Below you’ll not only find fast facts from every DI meet this weekend (for more on USAG and NCGA teams, check out their respective Dismounts), but a few superlatives for some of our favorite moments as well.
Walking is Hard
Wait until the end… pic.twitter.com/d74Q6r1fXL
— Bri Slonim (@bri_slonim) February 3, 2020
Ball State senior Bri Slonim hit a great vault for a 9.825 but then tripped and fell on the vault runway on the way to high five her teammates.
Most Self Aware
Just @ me next time https://t.co/YttZ7LWIiQ
— Missy Reinstadtler (@Missypaigee) February 2, 2020
Missy Reinstadtler returned to the floor lineup for Utah, having an uncharacteristic performance.
Biggest Payoff
Georgia freshman Amanda Cashman has contributed consistently solid numbers on vault and bars, but—after only her second week in the lineup—turned in a fabulous floor routine for a 9.925. Her piked full-in was a highlight of the meet.
DIII Rock Star
Ursinus senior Skylar Haas earned a 9.850 for this excellent beam performance.
The Highlights
| No. 16 Iowa State at No. 1 Oklahoma | ||||
| Full Results | Oklahoma: 197.600 | Iowa State: 195.000 | ||
| VT: Webb 9.975 | UB: Degouveia 9.975 | BB: Webb, Smith 9.950 | FX: An. Maldonado 9.875 | AA: Webb 38.675 |
The Big Storyline: Oklahoma showed its strength despite uncharacteristic miscues from Maggie Nichols and Anastasia Webb. Iowa State’s meet started well, but counting multiple falls on beam was the Cyclones’ ultimate downfall, resulting in a season-low score to start its double meet weekend.
Implications: Not a lot changed rankings-wise, but we did get to see the two conferencemates match up together and both performed comparatively to expectations.
Records: Allie Stern’s 9.925 on vault is a career high. Teammate Jade Degouveia’s 9.975 on bars is also a career high. Casandra Diaz scored a personal best 9.875 on beam and Ana Palacios’ 9.800 on vault is a career high.
| No. 2 Florida at No. 12 Kentucky | ||||
| Full Results | Florida: 197.800 | Kentucky: 196.600 | ||
| VT: Richards 9.925 | UB: Thomas 9.925 | BB: Thomas 9.950 | FX: Thomas 9.950 | AA: Thomas 39.725 |
The Big Storyline: Florida set the fourth highest team total of the season in a dynamic win over Kentucky. The Gators looked especially strong in their season high performance vault, even in the absence of sophomore Nya Reed, who was sick and did not travel with the team. Kentucky had a good day as well, even with an uncharacteristic fall from Mollie Korth on beam. The Wildcats played with lineups a little tonight, with sophomore Arianna Patterson adding floor and Cally Nixon vaulting for a career high of 9.850.
Implications: Florida should retain its second place ranking and, once again, stay the only undefeated team in the SEC. Kentucky could move up a little (note that the Wildcats outscored LSU this week).
Records: Trinity Thomas needs only one more event win to become the only Florida gymnast with 40 event wins by her sophomore year.
| No. 11 Washington at No. 3 UCLA | ||||
| Full Results | Washington: 196.700 | UCLA: 196.250 | ||
| VT: Dennis, Ross 9.900 | UB: Frazier, Ross 9.925 | BB: Flatley, Ross 9.950 | FX: Kramer 10.000 | AA: Ross 39.675 |
The Big Storyline: After a disastrous beam rotation forced the Bruins to count a duo of 9.1s, Washington was able to defeat UCLA for only the fourth time in school history and first time since 2012. The Huskies only had two scores of 9.9 or higher, but also no scores below 9.725, using consistent gymnastics across all four events to prevail despite a solid comeback effort on floor by UCLA that included Gracie Kramer’s first career 10.0. The Bruins did get the event titles sweep, led by usual suspect Kyla Ross who won the all around while tying for the win on vault, bars and beam.
Implications: The Bruins have now failed to hit beam in three of five meets, suffering seven falls by six different gymnasts. Washington isn’t the only Pac-12 team on the upswing currently, so if UCLA’s inconsistency problems continue, expect more surprising upsets in the near future.
