The Mount: Week 6

Recap

The Big Storyline: UCLA used this one to really settle in. Season high marks on bars and floor, and six vaulters for the first time in 2021, made it more along the lines of what we expect from the Bruins. There are still plenty of little fixes to make, but this squad looked 197-able for the first time this year. For BYU, the meet went fine. No huge errors, nothing disastrous, but some hoppy landings and little things on bars held the score back from being the Cougars’ best so far this year.

Implications: BYU is in the middle of a quick three-meet turnaround, and Friday’s contest needs to be factored in before we’ll know how this average shakes out. That said, the rest of the MRGC is coming in hot, so too many performances like this will open the door. For the Bruins, this one will be a little average boost.

Controversies: I didn’t find this one controversial, but Twitter seemed to think the BYU beam scores were overly happy. To me, they were last-rotation normal, a little more open than the rest of the scoring, but not ridiculous. BYU has some knee and feet issues in flight elements, but watch the Cougars’ feet when they land on the beam. They do not readjust, and that’s where a lot of teams lose tenths.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 11 BYU at No. 10 UCLA

Why You Should Cancel Plans for It: Midweek meets are always a special treat. Make sure to block some time on your calendar and be prepared to lock yourself in your bathroom with your laptop. It’s booking a conference room, pandemic styles. What is alone time, amiright? OK, but the gymnastics! BYU is once again quietly cruising along. The MRGC is competitive this year, but so far the Cougars have eked out an edge and are easily competing with scores from the big four conferences. UCLA has had a decent if slightly touch-and-go start. It was always going to be a building year, and California’s late reopening didn’t help. The Bruins are coming off a rest weekend and have had some time to adjust and settle in. With less than two tenths separating these teams in the rankings, this is sure to be a close battle.

What We’re Watching: We’ve heard some fun rumblings about UCLA lineups: Samantha Sakti is likely set to debut on floor, either today or this weekend (it’s a double for UCLA this week). We’re also likely to see Sekai Wright on vault and Sara Ulias on bars. Norah Flatley is out the next three meets. We’re also keeping an eye out for BYU’s Haley Pitou; she missed Friday’s meet. 

What Else You Should Know Before Tuning In: BYU is in the midst of a tough seven days: The Cougars took on Southern Utah on Friday at home, travel to Pauley to meet UCLA for this one and then head to Southern Utah this coming Friday. Phew! UCLA isn’t slouching either. This matchup kicks off a run where the Bruins head on the road to meet Washington on Friday and then travel to Utah next Friday. Expect both teams to be playing with lineups to avoid fatigue over this stretch.

Recap

The Big Storyline: Denver returned to a full lineup of gymnasts on all four events. All of its missing freshmen from last week returned, with the exception of Rylie Mundell. Isabel Mabanta made her debut on beam, notching a 9.825 for her first competitive set. The Pioneers looked better than the scores indicate, though there is room for improvement on just about every event, including bars, where they notched their lowest score of the season to date. West Virginia had a steady first half of the meet before really settling in on beam and floor. There were still miscues on bars and beam, but the Mountaineers didn’t have to count either of them. The scores don’t necessarily indicate it, but this Mountaineer beam squad has the potential to be really good. They finished with a great floor performance that capped off a season high 195.400 overall score. 

Implications: Denver’s full lineups indicate a team that is almost back to full strength and one that will be ready to jump on any opportunity presented to it. As of now, Denver slips to No. 9 in the rankings, below Michigan and Iowa. The Pioneers now have enough scores for an NQS, though official NQS rankings won’t officially kick in until March 1. West Virginia moves up two spots to No. 28. Big 12 rankings haven’t changed, though the Iowa State pause gives West Virginia a chance to gain ground on the Cyclones depending on when they return. 

