The Mount: Week 5

By Elizabeth Grimsley, Caroline Medley, Christina Marmet

We have a LOT of good matchups this week, including the Florida-Alabama showdown in Tuscaloosa you’ve all been waiting for, as well as an undefeated California at a depleted Utah and Denver vs. SUU Monday night. As always, find an updated injury report, previews of the upcoming meets, our predictions on the top matchups and all the links you could possibly need.

• Alabama: Mackenzie Brannan (bone chip removal surgery last week)
• Arizona: Selynna Felix-Terrazas (sprained both ankles)
• Arizona State: Beka Conrad (“nagging shoulder injury” – Jan. 2017)
• Arkansas: Amanda Wellick (torn Achilles), Sarah Shaffer (elbow injury, according to Arkansas meet notes), Hailey Garner (elbow injury, out a few weeks)
• Auburn: Abby Milliet (knee injury, originally reported as a hyperextension)
• Brown: Gabby Hechtman (left lower leg in boot – Sept. 2016)
• Denver: Diana Chesnok (ankle surgery – Sept. 2016)
• Georgia: Gracie Cherrey (ankle injury), out for season
• LSU: Julianna Cannamela (seen in a sling at the LSU/Alabama meet), McKenna Kelley (back injury during vault warmups at UK/LSU)
• Michigan: Brianna Brown (unknown, has not competed in past three meets)
• Missouri: Morgan Porter (torn ACL), out for season
• New Hampshire: Makenzie Kerouac (ankle surgery)
• Oklahoma: Bre Showers (out for eight weeks)
• Penn State: Chanen Raygoza (right foot in a boot – Sept. 2016)
• Sacramento State: Annie Juarez (ankle)
• SEMO: Kenna Skepnek (left knee brace – Oct. 2016)
• UCLA: Angi Cipra (ankle injury, estimated to return soon), Katelyn Ohashi (sore shoulder, being eased into lineups/limited to beam in first few meets), Madison Preston (in a boot at the UCLA/OU meet, out at least two more weeks)
• Utah: Sabrina Schwab (torn ACL), out for 2017 season; Kim Tessen (torn ACL), out for 2017 season; Tiffani Lewis (split toe)
• Washington: Madison Copiak (back spasms), Emily Liddle (knee surgery – fall 2016), Evanni Roberson (jammed ankle, exhibitioned last meet), Malory Rose (dislocated patella)

In what is shaping up to be an exciting matchup, the Wildcats will travel to Athens for an SEC competition that will likely play out at the end of the season and could determine which team performs in the night session at the conference championship in March. At the start of the season, Kentucky made an unprecedented jump into the top four in the SEC but has since relinquished the spot to Georgia. This meet will really come down to which team hits. Georgia has somewhat put beam disasters in the past, but we all know that doesn’t mean there’s not a chance of it happening. Kentucky has looked lackluster it’s past two meets, but if it can bring early-January routines back into the picture, it will give Georgia a run for its money.​Caroline: Georgia at home? This will be a close one. Kentucky is going to have to figure out their landing game if they want a chance at this, or hope for Georgia to crumble. I’m gonna be conservative and bet on the Gymdogs.
Christina: Kentucky! I know this will be a tough one to beat—Georgia at home—but I am so onboard the Kentucky train I believe in this upset.
Elizabeth: Despite Kentucky doing well this season, I’m picking Georgia. The Gymdogs have been pretty good at home this season and UK was less-than-stellar last weekend.

This meet isn’t really about Oklahoma. Yeah, the team will be working toward putting another 198 into its eventual RQS total. But the real exciting part of this meet will be the battle for second between Denver and Nebraska. Now, Denver has the leg up. It’s average is better as well as its potential score. However, being upset last weekend at West Virginia showed some weaknesses, namely in depth on vault and floor. Putting up five gym seats is starting to show as the Pioneers were forced to count a number of 9.6s on vault this past weekend. As for Nebraska, the season started off relatively strong but last weekend’s meet at Michigan was a step in the wrong direction. Whichever team hits and takes the runoff from Oklahoma’s high scores will come out in second.​Caroline: Performing as they have been, OU will have no trouble taking this one. I also don’t see Nebraska beating Denver out for second, barring a miracle.
Christina: Oklahoma. The Sooners are back home, and while they will have a bit of competition with DU and Nebraska, I don’t see either of these teams beating them, even on a “bad” OU day.
Elizabeth: Obviously OU, but I think the actual interesting part of this meet will be which team gets second.

