The Mount: Week 7

The Big Storyline: While this wasn’t one of Ithaca’s best performances of the season for a team score, Cortland did score a season high. The Bombers had several outstanding routines, taking the bar and beam titles, events they’ve drastically improved this season. Standout freshman Skye Cohen also claimed the all around title for a second week in a row. Host Cortland scored its season high, including a dynamic high on bars, improving nearly a point and a half over last week and a new season-high on floor as well. 

Implications: It’s still early in the weekend, but Ithaca shouldn’t move around too much given this low score, but with NQS rolling in, things should shake up a little bit. Cortland should see itself moving up in the rankings with this high, a score the team very much needed and wanted.

Records: Cortland’s Abby Bang recorded a career high 9.800 on floor, as did Gabrielle Nadler with a 9.650.

Recap 

The Big Storyline: UW-Stout took all four event titles and the all around. Bugge competed yet another stunning vault while adding vault back to her resume for the first time since an achilles tear sidelined her last season. She returned back to the event with style, taking that title as well. Gustavus continued its streak of scores 180-plus scores, coming in just a half tenth short of its season high. 

Implications: With sixth year Mikala Bugge adding back events, is a return to the all around in the cards? She is competing the best vaults of her career and has now been featured in both bars and floor lineups for the Blue Devils. That just leaves beam as the final addition. She’s scored as high as 9.500 on beam in her career. It couldn’t hurt to test the waters. Sophia Redding’s streak of bar victories finally came to an end. However, it should be noted that she fell to second place by only a quarter tenth. This meet should have little impact on Stout’s placement. Gustavus is off to its best season since 2019, excluding the fluke 172 when the team did not compete with full lineups. The Gusties grit and determination to continue to fight through every meet is admirable. Gustavus will look to peak at the end of the season and reach the 183-184 range come conference championship time in a couple weeks.

Recap

The Big Storyline: The Golden Rams 193-plus streak came to an end, falling just shy thanks to struggling uncharacteristically on beam. However, their consistency on the remaining events kept them afloat. Southern Connecticut tied its season high, continuing its rise to peak as the team makes it way into the second half of the season. The Owls freshman Emelia Diaz brought a competitive and notable beam routine to the lineup. West Chester’s Jessica Meakim pocketed three event scores over a 9.600 to help the team to victory. 

Implications: Although fellow USAG and GEC competitor Yale didn’t have its best meet against Temple, it outscored both West Chester and Southern Connecticut, causing West Chester to forgo its third place spot to the Bulldogs, as well as it’s second place spot in the GEC rankings. The margin is slim, and with this unusual score from West Chester, it could slid back into the top three with a solid outing next weekend. Southern Connecticut remains in a similar position to last week, despite this high score, as the rankings roll over into NQS. A strong rest of the season could help the Owls move up in the USAG and GEC rankings, though.

Recap

The Big Storyline: Florida edged out an upstart Kentucky team to clinch its fourth consecutive SEC regular season title. Kentucky turned in a dynamic performance, leading the meet through the first two rotations. Beam has been something of a bugaboo for the Wildcats. They survived that rotation with no falls and finished strong on floor, but simply couldn’t keep pace with the Gators on their two best events.  

Implications: Florida is still the team to beat in the SEC, but don’t sleep on Kentucky! The Wildcats have earned three 197-plus scores this season and could realistically challenge for a spot in the evening session at SECs. 

Records: Beam lead-off Megan Skaggs tied her career high 9.950 while Trinity Thomas earned her 12th career perfect 10 and 20th career all-around title. Kentucky notched eight career high scores, most notably Arianna Patterson whose career high 9.950 also earned her her first vault title since 2020. 

Controversies: While Florida is undoubtedly one of the top teams in the country, more than a few college gym fans have expressed frustration that the Gators are benefiting from generous judging and in turn have questioned the validity of them being named 2022 regular season champions. 

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 2 Florida at No. 10 Kentucky 

Why You Should Clear Space on Your DVR: When Kentucky hits, it can go toe to toe with the top teams in the country, including Florida. However, the Wildcats lost key contributors Bailey Bunn and Kaitlin DeGuzman last week to knee injuries. They have a deep but largely untested roster; somebody’s going to have to step up in a big way (particularly on floor) if they want to keep pace with the Gators.  

You Can Fast Forward, but not Through This: Raena Worley has always been a standout all-arounder, but she’s truly come into her own this season. Her lowest score on any event this season is a 9.875, and she hasn’t dipped below a 39.600 in the all-around. She’s great on all four events, but you definitely don’t want to miss her on floor, where she’s already gone 9.975 twice this season.

Recap 

The Big Storyline: UW-Whitewater came away with the victory while both Winona State and UW-Eau Claire improved season highs by more than three points each. UW-Eau Claire was helped along by season highs on all four events. Winona State had itself a day as well with drastic improvements on bars and beam. 

Implications: With scores in the 185 to 186 range, Eau Claire and Winona State are going to start applying some pressure on the middle tier NCGA teams to step up their game. Hamline continues to make small improvements week to week but not quite quickly enough to make a difference in the rankings.

Recap 

The Big Storyline: The gymnastics community got a demonstration of the best the WIAC has to offer with both UW-La Crosse and UW-Oshkosh going above 190. Oshkosh broke a program record in the process. The Titans collected six scores of 9.700 or higher. UW-La Crosse avoided counting as many mistakes this week, leading to a season high of its own. 