Records: UCLA’s Norah Flatley tied Ross for the beam title with a new career high.
Controversies: No scores were shown on the TV broadcast during the rotations, leaving fans hanging in the balance. This was uber apparent during the final rotation, when Washington was trying to hold off UCLA for the win and the commentators were incorrectly reporting on the team scores. It was said multiple times that UCLA had come back and taken the lead when it was mathematically impossible for it to have done so.
| No. 4 Utah at No. 21 Arizona | ||||
| Full Results | Utah: 197.300 | Arizona: 195.975 | ||
| VT: Soloski 9.875 | UB: Berg 9.950 | BB: Paulson 9.925 | FX: Soloski 9.950 | AA: O’Keefe 39.325 |
The Big Storyline: Junior Sydney Soloski picked up two event titles to lead Utah to victory on the road over Arizona while improving its season high for the fourth time this season. Freshmen also played a big part for the Utes, as Abby Paulson scored a win on beam and Maile O’Keefe took the all around title. Arizona, who posted its second highest team total of the season, stopped Utah’s bid for the sweep with Christina Berg’s win on bars.
Implications: Utah will slide barely ahead of UCLA in the rankings this week to become the highest ranked team from the Pac-12.
Records: Soloski’s winning scores on vault and floor are also new career highs for the junior.
| No. 60 Air Force and No. 45 Ball State at No. 5 Denver | ||||
| Full Results | Denver: 197.425 | Ball State: 194.875 | Air Force: 193.825 | |
| VT: Karr 9.900 | UB: Karr 9.975 | BB: Vasquez 9.950 | FX: Brown 9.950 | AA: Karr 39.600 |
The Big Storyline: All three teams recorded season best scores in this non-conference matchup. Denver earned its highest marks on floor, which also happened to be a season best performance lead by Lynnzee Brown’s 9.950 and Maddie Karr’s 9.925. Karr earned her second near-perfect 9.975 on bars en route to winning the all around with a 39.600. Ball State had a rough bars rotation to start the meet, but it was still able to earn a season high overall. Vault and floor stood out for the Cardinals in particular. Air Force earned season best scores on three events: vault, bars and beam.
Implications: Lots of eyes have been on Denver this season to see if it is capable of repeating its postseason success from 2019. The Pioneers will want to build on this score in the coming weeks if they want to remain in the conversation for another finals appearance.
| No. 7 Alabama at No. 6 LSU | ||||
| Full Results | Alabama: 196.775 | LSU: 196.425 | ||
| VT: Johnson 9.950 | UB: Harrold 9.900 | BB: Blanco 9.900 | FX: Johnson 9.975 | AA: Johnson 39.600 |
The Big Storyline: Another year, another shocker of a home loss for LSU. The Tigers showed just how depleted their vault lineup is without Kennedi Edney and Sarah Edwards, and a fall from Ruby Harrold there didn’t help matters either. Overall, the Tigers looked rough on the leg events and will really hope to see their key players at full strength soon. As for Alabama, it was obviously a big confidence boosting night. Lexi Graber appears to be back at full strength, and the Crimson Tide took full advantage of LSU’s mistakes with a meet that saw just one fall across the board.
Implications: Kennedi Edney competed only on beam and floor tonight after it was confirmed that she hurt her arm in practice. It’s unclear how long she will be out of the all around. Her teammate Alyona Shchennikova was back in the bars lineup and got the first hit of her career; she scored a 9.800, so it wouldn’t be out of the question to see her again soon.
Records: Alabama had not won in Baton Rouge since 2013. The Crimson Tide also went over 49.300 on three events after only reaching that mark once in all of 2019. Tide freshman Makarri Doggette earned a career high floor score of 9.950.
Controversies: Kiya Johnson was a bright spot for the Tigers in the all around, but her floor score raised some eyebrows when she scored a 9.975 in spite of a big bounce back on her first pass.
| No. 8 Michigan at No. 17 Nebraska | ||||
| Full Results | Michigan: 197.075 | Nebraska: 196.975 | ||
| VT: Brenner 9.950 | UB: Houchin 9.900 | BB: Thaler 9.900 | FX: Hassel 9.925 | AA: Brooks 39.500 |
The Big Storyline: This meet was extremely close throughout, with Michigan defeating Nebraska by only one tenth of a point. The Wolverines had some uncharacteristic errors—namely Natalie Wojcik sitting down her vault and Lexi Funk falling on beam—but luckily didn’t need to count either fall in their total. It was also a very good battle for the all around title, with Taylor Houchin, Adnerys DeJesus, Sierra Brooks and Natalie Wojcik all in the running—and all but Wojcik scoring within a tenth of each other.