Get excited for this one. With Florida on the surge it’s been on lately and Alabama in its slump but the meeting being in Tuscaloosa, this meet will (hopefully) be one for the ages. But a few important factors will come into play for it to be truly great. Alabama has been missing Mackenzie Brannan in the recent meets after her ankle required surgery to remove a bone chip that had been bothering her. There was also the horrible, no good, very bad bar rotation at the Elevate the Stage meet that needs to be fixed ASAP. As for Florida, Chant is still out but Huntley is coming into form. Getting both on point plus Kennedy Baker back in the all around should make this a tough one for the Crimson Tide to win. And the Crimson Tide are still in search of that statement win for the 2017 season.​Caroline: After the weekend these two teams just had, I’m betting on Florida. I could see Alabama taking it since it’ll be at home, but I’d guess the Gators will be chomping at the bit to take the W from the Tide.
Christina: Aaaah hard one… I think this will be a very close one, but I have to go with Alabama simply because the Tide will be at home. It won’t be allowed to have a bad day though, as I’m sure the Gators will bring their A-game as well and will look to take advantage of any weaknesses from the Tide.
Elizabeth: Oh gosh… I see Florida winning this one, especially after Alabama’s lack luster performance last weekend but despite it being in Tuscaloosa.

For Missouri, this meet will be all about continuing to chug along without star Morgan Porter, as well as how it adapts to that absence. At Georgia last weekend, things were good, not great. So remedying those small errors across the board will be the goal. For the other set of Tigers, things weren’t stellar at Kentucky either. Sure, it was another solid low to mid 197 total but it wasn’t Oklahoma good, and that’s what it needs to be if the Tigers want to challenge the Sooners come April and give D-D the national title she’s been in search of for 40 years. Also, Kennedi Edney for the all around from here on out, right?​Caroline: The battle of the Tigers! Gotta go with LSU though, especially now that Mizzou is for sure without Porter.
Christina: LSU at home is so hard to beat, and while Mizzou has shown tremendous improvements and great performances this season so far, I don’t see it realistically beating LSU.
Elizabeth: LSU. There’s little chance, even with an implosion, of Missouri taking this one in Baton Rouge.

There’s quite an evenly matched showdown going down in Idaho Friday night. Each team has scored well in their first few meets of the season, including a handful of 196s and 9.9s from a plethora of individual competitors. Broncos freshman Courtney McGregor has showed the potential to shine in NCAA while Thunderbird newcomers Autumn Jorgensen and the McBride twins are performing difficulty typically not seen at the college level, especially in that second tier of teams. With both teams having a good chance to be the spoiler at regionals and even qualify to nationals if the cards are in their favor, this matchup will be an important one later on down the road.​Caroline: I predict this will be the real meet of the week to watch. I’m gonna go Boise, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Thunderbirds pull it out. They’ve had some surprisingly strong showings since their late arrival to the season.
Christina: This will be another fun and close one for the W. I’m going to with Boise State on that one!
Elizabeth: ​Ooo, exciting! I’m picking Boise. I think it’s looked slightly better than SUU so far this season, but this one’s really anyone’s game.

These two teams have really had opposite fortunes lately. California comes to Salt Lake City undefeated, outlasting teams like Stanford and Iowa with the help of old favorites, such as Toni-Ann Williams, and newcomers, such as Cassidy Keelen. Utah, meanwhile, has had a spout of bad luck. It’s performed fine over the first four weeks, but has suffered misfortune at the hands of the injury bug with not only star sophomore Sabrina Schwab tearing her ACL but freshman contributed Kim Tessa tearing her Achilles’ tendon as well—not to mention small things like a split toe for Tiffani Lewis, keeping her out of events she’s needed on most. While Utah still probably has a leg up on California in terms of potential scoring alone, seeing how the Utes handle adversity will be key for them the rest of the season.​Caroline: At this point, I don’t think Utah is beatable by anyone ranked below them. They’ll have to have some serious mishaps to let Cal squeak past them.
Christina: Utah all the way. Cal is looking good again this season but I don’t think they have the caliber to upset the Utes at home quite yet.
Elizabeth: You know what, it’s not going to happen but I’m going with California. Maybe Utah won’t be on top of its game due to all the injuries.

In fantastic showdown for both teams in their second meets of the weekend, this one will really come down to the endurance of the individuals and who hits on meet day. Two meets in four days could be a bit of an issue for Denver as it’s already low on depth. So resting top contributors on vault and floor at least won’t really be an option. SUU will be fresher, having competed in two less meets so far this season and having the luxury of being at home and sleeping in their own beds for this one. Small things like that could be the difference maker Monday night.​Caroline: Ehhhh another tough one. If SUU can beat Boise, I can totally see them riding that momentum into beating Denver as well. However, if either team expends all their energy in their first meet of the weekend, they’ll fall to the other… I’m gonna call for a Thunderbird upset, just to make things interesting.
Christina: A doubles weekend for both teams… This will be interesting how they both handle the pressure and the fatigue, but I guess they will be on somewhat even grounds. I’m going to go with a Denver win, for the fun of it!
Elizabeth: Yet another toughie! I see Denver winning this one, but a Southern Utah hit could challenge if five-up-five-count catches up to the Pioneers.

