Penn State at Michigan

Recap

The Big Storyline: This one went just fine. Michigan—which rested Naomi Morrison completely and Gabby Wilson on leg events—put up a solid number on a slightly off day. Jacey Vore’s beam routine was the revelation of the meet; her 9.925 will put pressure on lineup stalwarts next week at Elevate the Stage Toledo. Penn State bounced back from two off meets and will be pleased with a near-196 away number as we approach NQS. This was also a complete meet for the Nittany Lions, without the beam woes we’ve seen from the team.

Implications: Michigan remains comfortably at national No. 1. Penn State is sitting as a regional bubble team at No. 35, though we shouldn’t fret too much about those teams until we see how NQS shakes things up. The Big Ten championship is seeded by win-loss: Michigan is undefeated and will be in the night session almost regardless of how Big Fives go next week. Penn State, on the other hand, is winless in conference play and is all but guaranteed an afternoon session berth.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 32 Penn State at No. 1 Michigan

Why You Should Clear Space on Your DVR: The Wolverines are on a tear, and while we have every reason to believe Bev Plocki will keep rotating the gymnasts she’s resting, every Michigan meet is required watching at this point. The Wolverines are officially on best NCAA score ever watch, and this is the team’s annual Flip for Chip meet, which historically indicates it will be a good performance. Penn State had an excellent January, led by both newcomers and veterans, and will want to use the tough competition to push back into the 196s.

You Can Fast Forward, but not Through This: Don’t take your eyes off a single vault Michigan puts up. Any one of them might be a 10.0. Naomi Morrison will be the next gymnast looking to join the party; she has 9.975s on vault and floor so far this year. For Penn State, fifth-year veterans Alissa Bonsall and Lauren Bridgens have extremely clean bar work, and freshman Bella Salcedo is a breakout floor star—don’t miss her double front.