Controversies: The stream completely missed Lynnzee Brown’s vault, arguably the best vault of the meet. Because that’s not more important than showing us a cheering crowd…

Results

Recap

The Big Storyline: The bye week did Georgia good with a season high score on vault, bars and beam to reach its first 197-plus score in 2021. Alabama intended to vault six 10.0 start values, but opted to have the anchor, Kaylee Quinn, compete just a full after a fall early in the rotation. Despite losing the dual meet, Alabama was able to post its season high score on the road. Lexi Graber returned to the lineups as she missed the last competition due to a car accident. Makarri Doggette also made her season debut on floor. She struggled a bit on landings, but that should improve with more routines under her belt.

Implications: Alabama will look to find balance on the risk reward that comes with the 10.0 SV on vault. The opportunity for difficulty is there, but the execution has not been up to par just yet. Shania Adams fell on her Yurchenko 1.5 for the second time in a row. It will be interesting to see whether she competes the full next week. Georgia has all the potential to be a top team in the country and get back to nationals in 2021. However, having athletes like Victoria Nguyen and Mikayla Magee back at full strength will play a key role as post-season approaches.

Records: Luisa Blanco scored a career high 9.900 on floor in her second appearance on the apparatus this season. Blanco also scored a career best total in the all around with a 39.625.

Controversies: Lexi Graber scored a 9.900 on vault with a large step forward while teammate Luisa Blanco scored a 9.875 with a much better landing and similar if not better execution in the air.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 6 Alabama at No. 13 Georgia

Why You Should Clear Space on Your DVR: These teams appear to be on opposite trajectories, with Alabama surging at its last meet and Georgia declining until the last rotation when it blew a lead. The Gymdogs have shown some gymnasts training on unexpected events (think Alyssa Perez-Lugones on vault and Loulie Hattaway on beam), so their lineups could be interesting. Either way, it’s an iconic rivalry and anything can happen.

You Can Fast Forward, but not Through This: Alabama sophomore Luisa Blanco debuted in the all around at the Tide’s last outing and earned a respectable 39.375. Take the time to watch her beautiful gymnastics on at least beam and floor. Soraya Hawthorne’s semi-viral floor routine will surely remain fun as well.

Note: William & Mary withdrew from this meet due to unsafe travel conditions.

Recap

The Big Storyline: It was a huge night for Towson, who recorded a season high team score—the highest score from any EAGL team thus far. The Tigers’ total was the sixth-best score in program history. George Washington finally made its 2021 season debut, and while it was not the start the Colonials hoped for, there were some bright points. Freshman Kendall Whitman had a strong debut, scoring a program record-tying score of 9.950 on floor and a 9.875 for her unique front handspring to front handspring pike half vault.

Implications: Towson’s score here will help tremendously once NQS kicks in and it can start dropping its lower totals. George Washington will not debut very high in the rankings, but there is still time left in the season, particularly if it can make up its postponed meets.

Records: Kendall Whitman’s 9.950 on floor tied the George Washington program record. Towson’s 196.150 team total is the sixth-highest score in program history. Amy Stewart recorded a career-high 9.900 on floor.

Controversies: Judging was painfully slow in this meet, particularly on beam.

Results

The Big Storyline: This meet was exciting from start to finish—Arkansas held onto its lead through three rotations before a wobbly beam lineup resulted in Kentucky being able to overtake it for the win.

Implications: While Arkansas was favored to take the win here, it was far from guaranteed. Both of these teams are equally capable of good numbers and missed events, so it was always going to come down to who was better on the day. Both teams were on their way to huge scores until that final rotation, when Arkansas just couldn’t reign in the balance checks and gave away far too many tenths on wobbles. Still a very respectable road score for the Razorbacks, though, and those beam issues can certainly be cleaned up. This is a season-high score for the Wildcats

Records: Raena Worley 9.900 on vault and Josie Angeny 39.500 in the all around were career highs.

Controversies: Scores were a little weird here; when the meet concluded, the Wildcats’ final score was 196.975. When we checked back an hour later, it was 197. Then it was raised again to 197.025. It looks like there were score adjustments for O’Hara and Lovett on bars, Bunn on floor and Nixon on beam.

Recap

The Big Storyline: None of the three USAG teams in this meet produced big numbers by their own standards, but there were individual highlights. Air Force junior Pixie Brock made her all around debut and set a career high on beam. Lindenwood’s Savannah Newsome broke through with a career-best 9.875 on bars, and SEMO’s Anna Kaziska was back on both of her key events after a brief injury scare.

