After a rough first two weeks of competition to start 2018, most teams will look to have more even performances this weekend. And with a number of surprising teams still holding onto spots in the top 25, keep an eye out to see if they can hang on longer or slip back into their old ways. As always, you’ll find everything you need to follow along with all the meets happening this weekend, including previews of the top matchups, Fantasy Gymnastics resources and every scoring and video link you could ever need.
No. 16 Auburn at No. 28 Georgia: Friday, Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. ET
Georgia did increasingly better this past weekend in its home opener against Oklahoma, finishing with an improved 196.600 over its mid-194 three days prior against Alabama. At home, Georgia was a completely different team, hitting 21-for-21 routines and correcting other smaller errors from their time in Tuscaloosa. However, the team’s limited depth put the pressure on three of the four lineups to hit their routines or count a mistake. But having little wiggle room was a non-issue: Vega anchored both beam and floor scoring 9.875 and 9.900, respectively. In a similar situation, Auburn showed immense improvement over its first two competitions. Starting the season off with a rough 193.950 in Tempe, Arizona week one—counting six scores below 9.700—to a 196.625 victory against Missouri week two. In the Tigers vs. Tigers matchup, sophomore Gracie Day took an event title with a stellar 9.900 on floor, as well as red shirt junior Abby Milliet who claimed the beam title with an impressive 9.925. This week’s match up in Athens will be one to watch as both the Tigers and the Gym Dogs are quite evenly matched.
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| Georgia | Georgia | Georgia | Georgia | Georgia | Auburn | Georgia | Auburn | Georgia |
No. 16 @AuburnGym heads to No. 28 @UGAGymnastics Friday at 7 p.m. ET! Who wins?
— NCAA Gym News (@NCAAGymNews) January 17, 2018
No. 9 Alabama at No. 1 LSU: Friday, Jan. 19 at 8:30 p.m. ET
In yet another powerhouse SEC matchup, the Tide will face the formidable Tigers at home this week. Coming off of a huge win at Florida, LSU will be looking to stay undefeated as it faces an old foe in the Crimson Tide. LSU’s strong 197.250 showing in Gainesville did reveal a few cracks in the rock-solid facade, including a miss on bars from Ashlyn Kirby and a crashed final pass on floor from Sarah Edwards. Head coach D-D Breaux is still toying with her lineups on both events, so don’t be surprised to see some different faces in the first few spots. But some things will certainly remain the same: Myia Hambrick, Sarah Finnegan and Kennedi Edney in the all around, any of whom could win the four-evert title depending on the day.
Alabama will look to redeem itself after a couple of rough competitions to start the season. Dropping the ball to Michigan was bad enough in week one, but the mishaps against Georgia last week will be hard to overlook for anyone betting on this meet. Wynter Childers has been a solid lead-off performer on every event, sharing all around responsibilities with teammate Kiana Winston, who just picked up her second SEC Specialist of the Week honor this season. We may see some new faces on vault this week, particularly after Lexi Graber was seen limping off the mat after sitting her Y1.5 against Georgia. Head coach Dana Duckworth is known for playing with the order and composition of her lineups, but it may be more of a necessity now. It’ll be a close one if Alabama is on its game, but that in itself will be the biggest question answered here.
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No. 9 @BamaGymnastics and No. 1 @LSUgym square off Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET! Who wins?
— NCAA Gym News (@NCAAGymNews) January 17, 2018
No. 7 Denver, No. 43 UIC, No. 59 Seattle Pacific at No. 8 Boise State: Friday, Jan. 19 at 9 p.m. ET
Denver, Seattle Pacific and UIC travel to Boise State in a Friday night quad meet that should turn out to be two competitions in one, with two sets of evenly matched teams. The main storyline here will be the Pioneers and the Broncos, both both of which have been up and coming for the past few years now. This season looks to be no different for either team. The Broncos are coming off of a home win against Southern Utah, a meet where they totaled a team score of 196.225. The team is led by two all arounders in Shani Remme and Courtney McGregor, along with Sarah Means. The Pioneers are also coming off of a big win in front of a home crowd where the team tallied its highest score of the season at 196.8 against Air Force, despite once again counting a bars fall. That’s again an area where the Pioneers look to improve, as they’ve counted a fall in both of their first two meets. But it didn’t stop the Pioneers from scoring a near-197. The team has two star all arounders in sophomore Maddie Karr and freshman Lynnzee Brown, but don’t sleep on newcomer Mia Sundstrom in the all around either. On beam, watch for Kaitlyn Schou, who won Big 12 Specialist of the Week two weeks in a row to start the season.
