The season is well underway and we're already seeing some trends, early leaders, and stars begin to emerge. Here's a few observations on the season thus far...
Grace Arnold has committed to Gustavus Adolphus. Last season she won her L9 state meet and placed 1st on bars and beam. She recently placed 6thAA at the Elevate the Stage meet.
Washington's Allison Northey posted a 39.175 to win her second AA of the season and lead UW to an easy win over ASU. She also tied for the UB title with teammate Kaitlyn Duranczyk and on BB with teammate Joslyn Goings. For ASU, Taylor Allex won VT and FX.
Link: UW Release
Florida tops the Women's National Rankings for the week of January 18th, with a 197.25 average, as compiled by RoadToNationals. OU is 2nd and Michigan 3rd. The rankings remain highly volatile at this point in the season.
Denver just missed the 196 mark but it was enough to easily down the host Hawkeyes. DU was led again by Nina McGee, who won the AA with a 39.425, including a win on VT and a tie for first on FX (with Iowa's Mollie Drenth). Teammate Julia Ross won the UB and BB to further boost the Pioneers.
Link: Iowa Release
Stanford capitalized on UGA's collapse on BB to take the win. Stanford's Elizabeth Price led the way, posting a 39.425 to take the AA. Teammates Ivana Hong and Melissa Chuang tied for the BB title. For UGA, Brandie Jay posted a near-perfect 9.975 to win the VT. Classmate Brittany Rogers won the UB with a 9.925. On FX, Gigi Marino and Mary Beth Box led the Gym Dogs with 9.9 and the event win.
Link: UGA Release
Michelle Sandoval, L10 at Fuzion Gymnastics, has committed to BYU. Last season she competed to a 3rd place AA finish at her state meet and her season seemingly ended there. She recently competed two events at the Texas Prime meet, finishing 4th on beam.
Bailey Lovett, L10 at High Point Gymnastics, has committed to Arkansas. Last season she won her regional meet and finished 31st AA at JOs. She recently competed at the Atlanta Crown and placed 3rd AA.
Illinois won the Windy City Invitational with a score of 425.95. Ohio State was just behind at 425.7, with Minnesota just behind at 424.5. Iowa was 4th at 419.65, Michigan 5th at 413.7 and UIC was 6th at 378.45. Illini Brandon Ngai won the PH, the only event winner for Illinois. Minnesota's Zach Liebler won the FX while teammate Tristan Duran. For Ohio State, Sean Melton won Rings, VT, and PB and Tristan Burke won the AA with an 86.0.
Link: UIC Release
Keeley Kmieciak posted a 39.4 in the AA to lead the Sooners to the win over the host GymBacks. Teammate AJ Jackson won VT, while Chayse Capps took the BB. Sooner Haley Scaman won the FX, while teammate McKenzie Wofford tied with Arkansas' Paige Zaziski for the UB title.
Link: OU Release