Implications: SEMO has missed a lot of opportunities to deliver a solid NQS road score lately. It has two more road meets in the season, including conference championships and next weekend’s meet versus Lindenwood. If next weekend is a 193-plus, the Redhawks will be in a much more comfortable NQS position.

Records: Air Force had its best beam rotation of the year while Lindenwood had its second-best vault outing.

Results

The Big Storyline: Thanks to an extreme lack of separation between scores, this meet was one of the tightest and most exciting of the season. It came to a dramatic end with the last routine of the night, in which LSU standout freshman Haleigh Bryant sat her final pass on floor, allowing Florida to take the meet. The Gators and the Tigers ended up earning the season’s first 198-plus scores.

Implications: Florida will remain comfortably in the top spot in NQS rankings this week, while Oklahoma will surpass LSU for the second spot there. 

Records: Trinity Thomas smashed Florida’s program all around record with a 39.900; she was also awarded the night’s only 10.000 for her floor routine. 

Controversies: In a very accurate display of judging, 13 of the evening’s 48 routines scored a 9.925.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 1 Florida at No. 2 LSU

Why You Should Cancel Plans for It: See the numbers next to the teams? LSU seems to be surging at the right time. Florida certainly has the edge, especially after a bye week, but LSU looked the strongest it’s been last week, so it will be quite a fight. 

What We’re Watching: Scoring and how egregious it will be. Oh, you mean a non-obvious answer? An all around battle between Kiya Johnson and Trinity Thomas would be the showdown of the season, but for that to be the case, both need to compete the all around. That’s not a given, at least for Johnson, who hasn’t done it in two weeks. It doesn’t seem to be a cause for concern, but you have to assume the Tigers will want her on all four on this night of all nights. 

What Else You Should Know Before Tuning In: Florida’s and LSU’s football matchup was postponed in the fall, and their men’s basketball matchup was postponed just this week. Anything but the same fate for this meet will narrowly avoid making a trifecta. 

Results

Recap

The Big Storyline: BYU hit 197 in its second competition in three days. The Cougars had an outstanding meet with multiple individual career highs. In addition, all scores that counted toward the team total were 9.800 or better. Southern Utah’s freshman Aubri Schwartze had a career night, winning a share of the beam title and scoring a 9.900 on floor. Molly Jozwiakowski returned to the lineups after a two-week absence.

Implications: The teams in the MRGC have shown improvement year to year. With better program results and a competitive conference, we could see some high caliber recruits heading to these teams. The future for these programs remains bright, but so is the present. BYU will likely remain in the top 12 after this week’s season high. Both teams have been incredibly consistent in competition this season. When teams at the top falter, these two programs will be ready to take a spot at nationals.

Records: BYU’s 197.075 is a top 10 score in program history. The program’s 39.375 on bars is the eighth best score in history. Brittany Vitkauskas scored a career high 9.925 on floor.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 11 BYU at No. 18 Southern Utah

Why You Should Make Time to Tune in: Southern Utah will be looking to come out on top as it gets a second chance against the top team in the MRGC conference. These two programs met last week and BYU was able to take home the win with a season high score. BYU and Southern Utah  are two programs that have been on the rise over the past few years and are capable of scoring 197-plus. Neither team has reached that milestone yet this season, but It could happen this weekend. However, it will likely take place with the absence of key athletes due to COVID-19 and injuries.

Need More Proof? Abbey Miner Alder was named the MRGC Floor Specialist of the Week for the third week in a row. She shared that title with Karley McClain of Southern Utah. McClain also won her fourth straight MRGC Gymnast of the Week honor. Aubri Schwartze is an under-the-radar freshman, but has been a consistent contributor for the Thunderbirds and is one to look out for in this competition.

Note: Minnesota joined this meet late due to the cancelation of its dual with Michigan State due to COVID in the Spartans’ program.

