Teams rose to the occasion in the final week of meets before the conference championships. The regionals picture got a little clearer, more program records were surpassed and a handful more 10s were added to the 2022 total. Catch up on everything you missed with recaps, results, superlatives and more in this week’s Dismount.
Best Perspective
Bowling Green
We’re all about gymnastics here, but there’s a lot going on in the world. The Falcons put it all in perspective on Instagram, showing off their support of Ukraine with blue and yellow hair ribbons and reminding us to take a moment to remember what’s happening outside of the gym.
Ramler went up on bars and performed her normal competition routine, then she went again in the exhibition spot to finally perform the “Ramler” for the first time in college. We don’t even care that the skill was messy!
We’ve always liked the idea of seniors getting to compete in their senior meet no matter if it’s in the all-around or a random exhibition doing timers or simple skills in place of the real routine. Washington fifth-year Geneva Thompson, who’s a mainstay on vault, bars and floor, got that opportunity when she performed a dance-through on beam to complete her “all-around” performance.
This is how SECN+ was advertising Michigan State at Kentucky. Not…quite.
BTN+ Fail of the Week
You know by now that BTN+ gets its own category and is unrelated to the above category… Anyway, now that’s what you call senior day scoring!
Best Use of Face Tattoos
Illinois State
Face tattoos are a pretty regular thing in college gym, so we appreciate when teams mix it up. Michigan has its back ribbon tattoos, and now Illinois State brings the Black power fist to go with its fun rainbow ribbons for the team’s diversity and inclusion meet.
Click and expand the events below to see results, recaps of top meets or particularly exciting matchups, and even links to watch archived broadcasts.
The Big Storyline: Maryland posted the second-highest score in program history on the road with Towson. Towson threw up its own high score, good enough to tie for the third-highest in program history, nothing over a 49 on each event for the third time this season. George Washington notched its third straight score over a 195 and its second-best score of the season. Southern Connecticut nearly topped its season high on beam but struggled on bars, continuing to be plagued by bars demons.
Implications: Maryland could put some pressure on Illinois and Iowa this weekend, possibly sliding into sixth to overtake fellow Big Ten Iowa. Towson should hold off North Carolina for another week with a lead of just over three tenths. However, N.C. State continues to sit in first, a slim 0.085 ahead. George Washington could slide fairly high up in the rankings to overtake several teams, leaping from seventh into a possible fourth-place position. However, Pittsburgh would remain close behind if this is how the conference shuffles. Within a competitive GEC conference, the Owls will continue to stay put in sixth place, although William & Mary sits less than a point behind.
Records: Maryland set a program record on bars. Audrey Barber scored a career high 9.950 on floor and in the all-around with a 39.625, also tying a program record. For George Washington, Anneliese Silverman scored a new best of 9.900 on bars. Molly Froman, of Southern Connecticut, scored a career-best 9.750 on beam.
The Big Storyline: Cornell finally competed like it’s capable of and posted a new season high by more than two points. The Big Red came up just one tenth short of the Golden Rams who had a season high day of their own.
Implications: Neither team will be making any moves in the rankings this week. However, Cornell did inch itself further ahead of Southern Connecticut, likely securing the final qualifying spot to USAG nationals. This competition should increase both West Chester and Cornell’s confidence going into the postseason. For one, we can’t completely count Cornell out of GECs. Secondly, Jessica Meakim is turning into a major all-around contender in her final season. She’s not just a floor specialist.
Records: Jessica Meakim ended the night with a 9.925 on floor to tie her career high on the event. In an interesting turn of events, Meakim first achieved the 9.925 mark in a competition against Cornell in 2019. She also totaled an all-around performance over 39 for the first time in her career. West Chester’s 49.150 on floor was a program record as well.
The Big Storyline: Florida freshman Leanne Wong turned in a remarkable performance that earned her four individual titles and the highest all-around total of the season. Wong—CGN’s top-rated recruit of the class of 2021—has been undoubtedly impressive this season but had yet to put together a truly complete all-around performance (by her standards).