Implications: Michigan has been the dominant team in the Big Ten for years; the last time it lost the conference title was in 2013 (and it was to Nebraska). This meet served as a good reminder that the top teams in the conference all pose a serious threat for upsetting the Wolverine’s winning streak. Michigan may be the stronger team, but if Nebraska hits they are more than capable of capitalizing on any mistakes.
Records: Kathryn Thaler scored a career best 9.900 on beam for Nebraska.
| No. 8 Minnesota at No. 29 Ohio State | ||||
| Full Results | Minnesota: 197.400 | Ohio State: 195.550 | ||
| VT: Loper 9.875 | UB: Ramler 9.975 | BB: Ramler 9.950 | FX: Remlinger, Loper, Williams 9.900 | AA: Loper 39.550 |
The Big Storyline: Minnesota put up its fourth highest score in program history en route to a win over Big Ten opponent Ohio State. Ohio State started out strong on vault and bars and didn’t count a fall on beam for the first time this season, but a counted fall and two out of bounds routines on floor prevented the Buckeyes from breaking into the 196 range.
Implications: With their score here, the Gophers move into first place on beam outright and sixth overall, the highest in the Big Ten. With some room for improvement on vault and floor, expect Minnesota to continue to challenge the top teams in the country.
Records: In addition to the fourth best score ever, Minnesota recorded its second best score on bars and third best score on beam.
| No. 10 California at No. 33 Arizona State | ||||
| Full Results | Arizona State: 196.300 | California: 196.250 | ||
| VT: George, Scharf 9.875 | UB: DeSouza 9.900 | BB: George 9.875 | FX: George 9.875 | AA: George 39.475 |
The Big Storyline: Kyana George’s near sweep of titles wasn’t enough to protect California from being the victim of an upset for the second straight week as Arizona State edged the Golden Bears for the win. California fell behind early after faltering on bars and couldn’t complete the comeback as Arizona State hit all but one routine to notch its season high team score by over a point. The Sun Devils were led by Juliette Boyer who placed second on floor and third on vault, bars and in the all around.
Implications: Back-to-back losses shouldn’t sit well with California, especially after dropping back down to the low 196s after posting two 197s the past two weeks. Inconsistency was a problem early this season for the Golden Bears, so look for them to try and put an end to those issues the next few weeks.
Records: Arizona State’s Morgan Wilson scored a career high 9.800 on floor in her first routine on the event since the 2016 season.
| No. 18 Auburn at No. 13 Georgia | ||||
| Full Results | Georgia: 197.425 | Auburn: 196.350 | ||
| VT: Gobourne, Lukacs & Watson 9.900 | UB: Oakley 9.925 | BB: Vega 9.925 | FX: Vega 9.950 | AA: Winner Score |
The Big Storyline: Georgia earned its best team total of 2020, highlighted by strong performances from Marissa Oakley and Sabrina Vega; the Gymdogs only had to count one score in the 9.700 range. It was a relatively tight matchup until about midway through the meet. At that point, Auburn struggled with floor after a Skyler Sheppard had a balk on one tumbling pass and another lower score from Derrian Gobourne thanks to two out of bounds. Nonetheless, the Tigers still got their highest road score of the season.
Implications: Georgia could rise slightly after going over 197. Auburn should stay close to its current placement. Georgia sophomore Mikayla Magee was limited to beam due to an unknown injury; it’s not clear how long that will keep her out of vault and floor.
| No. 14 Arkansas at No. 20 Missouri | ||||
| Full Results | Arkansas: 196.025 | Missouri: 195.075 | ||
| VT: Gottula & Porter 9.875 | UB: Porter 9.875 | BB: Carter 9.925 | FX: Hambrick & Porter 9.925 | AA: Hambrick 39.275 |
The Big Storyline: Despite a banner day for redshirt senior Morgan Porter, Missouri had to count falls on bars and beam en route to getting trounced by Arkansas at home. Arkansas was also lackluster on those events, but floor was its standout event once again; no gymnast scored under 9.800.