Implications: With a huge near-192 performance, the Titans proved that they can put legitimate pressure on Brockport, the only team to reach the mark this season. Brockport needs to keep its foot on the gas because La Crosse is nipping at its heels. The Eagles crossed the 190 threshold for the first time this season thanks to a season high beam performance led by senior Emma Grant.

Records: UW-Oshkosh posted a program best 191.900 thanks to the second best bars and floor totals in program history.

Recap

The Big Storyline: On a slightly weird day for Michigan, the Wolverines still had a strong meet and easily came away with the win. Ohio State had a spectacular day, especially on floor, and solidified itself as a team to be reckoned with in the conference. Illinois had some mistakes on beam but didn’t get rattled and put up its second consecutive away 196. Iowa had no disasters, but just a mediocre day, which allowed the Buckeyes and Illini to jump ahead. 

Implications: Michigan walks away from this with the Big Ten regular season title. Ohio State secured a night session berth to Big Tens with its three wins here. It will join Michigan, Michigan State and the winner of Minnesota versus Iowa (presumably—in past seasons a tied record, which Minnesota and Iowa will have if Minnesota wins next week, the tie break goes to the winner of the head-to-head matchup between the tied teams). Nebraska could also factor in mathematically, but it would require beating Michigan next week.

Controversies: FloGymnastics was, as always, messy. While the streams this year did get the names of gymnasts right, that was about all that went well. Cameras froze, Flozone cut in and out and our editor got kicked out of the stream. Great! Oh, the beam also broke. Mhm.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 1 Michigan, No. 17 Iowa, No. 22 Ohio State, No. 26 Illinois and No. 39 Maryland at Elevate the Stage Toledo

Why You Should Cancel Plans for It: Big Fives is always exciting. This meet, on podium at Elevate the State Toledo, acts as conference play for half of the teams in each conference. Michigan has continued its national dominance week after week and will look to do the same here. Since each team is away, a strong number here will do wonders when NQS kicks in on Monday. Maryland is fresh off a huge upset over Minnesota and will be looking to keep its momentum going. Illinois is also on an upswing after a season-best at Michigan State. Ohio State, on the other hand, had a tough week at Minnesota and will be looking for a bounce-back performance to get back on track. Iowa has been sailing along, but it’s time for the Hawkeyes to put in a statement performance as we move into the back half of the season.

What We’re Watching: We’ll have our eye on Michigan lineups; will Bev Plocki continue resting gymnasts, or is it time for a postseason dress rehearsal? Maryland has had a number of gymnasts slowly filtering back into lineups after injuries and steadily improving as they gain confidence; look for Elizabeth Debarberie and Emma Silberman. If they have good meets, the Terps should be on track. Iowa is stunning as always on floor; the test will come on bars and whether Clair Kaji can settle in there and have a good day. Illinois has had beam woes, so keep an eye on its performance there. Arayah Simons is back from her Achilles injury and improving week over week; don’t miss her huge Yurchenko full. Likewise, beam has been a sticking point for Ohio State. Having Emma Pritchard back in that lineup after missing a few weeks should help. Keep your eyes peeled for Tory Vetter, too. The freshman has been absent for weeks, but if she’s back, she can make a huge difference.

What Else You Should Know Before Tuning In: Since Big Tens are seeded by win/loss record, placement here is important. Michigan and Iowa each come in undefeated while Ohio State is at 3-1, Maryland at 2-2 and Illinois sits at 1-3. That means it is especially important for Maryland and Illinois to place well if they want a night session seed. Coming in ahead of just one or two teams here could be enough for the Buckeyes, but a second place finish would be even better.

Recap

The Big Storyline: Both Temple and Yale had a few struggles, putting up less than their ideal scores for the season. Yale struggled on bars, dropping nearly a point from its season-high last weekend, although Yale hasn’t found a consistent stride on bars yet this year. Uncharacteristic mistakes from Raegan Walker put some added pressure on the Bulldogs, as her usually high beam and bar scores have really helped the team this season. Yale’s floor consistency helped to keep the Bulldogs afloat as well as Lindsay Chia who helped guide Yale through the meet. Temple was forced to count a fall on bars but was able to bring it home on floor after breaking into a low 49. 

Implications: With Yale working through a few consistency issues, it moves up by chance thanks to a few other GEC teams underperforming this weekend. This gives Yale just enough breathing room to rest, recover and improve for the remainder of the season, assuming it finds the stride needed to peak at the right time. Yale will slide into second place in the GEC after this weekend, and with NQS coming into play. As far as its place in the USAG rankings, the Bulldogs pushed past West Chester there as well, wiggling into third, although a strong meet from Air Force can bump then into fourth there. 

Records: Temple’s Sarah Stallings tied her career high on bars with a 9.800.

Controversies: Bars judges had quite a few meetings when it came to scoring, but beam judges had it rough when they couldn’t agree on Hannah Statllings’ beam start value.

Recap

The Big Storyline: Auburn defeated Georgia for just the second time in program history, thanks in no small part to a dazzling performances by freshmen Suni Lee and Sophia Groth, who capped off her all-around debut with a 9.950 on beam en route to a 39.425.

Implications: Auburn continues to prove that it’s one of the top teams in the SEC this year, edging out LSU and Alabama for second place behind Florida and fifth nationally. While Georgia is showing steady improvement from its early season struggles, it remains the only SEC team yet to break 197. 

