Hey NCAA fans! We’re a full week in! How excited is everyone? Because so much happens every single week, our aim for the wrap-ups is to cover the basics for every meet, but since we’re human and can’t watch seven things at once (especially because the live scores this year have been barely reliable, let alone streams!), we’re going to stick to the big match-ups for the crazy details.

We’ll do our thoughts and opinions first, a few superlatives, share the rankings, and then get on with the individual recaps. Sound good? Like it? Hate it? Let us know, and don’t forget to take our poll about who you thought was best!

So Bridget Sloan is obviously the biggest talk of this week, as she scored a perfect 10 on her second routine of the season and then went off to her next event and smashed her foot but good, in front of her Indiana family and friends who packed the Ball State gym for this meet (did anyone else giggle at the students doing treadmill/stationary bike workouts along the upper perimeter!?). Talk about highs and lows! I personally rolled my eyes when the 10 flashed because come on. It was a superb vault but it wasn’t perfect. I obviously blame the judges, not Bridget, and though I get what a perfect 10 can do for the sport, it’s still the one thing that irks me about college gym.

There’s also supposed to be a rule this year that states judges must take off up to 0.1 for vaults stuck with feet apart wider than hip-width (something I’m strongly in favor of, as I think it’ll put an end to about 80% of the 10s we see on vault), and I’m pretty sure Sloan’s feet were wider than hip-width, warranting at the very least 0.05 off, but whatever. At this point, it’s neither here nor there, because she’s injured and life sucks. Sloan is perfection with or without NCAA scoring, so it’s maddening that we might not get to see her kicking butt out there where she belongs. According to Rhonda Faehn, nothing was broken, and she went in for an MRI yesterday to get it all checked out.

Oklahoma saw the greatly anticipated debut of Brenna Dowell, who competed on everything but beam. It’s amazing what a couple of months at college will do to your floor routine (I know most of you don’t like the tiny bit of ‘seizure’ choreo but it’s a small price to pay)! She’s also easily doing the most difficult collection of skills out there, what with her double front and 2.5 on floor, a Church and a full-twisting double layout on bars, and a Yurchenko 1.5 on vault (which looks way too easy for her). A few more weeks in front of supportive home crowds will calm her down and tighten her execution, and she’ll be a superstar for the Sooners as she grows with the team. In the wake of Dowell’s debut, you may have missed Ali Jackson, who is absolutely dynamic and adds a certain flavor and energy OU sometimes lacks. Jackson’s floor is like a less aggressive Llomincia Hall’s, and she has an absolute blast while performing it.

Speaking of Mincie, LSU looked strong, but I was a little underwhelmed with their energy. Even when I thought Hall would save them on floor, the performance we got was a bit lackluster. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt, as no one is fully “on” in their first meet back, and despite looking a bit out of it, they still managed to put up some fierce routines and are already showing tremendous attention to detail. They were strong, but not on fire, and that’s what I like to see from the Tigers.

But the general theme of the week was ‘meh’ as most teams are climbing out of hibernation and still looking a little sleepy. No one really ‘dominated,’ maybe with the exception of Oklahoma, and even they weren’t at full capacity. It’s definitely asking a lot to see 100% this early in the season, which is why I forgive everyone, but that’s the one thing I hope to see change massively in the next couple of weeks. You woke up, stretched, brushed your teeth, splashed some water on your face…and now it’s time to move.

Best freshman debuts? It’s hard to say because there was a ton of fantastic work, but I’m going to go with Brianna Brown of Michigan and Briannah Tsang of Penn State. Both competed four smooth, collected, and technically proficient routines, and though neither was really flashy, it’s like the calm before the storm. Tsang could fill the much-needed gap left by Sharaya Musser in 2013, and equal parts power and elegance, Brown has what it takes to be one of Michgan’s most well-rounded gymnasts in a really, really long time. Oh, and Missouri might not be one of the top teams, but freshman Shauna Miller is in a class of her own. She is absolutely fantastic, very powerful, and beautifully consistent. What a gift she’ll be to that program.

I loved a ton of routines this week, but I think with everyone looking tired or muddled, hands down my favorites were previously mentioned Ali Jackson on floor, and then Bianca Dancose-Giambattisto and Risa Perez on beam. Bianca has been Florida’s go-to 9.9 on bars since she started as a freshman, but it’s rare we see her elsewhere unless she’s doing an exhibition. She only went up on beam because of Sloan’s injury, but she was absolutely brilliant. Not the cleanest, not the most technically perfect, but she lived and breathed that routine. Talk about artistry. The choreography’s gorgeous, and she moves through it like she was born to. It’s so natural, every step is done with purpose, and it’s how everyone should perform on beam all the time. I need to see that routine every single week, please. I’m actively mad at Rhonda for keeping it under lock and key these past few years considering some of the other routines she’s thrown at us.

