SEC Gymnastics Week 5 Recap: Alabama goes down at home, LSU and Kentucky lead conference
As we get deeper into the SEC gymnastics season, the competition is only going to get tougher, and that was apparent in Week 5.
Kentucky dethroned Alabama in an impressive showing in Tuscaloosa, LSU dominated Arkansas, Florida vs. Georgia was a tighter competition than expected, Missouri tried some new lineups, and Auburn made a huge jump.
All SEC teams will return to conference competition next weekend, but read on to get an in-depth recap of Week 5.
#3 Kentucky @ #6 Alabama
Final score: Kentucky: 197.600 – Alabama: 196.975
Kentucky
Kentucky’s total score may have dropped by over three-tenths compared to Week 4, but the team still secured their first win in Tuscaloosa in program history. Kentucky bested the Tide on every event except bars, where they trailed by 0.025.
Bars was Kentucky’s lowest rotation total (49.225), and the Wildcats’ highest score was Raena Worley’s 9.95 that claimed the event title. They moved on to vault next, where Makenzie Wilson was the Wildcats’ leading scorer with a 9.95 that won her the title.
The Wildcats scored their highest rotation total on floor (49.525) with the help of Worley recording her second consecutive 10 on the apparatus in the anchor spot. Kentucky ended the night on beam (49.425), and Worley claimed another event title with a 9.95 for her gorgeous performance. All in all, Worley accounted for three event titles and the all-around win (39.75).
Kentucky will be back at home hosting the Missouri Tigers on Friday, February 9 at 7 p.m. ET.
Alabama
“Tonight didn’t go exactly how we planned,” Alabama head coach Ashley Johnston said. “We had a really good week of training in the gym and prepared really well. Unfortunately, though, we had too many people that were off tonight.”
The Tide suffered their first loss this season against the Wildcats after an uncharacteristic off night.
Alabama got started on vault with a 49.225. Jamison Sears scored a career-high 9.9 and was the Tide’s highest score on the event. The second rotation saw Alabama on bars, typically the team’s best event, but their only 9.9 on the event was Cameron Machado.
The Tide continued on to beam, nothching their lowest event total of the night (49.1) and no gymnast scoring in the 9.9 range. Three gymnasts: Mati Waligora, Ella Burgess, and Gabby Gladieux scored 9.875s. Alabama was forced to keep Blanco’s uncharacteristically-low 9.65 after a fall from Shania Adams (9.2).
Alabama tried to fight back to the top on floor but couldn’t secure all the 9.9s they needed. Blanco held the top score on the event for the Tide with a 9.925.
Alabama will head to Auburn for an old-fashioned in-state showdown on Friday, February 9 at 9 p.m. ET.
#7 Arkansas @ #5 LSU
Final score: LSU: 198.475 – Arkansas: 196.200
Arkansas
The Gymbacks scored a season low at LSU, falling by over two points to the Tigers. Despite a low final score, Arkansas scored a new season high on beam (49.45).
In their last rotation, the Razorbacks’ beam lineup stepped up to the plate and delivered three 9.9+ scores. Cami Weaver and Sirena Linton scored 9.925s, and Priscilla Park scored a career-best 9.975, claiming a share of the beam title.
The Gymbacks scored their lowest event total in the first rotation on bars (48.175). The highest score was a 9.85 from Jaime Pratt. On vault, Arkansas’s highest scores were 9.875s from Frankie Price and Lauren Williams. Dakota Essenpries made her collegiate debut on the event, scoring a 9.825. Floor saw Williams score the Razorbacks’ highest mark with a 9.925.
Arkansas will stay on the road in Week 6, traveling to Florida on Friday, February 9 to take on the Gators at 7:30 p.m. ET. The meet has been elevated to ESPN.
LSU
“We righted the ship,” LSU head coach Jay Clark said. “We got better, and that’s what the week was about, that’s what the message was about. It was about trying to get things back on an even keel after we kind of stumbled and stammered our way last week in Missouri.”
The Tigers sure did “right the ship” this week, scoring a new program-high 198.475 and crushing Arkansas. LSU had a claim to all event titles, and Haleigh Bryant scored a 39.825 to win the all-around.
LSU started off with a bang on vault, scoring a 49.525 and tying their season-high. Bryant won the vault title after scoring a 9.975 in the anchor spot. Savannah Schoenherr claimed her first bars title as a Tiger after scoring a 9.95, contributing to the team’s 49.55 event total.
LSU moved to beam where no counted score was under a 9.9. The Tigers posted a 49.625, setting a new season-high score on the apparatus after struggling the first several weeks of competition to find their groove on the event. Konnor McClain secured a share of the beam title with a 9.975.
The Tigers continued to up their event totals, moving to floor and scoring a 49.775, which ties for the highest score in program history. Once again, the lowest counted score was a 9.9. McClain and Kiya Johnson both scored near-perfect 9.975s, and Bryant scored a perfect 10 to win the floor title. KJ Johnson was sick for a portion of the week, so she was replaced in the lineup by Olivia Dunne (9.875 – dropped).
