Freshmen Make Strong Debuts in a Dramatic Week Two
In the “true” opening weekend of the season, eight top teams traveled to Utah for the annual Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad, and other dual meets provided underrated excitement, with freshmen delivering some of the top routines of the weekend in their very first collegiate routines.
Meet of the Week
Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad Session One
A potential preview of Four on the Floor came down to not just the final routines of the meet, but what followed after those routines. Oklahoma and LSU ended up tying at 197.500, but a flurry of inquiries from each team and the ensuing drama resulted in Oklahoma breaking the tie by counting all twenty-four routines. Elsewhere during the meet, UCLA senior Ciena Alipio made her floor debut, and Utah logged three beam falls in front of, essentially, a home crowd, relegating the Utes to fourth place in the session.
Other contenders: Alabama at Clemson, Arkansas at Minnesota
Gymnast of the Week
Sophia Bell, Auburn
The sophomore competed Auburn’s first-ever Yurchenko double full on vault in spectacular fashion with a big stick, going 9.925 and garnering attention from major outlets, including espnW. She later logged a career high 9.950 on floor for good measure.
Other contenders: Azaraya Ra-Akbar (Alabama), who went 9.975 on bars on the first routine of her career and competed two other events; Kayla DiCello (Florida), who competed on three events and went 9.9+ on two of them in her first college meet in 1,001 days
Performance of the Week
North Carolina
The Tar Heels shattered their program record score for a road opener by 1.5 points, notching a big 196.675 in Florida’s Friday quad meet. Each rotation had big moments for the team, with floor concluding with a huge 9.950 from freshman Sydney Seabrooks (who competed three events in her debut), and the 49.325 vault total coming within just one tenth of home team Florida’s.
Other contenders: Michigan’s program record beam rotation in its first meet of the post-Bev Plocki era, including three scores of 9.950; Avery Neff’s 10.000 on vault, the first of the 2026 season and first on vault of her career; Courtney Blackson’s (LSU) 9.95 on bars in her first meet since taking the 2025 season off
Outrageous Moment of the Week
In spite of the incredible gymnastics on display, the broadcast of Session One of the Sprouts Quad made for some of the biggest headlines, and not in a good way. While Oklahoma and LSU ended up tying to end the meet, that was not the story going into the fourth rotation, but ESPN’s commentators were pushing that narrative like it was. It resulted in UCLA and Utah getting almost no coverage in the fourth rotation, with consequences such as Avery Neff’s 10.000 on vault having to be shown on replay.
Other contenders: ESPN malfunctioning on Friday night and forcing viewers to migrate to Hulu to watch meets; Auburn’s Gymnasties having their own hype video and floor introduction
Hidden Gem of the Week
Georgia’s road meet at Ohio State went slightly under the radar this week, with it being on Saturday afternoon and at the same time as the Sprouts Quad’s banner session. While that drama unfolded, the GymDogs quietly went 197+ for the first time in a season-opening meet since 2007, an impressive feat for a team that has been leveling up bit by bit since Cécile Canqueteau-Landi taking over the program.
Other contenders: Missouri senior Addison Lawrence going 9.950 on beam for the second week in a row to start the season; Ithaca senior Grace Murray tying the program vault record with a 9.800
Viral Moment of the Week
Detroit Lions star Amon-Ra St. Brown may no longer be in the NFL playoffs with his team, but his headstand celebration is being replicated in NCAA gymnastics. Michigan State senior Nikki Smith showed it after sticking her double back dismount on beam, and Iowa senior Emily Erb capped off her performance during the Hawkeyes’ meet-winning floor rotation with it.
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Article by Katherine Weaver