Recap

The Big Storyline: What a rematch! The Gophers and Hawkeyes have developed a bit of a friendly rivalry so far this year, trading wins over three meetings. Each has been a thriller, with huge numbers and records falling. Maryland wasn’t left out of the party, debuting a new bar set from freshman Tayler Osterhout. Four judges flashed 10s in this one: two for Ona Loper on vault, one for Lexy Ramler on beam and one for JerQuavia Henderson on floor.

Implications: This one is a weirdo, because Minnesota was added late after its Michigan State dual was postponed. Iowa will count the win over Maryland in its Big Ten record—and the Terps will count the loss—but it’ll be technically out of conference for the Gophers and not affect their conference standing. (Are you lost yet? The Big Ten is giving us a real headache this year!) That aside, this is exactly the away performance Minnesota needed heading toward March 1—NQS day.

Records: Iowa’s 39.600 on floor is a program record. Henderson’s 9.975 on floor ties the program record. Loper is the first Gopher in program history to score a 10.0 on vault.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 12 Minnesota and No. 29 Maryland at No. 9 Iowa

Why You Should Clear Space on Your DVR: Iowa is on a roll. The Hawkeyes have hit mid or high 196s meet after meet, without a miss. They’re in the midst of something special. Maryland has had some ups and downs, but has the potential to put up a big score. The Terps have been unable to get through a meet without counting a fall. Is this the week? AND we get a Minnesota at Iowa rematch?! The Gophers will be looking for revenge after blowing their lead and losing to Iowa last weekend after counting a fall on beam.

You Can Fast Forward, but not Through This: Don’t take your eyes off Iowa’s floor rotation. It’s stellar from top to bottom, with exciting skills—a triple full and three full-ins—and some of the best choreography in the country. Maryland has a big triple full of its own, courtesy of Collea Burgess, and some of the best Yurchenko fulls outside of the top 10. Don’t miss any of Ona Loper or Lexy Ramler’s gymnastics, just as a rule of thumb.

Recap

The Big Storyline: While it wasn’t a great meet for either team, getting to see a brand new program debut is exciting no matter the outcome. Quite a few LIU gymnasts were either out with injury or currently ineligible to compete, but the Sharks made the best with what they had to put up a respectable first meet total. Beam in particular was a highlight, with Alisson Lapp leading the way for the Sharks with a 9.800. New Hampshire was also missing quite a few gymnasts, most notably Kylie Gorgenyi, Alyssa Worthington and Lauren Diggan, and had to count low numbers on every event.

Implications: LIU will debut at No. 52 in the rankings and No. 8 in the EAGL. New Hampshire will drop five spots in the rankings to No. 45 and will be passed by Temple in the EAGL standings. The Wildcats will be happy when NQS kicks in and they can put this meet behind them.

Records: There were no records, except that LIU’s highest score on everything was a record since it was the program’s first meet ever. 

Controversies: Judging was very slow, and the meet ran over two hours. However, it was LIU’s first time hosting a meet, so the delays are understandable.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 40 New Hampshire at LIU

Why You Should Cancel Plans for It: It’s the first EVER meet for the LIU Sharks! The entire gymternet has been anticipating this day ever since the program was announced in March. We haven’t had a new program since Lindenwood joined in 2013, and we haven’t had a new DI program since Arkansas in 2003. 

What We’re Watching:  First of all, who is going to make LIU’s lineups? With such a huge roster, the Sharks will undoubtably have lots of routines to choose from, so what six gymnasts will be up on each event? As for lineup locks, Mara Titarsolej is set to be a huge star on bars for the Sharks while Alisson Lapp should be a major player on bars and beam. Nika Takagi has beautiful gymnastics on all four events, including a 10.0 vault. Finally, what lineups will Talia Folino make? She just arrived from Australia a few weeks ago, so it’s unknown how ready she is. But if she’s ready to go, she could factor into any event.

What Else You Should Know Before Tuning In: New Hampshire might not be the main reason you’re watching this meet, but there are several gymnasts whose routines you won’t want to miss. Alyssa Worthington is lovely on beam, with a career high of 9.900. Lauren Diggan competes a unique hop full to Gienger on bars that is must see. Finally, Hailey Lui is a beautiful gymnast to watch on the three events she competes—bars, beam and floor.

