The USAG Dismount: Week 9

Recap

The Big Storyline: Maryland took first in the quad with its second-highest score of the season. The Terps found their rhythm again, bouncing back on vault but continuing to improve or find consistency on each of their events as they have since the latter part of the season. Temple came in hot in second, scoring over a 49 on three events for the third time this season. Bridgeport put it all together on all events, except floor where it hasn’t quite found its rhythm since early in the season. Southern Connecticut also posted an unusually low score, although the Owls have seemingly broken their high-low scoring pattern on bars, settling into consistency. Beam and floor threw a few snags at the Owls day, with season lows on both.     

Implications: Depending on how the rest of the weekend shakes out, Maryland could slide up a bit further in the Big Ten rankings, especially with Audrey Barber poised to become the highest-scoring Terp in Maryland gymnastics history. Temple will hang right in the middle of the EAGL conference. Both Southern Connecticut and Bridgeport are in the competitive GEC, and both teams will sit tight in sixth and eighth, respectively. 

Records: For Temple, Ariana Castrence scored a career high 9.900 on vault. Caitlin Gray scored a new personal best of 9.825 on bars.

Recap

The Big Storyline: N.C. State howled its way through the competition, picking up a season high 49.300 on beam, tying for 10th best in program history with four gymnasts tying or improving upon their best scores as well. The Pack did struggle through vault but its consistency on the remaining events kept it afloat. Southern Connecticut dropped a bit further on beam and floor, not having yet recovered from the meet just the day before, although the Owls continued on their way to having found consistency on bars again. Despite a third-place finish, Brown flashed its consistency on vault, rebounded on beam from the previous week and showed it’s still peaking on floor. Bars was the only hiccup for the team. Rutgers faced a few challenges on vault and floor but knocked on the door of a new season high on beam. 

Implications: N.C. State will continue to hold off Pittsburgh in the EAGL conference, although Towson is well within reach so long as the Pack continues to improve. Southern Connecticut sits in sixth, holding William & Mary off for another meet while edging closer to Cornell. Brown moves closer to West Chester, although Cornell poses a bigger challenge if Brown should post less-than-desirable scores as the season wraps up. Rutgers will continue to sit just below Penn State in the Big Ten, although by just a handful of tenths that could change as the season wraps up.   

Records: For Southern Connecticut, Ciana Rios scored a career high 9.525 on bars and 9.600 on floor. For the Pack, Emily Shepard notched a 9.925, Nicole Webb notched a 9.900, Kailin Foland a 9.875, and Gabrielle Diaz with a 9.850 for tied or new career highs on beam. Rutgers had several career highs on beam, including Calah Newman with a 9.900, Jackie Manifold with a 9.750, and Brayden Battavio with a 9.775. Brown had several new bests as well, with Abby Contello posting a 9.725 on bars and 9.700 on beam. Angela Xing scored a high of 9.800 on vault. Julia Bedell had a career high 9.825 on floor.

Recap

The Big Storyline: George Washington upset No. 30 Nebraska in Lincoln. GW will drop one of the 194s still counting in its NQS and replace it with a near-196. Led by another strong performance by Deja Chambliss, the Colonials were able to inch up just slightly. Will it be too little too late to make a push for a regionals berth? After Nebraska nearly upset Michigan last weekend, counting mistakes on bars and floor held the Huskers back. Lindenwood counted mistakes on multiple events as well, but the team still escaped with a reasonable score. Although Gayla Griswold’s vault didn’t come to save the event total this week, several teammates stepped up to the plate with scores over 9.700. Hannah Appleget made her debut on floor with a solid number as well. 

Implications: Lindenwood didn’t help itself out much in the USAG standings this week. With TWU continuing to post season highs, the Lions are remaining somewhat stagnant. It’s been several weeks since they surpassed 195 while both TWU and Air Force managed to do so this weekend. In fact, Lindenwood slid down to third for the first time this season. Despite an upset over Nebraska, George Washington will fall one spot in the rankings to No. 45. Meanwhile, Nebraska will fall just outside of the regional qualifying spots to No. 38.

