The Mount: Week 3

Recap

The Big Storyline: UW-Oshkosh dominated from the start to find its second straight victory on the road. Emily Buffington continues to contribute big numbers on her events. 

Implications: UW-Oshkosh continues to prove that it is a viable candidate for the WIAC title this season. The Titans’ difficulty level is higher than many other teams in the conference, so they have the start value advantage. The beam and bars teams are having some difficulty with consistency at the moment, but don’t expect it to be like that for long. This is a relatively experienced team that’s hungry for a title. UW-Eau Claire had its first competition of 2022. The BluGolds struggled with inconsistency, but bright spots included Tia Ravara’s beam set and Emma Barry’s solid tumbling. 

Records: Emily Buffington set a vault career high for the second week in a row after posting a 9.700 on her front handspring pike.

Recap

The Big Storyline: Alyssa and the Gators won the fourth and final “Battle of the Baumanns,” but younger sister Rachel snagged a perfect 10 on floor (the first for either Baumann). 

Implications: Florida continued to test its depth with varying success, posting season lows on vault, beam and floor but a season high on bars. While they should maintain the top spot in the SEC, the Gators’ sub-197 performance will allow No. 4 Oklahoma to overtake them in the national rankings. Sophomore Ellie Lazzari and senior Halley Taylor also suffered significant injuries during the meet. Lazzari’s is a confirmed Achilles tear.

Meanwhile, the hits just keep coming for Georgia. The Gymdogs came out strong after a two-week hiatus, posting 49-plus scores on vault and bars before a disastrous sub-47 beam rotation. Even an impressive 49.525 on floor—capped off by Rachel Baumann’s 10 and a 9.975 from junior Soraya Hawthorne—couldn’t salvage the meet for Georgia, who posted its second-consecutive score under 195.   

Records: In addition to Rachel Baumann, Hawthorne scored a career high on floor. Florida’s Nya Reed, who snagged her own first career 10 last week on floor, earned her 16th-consecutive mark of 9.925-plus on floor. 

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 3 Florida at No. 29 Georgia

Why You Should Clear Space on Your DVR: The last regular season battle between the Baumann sisters is sure to be a good one. Alyssa Baumann will be looking for redemption after uncharacteristic errors on beam and floor against Alabama. Rachel Baumann was limited to one event in Georgia’s season debut due to an elbow sprain but has been training upgrades on all four events. These two programs have a rich history of national championships and need to vastly improve on early season performances to have a chance at achieving that accomplishment once again. 

You Can Fast Forward, but not Through This: Megan Skaggs has quietly become a consistent and steady all-around performer for the Gators that is often overshadowed by teammates Trinity Thomas. Her floor routine has intricate exquisite dance moves, and her beam performances have been precise. Megan Roberts for Georgia was the stick queen of week one, and her Yurchenko one and a half on vault improves every single time she competes it. 

Recap 

The Big Storyline: UW-Stout finally got to start the season, and Mikala Bugge returned from her Achilles injury by leading the team on vault. UW-La Crosse posted the highest score of the Division III so far. 

Implications: UW-La Crosse posted the first 189-plus from any Division III school this season, continuing to assert itself as the team to beat. The Eagles were helped along by a more consistent bars rotation this time out. They will hope to continue that trend in the coming weeks, as well as to have five hit routines on all four events to improve the team score even more. Although La Crosse claimed all four event titles, Stout also came out swinging in its first competition of the season. The team score of 187.075 slides the Blue Devils into the fourth spot in the rankings behind only La Crosse and Brockport.

Records: Freshman Rachel Chesley put together a hit bar routine for a new career high of 9.600 while teammate Cate Sandvik got a 9.525 for her efforts. Kyla Dickson’s strong beam set earned her a career high 9.625.

Recap 

The Big Storyline: Stephanie Geislinger’s Warriors came home with the victory on alumni night in her first home meet as head coach. 

Implications: Both teams particularly struggled on bars with only two routines eclipsing the 9.000 threshold. However, Winona State improved its team total by nearly a point this week while Hamline bested itself by more than two. Consistency on bars and beam will be necessary to move into the top half of the NCGA. Julia Cheely showed off a bar routine that included a beautiful straddle Jaeger in the exhibition spot for Hamline. That routine needs to find its way into the lineup to help make up the start value difference between the Pipers and the top NCGA teams. It should be noted that both teams made improvements this week that they can build from in weeks to come.