Records: Georgia earned an impressive season high 49.350 on beam, bettering its previous season high by nearly three tenths and a full two and a half points higher than its season low. Lee not only swept the individual titles (the first Tiger since 2016 to accomplish that feat), but also became the first NCAA gymnast to compete a Yurchenko half-on layout vault.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 7 Auburn at No. 27 Georgia

Why You Should Clear Space on Your DVR: After a disappointing start, the Gymdogs have been on an upswing, scoring 196-plus in their last three meets. Auburn, meanwhile, will be looking to extend its hot streak by posting a sixth-consecutive score over 197 (something no other SEC team can boast, even Florida). This is Auburn’s meet to lose, but bear in mind that Georgia has a pesky habit of exceeding expectations at home. 

You Can Fast Forward, but not Through This: Georgia’s vault lineup has been a bright spot for the struggling program, going 49 or higher in every meet this season, and senior Rachel Baumann’s upgraded Yurchenko 1.5 has been the standout. Auburn’s beam rotation has been climbing steadily all season, culminating in a program record 49.625 last week. it has four gymnasts who’ve posted 9.950 or higher so far, including the stellar Gabby McLaughlin. She and Olympic champion Suni Lee are one of the most formidable one-two punches currently anchoring a lineup.

Illinois State, Iowa State, Lindenwood and SEMO in St. Charles, Missouri.

Recap 

The Big Storyline: Iowa State creeped back into the 196 range for the second time this season thanks to a pair of 9.9s from Loyim and Cooke on bars. The Cyclones also posted the best floor rotation of the season. Illinois State continued its rise to stardom with its third 195 of the season. The vault team finally came up with the landings it is capable of to post the highest vault score in program history. Gayla Griswold’s incredible vault performance led the Lions to another strong team total despite some inconsistencies on bars and floor. SEMO continued to show some weakness on bars but was able to continue to show improvement across the events. 

Implications: Illinois State snuck away with two conference victories after posting a program high vault total. Despite the Redbirds’ slower start to the season, they have put the naysayers to rest in the last couple weeks. The team will move to the top of the conference standings as the ranking system switches to NQS. Lindenwood put together another strong total of its own thanks to a 49-plus vault total. The Lions have been up and down on that event, but when the team hits, it’ll be hard for other USAG foes to contend. Anna Speller made her grand entrance back into the SEMO beam lineup with an event victory and tying her career high. Janelle Lopez also made her collegiate debuts on vault and bars. Hopefully the addition of athletes back onto events will signify the end of SEMO troubles with depth. However, it should be noted that Jordan Jones was not seen in any lineups this week. Her team compensated for her absence well, but it could become more of an issue for the team down the road. 

Records: Gayla Griswold broke the Lindenwood program record with a 9.975 on vault. Illinois State’s 49.350 marks the highest vault total in program history as well as the highest conference vault score in the regular season.

Recap

The Big Storyline: Setting a new season high and finally hitting 198, Utah moved into sole possession of second place in the Pac-12 regular season standings after beating Oregon State. In a night where Olympians Jade Carey, Grace McCallum and Amalie Morgan were honored before the meet and shined during the meet, it was Ute Cristal Isa who stole the show on beam with the first perfect 10 of her career.

Implications: The Utes remain alive in the race for the regular season conference crown but would still need California to lose twice. Hitting 198 will bode well for Utah in terms of the switch switch to NQS, as will the Beavers’ 197 on the road when they’re eligible for an NQS ranking in a couple weeks.

Records: Utah posted a 49.725 on beam to match its nation-leading total. Oregon State’s Madi Dagen set a new all-around career high with a 39.575.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 13 Oregon State at No. 4 Utah

Why You Should Cancel Plans for It: Sole possession of second place in the Pac-12 and still a slim chance at first will be at stake in this matchup with Oregon State taking on Utah. Olympic medalists Jade Carey for the Beavers and Grace McCallum for the Utes will face off for the first time in college.

What We’re Watching: Utah will be aiming to rebound from an upset loss to California last weekend, suffering its first conference loss since 2019. This is also the first of two meets this weekend for the Utes, so it will be interesting to see if anybody is rested.

What Else You Should Know Before Tuning In: This meet is Utah’s Pride Meet, Alumni recognition and Olympian night. The Utes will be honoring their current and former Olympic gymnasts and will also honor Carey.

Recap

The Big Storyline: LSU broke 198 for the first time in 2022 to overtake the visiting Crimson Tide. Both teams have put their early season struggles firmly behind them; the lowest beam score of the competition was a 9.850 from LSU’s Kai Rivers, and neither team counted a score below 9.800. 

Implications: Florida remains at the top of the SEC for now but will face stiff competition for the conference championship title. LSU and Alabama—ranked third and fourth, respectively, in the SEC—will need to maintain this level to retain their coveted spots in the evening session of the conference championship over Missouri or Kentucky. 

Records: Kiya Johnson earned her seventh career perfect 10 and second on beam. Teammate Haleigh Bryant scored a career high 9.950 on beam. 

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 8 Alabama at No. 5 LSU

Why You Should Cancel Plans for It: Alabama may “only” be ranked fourth in the SEC, but don’t forget it upset LSU and Florida to take the conference title last season (Jay Clark and the Tigers certainly haven’t). These teams are notorious for rising to the occasion, so this should be a gritty, hard-fought battle. 

