Big Ten Championship Afternoon Session

Recap

The Big Storyline: Minnesota led top to bottom in this one, while Illinois, Penn State, and Nebraska were engaged in a nail-biter for second. The Illini really pulled away on bars and beam, while the Nittany Lions had some missteps on beam and Nebraska fell a bit short on vault. Maryland and Rutgers had slightly off days, with some mistakes from stalwarts. It was a pretty clean, drama-free meet overall, with great production quality from BTN to boot.

Postseason Implications: No team in this session will see a lot of movement in NQS heading into regionals.

Conference Awards

• Gymnast of the Year: Sierra Brooks (Michigan)
• Newcomer of the Year: Nikki Smith (Michigan State)
• Coach of the Year: Mike Rowe (Michigan State)

Preview

• No. 20 Minnesota | 196.900 NQS | 197.600 season high
• No. 22 Maryland | 196.710 NQS | 197.100 season high
• No. 23 Nebraska | 196.705 NQS | 197.500 season high
• No. 24 Illinois | 196.700 NQS | 196.875 season high
• No. 33 Penn State | 196.350 NQS | 197.025 season high
• No. T-41 Rutgers | 195.860 NQS | 196.875 season high

If you can only watch one meet, here’s why it should be this one… Just look at those NQS numbers and season highs. Minnesota is the clear favorite, but any team could win this session, and any team with a 197 high could place above teams in the evening group. Nebraska, Maryland, and Penn State have all broken out recently and tallied huge scores. Illinois has been consistent but not yet had a truly break out meet. If it happens here, the Illini could also make things interesting. The Scarlet Knights have had ups and downs but are coming off a program record win and have good momentum. If Minnesota leaves the door open, absolutely any team could come out on top of this session. It might come down to the last routine. Keep in mind, too, that all of Minnesota, Nebraska, Penn State, and Maryland have season highs higher than host Iowa in the evening session. The Hawkeyes haven’t hit 197 yet this year.

If this is one of many meets you’ll be watching, don’t miss this… Illinois starts on its best event, floor, so tune in at the top if you can; you’ll also catch Ava Piedrahita’s huge vault in that rotation and Emma Simpton’s stunning beam work. Nebraska hits floor in the third rotation, around 1 p.m. ET, featuring Emma Spence’s fan-favorite set. Rutgers will also be on beam in the third, so look out for that high-risk-high-reward rotation for the Scarlet Knights. If you’re looking for Mya Hooten and Halle Remlinger’s potential 10.0 floor routines, check in around 1:30 p.m. ET to catch Minnesota on floor. Maryland takes to the beam in the final rotation, around 2 p.m. ET, so catch Reese McClure and co. then, when you can also get a look at Emily Leese’s often-stuck Yurchenko one and a half on vault. 

What’s the bigger picture to keep an eye on? Every Big Ten team except Rutgers is locked into regionals. The Scarlet Knights are just outside the picture and nothing they do here can get them in. Penn State is currently sitting in the play-ins but has 1.150 in upside with a 195.875 still to drop. It can go as high as No. 28 with a lights-out performance. The only team in this session with the ability to move into the seeded spots is Minnesota, which can go as high as No. 15. All other teams are locked into a position between Nos. 18 and 28 and are looking at geographical seeding for regionals.

By the Numbers

Past Champions

• Minnesota: 6 titles, last won in 2021
• Nebraska: 2 titles, last won in 2013
• Illinois: 1 title, last won in 1990

Records Watch

• Team: 198.200 (Michigan, 2022) | Vault: 49.725 (Nebraska, 2012; Michigan, 2022) | Bars: 49.625 (Michigan, 2004) | Beam: 49.550 (Penn State, 2000) | Floor: 49.700 (Michigan, 2014)
• All Around: 39.800 (Ray) | Vault: 10.000 (Wymer, Kabnick, K. Rowland, Mable, Wojcik, Brooks) | Bars: 10.000 (Peters, Ray) | Beam: 10.000 (Nikki Smith, Penn State, 2000) | Floor: 10.000 (Sampson, Wong)

Last Time Out

Michigan roared to the Big Ten title in 2022, setting a new conference championship team record on the way. The Spartans snuck past Iowa to take second despite a subpar beam rotation. Ohio State struggled on beam, finishing fifth, just behind Minnesota.