NCAA women’s gymnastics Week 10: Teams fine-tuning and fighting for postseason possibilities
This is the last week of regular season meets in NCAA women’s gymnastics before conference championships. Most regular season conference champions have been determined, and now, teams are focused on fine-tuning ahead of what will be a challenging postseason. Teams are also looking to do their best to secure the best possible seeding for postseason competition.
Georgia continues with makeshift venue
#2 Michigan vs. #18 Georgia
This meet is going to take place at Gas South Arena, the site of next week’s SEC Championships. This decision came after concrete began falling in Georgia’s home arena, Stegeman Coliseum, the other week. This meet will count as an away meet for both Georgia and Michigan.
This is great news for Georgia, as it allows them to have another chance at a high away score for their National Qualifying Score (NQS). Currently Georgia sits in at No. 18 nationally, which is two spots out of being a seeded team for the postseason. If the Gymdogs can make a good push with a 197+ meet, they will have a chance to get into the top 16 to be seeded.
Look for Georgia to put out its best lineups possible to try to achieve this. They could really use some more scores in the 9.8s with their Yurchenko fulls on vault.
It seems as though there is one spot on beam for the Gymdogs that is up for grabs. Last week it went to freshman Sidney Fitzgerald, but in the past, it has gone to fellow freshman JaFree Scott. Keep an eye on who gets it this time out, as Georgia will try to perfect the lineups they would like to use in the postseason.
Michigan is coming into this meet after knocking off the reigning national champion in the Oklahoma Sooners. While the Wolverines should have no trouble securing the win, they need to be strategic about who they rest and on which events to do so. Florida and Utah are right on Michigan’s heels in the NQS rankings.
If Michigan wants to retain the second spot in the rankings, they are still going to need a good performance from some key contributors. This would also be a good time for someone like freshman Kaylen Morgan to get an opportunity on an event other than vault.
Pac-12 dual
#4 Utah @ #13 Oregon State
This meet will decide who wins the Pac-12 regular season championship. Utah needs to win or tie in order to be outright champions. Otherwise, Utah, UCLA, California, and Oregon State will all share the title – talk about a competitive conference!
Both teams are coming off good meets in Week 9. Specifically for the Beavers, they will be looking for redemption after narrowly dropping their road meet against Arizona State. Utah would love another 198+ score to try to move up slightly in the NQS rankings.
Many gymnastics fans have noticed that both of these teams tend to have generous scoring at their home arenas. This being said, it will be interesting to see how they are both scored this time out, especially for the visiting Utes.
Oregon State fell two spots in the NQS rankings after their loss in Week 9. Look to see how they respond at home in an attempt to get into a top 10 position for the postseason.
Olympic gold medalist Jade Carey has been having an outstanding season for the Beavers. This may be a week where she gets some rest to prepare for the Pac-12 Championships.
For the Utes, senior Maile O’Keefe has looked comfortable in the all-around after recently adding vault and floor to her program. Expect her to use this meet to get more reps on those events as postseason nears.
Cal hosts two quad meets
#15 Ohio State, #20 Stanford, Utah State @ #7 California
California will host two quad meets as they prepare for conference championships next week.
The Golden Bears have struggled all season to put together a balanced meet on all four events. Each meet, they have typically had three really nice events and one that lags behind.
It would be great to see the Golden Bears put it all together this weekend and earn a season-high score. However, California heavily relies on a handful of all-around gymnasts in their lineups. That said, it would be wise for the coaches to give these contributors some rest in either or both of these meets.
The Buckeyes are currently clinging to the second-to-last seeded spot for the NCAA postseason. They are going to want to do everything in their power to at least remain in this position, if not increase in the standings. They are coming off a season-high 197.6 from Week 9 and have the ability to put together a similar meet this time out. Look to see if Ohio State can find some more 9.9s in their vault lineup.
Stanford will be looking to put together a clean meet on all four events. The Cardinal are basically locked for regionals, but they need to have a good performance to remain in the top 20. Stanford is currently counting a 196.725 away score toward their NQS. Earning a score above this would bump up their NQS.
Utah State has not been mathematically eliminated from regional contention, but their current position of 47th place puts them in a tough spot. The Aggies have only hit 196 once this season. They should try to hit that mark again in this meet to prepare for the MRGC Championships.
Arizona, Sacramento State, UC Davis @ #7 California
Of all the visiting teams, this meet is probably most important for Arizona. The Wildcats are currently sitting in 29th place in the NQS rankings. This means that if the season ended today, they would be forced into a play-in meet for regionals. The top 28 teams do not have to participate in the play-in. Therefore, it is key for Arizona to try to bump up their NQS to get into the top 28.
Sacramento State and UC Davis are both pretty far out of regional contention right now. However, both are counting a pretty low away score in their NQS. If they can have the best meet of the season this time out, it is possible they could creep closer to the top 36.
