NCAA women’s gymnastics power rankings: Oklahoma picks up where it left off

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 reigning champs have yet to crack. The Sooners earned the highest score across the country with a 197.850 in Week 1. As expected, OU started the season off with solid performances on every event, leading the competition the whole way through. They were clean and had strong landings while still leaving room for improvement as the season continues.
A highlight for the team was sophomore Faith Torrez, who earned a career high all-around score of 39.625, which included a huge 9.95 for the gymnast on beam. Only time will tell if they will have another dominant season, but if their first performance gives you any hints, we’d say it’s looking likely.
2. Utah (+2)
The Utes moved their way up the ladder after scoring a 197.300 against Boise State to start their season off on a positive note. Utah junior and 2020 Olympian Grace McCallum had a great season opener, scoring a 9.900 on floor and a 9.925 on bars. However, the most notable routine from the Utes performance was super senior Maile O’Keefe’s beam performance, which earned the first perfect 10 of the season. This was also Carly Dockendorf’s first win as head coach.
3. Missouri (+9)
A stellar opening night for the Mizzou Tigers earned them a place in the top 3 PLUS the honor of holding the highest score in the SEC so far this season with a 197.150. The Tigers had spectacular performances from returners and freshmen alike. Junior Grace Anne Davis earned a 9.900 on beam, and her teammate and graduate student Sienna Schreiber closing out their beam rotation with a 9.925. Plus, junior Jocelyn Moore scored a HUGE 9.975 on floor with her near-perfect routine. They’re definitely one to have your eye on after such a big start to their season.
4. Alabama (+4)
The Crimson Tide isn’t far behind the Tigers as both teams climb the ladder. Alabama opened its season by winning their session at the Mean Girls Super 16 with a 197.125, beating out Cal, Auburn, and UCLA. The seniors helped the Crimson Tide earn their rank improvement, with Shania Adams earning a 9.900 on beam, Cameron Machado scoring a 9.925 on bars, graduate student Luisa Blanco going 9.950, also on bars, and you can’t forget sophomore Gabby Gladieux scoring a giant 9.975 on floor. Is Alabama back?
5. LSU (-2)
While the minus two is probably not what LSU fans want to see in the first week, they still had an impressive start to their season. Earning a 196.975 over Ohio State, the team managed to stay in the top 5 heading into week 2. Freshan Amari Drayton had an incredible performance on vault in her collegiate debut, earning a 9.925 for an ~almost~ stuck Yurchenko 1.5, she also earned a 9.925 on floor. Senior Haleigh Bryant remained as reliable as ever, opening her season by scoring nothing below a 9.875, which included a gorgeous 9.95 vault, and junior Aleah Finnegan is keeping her promise and giving her all for her team, scoring a 9.95 on beam.
It was a rough collegiate debut for Konnor McClain, who had a fall on beam, but this wasn’t just her first college meet; it’s important to remember it was her first meet back since 2022 after injuries took her out of the game. We think it’s safe to say she’ll end up being a major contributor to the team as she makes adjustments and finds her groove. However, the team did lose graduate student Alyona Shchennikova to an Achilles injury, so we will see how much this impacts the Bayou Bengals as the season progresses.
6. Cal (+1)
They’re nothing if not consistent (and then some). Cal jumps up one as they head into Week 2 after a solid performance that beat out Auburn and UCLA with junior Mya Lauzon having a spectacular meet. She took home the all-around for their session at the Mean Girls Super 16 with a 39.600. We’ll see if they can keep it consistent while upping their skills and scoring as the season moves on. Cal is currently sharing the No. 6 ranking with Denver and Minnesota, so it will be interesting to see how the standings shake out next week.
7. Kentucky (+2)
Graduate Wildcat Raena Worley had an incredible first meet of the season, scoring a 9.975 on bars. Besides this, though, their season opening performance was rather underwhelming as a whole and they’re going to need to step it up beyond consistency if they want to see upward movement.
8. Auburn (+9)
Are the Tigers making a comeback despite losing key players like Olympian Suni Lee, who’s training for Paris 2024, and floor queen Derrian Gobourne, who graduated in 2023? The answer might be yes following the strong routines they showed at the Mean Girl Super 16. It appears these Tigers might be finding their groove again, earning a 196.600 to start the season. Now, can they build on that is the question?
9. UCLA (-4)
It was a rough start for UCLA despite having high scores on vault from senior Chae Campbell and on bars from sophomore Selena Harris. The team struggled on beam with multiple falls. They fought back and had a great floor rotation to close out their competition, but it wasn’t enough. The fight and skills are clearly in the Bruins, but will we see it overcome their inconsistencies?
10. Georgia (+6)
The Dawgs are on the rise, and that’s why they’re making this list. Yes, their scores may still be relatively low overall, but their momentum is picking up, especially with freshman Lily Smith. Smith had an incredible debut with a flawless bar routine that earned a 9.975. Needless to say it was an attention-grabbing performance.