The Dismount: Week 9

Recap

The Big Storyline: Maryland took first in the quad with its second-highest score of the season. The Terps found their rhythm again, bouncing back on vault but continuing to improve or find consistency on each of their events as they have since the latter part of the season. Temple came in hot in second, scoring over a 49 on three events for the third time this season. Bridgeport put it all together on all events, except floor where it hasn’t quite found its rhythm since early in the season. Southern Connecticut also posted an unusually low score, although the Owls have seemingly broken their high-low scoring pattern on bars, settling into consistency. Beam and floor threw a few snags at the Owls day, with season lows on both.     

Implications: Depending on how the rest of the weekend shakes out, Maryland could slide up a bit further in the Big Ten rankings, especially with Audrey Barber poised to become the highest-scoring Terp in Maryland gymnastics history. Temple will hang right in the middle of the EAGL conference. Both Southern Connecticut and Bridgeport are in the competitive GEC, and both teams will sit tight in sixth and eighth, respectively. 

Records: For Temple, Ariana Castrence scored a career high 9.900 on vault. Caitlin Gray scored a new personal best of 9.825 on bars.

Recap

The Big Storyline: The Tigers break yet another program record by defeating the Gymdogs for the first time at Stegeman Coliseum. This was a relatively low stakes meet, conferencewise, but both teams turned in solid performances that boosted their overall NQS. 

Implications: Despite improving its NQS by over a tenth, Missouri will remain at No. 11 nationally and drop to sixth in the SEC. Georgia moves up four places to 24th overall. 

Records: Missouri earned a season high 49.300 on its weakest event, vault, lead by a career high 9.950 by Jocelyn Moore. Despite the loss, Georgia earned seasons highs on bars and floor en route to its best home score of the season. Megan Roberts and Haley DeJong also earned career highs on floor with a 9.950 and 9.900, respectively. 

Controversies: As commentator Kevin Copp so diplomatically phrased it, “There [were] some gaudy floor scores.” Both teams benefited from mathematically impossible scores, with only two scores below 9.850 despite an abundance of bouncy landings among other seemingly ignored deductions.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 11 Missouri at No. 28 Georgia   

Why You Should Clear Space on Your DVR: Missouri has enjoyed a history-making season so far and will be looking for a big road score to boost its NQS prospects. The Gymdogs are riding high after securing their first season win last week over Arkansas and will have the home arena advantage.  

You Can Fast Forward, but not Through This: Both teams’ beam lineups have garnered plenty of attention this season, though for very different reasons. However, Missouri (comparatively) struggled last week and will be looking to bounce back into the mid-49s once again. Meanwhile Georgia has hit 49.3-plus two weeks in a row; can it make it three straight?

Recap

The Big Storyline: N.C. State howled its way through the competition, picking up a season high 49.300 on beam, tying for 10th best in program history with four gymnasts tying or improving upon their best scores as well. The Pack did struggle through vault but its consistency on the remaining events kept it afloat. Southern Connecticut dropped a bit further on beam and floor, not having yet recovered from the meet just the day before, although the Owls continued on their way to having found consistency on bars again. Despite a third-place finish, Brown flashed its consistency on vault, rebounded on beam from the previous week and showed it’s still peaking on floor. Bars was the only hiccup for the team. Rutgers faced a few challenges on vault and floor but knocked on the door of a new season high on beam. 

Implications: N.C. State will continue to hold off Pittsburgh in the EAGL conference, although Towson is well within reach so long as the Pack continues to improve. Southern Connecticut sits in sixth, holding William & Mary off for another meet while edging closer to Cornell. Brown moves closer to West Chester, although Cornell poses a bigger challenge if Brown should post less-than-desirable scores as the season wraps up. Rutgers will continue to sit just below Penn State in the Big Ten, although by just a handful of tenths that could change as the season wraps up.   

Records: For Southern Connecticut, Ciana Rios scored a career high 9.525 on bars and 9.600 on floor. For the Pack, Emily Shepard notched a 9.925, Nicole Webb notched a 9.900, Kailin Foland a 9.875, and Gabrielle Diaz with a 9.850 for tied or new career highs on beam. Rutgers had several career highs on beam, including Calah Newman with a 9.900, Jackie Manifold with a 9.750, and Brayden Battavio with a 9.775. Brown had several new bests as well, with Abby Contello posting a 9.725 on bars and 9.700 on beam. Angela Xing scored a high of 9.800 on vault. Julia Bedell had a career high 9.825 on floor.

