Michigan, Kentucky enter Week 2 college gymnastics power rankings

Week 2 means college gymnastics season is well and truly underway, with every team having competed in at least one meet. It also means we’ve entered into the uncanny valley, statistically speaking, where we have some data points but not quite enough to connect the dots. Shakeups headline Week 2’s rankings, as they likely will for at least a few more weeks, but with each meet we’re able to learn a bit more about who will and who won’t contend for titles this season. 

Teams

1. Oklahoma, 197.900
2. California, 197.875
3. Alabama, 197.225
4. Kentucky, 197.475
5. Michigan, 197.725
6. Utah, 196.975

The Sooners continue to be the gold standard, improving on last week’s 197.850 and notching a decisive win at the weekend’s most prolific quad meet. Oklahoma continues to prove that it can put up a 9.900 routine from anybody, anywhere, anytime. 

Excluded from the marquee matchup at the ESPN quad, California turned heads with its session-winning total just a quarter-tenth behind Oklahoma’s — good for the second-best score of the season so far. The Golden Bears look polished and (nearly) postseason-ready just two weeks in. Oklahoma remains the team to beat until proven otherwise, but Cal is rapidly closing the gap. 

Alabama has separated itself from the rest of the SEC pack as the only team to score 197 in both Weeks 1 and 2. However, Kentucky — which historically has taken a few meets into the season to warm up — posted the fourth-highest score of any team so far this year against host Auburn. Both teams’ respective fifth-year stars — Luisa Blanco and Raena Worley — have been nothing short of outstanding thus far, so this conference race will likely come down to how the utility players and freshmen fare in the coming weeks. 

Back on their home turf, the Wolverines were able to shake off the nerves that marred their Week 1 performance. The team saw marked improvement in every event except bars, most notably a six-tenth jump in its floor score. This is the level of execution we’ve come to expect from the 2021 national champions. 

Conversely, Utah turned in a surprisingly timid performance at the ESPN quad meet against Oklahoma, LSU and UCLA despite competing at a de facto home meet. For now, we’re willing to give the Red Rocks the benefit of the doubt that, like the Wolverines, this was a one-off blip.

Honorable Mentions: Arkansas, LSU, Clemson  

Arkansas turned in a program-high 197.150 in its season home opener against Georgia, all the more impressive for outscoring reigning SEC champion Florida. Conferencemate LSU snagged a second-place finish and a 197.150 in Salt Lake City despite counting a fall on beam for the second consecutive week. It’s not time to worry just yet, but the Tigers have got to stop the bleeding sooner rather than later if they want to challenge teams like Oklahoma and California. Over on the East Coast, another team of Tigers made history. Clemson smashed expectations in its long-awaited opening meet with a 196.325 — the highest-scoring program debut in NCAA gymnastics history — and over 8,000 fans in attendance. This was a tightly-scored meet, so expect that number to rise as the season progresses, especially if the inaugural squad can dial in the landings on vault (did we mention they currently have five 10.0 SV vaults with another two or three in the works? ). 

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All-Around

1. Haleigh Bryant, LSU, 39.625
2. Mya Lauzon, California, 39.750
3. Raena Worley, Kentucky, 39.650
4. Luisa Blanco, Alabama, 39.675
5. Selena Harris, UCLA, 39.650
6. Faith Torrez, Oklahoma, 39.600

Bryant didn’t have the highest total of the week (don’t worry, we’ll get to that), but she’s just so darn consistent! She’s almost guaranteed to deliver a 9.900 or better on every event, every time. That consistency kept the Tigers in the hunt despite their iffy start on beam, culminating in an unlikely second-place finish to Oklahoma.

This is shaping up to be a breakout year for junior Lauzon. She’s always been capable of big all-around scores but lacked the consistency necessary to make her a true threat in her freshman and sophomore campaigns. That doesn’t seem to be an issue this year, as she was consistently near-perfect at the ESPN quads, earning a pair of 9.975s.

Worley continues to make the most of her fifth year, leading the Wildcats to a massive win on the road by going 9.9-plus on all four events. Similarly, Blanco posted top scores across the board for the Crimson Tide and earned individual wins on bars and floor against the visiting Missouri Tigers. 

Sophomore Harris continues to be a steady hand for the Bruins, particularly on beam. This week, she contributed a much-needed 9.950 that prevented UCLA from counting a fall and was the all-around winner in the stacked session of the ESPN quad that featured Bryant and Torrez.

