In the final week before the conference championships, we pretty much had everything you could ask for in NCAA gymnastics. There was a perfect 10, upsets, program records, collegiate debuts, senior night tears, rankings flip flops and more. Catch up on what you missed below.
— Michigan Women’s Gymnastics (@UMichWGym) March 12, 2021
The Wolverines shocked us all with a lineup with six 10.0 start values. Abby Heiskell and Reyna Guggino each debuted new Yurchenko 1.5s, and the team totaled a staggering 49.800 on the event. That’s tied for the second-best total in NCAA history per statistician friend of the site Drew Porche.
Best Consolation Prize
LIU, 193.100
IT'S A 193!! The Sharks put together a meet with 48.00+ scores on all four events for a 193.100 team score for the first time in program history.#FinsUppic.twitter.com/L0ZraoylOe
The Sharks continued their upward trajectory by earning 48-plus on all four events and besting their previous season and program high by over a full point.
No. 21 Illinois shattered its program record 197.350 set in 2015 with a 197.575 in an upset over No. 7 Minnesota. It even got a shoutout from the athletic director! The Illini and Gophers will meet again next week in the Big Ten conference championship night session.
Denver senior Lynnzee Brown earned her third consecutive 9.975 on floor at BYU this weekend. Third. The senior is poised for something great this postseason.
— San Jose State Gymnastics (@SanJoseStateGYM) March 11, 2021
Sweet Dreams by the Eurythmics is the most perfect floor music we never thought of. We somehow missed this in San Jose State’s first televised meet last week, but thankfully, got it together this week and were treated to Kelperis’ set.
The Big Storyline: Sophomore Nevaeh DeSouza won or tied for three events titles en route to winning the all around and leading California to a comfortable win on the road over Washington. Alma Kuc also impressed for the Golden Bears, tying for the bars event title in only her second routine of the season. Washington was paced by Amara Cunningham’s career high score on floor as she took the event title and helped the Huskies post a new season high by over a point and a half.
Implications: California finishes second in the Pac-12 regular season standings while Washington is relegated to the bottom half of the standings with only one conference win on the season.
Records: In the five-way tie for the beam title, freshmen Andi Li, Katie McNamara and Lauren Thomas all set new career highs on the event while DeSouza tied her best score.
The Big Storyline: No. 11 Denver edged out No. 12 BYU by less than a tenth during the Cougars’ senior night.
Implications: With Kentucky on a bye, BYU will take over sole control of No. 12, and Denver should be able to break into the top 10 by overtaking Arizona State.
Records: Denver tied its third-highest away score in program history while BYU clenched its highest score since 2004. Lynnzee Brown swept the individual event titles and earned a career high on beam. Senior Abby Stainton scored a season high 9.925 on beam while senior Jordan Matthews secured a personal best 9.875 on floor.
Preview
Current Rankings: No. 11 Denver at No. 12 BYU
Why You Should Clear Space on Your DVR: A Denver meet that’s actually accessible is worth a celebration. The Pioneers are coming off a season-best score and are looking to inch closer to 198 to keep pace with Oklahoma. Denver is getting its rhythm back after having mid-season difficulties with contact tracing absences. BYU is ranked just below them and will be putting up a hard fight at home. The Cougars were stellar on beam last week, which is where Denver ran into some issues and had to count a fall. This meet is expected to be a close battle and should leave everyone waiting until the last routine.
You Can Fast Forward, but not Through This: Lynnzee Brown is having a fantastic senior season in her Achilles injury comeback. Last week, Brown broke the program all around record with a 39.825. Freshman Rylie Mundell is a breakout star for Denver and has gone 9.975 on both bars and beam this season. Look out for her beautiful Yurchenko 1.5 on vault as well. BYU has one of the top floor rotations in the country highlighted by specialist Brittany Vitkauskas. Abbey Miner-Alder is excelling in her senior year and has come close to perfection.