Note: Iowa State was initially slated to compete, but pulled out due to a program pause related to COVID-19 protocols.

Recap

The Big Storyline: Oklahoma came out in full force, obliterating any doubt that it’s still one of the top teams in the country. 

Implications: The Sooners will be breathing a little easier now that they’ve improved on that 196.100 away score by over two points. Once NQS kicks in, they should move up a spot or two in the national rankings. Neither Texas Woman’s or Centenary will see their status change within the MIC rankings, but both will be pleased to bank a solid score. 

Records: Oklahoma posted the nation’s highest team total—a 198.225—and secured head coach K.J. Kindler’s 400th program win. The Sooners’ 49.750 on vault was not only the highest vault total of any team this season, but also the second highest score in program history and the sixth-highest in NCAA history. Additionally, seniors Anastasia Webb and Evy Schoepfer, as well as freshman Audrey Davis, earned career highs on vault. Schoepfer, Karrie Thomas and Vanessa Deniz all earned career highs on beam. Webb capped off this record-breaking meet with career high scores on floor and in the all around.

Texas Woman’s Steelie King, Daisy Woodring and Madeline Gose secured career highs on vault. King and Paige Stuyniski also tied their career highs on bars. Centenary junior Kendall Sanders and sophomores Lauryn Stiff and Kendall Huff all scored career highs on vault. Junior Kendall Knaps and sophomore Kennedy Stephens earned career highs on bars and beam respectively while Huff and Rose Deshler snagged career highs on floor. Sanders also posted a career-high 38.575 in the all around. 

Controversies: It’s Metroplex so obviously the scores were generous, but there were more than a few routines for which they veered toward the mathematically impossible (the judging on Schoepfer’s vault and Webb’s floor were particularly egregious).

The COVID-19 precaution situation at the meet was also fairly concerning. The lower bowl of the arena seemed to be nearly full with little visible spacing between groups, mask-wearing among spectators was patchy at best and this happened:

The arena announcer at Metroplex saying "Folks, please remember this is a live stream so please keep your masks on." really says everything.

— ❄️☃️Rebecca Scally☃️❄️ (@rebeccakscally) February 14, 2021

Recap

The Big Storyline: Ties are rare in NCAA gymnastics, but Temple and Pitt both received identical scores of 194.525. Temple bounced back from a rough outing on bars with a huge 49.200 on beam, the second highest score in program history. Pitt had a much improved meet from last week, but a few low counted scores held the Panthers back.

Implications: Both teams will move up a bit in the rankings—Pitt to No. 46 and Temple to No. 41. Temple will also pass New Hampshire in the EAGL rankings.

Records: Julianna Roland’s 9.900 on vault tied her career high (scored while she was at Bridgeport) and also tied the Temple program record from 1996. Temple’s 49.200 on beam is the second-highest score in program history, just 0.025 off the record. Ariana Castrence’s 9.900 on beam was also a career high.

Controversies: The meet ended in a tie, and it took forever for the final scores to be announced, as both teams wanted to make sure everything was scored correctly. In the end, nothing was changed and the tie was made official.

Results

Recap

The Big Storyline: In its Sunday home meet, Lindenwood bounced back to its best form after a mediocre performance on Friday. Going from only one person hitting beam to only one person not hitting beam unsurprisingly improved the team total by over two points. Beam could still improve, while vault is looking like a power event for the Lions.

Implications: Lindenwood’s average score actually dropped this week due to the Friday hiccup, but this Sunday score is one it’ll be happy to use in its NQS.

Results

Recap

The Big Storyline: Despite a season low, UCLA was able to overcome its struggles to muster up a win on the road against Pac-12 foe Washington. Freshman Chae Campbell and senior Margzetta Frazier led the way for the Bruins with two titles each while the Huskies got titles from Amara Cunningham on floor and Geneva Thompson on vault.