Recap

The Big Storyline: Bars took the wind out of both teams’ sails. SEMO only had five athletes compete on bars and floor, both of which ended up counting falls. Lindsay Ockler’s steady performances were missed as she did not compete on her typical three events. The Redhawk’s vault rotation was lights out, complete with a couple stuck routines. Meanwhile, Centenary started out the meet with a season high on vault but struggled for hit routines on bars. However, Taylor Ann Wilson stepped up to the plate after multiple falls to post a season high 9.800 and take the event victory. Kennedy Stephens stepped into the beam lineup for the first time this season and led the Ladies on the event. 

Implications: Centenary posted its team season high, but progress has been slow this season. The Ladies have been unable to fully adapt to the constantly changing schedule, injuries and Covid protocols. While the other three events have been improving, bars continues to be Centenary’s Achilles heel. The best event total on the season continues to be the season opener at LSU despite adding difficulty back to routines. SEMO’s total will not help its chances of improving above No. 5 this week, but the Redhawks will have another chance on Sunday to earn an NQS-worthy score. Hopefully Lindsay Ockler will be added back to the lineups soon because the team really needs her. The Redhawks were able to fill in the gaps on vault thanks to consistency, but bars and floor were unable to get by without error. Anna Kaziska continues to be a shining star for her team. Expect her to contend for the floor and beam USAG titles again this year. 

Controversies: The power to the sound board went out just prior to the competition starting, so the start time was postponed by several minutes. 

Recap

The Big Storyline: Led by another stellar all-around performance from Jada Mazury—and a 9.925 on beam from Emma Milne—San Jose State ran away with this one. Air Force was the story of the meet, though, topping 195 for the first time this season. This was the first time all year that Air Force didn’t have an off event.

Implications: Air Force hops up two spots in NQS to No. 51. Despite the strong showing, San Jose State drops to No. 29 due to a few teams debuting in the rankings this week and a lights-out performance from Maryland. The Spartans are still in the regionals safety zone, but a big number at Washington and/or MPSFs would help. The Spartans’ current drop number is a 195.950.

Recap

The Big Storyline: Maryland came roaring in with its third-highest team score in history, clinching the win over second-place N.C. State by a slim margin to notch its highest score of the season including season highs on vault and beam, scoring over a 49 on both vault and bars as well. N.C. State also posted its third-highest team score in history in addition to topping a 49 on each event for the first time this season. Yale, typically strong on bars, had three falls during the rotation. William & Mary had a few beam troubles and was forced to count a handful of low scores and on bars, too. Despite a few out of bounds, the Tribe’s lowest floor score was a 9.575.  

Implications: The Terps incredible performance could see it jump up a few places in a competitive Big Ten conference. North Carolina’s new season high is good enough to battle head to head with Towson to take first place in the EAGL. Yale lives to see another week in second place despite the low-scoring weekend, holding off West Chester but not yet within reach of unseating Penn. Southern Connecticut will need to keep an eye on William & Mary as the team wraps up the season, however. 

Records: Audrey Barber became the highest cumulative-scoring gymnast in Maryland gymnastics history. The Pack’s Lucy Lehman scored a career high 9.825 on vault. Hailey Mechant’s 9.875 on bars is a new personal best. Lauren Rutherford went 9.900 on floor, marking a new best for her. The Tribe’s Sarah Kuper scored a personal best in the all-around with a 38.475.

Recap

The Big Storyline: OU posted another 198 as both TWU and Air Force notch season high scores.

Implications: Two strong performances this weekend means Oklahoma will bump Michigan out of the No. 1 spot, the first time the Wolverines have not been the top-ranked team in 2022. Both TWU and Air Force will be able to drop low scores from earlier in the season and significantly raise their NQS. TWU will distance itself from Lindenwood atop the USAG rankings while Air Force will also slide ahead of the Lions for the first time this season. 

Records: On floor, TWU’s Isabel Goyco tied her career high of 9.925 to capture a share of the event title.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 53 Air Force, No. 2 Oklahoma and No. 57 SEMO at No. 49 Texas Woman’s

Why You Should Clear Space on Your DVR: Oklahoma is making its near-annual trip to Denton, Texas, this weekend. Many members of the Oklahoma roster are originally from Texas, including Ragan Smith, Katherine Levasseur and Emma Lapinta, so the stands are expected to be packed and full of energy. The last time a top-10 program made its way to Kitty Magee Arena, the attendance record was broken. It’s possible for that to happen again this week with so many athletes capable of posting 10.0s on the competition floor. The Sooners will be looking for an NQS-worthy score to put the pressure on Michigan. This meet is also a preview of the USAG national championship as TWU, Air Force and SEMO are all within the top five USAG teams. TWU just positioned itself on top after last weekend’s superb 195.450 season high. Meanwhile, SEMO posted a season high of its own last weekend thanks to a pair of 9.95s from Jolie Miller and Anna Kaziska. 