The Falcons and the Flames will also take part in this quad, with the Division II Falcons taking on the lower tier Division I Flames. Although the Flames outrank the Falcons currently, don’t sleep on the Falcons either. The team is especially dynamic on floor, where Darian Burns recorded a score of 9.8 in the team’s first meet and is the defending USAG national champion where she scored a 9.900. The Flames are very much a bars team, their highest ranking team event, so keep an eye on them there, especially for Mikailla Northern, who nearly broke 39 all around. Serena Baker and Toni Alicke are also ones to watch on the event while freshman Kayla Baddeley has been a steady contributor for the Flames as well. While neither team will challenge Denver or Boise State, it will be interesting to see which of these teams can pull off a better day and hit their routines to earn third.
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No. 7 @DU_Gymnastics, No. 59 @SPUGYMNASTICS, No. 43 @UICFlames_WGYM and No. 8 @BroncoSportsGYM compete Fridau at 9 p.m. ET. Who wins?
— NCAA Gym News (@NCAAGymNews) January 17, 2018
No. 23 California at No. 13 Washington: Saturday, Jan. 20 at 3:30 p.m. ET
Washington plays host to California in its home opener Saturday. In the Huskies’ last outing, they placed third in Reno at Elevate the Stage with a score of 195.725. The Huskies showcased a solid all around competition, putting up scores of at least 48.675 on each of the four events. Some gymnasts to watch for from Washington this week are, Madison Copiak, who scored an impressive 9.900 for her beautiful bars routine, and Maya Washington who put up the team’s highest scores on beam and floor. As for vault, Evanni Roberson and Haley Roy showed off strong dynamics for the Huskies. The visiting Golden Bears had a solid showing on vault, beam, and floor during their recent trip to BYU but struggled signficianty on bars where they put up just a 47.925. Though they struggled on bars, the Bears showed great potential, and the rotation was highlighted by a 9.850 from freshman Alma Kuc. California is home to two strong all around competitors in Kyana George and Toni-Ann Williams. who deserve to always be on the list of gymnasts to watch. Another gymnast that is up and coming on the California team is Cassidy Keelen who, after missing most of her freshman season due to an injury, has returned better than ever, scoring a 9.800 on both vault and beam at BYU. If California cleans up bars, this should be a pretty evenly matched competition.
| Alicia | Amy | Caroline | Christina | Elizabeth | EmilyHF | EmilyM | Rebecca | Tara |
| Washington | Washington | Washington | Washington | California | Washington | Washington | Washington | California |
No. 23 @CalWGym heads to No. 13 @UWGymnastics Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET! Who wins? #NCAAgym
— NCAA Gym News (@NCAAGymNews) January 17, 2018
No. 11 Arizona State at No. 20 Stanford: Saturday, Jan. 20 at 5 p.m. ET
This matchup is shaping up to be a thrilling battle between two teams of the future in the Pac-12 conference. Arizona State essentially took the gymternet by storm on Saturday evening as it defeated West Virginia on the road, recorded a 49+ on all four events and notching its highest team score since 2007. The turnaround of the program since Jay and Jessica Santos took over in 2016 has been nothing but astonishing. The Sun Devils are looking more polished and confident than they have in years, and bars and beam have been particularly delightful to watch. They showed off one of the most promising beam rotation in the nation and displayed unique mounts, skills and gorgeous lines throughout the entire lineup. Freshman Cairo Leonard-Baker absolutely rocked her all around competition, and we should expect nothing less from her against Stanford. The Cardinal looked great at Elevate the Stage until its bars rotation broke fans’ hearts by only putting up five athletes and counting a fall. This event has been and will remain a nerve wracking one until the Cardinal can put up six athletes and most importantly five hit routines, which it hasn’t done yet. Contrasting with the last few seasons, floor is the strongest event for the Cardinal as it is ranked fourth nationally. The freshman class has been crucial to that lineup with four of the six spots taken by freshmen who have also brought in difficult and powerful tumbling to complement Elizabeth Price. Price has been the absolute highlight for this team, especially after starting her season with a 10.000 on bars, as well as a “perfect 9.95” on vault and two 39.650s in the all around, setting herself up to rank No. 1 in the all around and on bars and floor. Finally, make sure to watch for freshman Kyla Bryant, who has slowly emerged as the next big thing for the Cardinal.