Recap

Recap

The Big Storyline: George Washington upset No. 30 Nebraska in Lincoln. GW will drop one of the 194s still counting in its NQS and replace it with a near-196. Led by another strong performance by Deja Chambliss, the Colonials were able to inch up just slightly. Will it be too little too late to make a push for a regionals berth? After Nebraska nearly upset Michigan last weekend, counting mistakes on bars and floor held the Huskers back. Lindenwood counted mistakes on multiple events as well, but the team still escaped with a reasonable score. Although Gayla Griswold’s vault didn’t come to save the event total this week, several teammates stepped up to the plate with scores over 9.700. Hannah Appleget made her debut on floor with a solid number as well. 

Implications: Lindenwood didn’t help itself out much in the USAG standings this week. With TWU continuing to post season highs, the Lions are remaining somewhat stagnant. It’s been several weeks since they surpassed 195 while both TWU and Air Force managed to do so this weekend. In fact, Lindenwood slid down to third for the first time this season. Despite an upset over Nebraska, George Washington will fall one spot in the rankings to No. 45. Meanwhile, Nebraska will fall just outside of the regional qualifying spots to No. 38.

Recap

The Big Storyline: Iowa leaves Ames with the CyHawk crown after edging the Cyclones with a pair of 9.975s on floor for JerQuavia Henderson and Lauren Guerin. Linda Zivat returned on vault for a 9.925. Iowa State had a solid day, but a weaker-than-normal bars rotation opened the door for the Hawkeyes. 

Implications: This is Iowa’s best away number, tying its season high and replacing a 196.225 in the Hawkeyes’ NQS. That change won’t be enough to move Iowa out of No. 19, though, after Arkansas and Oregon State joined the NQS party this weekend. Iowa State’s NQS also goes up about two tenths, but the Cyclones hold strong at No. 26.

Controversies: Gym fans have long been rooting for Henderson and Guerin to score 10s. They will have to wait another week.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 19 Iowa at No. 26 Iowa State

Why You Should Make Time to Tune in: It’s the Cy-Hawk baby! For the uninitiated, Iowa and Iowa State compete against each other in every sport each year in the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series. The school that wins the most meetings in every school year wins the series (there’s a point system, but it seems unnecessarily complicated and implies football is the most important, which is rude) and the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series Trophy. The 2021-2022 series is currently 5-4 in favor of Iowa State, so the stakes are high. The Cyclones also own the all-time gymnastics Cy-Hawk crown 14-9. Yes, it’s corny. Yes, the state takes this very seriously. Yes, it’s a blast.

Need More Proof? As usual, the Iowa floor rotation is the team’s shining glory. Lauren Guerin continues her hunt for a 10.0. She and JerQuavia Henderson both own 9.975s on the event this year. Bars is Iowa’s tough event; if it gets through the first rotation with a 49 or better, things will be looking good. Conversely, the first rotation should be Iowa State’s best; the Cyclones are No. 12 on vault, where Makayla Maxwell shines. Keep an eye on Maddie Diab on floor; she scored her first career 10.0 last week, and Andrea Maldonado has a 9.975 to her name. The fight for the floor title should be intense.

Recap

The Big Storyline: Bars took the wind out of both teams’ sails. SEMO only had five athletes compete on bars and floor, both of which ended up counting falls. Lindsay Ockler’s steady performances were missed as she did not compete on her typical three events. The Redhawk’s vault rotation was lights out, complete with a couple stuck routines. Meanwhile, Centenary started out the meet with a season high on vault but struggled for hit routines on bars. However, Taylor Ann Wilson stepped up to the plate after multiple falls to post a season high 9.800 and take the event victory. Kennedy Stephens stepped into the beam lineup for the first time this season and led the Ladies on the event. 

Implications: Centenary posted its team season high, but progress has been slow this season. The Ladies have been unable to fully adapt to the constantly changing schedule, injuries and Covid protocols. While the other three events have been improving, bars continues to be Centenary’s Achilles heel. The best event total on the season continues to be the season opener at LSU despite adding difficulty back to routines. SEMO’s total will not help its chances of improving above No. 5 this week, but the Redhawks will have another chance on Sunday to earn an NQS-worthy score. Hopefully Lindsay Ockler will be added back to the lineups soon because the team really needs her. The Redhawks were able to fill in the gaps on vault thanks to consistency, but bars and floor were unable to get by without error. Anna Kaziska continues to be a shining star for her team. Expect her to contend for the floor and beam USAG titles again this year. 

Controversies: The power to the sound board went out just prior to the competition starting, so the start time was postponed by several minutes. 

