The Mount: Week 5

Recap

The Big Storyline: Led by huge 9.8s from Emily Buffington and Emily Gilot, the Titans posted yet another 191-plus score. 

Implications: UW-Oshkosh’s performance this weekend proved that last weekend’s 191.650 at the Eastern Michigan quad was not a fluke. The Titan’s vault squad is on another level this year, improving every meet so far. The higher start value vaults in the lineup are finally paying off. If gymnastics fans haven’t been keeping an eye on this team, they should be. Frankly, the Titans don’t even have to be 100% “on” to be scoring among the top NCGA teams this season. Meanwhile, after a season high last weekend, the Pipers took a small step back this week after some difficulties on bars. However, bright spots included Lily Ramsdell’s collegiate debut and Nikki Johnsen’s beam season high. 

Records: Emily Gilot and Emily Buffington posted matching 9.8s to earn new career highs and the event win. Oshkosh’s vault event total of 48.350 was a program record. 

Recap

The Big Storyline: Towson put up a huge 196.700—its second highest score ever—to dominate the rest of the field by over two points.

Implications: Towson has improved its score each meet and is beginning to establish itself as the team to catch in the EAGL. Head coach Jay Ramirez has said the team has a goal to hit 197 this year, and this performance showed that goal is within reach. While Temple had a bit of a rough start on bars and beam, the Owls rallied with program record-tying scores on vault and floor to finish the meet. Bars has been Temple’s weakness this season, but it will be a serious regionals contender if it can figure out that event. While Eastern Michigan put up season high scores on vault and beam, rough outings on bars and floor kept the total down. The Eagles sit solidly in the middle of MAC standings. LIU continues to make improvements and set new records at each meet but still has yet to put all four events together on the same day. The potential is there if it can figure out how to do that.

Records: In addition to recording the second-highest total in school history, Towson also tied the school record on vault. Temple tied both its vault and floor school records while Julianna Roland tied the vault record for the fourth time in her career. Eastern Michigan’s vault total was the second highest in school history, and LIU set new individual records with Mara Titarsolej’s 9.950 on bars and Ilka Juk’s 9.850 on beam.

Recap

The Big Storyline: 10s on 10s on 10s on 10s. All of the Wolverines’ 10s came back-to-back, starting with Gabby Wilson in the anchor spot on floor and shifting over to Reyna Guggino in the leadoff on vault, followed by Abby Heiskell and Natalie Wojick. Phew! Rutgers was also excellent on vault and nearly matched its season high 195.750 from last week. The good day extended to the Seawolves, who also notched a season best.

Implications: Michigan blasted the previous best score in the country by almost three tenths. The pressure is now on Oklahoma, Utah and Florida for a similarly big hit. Plus, Michigan did it away. Its NQS will be in a happy place right off the bat.

Records: Michigan set new program record team and vault scores, plus Wojcik matched the team-best all-around, tying Elise Ray, Beth Wymer and Sarah Cain—without question Michigan’s three all-time greatest gymnasts. Rutgers’ 49.275 is a new vault program record.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 1 Michigan, No. 66 Alaska, at No. 41 Rutgers

Why You Should Make Time to Tune in: This meet should feature some unique skills and routines, as these teams are all at very different points in the rankings. Look for Alaska’s underrated talent, Rutgers’ amazing depth and Michigan’s dominance.

Need More Proof? Of course it will be fun to watch the No. 1 Wolverines, but keep an eye out for Rutgers’ Belle Huang, too, who currently ranks No. 23 in the country on floor, as well as Alaska’s beautifully choreographed floor routines.

Recap

The Big Storyline: Missouri nearly pulled off the upset against the visiting Gators, who snagged the win in the final rotation thanks to a 49.625 on beam. 

Implications: Florida retains its spot atop the SEC rankings but showed that it is not invulnerable to pressure from its conference rivals. Missouri continues its upward trajectory, moving into ninth place overall. The Gators and Tigers are now nationally ranked first and second, respectively, on beam.

Records: Despite the home loss, Missouri’s 197.625 is the highest team score in program history. It also set a new program high on floor, thanks in part to senior Hannah McCrary’s career-high 9.950 and sophomore Sienna Schrieber’s personal best 39.550 in the all-around. 