The Big Storyline: Michigan set another consecutive program record in a meet that was generously scored but in line with senior night scoring across the country. Both teams benefitted from the looser judging. The Wolverines were bolstered by a surprise six 10.0 start value vaults, with additions coming from Abby Heiskell and Reyna Guggino. Maryland hung in for a respectable score on senior night; the Terps are still figuring out lineups in the absence of Aleka Tsiknias and Emma Silberman who were both recently injured.
Implications: Michigan passes LSU for No. 3 after this week, partially because the Tigers were idle during the SEC bye week. Remember, the top four teams after conference championships next week will be the top seeds at regionals.
Records: Michigan’s 198.100 is a program record. Its 49.800 on vault is the second-best number in program history and tied for second-best in NCAA history.
Controversies: The happy scoring was probably silliest on vault, with three 9.975s.
Preview
Current Rankings: No. 4 Michigan at No. 28 Maryland
Why You Should Clear Space on Your DVR: Michigan rocketed to No. 4 in its NQS ranking debut this week. With a 197.225 to drop and coming off of a program record 198.025, it could be a big day for the Wolverines. Maryland has also been on a bit of a roll, with two 196s and a high 195 over the last three outings. Both teams will want a solid dry run before the conference championship next week.
You Can Fast Forward, but not Through This: Michigan’s Sierra Brooks had a career night last week, and is unmissable on all four. We also saw Naomi Morrison’s bars debut; her Gienger is one of the best in the NCAA. Maryland’s Aleka Tsiknias vaulted for the first time last week with a title-winning surprise Yurchenko 1.5.
VT: Amodei, Franz, Goldstrom, Jensen, Lawson, Marion 9.800
UB: DeCavitch, Fochler, 9.900
BB: Jones 9.875
FX: DeCavitch, Richard 9.900
AA: Jensen 39.350
Records: Bowling Green sophomore Taylor Jensen’s 39.350 in the all around, 9.825 on bars and 9.850 on beam were all career high scores. Senior Jasmine Jones 9.875 on beam was also a career high. Kent State sophomore Rachel DeCavitch’s 9.900 on bars was also a career high.
The Big Storyline: Temple put up a season high and the second-highest score in program history to earn its second win of the season over Towson. Towson put up great scores on three events, but a counted mistake on bars prevented the Tigers from earning another 196.
Implications: Towson will be able to improve its NQS after this meet and keeps it in a good position to qualify for regionals.
Records: At the time, Temple’s score was the second highest in program history and the highest road score ever. The record was broken again on Sunday.
The Big Storyline: After a few rough weeks on bars, Texas Woman’s roared back with a season high on that event and in the team total. Beam still has room to grow, but with a second 195.000+ of the season, the Pioneers are very much in contention for the MIC and USAG titles. Meanwhile, Centenary surprised with a monstrous 192.300 (I think… see the Controversies section for more details) that is not only its first 190.000+ score of the 2021 season, it’s its best score outright since 2019. Season highs on bars and beam (a fantastic 48.575) led the way, and junior Kendall Sanders won the all around.
Implications: Centenary is the odd team out heading into conference weekend, with all four teams ranking very close together, but the Ladies are still likely to finish the season as the best Division III team outright. Texas Woman’s dropped a low NQS score and reclaimed the No. 2 ranking in USAG over SEMO.
Records: Kendall Sanders’ 38.825 in the all around is a personal best. Eleven Centenary routines were career highs, including three by seniors Sierra Ponder and Jerrica Harris.
Controversies: There’s some confusion about Centenary’s final score at this event. Road to Nationals lists it as 192.300 and has a scoresheet backing that number up, but the scoresheet is just the document as generated at the meet and unsigned so we can’t verify that it’s final. Meanwhile, Texas Woman’s lists Centenary’s score as 192.250, Centenary’s schedule echoes Road to Nationals’ 192.300 number and Centenary’s press release hilariously states the final score as 193.000.