Implications: Rutgers cracked the 196 barrier for the first time this season but was mathematically eliminated from a possible postseason run. Though the remaining teams’ NQSes were marginally affected by the quad meet’s scores, none saw any impact to their respective conference rankings or postseason prospects.
Records: Rutgers saved its best performance for last, decisively breaking its previous program high of 196.225 set in 2014. Emily Wood and Stephanie Zanella set career highs on floor and beam respectively. With her uneven bars win, Trinity Thomas is in sole possession of the program career events win record with a whopping 96 individual titles to her name. Senior Savannah Schoenherr earned a career high on vault while Megan Skaggs matched her career high 9.950 on bars. N.C. State junior Emily Shepard secured a program record 24th career score of 9.9-plus. Her teammates Gabrielle Diaz and Lauren Rutherford tied their respective career highs on bars. Penn’s Connie Hsu and Emma Davies also posted career bests on floor.
Preview
Current Rankings: No. 2 Florida, No. 44 Rutgers and No. 52 Penn at No. 26 N.C. State
Why You Should Clear Space on Your DVR: Florida moved into second place nationally with its unbelievable 198.575 against Auburn last week. The Gators have a little more room to improve than the Sooners and can tie for the top spot with a 198.125 or better performance. N.C. State, meanwhile, has already secured its regionals berth (no play-in meet for the Wolfpack this season, *knock on wood*) but will be looking to put more distance between itself and EAGL rivals Towson and North Carolina ahead of conference championships.
You Can Fast Forward, but not Through This: N.C. State’s bars lineup has scored as low as 47.675 and as high as 49.450 while its beam lineup has been remarkably steady (and ranked 17th nationally); both are worth watching. Penn junior Mccaleigh Marr is an outstanding bars and beam specialist who can realistically challenge the rest of this impressive field for event titles (particularly on beam). Similarly, Rutgers’ senior Belle Huang is an outstanding floor worker, currently ranked 20th.
The Big Storyline: Using a second-straight 197, the Buckeyes were able to pull the home upset win over visiting top 10 foe California and earn a win against Pittsburgh as well. Maya Bordas won the all-around to lead the Golden Bears, but it was double-winner Stephanie Berger who propelled Ohio State to victory. Ciara Ward earned Pittsburgh’s lone event title of the day tying for the top score on vault.
Implications: Ohio State picked up good momentum ahead of its Big Ten evening session appearance next week and put up a total that will keep it in contention for a seed at regionals. California and Pittsburgh’s NQSes will not be changed drastically by their scores from this meet.
Records: Grace Quinn tied her career best on floor in winning the title.
Preview
Current Rankings: No. 10 California and No. 37 Pittsburgh at No. 16 Ohio State
Why You Should Make Time to Tune in: Ohio State has a real chance at an upset here. The Buckeyes hit 197 twice at home, including a huge 197.525 last week. California’s season high is only half a tenth better than that, and that was at home. Pittsburgh also has a chance here to take advantage of the big environment and continue its record-setting season. Keep in mind, too, that Ohio State hosts Big Tens next week; this is a great dry run in Covelli.
Need More Proof? These are all exciting bars teams. Colby Miller, Elexis Edwards and Nicole Riccardi headline the Buckeye lineup while reigning national champion Maya Bordas, as well as Andi Li and Madelyn Williams, shine for the Bears. Pittsburgh’s Katie Chamberlain, Hallie Copperwheat and Jordyn Ewing are all strong. Those gymnasts have all hit 9.950 or 9.925 this year. If you just watch one apparatus, let it be bars.
The Big Storyline: Bridgeport turned in its second-highest score of the year, led by freshman Kiana Session, all while setting a new season high on bars as a team. Brown posted its second-highest score of the season during its senior meet, sweeping the podium on vault, beam and floor with a first and third-place finish on bars.