What We’re Watching: Both teams will presumably be missing key contributors this week: Alabama’s Makarri Doggette suffered an unspecified sprain during her floor routine last week while classmate Mati Waligora was MIA (not word on if she was dealing with an illness, injury or simply resting). LSU’s Haleigh Bryant pulled out of beam after a painful landing on floor at Florida and Alyona Shchennikova suffered a knee injury during training. With as many as eight routines for each team to replace, how will lineups be affected? LSU has the added pressure of making sure it has enough gymnasts in competition form for its second meet of the weekend against Missouri and Arkansas. 

Recap

The Big Storyline: Season high scores highlighted a close one in Provo.

Implications: BYU strengthens its conference lead, but a strong road performance will bode well for Southern Utah as it inches closer to the top 16.

Records: Southern Utah’s 197.000 was a school record score for a road meet. The Thunderbirds’ 49.450 on bars to start the meet was also a school record. BYU’s Sadie Miner-Van Tassell scored a career high 39.525 in the all-around.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 23 Southern Utah at No. 19 BYU

Why You Should Make Time to Tune in: We have another exciting MRGC meet! Last time these two teams met on Jan. 21, just a quarter-tenth ultimately separated them. This time home turf shifts to BYU, where the Cougars will hope to get the edge this time. It’s bound to be another close one! 

Need More Proof? Southern Utah’s Shylen Murakami tied the MRGC and school bar record with a 9.975 last week. Her set is exquisite and one to watch. Similarly, BYU’s Anyssa Alvarado is stunning on bars; we should be in for a treat from both of those lineups. Both vault teams feature a variety of skills, though watch for Caitlin Kho’s (Southern Utah) and Sadie Miner-Van Tassell’s (BYU) Yurchenko one and a halves. Finally, BYU floor is always a treat—beyond the fun choreography, Miner-Van Tassell recently added a double layout back into her routine.

Recap

The Big Storyline: The Broncos celebrated senior night with a commanding win over Utah State, which battled back from shaky performances on vault and beam.

Implications: Utah State keeps second place in the MRGC and will shoot up to No. 14 in the national rankings despite the loss. Boise State, which wasn’t able to compete until January 28, will not have enough scores for an NQS and will drop out of the rankings. The season high score spells good things, though.

Records: Boise State’s 196.950 was its highest score since March of 2019 while Alexis Stokes’s 9.975 on bars ties the school record again. Utah State’s 49.500 on floor was a season high and the second best floor score in school history.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 21 Utah State at No. 24 Boise State

Why You Should Make Time to Tune in: Utah State hasn’t scored below a 196 since week two, most recently hitting 196.800 and tying the second-highest score in school history despite a season-low bars total. Boise State had its own mishaps on bars last week, but the team is much better than that. We should be in for another close one if both teams are performing at their best. 

Need More Proof? We’re still on Emily Muhlenhaupt 10 watch on bars and are begging the gym gods to let it happen. Beyond her stellar routine, most of the Broncos’ bars lineup is great, including Alexis Stokes and Emily Lopez. Adriana Popp also has a great triple series on beam. For Utah State, Brianna Brooks has come into her own on bars and beam especially, Sofi Sullivan is gorgeous on beam and Brie Clark’s floor might just be the routine of the meet for the Aggies.

Recap 

The Big Storyline: San Jose State continued its amazing season, posting another score over 196. Even with the beam lineup not performing to its potential, the Spartans were able to put together a countable score for NQS. Texas Woman’s put together a season high performance of its own, partially thanks to a trio of 9.875s from Steelie King, Daisy Woodring and Madeline Gose. The Pioneers’ 49.100 was the teams best this year, and bars was much improved. Isabel Goyco, who is mostly known for her floor performances, led the team on uneven bars this week. Unfortunately, Sacramento State counted a fall on beam, so the Hornets couldn’t quite stay in the race. Despite counting mistakes on beam and floor, Alaska posted its second highest team score of the season. Inconsistency continues to be an issue for the Seawolves. Of note, Mackenzie Robinson was missing from the lineups this week for Alaska. She typically contributes on two or three events. 

Implications: The Pioneers’ season high score was with counting a lower beam score. TWU still has room to grow even after posting one of the highest scores in the USAG this season. Madeline Gose is definitely starting to hit her stride again this season, sticking her Yurchenko full for a new career high. TWU will move up tentatively up to the second position among USAG teams. The Pioneers are only behind conference foe Lindenwood who posted two consecutive 194s on Friday and Sunday. TWU is pushing its way into the conference title talk, peaking at just the right time. However, the Pioneers will have to fend off the surging Illinois State Redbirds and their duo of 9.9-plus vaulters. 

Records: Several Pioneers posted new career highs, including Madeline Gose’s 9.875 on vault and Emily Six’s 9.775 on beam.

Recap

Update 2/9: West Virginia joined this meet after having to cancel its meet at Arkansas week five.

Recap

The Big Storyline: Ursinus looked more like the Ursinus we saw at its opening meet of the season as West Virginia scored a new season high and Towson edged closer to a 197. Towson showed up strong, scoring 49-plus on each event for the second time this season. Not to be outdone, this was the first time this season West Virginia also scored a 49 or higher on each event in 2022. Ursinus improved on its previous season high on bars. 