Speaking of, Torrez is similarly growing into her role as team leader for the Sooners, outscoring upperclassman teammates Jordan Bowers, Audrey Davis and Katherine LeVasseur in the all-around. Torrez elevating her gymnastics was exactly what Oklahoma needed to maintain its dominance.

Honorable Mentions: Sierra Brooks, eMjae Frazier

Reigning AAI Award winner Brooks turned in the highest all-around score of the week with 39.850, followed closely by Frazier’s 39.775. Both gymnasts notably struggled in Week 1, rebounding in truly epic fashion this week by setting new all-around records for their respective programs.

Vault

1. Mya Lauzon, California, 9.975
2. Sage Kellerman, Michigan State, 9.925
3. Haleigh Bryant, LSU, 9.900
4. Chae Campbell, UCLA 9.900
5. Victoria Henry, Ball State, 9.975
6. Sierra Brooks, Michigan, 9.975

Lauzon’s Yurchenko one-and-a-half has been nothing short of brilliant so far this season, earning her top honors over Kellerman and freshman teammate Kyen Mayhew at the final session of the ESPN quads. 

One session earlier, Bryant had a more substantial scoot back on the landing of her front handspring pike half, but it was picture perfect as always in the air. Similarly, Campbell got dinged for a tiny hop back on her otherwise exemplary sky-scraping Yurchenko full.     

The Cardinals’ Henry overtakes her teammate Suki Pfister in the power rankings after posting the program’s highest score on any event since 2016. Henry is the reigning MAC vault champion and snagged an individual berth to regionals last season with her dynamic Yurchenko one-and-a-half.

Brooks bounced back from an uncharacteristically off Week 1 performance with her signature, flared-out Yurchenko one-and-a-half — which was more or less stuck. The near-perfect vault was the catalyst for her historic meet. 

Honorable Mentions: Kyen Mayhew, Hannah Scheible

Setting up Lauzon was Mayhew, who stuck her Yurchenko one-and-a-half cold in her NCAA debut. The former five-star recruit is a key piece in the Golden Bears’ revamped vault lineup — currently ranked first in the country. Just behind them are the Sooners, with freshman Scheible’s booming front pike half a refreshing break from Oklahoma’s stout lineup of Yurchenko one-and-a-halves.

Bars

1. Jade Carey, Oregon State, 9.975
2. Luisa Blanco, Alabama, 9.950
3. Raena Worley, Kentucky, 9.925
4. Madelyn Williams, California, 9.925
5. Selena Harris, UCLA, 9.925
6. Audrey Davis, Oklahoma, 9.975

Carey snagged a second (and far more convincing) 9.975 at Saturday’s Rutgers quad meet. She left very little room for interpretation in this week’s routine, keeping her legs absolutely glued together throughout both her Bhardwaj and van Leeuwen before nailing the dismount. 

Blanco was one of a slew of gymnasts to earn 9.950s in Week 1, and she turned in a nearly identical routine in the Crimson Tide’s home opener. This is an event where the Olympic qualifier’s elite technique truly shines. 

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After UCLA’s third-place performance at the ESPN quad, head coach Janelle McDonald said that the Bruins, “still need to dial in on bars and beam.” Harris is the exception to that, fully dialed in, having scored 9.925 or better in both meets on bars for UCLA.

The Wildcats needed a standout bar worker this season and Worley answered the call. Her progress on her “weakest” event is just one of the ways her experience has helped get Kentucky off to a fast start.

In her third year as part of California’s bar lineup, Williams has yet to miss and has scored under 9.900 just three times since the start of last season — all three of those scores were still in the 9.8s. Her lines and toe point are as remarkable as her consistency and are why she scores the way she does.

Known as much for getting 9.975s as she is for her breathtaking bars work, Davis equaled her career-high yet again as her quest for perfection continues. But, per usual, she has the Sooners tied for the NCAA lead on the event.

Honorable Mentions: Konnor McClain, Jordan Coleman

LSU freshman and former U.S. national champion McClain has frequently struggled on bars throughout her elite career but notched a perfect 10 on the event in just her second college meet. West Chester’s Coleman earned a 9.925 for her lovely routine jam-packed with difficulty. The junior bested her previous career high by nearly a tenth and is just the second gymnast in program history to score over a 9.900 on any event. 