You Can Fast Forward, but not Through This: The entirety of Oklahoma’s vault rotation is a must-see. The Sooners’ vault and floor performances will be big determining factors on whether the team will challenge Michigan for the No. 1 spot in the country this weekend. Jordan Bowers is the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week for the fourth time this season, so watch out for her in the all-around competition. Air Force has a duo of freshman all-around performers of its own that are capable of some big gymnastics. In fact, Genevieve Sabado and Ayla McKean are the No. 1- and No. 2-ranked athletes in USAG, respectively. SEMO’s Jolie Miller combines unique skill combinations and beautiful lines on bars. There’s a reason she’s the top bar worker in the country and tied the program record last weekend. Texas Woman’s will be celebrating its senior night, so be on the lookout for big gymnastics from Isabel Goyco. She has been a strong floor worker for the Pioneers all four years, but her huge double pike can rival the best. Sky high tumbling and entertaining choreography in a home finale sounds like the ideal way to spend a Sunday afternoon. 

Recap

The Big Storyline: Brown’s second-highest score in school history showed the Bears are ready to fight for the GEC title in a very competitive conference. Led by Mei Li Costa and Julia Bedell, Brown tied season highs on bars and beam with a new high on floor to cap things off. Freshman Kiana Session continued to shine for the Purple Knights as Kat Doran returned to vaulting for the first time since her freshman year. Bridgeport, while not at full strength, scored over a 46 on vault for the sixth time this season and continued to prove its might on bars with six scores over a 45. Recovering still, the team posted a lower score on floor, opting to compete with comfortable start values to help the team put up a full lineup.    

Implications: Brown’s season high doesn’t change anything for its rankings within the GEC, as it’ll start and end the week in fourth place. However, its big score puts it closer to third place and within distance of taking third from West Chester, depending on how it stands up for the very little that remains in the season. Bridgeport stays in eighth, but considering how this team has fought through the season, the Purple Knights can only go up from here in 2023. 

Records: Mei Li Costa became the first Brown gymnast to be awarded a 10.000 by one judge, resulting in her 9.975 on bars. Julia Bedell scored a career high 9.825 on vault. Taylor Schulze and Abby Contello scored new highs on bars, with a 9.850 and 9.825. Angela Xing and Lauren Kramer scored new highs on floor as well, with a 9.875 and 9.825, respectively. Bridgeport’s Olivia Imbarlina scored a new career best 9.700 on vault.

Recap

The Big Storyline: New Hampshire’s big score was just what the team needed as it coasts toward the end of the season, bouncing back to nearly score a season high on bars while notching its second 49 of the season on beam and finding consistency in its floor lineups. Temple struggled on vault, with just one vault over a 9.800 and several uncharacteristic low bar scores. However, the team answered its own struggles with a season high on beam and tying its high on floor. West Chester’s consistency kept the team afloat after struggling on bars, dropping into the low 47s for the third time this season, forced to count several scores under a 9.475.    

Implications: New Hampshire’s second highest score of the season gave it a much-needed boost into second in the EAGL conference, now just a few tenths away from first place Towson, proving that the Wild Cats still aren’t to be counted out. The team sits in 46th place overall, less than six tenths away from the regionals bubble. Towson finds itself in 24th as of now, with the pressure on to keep that momentum going as it moves further toward the postseason. West Chester will stay firmly in third place in the GEC, with Penn and Yale continuing the hold strong in first and second places, respectively. To unseat Yale would require some big scores for the rest of the season.

Records: New Hampshire’s Summer Simpkin’s scored a personal best 9.850 on beam, as well as Sierra Bauman with a 9.825. Gracy Mowers pocketed a 9.875 career high on floor and Mariella Miele bested a 9.825 on vault. Temple broke the previous team beam score with a 49.325 and tied the record on floor, a 49.375. Brooke Donabedian tied the floor record with a 9.950, a 22-year-old record. West Chester’s Jordan Coleman scored a new career high 9.775 on bars. Natalie Marshall tied her career high with a 9.825.