Implications: Ursinus should see itself move up in the rankings, depending on how it performs in its last-minute meet against Penn on Sunday, but will very likely overtake Cortland in the rankings in the NCGA-East as well as in the NCGA as a whole, likely surpassing Winona State as well. Towson should slide into second behind North Carolina in the EAGL conference with its NQS tally. West Virginia’s stellar performance won’t change its standings, however.

Records: For Ursinus, Alyssa DeLorme scored a career high 9.625 on bars and 9.750 on beam, and Madison Zimmerman scored a personal best 9.800 on beam. Kasey Ricci scored a career high 9.250 on floor and Ashley Cromer notched a 9.375 for a new best on vault. On beam, West Virginia sophomore Chloe Asper scored a career-high 9.900 as did Agatha Handono with a 9.875. Kendra Combs had a career high 9.925 on floor as well as Kianna Yancey with a 9.875. Kianna Yancey also scored a new high on vault with a 9.850. Towson’s Clara Hong scored a new best of 9.900 on bars, as well as Lauren Keener with a 9.850 as well as on beam with a 9.875.

Recap

The Big Storyline: Michigan State and Nebraska stepped up to the plate and took advantage of another off day for Minnesota—especially on beam—for big results at Big Fives. The Gophers still looked off, with uncharacteristic mistakes from Ona Loper, who put her hand down on vault and fell on beam and a fall from Tiarre Sales on beam. Each team suffered from some hoppiness on the podium. The Huskers kept their landings more together than any of the other teams. 

Implications: Michigan State secured a night session berth to Big Tens with its four wins here. It will join Michigan, Ohio State and the winner of Minnesota versus Iowa (presumably—in past seasons a tied record, which Minnesota and Iowa will have if Minnesota wins next week, the tie break goes to the winner of the head-to-head matchup between the tied teams). Nebraska could also factor in mathematically, but it would require beating Michigan next week.

Controversies: In usual FloGymnastics form, the stream was terrible. It kicked us out more than once, and the commentary Natalie Brown had been doing the entire meet didn’t turn on until the last routine in the fourth rotation.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 6 Minnesota, No. 14 Michigan State, No. 35 Penn State, No. 36 Nebraska and No. 41 Rutgers 

Why You Should Cancel Plans for It: Big Fives time! This meet acts as half of the Big Ten’s head-to-head conference matchups for the season, and drama is always high as teams compete in a championship atmosphere on podium at Elevate the Stage Toledo. This matchup is juicy. Minnesota is coming off a very tough day in a loss to Maryland in the second meet of a double. The Gophers just looked gassed and rested Mya Hooten on floor and Maddie Quarles. If they’re still showing fatigue, the Spartans are in prime position to steal this one. Michigan State blasted through its program record meet score last week for a 197.425—a number Minnesota has bested only twice this year—and will be hungry to keep that momentum alive. Rutgers and Nebraska have also been on an upswing, with solid performances in each of their last outings. Penn State is fresh off a strong performance at Michigan, too, so each team has fuel for this one.

What We’re Watching: Despite its struggles, Minnesota showed signs of its usual greatness on Monday, with a 10.0 for Ona Loper on vault in College Park. She and Lexy Ramler are capable of perfection every time out, and this meet is no different. The Spartans were without bars star Jori Jackard last week; she capable of a huge number, and if she’s back, she could be instrumental in helping the Spartans to another big total. The Nittany Lions rely heavily on fifth years Lauren Bridgens and Alissa Bonsall, both of whom could take the bars title with a clean hit. Nebraska’s best days this year have come when Kaitlyn Higgins and Kinsey Davis have been on; if they hit floor and beam, respectively, for big scores, the Huskers will be looking good. Rutgers needs Hannah Joyner and Belle Huang to have big hits to sneak ahead of any teams here; they’re both capable of stunning gymnastics. Emily Leese is also a secret weapon for the Scarlet Knights with her stickable Yurchenko 1.5. She could give the vault stalwarts a run for their money with a good landing.

What Else You Should Know Before Tuning In: The Big Ten championship is seeded by win/loss, so placement here is critical. Going into Big Fives, Minnesota and Michigan State are each 2-2 while Nebraska and Rutgers are 1-3 and Penn State is winless in conference play. Both the Gophers and Spartans will be striving for a win in Toledo to reach a 6-2 record and all but secure a championship night session berth.

Recap

The Big Storyline: Oklahoma posted a huge score on the road for an easy victory in this Big 12 vs. Pac-12 clash.

Implications: Oklahoma’s 198.175 was just enough to bump Florida out of the No. 2 spot in the NQS rankings, and senior star Olivia Trautman made her long-awaited 2022 debut. Denver’s early struggles on floor took a devastating turn when fifth-year Mia Sundstrom tore her Achilles in the fourth spot. The already-depleted Pioneers will have to make more adjustments on all four events.

Records: Washington’s second place score of 196.825 was the team’s season high by over half a point, and its highest score since March of 2020. Ragan Smith’s 9.975 on floor tied her career high while Jordan Bowers’s 9.975 on vault tied her season high.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 3 Oklahoma, No. 12 Denver, No. 18 Stanford and No. 38 Washington at Metroplex Challenge

Why You Should Clear Space on Your DVR: It’s a Big 12 and Pac-12 showdown on podium as a quartet of Power Five programs battle it out at Metroplex Challenge. Oklahoma is the easy favorite, but Denver and Washington are in need of statement wins while Stanford is hunting for a second straight upset.

