The USAG Dismount: Week 3

Lindenwood, Northern Illinois and SEMO in Lebanon, Tennessee

Recap

The Big Storyline: SEMO improved over its season-opening score by nearly two points while Lindenwood bested itself by more than four. 

Implications: The Tennessee Collegiate Classic did not offer live scoring or video, so it’s too soon to tell if the scoring was realistic or if Lindenwood’s 195-plus will be maintainable. However, this meet was on neutral territory, so it’s safe to say that the finishing order was correct. Lindenwood’s drastic improvement over last week proved that maybe the Lion’s season opener was just an off day. Simone Evans’ debut routine on floor and Kaylee Cooper’s first collegiate bar routine were just the boost the team needed. SEMO is still missing some key players in its lineups, but the Redhawks were able to put together a good score to build off of in the coming weeks. Anna Kaziska added her front double full back into her floor routine this week, which will be necessary for the big scores later in the season. Suspect that the rivalry between these teams will continue. They will battle it out again next weekend in Hyland Arena. 

Records: SEMO notched three career highs on bars, including Lydia Webb’s 9.750, Lindsay Ockler’s 9.825 and Jolie Miller’s 9.875. Ockler also set a new career best on vault with a 9.825. Hadley Roberts put together the first 9.900 routine of her career on beam to lead the Lion’s effort to a 49.1 team total on the event. Hannah Moon notched her first career all around win with a 38.900. Emmalise Nock’s career high 9.900 on floor was enough to earn her the event win.

Recap 

The Big Storyline: North Carolina held its own, posting its highest team score since 2018 while Missouri put together its season high team score without Amari Celestine.

Implications: North Carolina has not only asserted itself as the top team in the EAGL so far this season but as a team to watch come postseason. This season-high score was posted with only five bar routines and Julia Knower not at her best. The Tar Heels still have more gas in the tank. Watch out. Missouri was able to have a strong performance without the three-event contribution of one of its star freshmen. Jocelyn Moore rose to the challenge with 9.9-plus on vault and floor. Hopefully Celestine will be back in the lineups soon because she could push the Tigers over the 197 mark, a threshold that will be crucial in the Tigers’ quest to compete in the night session at SECs. George Washington was able to put its beam demons from last week to rest. However, its team score did not reflect it due to counting a fall on floor. The Colonials will look to improve on their consistency throughout the season in hopes of earning a bid to regionals. Brown’s Julia Bedell made her collegiate floor debut with a 9.775 even with a step out of bounds. That’s a routine that could contend with the top USAG floor workers as she gets comfortable in the lineup. Overall, Brown still looks rusty from its long hiatus without competition. However, this team normally knows how to peak just in time for postseason, so don’t worry just yet. 

Records: Jocelyn Moore’s near perfect Yurchenko 1.5 was rewarded with a career-high 9.950. This marks the fourth-straight meet that Mizzou has eclipsed 49 on all four events, the longest streak in program history.

Preview

Current Rankings: Brown, No. 34 George Washington and No. 8 Missouri at No. 26 North Carolina

Why You Should Make Time to Tune in: This meet is all over the board in a very fun and exciting way. The two EAGL teams were separated by only a quarter tenth last weekend, though UNC has the higher ceiling as long as it can move on from week twok’s erratic floor rotation. Missouri looked imperious in week one, but after a week off, will the Tigers look more or less prepared on Saturday? Brown also had some COVID issues in its opening gambit, but it’s a talented squad that will hope to take advantage of a (relatively) big-team scoring environment to crack 190.000 for the first time

Need More Proof? Brown freshman Julia Bedell was quarantined with COVID during her team’s season opener, but we’re hoping she’ll be back soon because her tumbling floor is completely bananas.

Recap

The Big Storyline: Bridgeport and Southern Connecticut kept it close this weekend, with less than a point and a half separating the two. 

Implications: Bridgeport last opened with a 189.300, so it’s not too far behind after the hiatus. Southern Connecticut was just as on par with its last opening score of 187.025. Bridgeport freshman Alyssa Wiggins came hot out of the gate. Despite a fumble on vault, she scored a 37.275 in her all-around debut with a solid 9.525 on beam to top off her day. Without that, she would’ve notched second place and been within just about a half a point of Hannah Stahlbrodt’s first place finish. Kiana Session had an uncharacteristically low beam score but threw up a 9.625 on vault to get Bridgeport off on the right foot. Bridgeport didn’t count a score under 9.400 on floor. Southern Connecticut counted three bars scores over a 9.575 but couldn’t quite find its footing on floor, counting an 8.450. Stahlbrodt boosted that total with her 9.700, though.

Recap

The Big Storyline: Pittsburgh secured the win with its highest beam score in program history while Texas Woman’s stellar 49-plus floor rotation helped it to put the mistakes of bars and beam behind it. 