Lindenwood, Northern Illinois and SEMO in Lebanon, Tennessee

Recap

The Big Storyline: SEMO improved over its season-opening score by nearly two points while Lindenwood bested itself by more than four. 

Implications: The Tennessee Collegiate Classic did not offer live scoring or video, so it’s too soon to tell if the scoring was realistic or if Lindenwood’s 195-plus will be maintainable. However, this meet was on neutral territory, so it’s safe to say that the finishing order was correct. Lindenwood’s drastic improvement over last week proved that maybe the Lion’s season opener was just an off day. Simone Evans’ debut routine on floor and Kaylee Cooper’s first collegiate bar routine were just the boost the team needed. SEMO is still missing some key players in its lineups, but the Redhawks were able to put together a good score to build off of in the coming weeks. Anna Kaziska added her front double full back into her floor routine this week, which will be necessary for the big scores later in the season. Suspect that the rivalry between these teams will continue. They will battle it out again next weekend in Hyland Arena. 

Records: SEMO notched three career highs on bars, including Lydia Webb’s 9.750, Lindsay Ockler’s 9.825 and Jolie Miller’s 9.875. Ockler also set a new career best on vault with a 9.825. Hadley Roberts put together the first 9.900 routine of her career on beam to lead the Lion’s effort to a 49.1 team total on the event. Hannah Moon notched her first career all around win with a 38.900. Emmalise Nock’s career high 9.900 on floor was enough to earn her the event win.

Recap

The Big Storyline: Alabama continues to surge in the rankings after winning its home opener against Kentucky. Freshman Lilly Hudson impressed in her all around debut, snagging two event titles. 

Implications: After a sluggish start, the Crimson Tide have proved that they’re still one of the teams to beat in the SEC. The Wildcats kept pace with Alabama through three rotations, but were ultimately felled by struggles on beam. Junior Raena Worley continues to be a standout all arounder, posting her second consecutive 39.6+ score.  

Records: Alabama junior Dogette earned a career-high 9.925 on vault.

Controversies: True to SEC type, the floor judging got a little “lax,” shall we say, in the final rotation. While the team results weren’t affected, the individual rankings arguably were.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 9 Kentucky at No. 10 Alabama

Why You Should Clear Space on Your DVR: Kentucky had a rocky start to its season in terms of meet cancellations or shakeups, but it found a way to make a mark against Ball State. The Wildcats find themselves ranked above Alabama heading into week three. However, it’s early on in the season, and rankings are not necessarily indicative of the capabilities of these teams. Alabama will be coming into this meet with redemption on its mind after narrowly losing to Florida in week two.

You Can Fast Forward, but not Through This: Bailey Bunn was one of the most consistent performers for Kentucky in her freshman year in 2021 but had some uncharacteristic errors last week. Bunn’s ability to bounce back is vital to Kentucky’s success. Alabama Freshman Lilly Hudson has a gorgeous double twist on floor that should not be missed. Upperclassmen Makarri Doggette and Lexi Graber have the potential to score big on vault with nice amplitude on their Yurchenko one and a halfs.

Results

Recap

The Big Storyline: Auburn earned a season high in its home opener in front of a sold out arena. 

Implications: The Tigers are coming in hot this season, steadily improving their scores week to week. Their impressive 197.350 should allow them to overtake Alabama in both the SEC and national rankings. 

The Cyclones’ roster has been depleted by injuries, with six gymnasts—including star all-arounder Addy De Jesus—out for the season. Despite losing the meet, Iowa State posted season highs on all four events and improved on last week’s team total by a point and a half. 

Records: Auburn senior Derrian Gobourne earned her third career 9.975 on floor. Iowa State senior Ana Palacios notched a career high 9.850 on bars while junior Maddie Diab earned her third-consecutive 9.900 on floor. 

Recap

The Big Storyline: Even with an uncharacteristically wobbly beam rotation, Utah used two near-perfect scores in the final two rotations to defeat visiting Arizona State and start the Pac-12 season 1-0. Jillian Hoffman led the Utes off on floor with her huge 9.975 that helped earn a massive 49.675. The Sun Devils were led by Hannah Scharf’s impressive night that saw her take the all-around title over superstar freshman Grace McCallum.