Implications: If Washington continues to keep on its same pace, the Huskies are in position to miss qualifying for regionals this season. UCLA hadn’t posted a score this low since February 2016 and hadn’t missed breaking 49 on three events since January 2011.

Records: After an exhibition in Wednesday’s meet, UCLA junior Samantha Sakti made her floor debut for the Bruins posting a 9.625.

Recap

The Big Storyline: Both teams performed well, but it was the strength of California’s three all arounders, Maya Bordas, Nevaeh DeSouza and Kyana George, that carried the Golden Bears to victory. California posted a season high as DeSouza quietly posted one of the nations top all around scores, and George ended the meet strong on floor to stop the Sun Devils’ surge. Freshmen came up big for Arizona State, with Anaya Smith taking home the vault title and Sarah Clark winning beam.

Implications: Although California was the favorite in most people’s eyes, Arizona State came into this meet as the higher ranked team nationally and within the conference. Both teams’ scores will benefit them when NQS goes into effect, especially for California who has only now competed three times and had only barely broken 196 once.

Records: Every event title winning score, as well as the all around, is a career high score for that gymnast. Clark’s 9.950 on beam is the highest score on beam for Arizona State since 2009. This was the highest regular season road score for the Sun Devils since 2003.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 14 Arizona State at No. 16 California

Why You Should Make Time to Tune in: The weekend’s penultimate meet pits two closely ranked Pac-12 foes against each other, with each team off to a different start to their season. Arizona State has been stellar, entering this meet coming off its best score since 2006, while California has struggled to get things going. Many people have the Golden Bears as a legitimate threat to make nationals this year with their talented and experienced roster, but they need to start bringing in big scores soon to make that prediction come to fruition.

Need More Proof? While both teams boast rosters with strong upperclassmen, the freshmen have been standout contributors so far in 2021. California’s Andi Li has already restructured her bar routine to remove the Jaeger, and she consequently won her first event title. The Sun Devils freshmen duo of Sarah Clark and Emily White have also impressed early on, with White averaging 9.800 or higher on bars and beam and Clark having highs of 9.900 on the both events.

Recap

The Big Storyline: The Wolverines are back. They proved that the time off didn’t hurt at all, and that they’re in better shape now than before the break. With extra depth, like the return of Carly Bauman, and the ability to shuffle the bar lineup and still go 49.400 yet again—this is a team to be reckoned with. We also saw Martina Comin debut on vault for the Huskers, instantly boosting that lineup.

Implications: Michigan will jump up in the rankings after this one, and as of Tuesday’s daily results it should sit at No. 5, just ahead of Arkansas. This was an important performance for the Wolverines, proving that they kept pace with competing teams in their two weeks off. In a year when anything short of making the final four is a disappointment, sitting at No. 5 with only three meets in the books is a good sign. Only Florida, Oklahoma and LSU have put in numbers higher than this 197.650.

Records: Natalie Wojcik’s 10.0 on beam is Michigan’s first on that event since 1997.

Controversies: Judging was weird! Save for a few Michigan scores that were maybe a tenth high, it was Nebraska’s scores, especially on bars, that were befuddling. Routines we expected to see go 9.500 due to very short handstands were getting 9.775s.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 36 Nebraska at No. 8 Michigan

Why You Should Clear Space on Your DVR: Well, it’s been a minute since we’ve seen the Wolverines! Michigan is coming out of its two-week athletic pause to a historically significant Big Ten foe. This year, Nebraska is struggling to put pieces together after the loss of many of its best gymnasts, so this isn’t likely to be a close meet. It is our first look at a rested and maybe recuperated Michigan squad that got out to a stellar start on vault and bars and had some beam and floor misses.

You Can Fast Forward, but not Through This: Despite having only two meets under her belt, Natalie Wojcik sits at No. 1 in the all around. Her high sits only behind Trinity Thomas, Lexy Ramler and Lynnzee Brown. The Wolverines as a team also held onto No. 1 on bars through the two byes. That rotation was looking postseason-ready before the break, with crisp handstands and excellent landings. If the Wolverines make it through that rotation at the level they were at before the break, we’ll know they’re in good shape.