Then there’s Risa, who I immediately loved after first seeing her over-the-top energetic floor routines for Arizona State last year. Now at Oregon State, she’s still so much fun to watch, and I think I was more impressed with her ability to be so casual on beam more than I was on floor. Her floor actually reminds me of the routines in child pageants on “Toddlers and Tiaras,” but in a good way. Like, as creepy as those little baby monsters are, they know how to work a stage using their faces. SMIZING – smiling with your eyes – as Tyra Banks would say. That’s Risa. Who cares if she just busted out a powerful tumbling run? She’s still smiling, laughing, and selling the crap out of her routines, and has energy left to spare. To do that on floor is hard, but to also work it on BEAM?! I’m pretty sure she winked at the crowd. Like, no big deal, just gonna hit this acro series and then give a little wave. Have you ever seen anyone so happy to be on beam? She has more genuine personality radiating from her pinky toenail than most people can muster throughout their entire lifetimes.

Best moment? Talia Chiarelli performing about 2/3 of her floor routine to no music. WITHOUT MISSING A BEAT. At first I thought her music just featured a silent phrase or two, but nope. It went completely off. Bless the Georgia fans at Stegeman who started clapping out a beat for her, and I think she deserved bonus points for dealing with a technical difficulty without even giving it a thought. And she earned a 9.875 to place second on the event! Just unbelievable. It’s a rare gymnast who responds to mid-routine drama so well.

Best comeback? Are you joking? Obviously it’s Peng-Peng Lee. She was breathtaking from start to finish, sticking her FTY, hitting her super difficult Bhardwaj on bars, and showing an absolutely beautiful beam routine. Just splendid. It’s hard to believe she missed 2.5 years of competition after first busting her knee on a DTY in 2012 just before the Olympic Games and dealing with variations of knee injuries ever since. She is in it to win it, and I can’t remember the last time I saw a comeback look so impressive.

Finally, the best part of any NCAA season, Miss Val. I’m just so happy her face is back on a weekly basis. Whether she’s silently judging everyone in sight or just casually grooving to floor routines in a Sam Peszek-induced moment of sweet peace, she’s the real queen of NCAA gymnastics and don’t you forget it.

Rankings 

1. Oklahoma, 197.625
2. LSU, 197.125
3. Florida, 196.925
4. Utah, 196.900
5. Michigan, 196.600
6. Alabama, 196.225
7. Georgia, 195.600
8. Nebraska, 195.300
9. Illinois, 195.175
10. Cal, 195.025
11. Minnesota, 194.950
12. Arkansas, 194.900
13. Stanford, 194.863
14. Bowling Green, 194.775
15. Penn State, 194.675
— Ohio State, 194.675
17. Denver, 194.500
18. Arizona, 194.375
19. George Washington, 194.325
20. Arizona State, 194.200
21. Auburn, 194.150
22. Michigan State, 194.075
23. Utah State, 193.975
24. Eastern Michigan, 193.925
— Southern Utah, 193.925

Rankings are calculated every Monday morning and don’t include UCLA vs Oregon State or Washington vs Kentucky this week.

Top Ten Teams This Week

1. Oklahoma, 197.625
2. LSU, 197.125
3. Florida, 196.925
4. Utah, 196.900
5. Michigan, 196.600
6. Stanford, 196.275
7. Alabama, 196.225
8. UCLA, 196.000
9. Georgia 195.600
10. Oregon State, 195.450

Top Ten All-Arounders

1. Jessie Jordan, LSU, 39.550
2. Kytra Hunter, Florida, 39.475
3. Lindsay Mable, Minnesota, 39.450
— Nicole Artz, Michigan, 39.450
— Tory Wilson, Utah, 39.450
— Rheagan Courville, LSU, 39.450
7. Katie Bailey, Alabama, 39.375
8. Shauna Miller, Missouri, 39.325
9. Brianna Brown, Michigan, 39.250
10. Briannah Tsang, Penn State, 39.225

Oklahoma 197.625, Arkansas 194.900 [Results]

Oklahoma began the season on a very high note, earning a 197.625 with top notch performances across the board. Freshman Brenna Dowell made her debut with a Yurchenko 1.5 on vault and awesome difficulty on bars (where she competed a Maloney and Church before nailing a full-twisting DLO) and floor. Though she made some mistakes in her landings on floor (going OOB on her double front and looking a bit short on her 2.5), her routine overall was actually a major highlight, as she’s improved tremendously on her artistry compared to what we saw in her elite days.

In addition to Dowell’s solid start, Haley Scaman killed it on vault and in her gorgeous floor routine, where she nailed a double layout, Rudi loso, and double pike. Ali Jackson was also incredible, showing an excellent performance quality while hitting a solid piked full-in; the freshman also hit a stellar Yurchenko 1.5 on vault. McKenzie Wofford had a gorgeous bar routine for a 9.925, showing tremendous technique throughout. Finally, Chayse Capps put up a typically beautiful routine on beam, hitting her bhs loso and sticking her gainer full to cap it off. There’s so much else to mention because everyone truly had a stellar night, but these were the top routines to start off the season.