| Alicia | Amy | Caroline | Christina | Elizabeth | EmilyHF | EmilyM | Rebecca | Tara |
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No. 11 @SunDevilGym takes on No. 20 @StanfordWGym Saturday at 5 p.m. ET. Who wins? @NCAAgym
— NCAA Gym News (@NCAAGymNews) January 17, 2018
Other Notable Matchups
No. 5 Florida at No. 5 Kentucky: Friday, Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. ET
Though on the road, Florida will be expected to win handily against Kentucky Friday. The Gators were in rare form last week, returning largely to what was expected of them after a rough meet at WVU. The key in Florida’s lineups this week will be where the freshmen fit into the puzzle; who can hit at the right time on each event. Rachel Slocum will also be a big story here. After two rough weeks in a row on vault, can she hit the reset button? Kentucky would love an upset, however unlikely, and powerhouse all arounder Mollie Korth will likely lead the charge in scores. Also expect to see great things from Ella Warren, a surprise January freshman who has only contributed bars and floor so far but is capable of great things on all four pieces. This meet is Kentucky’s first big challenge, but if the Cats can rise to the occasion, they may be able to stay in the top 10.
No. 10 Arkansas at No. 24 Missouri: Friday, Jan. 19 at 8 p.m. ET
Before the season started, many would say Missouri would win this meet handedly, especially after seeing the Gymbacks struggle so much in 2017. But if the last two weeks have proved anything, it’s that Arkansas is on the comeback trail. The Razorbacks were fated to lose against both LSU and Kentucky the last two weeks, but Missouri is a program they can challenge, especially after the Tigers’ loss to Auburn last week. Though there may be bigger fish to fry in the SEC on Friday night, this will be an especially interesting meet to watch, particularly as we look ahead to seeding for the SEC championship come March.
No. 3 Michigan at No. 21 Illinois: Friday, Jan. 19 at 8 p.m. ET
This is an important meet for both teams. Michigan will look to prove its worth as a top five program on the road for the first time this year after putting up a score that ties with Oklahoma as the best in the country in 2018. Watch to see how the Wolverines handle nerves, especially on beam, away from the Crisler Center; Michigan struggled on the road to start 2017. This is our first real look at Nadalie Walsh’s Illini, who won last weekend’s Rutgers quad that did not have a live stream. While Michigan should win easily, we will learn a lot about both Big Ten teams after the conclusion of the meet. Freshmen may prove to be very important for both teams in this midwestern matchup.
No. 37 Ohio State at No. 45 Iowa: Friday, Jan. 19 at 8 p.m. ET
Iowa and Ohio State have struggled a bit on the road so far this season. Neither team has competed at home yet, and it will be important for the Hawkeyes to have a stronger showing than they have the past two weeks. Ohio State improved greatly in its second competition of the season, showing they can go into the gym and fix mistakes week to week. Watch to see whether they will look better still in week three.
No. 25 Oregon State at No. 2 Utah: Friday, Jan. 19 at 9 p.m. ET
The Utes will be back home against Oregon State for their first official Pac-12 dual. The Utes are ranked first on vault and floor nationally, and third on bars, but beam has been a weakness, mostly due to tentative sets and start value issues, which was ultimately what ended up costing them the win at Elevate the Stage. Mykayla Skinner and MaKenna Merrell-Giles have been a strong duo of all arounders for the Utes, as they are nationally ranked second and sixth, respectively. While no major changes are anticipated in the lineups, fans should get to see freshman Alexia Burch in exhibition routines on vault, beam and floor and potentially freshman Lauren Wong doing an exhibition on bars. The Beavers opened their season on the road with a win against Pittsburgh, displaying a strong and entertaining floor rotation. We can expect sophomore Sabrina Gill to continue competing in the all around after winning her first title last week. And keep an eye out for freshman Kaitlyn Yanish’s impressive tumbling on floor.