Controversies: While both teams arguably benefitted from generous scoring, the judges failed to take the required deduction when Florida’s Chloi Clark went out of bounds on floor. Fans were understandably frustrated given how close the final results ended up being.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 4 Florida at No. 11 Missouri 

Why You Should Cancel Plans for It: After following up its strong season debut performance with two (comparatively) mediocre ones, Florida rebounded in a major way in week four with a 198.250 against Arkansas thanks in part to 10s from Trinity Thomas and Leanne Wong and a 9.975 from Savannah Schoenherr. Missouri has been quietly and consistently impressive in its first three meets but still has not broken out of the upper-196 range. If the Tigers continue their trend of improving week to week—and if the Gators’ performance trends more toward weeks two and three—this meet could end up being a lot closer than you might expect. In any case, Missouri has no shortage of standout routines that can challenge Florida for event titles. 

What We’re Watching: Florida and Missouri are the second- and third-ranked beam teams in the country. Thomas’ perfect 10 against the Razorbacks came on beam while Sienna Schrieber has not earned below a 9.900 on the event this season. Also keep an eye out for Missouri freshman Jocelyn Moore. Her Yurchenko one and a half is outstanding; if she sticks it, she could snag a 10 of her own.

Update 1/19: Georgia was added to this meet after its original dual with Kentucky was canceled week two.

Update 1/27: Illinois was added to this meet.

Recap

The Big Storyline: Kentucky had a spectacular showing for its first program win over Georgia. The Gymdogs put together a solid meet, despite a few now-routine struggles on beam where they yet again counted a low number. Illinois had some beam woes as well, where they counted a fall and a number below 9.700. The Chippewas were steady across all four, only bested by Illinois on the heels of a strong floor rotation for the Illini.

Implications: The SEC is even more brutally competitive than in past years, so Kentucky cementing itself as a low-197 team still only places it in the bottom half, especially after a breakout weekend from LSU. Georgia’s struggles continue. While things aren’t as dire as they once seemed, it’s clear the Gymdogs are bringing up the rear in the conference. Illinois and Central Michigan did just fine. Both will have wanted to see a 196 away number at this one to keep up with their respective conferences, though.

Records: This was Kentucky’s head-to-head win against Georgia.

Recap 

The Big Storyline: Brooke Merila returned to the all-around competition to help Gustavus tie Winona State at home. 

Implications: Gustavus proved that it can still put on a strong performance even without star all-arounder Annie Corbett. Sophia Redding diversified her portfolio this week by taking the vault title along with her bars title. Bars was a bit of a struggle area for both teams, though. Gustavus’ ranking currently is a misrepresentation of how well it has done this year due to a 172 being counted in the average. Once the NCGA moves to SAS ranking, the Gusties should move back up to their rightful place. Winona State’s most impressive feat has been its consistent improvement on beam in 2022. Bars has gotten better in two consecutive meets as well. If the team keeps doing what it’s doing, it is headed in the right direction.

Recap 

The Big Storyline: Stout swept the event titles en route to its first conference win of the season. 

Implications: Both teams will slide back slightly in the NCGA rankings this week after posting their lowest scores of 2022. Stout will be happy with some improvement on bars, led by Kiara Brown’s 9.600. The Blue Devils will look to continue that momentum in the coming weeks to challenge the top four teams. Sixth-year Mikala Bugge continues to lead the team on vault in her final season. UW-Eau Claire has steadily improved on floor each meet, but gaining consistency on bars will be the most integral part of continuing to improve this season.

Update 2/3: SEMO withdrew due to inclement weather in the Missouri area.

Recap 

The Big Storyline: Lindenwood led Whitewater by just half a tenth after two rotations. The Warhawks posted a season high team score while Lindenwood managed a decent score despite counting a mistake on bars. Northern Illinois casually earned a season high of its own. 

Implications: The top three NCGA teams are going to be in a tight race for No. 1. Whitewater will move into third place for now after posting the second highest score of any Division III team this season. Brockport is the front runner thus far. To keep up, Whitewater will need to replicate this performance meet after meet. Lindenwood’s performance tonight will have little effect on its season average, but its top ranking should be safe for the time being. However, with Air Force hot on its tail, Lindenwood will need to pick it back up to the 195 range.