Implications: TWU has not quite escaped its bars and beam woes from years past. This young team has not quite figured out how to completely bounce back from a fall within the rotation. The Pioneers’ vault and floor lineups will help to keep them in the hunt for now, but without five hit routines on the other events, it will be difficult to keep up with the top USAG teams. Freshmen Emerson Adams and Sierra Muns have proven to be integral players in TWU’s success so far this season. Consistency across the board will ultimately determine the Pioneer’s fate. Pittsburgh became just the third team in the EAGL to eclipse 195 this season. Hopefully the Panthers will be able to carry this momentum in the coming meets and continue to move up the conference ranks. However, consistently staying in the 195-plus scoring range has been a struggle the last few seasons. Perhaps the additions of big scorers like Hallie Copperwheat and Sidney Washington will finally put Pittsburgh over the edge. 

Records: Mara Johnson bettered her floor career high for the second time this season with a 9.875 while teammate Sierra Muns upped hers to a 9.850. Senior Domi Bonzagni tied her floor career high with a 9.800. Emerson Adams proved herself to be “Miss Consistent” on vault, earning her second 9.800 in the last three weeks. Emily Six’s 9.725 on beam earned her a career high as well.  

Recap

The Big Storyline: The Big Red brought its A-game, coming close to a few program records despite ultimately being upset by West Chester by less than half a point.

Implications: Freshman Katie Michelini led the the Big Red, adding her name to the program’s top 10 score list on bars and floor. Classmate Sydney Beers carved her own path, taking second on vault and beam. Cornell’s 48.875 on vault was just a quarter of a point shy of the team record, a 49.125. Overall, Cornell was ready to prove itself from the previous weekend’s 188.825, tacking on three points after putting in the work. West Chester counted just one score below a 9.800 during their floor rotation, helping to notch its second-highest score of the season but scored a season-high of 49.075, with three of the Golden Rams part of a four way tie for first with a lofty 9.850. Not to be outdone, Cornell’s lowest floor score was a 9.600, counting three routines with a 9.825 or higher. West Chester closed out on beam without a single fall, dropping a 9.325 and utilizing Cascadden’s lead off 9.700. Cornell’s ranking won’t move, but West Chester could slide down into second as the weekend comes to a close.

Records: McKenna Kissinger scored a career high 9.850 on floor, as sophomore Caroline Cascadden pocketed a 9.800 for a career high as well.

Recap 

The Big Storyline: Both teams survived counting mistakes on bars to increase their teams scores from the last competition. Led by a superb performance from Genevieve Sabado, the Falcons were able to eclipse the 192 mark this week. 

Implications: Although Air Force upped its team total this week, it will slide back a couple spots in the USAG standings after SEMO and Lindenwood’s incredible performances on Friday. The Falcons will need to find a bar lineup that can hit when it counts to stay in the top half of the USAG as the season ramps up. Sabado is the real deal with the perfect combination of grace and power. She will be an integral part of Air Force’s success this season. The Falcons are missing the steady Yurchenko tuck full from Daija Stevenson right now. Hopefully, she can get healthy enough to be added back in the vault lineup. Currently the team is competing three Yurchenko layouts. That’s not going to cut it long term when the competition is scoring 195-plus. Briona Carswell was pulled from the beam lineup after a bad fall in warmup. That’s another big score that could help the Falcons to keep improving. Centenary took one step forward and a couple steps back this week. Plagued by falls on bars and missed beam connections, the Ladies never quite got in their groove. However, floor was much improved this week with more room to grow. Xian Baumgartner’s routine is bound to be a showstopper come later in the season. Centenary will look to put that 45.075 bar performance behind it in the coming weeks and return to the land of six-for-six hit routines. 

Records: Sabado increased her all-around career high by nearly four tenths complete with three event victories. 

Controversies: The bar judges were having difficulties, so both teams had to wait for multiple minutes between each routine. The delay was so long that the first rotation was not competed in alternating order as vault pressed on.

Recap

The Big Storyline: Yale had a rocky showing on beam, with a fall and a low score throwing things off a little, but it went routine for routine, shining on bars with not a single score under 9.625 and adding over three points to its previous week’s score. 

Implications: Yale’s ranking doesn’t change despite the Bulldogs’ incredible performance, as both SEMO and Lindenwood had phenomenal showings this weekend. Unfortunately, Lindsay Chia’s all-around streak came to an end, but fellow Bulldog Sarah Wilson won the title, keeping Yale undefeated in the all-around so far this season. Yale pocketed four scores over 9.700, scoring a 48.700 on bars, just short of its opening 48.875. It has upped its vault score by just over half a point from the start of the season with Raegan Walker leading the team not only on vault but floor as well, where Yale has added a full point. For the EAGL, LIU recorded a program record on bars, notching a 48.700, as well as for its team total. The Sharks took their first ever win.

Records: Raegan Walker scored a career high 9.800 on vault and beautifully notched a personal-best 9.900 on beam.