Arkansas struggled a little bit without the guidance of recently retired Kat Grable, and it looked as though nerves got to many of their performers, though they did count five fantastic vaults into their score of 194.900, and looked mostly solid on floor as well, especially with fantastic routines from Samantha Nelson and Amanda Wellick, who won the all-around with a 38.8. Sydnie Dillard performed her always on the mark beam routine,and while Paige Zaziski had some issues on beam and floor, she nailed vault for a 9.9 and showed off a lovely bar set for a 9.85. This team is going to be huge this year if they continue performing the way they did in their opener.

LSU 197.125, Iowa 193.300 [Results]

While LSU didn’t bring in their highest season opening score this year after derailing a bit on floor, they did manage to hit their 14th consecutive score above a 197, having posted a 197.125 on Friday. All-arounders Jessie Jordan and Rheagan Courville earned a 39.55 and 39.45, respectively, and they didn’t even have their best nights, with Jordan hopping on her vault and Courville going OOB on floor. These small mistakes aside meant nothing, however, as their remaining events were near-perfect. Randii Wyrick had an especially lovely bar routine, hitting her gorgeous DLO dismount, and Erin Macadaeg had a fantastic freshman debut, earning a 9.9 for her awesome beam. Lloimincia Hall weirdly looked a bit bored in her normally energetic floor routine, but we expect her to come back strong once she gets used to performing in front of a huge crowd once again. Iowa earned a 193.300, showing some great floor routines but counted a fall on beam. Alie Glover and Mollie Drenth were standouts on beam and floor, while Johanny Sotillo put up an excellent bar routine.

Florida 196.925, Ball State 193.700 [Results]

While things could have went better for the reigning national champions, it wasn’t necessarily a bad meet, as they started out incredibly strong on vault and bars, including the first perfect 10 of the season for superstar Bridget Sloan, who nailed her FTY before going on to hit a fantastic Ray and DLO in her bar routine for a 9.95. Bridgey Caquatto tied Sloan on bars with her impressively clean routine, and Kytra Hunter’s Yurchenko 1.5 was solid and stuck.

Of course, this great start was shut down with the injury to Sloan on floor; in her last pass – a double pike – she landed wrong and injured her foot, hopping a bit on the mat before being helped off. Earlier in the day, teammate Jamie Shisler ruptured her Achilles in a warmup, so the mood as they continued their floor routines was somber, though Caquatto showed a nice, polished routine to finish things off with a 9.925 for the Gators. On beam, both Rachel Spicer and freshman Ericha Fassbender fell, causing them to count Fassbender’s 9.3 into their total. Bianca Dancose-Giambattisto, who stepped in at the last minute for Sloan, had the highlight routine of the day on this event, showing some of Florida’s best beam choreography in years as she easily moved through her routine to earn a 9.9.

Other freshmen who debuted include Kennedy Baker, who was solid on vault and bars while posting a 9.875 for her clean beam that included a double wolf turn and a strong double tuck dismount, and Alex McMurtry, who vaulted a ginormous FTY for a 9.85. Baker should reportedly appear in the all-around next week.

Ball State struggled with rough form throughout their bar routines, but they were otherwise consistent throughout their day. Denasiha Christian was exceptional on vault and floor, bringing the crowd to their feet for her anchor floor performance, while Jordyn Penny and Brooklyn Schumacher were polished on bars and Jessica Leko sailed through beam.

Utah 196.900, Brigham Young 193.350 [Results]

Utah didn’t necessarily have an explosive debut this year, but they showed something more important – consistency. Known to be a team with insane performances across the board but then blowing it on beam, the Utes managed to keep everyone on task even in an away setting. If they can keep up this consistency while building dynamic routines over the season, they could finally be a threat on the national stage. Georgia Dabritz and Tory Wilson both brought in 9.925s on their stuck vaults, and it was great seeing Kassandra Lopez back in the bars lineup after getting injured last year. Baely Rowe’s beam was fantastic and she was also one of the best on floor, and then freshman Kari Lee had an exceptional debut, posting 9.85s on vault and beam in addition to a 9.775 on floor. BYU came out looking strong on vault and finishing well on floor, though they counted falls on bars and beam. Elaine Kulczyk was a standout on bars, while both Emily Vidmar and Jill van Mierlo had very solid performances on floor.