Implications: Brown will inch itself within a tenth of West Chester heading into the GEC championship. The Bears are currently still counting a 192.250 away score, so the conference championships might be able to push the team over the hump. Bridgeport finally has enough scores to forget about some of its lower away scores. The Knights have pulled past Centenary for the time being as they continue to prove that the team has no quit in it. The team’s bars score was a season high, a major feat for a team who just a few weeks ago only had four athletes to fill the lineup.
Records: For Brown, Ella Poley scored a new high of 9.725 on vault as did Lauren Kramer with a 9.650. Carolanne Van Zandt notched a personal best of 9.875 on floor.
The Big Storyline: Behind the strength of Haleigh Bryant’s perfect vault and strong all-around performance, seventh-ranked LSU was able to notch a new season high and defeat No. 4 Utah. Alyona Shchennikova looked back at full strength and picked up a share of the bars title while super senior Sarah Edwards capped off her home meet career with the floor win. The Utes had a pair of near-perfect performances on beam to prevent the Tiger sweep and put up their second best road total of the year.
Implications: Without at 198, the Utes left themselves vulnerable in the rankings and cannot surpass fourth next week. The Tigers put themselves in a position to climb as high as fifth.
Records: For the first time ever, LSU topped the country in attendance this year to break Utah’s streak held since 2004. Edwards’ floor winning total is a new career high.
Preview
Current Rankings: No. 4 Utah at No. 7 LSU
Why You Should Cancel Plans for It: In one of the season’s most highly anticipated matchups, Pac-12 co-champion Utah will head down to SEC country to take on powerhouse LSU. The Tigers will be hungry for a win after an upset loss to Kentucky at home last weekend and will have to fend off the Utes who just matched the highest team total in the NCAA this season in their last meet.
What We’re Watching: LSU will have little room for error, with Haleight Bryant and Kiya Johnson both needing to be healthy and in top form. That duo may need a few 10s for the Tigers to fend off a possible 10 barrage from the Utes, who now have had Maile O’Keefe, Grace McCallum, Cristal Isa and Sage Thompson all hit perfection this season.
What Else You Should Know Before Tuning In: This meet will be a reunion of sorts, with each program’s assistant coaches having ties to the opposing team. Utah volunteer assistant coach Myia Hambrick was an All-American gymnast at LSU while Tiger assistant coaches Courtney McCool Griffeth and Garrett Griffeth were assistants for the Utes last season.
The Big Storyline: Led by a pair of event titles from freshman Jordan Bowers, the Sooners cruised to another road victory in their final meet before conference championships. Audrey Davis and Katherine LeVasseur also notched event titles for Oklahoma while Sun Devil Hannah Scharf earned the all-around crown to prevent the sweep. Emily Muhlenhaupt posted a 9.925 on bars to nab second and lead the Broncos.
Implications: Arizona State’s total was just enough to improve its NQS and lock in a spot in the evening session of the Pac-12 championship meet. Neither Oklahoma or Boise State posted a score high enough to improve their NQSs.
Preview
Current Rankings: No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 21 Boise State at No. 15 Arizona State
Why You Should Make Time to Tune in: In an all-top 25 matchup, Pac-12 co-champion Arizona State will host MRGC challenger Boise State and newly minted top team in the country Oklahoma. The Sooners will be trying to maintain their top ranking and fend off the Broncos and Sun Devils who are hitting their strides at the right time of the season.
Need More Proof? Sooner Jordan Bowers scored no lower than 9.950 in five routines over two meets last weekend while earning the first perfect 10 of her career on vault. Speaking of perfection, Bronco Emily Muhlenhaupt came ever-close again on bars last weekend and will be pushing to improve on her 9.975 career high once again. Jada Mangahas has been an underrated Sun Devil all year long, who’s now consistently going 9.9 or higher on floor to give Arizona State a much-needed scoring boost.
The Big Storyline: Alaska’s home finale featured some struggles on bars that held down the overall team score. The team celebrated its lone senior, Kylie Reese, who transferred from SPU after the program was cut. Although Air Force started off somewhat shaky on bars, the Falcons were able to pull together for a strong finish to the meet.