Recap

The Big Storyline: Jade Carey once again put on a show, this time in her home state, as she led Oregon State to a comfortable road victory over Arizona. Carey won three events en route to the all-around title, but the Beavers’ most surprising performance was a floor routine from freshman Lauren Letzsch, who was able to top her teammate and win the floor crown. Wildcat Malia Hargrove tied with Carey for second on floor with a 9.925 to just miss out on preventing an Oregon State sweep.

Implications: Oregon State will now be able to make its NQS debut with enough road scores, but Kaitlyn Yanish, a fifth-year and key contributor for the Beavers on vault and floor, went down with an injury mid floor routine. The Wildcats should expect a rise in the rankings after now being able to drop a low 195.

Records: Letzsch’s 9.950 on floor is a new career best.

Preview

Current Rankings: Oregon State at No. 32 Arizona

Why You Should Clear Space on Your DVR: In need of a road score to make its NQS debut, Oregon State will be striving for a big total as it takes on Pac-12 foe Arizona, fresh off its first win of the season in a huge upset over Utah.

You Can Fast Forward, but not Through This: As always, make sure to watch the Beavers’ Jade Carey, who just notched another perfect 10 on floor last weekend. That came on the heels of a big score from Madi Dagen, who has upped her game as an all-arounder for Oregon State. Wildcat all-arounder Alysen Fears went down in warmups before last week’s victory, and her injury status will be a key storyline to watch. In her absence, Arizona’s Malia Hargrove and Caroline Herry stepped up to the plate and should carry positive momentum into this matchup.

Recap

Recap

The Big Storyline: Alabama capped off its senior night in dramatic fashion, besting Arkansas by over two points and securing its second-best score in program history (not to mention sweeping the individual events and all-around). Head coach Dana Duckworth said, “I literally had a smile on my face the whole way.” The Crimson Tide has scored 197 or higher in its last seven meets. The meet also provided the Razorbacks with their third away score, allowing them to have an NQS. 

Implications: Alabama jumped from seventh nationally to a tie for fifth. It also moved into second in the SEC, tied with in-state rival Auburn. After several weeks in NQS limbo, the Razorbacks reemerged in the national rankings at 18th. 

Records: Luisa Blanco tied her career best on bars and scored a season high 9.950 on floor while Lexi Graber tied career highs on beam and floor. Seniors Shallon Olsen and Sania Mitchell both scored career bests on floor with a 9.925 and 9.950, respectively. Arkansas senior Amanda Elswick earned a career high on beam.

Preview

Current Rankings: Arkansas at No. 7 Alabama 

Why You Should Clear Space on Your DVR: This will be the first of two times these teams will face each other this weekend (the second being Elevate the Stage Huntsville on Sunday). The Crimson Tide is coming in hot, having scored 197-plus in its last six meets. However, Arkansas saved its best performances for home this season, and—if the stars align—could give Alabama a run for its money. 

You Can Fast Forward, but not Through This: A lot of this meet is going to come down to Arkansas’ bars: When the lineup hits, it hits (see that 49.550 in week two) and when it misses, it misses (see last week’s 48.150). Either way, it’s going to be a crucial event for the Razorbacks. Conveniently, Alabama’s vault rotation is also one to watch! The Crimson Tide has proven it’s capable of putting up six 10.0 SV vaults but has yet to demonstrate the consistency to make it worth the risk. With postseason looming, Dana Duckworth is going to have to finalize her lineup sooner rather than later. 

Recap

The Big Storyline: Heading into Friday, Auburn head coach Jeff Graba said, “There hasn’t been a bigger home meet ever,” and it certainly delivered: The Tigers bested their previous program high (set the week before) by half a point to tie Florida. The Gators, meanwhile, secured the SEC regular season conference championship outright by remaining undefeated. 

Implications: Florida goes up to second in the nation while Auburn moves into fifth, tied with conference rival Alabama. That’s three SEC teams in the top five, with LSU, Kentucky and Missouri all in the top 11; this is shaping up to be the most competitive SEC championship in recent memory. 

Records: Settle in, this is going to take a while… In addition to program record totals for both teams, the Gators set a program record on vault while the Tigers set a new beam record. In addition to the four perfect 10s scored, Megan Skaggs earned a perfect 9.950 on vault for her Yurchenko full and a career high 39.725 in the all-around. Payton Richards also notched a career high on floor with a 9.925 while freshman Sloane Blakely scored her first 10 on the event. Trinity Thomas tied Bridget Sloan’s record for most career wins at 95. After 11 career scores of 9.950 or higher, Derrian Gobourne finally snagged her first perfect 10 on floor. Aria Brusch and Olivia Hollingsworth secured career highs on vault while Cassie Stevens earned career highs on vault, floor and bars. 