Michigan 196.600, Georgia 195.600 [Results]

The Gym Dogs dropped their first meet of the season to Michigan by a full point after counting a fall on floor Saturday afternoon. They started out well, with the scoring definitely tight on vault and bars, which was nice to see. Brandie Jay hit her Yurchenko 1.5 like a superstar, and I thought Kiera Brown showed tremendous improvement on bars compared to last year. A lovely routine from her. They hit beam with some rough patches, though Vivi Babalis’ debut there was outstanding and I loved Mary Beth Box taking charge of the moonwalk in Rogers’ absence (she’s only competing on bars for the time being due to injury). The Gym Dogs counted a fall on floor, though Jay showed a ton of power and Brown was commanding in the lead-off spot. For Michigan, Brianna Brown was absolutely golden in her debut, going four-for-four and looking calm, cool, and collected the entire way through. Her 39.25 in the all-around was second to teammate Nicole Artz’s 39.45. Artz, a sophomore, was way under the radar last year but has stepped up to give some of the strongest performances on every event. As mentioned in the intro above, Talia Chiarelli performed a powerful floor routine to almost no music, which was awesome, and the day was almost glitch-free, minus a fall from Briley Casanova on bars and three falls from poor Brooke Parker in the anchor spot on beam. After the third, she saluted and walked off, not bothering to finish because they had already secured a 49.1 on the event and in no way were they in danger of losing the meet. A rough end to a great start for the Wolverine.

Stanford 196.275, San Jose State 193.175 [Results]

Things are already looking up for the Cardinal now that they’re back to fielding full lineups on all four events. Though Kristina Vaculik is still out due to illness, Stanford managed a 196.275. There were a few falls (including Taylor Rice on her Jaeger and then on her FTY, shockingly, but it seemed as though she didn’t have enough height), though they stayed cool and managed to get past them without much of an issue. Elizabeth Price once again killed it on vault (9.85) where she really fought for the stick, and also hit a home run bars (9.925, a whopper of a score for her debut there, and she capped it off with a stuck double layout). Ivana Hong showed lovely technique on bars (her toes! beautiful!) and beam (she looked so happy when she finished with a stick!), overall the team’s best event, while Pauline Hanset was consistent throughout her three events, especially floor, where she nailed her 2.5 to punch front. The Spartans counted falls on bars and beam, but had some strong performances on floor, where Cami Guyer and Maddie Herr earned a pair of 9.825s to their 48.7 event total. Even though Katie Won fell in her bar routine, she finished things off with an awesome full-twisting double layout.

Special thanks to Casey Magnuson for these notes!

Alabama 196.225, Arizona 194.375 [Results]

Despite the loss of head coach Sarah Patterson over the summer, Alabama continues to look strong, posting a 196.225 in their first meet of the season even after counting a fall on bars. On vault, we saw some very strong FTYs (Kaitlyn Clark’s got a 9.95) in addition to a gorgeous Yurchenko half from Katie Bailey and a huge 1.5 from Kayla Williams. There were two falls on bars – freshman Kiana Winston lost her swing on a handstand and Amanda Jetter sat her double front – but we saw some great work otherwise, especially from Aja Sims on her Comaneci and Lauren Beers with her Maloney, pak, and double front. Clark fell on beam, but Sims again had a standout routine, and on floor we saw some excellent work especially from freshman Mackenzie Brannan and senior Lora Leigh Frost. Arizona had some mistakes throughout their day, especially on floor, but Gabby Laub put in back-to-back solid performances on bars (where she dismounted with a full-twisting DLO) and on vault, and Jessie Sisler killed it on floor for a 9.95.

UCLA 196.000, Oregon State 195.450 [Results]

It wasn’t a perfect meet for either the Bruins or the Beavers, though both showed moments of brilliance in their season debuts. Scoring was tight everywhere, which was nice to see because they’re only going to build on that as the weeks go by. UCLA looks stacked, finally, now that Sam Peszek and Peng-Peng Lee are back, who actually helped make vault their best-scoring event. Grad student Jordan Williams, formerly of Arizona, was also a key player there, as was freshman JaNay Honest. Really, the vault lineup is almost 100% different from last year’s, and the change was MASSIVE. Bars was tidy, if not perfect, and I loved the work we saw from freshman Sonya Meraz who could be a big help there with a little work. Peszek was dynamic on every event, but Lee was the true star, cementing one of the best comebacks in history after nearly three years without competing (this was technically her NCAA debut despite it being her third season on the team!). Her Bhardwaj on bars was caught a little close but come on…IT’S A BHARDWAJ. Her vault was stuck cold, and her beam – opening with her signature flairs – was golden. Danusia Francis unfortunately didn’t have a good night, stumbling her double pike back and out of bounds and then falling over on her sideways side aerial to gainer full dismount. You could tell after warmups it just wasn’t going to work out for her…she didn’t quite get the push before the dismount, and she went off to the mat on the side to practice several times before competing. It didn’t help, however, and when she went to push out of the sideways side aerial, she missed a foot and kind of collapsed the dismount onto the mat. A bummer after an otherwise great routine.