The Big Storyline: West Virginia held a sizable lead through three rotations, but three straight falls on beam gave Pitt the Backyard Brawl victory.
Implications: West Virginia’s total here was unusable for its NQS, and since it was the Mountaineers’ last away meet, they will now have to count a 195.300.
Records: Olivia Miller’s 9.900 on bars and 39.250 in the all around were career highs.
The Big Storyline: Both USAG teams scored season highs and all three teams in attendance broke 195.000, typically the threshold of excellence at this level, at a thrilling final match-up before conference championships. Lindenwood’s vault lineup, a strength all year, set a season-high 49.175, and Lindenwood also produced a season high 49.200 on floor. SEMO’s 49.225 on floor for senior night was a season high and allowed the Redhawks to close out a meet that is one of the ten best in program history.
Implications: MIC Championships next Friday is going to be freaking TENSE. Any of these three teams or Texas Woman’s could realistically win. Lindenwood beam and SEMO vault have been weaknesses all year and those are the events that could lose the championship. Despite the monster score SEMO drops to No. 3 in USAG standings as Texas Woman’s drops a lower NQS score, while Lindenwood continues cruising at No. 1.
Records: Anna Kaziska’s 9.900 on beam is a personal best and fifth in program history, tied with teammate Dahlia Solorzano-Caruso amd coach Ashley Lawson. Anna Speller’s 9.875 on beam, Dahlia Solorzano-Caruso’s 9.900 on floor and Jordan Jones’ 9.875 on floor were also personal bests for SEMO. Lindenwood’s Gayla Griswold also set a career high of 9.900 on floor. SEMO’s team total is tenth-best in program history.
The Big Storyline: In one of the closest matchups of the weekend, Boise State was able to defend its home floor on senior night and edge out a top 10 Arizona State squad. Emily Muhlenhaupt impressed on bars yet again to take the event win and back-up her third place ranking in the NCAA on the event, while the Sun Devils kept themselves in contention thanks to Hannah Scharf continuing her breakout season in the all around.
Implications: Despite the loss, Arizona State will increase its NQS slightly after posting its second highest road score of the season. Boise State just missed a season high by 0.225 but will still improve its NQS.
Records: Boise State set a new season high on floor and tied its season high on bars to overcome iffy vault and beam rotations to take the win.
Preview
Current Rankings: No. 10 Arizona State at No. 18 Boise State
Why You Should Make Time to Tune in: Arizona State has been one of the unexpected surprises of the 2021 season. The Sun Devils have had a fantastic season with high-scoring performances from newcomers and returning stars Cairo Leonard-Baker and Hannah Scharf. Despite its positive results so far, the team experienced hiccups on beam last week against Arizona. Boise State may be ranked lower, but it’s improving week after week and has returned athletes to lineups that had been out due to contact tracing or injury. The Broncos will need to maximize the scoring potential of its stunning bar rotation to keep up with the Pioneers.
Need More Proof? Emily Muhlenhaupt has some of the best execution on bars and beam in the NCAA. Moreover, the Broncos returned senior Tatum Bruden to its vault and floor lineups. Arizona State’s freshman class is one of the best in the country. Emily White and Sarah Clark are top performers on bars and beam while Anaya Smith consistently brings in the highest vault score for the Sun Devils.
The Big Storyline: While the Aggies put up a good fight, it wasn’t enough to out-power the Utes at home on senior night as Utah was able to pull off the victory. Maile O’Keefe yet again helped pave the way for Utah by winning bars and beam to finish as the meet’s lone double winner and get the Utes the sweep of event titles. Leighton Varnadore did snag a win in the all around for the Aggies, who were only a few tenths shy of their season high team score.
Implications: Utah will head into the postseason on a hot streak having gone undefeated in conference action and having only one loss on the season to Oklahoma. Utah State will head into its conference meet as the four seed, but with how talented all the MRGC teams are this season, the title up for grabs for any team.
