Alabama posted a 197.8 to win in dominating fashion. The Broncos counted a fall and an OOB on FX to hold back their total. Bama was led by Lauren Beers, who posted a 39.65 to win the AA. She also won the BB. Teammate Katie Bailey won the VT and tied for the UB title with Boise State's Ciera Perkins. A trio of Crimson Tide athletes tied for the floor title: Hunter Dennis, Carley Sims and Kaitlyn Clark.
Link: Boise State Release
Iowa State posted a 194.95 to hold off NIU's 194.475 and win the Chicago Style Meet at the Navy Pier in Chicago. Yale was third at 190.75. ISU's Caitlin Brown won the AA with a 39.275. She also took UB and the BB. Teammate Haylee Young won the VT.
Link: Iowa State Release
SUU got revenge over BYU as they used consistency and a big advantage on BB to outpace the hosts. Natalie Trejo led SUU with a win on BB. Makenzie Johnson led BYU with a win in the AA (39.275). She also won the VT and FX. Teammate KayCee Gassaway won the UB.
Link: SUU Release
UW Whitewater used the fifth best mark in school history to take the Harley Davidson Invite. Alaska had numerous struggles on UB to placed 2nd, while Winona State was third. Courtney Pickett led the way for Whitewater, winning the AA with a 38.25 and the UB with a 9.675. Teammate Cici Talcott tied for the FX title with UAA's Kallie Randolph. On BB, UW-Whitewater's Steffi Heuer tied for the title with UAA's Simone Penker and Kendra Daniels. The Seawolve's Marie-Sophie Boggasch won the VT.
Link: UW-W Release
Arkansas powered to an easy win over Illinois State and SEMO. They were led by Amanda Wellick, who posted a 39.425 to win the AA. She also took the titles on VT and FX. Teammate Stephani Canizaro won the UB. Illinois State's Amanda Mohler scored another big win, taking the BB.
Link: SEMO Release
Number 1 OU traveled to nearby Oklahoma City to host the Perfect 10 Challenge. While they defeated Kentucky, they posted a 197.275, weighed down by counting scores in the 9.7 range on UB and BB. Chayse Capps led OU with a 9.95 win on VT. Teammates Ali Jackson and Haley Scaman tied for the FX title, while Sooner McKenzie Wofford won UB. For UK, Syndey Waltz scored a big win over the OU BB lineup.
Link: Release and Videos
Auburn posted an all-time school record score but it wasn't enough as the LSU Tigers escaped with a win. Ashleigh "Bugs" Gnat led the way, winning the AA with a 39.55. She also took the FX. Teammate Rheagan Courville won the UB and tied for the VT title with AU's Lexus Demers and MJ Rott. LSU's Jessie Jordan returned from injury to tie for the BB title with AU's Megan Walker.
Link: AU Release
Denver posted a solid win at WVU, overcoming what WVU coach Jason Butts said was the Mountaineers "best team performance of the year". Nina McGee led DU, winning the VT and tying for the FX title with WVU's Dayah Haley. Teamamte Julia Ross won the BB, while Pioneer Katie Menhinick won the AA (38.875). WVU's Alexa Goldberg won the UB.
Link: WVU Release
Missouri scored a season high, but it was far from enough as the host Gators blasted to a new season high 198.225. Senior Kytra Hunter led the Gators, winning the AA with a 39.75. She also tied for the event titles on vault (with teammate Alex McMurtry) and beam (with teammate Claire Boyce). Florida's Bianca Dancose-Giambattisto won the UB while frosh teammate Kennedy Baker posted a near-perfect 9.975 to win FX.
Link: UF Release
Lindenwood scored an easy win over the visitors from TWU and Centenary. LU frosh Kierstin Sokolowski led the way, winning the VT and the AA with a 39.175. She also tied for the VT title with teammate Rachel Zabawa. Teammates Courtney Heise and Valeri Ingui won the UB and BB, respectively.
Link: TWU Release
Ball State held off the visitors of WMU to hold down the win on Friday night. Densiha Christian won VT while Jessica Leko won BB to pace Ball State. Erin Patchey added a 9.875 win on FX to seal the victory. For WMU, Jessie Peszek won the UB while Anna Corbett took the AA (38.8).
Michigan powered to a win at Michigan State, paced by senior Sachi Sugiyama. She won the AA with a 39.55 and the VT with a 9.9. She also tied for the floor title with teammate Talia Chiarelli. Wolverines Brianna Brown and Nicole Artz won UB and BB, respectively.
Link: Michigan Release
We're almost halfway through the season, and we're going to see a switch to the Regional Qualifying Score (RQS) in a few weeks. Now that the jitters and novelty of the new season is wearing off, we're starting to see some clear trends emerge. "Slow Starters" are making big improvements while "Early Leaders" are finding new teams nipping at their heels. As we head into the "mid-point shakeup", here are some observations.
Parkettes' Taylor Lawson has committed to Arizona. Last season she qualified to compete as an elite at the US Secret Classic and the P&G Championships. So far this season she has competed at the Brestyan's Invitational (4th AA; 1st vault) and the PKI (9th AA).
Alexandra Ruiz, L10 from ACE Gymnastics in Forida, has committed to DU. She finished 1st AA at the 2013 JOs. Last season she finished 1st on vault at the National Elite Qualifier. This season she earned a near sweep of events at the Ozone Invitational and she placed 2nd AA and 1st on floor at the Sand Dollar meet.
OU still holds the top spot in the Men's Poll, but there has been activity in the poll this week. PSU is now in 2nd and Illinois in 3rd. Both received a first place vote in this week's poll.