Controversies: The scoring was, in a word, “generous” as evidenced by the conspicuous lack of sub-9.925s on floor. It’s a shame, too, because this was arguably the best, most competitive meet of the season, yet the high scores are what the fans will remember. 

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 3 Florida at No. 6 Auburn

Why You Should Cancel Plans for It: Despite having already clinched the regular season SEC title, Florida has yet to face the conference’s Cinderella story Auburn head-on. The Tigers will have the home arena (and crowd) advantage while the Gators are coming off an impressive win over future conference rival Oklahoma. The all-around competition is likely to be an all-out battle featuring Suni Lee, Trinity Thomas, Sophia Groth, Sloane Blakely, Cassie Stevens, Leanne Wong and Megan Skaggs. All we know for certain is that this is going to be a gritty, hard-fought meet; the team and individual wins are all up for grabs. 

What We’re Watching: The final rotation: Auburn floor is always fun, but the Gymnasties add an extra dimension of entertainment value. Florida’s beam lineup has had fewer tweaks than the other events, but that could change; Riley McCusker had a phenomenal beam exhibition routine for last week and could make her collegiate debut on the event. 

What Else You Should Know Before Tuning In: Auburn has broken a myriad of school records this season, notching a program-best 197.925 last week against Kentucky. It’ll be eyeing two significant records during this meet: Breaking 198 and beating Florida for the first time in program history. 

Recap

The Big Storyline: Led by another stellar all-around performance from Jada Mazury—and a 9.925 on beam from Emma Milne—San Jose State ran away with this one. Air Force was the story of the meet, though, topping 195 for the first time this season. This was the first time all year that Air Force didn’t have an off event.

Implications: Air Force hops up two spots in NQS to No. 51. Despite the strong showing, San Jose State drops to No. 29 due to a few teams debuting in the rankings this week and a lights-out performance from Maryland. The Spartans are still in the regionals safety zone, but a big number at Washington and/or MPSFs would help. The Spartans’ current drop number is a 195.950.

Recap

The Big Storyline: Kentucky scored its third-consecutive 197-plus score to edge out LSU in dramatic and controversial fashion in front of a sold-out crowd at the PMAC. Though the Wildcats won the meet, the Tigers swept the individual event and all-around titles. 

Implications: LSU drops to seventh nationally and fourth in the SEC while Kentucky moves up to No. 5 in the SEC. This is the second conference upset for the Tigers, who lost to No. 11 Missouri in week seven. 

Records: The Wildcats scored a program high 39.500 on bars, and Arianna Patterson notched a career-high 9.925 on beam. Haleigh Bryant’s 39.700 in the all-around and 9.950 on bars were also her career bests. 

Controversies: Kentucky’s victory came after Josie Angeny was allowed to redo her beam routine (which had included a fall) due to the beam cap coming off during her dismount. While Angeny was entitled to redo the routine, the final decision allowing her to do so came late in the meet after LSU—and its fans—thought the Tigers had already secured the win. Her second beam routine was prefaced with booing from the LSU crowd, though fans stated they were booing the judges’ decision and not the gymnast. 

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 10 Kentucky at No. 5 LSU 

Why You Should Clear Space on Your DVR: This will be the teams’ first meeting since LSU controversially edged out Kentucky during last year’s regional final to qualify to the national championships. LSU has proven it’s not invulnerable to upsets, having recently been bested by Missouri. However, Kentucky will have to bring its A-game on beam if it hopes to upset the Tigers at home. 

You Can Fast Forward, but not Through This: Raena Worley is the current the top-ranked all-around gymnast in the country with a 39.660 NQS. Worley has been on fire this season but has yet to snag a perfect 10 on any event. However, LSU judges aren’t shy about throwing 10s, particularly on floor, where Worley has earned 9.925 or higher all but once this season. 

Recap

The Big Storyline: Using a trio of perfect 10s, Utah tied for the highest score in the nation this season for a thrilling win at home over Minnesota, who posted a new program-best road score. The ball got rolling for the Utes in the second rotation when Sage Thompson’s 10.0 on bars was matched immediately after by teammate Maile O’Keefe, who then went on to score a 10 in her very next event in the anchor spot on beam. No Gophers earned any 10s, but Mya Hooten came closest en route to the vault title while Ona Loper had another outstanding day to win the all-around.