Implications: Pac-12 favorite Utah started its conference slate in the ideal way with a victory, pulling in a total that should maintain its current ranking but won’t pull the Utes closer to nation-leading Michigan. Arizona State’s total was consistent with its opening-meet performance, but the Sun Devils may slide down the rankings slightly with other teams posting higher scores.

Records: Hoffman’s and Isa’s 9.975s are career-high marks on their respective events.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 13 Arizona State at No. 2 Utah

Why You Should Clear Space on Your DVR: After Utah’s dominating win over Oklahoma last weekend, the Utes have looked the part of a title contender this season and will face a good test from Arizona State, who began its season last week with a program record opening score.

You Can Fast Forward, but not Through This: Utah’s freshmen had a mixed bag of results in week one, but popped off last week with Grace McCallum and Sage Thompson both notching scores in the 9.9s. Fellow freshman Kara Eaker will likely miss this dual as she deals with an ankle sprain. Arizona State also has an impressive freshman, with Alex Theodorou putting up three scores of 9.850 or higher in her NCAA debut, including a 9.900 on vault.

Update 1/19: Boise State withdrew from this meet due to COVID protocols.

Update 1/20: This meet was removed from Road to Nationals on Jan. 20.

Recap

The Big Storyline: Brockport continued its win streak after winning its home tri meet and then again in a dual meet against RIC on the road, adding just over a point to its team score.

Implications: After counting several falls in its home opener, Brockport went from a 44.550 to a 46.550 this weekend on the road, in addition to adding a half point on vault, lead by Castellaneta’s full-twisting Yurchenko that landed her a 9.750. After counting a 8.400 in its home opener, Brockport dropped an 8.425 this week, its lowest contributing score a 8.775 and counting four scores over a 9.250. Brockport continues to lead the NCGA-East, but Rhode Island put the pressure on. The Anchormen counted only scores over a 9.150 on floor, with four scores above 9.400. 

Records: Despite the loss, Rhode Island broke several program records. Olivia Keyes broke a new record on beam, scoring a 9.675 while claiming the title, as well as the all-around title with a 38.150, another new program record. Keyes and Kelsey Gates both set a program record on floor with their tied first-place score of 9.750. Castellaneta scored a career high 9.750 on vault, also claiming the title, and Taylor Bushey set a personal best of 9.575 on bars, winning that event on well. Every single event winner went on to set a program record or personal career high.

Update 1/14: Springfield added to this meet after its dual with Ursinus on 1/16 was canceled.

Recap

The Big Storyline: While its 185.825 isn’t quite its highest team score, it does show that Ursinus hasn’t lost much ground since its last appearance in 2020. It’s still a major jump from its last home opener of 181.525, though. 

Implications: Ithaca improved its score from last weekend by just over a point, with floor going markedly better this weekend. However, bars continues to haunt the Bombers. Cortland, too, proved that it has polished and refined its routines from the first meet of the season, bumping its score by nearly a point and a half with a steadier beam rotation this weekend to help them out. Springfield showed it’s capable of bouncing back from a shaky routine, dropping its low score of a 7.650 and counting scores of 8.800 or higher on bars. Beam proved to be a weak spot with the lowest event score of the meet, but it started the meet strong with three floor scores over a 9.400. Ursinus also dropped a 7.650 on bars, relying on two 9.300-plus bar routines to lead it through the rotation. DeLorme lead the team with scores of 9.375 or better.

Records: This was Ursinus’ highest season-opening team score since 2017. Lindsey Thornton scored a career high of 9.400 on beam. Kaylin Knapsack won floor with a career high 9.800 and Thornton followed suit on floor, scoring another career high of 9.500. Abby Bang scored a career high on floor with a 9.625.

Update 1/20: This meet was canceled due to inclement weather in the Virginia area.

Recap 

The Big Storyline: North Carolina held its own, posting its highest team score since 2018 while Missouri put together its season high team score without Amari Celestine.