Records: Northern Illinois’ 196.300 is its highest score in program history. Richella Velarmino of Whitewater posted a 9.825 on bars for a new career high. 

Recap

Update 2/4: This meet was canceled due to weather.

Recap

The Big Storyline: Alabama turned in its best performance of the season, sweeping the all-around and event titles. 

Implications: Coming into week five ranked fourth in the SEC, Alabama reasserted itself as one of the top teams in the conference when it hits and moved up to eighth in the national rankings. Despite a tough performance for Western Michigan, the Broncos still lead the MAC by nearly half a point. North Carolina still leads the EAGL, but after scoring a whopping 196.700, Towson is hot on its heels. 

Records: Alabama’s season high team total also tied the highest score under head coach Dana Duckworth. Sophomore Shania Adams and junior Mati Waligora both scored career highs on vault. Adams also notched a career high 9.900 on beam. Though North Carolina didn’t extend its streak of 196-plus scores, it did post its highest ever total against the Crimson Tide. 

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 25 North Carolina and No. 17 Western Michigan at No. 9 Alabama

Why You Should Make Time to Tune in: North Carolina and Western Michigan have both made waves this season thanks to their respective jumps in the national rankings and stellar freshmen. While neither team is likely to unseat Alabama, it’s going to be a tight race for second place. Notice we said likely, not impossible: The Crimson Tide only scored a 195.850 in their first meet of the season, a number both the Tar Heels and the Broncos are capable of beating.

Need More Proof? There are some outstanding under-the-radar gymnasts competing at this meet: Western Michigan boasts four gymnasts who’ve earned 39 or higher in the all-around this season, including regionals qualifier Payton Murphy, while the Tar Heels have the dynamic freshman duo of Lali Dekanoidze and Julia Knower. Alabama has a freshman standout of its own in Lilly Hudson, who’s currently ranked 10th nationally in the all-around.

Recap

Recap 

The Big Storyline: Despite a three and a half tenth lead heading into the final rotation, Air Force narrowly missed the conference victory thanks to a 49.225 from Sacramento State on floor. 

Implications: Air Force posted its highest away meet score of the season. The Falcons proved that they can still bring in the big scores on the road. Air Force has firmly situated itself in the second position in the USAG, but Lindenwood’s lower score this week could mean an open door for the Falcons in the near future. Sacramento State’s 194.225 was its highest score of the season by nearly two points. This meet demonstrated the competitiveness of the MPSF. The conference championships are going to be exciting this year!

Records: Genevieve Sabado continued her rise to stardom by posting a 39.300 all-around led by a 9.875 on floor. Sabado was closely followed by fellow freshman Ayla McKean with a 39.100.

Recap

The Big Storyline: This time by a much healthier margin, California defeated rival Stanford for the second time this season, behind the strength of Andi Li’s huge winning bars total and all around performance. Stanford got a lot of major contributions from its super seniors, with Kyla Bryant leading the way with her duo of event titles and second place all-around showing with a 39.425.

Implications: Although both programs fell short of season highs, the Cardinal posted its top home score since 2020 and the Golden Bears improved upon their season-best road score. California also remains undefeated on the season and is still in contention for the Pac-12 regular season title.

Records: Bryant’s winning vault score is a new career high while Mya Lauzon earned her first career event title for California.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 10 California at No. 19 Stanford

Why You Should Clear Space on Your DVR: These two Bay Area and conference rivals face off for the second time in 19 days as the Golden Bears enter as favorites over the Cardinal in its first home meet.

You Can Fast Forward, but not Through This: This meet should be not only competitive in team score, but the all-around competition should be great as well. Stanford’s Kyla Bryant topped the nation in the all-around after week two and will be pushed by California’s ever changing contingent, led by Maya Bordas, Nevaeh DeSouza and Andi Li.

Recap

The Big Storyline: In a dramatic and exciting meet that came down to the final routines, Maile O’Keefe notched a 9.975 in the anchor spot on beam for Utah to hold on for a victory over UCLA. The Utes stunningly counted a fall in the final rotation, but having gone 49.500-plus on their first three events, they were able to absorb the miss. The Bruins improved upon their season best total by over a full point but ultimately fell just short of the win.