Implications: Even with the massive totals, Utah can move no higher than fourth in the NQS rankings and Minnesota’s max is eighth. Very encouragingly for the Utes, Kara Eaker returned to the beam lineup and notched a 9.900 in her first routine since injuring herself in the season opener.

Records: The Gophers posted the second-best score in program history, second only to their 198 earlier this season. It was the team’s all-time high road score, though. Utah had never before scored multiple 10s in the same bars lineup, and O’Keefe is the first Ute to have two perfect routines in one meet since 1999 (Theresa Kulikowski). Utah’s total is also its second highest all-time.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 9 Minnesota at No. 4 Utah

Why You Should Cancel Plans for It: Pac-12 powerhouse and national title contender Utah will battle Big Ten force and nationals bubble team Minnesota in a rare, late-season non-conference matchup. With the postseason looming, both teams would love a statement win.

What We’re Watching: This meet has the potential to be a 10.0-fest, with Gophers Lexy Ramler, Ona Loper and Mya Hooten joining Utes Grace McCallum, Maile O’Keefe and Cristal Isa as perfect score recipients this season. Every single event title is up for grabs with the scoring potential in this meet, joining what could be an incredibly close team race if both teams are competing to their potentials.

Recap

The Big Storyline: No. 1 at No. 2, the big kahuna; this one lived up to the hype. Michigan gave away tenths on vault hops and left some on the table after Jacey Vore’s bars empty swing and Reyna Guggino’s beam fall. Overall it was a good meet for Michigan; both major mistakes were uncharacteristic. The Sooners were the stronger team on the day, showing an especially exquisite bars rotation. Oklahoma’s seniors are officially undefeated in the Lloyd Noble Center. 

Implications: On a day of spectacular gymnastics across the NCAA, Michigan’s 197.900 isn’t enough to hold onto the top spot in the country for the first week all season. It will drop to No. 3 after both Florida (now No. 2) and Oklahoma (now No. 1) step ahead in the rankings.

Records: The Sooners’ total was their second-best all time, and their 49.825 on bars is a program record.

Controversies: As is the wont with a big headline meet like this, scores were heavily questioned online. Some of the Sooners’ scores were a touch high, but overall they were within the realm of reason and comparable to home scoring across the NCAA this year.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 1 Michigan at No. 2 Oklahoma

Why You Should Cancel Plans for It: No. 1 at No. 2! What a regular season treat. This meet could be a preview of the fight for the national title in April. Michigan is going to be looking to bounce back from an off day at Nebraska and own a statement win. For the Sooners, the meet is an opportunity to go up against the best and prove they’re on track for nationals.

What We’re Watching: It will be interesting to see how Bev Plocki handles lineups here. She presumably won’t rest any gymnasts, but Jacey Vore may have done enough to break into the ideal postseason six on beam, meaning one of the previous six would lose a spot. Keep your eye on that lineup; it is Michigan’s weakest event and the Sooners’ best, so Oklahoma’s key to the meet lies there. This has the potential to become a 10-fest, with Allie Stern (vault), Carly Woodard (beam), Ragan Smith (beam), Abby Heiskell (vault), Natalie Wojcik (vault), Sierra Brooks (vault), Gabby Wilson (floor) and Reyna Guggino (vault) all with 10.0s so far this year—not to mention a smattering of 9.975s across both teams.

What Else You Should Know Before Tuning In: Oklahoma has only lost to Michigan in head-to-head play once, in the national final last year. The Sooners have never lost a dual to Michigan. The series history is not without drama; Olivia Karas was accused of intentionally yelling loudly while Oklahoma was on beam in Ann Arbor in 2019, and in the 2017 matchup at Michigan the Sooners won on a controversial walk-off beam 10.0 by Chayse Capps. This should be juicy.

Recap

Recap

Recap

View a quad box stream here.

Recap

The Big Storyline: Denver reigned supreme and managed to hit 197 despite suffering yet another loss to injury after Emily Glynn was unable to finish her floor routine. Penn State and Southern Utah put up lower totals than they did throughout February. Notably for the Nittany Lions, senior Dymiana Cox, who has never competed for a counting score due to injures, went up on beam in the second spot for a 9.750.