Implications: North Carolina has not only asserted itself as the top team in the EAGL so far this season but as a team to watch come postseason. This season-high score was posted with only five bar routines and Julia Knower not at her best. The Tar Heels still have more gas in the tank. Watch out. Missouri was able to have a strong performance without the three-event contribution of one of its star freshmen. Jocelyn Moore rose to the challenge with 9.9-plus on vault and floor. Hopefully Celestine will be back in the lineups soon because she could push the Tigers over the 197 mark, a threshold that will be crucial in the Tigers’ quest to compete in the night session at SECs. George Washington was able to put its beam demons from last week to rest. However, its team score did not reflect it due to counting a fall on floor. The Colonials will look to improve on their consistency throughout the season in hopes of earning a bid to regionals. Brown’s Julia Bedell made her collegiate floor debut with a 9.775 even with a step out of bounds. That’s a routine that could contend with the top USAG floor workers as she gets comfortable in the lineup. Overall, Brown still looks rusty from its long hiatus without competition. However, this team normally knows how to peak just in time for postseason, so don’t worry just yet. 

Records: Jocelyn Moore’s near perfect Yurchenko 1.5 was rewarded with a career-high 9.950. This marks the fourth-straight meet that Mizzou has eclipsed 49 on all four events, the longest streak in program history.

Preview

Current Rankings: Brown, No. 34 George Washington and No. 8 Missouri at No. 26 North Carolina

Why You Should Make Time to Tune in: This meet is all over the board in a very fun and exciting way. The two EAGL teams were separated by only a quarter tenth last weekend, though UNC has the higher ceiling as long as it can move on from week twok’s erratic floor rotation. Missouri looked imperious in week one, but after a week off, will the Tigers look more or less prepared on Saturday? Brown also had some COVID issues in its opening gambit, but it’s a talented squad that will hope to take advantage of a (relatively) big-team scoring environment to crack 190.000 for the first time

Need More Proof? Brown freshman Julia Bedell was quarantined with COVID during her team’s season opener, but we’re hoping she’ll be back soon because her tumbling floor is completely bananas.

Recap

The Big Storyline: The Golden Bears notched their second-straight victory to open the season, improving upon their debut score en route to defeating Washington on the road. California was led by Maya Bordas, who tied for the vault title and won the all-around outright, while Washington had several standout individual performances, including Amara Cunningham’s two titles and Skylar Killough-Wilhelm’s second 9.900 in a row on beam.

Implications: Washington’s total was nearly one and a half points better than its opening meet score, meaning the Huskies are likely to jump up a few spots in next week’s rankings. California’s score stayed relatively consistent, meaning likely little change for the 11th-ranked Golden Bears.

Records: After setting a new career high on beam last week, Killough-Wilhelm matched that score again at this meet.

Recap 

The Big Storyline: UW-Whitewater made its debut team performance count thanks to a career high all-around performance from Faith Mylin. 

Implications: Whitewater told the gymnastics world “Don’t forget about me!” The Warhawks picked up right where they left off at the end of the last COVID-free regular season, surging toward the top of the NCGA leaderboard. As of Saturday night, Whitewater will be sitting in third. The best part is there’s still room for improvement after a shaky floor performance and some bar misses. Even with mistakes, Whitewater is still the No. 1 bars team in Division III. Let that sink in. Sophia Redding continued to assert that she is the real deal, sitting at the top of the individual bar rankings at the moment for the Gusties. Gustavus Adolphus was able to improve upon its history-making season opener as Brooke Merila put on a stellar performance on three events. Drastic improvements on vault, bars and floor were hindered by beam inconsistency this week. 

Records: Sophia Redding topped her career high and broke the program record on bars with a 9.700. Faith Mylin put together a superb all-around competition complete with career highs on bars, beam and floor.

Recap

The Big Storyline: Bridgeport and Southern Connecticut kept it close this weekend, with less than a point and a half separating the two. 

Implications: Bridgeport last opened with a 189.300, so it’s not too far behind after the hiatus. Southern Connecticut was just as on par with its last opening score of 187.025. Bridgeport freshman Alyssa Wiggins came hot out of the gate. Despite a fumble on vault, she scored a 37.275 in her all-around debut with a solid 9.525 on beam to top off her day. Without that, she would’ve notched second place and been within just about a half a point of Hannah Stahlbrodt’s first place finish. Kiana Session had an uncharacteristically low beam score but threw up a 9.625 on vault to get Bridgeport off on the right foot. Bridgeport didn’t count a score under 9.400 on floor. Southern Connecticut counted three bars scores over a 9.575 but couldn’t quite find its footing on floor, counting an 8.450. Stahlbrodt boosted that total with her 9.700, though.

