History-Making 10.000 Scores and Upsets Earned
Multiple historic results occurred this weekend, including the first perfect score for a SEC team and rivalry wins in away arenas coming for the first time in years. Scoring felt somewhat tempered, with just one team reaching the 198 mark, but the weekend still boasted big results across the board.
Meet of the Week
LSU at Oklahoma
The Super Bowl of gymnastics did not disappoint from the first routine, with Elizabeth Blessey leading off the Sooners’ vault rotation with a 9.975. Kailin Chio’s 10.000 routines on vault and beam led to her taking the all-around title against an impressive field, but it was the Sooners who came out on top 198.125-197.925. The Sooners also broke the school’s attendance record set in 2019 against UCLA.
Other contenders: Kentucky at Arkansas; North Carolina at California
Gymnast of the Week
Morgan Price, Arkansas
It’s hard to believe, but before Friday night, Arkansas had never had a routine score a 10.000 on any event. That changed with senior transfer Morgan Price’s perfect vault, stuck in front of the home crowd. How poetic for the once and future Razorback, who also scored Fisk’s, her previous school’s, first perfect 10.000 score ever, to do the honors. Price earned a 39.575 all-around score on the evening, tying with Kentucky’s Delaynee Rodriguez for that title.
Other contenders: Kailin Chio (LSU), who earned two 10.000 scores on vault and beam against Oklahoma; Julianne Huff (Auburn), who turned in two of Auburn’s four 9.9+ scores from the evening en route to a 39.525 all-around score
Performance of the Week
Iowa’s bars rotation
The Hawkeyes’ 49.450 on bars against Penn State was a new program record for the Hawkeyes; it was the second meet in a row that they set such a record. The highlight of the rotation was freshman Daisy Bowles’s 9.950, good for the second-best individual score in program history on that event.
Other contenders: Olivia Zsarmani’s 9.950 on vault, her only event of the day after being limited most of the season and absent the last two weeks; Maggie Slife’s 9.900 on bars, her fifth consecutive 9.9+ score on the event; Csenge Bácskay’s 9.925 title-winning vault in her season debut on the event
Outrageous Moment of the Week
Clemson star Brie Clark earned a program record 9.975 on floor against Pittsburgh, but the way in which the score was announced brought back trauma of Kailin Chio’s 9.975 on the event several weeks ago, which was first announced as a 10.000 only to be lowered; in Clemson, both judges originally flashed a 10.000 for Clark, resulting in an early celebration from the team and the broadcast announcing a perfect score. One judge then changed her score to a 9.950, resulting in the 9.975.
Other contenders: UC Davis putting five up on bars and having to count an 8.675 and a 7.500
Hidden Gem of the Week
Texas Woman’s beat not one, not two, but all three Division 1 opponents it faced in Sunday’s quad meet in Denton, including Oregon State, Arizona State, and Kent State. The red-hot Pioneers have surpassed the 195+ mark for three meets in a row, nearly hitting 196 this week with a 195.975. Arizona State returns to Denton for next week’s quad meet as well, setting up a possible revenge opportunity.
Other contenders: Amelia Moneymaker’s 9.950 on floor; Air Force setting a new program record and its first-ever 196+ score; Eau Claire earning a new team record and top five event totals on all four events
Viral Moment of the Week
With the conclusion of the Winter Olympics, UCLA junior Katelyn Rosen paid one more tribute to Team USA’s gold medal-winning figure skating squad, imitating an axel jump as her celebration for sticking her beam dismount.
Other contenders: Oklahoma football quarterback John Mateer attending the Sooners’ meet against LSU
READ THIS NEXT: Questions, Comments, Concerns: Week 8
Article by Katherine Weaver
Can we talk about scoring inconsistencies? Why are mistakes missed, or deductions less with “power conferences” and top gymnasts? Landings are overlooked for top teams/gymnasts while they are not overlooked for others. I have watched many meets over the years and it is frustrating to see a team take a 3 foot hop back on a yurchenko full while stepping on the line and receive a score of 9.825 only to be followed by their opponents that stick that same vault in the middle of the match and receive a lower score. I get that there is an “up to” so many tenths deduction, but the top schools/gymnasts receive the minimum deduction while the “lesser” school gets the maximum deduction. It is not fair. By not scoring these women the same it does them and the sport a disservice.
It should be noted that for the outrageous moment of the week that UC Davis still won that meet. Moneymaker’s 9.950 on the floor (hidden gem of the week contender) was enough to give UC Davis a slim victory over William & Mary. W&M also had to count two 8.6 somethings, also on the uneven bars. The bars must have been slippery that night.