Implications: Denver’s number is its second-best on the year and raises its NQS about a tenth, but it will fall a spot in the rankings due to Oregon State’s debut at No. 13. These aren’t usable NQS numbers for the other teams.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 13 Denver, No. 21 Southern Utah and No. 61 Cornell at No. 31 Penn State

Why You Should Make Time to Tune in: What a lineup of teams! Denver has work to do to keep scores high after it lost a second gymnast to an Achilles injury in Mia Sundstrom. Its first outing without her versus Air Force last week was decent but not up to the Pioneers’ scoring standards; it will be aiming above a 196.600 to add to its NQS. The Thunderbirds hit 197 two weeks ago at BYU and will want to repeat that performance here, potentially upsetting Denver if they go that high. Penn State is going to be looking for a mid-196. 2022 has been a bit up and down for the Nittany Lions, but last week versus Maryland they approached their season high 196.425, and things seem to be settling into place. Cornell has been incredibly consistent this year, hitting mid-to-high 191s all season. This perhaps more generous scoring environment is a chance to break 192.

Need More Proof? Denver’s Jessica Hutchinson has been a breakout all-around star this year. She’s especially strong on beam and floor. Rylie Mundell has a 9.975 on beam from January and is certainly one to watch there. Southern Utah’s Shylen Murakami has a 9.975 of her own, on bars, and is an excellent beamer as well. The Thunderbirds are spectacular on beam, where Hannah Nipp and Rachel Smith are also can’t-miss routines. Penn State excels on bars, on the heels of fifth-years Lauren Bridgens and Alissa Bonsall. Bridgens had a breakout meet last week, returning to her stellar all-around numbers from before her Achilles injury last season. Bella Salcedo is also dynamic, with an excellent Omelianchik and punch double front. Kate Michelini is Cornell’s top bar worker, and Calista Brady, who has been in and out of the floor lineup and inconsistent, owns a 9.900 on floor. 

Recap

Recap

The Big Storyline: Maryland came roaring in with its third-highest team score in history, clinching the win over second-place N.C. State by a slim margin to notch its highest score of the season including season highs on vault and beam, scoring over a 49 on both vault and bars as well. N.C. State also posted its third-highest team score in history in addition to topping a 49 on each event for the first time this season. Yale, typically strong on bars, had three falls during the rotation. William & Mary had a few beam troubles and was forced to count a handful of low scores and on bars, too. Despite a few out of bounds, the Tribe’s lowest floor score was a 9.575.  

Implications: The Terps incredible performance could see it jump up a few places in a competitive Big Ten conference. North Carolina’s new season high is good enough to battle head to head with Towson to take first place in the EAGL. Yale lives to see another week in second place despite the low-scoring weekend, holding off West Chester but not yet within reach of unseating Penn. Southern Connecticut will need to keep an eye on William & Mary as the team wraps up the season, however. 

Records: Audrey Barber became the highest cumulative-scoring gymnast in Maryland gymnastics history. The Pack’s Lucy Lehman scored a career high 9.825 on vault. Hailey Mechant’s 9.875 on bars is a new personal best. Lauren Rutherford went 9.900 on floor, marking a new best for her. The Tribe’s Sarah Kuper scored a personal best in the all-around with a 38.475.

Recap

The Big Storyline: Towson notched its highest road score of the season to finish just ahead of Pittsburgh, who put together three solid rotations after having to count a mistake on vault.

Implications: Pittsburgh succeeded in dropping its last remaining 194 but sits just outside of the top 36. It will probably need to score into the 196s in its last two meets to feel safe in qualifying to regionals. Towson also increased its NQS, but with a lower maximum score it sits in the play-in zone for regionals.

Records: Pittsburgh broke the program beam record for the third time this season with a 49.350.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 24 Towson at No. 36 Pittsburgh

Why You Should Make Time to Tune in: Towson and Pitt are the No. 1- and No. 3-ranked teams in the EAGL, respectively. Both have been regularly scoring into the 196s, so it could potentially be a close, high scoring meet. Each team isalso looking to secure a spot at regionals. Towson’s position is all but secure, but another big number could keep the Tigers out of the dangerous play-in spots. Pittsburgh sits in the precarious No. 36 position, and with a few teams still without enough scores for NQS, the Panthers are pretty much on the outside looking in. They still have a 194 to drop, so another 196 would put them in a much more comfortable position.

Need More Proof? Pitt’s freshman trio of Hallie Copperwheat, Sidney Washington and Jordyn Ewing have been a big reason why the Panthers are in the position they are in. Katie Chamberlain has also been having a breakout year after being limited by injuries in past seasons. For Towson, freshman Clara Hong has been a standout, especially on bars, and don’t miss Camille Vitoff’s Yurchenko 1.5 on vault.