Implications: After two 195s last weekend, the Falcons slipped back into the 194s this week. Daija Stevenson was completely absent from all lineups this week. Several team members stepped up to fill her absence, including Leilani Zander on beam. Her availability in the postseason will be necessary to optimize the likelihood of Air Force’s success. The Falcon’s trio of all-around performers are likely to contend at USAG nationals. The score posted today included several mistakes and awkward landings on bars. Cleaning up that event will set the Falcons up for better success in the coming weeks. Air Force’s USAG ranking will go unchanged for now. Alaska only counted two scores above a 9.0 on bars this meet. Overall, this season has been very up and down for the Seawolves, but the team will look to finish the season strong at the conference championships next week.
The Big Storyline: Auburn and Michigan had some off-kilter moments in this one. Michigan was nervy on beam and gave away tenths on vault landings. Auburn had its own beam struggles—counting Suni Lee’s 9.800 SV set after she lost credit for her series—and seemed a bit gassed on floor. The fatigue makes sense given that the Tigers were coming off of a high-emotion double meet weekend last week against Florida and at Elevate the Stage Huntsville. West Virginia, on the other hand, did exactly what it needed to to get a solid away number for its NQS, with especially strong work on bars and floor where its attention to detail in leaps stood out.
Implications: Michigan will be unable to take sole possession of No. 1 back but can’t fall below No. 4, so it is comfortably a one-seed for regionals heading into its last chance to add a big away number to the mix at Big Tens in Columbus next week. LSU passed Auburn and Alabama, which are now tied at No. 6 and sitting in position for a second seed with SECs to go. After Sunday meets, there was a lot of shuffling in the bubble teams, but West Virginia is securely in the top 36.
Records: Michigan set an all-time attendance record with 12,707 fans in the Crisler Center, its first-ever sellout for gymnastics.
Preview
Current Rankings: No. T-5 Auburn and No. 33 West Virginia at No. 3 Michigan
Why You Should Cancel Plans for It: Michigan is going to come into this one with a bone to pick after dropping out of the top spot nationally for the first time all year. What better way to close out your home season than with a high-stakes meet against the reigning Olympic champion? Auburn is on a roll and will want a big away number to break that No. 5 tie and sit in position for a one-seed at regionals. It’s a big one NQS-wise for West Virginia, too, which currently sits on the regional bubble.
What We’re Watching: This meet could become a 10-fest. The Crisler Center judges haven’t thrown them out like candy this year, but it is senior night and the environment should be intense. We could also see six 10.0 start value vaults from both Michigan and Auburn. If the Mountaineers will get in on the score party, it’ll likely be on floor where Kendra Combs in particular has been spectacular.
What Else You Should Know Before Tuning In: Bev Plocki is a Mountaineer gymnastics alumna. She was recently inducted into West Virginia’s athletics hall of fame.
The Big Storyline: Georgia finally broke the 197 barrier to pull out a win against North Carolina and former head coach Danna Durante.
Implications: With its score here, Georgia is now mathematically locked into making regionals, but it still sits well out of the seeded positions and at the bottom of the SEC. North Carolina was able to drop a 195.325 from its NQS, putting the Tar Heels in a bit more comfortable position heading into the conference championship.
Records: North Carolina’s 196.475 here was a program-best road score against an SEC opponent. Haley De Jong set a career best 9.950 on beam while teammate Alyssa Perez-Lugones set a career high 9.925 on floor.
Preview
Current Rankings: No. 34 North Carolina at No. 24 Georgia
Why You Should Cancel Plans for It: North Carolina head coach Danna Durante returns to Athens for the first time to face her former team. While the Tar Heels are the underdogs, they go into the meet with something to prove—can they pull off the upset?
What We’re Watching: Georgia is the higher ranked team and competing at home, but with multiple 196s this season, North Carolina has shown it is capable of the upset. If Georgia has another shaky rotation on bars or beam, North Carolina could easily capitalize on the mistakes.