Implications: Utah missed a big opportunity to break 198 for the first time this season, but will still hold off Florida in the rankings next week to be at least third. The Utes are still frontrunners for the Pac-12 regular season championship as they are currently undefeated, with UCLA likely out of the running with two conference losses already.

Records: Olympic silver medalists Jordan Chiles and Grace McCallum both earned the first perfect scores of their careers. Chiles also won the all-around and floor exercise for the first time in collegiate competition.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 22 UCLA at No. 3 Utah

Why You Should Cancel Plans for It: Off to two drastically different starts to their seasons, Pac-12 leader Utah heads down to Pauley Pavilion for the annual and highly anticipated rivalry matchup with UCLA.

What We’re Watching: Although they’ve been struggling, the Bruins’ freshman class has the potential to be the best in the nation, and if they show up in this matchup, they could propel UCLA to a much-needed season-best performance. The Utes will be competing outside of the state of Utah for the first time this season, and all eyes will be on them to see if their home meet momentum can carry them while on the road.

What Else You Should Know Before Tuning In: This edition of the rivalry meet with be broadcast in primetime on ESPN2.

Recap

The Big Storyline: West Chester continued to prove its consistency but Bridgeport had a few hiccups. 

Implications: West Chester took home the team title, notching its second-highest score and its second score over a 193 so far this season, holding tight to its third place ranking in the USAG division. Brown should see itself creep up a spot into seventh, otherwise holding in eighth as well. Mei Li Costa led the charge for the Bears, as they tallied a season-high 192.875. Brown has improved nearly a point and a half each on vault and beam since the start of the season. Cortland scored its own season-high of 182.800, helped by Kamryn Rodriguez and adding nearly three points to its opening score of the season. Despite Bridgeport’s six-for-six on beam, it unfortunately only put up four on vault and bars, missing freshman Alyssa Wiggins, presumably to injury, dropping Bridgeport into last place in USAG and GEC.

Records: Mei Li Costa’s 9.925 is not only a new personal high but a program record for Brown on bars.

Recap

The Big Storyline: Boise State rebounded from a rough opening meet while BYU put up another solid performance despite a couple of uncharacteristic mistakes. Good performances from the rest of the team meant the Cougars didn’t have to count the mistakes. 

Implications: It was only Boise State’s second meet, so there’s still work to be done in terms of dropping its first meet performance for an eventual NQS. This meet was a step in the right direction for the Broncos, though, and a good road score to insert into it’s average and eventual NQS. The Broncos move up 11 spots in the rankings to No. 24 overall, just ahead of fellow MRGC competitor Southern Utah. BYU, meanwhile, stands right in the rankings at No. 18 and will want a good road score next week. BYU maintains its spot atop the MRGC; Boise State moves into third, ahead of Southern Utah. 

Records: Allix Mason set a career high 9.875 on bars; Haley Pitou’s 9.925 on the event is also a career high. Elease Rollins’ 9.950 on beam is a personal best as well. BYU set three career highs on floor: Abby Beeston (9.900), Adeline Rieder (9.875) and Sadie Miner-Van Tassell (9.925).

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 35 Boise State at No. 18 BYU

Why You Should Make Time to Tune in: This is a matchup between two perennial MRGC contenders. Don’t let the rankings fool you—this meet could easily be closer than meets the eye. Boise State didn’t get off to the best start after its season was delayed due to COVID protocols, but the team certainly has the foundation to be successful. BYU has steadily improved each week and shown it has the makings of a strong team once again. 

Need More Proof? Do we even need to mention Emily Muhlenhaupt’s bars? Her teammate Emily Lopez also has a nice set that went above 9.900 last week. On the BYU side, Anyssa Alvarado is a highlight on the same event. Adriana Popp is a highlight on beam with her triple series, and she has a front handspring pike half on vault that is waiting in the wings for that lineup. She’s yet to compete it, but it’s only a matter of time. Closing the meet will likely be Brittney Vitkauskas on floor—make sure you watch until the end because you won’t want to miss her routine. Finally, Sadie Miner-Van Tassell has been making quite the name for herself in the all-around after finally being healthy this season. 

Recap

Recap

The Big Storyline: The clash of the Tigers came down to the wire, with LSU turning in a program-high 49.775 on floor to clinch the win. 