Implications: Neither team should see much shakeup in the rankings this week. Though Missouri had a tough day, its mistakes weren’t typical ones (Helen Hu fell on bars), so the Tigers shouldn’t be too worried.
Records: Arkansas had not won an SEC road meet since February of 2017; to do so by almost a full point should be a major boost of confidence for the Razorbacks. It was also Jordyn Wieber’s first win as head coach.
| No. 15 BYU at No. 28 Boise State | ||||
| Full Results | BYU: 196.100 | Boise State: 194.450 | ||
| VT: Matthews, S. Miner, Bouza 9.850 | UB: Muhlenhaupt 9.925 | BB: Amado 9.900 | FX: A. Miner, Bruden 9.850 | AA: A. Miner 39.100 |
The Big Storyline: BYU beat perennial MRGC favorite Boise State during the Broncos’ first home meet of the season.
Implications: Boise State has led the MRGC since the conference’s inception in 2014 but found itself the underdog heading into Friday’s meet against BYU. The Cougars eliminated any doubt that they are the MRGC team to beat in 2020, sweeping the Broncos on all four events.
Records: Boise State’s Tessa Otuafi earned a career high on vault while Gabriela Bouza and Maddi Nilson tied their respective career highs on the event. Tatum Bruden won floor, her first individual title as a Bronco. BYU’s Haley Pitou and Sadie Miner scored a career high on bars and beam, respectively, and Jordan Matthews tied her career high on vault.
| No. 16 Iowa State at No. 59 Texas Woman’s | ||||
| Full Results | Iowa State: 196.125 | TWU: 191.875 | ||
| VT: Steinmeyer 9.900 | UB: Vella-Wright 9.900 | BB: Burns, Semple, Steinmeyer, Woodring 9.825 | FX: An. Maldonado, Converse 9.900 | AA: Northrop 38.475 |
The Big Storyline: Iowa State bounced back from a rough performance at Oklahoma to break 196.
Implications: The Cyclones proved they are a solid team capable of putting up 196-plus. Despite the performance, the Cyclones will drop two spots to No. 18 in part due to Friday’s lackluster performance.
Records: Sydney Converse set a career high 9.900 on floor, her first routine on the event in four years; teammate Maddie Diab’s 9.875 on the event is also a personal best.
| No. 22 Illinois at No. 19 Maryland | ||||
| Full Results | Maryland: 195.475 | Illinois: 193.950 | ||
| VT: Rubio 9.850 | UB: Takekawa 9.875 | BB: Scott 9.900 | FX: Rouse 9.900 | AA: Silberman 39.150 |
The Big Storyline: Maryland kicked off the meet with a surprising announcement: junior Audrey Barber would not be competing due to an academic issue. Barber is a very key player for the Terps—she holds every single one of the team’s individual high scores this season. Ultimately Maryland still walked away with the win, but if Barber is out for an extended period of time, that will severely hurt its scoring potential. A series of falls on beam were the kicker that lead to Illinois losing to the Terps. The Illini have so much potential on beam, but the event is also riddled with high highs and low lows. It is something they will need to figure out how to make more consistent if they want to maximize their potential and be more competitive in the conference.
Implications: We will be keeping a close eye on the Audrey Barber situation—this will be a big deal for the Terps if she misses any significant amount of time.
| No. 31 Utah State at No. 23 Southern Utah | ||||
| Full Results | Southern Utah: 195.875 | Utah State: 195.175 | ||
| VT: Smith 9.900 | UB: Rosza-Thompson 9.875 | BB: Murakami, DeHarde 9.875 | FX: Nipp 9.950 | AA: Le. Varnadore 39.075 |
The Big Storyline: Vault stood out for the Thunderbirds while the other three events left more to be desired. Utah State put up a solid meet also. Vault was the Aggies’ weakest event but they outscored Southern Utah on beam.