Oregon State looks revitalized this year, and I think they were severely underscored on several routines (as was UCLA…at least it was consistent!). Risa Perez is breathing new life into their program with her insanely crowd-friendly routines, Madeline Gardiner is gorgeous in everything she does, and Chelsea Tang continues to be a rock in the all-around. They’re a beautiful team to watch, and with a bit more attention to detail, they could be very strong this year.

Nebraska 195.300, Lindenwood 190.550 [Results]

The underclassmen were on point for Nebraska, especially sophomore Ashley Lambert who stepped up to win the all-around with a 39.175 after performing consistently on all four events. Freshmen Kamerin Moore and Grace Williams also looked strong, with Williams nailing vault and beam while Moore put in reliable sets on vault, bars, and floor. Hollie Blanske also had some good work, earning a 39.125 in the all-around after looking especially good on vault. The division II squad from Lindenwood looked very impressive on bars, where Trystien Charles and Shaylyn Garay had standout routines; I was also impressed with Alicia Floyd on vault and beam as well as Valeri Ingui on bars, beam, and floor, and Kierstin Sokolowski on vault, bars, and beam.

Illinois 195.175, Central Michigan 193.475 [Results]

I was very impressed with the Illini in their debut this week. While their numbers weren’t through the roof, you can tell they’re building for something, kind of like Utah…start off slow, but hit all of your routines. Despite a fall from Sunny Kato on bars, that’s exactly what they did and knowing how clean these girls typically compete, their scores are definitely going to grow in the coming weeks. Giana O’Connor had an excellent all-around competition, posting a 39.2 for the title while showing tremendous skill on vault and beam. Sarah Lyons and Mary Jane Horth were precise on bars, and Erin Buchanan was excellent in the anchor position on floor. A little more tightening, and they could be a great surprise as other teams struggle this season. Central Michigan got off to a decent start on bars, with Kylie Fagan’s anchor routine looking lovely. They gave a little away on vault and floor, and then counted two falls on beam, where Preslee Harrald in the lead-off and Halle Moraw as the anchor were the only two to really hit. Moraw was also excellent on floor.

Kentucky 194.975, Washington 194.325 [Results]

This Kentucky team has the ability to be one of the school’s best in a long time. Even with a fall counted on bars, they showed a lot of promise on that event, especially after every last dismount was stuck. Kayla Hartley was lovely in her routine, and Alexis Gross is finally back with her double front half-out. Vault and floor went off without much of a hitch, with Hartley looking stellar on the latter, and though there were some rough patches on beam, Cori Rechenmacher stood out as someone with a lot of potential there. Washington has a very young team, led by McKenzie Fechter. Although they had to count a couple of rough routines – including a fall on floor – they could be very strong with a bit more work. Freshman Hailey Burleson, who signed on a year early at the last minute, was commanding on vault and bars, Fechter stuck her bars dismount perfectly, Janae Janik was absolutely beautiful on beam, and both Faith Morrison and Zoey Schaefer were superb on floor.

Minnesota 194.950, Iowa State 193.475 [Results]

In the wake of coaching scandal over the summer, Minnesota is back with head coach Jenny Hansen, who led the team to victory despite them not being in top form. Lindsay Mable was at her usual best, however, earning a 39.45 in the all-around after especially impressive performances on beam (the weakest overall for the Gophers) and floor. Jenny Covers was also a big help on vault, bars, and floor, while Madie Hanley was lovely on bars. Iowa State didn’t count falls, but they just weren’t where they need to be in terms of attention to detail. Caitlin Brown was fantastic, earning a 39.05 in the all-around after looking clean across the board; Alex Marasco was a standout for the team on beam while Haylee Young looked confident on floor for a 9.825.

Cal 194.875, Sacramento State 194.250 [Results]

After a smashing freshman debut at the NorCal Classic a week ago, Toni-Ann Williams continues to be one of the best things to happen to Cal, as she posted a 9.85 on vault, a 9.8 on bars, and a 9.9 on floor to help the Golden Bears to their win over Sac State. Charlie Owens had an incredibly consistent night, posting a 39.05 for the all-around title, and overall the team looked strong, even if some problems on beam limited their overall potential. Their vault potential is amazing, and though beam wasn’t the best, they show a lot of promise with their choreography and presence there. Speaking of gorgeous beam, Kalliah McCartney of Sacramento State was lovely to watch there. Overall the Hornets did well everywhere but bars; Lauren Rice was consistent on all four, while Annie Juarez put out some great work on vault and floor.

Bowling Green 194.775, Michigan State 194.075 [Results]

BGSU earned their first Big 10 win since 2004 with their 194.775 in Saturday’s season opener thanks to consistent performances across all four events. Vault was mostly a slam dunk for the Falcons, especially with Jamilah Ali’s 9.875; Ali went on to earn a 9.775 on beam as well, tying teammates Alyssa Nocella and Caroline Ellingboe for second place. Ellingboe and Amanda Lievendag were superb on bars, while Nocella hit every mark on floor for a 9.8 to help her to a fantastic 39.025 in the all-around. MSU struggled on bars and floor, though Lisa Burt was super consistent all day for a 39.025 to tie Nocella for the AA win. The beam title went to Kira Frederick, who earned a 9.85 for her smooth performance, while Elena Lagoski won on floor with a 9.875.