Update 1/19: Utah State was added to this meet after Boise State withdrew from its dual with the Aggies due to COVID protocols.

Recap

The Big Storyline: The Sooners posted the nation’s highest road score to-date on their way to a massive victory in an all top-25 quad meet. Jordan Bowers continued her freshman season on a good note, nearly sweeping the event titles and taking the all-around crown, with Ragan Smith also having a strong night with an almost-perfect beam set and title-sharing floor routine. The lone non-Oklahoma winner of the day was Utah State’s Brie Clark, who tied for the floor title with Bowers and Smith and helped the Aggies to a pair of Pac-12 upsets.

Implications: Oklahoma’s massive total should slide it back ahead of Denver to claim the top spot in the Big 12 while Stanford’s win over Arizona gives it its first Pac-12 regular season victory since 2019.

Records: Danae Fletcher’s 9.900 on bars helped her earn her first collegiate event title.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 4 Oklahoma, No. 13 Stanford and No. 22 Utah State at No. 20 Arizona

Why You Should Clear Space on Your DVR: A trio of top 20 teams will battle it out at Arizona as the Sooners look to erase a loss to Utah and the Cardinal and Wildcats fight for a spot in the top half of the Pac-12. Stanford, who finished seventh in the Pac-12 a season ago, starts week three in the top half of the conference and should be pushed by Arizona, who opened with a loss at Southern Utah. The Aggies’ strong start to the season has them currently sitting in the top 25 and looking ready to challenge for the MRGC title.

You Can Fast Forward, but not Through This: Stanford’s Kyla Bryant is already making the most of her bonus year, leading the country in all-around average after a few near-perfect routines to begin her 2022. Jordan Bowers bounced back for Oklahoma last week after a fall on her first collegiate routine and will make for a great veteran vs. newbie all-around battle. Malia Hargrove competed all four for the Wildcats in their opener and will look to play spoiler over Bowers and Bryant. Utah State’s Brie Clark has had a great start to her freshman season, notching two scores of 9.925-plus in her first two appearances on floor and should be a contender for the event title.

Recap

The Big Storyline: Pittsburgh secured the win with its highest beam score in program history while Texas Woman’s stellar 49-plus floor rotation helped it to put the mistakes of bars and beam behind it. 

Implications: TWU has not quite escaped its bars and beam woes from years past. This young team has not quite figured out how to completely bounce back from a fall within the rotation. The Pioneers’ vault and floor lineups will help to keep them in the hunt for now, but without five hit routines on the other events, it will be difficult to keep up with the top USAG teams. Freshmen Emerson Adams and Sierra Muns have proven to be integral players in TWU’s success so far this season. Consistency across the board will ultimately determine the Pioneer’s fate. Pittsburgh became just the third team in the EAGL to eclipse 195 this season. Hopefully the Panthers will be able to carry this momentum in the coming meets and continue to move up the conference ranks. However, consistently staying in the 195-plus scoring range has been a struggle the last few seasons. Perhaps the additions of big scorers like Hallie Copperwheat and Sidney Washington will finally put Pittsburgh over the edge. 

Records: Mara Johnson bettered her floor career high for the second time this season with a 9.875 while teammate Sierra Muns upped hers to a 9.850. Senior Domi Bonzagni tied her floor career high with a 9.800. Emerson Adams proved herself to be “Miss Consistent” on vault, earning her second 9.800 in the last three weeks. Emily Six’s 9.725 on beam earned her a career high as well.  

Recap

The Big Storyline: It was a close battle between these two teams. Iowa ended up taking the win, but Michigan State was a great contender and will only use this close loss as fuel for the next meet.

Implications: Alex Greenwald seemed to have injured herself after vault because she was out for the rest of the meet. That will be a tough loss for the Hawkeyes, as she is an all-around contributor. However, Mackenzie Vance filled in for Greenwald for the rest of the day and performed well.

Records: MSU’s Gabi Stephen scored a perfect 9.950 for her Yurchenko full on vault.