Implications: Southern Utah has the potential to be a solid 196-plus team if it hits all the events on one day; the Thunderbirds’ vault lineup was presumed to be one of their weaker events, but they showed how good it could be at this meet. Utah State held its ground against its conference-mate, but there is a lot of room for the Aggies to grow.
Records: Rachel Smith’s 9.900 on vault is a career high. Sofi Sullivan’s 9.850 on bars is also a career best.
| No. 46 Pittsburgh, No. 24 West Virginia and No. 58 William & Mary at No. 43 George Washington | ||||
| Full Results | Pitt: 195.700 | GW: 195.375 | WVU: 194.850 | W&M: 191.425 |
| VT: Brechwald, Kaufman 9.850 | UB: Abarca 9.900 | BB: Burton 9.925 | FX: Crasa, Ward, Pierson 9.875 | AA: Waldman 38.450 |
The Big Storyline: Both Pitt and George Washington had excellent days, both setting season highs and breaking 195 for the first time this season. Pitt set season highs on all four events and beat its previous season high by nearly two points. George Washington set season highs on all events but vault and welcomed Hannah Cohen back on beam, who scored a 9.900 after missing the first part of the season due to injury. West Virginia was unable to bounce back from early mistakes on beam and could not repeat its 196 performance from last week.
Implications: Pitt finally put together the meet it is capable of, scoring the second highest mark in the EAGL this season, showing that it can indeed keep pace with the other teams in the conference. George Washington continues to improve each week after struggling on floor in the first two meets. While West Virginia will drop slightly in the rankings, it will remain on the road for the next three weeks, allowing plenty of opportunities to score higher on the road.
Records: There were multiple career highs set at this meet. Notably, Michaela Burton tied her career high beam score of 9.925. This is tied for the fourth best score in Pitt history and the highest score on beam since 2016. Esperanza Abarca set a career high 9.900 on bars while Simone Banen also set a career high 9.875 on the same event.
| No. 26 Stanford at No. 25 Oregon State | ||||
| Full Results | Oregon State: 196.825 | Stanford: 194.575 | ||
| VT: M. Dagen 9.900 | UB: Bryant 9.900 | BB: L. Dagen 9.975 | FX: Lowery 9.975 | AA: Bryant 39.425 |
The Big Storyline: The Dagen sisters, Madi and Lacy, both came up big for Oregon State as the Beavers easily beat visiting Stanford en route to a new season high team score. Madi debuted a new Yurchenko one and a half on vault to earn the event title while Lacy earned a 10 from one judge on beam to also score an event win. Stanford, missing freshmen Chloe Widner in the lineups, was forced to go five up, five count on vault and floor. A big missed routine on floor brought down the team score for the Cardinal, resulting in a season low.
Implications: With its second 196 in a row, Oregon State is finally starting to reach its potential and match its preseason expectations. Widner was held out for Stanford for “disciplinary reasons,” and—as evidenced by the score—the Cardinal really missed her. It is unknown how long she will be out, but her presence is crucial for Stanford moving forward.
Records: Both Dagens, along with Isis Lowery, earned new career highs on the events they won at this meet.
| No. 27 Central Michigan at No. 47 Northern Illinois | ||||
| Full Results | NIU: 195.075 | CMU: 194.550 | ||
| VT: Pedrick 9.900 | UB: Hooper, Johnson, Pedrick 9.800 | BB: Hooper 9.825 | FX: Pedrick 9.875 | AA: DeMers 39.150 |
The Big Storyline: The Chippewas, for all of their potential, can’t seem to get out of their own way on beam. They have had at least one fall on beam in every single meet except one. They have an incredibly talented lineup of beam workers; they just need to figure out how to become more consistent. Individually there were some great highlights for Central Michigan: Hannah DeMers won her first all around title with a 39.150, and Denelle Pedrick won vault with a 9.900. The Huskies had their best meet yet, not needing to count a fall or major mishap for the first time all season. Morgan Hooper was apparently nursing an injury all week and only contributed two routines instead of her normal three to four, which resulted in some new faces in the lineups. It was a good opportunity for Northern Illinois to test out their depth, and it was great to see what they are capable of doing even in the absence of some big routines.
