Week 7 of NCAA women’s gymnastics has arrived, and things are getting serious. Teams are doing everything they can to get desirable scores to count toward their National Qualifying Score (NQS), which will be used to determine rankings starting in Week 8.
SEC showdown
#9 Alabama @ #19 Georgia
Alabama goes into Stegeman Coliseum after a huge 198 at the Metroplex Challenge and a big rivalry win against Auburn at home the previous week. This will be a critical meet to see whether or not Alabama can keep up this success in a challenging road environment.
For the Crimson Tide, Luisa Blanco and Lilly Hudson should compete for this meet’s all-around title, each having the ability to go 9.9+ on all four events. Outside of this duo, there are a couple lineup spots to watch out for: one on bars and one on floor.
Last week, freshman Karis German got her first chance in the bars lineup. The flex spot on floor went to fifth-year Canadian Olympian Shallon Olsen. Pay attention this week to see if they retain these spots or someone else gets the call.
The Georgia Bulldogs will have the opportunity to regroup at home after their second-lowest outing of the season last week. Senior Haley de Jong is having herself a great season but was missing from the vault lineup last week. If she is back there and can stick her landing, she is also a threat for the all-around title.
Freshman Naya Howard has been Georgia’s other consistent all-around gymnast this season. After a bit of an uncharacteristic meet last week, look for her to step up for her squad.
While Alabama certainly comes in as the favorite, this is an opportunity for the Bulldogs to get a solid score to count toward their NQS.
Pac-12 faceoff
#6 UCLA @ #7 California
These two teams couldn’t be ranked closer, so viewers are in for a treat. Both teams will be looking for usable scores for their NQS.
The Bruins look strong on bars, beam, and floor, going 49.425+ on all three events last time out. Vault is an area for improvement for this UCLA squad. With only two 10.0 start value vaults in the lineup, look for the Bruins to focus in on the form and landings on their Yurchenko fulls. Big hops on the landings are lost tenths that add up quickly.
Freshman Selena Harris and sophomore Jordan Chiles should lead the Bruins in the all-around while sophomore Andi Li and senior Nevaeh DeSouza will likely do the same for the California Golden Bears.
Bars and vault contributor Ella Cesario has missed the last two meets for the Golden Bears. If she is healthy, she should be expected to slot in for freshmen eMjae Frazier on bars, who has been her replacement the past two weeks.
California is in a very similar position as UCLA in terms of vault. They also should have the same goal: to maximize tenths on their 9.95 start value vaults. Last week, this was California’s lowest-scoring event of the meet. This time out, it will be pivotal to bring that event up to par with the other three.
EAGL matchup
Towson @ LIU
The Towson Tigers will travel to LIU after a season-high 196.45 performance last week. The Tigers are putting together a great campaign, fueled by excellent performances from their freshman class.
Polina Belanovski and Isabella Minervini have both picked up EAGL Rookie of the Week awards for the Tigers. Look for them to continue their success once again. Belanovski is a standout on vault while Minervini excels on bars. The Tigers operate with no all-around gymnasts but maximize scoring potential by utilizing gymnasts on their specialities.
LIU hosts this meet after earning a program record 195.1 in Week 6. Look for the Sharks to build on this accomplishment.
The Sharks were very close to earning a 49 on beam and floor in their last meet, so watch to see if they can break that barrier at home. Must-see performances from LIU include Mara Titarsolej on bars, Ilka Juk on beam, and Ella Barrington on floor.
Big Ten battle
#17 Minnesota @ #24 Maryland
The Minnesota Golden Gophers are on the road again following a season-high 197.075 last week at Michigan. The focus event for Minnesota should be beam. The team is lovely on vault, bars, and floor, but has not gone over a 49.025 on beam all year.
Replacing beam stars Lexy Ramler and Ona Loper is no easy task, but with the season already reaching the midway point, the Golden Gophers really need to figure out this rotation if they want to make a postseason run. Look to see if Minnesota sticks with the same lineup as last week or mixes it up a bit in search of a season-high beam score.
Maryland returns home after a big season-high win at Rutgers last week. As a team, the Terrapins are looking especially strong on bars, with sophomore Sierra Kondo and senior Aleka Tsiknias leading the way. Look for Maryland to shine on this event once again.
Last week, Maryland broke out on floor with a season-high 49.375, greatly exceeding their previous high of 49. Watch to see if the Terrapins can put together a repeat performance on this event at home to give Minnesota a run for their money.