Implications: LSU jumped from eighth to fifth in the national rankings, leap-frogging Auburn in the process and taking second in the SEC. That said, this was by no means a definitive victory: Expect plenty of back and forth in the rankings before the postseason arrives. 

Records: LSU’s lights-out floor rotation came in front of the second-largest crowd in program history. In addition to her 10 on vault, Bryant earned a career high 39.675 in the all-around. Fifth-year Christina Desiderio also earned a career high on floor with a 9.950 in the lead-off position. Auburn tied its program record team score and saw its first perfect 10 in 18 years from Sunisa Lee on bars. Lee also secured the highest all-around score in program history.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 6 Auburn at No. 8 LSU 

Why You Should Cancel Plans for It: The Battle of the Tigers is more competitive than ever. Auburn has smashed expectations so far this season, currently ranking sixth nationally and second in the SEC. LSU, meanwhile, only has two meets under its belt due to COVID protocol. Though still ranked a solid eighth overall, it has yet to break 197 this season. It’ll have to step up its game if it expects to keep Auburn at bay. 

What We’re Watching: Suni Lee had a breakout performance last week against Alabama, earning SEC Freshman of the Week honors. Consider her and teammate Derrian Gobourne officially on 10 watch.

What Else You Should Know Before Tuning In: Kiya Johnson is expected to make her 2022 floor debut, which should provide a much-needed boost to LSU’s floor lineup. Her teammate Haleigh Bryant was limited to two events last week due to plantar fasciitis but could add at least one other event, according to coach Jay Clark. Auburn head coach Jeff Graba said that we could also see vaults from beam standout Gabby McLaughlin and freshman Caroline Leonard. 

Results

Results

Recap

The Big Storyline: Rhode Island and undefeated Brockport both brought dynamic floor lineups, with six combined scores over 9.650.

Implications: Brockport continues to cruise undefeated, with assistance from Lexi Castellaneta who finds herself tied with a second all-time program high on beam and first place in the meet. Gabbi Gare once again tied the school record on bars. Brockport showed up strong throughout the meet, posting season a high score on vault while proving its consistency on beam and floor. The Golden Eagles continue their bars streak, and although scoring a half point lower than the previous week, almost broke a 48.000. It should see itself holding onto first after scoring just half a tenth lower than its season high last week. Rhode Island scored its highest team score of the season, with Olivia Keyes and Kelsey Gates anchoring the floor lineups with scores over 9.825; one judge gave Keyes a 9.900. Rhode Island scored its season high on floor with a 47.850, as well as beam, holding strong in ninth place as of Saturday night.    

Records: Lexi Castellaneta set career highs on both vault and beam for the Golden Eagles, scoring a 9.775 on both. Olivia Stinnette pocketed a new career high on beam as well with a 9.700. Lauren Blair set a new career high on vault with a 9.675. Rhode Island’s Olivia Keyes set a new career and program record with a 9.725 on beam and tied the newly set program record on floor with a 9.850.

Recap

The Big Storyline: Once again powered by a phenomenal performance from freshman Jade Carey, Oregon State posted a new season-high total for an easy victory over visiting Arizona State, who also notched a season-best. Carey for the fourth time this season swept the event titles and all-around as she continues her streak of having never scored below a 9.9, now through 16 routines.

Implications: Despite the season bests, neither team will see their overall rankings improve next week. With two conference losses, the Sun Devils are likely out of the regular season championship race while the Beavers are still in contention with just one loss.

Records: Carey earned the first perfect score of her career on bars while also winning her 20th consecutive individual title.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 21 Arizona State at No. 13 Oregon State

Why You Should Clear Space on Your DVR: Two conference foes battling for a spot in the top half of the Pac-12 will face off with the Sun Devils and Beavers both sitting at 1-1 in conference action.

You Can Fast Forward, but not Through This: Jade Carey should again be on full display in this competition, having yet to score below 9.9 in her career after three meets competing the all-around. Madi Dagen stuck her vault last week for Oregon State, and the senior is known for stick streaks. Hannah Scharf continues to quietly cruise as one of the nation’s most underrated all-arounders, so if Carey has her first misstep, expect Scharf to take advantage.

Recap

The Big Storyline: Penn went over 193.000 for the fourth meet in a row as Cornell tied its high score of the season. 