Implications: Defeating preseason favorites Central Michigan is a big win for the Huskies, especially after a much slower start to the season than they would like to see.
| No. 42 Rutgers at No. 30 Penn State | ||||
| Full Results | Penn State: 196.325 | Rutgers: 195.700 | ||
| VT: Bridgens, Hall, Joyner 9.850 | UB: Bonsall, Bridgens 9.875 | BB: Joyner 9.925 | FX: Bridgens 9.875 | AA: Bridgens 49.400 |
The Big Storyline: This was a meet filled with season highs and career bests. Penn State not only got its highest team score of 2020, it also achieved season highs on vault and beam. It was a strong meet for Rutgers as well: It posted its second highest road and vault score in program history and achieved season bests on bars and beam. Rutgers had a few gymnasts out with injury a couple mistakes, but ultimately Penn State came out as the stronger team in this conference dual.
Implications: Finally breaking through 196 helped Penn moves up a few spots in the rankings this week while Rutgers ultimately remains unchanged.
Records: The Scarlet Knights broke all kinds of records: Kaitlyn Hall, Hannah Joyner and Shannon Farrell scored career bests on vault, with Hall and Joyner scoring 9.850 Farrell tallying a 9.825. Jordyn Duffield and Kiera Doherty-Herwitz notched career bests on beam at 9.850 and 9.825. Hannah Joyner scored her highest all around total at 39.325. Penn State freshman Bella Romagnano also earned a career best 9.775 on beam.
| No. 32 Michigan State at No. 38 Iowa | ||||
| Full Results | Iowa: 195.450 | Michigan State: 195.300 | ||
| VT: Guerin, 9.900 | UB: Jackard, Mitchell 9.825 | BB: Douglas, Kaji 9.850 | FX: Guerin 9.875 | AA: Mitchell 39.175 |
The Big Storyline: Iowa won its first Big Ten dual of the season, just edging out Michigan State in what was a very close competition. The Hawkeyes started the competition strong, earning a season best 49.150 on vault, but found themselves trailing the Spartans going into the last rotation. Iowa was able to come back and take the win with strong performances on floor, most notably from freshman Lauren Guerin who clinched the win with her 9.875. Also noteworthy: Iowa senior Clair Kaji did an exhibition on floor, so perhaps we will see her back in that lineup soon?
Implications: This is a meet that could have gone either way, so the Spartans will be eager to improve going into their next matchup. Ultimately the rankings won’t shift too much for either team after this week.
Records: For the Hawkeyes, Dani Castillo earned career bests on vault (9.775) and beam (9.825). Ariana Agrapides and Maddy Solomon had career bests on vault at 9.850 and 9.800, respectively. For the Spartans, Chloe Bellmore also recorded a career best on vault with her 9.775.
| No. 39 North Carolina at No. 34 N.C. State | ||||
| Full Results | N.C. State: 196.250 | North Carolina: 193.375 | ||
| VT: Hislop 9.900 | UB: Kent 9.900 | BB: Beucler, Negrete, Kent 9.850 | FX: Grantham, Shepard 9.875 | AA: Culton 38.750 |
The Big Storyline: N.C. State recorded a season high and broke the 196 barrier for the first time this season en route to a big win over rival North Carolina. Once again, North Carolina struggled on bars in the first rotation but came back strong on its signature events, vault and floor.
Implications: N.C. State again sets the standard with the highest score in the EAGL so far this season. With Drew Grantham back to full strength and freshmen Chloe Negrete and Emily Shepard finding their footing, N.C. State is showing that it will be the team to beat in the EAGL this season. North Carolina still has yet to put up an NQS worthy score, but there is still plenty of time left as long as it can figure out bars.
| No. 35 Eastern Michigan at No. 48 Lindenwood | ||||
| Full Results | Eastern Michigan: 195.325 | Lindenwood: 193.625 | ||
| VT: Griswold 9.825 | UB: Bezold 9.900 | BB: Henry 9.900 | FX: Griswold, Satler 9.850 | AA: Rondeau 39.125 |
The Big Storyline: Eastern Michigan not only walked away with the win against Lindenwood, it achieved a season high score in the process—even while counting a fall on bars. This was an outstanding meet for the Eagles. They achieved season highs on vault and floor and there were four individual career bests as well. Lindenwood also earned their highest score of the season, with their most standout performance coming on beam where they scored a 49.075. The Eagles have been struggling to perform to their full potential so far this season, and this win will hopefully provide the momentum to keep improving.