Recap

Recap

Recap

The Big Storyline: The quad meet turned into an Iron Bowl rematch, with Alabama and Auburn handily outscoring the competition. The Crimson Tide edged out the Tigers for the win and divvied up the event titles (Georgia senior Rachel Baumann was the only non-Alabama or Auburn gymnast to earn a share of an individual title). The Razorbacks defeated the Gymdogs for the first time this season after giving Georgia its only victory in week seven.  

Implications: Thanks to their respective home and away performances this weekend, Auburn and Alabama are now tied for second in the SEC and fifth nationally. They’ve all but secured their spots in the upcoming night session of the SEC championship. Arkansas and Georgia have both cracked the top 25 but remain a distant seventh and eighth in the SEC.

Records: Alabama scored its second 198-plus of the season for the first time since 1996. Cam Machado and Mati Waligoria both scored career highs on bars and tied their career bests on floor and vault, respectively. Auburn tied its highest away score in program history. Arkansas graduate student Sarah Shaffer scored a career high 9.950 on bars, leading the Razorbacks to its second highest bars score in program history. Georgia posted a season high on beam, including a career-high 9.875 from graduate student Emily Schild.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 7 Alabama, No. 6 Auburn, No. 28 Georgia and Arkansas 

Why You Should Clear Space on Your DVR: Regular season SEC quad meets are a rare gem (as are podium meets) and give fans and gymnasts alike a preview of what to expect in the coming postseason. Again mimicking the postseason, all four teams will have already competed once this weekend and may use this opportunity to test their depth, both in terms of lineups and skill difficulty.  

You Can Fast Forward, but not Through This: Georgia’s season has been uneven to say the least, but its vault lineup has been solid from the start: The seniors have been the stars of this lineup, with Rachel Baumann, Mikayla Magee, Megan Roberts and Abbey Ward all contributing 10.0 SV vaults. Alabama and Auburn have both been outstanding on beam this season, with multiple gymnasts—including Luisa Blanco and Suni Lee—capable of perfection. Like Georgia, Arkansas has struggled to find its rhythm, but it’s always worth watching on floor.     

Recap

The Big Storyline: OU posted another 198 as both TWU and Air Force notch season high scores.

Implications: Two strong performances this weekend means Oklahoma will bump Michigan out of the No. 1 spot, the first time the Wolverines have not been the top-ranked team in 2022. Both TWU and Air Force will be able to drop low scores from earlier in the season and significantly raise their NQS. TWU will distance itself from Lindenwood atop the USAG rankings while Air Force will also slide ahead of the Lions for the first time this season. 

Records: On floor, TWU’s Isabel Goyco tied her career high of 9.925 to capture a share of the event title.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 53 Air Force, No. 2 Oklahoma and No. 57 SEMO at No. 49 Texas Woman’s

Why You Should Clear Space on Your DVR: Oklahoma is making its near-annual trip to Denton, Texas, this weekend. Many members of the Oklahoma roster are originally from Texas, including Ragan Smith, Katherine Levasseur and Emma Lapinta, so the stands are expected to be packed and full of energy. The last time a top-10 program made its way to Kitty Magee Arena, the attendance record was broken. It’s possible for that to happen again this week with so many athletes capable of posting 10.0s on the competition floor. The Sooners will be looking for an NQS-worthy score to put the pressure on Michigan. This meet is also a preview of the USAG national championship as TWU, Air Force and SEMO are all within the top five USAG teams. TWU just positioned itself on top after last weekend’s superb 195.450 season high. Meanwhile, SEMO posted a season high of its own last weekend thanks to a pair of 9.95s from Jolie Miller and Anna Kaziska. 

You Can Fast Forward, but not Through This: The entirety of Oklahoma’s vault rotation is a must-see. The Sooners’ vault and floor performances will be big determining factors on whether the team will challenge Michigan for the No. 1 spot in the country this weekend. Jordan Bowers is the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week for the fourth time this season, so watch out for her in the all-around competition. Air Force has a duo of freshman all-around performers of its own that are capable of some big gymnastics. In fact, Genevieve Sabado and Ayla McKean are the No. 1- and No. 2-ranked athletes in USAG, respectively. SEMO’s Jolie Miller combines unique skill combinations and beautiful lines on bars. There’s a reason she’s the top bar worker in the country and tied the program record last weekend. Texas Woman’s will be celebrating its senior night, so be on the lookout for big gymnastics from Isabel Goyco. She has been a strong floor worker for the Pioneers all four years, but her huge double pike can rival the best. Sky high tumbling and entertaining choreography in a home finale sounds like the ideal way to spend a Sunday afternoon. 