Implications: Penn continues to defend its first-place standing in the GEC, holding off West Chester. Cornell’s consistency proves it is competitive enough to potentially crack the top three in the GEC if any of the teams above it begin to falter. With a few lower scores on floor to smooth out before the next meet, Cornell could look to cruise up the rankings if it pieces things together like it has on bars.

For a small fee, international viewers can watch the meet here.

Recap 

The Big Storyline: Yale brought home the victory in its senior day celebration. Senior Seina Cho got the opportunity to exhibition two events at her final home meet. 

Implications: Here come the Bulldogs! After posting its second score over 194 in the last two weeks, it’s safe to say that Yale means business. Tentatively, Yale moves to second in the conference and third in USAG. The 194 mark seems to be the threshold that separates the good teams from the great ones in the USAG this year. The Bulldogs counted two falls today, so they haven’t even reached their ceiling. Southern Connecticut State was en route to a team season high until difficulties on beam in the final rotation derailed its efforts. The Owls are definitely still in the process of figuring out which six on its 38-woman roster are going to compete the most consistently on each event. However, SCSU put its exhibition spots to good use to help expedite that process.

Recap

The Big Storyline: Ithaca put it all together to notch a win on the road with host Springfield finishing a close second. Ursinus fell behind due to some struggles. 

Implications: Ursinus fell in the rankings after a tricky floor rotation, only putting up four gymnasts to go from seventh to 13th in the NCGA overall. Ithaca sits tight in the middle of the NCGA pack and keeps its spot in second in the East while Springfield wiggled into fourth. Ithaca proved its ability to hit 187 is no fluke, and most notably, Springfield’s staggering six-point jump from last weekend argues that it is a team to watch in 2022.

Recap

Recap

Recap

The Big Storyline: Minnesota got off to an off-kilter start on bars, with a fall from Mya Hooten. Illinois had a great start on vault, but mistakes on beam and floor held the Illini back. The Gophers had a strong meet on the other three, although Hooten did sit out of floor, allowing Maddie Quarles to make her lineup debut.

Implications: Illinois is in danger of being left behind by the middle of the Big Ten. It needs to start sitting more regularly in the low-196s to keep pace as we get deeper into February. Minnesota remains the clear Big Ten No. 2 behind Michigan, keeping safe distance above Michigan State. That being said, this isn’t the big away number the Gophers would’ve hoped for.

Controversies: There were a number of judging conferences in this one, usually surrounding start value issues. The meet referee appeared to get involved at least once.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 5. Minnesota at No. 26 Illinois

Why You Should Clear Space on Your DVR: This should be a great, true Big Ten matchup. Both teams lost to other Big Ten teams last week, so they will be looking to bounce back this week. 

You Can Fast Forward, but not Through This: Minnesota will be showcasing its nationally ranked dynamic duo in this meet with No. 1 all-arounder Lexy Ramler and No. 1 vaulter Ona Loper, so watch for the 10s to come for those two. Some Illinois routines you can’t fast forward through are Mia Townes on vault (she’s ranked No. 21 in the country) and sophomore Amelia Knight’s team-leading beam and floor routines.

Update 2/4: After West Virginia was unable to make the trip to Arkansas and SEMO was unable to make the trip to Northern Illinois on Friday, this meet was created and moved to Sunday.

Recap 

The Big Storyline: Leah Smith earned her first all-around win of her career despite fellow all-arounder Kennedy Hambrick posting a career high 9.975 on beam. SEMO earned a season high team score amidst more schedule change drama this week.

Implications: SEMO’s team performance this weekend might signify a turning point for the 2022 season. Led by a near-49 beam total, each event looked much closer to what we’ve come accustomed to when watching the Redhawks. However, it should be noted that the team only put up five athletes on bars this weekend, so depth is still something to be concerned about. This week shows that SEMO has the talent to contend with the top teams in the USAG. Arkansas will be happy to add another 197-plus to its season average, especially after the rest of the SEC put up huge totals in week five. However, the Razorbacks will still sit seventh in the conference after this weekend. The SEC competition is even tighter than normal, so the Razorbacks will have to get closer to the mid-197s to make another push for the night session of conference championship. 

Records: Kennedy Hambrick tied the Arkansas beam record previously set by Sophia Carter with a 9.975. Jolie Miller tied her career high on bars with a 9.875.