What Else You Should Know Before Tuning In: North Carolina’s freshman star Lali Dekanoidze went down with an injury two weeks ago, but the Tar Heels were able to overcome the setback, scoring a 196.475 this past weekend.
The Big Storyline: The Bruins continued their massive turnaround from their beginning of the season struggles, posting their third straight 197-plus score thanks to a pair of perfect performances from Chae Campbell. She earned her second floor 10 of the season after notching a perfect 9.950 vault for the third week in a row, while freshman Emma Malabuyo added a perfect total of her own on beam. Megan Ray paced the Aggies with a 9.900 on floor to take third on the event.
Implications: UCLA will not move up in the rankings this week with a low road score still limiting its NQS potential. Freshman Brooklyn Moors was absent from lineups, but it was reported that was just due to giving her rest. Chloe Lashbrooke, who has been out of lineups with injury for several years, did an exhibition floor routine.
Records: Malabuyo earned the first 10.0 of her career while senior Norah Flatley upped her floor career-best to a 9.975.
Preview
Current Rankings: No. 42 UC Davis at No. 17 UCLA
Why You Should Clear Space on Your DVR: After meeting in a tri meet way back in January, UC Davis and UCLA will face off once again in each team’s final meet before their conference championships. The Bruins exploded for a huge 198 last weekend and would love to keep that positive momentum going to potentially pull an upset at Pac-12s and stay in the hunt for a regionals seed. The Aggies stayed in the hunt for regionals with a road-196 last meet and will need a repeat performance to remain on the bubble.
You Can Fast Forward, but not Through This: Floor is back to its typical Bruin standard, with standouts Chae Campbell and Jordan Chiles notching perfect 10s on the event in back-to-back weeks and Campbell on a two week streak of perfect 9.950 vaults as well. Aggie Kyla Kessler has been 39.375 or higher in the all-around in her last three meets, leading UC Davis and potentially playing spoiler if UCLA’s top gymnasts have an off performance.
The Big Storyline: Minnesota had a standout day on senior night, which saw Lexy Ramler perform a second bar routine in the exhibition spot featuring the Ramler (a Maloney full). The highlight of LIU’s night was seeing Mara Titarsolej tie for the bar title with Ramler and Ona Loper, proving that she is a serious regional—and maybe national—individual qualifier threat. Both Utah State and Temple put up lower totals than they would have preferred, with tough days on bars and beam, respectively.
Implications: Minnesota has more than proven it can put up massive scores, with three straight. It can provide a serious challenge to a Michigan team that has had a few off weeks recently at Big Tens last week. Of course, a headline day for Minnesota comes to about the same total for an off day for the Wolverines, so all of the stars will need to align for the Gophers to win their second-straight conference title. Utah State is comfortably into regionals, and Temple and LIU are out.
Records: Minnesota tied its all-time second best team total and set a regular season attendance record with 4,240 fans in Maturi Pavilion.
Preview
Current Rankings: No. 22 Utah State, No. 43 Temple and No. 55 LIU at No. 8 Minnesota
Why You Should Clear Space on Your DVR: Minnesota senior night means our tearful goodbye to some of gymnastics fans’ most beloved athletes. And at a quad, no less!
You Can Fast Forward, but not Through This: There is going to be some stellar gymnastics happening at this one. You already know not to miss a moment of Ona Loper’s or Lexy Ramler’s gymnastics one last time in the Pav. Keep your eyes peeled for Utah State’s Brie Clark on floor and Temple’s Brooke Donabedian there as well. The Owls’ Julianna Roland is can’t-miss on her three, vault, beam and floor, and LIU’s Mara Tatarsolej scored the first perfect 10 outside of the Power Five conferences last week on bars.