Recap

The Big Storyline: Powered by three all-arounders over 39.700—Jordan Chiles, Norah Flatley and Chae Campbell—UCLA exploded for a massive score to break 198 and easily defeat Pac-12 co-champion California. Little errors plagued the Golden Bears, who could not keep up with the barrage of 9.9s the Bruins put up to offset the errors of their own, with Chiles reaching perfection on floor for the second time this season.

Implications: Even with the giant total, the Bruins will only rise marginally due to some much lower away scores they’re unable to drop. The Golden Bears’ new road best should also see them rise. California had a chance to secure the regular season Pac-12 title with a win but ended up sharing the title in a four-way tie with Arizona State, Oregon State and Utah.

Records: Bruin Emma Malabuyo’s beam winning total is a new career best along with her 9.950 on floor.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 8 California at No. 17 UCLA

Why You Should Cancel Plans for It: An already anticipated matchup got even bigger stakes after California’s upset loss last weekend. The Golden Bears have already clinched a share of the Pac-12 regular season title and need a win on the road against UCLA to prevent Utah from claiming a share of the championship.

What We’re Watching: The Bruins are still in need of a statement victory this season, and a victory over the Golden Bears would give them positive momentum heading into the postseason. Jordan Chiles and Emma Malabuyo have had great freshmen seasons as all-arounders, but it was Chae Campbell and her perfect 10 on floor that stole the show to lead UCLA last weekend. All three Bruins will face tough competition from California’s slew of all-arounders in Neveah DeSouza, Andi Li and bars national champion Maya Bordas.

Recap

The Big Storyline: New Hampshire’s big score was just what the team needed as it coasts toward the end of the season, bouncing back to nearly score a season high on bars while notching its second 49 of the season on beam and finding consistency in its floor lineups. Temple struggled on vault, with just one vault over a 9.800 and several uncharacteristic low bar scores. However, the team answered its own struggles with a season high on beam and tying its high on floor. West Chester’s consistency kept the team afloat after struggling on bars, dropping into the low 47s for the third time this season, forced to count several scores under a 9.475.    

Implications: New Hampshire’s second highest score of the season gave it a much-needed boost into second in the EAGL conference, now just a few tenths away from first place Towson, proving that the Wild Cats still aren’t to be counted out. The team sits in 46th place overall, less than six tenths away from the regionals bubble. Towson finds itself in 24th as of now, with the pressure on to keep that momentum going as it moves further toward the postseason. West Chester will stay firmly in third place in the GEC, with Penn and Yale continuing the hold strong in first and second places, respectively. To unseat Yale would require some big scores for the rest of the season.

Records: New Hampshire’s Summer Simpkin’s scored a personal best 9.850 on beam, as well as Sierra Bauman with a 9.825. Gracy Mowers pocketed a 9.875 career high on floor and Mariella Miele bested a 9.825 on vault. Temple broke the previous team beam score with a 49.325 and tied the record on floor, a 49.375. Brooke Donabedian tied the floor record with a 9.950, a 22-year-old record. West Chester’s Jordan Coleman scored a new career high 9.775 on bars. Natalie Marshall tied her career high with a 9.825.

Recap

The Big Storyline: Brown’s second-highest score in school history showed the Bears are ready to fight for the GEC title in a very competitive conference. Led by Mei Li Costa and Julia Bedell, Brown tied season highs on bars and beam with a new high on floor to cap things off. Freshman Kiana Session continued to shine for the Purple Knights as Kat Doran returned to vaulting for the first time since her freshman year. Bridgeport, while not at full strength, scored over a 46 on vault for the sixth time this season and continued to prove its might on bars with six scores over a 45. Recovering still, the team posted a lower score on floor, opting to compete with comfortable start values to help the team put up a full lineup.    

Implications: Brown’s season high doesn’t change anything for its rankings within the GEC, as it’ll start and end the week in fourth place. However, its big score puts it closer to third place and within distance of taking third from West Chester, depending on how it stands up for the very little that remains in the season. Bridgeport stays in eighth, but considering how this team has fought through the season, the Purple Knights can only go up from here in 2023. 

Records: Mei Li Costa became the first Brown gymnast to be awarded a 10.000 by one judge, resulting in her 9.975 on bars. Julia Bedell scored a career high 9.825 on vault. Taylor Schulze and Abby Contello scored new highs on bars, with a 9.850 and 9.825. Angela Xing and Lauren Kramer scored new highs on floor as well, with a 9.875 and 9.825, respectively. Bridgeport’s Olivia Imbarlina scored a new career best 9.700 on vault.