Records: Utah freshman Lucy Stanhope set a new career high with her 9.900 on vault.
The Big Storyline: LIU continues to show improvement week by week, putting up a season high (and program record) score by over a point and putting up scores of 48-plus on all four events for the first time. N.C. State had a huge day, setting a new season high and nearly breaking the 197 barrier.
Implications: This score will improve N.C. State’s NQS by about a tenth. Because most of its high scores have come at home this year, the EAGL championship next week will be a big opportunity for the Wolfpack to record a large away total and potentially avoid the first round of regionals.
Records: N.C. State’s score was the fourth highest in program history. LIU set program records for team score, vault and beam.
The Big Storyline: Central Michigan had another sensational meet this week, recording its second 196.425 (a number that the team had not hit in three years prior to last week). The Chippewas will be going into the MAC championship as the favorites, which is a position they are familiar with. Eastern Michigan also had an outstanding day, recording a season high and breaking 196 for the first time in 2021.
Implications: Eastern Michigan surpasses Western Michigan in the rankings this week. Currently there are still five teams in regionals position: Central Michigan, Kent State, Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan and Ball State. It also worth noting that these five teams are separated by less than four tenths of a point when looking at team average score, so expect conference championships to be an intense battle for the title.
Records: Ball State’s event score for bars was the second-highest in school history and best in 20 years. There were also a handful of career highs recorded at this meet, most notably: Hannah DeMers’ 39.525 in the all around and 9.950 on floor; Jada Rondeau’s 39.425 in the all around, 9.875 on bars and 9.825 on vault; and Haydn Crossen’s 9.925 on vault, which tied her for eighth-best program score.
Preview
Current Rankings: No. 34 Ball State, No. 32 Eastern Michigan and No. 29 Western Michigan at No. 26 Central Michigan
Why You Should Make Time to Tune in: Think of this as a mini-preview for what we can expect to see at the conference championship in a couple weeks. These four teams are all within mere tenths of each other in regards to their current NQS and averages, and while Central Michigan has the highest ceiling of the bunch, any of these teams are more than capable of walking away the victor. This should absolutely be a close and exciting meet to watch.
Need More Proof? Both Central Michigan and Western Michigan have hit that 196 mark this season, and Eastern Michigan and Ball State have fallen just shy of it with both their high scores coming in at 195.975. As far as individual performers, we have our eyes on Western Michigan sophomore Payton Murphy and Central Michigan sophomore Hannah DeMers, who are currently ranked No. 31 and No. 33 in the all around, respectively. Both Sierra Demarinis and Taylor Pitchell have received a 10 from at least one judge for their floor routines this season, so make sure you tune in when the Chippewas are on that event. Jada Rondeau and Bri Price are not to be missed on beam for Eastern Michigan. Ball State freshman Victoria Henry has an impressive Yurchenko 1.5, and senior Arden Hudson set a new program record for her beam routine this season as well.
The Big Storyline: Illinois learned to senior night home score in this generously but not egregiously scored upset over the Gophers. It was truly a complete, hit meet, and Minnesota also got the big numbers where it should have. Counting a fall on bars hurt the Gophers, a team that has had to count more falls than it would like this year. A near-197 counting a fall is very solid. Overall, though, both teams look very ready for the conference championships night session, where they’ll meet again with Michigan and Iowa next week.
Implications: The big shift here is in Illinois’ NQS, since we’re not dropping high scores. The Illini will scoot up to live No. 16, tied with idle Georgia. This year, the Big Ten is determining conference seeding via NQS, and this total has Illinois hop Iowa for the No. 3 seed.
Records: Illinois set both a team total and beam (49.525) program record, and had top-7 historical finishes on every event.
Preview
Current Rankings: No. 7 Minnesota at No. 21 Illinois
Why You Should Clear Space on Your DVR: This is Minnesota’s last chance to replace its 196.975 away number in NQS, the only sub-197 in its total. The Gophers host the Big Ten championship next week, so this is an important one. The Illini have a 196.225 to drop. Not a disastrous number, but it’s a total they can best by at least four tenths.