You Can Fast Forward, but not Through This: Oklahoma’s Audrey Davis and Jordan Bowers will be put to the test in the all-around with Stanford fifth-year Kyla Bryant tied with Davis in the all-around rankings. Denver’s Jessica Hutchinson has stepped up in the absent of Lynnzee Brown and should make for a tough beam battle against the Sooners’ Ragan Smith and the Huskies’ Skylar Killough-Wilhelm, the former of which is coming off back-to-back 10s on the event. This is also the first of two meets this weekend for both Stanford and Washington.

Recap

The Big Storyline: Springfield nearly topped its previous season high despite a few struggles on bars but posted a season high on beam, improving by nearly a full point with notable scores from Devon Rosier and MacKenzie MacLeod who went 9.600 and 9.700. After going four weeks without dropping below a 191.400, Cornell had a few hiccups on bars and floor holding it back from its full scoring potential, but by no means a bad meet.   

Implications: Cornell’s consistency means it’ll stay in fourth place in the GEC and sit tight in seventh in its division, with powerhouse West Chester holding the Big Red off for another week. Overall, Springfield should stay within the top ten in the NCGA division.  

The Big Storyline: The Sharks swam their way to victory, claiming not only the team title but taking first in every event. Hannah Zebdi helped to guide Southern Connecticut, scoring over a 9.600 for the seventh time this season, along with Cassidy Girolamo who has scored over a 9.700 in the past two meets on floor. Brown was forced to count a fall on bars but didn’t count a single score below a 9.700 on floor, turning things around and scoring a new season high by just over half a point. Rhode Island nearly tied its season high on bars and floor, with Olivia Keyes and Kelsey Gates delivering big scores. 

Implications: Brown will eventually see itself moving up in the rankings once it has an NQS, landing in the top half of the conference. Southern Connecticut won’t move much, hovering in seventh place but without a full conference of NQS accounted for. It’ll slide into the middle of the pack for now. Despite a strong showing, LIU will continue to sit in eighth in the EAGL conference, but with a few more high scores, it could surpass New Hampshire at some point during the rest of the season. Rhode Island will be just barely edged out by Springfield, most likely dropping into fourth place in the East once the weekend comes to an end. The Anchorwomen should find themselves staying in the top ten in the NCGA. 

Records: Southern Connecticut’s Chelsea Baker scored a career high 9.750 on bars, as did Audrey Arnold with a 9.700. On beam Madison Tansowny scored a new best of 9.650. Angela Xing set a career-high on vault with a 9.725. Taylor Schulze scored a 9.800 on bars for a new personal best as did Lauren McKeown with a 9.550. McKenna Weiner scored a new high of 9.650 on beam and 9.775 on floor. Abby Walsh pocketed a new high on floor as well, with a 9.750, as did Angela Xing with a 9.725. Lauren Lazaro followed with a new high of 9.700. Ilka Juk set a personal and program record for LIU on beam with a 9.925. Olivia Keyes set a new all around program record for Rhode Island with a 37.950.

Update 1/27: As LSU missed duals with both Arkansas and Missouri, it was added to this meet and the entire competition was moved to Sunday, Feb. 20 at 1 p.m. ET.

Recap

The Big Storyline: Missouri defeated LSU for the first time since joining the SEC in 2013. While this was LSU’s second meet of the weekend, the visiting Tigers looked no worse for the wear and did not count a score below 9.725. 

Implications: This performance should help ensure Arkansas remains a top 20 team once NQS kicks in, but the Razorbacks continue to be a step behind the bulk of the SEC. On the other hand, Missouri made a compelling argument that its performance against Florida was no fluke and that it has the potential to upset the top teams in the country.

Records: Haleigh Bryant scored her fourth career perfect 10 on vault. Hollyn Patrick set a new career high with a 9.950 on bars..

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 2 LSU and No. 16 Arkansas at No. 11 Missouri

Why You Should Cancel Plans for It: Arkansas has been nothing if not inconsistent this season: When the Gymbacks hit, they’re a formidable opponent; unfortunately, they’ve literally hit or miss this season. Top all arounder Kennedy Hambrick was “unavailable” last week against Kentucky, and the scores reflected her absence. 

On paper, the fifth-ranked Tigers is the favorite coming into this tri-meet, but there are a couple of factors working against them: Haleigh Bryant and Alyona Shchennikova are both limited by injury (to what extent remains to be seen); worst case scenario, that’s eight routines capable of 9.9-plus scores LSU will need to replace. Even if Bryant and Shchennikova were at full strength, the Tigers will be coming off of a Friday home meet against an always formidable Alabama.

Missouri had a disappointing (though still respectable 196.250) performance against Auburn last week and will be looking to reclaim its spot in the top 10. If it can replicate its level of performance against Florida the week before, it could potentially upset LSU (and maybe even the SEC pecking order). 

What We’re Watching: You won’t want to miss any of the power events: LSU and Missouri have some of the most dynamic vaults in the country, and all three teams have gone 49.550 or higher on floor. 

Recap

Recap

Update 2/19 AM: This meet was canceled due to COVID protocols within the Bridgeport program. Penn is searching for a new opponent for Sunday or Monday night.

Update 2/19 PM: Ursinus replaced Bridgeport.