The Big Storyline: Missouri blew past its program record for the second time this season thanks to a pair of near-perfect 9.975s from Schreiber on beam and Celestine on floor. Improvements on vault continued to revolutionize the Tigers’ scoring potential. Illinois posted its third 197-plus in a row. The Illini put their difficulties on bars last meet behind them to score a 49.250 on the event. Mia Townes made her official return to the floor lineup and performed as if she never left, tying her career high 9.925. Iowa State only put five athletes up on bars but was consistent enough to escape the pressure gauntlet. Highlights included Makayla Maxwell’s perfect vault and Maddie Diab’s huge tumbling. Lindenwood was back on the upswing this week after avoiding counting any mistakes across all events. The Lions achieved a season high beam score, with only scores of 9.750 or higher. Gayla Griswold made her return to the all-around for the first time since Jan. 15. Her vault returned to its 9.9-plus form this week after nearly sticking her Yurchenko one and a half.
Implications: Lindenwood will maintain its third-place position in the USAG heading into conference championships. The Lions posted their highest score since early February this week, but it will likely take a score over 195 to defend their MIC championship. Will the six year streak of conference victories be snapped, or will the Lions once again rise to the occasion on the big stage? Lindenwood’s chances will be helped if the team goes six-for-six on bars. Illinois, previously believed to be in the bottom half of the Big Ten, has posted three noteworthy scores consecutively. The competition at the conference championship is going to be even tougher than previously predicted. Mia Takekawa is stepping into her own the second half of this season, taking yet another all-around title this week. Now that the team is only counting 196-pluses in its NQS, Iowa State will move up one spot in the national rankings to No. 26. The Cyclones’ regional berth is well secured heading into conference championships. Missouri continues to step up in a major way this season. The team currently sits at sixth in the SEC with a NQS of 197.190. That shows the depth and competitiveness of the entire conference this year. With that being said, this could be a year that an afternoon session team outscores a team in the evening session. Sitting at No. 10 nationally heading into conference week, Mizzou will look to another strong road score to show the rest of the country that the Tigers are shooting to qualify to nationals.
Records: Missouri broke its program team record with a 197.675. That included a new team vault program record of 49.450 and matching career high scores of 9.975 from Sienna Schreiber and Amari Celestine on beam and floor, respectively. Makayla Maxwell achieved perfection on her Yurchenko one and a half, increasing her career high on vault. Hannah Moon surpassed the 39 mark for the first time in her career thanks to a 9.875 career high on beam. Nicole Wojcik matched Moon on the event to increase her career high as well.
The Big Storyline: Illinois State officially went three-for-three in wins against SEMO on the season. Season highs on bars and floor led the Redbirds to their second highest team total of the season. Beam proved to still be an area of difficulty this week, counting a fall for a sub 48 event total. SEMO was back to having six athletes on all four events this week. The Redhawks were able to avoid counting a scary fall on vault, but were not able to replicate the feat on bars. On the bright side, Lindsay Ockler and Anna Kaziska went for career highs on bars and floor, respectively.
Implications: Illinois State is the front runner in the MIC conference race. However, the Redbird’s difficulty hitting five-for-six beam routines could become problematic if other top teams are competing well. Angelica Labat has been getting her landing consistency back on vault the second half of the season. She is likely to gain an individual regional berth. SEMO has solidified its fifth spot in the USAG rankings, but the team’s consistency has been waning in recent weeks. SEMO’s finish at conference and USAG championships will be largely dependent on the Redhawk’s ability to hit five routines on vault and bars.
Records: Anna Kaziska tied her floor career high of 9.950 while Lindsay Ockler increased her career high on bars to 9.875.
The Big Storyline: Centenary posted a season high by more than three points on its senior night thanks to season highs on vault and floor. Seniors Kendall Sanders and Xian Baumgartner had strong outings in their final performances in the Gold Dome. Sanders had a career high in the all-around while Baumgartner wowed the crowd with her entertaining floor choreography and was rewarded with a career high of her own. Kendall Huff assisted the vault total with her stuck Yurchenko tuck full and boosted the floor total with a season high 9.725. Despite a somewhat slow start to the meet on bars, TWU continued to improve on every event throughout the competition. Madeline Gose brought the heat yet again with another pair of 9.8-plus scores. Steelie King also showed strong performances, leading the team on bars and beam.