LSU will travel to Athens on Friday, February 9 to compete against the Georgia Bulldogs at 6 p.m. ET.
#8 Florida @ #21 Georgia
Final score: Florida: 197.475 – Georgia: 197.300
Florida
The Gators took the win on the road this week, scoring a new season-high 197.475. Anya Pilgrim scored a new career best in the all-around with a 39.55.
Florida started on bars with a 49.35, led by Ellie Lazzari’s 9.9. The Gators then marked vault with a season-high 49.45. Skylar Draser set a new career-best 9.9 in the leadoff spot with her Yurchenko 1.5. Pilgrim and Leanne Wong shared the vault title with matching 9.925s.
Morgan Hurd set a new career best in the third rotation on floor with a 9.9. Victoria Nguyen, who joined the Gators last season after transferring from Georgia, also notched a 9.9 on the event. The Gators were only leading by one-tenth heading into the last rotation on beam but picked up steam and ended up winning the meet by 0.175. Lazzari and Sloane Blakely shared the beam title after scoring 9.925s.
Florida competes back at home on Friday, February 9 at 7:30 p.m ET against the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Georgia
The GymDogs couldn’t pull off the win against Florida after being outscored in the last rotation. Nonetheless, Georgia scored a new season-high 197.300 and achieved season-high scores on vault (49.15) and bars (49.5).
The Bulldogs started on vault, where their highest score was a 9.85 from Ashlyn LaClair, Lily Smith, and Katie Finnegan. On bars, Naya Howard made her first appearance back after being injured, scoring a 9.875. Holly Snyder had her home arena debut, scoring a 9.9, and Smith won the bars title with a 9.95 in the anchor spot.
Georgia posted a consistent beam rotation with a 49.35. Zora Morgan made her home arena debut, scoring a 9.875. JaFree Scott scored a 9.9 in the anchor position, marking the GymDogs highest score on the event. The Bulldogs tried to pull ahead of the Gators on floor but fell short, scoring a 49.3. The highest score was Smith in the anchor position with a 9.925 to claim the floor title.
Smith won her first all-around competition with a 39.6, which is the highest freshman all-around score since Courtney Kupets (now head coach of the GymDogs) in 2006.
The GymDogs will stay at home in Week 6 when they host LSU on Friday, February 9 at 6 p.m. ET.
#9 Missouri @ Texas Woman’s University
Final score: Missouri: 197.025 – Texas Woman’s University: 195.475
The Tigers took the win down in Texas on Saturday despite their final score dropping three-tenths from last week. Sienna Schreiber became the first gymnast in Mizzou history to score over 2000 points (2,002.800 to be exact), and she sits just one 9.9 away from hitting 50 in her career. Schreiber claimed the all-around with a 39.525.
Missouri started on bars where their highest score was posted by Mara Titarsolej. In the anchor position, she posted a 9.925 and claimed the bars title for the night. Alonna Kratzer competed in her first bars lineup and scored a 9.725. The Tigers then headed to vault, where Jalene Jachna made her collegiate debut, scoring a 9.775. Amari Celestine and Hannah Horton shared the vault title after both scoring 9.875.
The Tigers headed to floor and posted their best rotation score, 49.5. Four gymnasts scored a 9.9-or-above, with Jocelyn Moore leading the charge with a 9.95. Moore shared the floor title with two TWU gymnasts. Mizzou kept the energy going on beam, scoring a 49.35 to finish off the meet and reach 197. Grace Anne Davis posted a career-best 9.925 on beam, and Schreiber won the beam title with a near-perfect 9.975.
Missouri will head to Kentucky on Friday, February 9 at 7 p.m. ET.
Fisk, Talladega, and Temple @ #15 Auburn quad
Final score: Auburn: 197.425, Temple: 193.425, Fisk: 191.925, Talladega: 188.875
Auburn held nothing back at this quad meet and secured a new season-high 197.425. Cassie Stevens won the all-around with a 39.55, and redshirt freshman Olivia Greaves made her collegiate debut after recovering from two knee injuries and a foot surgery that had kept her sidelined until now.
The Tigers started on vault, where Cassie Stevens won the title with a 9.925. Bars is where Greaves made her collegiate debut, scoring a 9.875 and being swarmed by her teammates after in a moment of overwhelming emotion.
“I have never been this happy ever,” Greaves said. “It’s a feeling I haven’t had in a really long time, and I’m really proud of myself. The crowd was so much more intense, and I feel like there was much more riding on what I was doing. It’s been a while since I’ve had those nerves.”
Sophia Groth earned the bars title with a 9.9. Auburn scored new season highs on beam and floor, with a 49.425 and 49.475, respectively. Gabby McLaughlin won the beam title with a 9.925 and also claimed the floor title with a career-high 9.95.
The Tigers will host in-state rival Alabama in what is sure to be an energy-packed Neville Arena on Friday, February 9 at 9 p.m. ET.