No. 4 UCLA at No. 17 Arizona: Saturday, Jan. 20 at 6 p.m. ET
We have apparently crossed into a parallel universe where UCLA is ranked No.1 on floor and put up one of its best vault rotations at Elevate the Stage this past weekend. The Bruins are the clear favorites to win this Pac-12 matchup against Arizona, especially if they put together more or less the same performance we saw last weekend. Their lineup is obviously star-studded, but watch for freshman Pauline Tratz, especially on floor, where she competes like a veteran and delivers an exciting and engaging routine. Arizona had a rough showing after having to overcome Jenny Leung’s injury early in the meet last weekend. The GymCats will hopefully be more settled and confident in their performance against the Bruins and back in front of their home crowd. Don’t miss senior Kennady Schneider’s self-choreographed floor routine—a crowd favorite year after year.
No. 56 Rutgers at No. 12 Nebraska: Saturday, Jan. 20 at 8 p.m. ET
Nebraska is the clear favorite in this Big Ten matchup in Lincoln. Rutgers put up a solid performance in a tightly scored quad meet at home last week, though the Scarlet Knights did count at least one major mistake on every event. With some cleaned up performances and first meet jitters out of the way, Rutgers should have a much better meet. Nebraska also opened its season last weekend away at Penn State, led by one of the best vault rotations in the nation so far. The Huskers counted a fall on bars, so look for them to hit 196 if they can avoid making the same mistakes again this weekend.
No. 27 George Washington and No. 34 Towson at No. 18 West Virginia: Sunday, Jan. 21 at 2 p.m. ET
This will be one of the first of many pink meets we will see this season. By only looking at the rankings, the Mountaineers appear as the clear favorites for this matchup, especially on home turf. They had a clean showing—hitting 23 for 24 routines—against Arizona State last week despite taking the L. However, the Colonials are very much within reach of upsetting the home team. WVU’s season high is a 195.875 to GW’s 195.325. The Colonials are coming off a win with strong performances on vault and beam, and led by their star senior all arounders Jillian Winstanley and Cami Drouin-Allaire. Towson rounds up the field and should display a strong floor rotation as it is ranked 16th. Watch for senior Tyra McKellar in the all around and for junior Cortni Baker on vault and floor.
No. 15 Iowa State and No. 40 Texas Woman’s at Oklahoma: Sunday, Jan. 21 at 3:45 p.m. ET
The Sooners looked as ready as we can expect them to be during their season-opener against Georgia. They looked sharp right from the start on bars and vault, which included four 10.0 start values during the latter. Surprisingly, the Sooners had more difficulties on beam and floor, but there is no cause for concern as they still managed to match the nation’s highest score with a 197.550, also posting the country’s top vault total. While each Sooner gymnast can realistically be placed on the “to watch” list, fans should particularly keep and eye out for for freshman all arounder Anastasia Webb, who already competes like a veteran, and for sophomore Bre Showers who had stellar collegiate debuts on vault, beam and bars. Iowa State has had a successful season so far with a 4-0 record. Senior Haylee Young will be in the race for the all around title, and keep an eye out for freshman and 2016 Olympian Ariana Orrego, who we can expect in four events as well. Finally, the Pioneers should be a treat to watch, as they earned their highest team score in a season opener last weekend. Make sure to catch senior Schyler Jones in the all around and particularly on vault and floor.
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 for all this weekend’s meets below.
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Don’t worry! We haven’t forgotten about Fantasy Gymnastics players. We have a number of resources to aid in your weekly success. Check out our updated injury report to see if any of your gymnasts have been out of action. We also have a list of teams on byes, as well as those with multiple competitions, this week.
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Article by the editors of NCAA Gym News