Controversies: The MSU sideline reporter was fun to watch on the stream, but missed routines and camera angles with jumps to the other team when someone else was competing was not.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 17 Iowa at No. 16 Michigan State

Why You Should Make Time to Tune in: Michigan State broke its season-opening program record score week one with freshman Skyla Schulte taking home the Big Ten Freshman of the Week award. Iowa is coming off a Monday competition against top teams Minnesota and UCLA where it finished second to Minnesota. The meet was close, but a rough bars rotation took the Hawkeyes out of the meet. That’ll be an area of focus on Saturday.

Need More Proof? Iowa’s floor rotation is lights out with the likes of Lauren Guerin and JerQuavia Henderson scoring 9.925 and 9.900, respectively, last week. For MSU, Schulte will be one to watch for the Spartans in the all-around, as well as sophomore Delanie Harkness on bars.

Recap

The Big Storyline: The Big Red brought its A-game, coming close to a few program records despite ultimately being upset by West Chester by less than half a point.

Implications: Freshman Katie Michelini led the the Big Red, adding her name to the program’s top 10 score list on bars and floor. Classmate Sydney Beers carved her own path, taking second on vault and beam. Cornell’s 48.875 on vault was just a quarter of a point shy of the team record, a 49.125. Overall, Cornell was ready to prove itself from the previous weekend’s 188.825, tacking on three points after putting in the work. West Chester counted just one score below a 9.800 during their floor rotation, helping to notch its second-highest score of the season but scored a season-high of 49.075, with three of the Golden Rams part of a four way tie for first with a lofty 9.850. Not to be outdone, Cornell’s lowest floor score was a 9.600, counting three routines with a 9.825 or higher. West Chester closed out on beam without a single fall, dropping a 9.325 and utilizing Cascadden’s lead off 9.700. Cornell’s ranking won’t move, but West Chester could slide down into second as the weekend comes to a close.

Records: McKenna Kissinger scored a career high 9.850 on floor, as sophomore Caroline Cascadden pocketed a 9.800 for a career high as well.

Recap

Update 1/20: Penn was added to this meet after its dual with William & Mary was canceled due to inclement weather in the Virginia area.

Recap 

The Big Storyline: Both teams survived counting mistakes on bars to increase their teams scores from the last competition. Led by a superb performance from Genevieve Sabado, the Falcons were able to eclipse the 192 mark this week. 

Implications: Although Air Force upped its team total this week, it will slide back a couple spots in the USAG standings after SEMO and Lindenwood’s incredible performances on Friday. The Falcons will need to find a bar lineup that can hit when it counts to stay in the top half of the USAG as the season ramps up. Sabado is the real deal with the perfect combination of grace and power. She will be an integral part of Air Force’s success this season. The Falcons are missing the steady Yurchenko tuck full from Daija Stevenson right now. Hopefully, she can get healthy enough to be added back in the vault lineup. Currently the team is competing three Yurchenko layouts. That’s not going to cut it long term when the competition is scoring 195-plus. Briona Carswell was pulled from the beam lineup after a bad fall in warmup. That’s another big score that could help the Falcons to keep improving. Centenary took one step forward and a couple steps back this week. Plagued by falls on bars and missed beam connections, the Ladies never quite got in their groove. However, floor was much improved this week with more room to grow. Xian Baumgartner’s routine is bound to be a showstopper come later in the season. Centenary will look to put that 45.075 bar performance behind it in the coming weeks and return to the land of six-for-six hit routines. 

Records: Sabado increased her all-around career high by nearly four tenths complete with three event victories. 

Controversies: The bar judges were having difficulties, so both teams had to wait for multiple minutes between each routine. The delay was so long that the first rotation was not competed in alternating order as vault pressed on.

Recap

The Big Storyline: Yale had a rocky showing on beam, with a fall and a low score throwing things off a little, but it went routine for routine, shining on bars with not a single score under 9.625 and adding over three points to its previous week’s score. 

Implications: Yale’s ranking doesn’t change despite the Bulldogs’ incredible performance, as both SEMO and Lindenwood had phenomenal showings this weekend. Unfortunately, Lindsay Chia’s all-around streak came to an end, but fellow Bulldog Sarah Wilson won the title, keeping Yale undefeated in the all-around so far this season. Yale pocketed four scores over 9.700, scoring a 48.700 on bars, just short of its opening 48.875. It has upped its vault score by just over half a point from the start of the season with Raegan Walker leading the team not only on vault but floor as well, where Yale has added a full point. For the EAGL, LIU recorded a program record on bars, notching a 48.700, as well as for its team total. The Sharks took their first ever win.