Beam

1. Aleah Finnegan, LSU, 9.925
2. Sienna Schreiber, Missouri, 9.950
3. Faith Torrez, Oklahoma, 9.925
4. Ellie Lazzari, Florida, 9.975
5. Courtney McCann, Ohio State, 9.975
6. Maile O’Keefe, Utah, 9.150

You’ll have noticed lots of movement atop the beam rankings. Last week’s No. 1 and No. 3 — Maile O’Keefe and Ragan Smith — both fell during the premier session of the ESPN quad. No. 2 Brooklyn Rowray is sidelined indefinitely with an injury, paving the way for Finnegan to claim the top spot. This is the second time in as many weeks that she’s delivered a clutch 9.9-plus routine at the end of an otherwise nervy LSU beam rotation.

Anchor Schreiber has likewise been the stabilizing force in Mizzou's beam lineup, which still seems to be finding its footing (both literally and metaphorically). Her composure was on full display in a tough road battle at an always feisty Coleman Coliseum.

It’s no easy task to stand out in a beam roster as deep as Oklahoma’s, but sophomore Torrez is doing just that. She has always had strong technique, but the extension on both her leaps and acro skills has been next-level good this year.     

In the Gators’ season opener, Lazzari showed she’s capable of replacing some of the star power generated by Trinity Thomas. Lazzari suffered a season-ending injury in the first meet of 2022 and maxed out at a 9.925 in her 2023 comeback season, so it’s very encouraging to see her kick off this year by matching her pre-injury career high. 

A highly-anticipated former four-star recruit, McCann was notably absent from competition last week. She certainly made her presence known in Week 2 with a debut beam set that was just shy of perfect. She’s expected to play a key role in the Buckeyes’ push to break the top 10 this season, and routines like that are the reason why.   

As previously mentioned, O’Keefe’s 10.0 streak came to a frustrating end Saturday with a fall on her layout stepout. Given that was the only (admittedly large) hiccup in an otherwise flawless routine, we’ll give her a Mulligan this week. 

Honorable Mentions: eMjae Frazier, Sierra Brooks, Syd Morris

Frazier is best known for her skill on the leg events, but turned in a supremely stylish beam performance — capped off with an unusual cartwheel back one and a half dismount — to earn her first 10.0 on the event. Fifth-year Brooks and LIU sophomore Morris somehow manage to compete two of the most difficult routines in college gymnastics without sacrificing execution, as evidenced by their respective 9.975s in Week 2. 

Floor

1. Mya Hooten, Minnesota, 10.000
2. Ella Hodges, Ohio State, 9.950
3. Mya Lauzon, California, 9.975
4. Sierra Brooks, Michigan, 10.000
5. Jocelyn Moore, Missouri, 9.900
6. Aleah Finnegan, LSU, 9.975

Preseason favorite Hooten reclaims the top spot after edging out Big Ten rival Brooks in the race to perfection on floor. She has earned as many as three floor 10s in a single season, and — with her first coming so early on — she’s on pace to challenge that record. 

Unlike Week 1, Hodges didn’t have to steal the show on floor. She was the center of attention as the Buckeyes’ anchor in their home opener. But, like Week 1, she posted a huge 9.950 to seal up a big number for Ohio State.

Lauzon’s landings on her tumbling were just as precise as her vault, and her front double full to punch front is one of the best in the business. She earned her career-high under pressure following a fall, allowing the Golden Bears to leap to second in the national rankings.

Brooks bookended her superlative all-around performance with a perfect 10.0 on floor, the second of her career. Though, we suspect it won’t be the last, as her tumbling looks as sharp as it ever has.

In Tuscaloosa, Moore’s routine was the best of the night despite its comparatively low number. From her floaty opening double layout and oversplit straddle positions in her Popa series to her joyful dance moves, this performance was every bit as showstopping as her Week 1 routine. 

The LSU Tigers have been nothing short of spectacular on floor in Weeks 1 and 2, thanks in no small part to Finnegan’s superior tumbling technique and energetic choreography. Her 9.975 was especially useful as her freshman teammate Amari Drayton was inexplicably back in the exhibition spot despite contributing a clutch 9.925 in the anchor spot last week. 

Honorable Mentions: Frankie Price and Lauren Williams

Price and Williams closed out the Razorbacks’ record-high season debut with a well-deserved pair of 9.950s. Arkansas head coach Jordyn Wieber is known for her floor coaching in particular, and it’s looking like we’re in store for another season of its supremacy.