Fox Debut Fits the Bill
All eyes were on the West Coast this weekend, as the marquee matchup between tightly ranked Michigan State and UCLA not only carried huge conference implications but put the sport on its back as live gymnastics made its debut on a new national network. It brought the drama, too, along with plenty of Friday Night Height’s action and anticipated returns to also highlight week five.
Meet of the Week
Michigan State at UCLA
Big Ten fanatics have had this meet circled as one to watch since schedules dropped, as the conference’s top-two ranked teams went head-to-head and lived up to the hype. After Michigan State’s stellar and nation-leading vault rotation that featured four sticks got the Spartans out to a healthy midway lead, the Bruins stormed back on floor, notching an insane 49.800 and Jordan Chiles’ perfect 10 giving UCLA the walk-off win. Plus, it was a major milestone for the sport as the first live NCAA women’s gymnastics meet to air on Fox. We already can’t wait for this rematch come conference championship season.
Other contenders: Adeline Kenlin’s first beam routine since January of last season helped Iowa hit a season high and take down Big Ten rival Nebraska on the road.
Gymnast of the Week
Kailin Chio, LSU
After two off weeks, Chio, one of this season’s freshman of the year frontrunners, flipped a switch in week five, notching a season-best 39.65 to take home her first all-around honors of the year. The former five-star recruit continues to shine with her clean gymnastics and flashy difficulty, and now just needs to add consistency to keep herself and the Tigers in championship contention.
Other contenders: A pair of Sooner all-arounders, Jordan Bowers and Faith Torrez, put up eye-catching 39.725s this week, as Oklahoma continues to lead the country.
Performance of the Week
Kara Eaker (Georgia) on Beam
Fan favorite Eaker made her long-awaited return to NCAA gymnastics after last competing for Utah in 2023, up third on beam for the GymDogs in a heated rivalry dual against Alabama. Hitting her signature side aerial layout stepout acro series, Eaker earned an important 9.925 that helped Georgia take down Alabama in a series that has recently been dominated by the Crimson Tide.
Other contenders: Making her career debut as a senior, Abbey Scanlon premiered in a huge way, drilling a beam set for a 9.95 in the anchor spot for California in a victory at N.C. State.
Outrageous Moment of the Week
Pittsburgh vault celebrations are outrageously funny and creative. Next time you’re tuned into the Panthers, make sure to keep an eye on the vault sidelines, you may catch Pittsburgh teammates celebrating hits by strapping up for a faux rollercoaster ride or bowling with a human ball and pins.
Other contenders: Outrageous in a bad way—people publicly saying that this sport needs to ignore deductions and dish out meritless 10s.
Hidden Gem of the Week
Lola Montevago (George Washington) on Bars
Helping push the Revolutionaries to a narrow quint-meet win was Montevago, one of the most underrated freshmen of the season. Just five routines into her collegiate career, she upped her career-high to a near-perfect 9.975 on bars, now sure to disappear from every fantasy gym trading pool by the end of the week. Adding to Montevago’s breakout night was also upping her beam best to 9.85.
Other contenders: Illinois State—one of this season’s teams on the rise—almost nabbed a perfect 9.95 on vault from Jaye Mack, who drilled her Yurchenko full in a win over Northern Illinois.
Viral Moment of the Week
Ahead of the highly anticipated matchup between the Bruins and Spartans, Michigan State’s associate head coach Nicole Jones took to the floor herself and nailed a one-pass routine.
Other contenders: After the tragic passing of former Temple men’s gymnast Tyler Sabapathy, the women’s team wore black ribbons with the number 22 on them in his honor as they hosted a five-team meet Sunday.
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Article by Brandis Heffner
