libby are two of the best choreographers in the country. Both floor rotations are can’t-miss. Look especially for the Buckeyes’ Claire Gagliardi and Hawkeyes’ Lauren Guerin—Guerin has made it her mission to score a 10.0 this season. Iowa’s JerQuavia Henderson is also a great floor worker and powerful vaulter, and you don’t want to miss Ohio State freshman Hannah Oliveros on beam; she notched a 9.900 at Michigan to kick off her career.

Note: Bowling Green announced it will still travel to Eastern Michigan, but it will not field full lineups on each event due to lack of preparation because of COVID protocols.

Recap

The Big Storyline: Despite counting a fall on beam, Kent State put up another 194.500-plus and broke the 49 barrier on floor to come out on top. Pitt again had struggles throughout the meet but was led by a 9.900 on bars from Katie Chamberlain, the Panthers’ highest score of the season so far. 

Implications: Kent State will stay at No. 1 in the MAC, just one-tenth ahead of Eastern Michigan and will drop to No. 29 overall. Pitt drops to last in the EAGL and No. 46 overall. While it’s still a few weeks until NQS kicks in, Pitt will not want to have to count this score toward its four meets.

Records: Chamberlain’s 9.900 on bars was a career high, and Kent State’s Cami Klein set a personal best 9.850 on beam.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 23 Kent State at No. 31 Pittsburgh

Why You Should Make Time to Tune in: Both of these teams are usually on the regional bubble, so this could be a close meet. Pitt is looking to bounce back from a rough outing at N.C. State last week while Kent State will be looking to improve upon its solid start to the season.

Need More Proof? Kent State’s Abby Fletcher earned a 9.875 on floor last week, so her routine will be one to watch. Also keep an eye out for a pair of sophomores: Karlie Franz and Rachel DeCavitch. For Pitt, watch for sixth-year Katrina Coca and junior Katie Chamberlain, who scored matching 9.875s on bars last week after returning from season-ending injuries. 

Meet canceled as of Jan. 23 due to COVID protocols.

Recap

Recap

The Big Storyline: This was an exciting conference matchup, and it did not disappoint. Northern Illinois walked away with the win with a strong showing, which is not always an easy feat on a double-meet weekend. For Western Michigan, this marked the return of sophomore Payton Murphy, who competed in the all around after missing all of last season due to a severe injury. 

Implications: The Huskies should find themselves sitting comfortably in third after this week, with their conference counterparts having weaker days across the board. The Broncos did not have their strongest showing but demonstrated the talent is there. We expect them to continue to improve over the course of the season.

Preview

Why You Should Make Time to Tune in: The reigning MAC champions versus the reigning regular season MAC champion? Sign us up.  Both of these teams have their eyes on the conference title this year and are more than capable of challenging conference-favorite Central Michigan. Expect this matchup to be a close one. 

Need More Proof? This meet should mark the return of Payton Murphy, who sat out all but one meet for the Broncos after a major injury last season. We are excited to see what events she competes since it appears she is training all four. The Huskies also have some exciting freshmen on their roster, one of which we have a lot of questions about: former elite Alyssa Al-Ashari.

Results

The Big Storyline: Air Force improved by close to two points from its opening score. The return of all arounder Daija Stevenson, who didn’t compete week one, was key for Air Force’s depth and she contributed the team’s highest score on vault.

Implications: Air Force remains at the bottom of the USAG rankings but is no longer the lowest-ranking team in the country.