Ohio State 194.675, Pittsburgh 190.825 [Results]

Ohio State had a solid, if not perfect, win to start their season, earning a 194.675 on Pittsburgh’s turf. OSU counted four solid FTYs in addition to Sarah Grady’s lovely Yurchenko half to their excellent vault total, and they looked mostly strong on beam and floor, where Alexis Mattern nailed her routine for a 9.875 and the title. Tenille Funches came back from a fall on her Jaeger on bars in the first rotation to win the all-around with a 38.150. The Panthers, meanwhile, brought in a 190.825 after counting some falls on bars and beam. Miya Dotson was a standout on bars where she shoed a giant full to huge Gienger for a 9.775, tying anchor Taylor Laymon, who had a lovely piked Jaeger, for the title there. Overal they did best on vault, where they had several strong FTYs.

Penn State 194.675, New Hampshire 193.450, Rutgers 191.825, Cornell 186.725 [Results]

The Nittany Lions successfully defeated all three teams attending their quad meet on Saturday afternoon, earning a 194.675 with counting a fall on beam. The team looked strong otherwise, especially on bars where they earned a 49 even thanks to excellent routines from the likes of Sidney Sanabria-Robles, Krystal Welsh, and freshman Briannah Tsang, who had an incredible debut. The former Canadian elite earned a 39.225 to win the all-around title after hitting clean routines across the board, including a 9.85 to win the vault title as well.

UNH had a rough outing on bars and floor, though Casey Lauter stood out with solid routines on both events, and Meghan Pflieger was excellent on vault and beam. For Rutgers, Charly Santagado had a fierce floor routine, though overall the team struggled there and on bars just as UNH did. April Baker, back after her injury sustained a year ago, posted a 38.5 in the all-around where she stood out on floor, earning a 9.7. Cornell fielded some great vaulters, including Alicia Bair with her 9.7; Joy Gage was also a standout for the team, posting a 9.775 on beam.

Denver 194.500, NC State 192.025 [Results]

Denver managed a decisive win over NC State on Friday thanks in part to a commanding all-around performance from Nina McGee, who earned a 39.175 to win the title in addition to posting the top scores on bars, beam (tied with NC State’s Lane Jarred), and floor. Denver counted no falls in their 2015 debut competition, and looked strongest on vault, where they brought in a pair of 9.825s from Emily Barrett and Rachel Fielitz. NC State counted falls on bars and floor, holding them back from presenting a real challenge. Jarred and Brittni Watkins were largely consistent, with Watkins winning the vault title in addition to placing second in the all-around.

George Washington 194.325, West Virginia 193.500, Maryland 193.025 [Results]

The tri-meet decision in Maryland went to GWU on Friday after a close meet. The Colonials brought in a 194.325 after a consistent night that featured three superb all-around performances from Alex DeMoura, Cami Drouin-Allaire, and Jillian Winstanley, who earned a 9.825 for her clean bar routine. West Virginia wasn’t quite as strong, though still managed a stellar performance on vault where they counted three 9.8s from Dayah Haley, Jaida Lawrence, and Zaakira Muhammed. Alexa Goldberg also had a solid night, bringing in a 9.85 on bars in addition to her 9.7 on floor. Though Maryland was probably the strongest team of the bunch, there were far too many mishaps on bars and beam for them to challenge. Freshman Dominiquea Trotter had an especially great day, posting a 9.775 on vault and a 9.8 on floor in her debut; the Terps also counted a couple of 9.85s on floor from Kathy Tang and Ebony Walters as well as a 9.875 on beam from the always trustworthy Stephanie Giameo.

Arizona State 194.200, Southern Utah 193.925 [Results]

It was a surprising night on ASU’s home turf this Friday, and though the Sun Devils came out on top, the race was incredibly close. In ASU’s defense, they fielded only five athletes on vault and were forced to count several bad landings; they later went on to count some very shaky beam routines. Even their top dogs were a bit under their usual ability, which was surprising to see. They did put up a fantastic group on bars, however, where Brianna Gades and Carissa Kraus were standouts. Additionally, Natasha Sundby brought in a 9.9 for her floor routine and Allie Salas won the all-around with a 38.75 after counting a few mistakes throughout her night. SUU would have had the meet in the bag had they not counted a fall on beam in their final rotation, but it was still a great night for them overall. Jamie Armijo’s bars was on point for a 9.9 and the event title, and Danielle Ramirez stayed consistent through her three events, winning the vault title with a 9.825.