You Can Fast Forward, but not Through This: Mya Hooten notched her first 10.0 and the Gophers’ first ever on floor last week, and she is more than capable of replicating the performance. Both teams thrive on beam: Mia Takekawa, Kylie Noonan and Shaylah Scott are Illinois’ headliners, while Lexy Ramler, Ona Loper and Mary Korlin-Downs are your can’t-miss Gophers.
The Big Storyline: Air Force finished third at this tri-meet but produced a season-best road score with the help of a great beam rotation that fell just short of the 49.000 mark. Bars is still a consequential weakness for Air Force, but the other events are settling in in time for postseason.
Implications: Air Force remains fourth in the USAG rankings. The Falcons won’t have a conference championship next week, just a dual against San Jose State.
The Big Storyline: Iowa State went 23/24 in its best performance of the season. Oklahoma continued to prove that its early season issues are a distant memory.
Implications: Head coach Jay Ronayne recently told CGN that he thinks the Cyclones are capable of going toe-to-toe with the nation’s top teams, and they certainly demonstrated that today. While today’s results won’t affect the Big 12 rankings, Iowa State might move up a spot or two nationally. It also bodes well for the team’s postseason prospects.
Records: This is the Cyclones’ highest team score under Ronayne. Oklahoma senior Karrie Thomas earned a career high-tying 9.950 on beam. Iowa State senior Andrea Maldonado scored a season high on floor while junior Addy De Jesus notched a new career high on beam, both going 9.925. De Jesus also earned a career-high 39.600 in the all around, becoming just the fourth Cyclone in program history—and the first since 2007—to score a 9.900-plus on all four events in a single season.
Controversies: Oklahoma benefitted from two scoring changes on floor, which has become a recurring theme this season. The issue isn’t that the Sooners are challenging questionable scores (especially since it’s working to their benefit), but that there’s been no transparency or apparent oversight from a judging standpoint. We want receipts!
The Big Storyline: West Virginia recorded its first 196 of the season to defeat rival Pitt and win the Backyard Brawl series.
Implications: This score is exactly what West Virginia needed to remain in regionals contention. However, the Mountaineers drop to No. 38 and will be on the outside looking in heading into the conference championship meet next weekend.
Records: Lauren Beckwith’s 9.875 on beam was a career high.
The Big Storyline: It was a great meet for all three teams. New Hampshire showed that it is finally finding its groove this year, recording its second 196 in a row. Temple had another record-breaking meet to record only the second 196-plus score in program history. Towson continues to show why it deserves a place in the top 36 with a score of nearly 196 and a huge 49.350 on floor.
Implications: All three teams will improve their NQS and stay in regionals contention. Towson sits at No. 29 and is in a great position to qualify to regionals for the first time in 21 years. New Hampshire moves into the top 36 up to No. 35. The Wildcats will need to put up another great performance at EAGLs to hold off surging teams below them. Temple will be on the outside looking in at No. 39, but the Owls will stay in regionals contention if they can repeat their performances from this week at the conference championship.
Records: Temple bested its record-breaking score from Friday, setting a new road score record and recording the second best score in program history, just 0.025 shy of the all-time high.
The Big Storyline: In the second matchup of the weekend between these two squads, California bested Washington yet again in an even better showing for the Golden Bears. Andi Li posted a new season high in the all around to compliment Kyana George’s winning efforts on beam and floor to lead California, while Allie Smith notched a win on vault for Washington’s lone event title.
Implications: California will slide ahead of Utah in this week’s rankings, making the Golden Bears the highest-ranked Pac-12 team heading into the conference championship meet. California has never won the Pac-12 championship title.
Records: The Golden Bears posted a 49.575 on floor to set a new program record, while George set a new career high with her 9.975. California posted the same event total on bars, good for second best in school history.
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