NCAA women’s gymnastics: Week 4 Power Rankings & meets to watch
Each week, Gymnastics Now’s NCAA women’s gymnastics writers – Patricia Duffy and Hannah Johnson – will share their “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.
Hannah Johnson
Intern, NCAA Women
1. Oklahoma (-)
Oklahoma turned in a fantastic 198.425 this week, good for the best score in the country so far this season. This team truly looks unbeatable. They had better landings on vault and floor this week. The best part of it all is that they can still improve on little details.
2. Utah (+3)
The Red Rocks ended up getting my second spot because of their strong beam rotation. Championships are won on balance beam, and Utah is cruising there. Additionally, the team brought in a new, and perfectly stuck, 10.0 vault from senior Jillian Hoffman. Being able to add difficulty in the beginning of a season is crucial for repetitions and postseason success.
3. Florida (-1)
In my opinion, Florida was the recipient of some generous home scoring, specifically on beam. On the whole, Florida had a solid meet and is still very much in the mix for a title, but little things such as vault landings and beam bobbles still need to be cleaned up.
4. Michigan (+5)
Michigan significantly rebounded this week with a 197.975 at home. The Wolverines looked much more confident in their gymnastics. Vault and floor were top notch. A couple beam routines had wobbles, but they got through the event with a 49.35 and room to improve. Michigan needs a new beam approach to get back in championship contention.
5. Kentucky (unranked)
After getting upset by Georgia in Week 3, the Wildcats regrouped at home, earning an excellent 197.825 team score. This was a great team performance, and the Wildcats have lots of momentum as they look to continue rolling.
6. California (unranked)
Like Kentucky, California bounced back at home, matching its season-high score of a 197.525. Bars, beam, and floor continue to be great. The focus now will be on vault landings and minimizing deductions since they lack difficulty on the event compared to other top teams.
7. UCLA (-)
The Bruins beam rotation this week is the reason that they are not higher on this list. They look great on bars and floor exercise and can be a national contender, but they have to find a way to hit beam week after week.
8. Denver (unranked)
Matching up against Oklahoma is no small task, but Denver was able to focus on their routines and turn in a season-high 197.425. With the addition of sixth-year Lynnzee Brown’s Yurchenko 1.5 into the vault lineup, the team now has a majority of 10.0 vaults in their lineup and needed difficulty to be competitive in the postseason.
9. Auburn (-6)
Derrian Gobourne, Suni Lee, and Cassie Stevens were the stars once again, but the Tigers need others who can consistently go 9.9 on their events to step up if they want to return to Four on the Floor.
10. LSU (-4)
The Tigers keep pushing ahead and turning in good scores, this time on the road. Vault looks extremely strong, but beam needs some improvement.
Patricia Duffy
Founder, Gymnastics Now
1. Oklahoma (-)
A 198.425 in the fourth week of the season? A perfect 10 from Ragan Smith (and what should’ve been one from Katherine LeVasseur)? This Sooner team is just outstanding.
2. Utah (+2)
Utah is the No. 1 beam team in the country, and strong on all other events. If the Utes keep pushing that 198 mark, they’re going to start jumping Michigan and Florida. This team is a serious contender.
3. Florida (-1)
Florida is a national contender – everyone knows that – but there is a big question mark for the Gators when it comes to their depth on multiple events. It’s a red flag right now, but Jenny Rowland can hush naysayers by resting some top athletes and calling on others in their matchup against Arkansas.
4. California (+1)
I love a good bounce back, and the next two teams did just that after rough performances the week prior.
5. Michigan (+1)
No hate on Michigan State, but Michigan was having an off night when they lost to the Spartans. Now it’s time to hone in on beam, where they currently rank 14th nationally. The rest of their lineups are placing top 5 – that’s a glaring issue.
6. Auburn (-3)
Auburn ranks in the top 7 on all events and hasn’t dropped below a 197.175 all season, but to return to the Four on the Floor, the Tigers have to take things to the next level.
7. UCLA (-)
UCLA travels to Utah this week, and I think this is going to be a huge test for the Bruins, especially when they’re under pressure to hit beam, where they currently rank 20th in the nation.
8. Denver (+1)
Denver wasn’t going to beat Oklahoma last weekend, so the Pioneers focused on themselves and putting up their best performance instead. A season-high 197.425 and Lynnzee Brown back in the vault lineup are both promising signs.
9. Kentucky (unranked)
Kentucky has been quietly rising through the ranks during the first part of the season and currently boasts the sixth-best beam team in the country. They also pushed the 198 mark in their win against Alabama last weekend – an impressive program record.
10. LSU (unranked)
It’s hard to read LSU. Despite losing Kiya Johnson (achilles) early in the season, the Tigers have put up three-straight scores of 197+. They have strong vault and bars lineups but are going to have to improve beam and floor if they want to go far in the postseason.
Meets to Watch
Season is in full swing! Here are some of the exciting matchups we’ll be watching this weekend. All times are ET.
Friday, February 3
- 6 p.m. – #10 Kentucky @ #14 Missouri – Video (SECN)
- 7:30 p.m. – #6 Auburn @ #11 Alabama – Video (SECN)
- 8 p.m. – #2 Florida @ #18 Arkansas – Live Stats | Video (SEC+)
- 8 p.m. – #17 Georgia @ #9 LSU – Live Stats | Video (SECN)
- 9 p.m. – #5 UCLA @ #4 Utah – Live Stats | Video (ESPN2)
Saturday, February 4
- 4 p.m. – #12 Oregon State @ #25 Washington Video (P12)
- 5 p.m. – #21 Arizona State @ #7 California – Live Stats | Video (P12)
- 5 p.m. – #20 Illinois @ #19 Minnesota – Video (BTN+)
Sunday, February 5
- 2 p.m. – Maryland @ #15 Ohio State – Video (BTN+)
- 4 p.m. – Air Force, George Washington, Pittsburgh @ #8 Denver – Live Stats | Video (DU($))