Auburn 194.150, North Carolina 193.750 [Results]

It was a decent, albeit slightly rough meet for Auburn, who didn’t compete at the standard they’ve reached in the past couple of years due to a few rough performances. MJ Rott only made it through one pass of her floor routine before coming off the floor with an injury and taking just a 1.0 on the event. After feeling things out, she was able to compete on beam but wasn’t at her best. The typically reliable Caitlin Atkinson and Kait Kluz also made mistakes, though Atkinson made up for her bars mishaps with her excellent vault and beam. Bri Guy, back from double Achilles injuries last year, returned to bars and beam where she performed well, and Lexus Demers was on fire with her especially strong beam and floor. Though she didn’t make the lineups this week, freshman Abby Milliet performed bars and beam exhibitions; she fell on both, but showed a ton of promise on bars especially with her lovely lines and skills that included a Ray and a pak salto. UNC fell behind a bit after counting a fall on beam, but it was a very close meet. Haley Watts was a standout, winning the all-around with a 39.1 while Kaitlynn Hedelund had a stellar bars routine to earn the title there.

Utah State 193.975, Air Force 186.675 [Results]

Despite counting a fall on bars, Utah State had a great home opener this year, posting a 193.975 with solid performances on vault, beam, and floor. Sophomore Bailey McIntire won the all-around with a 38.8 after her especially solid vault and floor, and though Sarah Landes fell on bars, her vault, beam, and floor all looked fantastic, as did Destiny Ezell’s floor. For Air Force, Jessica Wallander absolutely nailed her vault for a 9.85 to win the title, though they mostly struggled, counting multiple falls on bars in addition to a couple on floor. Beam was overall a great event for them, however, and Lindsay Ebel’s 9.775 got her the second place finish.

Eastern Michigan 193.925, Temple 187.200 [Results]

EMU won their match against Temple 193.925 to 187.200 after an especially great day on floor, where Chantelle Loehner had the high score of the day with a 9.85. Sydney McEachern also stood out there in addition to putting in strong performances on vault and bars. Overall it was a pretty consistent day, especially compared to Temple, who counted several falls in addition to what was unfortunately a veritable disaster on bars. There were some bright spots on beam, with Alexis Arena winning the event title with a 9.75 and Lauren Capone putting in a strong performance as well; Capone also had a solid vault and floor.

Missouri 193.900, Towson 193.325, Kent State 192.400 [Results]

The Tigers had a mostly strong showing in their home opener, posting a 193.900 using just five in their lineup on vault and counting a fall on beam. Freshman Shauna Miller really stepped up to the plate, earning a huge (and unexpected, frankly!) 39.325 in the all-around after nailing vault for a 9.95 and looking good across the board as well. Laura Kappler had an excellent day on vault, beam, and floor, while Miranda Eubank looked lovely on bars. Towson wasn’t far behind Mizzou, bringing in a 193.325 after consistent performances across the board, including a 38.875 in the all-around from Tyra McKellar and strong routines from Katie Sassa on vault and floor. Kent State finished third after counting two falls, though otherwise they looked prime to have a good season. Freshman Brooke Timko was especially excellent, hitting great vault and beam routines in her debut.

SEMO 193.275, Illinois State 186.650 [Results]

SEMO kicked things off to a very strong start, counting no falls in their win over Illinois State. Floor was a stellar event overall, with Erin Brady and Ashley Thomas in the middle of the lineup cementing their win with excellent routines. Thomas also breezed through vault, beam, and floor to win the all-around with a 38.925, while Alyssa Tucker was close behind in second with a 38.85 after a clutch bar routine. For Illinois State, things were a bit rough, especially on bars where they counted two falls to earn just a 45.15 at the start of their meet. They also counted a fall in their last rotation, beam, though all-arounder Sami King finished things off on a high note, anchoring with a 9.75 for a 38.6 in the all-around. Marie Priest also had a solid beam set in addition to a strong finish on floor.

UC Davis 193.025, Seattle Pacific 191.200 [Results]

It wasn’t a perfect day for either team here, but UC Davis pulled out the win thanks to a handful of very strong performances on each event. Vault and bars were the standout events; and Dani Judal’s 9.825 for her solid bar routine was the title-winner there while teammates Alexis Brown, Kala DeFrancesco, and Katy Nogaki tied for the vault title with 9.775s. Brown and Cassandra Quebral were miles ahead of the rest of the team on beam, bringing in a pair of 9.8s on an otherwise rough event. SPU counted a fall on bars and had some rough spots elsewhere, though Kristi Hayashida managed to hit a gorgeous beam routine, and Ariana Harger was consistent on vault and floor.