Recap (Ursinus v Penn)

The Big Storyline: Originally scheduled to face Bridgeport, Ursinus stepped in after Bridgeport could no longer attend due to COVID protocols. After competing once already this weekend, Ursinus went ahead and rested a few gymnasts, put a few new faces in the lineup and added nearly three points to its team score. The result? A new season high in addition to several event highs. What a weekend! Host Penn notched a new season high and best home score in program history, all while counting a fall. After all that, the all-around title was a difference of just 0.075 between Alyssa DeLorme and Sydney Kraez.  

Implications: Penn easily continues to lead the GEC, with Yale nearly a full point behind. All that’s left for Penn is to continue its streak of big scores to close out its season and possibly eye the title of the first GEC championship. With this big score, Ursinus should find itself moving up a few spots in the East, and with NQS in account, it should be within the top half. In the NCGA as a whole, it should improve as well.

Records: Penn set a program record on vault with a 49.175. For Ursinus, Alyssa DeLorme set a new career-high with a 9.650 on bars, as did Carly Troilo and Adison Tanguay both with a 9.275. Alyssa DeLorme set a new high in the all-around with a 38.275.

Recap 

The Big Storyline: Illinois State came away with its second win against conference foe Lindenwood this weekend. Alana Laster and Angelica Labat both came up with stuck Yurchenko one and a halves again to earn the top two scores on the event. The floor team is finally hitting its stride led by the consistency of freshman Jaye Mack. The Redbirds avoided counting a fall on bars and pushed through a slightly wobbly beam rotation to take the victory. Lindenwood fell behind in the second rotation after being forced to count a fall on bars and never fully recovered. The Lions counted a few too many 9.6s to post a total that approached 195. 

Implications: Illinois State will continue to lead the conference rankings after posting two 195-plus scores this weekend. The Redbirds’ vault and floor teams are leading the way right now with some room for growth on bars and beam. However, Illinois State seems to have its general lineups set in stone. The top six should continue to improve through post season. Lindenwood will continue to lead the USAG standings for the time being. However, it is beginning to back itself into a corner with several 194 scores. The next score to drop is a 193.625. The Lions will need to pick the pace back up to fend off the surging TWU Pioneers. 

Records: Madison Rush tied her beam career high with a 9.800 while Jaye Mack tied her floor career high of 9.900. 

Controversies: The bars broke during warm ups, so the competition got off to a late start. The good news is that the Redbirds had plenty of time to play tag while waiting for the equipment to be fixed.

Recap

The Big Storyline: Brockport took the crown by a margin of just over SIX points. The Golden Eagles won every event title as well. Brockport is really finding its groove as it proves its high scores are a theme of consistency, not luck. Ithaca struggled on bars, scoring a season low and dropping nearly four points from just a few days earlier but the Bombers bounced back on floor with a season high. Cortland faced similar issues, leaving two and a half points on the mat from its meet earlier in the week.  

Implications: It’s no question, Brockport will continue to sit in first in the NCGA division, with Oshkosh trailing approximately a point behind in second. Ithaca slides into fifth place for now with SAS taking effect. Ithaca needs to pick things back up and find its groove again to continue to be a threat to La Crosse and Whitewater for the remainder of the season.

Records: Samantha Nothnagel from Cortland scored a new best of 9.750 on beam. Delaney Brown followed suit with a 9.475 on vault. Rianna Adams and Bryanna DeAngelis both scored new highs with a 9.300 on bars and 9.550 on beam. Sydney Schumaker of Brockport tied a program record and scored a new personal best on beam with a 9.800 and Laken Sooy scored a new high of 9.500 on floor.

Recap 

The Big Storyline: TWU started the meet in the lead with a huge 49.200 on floor. However, counting a fall on bars caused the Pioneers to fall off of UC Davis’ pace. Despite some strong individual performances, Air Force couldn’t quite put it all together today. Floor continued to be the place that the Falcons shined while the other events fell a bit flat. Although the team’s score did not rival its best performances of the season, a mid-193 increased the NQS as the Falcons dropped the 191.975 from the season opener. UC Davis put together its first 196-plus score of the year thanks to season highs on three events. Alaska fought through the competition to avoid counting any falls. Its team performance fell just one tenth short of Friday’s effort. There were still signs of inconsistency that need to be worked out, but Alyssa Manley continued to be a steady force within each lineup. 

Implications: Although Sunday’s performance was not quite as lights-out as Friday, Texas Woman’s will leave California with two countable NQS scores. The pressure will be on Lindenwood to continue pushing forward as the Pioneers inch closer and closer. With the switch to NQS, TWU will jump to No. 2 in USAG heading into week eight. With another good score next week, the Pioneers will be able to drop a 192.925, whereas Lindenwood’s drop score is a 193.625. That means TWU stands more to gain with a strong performance next week. Air Force continues to have intermittent struggles on bars and beam. That inconsistency 

Records: Sierra Muns increased her floor career high to 9.900 with a sky-high double pike. Steelie King’s matching 9.900 on beam was also a career high.

Recap

Recap

The Big Storyline: In just her fourth all-around performance ever, Emily White stepped up huge for the Sun Devils to help improve their season-best team total by over a point and earn a massive upset over visiting UCLA. Arizona State cruised to victory, leading start to finish after the Bruins started their day counting two falls on bars, while White was near flawless on her way to three titles on the night.