Other Notable Matchups
No. 24 Arkansas at No. 17 Auburn: Friday, Feb. 3 at 8 p.m.
Arkansas will continue to chug along after losing Amanda Wellick and will hope freshman Hailey Garner is back to being healthy after an elbow injury has taken her out of commission for the past couple of meets. Adding her back to the lineup, especially on bars, will give the Razorbacks the boost they’re looking for. As for Auburn, it’ll be interesting to see, if Abby Milliet is out, how the team copes. While Milliet was only contributing on bars and beam at the time of her injury, those are scores the Tigers would rather not do without.No. 5 UCLA at No. 50 Arizona State: Saturday, Feb. 4 at 3:30 p.m.
UCLA is slowly making progress and showing it might actually have the chops to get to the potential this elite-filled team is capable of. Kyla Ross will almost be expected to hit perfection every time out now that she’s done it once, and the other supporting players can’t regress. Madison Kocian as well needs to show the Olympic-caliber routines she has. It may not be important for this meet, but whatever can be built up and practiced before April will help in the long run. Arizona State is also looking for progression from this meet. Sitting in the mid-193s this season, the Sundevils and their stunning leotards are poised for a break through if they can just get a bit more consistent and clean up things here and there. A little goes a long way.

No. 14 Oregon State at No. 27 Arizona: Saturday, Feb. 4 at 9 p.m.
Tabitha Yim looked on her way to her first win against her Alma Mater Sunday against Stanford but a couple of last-minute errors did the Wildcats in and forced the team to wait for another opportunity next season. However, the end of the meet still looked promising with Skylar Sheppard performing a stellar beam routine that brought Yim to tears and a 9.925 to Sheppard. Oregon State is also looking stronger as of late with Kaytianna McMillan coming into form and Maddie Gardiner holding down the fort like she typically does. This meet will really come down to the Beavers’ freshmen and whether or not they can compete up to the level and throw their youthfulness aside.

No. 7 Michigan at No. 44 Maryland: Sunday, Feb. 5 at 12 p.m.
Michigan is finally looking like a contender, now with two solid meets under its belt. The Wolverines now need to prove they can do the same on the road this weekend at Maryland. With a solid road score a necessity for the team before the switch to RQS, this test will be an important one. Maryland will look to clean up past mistakes as well, striving to become more consistent in its routines and for former elite freshman Kirsten Peterman to start showing her experience.

No. 34 Ball State, No. 30 New Hampshire at No. 16 George Washington: Sunday, Feb. 5 at 1 p.m.
George Washington has quietly put together a string of 196 showings with the help of solid and consistent beam, yes beam, performances in the past few meets. Its core beamers Cami Drouin-Allaire, Jillian Winstanley and Liz Pfeiler are all coming off a first-place tie for 9.875 at the Metroplex Challenge. Replicating that score and continuing to build on the supporting events will be important if the Colonials want to improve upon their No. 16-ranking.

No. 22 Iowa at No. 20 Nebraska: Sunday, Feb. 5 at 2 p.m.
Nebraska will take the competition floor for the second time this weekend in a closer showdown than it probably imagined this meet would be at the start of the season. The Huskers started off strong, posting a bar total that was in the top 5 in the country. However, the team has degressed since then, having a not-great performance at Michigan last weekend. Iowa has been performing as of late, beating Ohio State and proving its first meet wasn’t how its whole season would go.

No. 18 Washington at No. 33 Stanford: Sunday, Feb. 5 at 4 p.m.
As always, we round the weekend out at Stanford with a Pac-12 showdown. The Cardinal looked exponentially better last weekend against Arizona, posting a near-196 after a string of very typical Stanford-in-January scores. Washington showed promise at its meet against Utah as well, looking like an Elise Ray beam team finally and only showing some minor areas for improvement across the board. If Stanford pulls a Stanford, this one could get interesting.

These aren’t the only meets happening this weekend! To see all the matchups all in one place, take a look at our master schedule. You can also find live scoring and video links below.

Do you play Fantasy Gymnastics and don’t see a team some of your gymnasts’ teams competing this weekend? See if they’re on a bye this week (or competing twice) below, and check out the entire byes and doubles list here.

Byes

• None!

Doubles

• Bowling Green
• Bridgeport
• Denver
• Nebraska
• Southern Utah
• Texas Woman’s

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