Implications: Centenary will be proud to have finally put a meet together that more closely resembles its potential. The Ladies had season highs on three of four events. The veterans in the bar lineup led the way, avoiding counting multiple falls this week. Although the Ladies are out of the team nationals picture, some individuals are making their final push for a national bid. Taylor Ann Wilson’s 9.8-plus scores in two consecutive weeks have helped her cause, but the reigning USAG national champion will need to keep the momentum on the road next week to 100% lock in her place in the field. The duo of Kendalls, Huff and Sanders, are looking likely to qualify on vault and in the all-around, respectively. Emma Lavelle is a dark horse for qualifying to nationals on beam and floor, but inconsistency has reared its head in the last couple weeks. Her floor performance this week helped her case, but she was put in the exhibition spot on beam this week. For the team to optimize its beam scoring potential at conference championships, Lavelle will need to be on the positive side of lineup decision making. TWU had a near-195 score even with some mistakes and missing key contributor Kyla Podges this week. There’s a reason the Pioneers remain the No. 1 team in USAG. Although this week’s team score was not super helpful in the NQS department, the team didn’t really need an extraordinary boost in season average. The Pioneers have pulled nearly three-tenths away from the next best team in the USAG field. With the conference championships looming, TWU will need to be firing on all cylinders to challenge Illinois State and its two 10.0 start value vaults. Luckily for the Pioneers, they hold the home floor advantage this year.
Records: Senior Kendall Sanders posted a career high 38.875 in the all-around. Xian Baumgartner upped her floor career high to 9.750 while teammate Kendall Huff tied her floor high of 9.725.
The Big Storyline: Overall, it was a successful performance for all teams involved. Maryland tumbled its way to its fourth win in a row, notching its third score over a 197 in its last three meets. George Washington earned matching 49.325s on vault and beam. Penn casually broke its program record by nearly a point. Bridgeport matched and earned several career highs while competing in its fifth competition in 12 days.
Implications: Maryland will slide into sixth in the Big Ten conference, just a tenth away from fifth place Illinois. Penn becomes the only team in the GEC to go over 196 on the season. The Quakers have asserted that they did not come to play this year. This is a team on the rise. Despite a loss at the Ivy Classic, Penn will be the front runner going into conference championships. Bridgeport continued to fight for every tenth throughout the competition. Kathryn Doran hit her piked Jaeger and finished her blind full right in handstand. She was rewarded with a career high-matching total on the event. Although Bridgeport will not qualify to USAG nationals as a team, expect to see Doran and several others on the start list as individual qualifiers. George Washington fought to earn its second highest team total on the season.
Records: Alexsis Rubio of Maryland scored a new career high 9.900 on vault. Penn blew past its program record set earlier this season by nearly a point with a 196.225. Doran tied her career high 9.925 on bars. Nicole Javinett and Alexis Richardson both matched their career highs on beam as well with a 9.825 and 9.725, respectively.
The Big Storyline: Penn State closed out its season with a season-best score, besting its previous score by just over a tenth. Penn State also notched a season high on beam as well, where Cassidy Rushlow notched the first 9.900 this season for the team. New Hampshire set a program record on bars, scoring a 49.325 and notching its fourth-best score for the season overall. Hailey Lui’s 9.950 keeps her in first on beam for the regular-season beam ranking. Brown scored a season high as a team, on bars, and set a new program vault record, marking the second time in its last three meets that the team has flirted with the new program record, reestablishing its second-best score. Southern Connecticut closed its regular season out tying its season high on vault and nearly tied its best on floor, however, bars continues to throw the Owls off their rhythm.