Records: Raegan Walker scored a career high 9.800 on vault and beautifully notched a personal-best 9.900 on beam.

Update 1/20: UC Davis was added to this meet after its meets with Alaska were canceled due to COVID protocols.

Recap

The Big Storyline: Oregon State never trailed, and Jade Carey got better as the night went on in the Beavers’ big defeat of visiting UCLA and UC Davis. Carey swept the event titles as the anchor on every event while Lauren Letzsch and Kaitlyn Yanish added 9.900s on floor en route to a great 49.450 event total. The Bruins largely improved on their debut meet of the season but still struggled on vault and floor. Jordan Chiles’ 9.925 on bars was their highest score of the day. UC Davis had a rough outing, but Keanna Abraham shined with a 9.875 on vault.

Implications: The Beavers improved on their opening total by nearly a point and a half and put up one of the handful of 197s of the season, so expect a jump in the rankings. UCLA should also expect a small improvement.

Records: Carey’s all-around total broke Oregon State’s program record, previously 39.750.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 30 UC Davis and UCLA at No. 19 Oregon State

Why You Should Cancel Plans for It: With four 2020 Olympians competing, including gold and silver medalists, this is must-watch television as Oregon State will try to fend off UCLA as the Bruins look to rebound from a poor season debut.

What We’re Watching: Jade Carey’s collegiate debut was excellent, posting a 9.900 or higher on every event to sweep the meet and lead the Beavers to a top 20 ranking. Fellow Olympian Jordan Chiles didn’t quite have the same result in her first collegiate competition, appearing on two events. The Bruins have several shaky performances to put in the rear-view mirror if they want to make the most of their extremely talented roster.

What Else You Should Know Before Tuning In: UCLA senior Margzetta Frazier clipped her feet on the bar in her first event of the season and had to withdraw from the rest of the Bruins’ opener. Her injury status will be crucial for title hopes moving forward.

Update 1/20: This meet was removed from Road to Nationals on Jan. 20.

Recap

The Big Storyline: The Wolverines and Gophers battled in a preview of the Big Ten conference title matchup. These two teams were evenly matched, with Minnesota pulling out ahead after a lights-out vault rotation. A sub-standard beam number is all that kept the Gophers from a program record. Michigan held steady throughout the meet, weathering a beam rotation a pace behind its other events in the fourth rotation to put up the first 198 of the 2022 season.

Implications: We’ll be talking about this meet for a long time; it’s an instant classic. The gymnastics was immaculate, top to bottom. Minnesota will be looking for revenge after this home loss at Big Tens in March, as the Gophers try to defend their title against the reigning national champs. Michigan made a national statement, and Minnesota asserted itself as a final four contender. The upper echelons of the NCAA have been put on notice.

Records: Lexy Ramler’s 39.825 is the second-best in Minnesota program history, behind her 2021 39.850, and the best number so far in the nation this year. Ona Loper’s 39.725 is a career best, and the Gophers shattered their floor program record by by 0.150, hitting a 49.725 on the heels of a Mya Hooten 10.0. Minnesota missed it’s program record mark by just 0.100. The Wolverines put up the first 198 in the country in 2022, and only the fourth over the 198 mark in program history.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 1 Michigan at No. 6 Minnesota

Why You Should Cancel Plans for It: This will be a close meet, as both teams have stellar squads with the potential for 10s in each rotation. Minnesota is the reigning Big Ten champ while Michigan won the NCAA championship last year. Need we say more?

What We’re Watching: The all-around battle between Lexy Ramler, Ona Loper, Sierra Brooks and Natalie Wojcik (plus potentially a couple more Wolverines) will be crazy to watch. Each gymnast has the potential to win, and it will come down to tenths to see who ultimately comes out on top.

What Else You Should Know Before Tuning In: It’ll be interesting to see if Michigan’s Nicoletta Koulos will be competing yet. The junior has been working back from a hand injury and performed twice in exhibition on beam the past two weeks. She’s also been seen training bars.