A four-way tie and history-making 10s: 5 memorable moments from Week 10 of NCAA gymnastics
We’re rewinding the tape and reminiscing on five of the most memorable moments from Week 10 of NCAA gymnastics season!
Full recaps:
- NCAA women’s gymnastics Week 10 recap: Records fall in final week of regular season
- NCAA men’s gymnastics Week 10 recap: Illinois wins by 16, OU nabs ‘ugly win,’ and Stanford sets season high
1. Haleigh Bryant makes history
LSU has been on an upward trajectory this season, and as we inch closer and closer to postseason, their momentum only seems to be climbing. That’s in part thanks to Haleigh Bryant. The LSU junior scored three perfect 10s against West Virginia last weekend, making history by becoming the first LSU gymnast to do so.
Bryant scored a perfect 10 on vault, bars, and floor, setting a school record for career perfect 10s and tying the program high all-around score. The gymnast helped LSU earn its sixth-consecutive win with her phenomenal routines, ranking the Tigers No. 6 heading into conference championships.
3. Stanford men post season high as Malone wins high bar
The Stanford men’s gymnastics team had an exceptional showing at its tri-meet against Air Force and Navy. The No. 2 team posted the highest score in the nation with a 423.550 as reigning world high bar champion Brody Malone won the title on his signature event as he builds back to the all-around.
4. Simone gives Jo a perfect 10
UCLA sophomore Jordan Chiles – who recently announced she will defer her junior season to train for. the 2024 Paris Olympics – shined on vault in the Bruins’ win over Iowa State in Week 10. Chiles stuck her double-twisting Yurchenko to score a 9.975.
Chiles’ World Champions Centre teammate Simone Biles had something to say about that…
“This was definitely a 10 but aight,” Biles quote tweeted the video.
If it’s any consolation, Chiles earned a perfect 10 on bars in the next rotation and posted the highest all-around score in the nation this season with a 39.900. So yea, Jo is officially on NCAA all-around champion watch (like she hasn’t been already).
4. Ball State breaks program record
The MAC is having a record-breaking season, and Ball State can be thanked for part of that. The Cardinals are officially the 2023 MAC regular season co-champions with Western Michigan after they set a new program record in their meet against WMU on Sunday.
The team broke its school record by scoring an all-time high of 196.900 with 18 routines that scored above a 9.800. Despite an incredible meet, No. 34 Ball State fell to No. 28 WMU by half a tenth. Still, both teams rose in the NQS rankings this week and are currently in position to earn a berth, or a chance at a berth, to regionals.
5. Pac-12 four-way tie
For the second year in a row, four Pac-12 teams shared the regular season title. Utah, UCLA, Cal and Oregon State all tied for the Pac-12 regular season title this past weekend. Nationally, the teams are all in the top 15 in the NQS rankings.
It’s certainly been a historic season for the conference, and it’s not over yet. All four of these teams could be major players in the postseason.
Honorable mentions
Every week it’s hard to pick just five memorable moments, so here are our Week 10 honorable mentions:
Cal’s Mya Lauzon scored the first perfect 10 on beam in program history. Her artistry was flawless and so were her skills. Lauzon’s triple series was calm, cool, collected, and absolutely fabulous. The gorgeous routine was one for the books, and clearly the judges thought so as well.
Another event highlight that absolutely deserves a mention came from OSU’s Caden Spencer’s ultra clean Kas full on vault, which scored a 14.300 for the Buckeyes against Penn State and Oklahoma.