Northern Illinois 192.250, UIC 189.575 [Results]

NIU had a fantastic day on beam to help cement the win in their final rotation. With a score of 192.250 to UIC’s 189.575, the Huskies put up some fabulous routines including a 9.85 from Amanda Stepp and a 9.825 from Megan Greenfield. Stepp had a fantastic day overall, putting up top scores for her team on vault and floor, while Lauren Africano looked lovely on bars. UIC struggled a bit on beam and floor, counting several falls into their total, though they had an insanely consistent bar rotation, where all scores to count were a 9.7 or above, including a 9.775 from Nicole Szabo. Gabrielle May won the all-around with a fall on beam, earning a 38.05 for the title.

Alaska 192.250, Winona State 185.275 [Results]

In their second meet of the week, Alaska improved their score by nearly a point after performing consistently across all four events with beam an especially good standout event (Morgan Cook shined there). Austrian Worlds team member Simone Penker won the all-around with a 38.675 after especially strong bars and floor performances; Nicole Larkin, Marie-Sophie Boggasch, and M’rcy Matsunami were also excellent on bars, while Emily Ramberg stood out on beam. Winona State improved from their first score of the season by almost seven points, looking mostly clean on vault and bars, though they did count falls on beam and floor. Jade Donaldson had top team scores for vault and beam, while Kathryn Pipp was excellent on bars and Veronica Peterson nailed her floor.

Alaska 191.550, Winona State 178.450 [Results]

Alaska  had no problem defeating DIII team Winona State in their home opener on Thursday night. The Seawolves brought in a 191.550 and counted just one fall on a largely successful night. M’rcy Matsunami was outstanding in the all-around, earning a 38.85 after nailing all four events for the title on each but floor, which went to teammate Kallie Randolph. Simone Penker, who competed for Austria at World Championships this fall, also had a solid night with a 38.475 AA score (she looked especially nice on bars and beam). Winona State brought in a 178.450; special recognition goes to Danielle Thenell and Jade Donaldson for their excellent bars work.

Texas Woman’s 189.750, Centenary 186.875

TWU got off to a decent start this season as they traveled to Centenary for a defeat by nearly three points. Standouts include Kayla Jones on vault, Katie Simpson and Courtney Cochefski on bars, and Spencer Jones on beam and floor. For Centenary, Allison Scates claimed the all-around title with a 38.125 while Kellie Slated won vault with a 9.675.

UW La Crosse 185.000, UW Eau Claire 181.475, Gustavus 172.650 [Results]

The University of Wisconsin team from La Crosse beat their hosts in Eau Claire by nearly four points on Friday night after staying consistent on all four events. Samantha Wiekamp was especially strong, hitting reat vault, beam, and floor sets to win the all-around with a 37.05. Eau Claire’s downfall came on bars, where they counted several falls, though they looked strong on vault and floor and had a couple of super strong beam routines, including from Elizabeth Stubbs and Erin Olson; Stubbs also had a fantastic floor routine. For Gustavus, bars caused a near disaster as they were able to field only five athletes and there were several falls on that event; they also struggled on beam, though vault and floor overall were strong. Alexandra Kopp looked super strong on vault and floor, and placed second in the all-around with a 36.275.

Springfield 184.650, Rhode Island College 174.600 [Results]

Springfield handily won the meet at RIC on Sunday, though it was also a big day for the Anchorwomen, who debuted at their highest in ten years led by a stellar freshman class. Springfield performed mostly well across the board, though beam and floor were exceptional. Abby Clark was especially solid throughout the day, anchoring on three of her four events and posting a 9.625 on floor to finish with a 37.0 in the all-around. Brianna Kerr was superb on bars, and Marissa DeAngelo was excellent on beam and floor. RIC freshman Samantha Lemire anchored all four events and was the highest all-around finisher for the Anchorwomen, posting a 35.375 after looking especially strong on bars and floor. Victoria Costello was best on vault and Emma Hartan showed promise on beam.

UW Whitewater 183.275, UW Stout 177.850 [Results]

Whitewater easily defeated host team Stout with an especially strong night on vault and beam, though they did have their share of problems on bars and counted a couple of falls on floor as well. Katie Fiorilli won the all-around with a 37.750 after going four-for-four, and Stephanie Cross stood out with her excellent work on bars. Though Stout started out strong on vault, they went on to count several falls during their bars, beam, and floor rotations. It wasn’t terrible considering they only had seven gymnasts competing, however, and Kenzie Hyde put together a superb bars routine while Kaylee Jondahl looked confident on vault.

Oshkosh 181.275, Hamline 179.325 [Results]

Oshkosh looked mostly strong across the board on Saturday, save for beam. Emily Ryan was a standout on vault and floor while Leane Blais  and Kassandra Stamopoulos looked put together on bars and Krystal Walker was clean on beam. Walker also won the all-around with a 35.325 after hitting a strong vault and solid floor routine, though she had some falls on bars, where she earned just a 7.5. For Hamline, Sela Fadness looked great on vault and beam, Alexis Nault was lovely on bars, and Olivia Kressler had an excellent floor routine, winning the title with a 9.375.

Article by Lauren Hopkins