Big Fives at Elevate the Stage Toledo Session One

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.