Recap

The Big Storyline: Denver’s first meet after Lynnzee Brown’s Achilles injury was a season-low score, but it did see the return of Hutchinson in the all-around, which was a much needed boost.

Implications: This meet showed that Denver is really going to need to step it up if it wants to keep pace with Oklahoma in the conference. New Hampshire fell victim to inconsistency once again and drops to No. 7 in the EAGL. The Wildcats have already notched a 196 this year, but putting all four events together has been a struggle.  

Records: Hutchinson’s 9.900 on beam was a career high.

Controversies: There were lots of judging conferences in this meet; beam and floor judges especially couldn’t seem to get on the same page.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 45 New Hampshire at No. 7 Denver

Why You Should Clear Space on Your DVR: Denver is back at home after a three meet road trip. The Pioneers will be looking to rebound from their first loss of the season to conference rival Oklahoma, which included a season-ending injury to star all-arounder Lynnzee Brown.

You Can Fast Forward, but not Through This: New Hampshire on beam. In a recent tri-meet the Wildcats scored a program record 49.450 on beam highlighted by back-to-back 9.975s from junior Alyssa Worthington and senior Hailey Lui. Denver also has some fantastic beamers in sophomores Abbie Thompson and Bella Mabanta. Watch for new faces to step into Brown’s former lineup spots as the Pioneers work to prove they’re still a competitive force.

The meet will be streamed on Bally Sports Oklahoma+

Recap 

The Big Storyline: After a sub-par vault rotation, Oklahoma rallied with three event scores over 49.600, capped off by Ragan Smith’s long awaited beam 10.0. Texas Woman’s finally put another complete meet together to post a season high team score. 

Implications: Oklahoma will hold onto its No. 2 spot in the country, narrowly holding off a surging Utah team. With two scores over 198 in a row, the Sooners are silencing the naysayers who thought the team didn’t have what it takes to contend for the title this year. Audrey Davis and Ragan Smith stole the show today, but Oklahoma will want to make some improvements on vault from this week to stay in the race. The Sooners will not be able to so heavily rely on the strength of the other events forever. TWU brought the heat, unbothered by getting iced in earlier this week. Led by season highs on bars and beam, the Pioneers were able to inch closer to the top five in the USAG rankings. Hopefully the hot-and-cold meets are over for TWU and the season will continue to go up from here. 

Records: Audrey Davis tied her career high 9.975 on bars while Ragan Smith posted career highs on beam and floor with a 10.0 and 9.975, respectively. Kat LeVasseur tallied a 9.975 of her own to get a career high on beam. 

Controversies: We sound like a broken record, but why is the second-best team in the country being streamed on such obscure streaming services?

Recap

The Big Storyline: No sportswriting cliches can capture the absolutely searing performance San Jose State delivered in Davis on Sunday. The Spartans blew through the 196.000 mark for the first time in program history, beating their previous team best by almost six tenths. The Spartan beam team also set a program record of 49.300, led by Emma Milne’s 9.925 routine that tied her own individual program record. UC Davis’ season high, capped by an amazing 49.325 floor rotation, was nothing to sneeze at either.

Implications: San Jose State vaults into regionals position, ranking No. 33 in the week five standings. With one very low score averaged in, the Spartans also stand to gain from the introduction of NQS rankings in a few weeks’ time. UC Davis is a firm No. 2 in the conference, with nearly a point and a half separating it from Air Force at No. 3.

Records: In addition to the beam program record, all three of the Spartans’ other rotation scores were also in the top 10 all time. The 49.300 beam rotation is also an MPSF record while the team score of 196.550 is second-best in conference history. UC Davis’ 49.325 on floor is its best score since 2017.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 37 San Jose State at No. 42 UC Davis

Why You Should Make Time to Tune in: In this tightly ranked matchup, MPSF supremacy will be at stake as the two conference frontrunners will battle it out in the first of two dual meets between these foes.

Need More Proof? San Jose State’s Jada Mazury had a hot start to her season, posting a massive 9.925 on bars in the Spartans’ first meet and has since notched a 9.825 or better on every event. Mazury will be tested in the all-around by the Aggies’ Kyla Kessler, who has also reached the 9.9 echelon on beam this season.