Implications: Eastern Michigan needed this score to stay competitive with Central Michigan and Kent State, especially since the Golden Flashes broke 196 this weekend.
Records: The Eagles earned four individual career bests: Kara Roberts on vault (9.800) and floor (9.825), Bri Price on floor (9.800) and Mickayla Stuckey on floor (9.750).
| No. 43 George Washington at No. 36 Kent State | ||||
| Full Results | Kent State: 196.050 | George Washington:194.900 | ||
| VT: Chambliss 9.875 | UB: Amodei 9.850 | BB: Cohen, Zona, Decavitch 9.825 | FX: Brown, Manitkul-Davis 9.925 | AA: DeCavitch 39.325 |
The Big Storyline: Kent State put up its highest result since 2018, thanks in part to a huge 49.350 floor rotation. Standout freshmen Karly Franz and Rachel DeCavitch continue to impress for the Golden Flashes. George Washington wasn’t quite able to match its season high from Friday, but the Colonials still put up a respectable total.
Implications: Kent State continues to establish itself as a top team in the MAC, putting up the highest score in the conference so far this season. While floor has shown some improvement from George Washington, there were still a few hiccups in the lineup, so this will need to be improved for the Colonials to stay afloat in what is proving to be a competitive EAGL.
Records: Several gymnasts recorded career high totals including Deja Chambliss’ 9.875 on vault, and Jade Brown and Nasha Manitkul-Davis’ matching 9.925s on floor.
| No. 43 Towson at No. 37 New Hampshire | ||||
| Full Results | New Hampshire: 195.125 | Towson: 192.175 | ||
| VT: Gorgenyi 9.850 | UB: Freehling 9.800 | BB: Worthington 9.900 | FX: Winer 9.850 | AA: Freehling 39.200 |
The Big Storyline: New Hampshire matched its season high to defeat conference-mate Towson. Senior Riley Freehling had an excellent day, besting her career high all around score by nearly four tenths. Freshman standout Alyssa Worthington also matched her 9.900 from last week on beam. Towson had a rough time on beam but put up solid numbers on the other three events. However, it was the lowest score for the Tigers so far this season.
Implications: New Hampshire has shown that it can score into the 195s this year. However, it will need to improve on the 195.125s scored the last two weeks if it wants to keep pace with the other regionals bubble teams.
Records: Freehling’s 39.200 in the all around is a career high.
| No. 56 UC Davis at No. 40 San Jose State | ||||
| Full Results | UC Davis: 194.925 | San Jose State: 192.575 | ||
| VT: Clagg 9.800 | UB: Cunningham, Landess 9.875 | BB: Johnson 9.850 | FX: Chan 9.900 | AA: Landess 39.200 |
The Big Storyline: Even without star Kelley Hebert competing, UC Davis put together its most complete performance of the season to best MPSF rival San Jose State.
Implications: UC Davis has struggled up to this point in the season, but you’d never know based on this performance. San Jose State simply couldn’t keep pace. Although the Aggies outscored the Spartans by nearly two and a half points, they still might not overtake them in the MPSF rankings (at least not until they can drop that 187.225 from week three). However, the season is far from over, and UC Davis has made it clear that it has the potential to reclaim its place at the top of the conference.
Records: UC Davis’s Gabby Landess scored a career-high 39.200 in the all around while Cammi Johnson notched a career best on beam. The Aggies also posted season high scores on bars and beam.
| No. 50 Bowling Green at No. 41 Western Michigan | ||||
| Full Results | Western Michigan: 194.925 | Bowling Green: 193.975 | ||
| VT: East 9.875 | UB: Mohler 9.850 | BB: Worthington 9.875 | FX: East, Harrison 9.900 | AA: East 39.225 |
The Big Storyline: Western Michigan is one of only two teams to remain undefeated in the MAC so far this season, which is not something that would have been easily predicted in preseason. The Broncos continue to prove how capable they are week after week. The big highlight of the meet was floor, where they earned a third-best program record of 49.275. Bowling Green had a season best performance despite the loss, and Jovannah East took the all around title along with two event titles.