Implications: Penn State’s big score should nudge it just past Nebraska into eighth place behind Iowa and sliding itself into a position to be in a regional bubble to possibly move on into the postseason. The Wildcats’ phenomenal outing won’t change their standing, remaining firmly in sixth in the EAGL but now within a few tenths of Pittsburgh. Brown’s outstanding weekend means the team will find itself in third place heading into the GEC championship. The Owls will stay seated in sixth, holding off William & Mary as they head to the GECs as well. Brown surpasses West Chester in the USAG division, too, where Southern Connecticut also remains firmly in ninth.
Records: Penn State’s Isabella Salcedo scored a new high of 9.950 on floor. New Hampshire’s Kylie Gorgenyi scored a new best of 9.900 on bars. Kenadi Brown scored a new high of 9.875 on bars as well as Summer Simpkins with a 9.825. Brown’s Abby Contello set a new career-high of 9.850 on bars. Southern Connecticut’s Hanna Zebdi scored a career high 9.800 on vault, as did Sidney Wilson with a 9.700, and Lexi Bracher with a 9.600. Ciana Rios scored a best of 9.725 on bars, Delaney Fields with a 9.675, and Cassidy Girolamo with a 9.650. Sarah Moussa notched a best of 9.675 on beam. Girolamo scored a best of 9.750 on floor as did Alexa Melanson with a 9.225.
The Big Storyline: Powered by a big 49.500 on vault, the Razorbacks picked up a trio of victories as they were able to edge Oregon State and home Denver in a very close matchup. Arkansas team effort was able to withstand another incredible performance from Beaver Jade Carey, who posted four identical 9.950s to win the all-around and a share of every event title. Before the meet, there was a scary moment on vault when Makenzie Sedlacek crashed an attempt. She was taken out of the arena for further evaluation and did not compete.
Implications: Notching a near-197 kept the Razorbacks in contention for the final regional seed, while Oregon State and Denver were able to maintain their status as seeded-teams.
Records: Arkansas’ vault total is a new program best.
Preview
Current Rankings: No. T-12 Oregon State, No. 18 Arkansas and No. 38 Nebraska at No. 14 Denver
Why You Should Clear Space on Your DVR: This is a hugely important meet for all four teams with regionals looming. Nebraska is currently on the outside looking in with a 195.500 to drop, Oregon State will want to break that tie, Arkansas does not want to drop out of the top 20 and Denver is looking to hold onto its position, now down three gymnasts with Achilles injuries. There’s a lot going on. Plus, it’s senior night!
You Can Fast Forward, but not Through This: Jade Carey should continue her string of dominance here. Several gymnasts have 9.975s and will want to join the 10 club: Kaitlyn Yanish is always close (pending a possibly severe injury last week), Carey can complete a gym slam by upgrading her vault and beam 9.975s to 10s, Rylie Mundell will be eyeing the number on beam and Kinsey Davis has potential on bars. The way scores have flown this year, you never know!
The Big Storyline: Maya Bordas won two events and the all-around to finish off her home career in leading California to an easy win over visiting Iowa. The Golden Bears notched a new season best and had a second senior, Milan Clausi, also take home a pair of event titles. The Hawkeyes were led by Lauren Guerin, who debuted a new floor routine to tie for a share of the event win.
Implications: After three consecutive losses, the Golden Bears picked up a regular season finale win and posted a score to help it jockey in NQS seeding. Injured California gymnast Kyana George also performed an exhibition floor routine and could provide more options in the postseason.
Records: California posted a 49.600 on floor to set a new program record on the event.
Preview
Current Rankings: No. 20 Iowa at No. 10 California
Why You Should Make Time to Tune in: This exciting top 20 matchup pits Big Ten foe Iowa against Pac-12 co-champion California. The Hawkeyes are coming off a season high total on the road against their rival and should push the Golden Bears, who have suffered two upset losses in as many meets.
Need More Proof? California will be in its second meet of the weekend, so we may see some depth on display to give its stalwarts some rest before conference championships. Look for possible depth routines like Gabby Perea on floor, Maya Green on bars and Abi Solari on vault. The Hawkeyes will need to maximize their potential on floor for an upset, with Lauren Guerin and Jerquavia Henderson always threatening for a perfect score.
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