NCAA women’s gymnastics power rankings: Cal looks like a contender

By Gymnastics Now | January 18, 2024
Cal's Maddie Williams on beam at the 2024 Mean Girls Super 16 meet.
© Filippo Tomasi/Gymnastics Now

Each week, Gymnastics Now will share our Power Rankings for the top 10 women’s teams, providing insight into why certain teams are trending up and others trending down.

These rankings are purely subjective. A (+) or (-) next to each team will signify how far the team rose or fell compared to the previous week.

1. Oklahoma (-)

The Sooners and their consistency strike again, keeping them at the top of our power rankings and the national rankings. The team had went 197.900 while facing off against LSU, UCLA, and Utah at the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad meet this past weekend. While you may not call this performance your typical “off day,” the Sooners did have an uncharacteristic mistake from graduate student Ragan Smith on beam and lower than usual scores (for them) on their best event, bars.

However, their freshman Hannah Scheible didn’t come to play on vault, earning a career-best of 9.925 on the event while senior Audrey Davis earned a near-perfect score on bars, bringing in a huge 9.975.

2. Cal (+4)

Cal lands in the top two of our power rankings thanks to the team’s stellar 197.875 performance in Week 2, which not only moved up their ranking but helped them become the best vault team across the country. They competed against Michigan State, NC State, and BYU during their session of the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad.

Individually, their athletes also had an incredible night. Sophomore eMjae Frazier scored a perfect 10 on beam while junior Mya Lauzon scored two 9.975s on vault and floor, moving her name to the top of the national all-around rankings. It was a great weekend to be a Golden Bear.

3. Florida (previously unranked)

The Gators have entered the chat, and while their ranking has gone down from the preseason poll, they also have one less meet than most of the top-ranked teams. UF had a sold-out season opener on Friday in their Equality Night competition against Fisk, Talladega, and George Washington.

Even with some rather low scores, the Gators posted a 197.100 to start their season off with plenty of room for improvement.

4. Utah (-2)

The Utes’ foundation may be showing some cracks. The team had the lowest score of their session at the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad meet, earning an uncharacteristic 196.975. However, we’re keeping them high in our power rankings because they seemed to bounce back during the Best of Utah competition against BYU, Southern Utah, and Utah State just a few days later.

Utah had nine scores of 9.9 or better, and super senior Maile O’Keefe earned another perfect 10 on beam. This was a huge rebound after she fell just two days prior at the Collegiate Quad. We can only wait to see if inconsistency will be a trend for the Utes, or if their Week 2 performance was a wake-up call.

5. Alabama (-1)

The Crimson Tide just keeps climbing as they are now in the top 3 nationally. Bama seems to be on the come up with consistently strong performances so far. The team took down Missouri, who was ranked just above them in the No. 3 spot, last weekend. The Crimson Tide earned a 197.225, keeping them in our top 5.

6. Kentucky (+1)

They’re creeping up! The Wildcats are still in this thing after Week 2, thanks to their 197.475 (yes, you read that right) on the road at Auburn. A huge 9.950 from beam queen Bailey Bunn and two incredible 9.950 floor routines from Raena Worley and freshman Creslyn Brose were all reminders to NCAA fans that the Wildcats have the makings of a title contender.

7. LSU (-2)

Who is excited that Konnor McClain is so back? We are! The freshman is officially here and helping her team achieve their goals by earning her first collegiate perfect 10 with a gorgeous bars routine. The team ended up being runner-up at the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad meet, where they faced off against Oklahoma, UCLA, and Utah.

8. Ohio State (previously unranked)

Ohio State is holding strong as they continue to rank nationally in the top ten. The team scored a 197.150 against Ball State and Towson last weekend. Freshman Courtney McCann eared a 9.975 for her collegiate beam debut. This team looks solid and ready to go as they head into Week 3.

9. Arkansas (previously unranked)

The Razorbacks earned their way into this week’s power rankings. A breakout performance to start the season, Arkansas earned its highest season opening score in history with a 197.150 against Georgia. This huge score moved them from being ranked in 15th in the WCGA preseason poll to moving all the way up to being ranked fourth nationally after only one competition.

10. Clemson (previously unranked)

The Clemson Tigers made their program debut last weekend, and boy, was it a big win. The team earned a 196.325, keeping them in the top 20 nationally. That’s a big feat for a team in their first-ever performance and should put everyone on notice that the Tigers aren’t earning their stripes – they already have them.