Implications: Western Michigan remains solidly in the middle of the pack for the overall MAC rankings but is starting to find its groove. It will face Ball State next week, the only other team who has yet to take a loss in the conference.
Records: Olivia Williams, Paige Bachner and Katelyn Goldstrom achieved career-bests for Bowling Green, and Charlotte Tishkoff, Ronni Binstock and Carissa Ludwig achieved career bests for Western Michigan.
| No. 51 Bridgeport and No. 75 Ursinus at No. 52 Temple | ||||
| Full Results | Temple: 195.000 | Bridgeport: 194.175 | Ursinus: 187.200 | |
| VT: Roland, Castrence, Leary 9.850 | UB: Castrence 9.825 | BB: Garin 9.900 | FX: Reimers 9.900 | AA: Castrence 39.050 |
The Big Storyline: Temple bested its previous season high by nearly two and a half points en route to a win over Bridgeport and Ursinus. Bridgeport also had a great day, notching a season high as well as the highest score among USAG teams so far this year. Ursinus had its best score since 2018 led by a huge 9.850 from Skylar Haas on beam.
Implications: After a slow start, Temple is beginning to establish itself as the best team in the ECAC. It scored a 195 here and that was with a counted fall on bars. Bridgeport is still in second place in USAG standings, mostly due to a poor first meet, so expect the Purple Knights to challenge for that top spot once it can drop the week one score.
Records: Temple’s 49.100 on beam is the second best score in program history. In this rotation, two Owls, Ariana Castrence and Delaney Garin, posted career high marks with a 9.875 and 9.900, respectively. Bridgeport junior Gabrielle Kistner set a career high 9.800 on beam, and Haas’ 9.850 on the same event was also a personal best.
| No. 54 Illinois State at No. 62 SEMO | ||||
| Full Results | SEMO: 192.775 | Illinois State: 192.475 | ||
| VT: Solorzano-Caruso 9.700 | UB: Jones, Iribarren, Labat 9.875 | BB: Solorzano-Caruso 9.700 | FX: Kaziska 9.875 | AA: Labat 38.950 |
The Big Storyline: SEMO walked away with the win in this conference dual, which the second meeting between these two teams this season. The Redhawks sealed the win with a massive 49.025 on floor, made even more impressive by the fact that they were trailing Illinois State by a full point going into the final rotation. The Redbirds started the meet strong but faltered on vault and floor, ultimately giving up too many tenths to take a repeat win over the Redhawks.
Implications: Despite the loss, Illinois State remains the higher ranked team in the MIC, but this victory showed what SEMO is capable of and also served as a good reminder that the Redhawks can’t be counted out as a threat for the conference title when they hit.
Records: Sofia Iribarren achieved a career best on bars and Christin Bandy on vault for the Redbirds. Molly Maxwell earned a career best on floor, and Anna Kaziska earned a career best on bars for the Redhawks.
| No. 61 Alaska and No. 57 Sacramento State at No. 64 Seattle Pacific | ||||
| Full Results | SPU: 193.575 | Sac State: 192.250 | Alaska: 191.900 | |
| VT: Watley 9.775 | UB: Hyderally, Spivey 9.800 | BB: Hyderally 9.875 | FX: Chan 9.775 | AA: Burns 38.875 |
The Big Storyline: DIII team Seattle Pacific posted its highest team score since 2018 to upset higher ranked MPSF rivals Sacramento State and Alaska.
Implications: This season’s MPSF rankings are pure chaos and will be even more chaotic once these results are factored in. Seattle Pacific beat its previous season high by two full points and improved upon its season average by over three. It’s important to note that both the Hornets and the Seawolves performed admirably, each scoring 48-plus on three events.
Records: The Falcons earned season highs on all four events and nearly matched a program high score on beam. Shelbi Spivey set a new career high on bars for the second consecutive week. Kayla Chan set a career high on floor. Alaska’s Louisa Marie Knapp claimed a career high on bars. Sacramento State’s Destiny Watley scored a career high on vault while Amber Koeth matched her career best on beam.
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Article by the editors of College Gym News
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