Implications: The Sun Devils remain alive in the hunt for a finish in the top half of the conference, and finally hitting 197 will be good for ranking and NQS purposes as well. UCLA missed an opportunity for a good road score in its final regular season away meet and will suffer in the rankings.

Records: White’s 39.600 in the all around is a new career high, as is teammate Jade Mangahas’ 9.950 on floor. UCLA’s bars total was it’s lowest in 17 years and Arizona State’s win is the first over UCLA since 2001.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 15 UCLA at No. 20 Arizona State

Why You Should Clear Space on Your DVR: Currently sitting in the bottom half of the Pac-12, this meet is a must-win for each team if they want any shot at making the evening session of the conference championship meet. The Bruins have struggled on the road this season, and the Sun Devils have fallen short of expectations thus far, giving each team motivation to earn an important victory.

You Can Fast Forward, but not Through This: UCLA’s Jordan Chiles has notched perfect 10s in back-to-back weeks and will be looking to continue her streak to help the Bruins, who have been struggling with injuries all year. Keep an eye out to see if Norah Flatley and Sara Ulias are back in lineups after suffering potentially minor injuries last week. Hannah Scharf continues to be a consistent all-arounder for Arizona State and has a realistic shot at the individual title.

Recap

The Big Storyline: Boise State improved on its opening season high of the weekend by five hundredths for a quad meet victory over BYU, Sacramento State and host Stanford. Emily Muhlenhaupt nabbed another bars title to lead the Broncos, who overcame an iffy floor rotation thanks to a big total on bars. The Cardinal and Cougars tied for second place, thanks to Kyla Bryant and Elease Rollins, who also tied with near-perfect scores on beam.

Implications: Boise State’s win and 197 further complicated a crowded picture in the MRGC, with no true frontrunner just weeks away from the conference championship meet.

Records: Stanford freshman Brenna Neault notched an impressive all-around mark for a new career high by three tenths.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 19 BYU, No. 24 Boise State and No. 60 Sacramento State at No. 18 Stanford

Why You Should Make Time to Tune in: In its second quad meet of the weekend, Stanford hosts a trio of west coast foes in what should be a great battle between the Cardinal, Cougars and Broncos.

Need More Proof? Stanford freshman Brenna Neault has been off to an impressive start to her collegiate career, featuring a unique full-on vault that gives the Cardinal much needed difficulty. Make sure to watch Boise State’s Emily Muhlenhaupt on bars, as she’s on a quest for a 10, having come very close previously. BYU’s depth will likely be on display, per usual, with Sadie Miner-Van Tassell leading the way and continuing her sister’s success. For Sacramento State, be sure to watch for three-event star Amber Koeth, who shines on beam.

Recap

The Big Storyline: Tying her career high in the all-around, Maya Bordas powered California to an easy win over visiting Arizona to remain undefeated on the season and in the hunt for the Pac-12 regular season title. The Golden Bears were consistent on every event, using the second highest beam total in school history to propel themselves to a new season high. The Wildcats left encouraged with a new away-best on the season, led by event title-winning floor routines from Malie Hargrove and Caroline Herry.

Implications: California now needs one win in its next two meets to secure itself at least a share of the conference regular season championship. Two wins or a Utah loss would secure the title outright. Arizona remains winless on the season but is currently projected to be the last team to make the regionals cutoff.

Records: Herry’s floor-winning total was a new career best, along with a 9.900 on beam from Hargrove.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 34 Arizona at No. 9 California

Why You Should Clear Space on Your DVR: Fresh off of an upset, California leads the Pac-12 and will be looking to take another step toward claiming the regular season crown as it hosts winless Arizona, which is in desperate need of a good score to stay on the good side of the postseason bubble.

You Can Fast Forward, but not Through This: After missing a few meets with illness, Milan Clausi should return to lineups and give the Golden Bears an added boost as they try to solidify a top 10 ranking. Gabby Perea made her collegiate debut on two events in Clausi’s absence, so expect some additional lineup shakeups to see if she remains or if someone else comes out as Clausi is inserted back in. For Arizona, Malia Hargrove seems to finally be back in a groove after a scary fall on bars early in the season. Watch for her 9.9-earning floor routine with a full-in opening pass.

Recap

Recap

The Big Storyline: Both in their second meets of the weekend, the Utes outpaced the Huskies thanks to a big beam rotation that notched a 49.600 and earned Utah its second win this weekend. Grace McCallum led the way, setting a new career high in the all-around, with Sydney Soloski coming so close to perfection yet again to win the floor title. Washington earned its second season-best of the weekend thanks to Geneva Thompson and her bars title.

Implications: The Utes remain the favorites for runners-up in the regular season conference title race and could still nab a share of the title with two California losses. Washington has all but secured a finish in the bottom half of the Pac-12 but currently sits in regional qualifying position.

Records: Washington had a slew of career highs, with Thompson’s bars score, Brenna Brooks’ beam 9.900 and Skylar Killough-Wilhelm’s 39.550 in the all-around leading the way.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 4 Utah at Washington

Why You Should Clear Space on Your DVR: After taking on the Metroplex Challenge, Washington will return home for its second meet of the weekend against top five Utah, also in its second competition of the week.

You Can Fast Forward, but not Through This: This dual provides Washington an opportunity to push itself against a title contender and see how well stars Geneva Thompson and Amara Cunningham can lead the Huskies. This meet provides Utah with one of its first opportunities to truly rest athletes, so the composition of the lineups will be interesting to watch.