Alabama re-enters final women's college gymnastics power rankings

Conference championship Saturday is always among the most anticipated days on the NCAA gymnastics calendar—a full day of busting out every possible screen, March Madness-style, to watch every meet possible as all 11 conferences determine their winner. To make things even better this year, scoring was—dare we say—fairly reined in. If nothing else, it was certainly better than what we’ve seen in recent weeks (and months), giving us a clearer picture of where things stand as we enter the postseason. 

Teams

1. Oklahoma, 198.950
2. LSU, 198.075
3. Utah, 198.000
4. California, 197.375
5. Kentucky, 197.600
6. Alabama, 197.750

It’s time to start talking about where this Sooner squad ranks amongst best teams ever, as Oklahoma casually put up the highest total in NCAA history while cruising to its 14th and final Big 12 title. The Sooners simply could not make a mistake, with only one sub-9.900 score on the day (a paltry 9.850 that was ultimately dropped). In adding this accolade to its already stacked résumé that includes the highest NQS ever, the 2024 Sooners are just a national title away from securing their legacy as the best college gymnastics roster of all time. 

Cal had its first real miss of the season (week one’s issues are irrelevant this late in the season), falling to both UCLA (with a convincing 197.875) and the Pac-12 champion four years running, Utah. Little errors and a lack of sticks added up for the Golden Bears while the Utes utilized the local crowd energy to negate a beam fall and generally balanced look on all four events.

As predicted, the SEC evening session was cutthroat (and Missouri likely would have passed Florida if scoring had been a little more consistent across sessions). Kentucky led after three rotations before a tricky vault rotation took it out of contention while LSU surged on its strongest event, floor, to end the regular season second in the national rankings. The Crimson Tide also benefited from a flat Florida effort and a low-scoring Wildcat vault lineup by putting up the event’s highest beam total to sneak into the No. 2 spot behind LSU.

Honorable Mentions: Michigan State, 197.600, Towson, 197.300
The hosting Spartans backed up their regular season Big Ten title with a conference meet dub, holding off a peaking Minnesota and perennial favorite Michigan, securing itself as the Midwest’s best bet for an upset run to nationals. EAGL winner Towson’s third score over 197 in 2024 elevates the Tigers to 21st in the rankings just a year after making the postseason via the play-in round.

All-Around

1. Jordan Bowers, Oklahoma, 39.925
2. Haleigh Bryant, LSU, 39.800
3. Selena Harris, UCLA, 39.825
4. Jessica Hutchinson, Denver, 39.675
5. Raena Worley, Kentucky, 39.625
6. Mya Lauzon, California, 39.350

Bowers was a minuscule hop on her dismount (and maybe a hip check on her switch half?) away from a perfect 40 and a gym slam. Instead, she had to settle for a 10.0 hat trick—and a pretty legit one at that—as she and the Sooners looked unstoppable heading into regionals. It also helps that Oklahoma’s all-around options 2a. and 2b.—Katherine LeVasseur and Faith Torrez—are also scoring in the 39.7s during championship season.

As expected, Bryant took home top honors in the SEC thanks to her third straight all-around total of 39.800-plus. A bound forward on Worley’s vault landing put her third behind Alabama’s Luisa Blanco, but expect her to make some noise in the postseason.

Following up last week’s massive 39.900 with another beauty of a score is Harris, who shined in the 2023 postseason and looks primed to do so again in 2024. If these are the scores she’s set to build upon, Harris and the Bruins should be dangerous come regionals. The sophomore standout cruised to the Pac-12 all-around title, as Cal’s dynamic duo struggled; Lauzon just couldn’t quite find her landings and eMjae Frazier fell on beam.

The best non-Sooner at Big 12s was Hutchinson, who has been uber-consistent to close out her regular season. A year after an upset bid to nationals, she has the Pioneers seeded sixth and in a good position to make a return trip to Fort Worth.

Honorable Mentions: Emily Shepard, NC State, Zoe Middleton, Ball State, Skyla Schulte, Michigan State
Schulte boosted Michigan State to its Big Ten title by way of a 39.600 in the all-around and a share of the floor title. Emily Shepard rounded out the Power Five conference winners with a 39.500 at the ACC championship to push the Wolfpack to the (semi-)inaugural title while Zoe Middleton’s eye-catching 39.525 took top honors in the MAC.

Vault

1. Haleigh Bryant, LSU, 9.975
2. Jordan Bowers, Oklahoma, 9.975
3. Katherine LeVasseur, Oklahoma, 9.975
4. Selena Harris, UCLA, 9.975
5. Sage Kellerman, Michigan State, 9.900
6. Sierra Brooks, Michigan, 9.975

On the slo-mo replay, you could see the tiniest foot movement on the landing of Bryant’s soaring front handspring pike half, but what a beauty it was! Commentator John Roethlisberger sums it up well: “No better single piece of gymnastics in all of women’s gymnastics.”

Bowers kicked off her record-setting performance with a well-deserved 10.0 followed by LeVasseur’s picture-perfect-in-the-air Yurchenko one and a half with a tiny hop forward. Oklahoma’s vault lineup has cracked the code: big blocks, tight form, and minimal landing deductions. No one exemplifies that formula better than Bowers and LeVasseur. 

✨ PERFECTION: Here's a look at career-perfect 10 leaders in women's college gymnastics

Harris had a touch of soft knees throughout her Yurchenko one and a half, but she had no problem finding the landing. The Utes may have taken the team trophy, but Harris snagged three individual titles (including vault). 

Brooks, like LeVasseur, has the sort of pristine form and technique on her Yurchenko one and a half where the only regular deduction is the landing. She’s struggled to stick in 2024 but saved her best vault of the season (so far) to share the Big Ten title with Minnesota’s floor queen Mya Hooten. Kellerman was also back in fine form, taking a quick hop back on the landing of her otherwise exceptional front handspring pike half to snag a share of third place.

Honorable Mentions: Hannah Horton, Missouri
The Tigers’ star freshman has been battling the twisties in recent weeks, and it wasn’t clear if she’d be able to rejoin the vault lineup this season. Not only is Horton back, but she delivered one of her best vaults of the season. Her 9.900 was the highest vault score of the afternoon session and held up for a share of fourth place overall. 

Bars

1. Audrey Davis, Oklahoma, 9.975
2. Jordan Bowers, Oklahoma, 10.000
3. Leanne Wong, Florida, 9.925
4. Jade Carey, Oregon State, 9.950
5. Madelyn Williams, California, 9.900
6. Isabella Minervini, Towson, 9.950

In a shocking turn of events, Davis received a 9.975… This time, at least, the score makes sense as she had a little lean to the left on her dismount that was presumably visible to two of the four judges. Bowers capitalized on Davis’s momentum with another literally flawless routine. The duo are tied for first in NQS at 9.975, though Davis has the higher average by two-thousandths of a point.

This was a tough meet for the Gators, but Wong’s bars routine was a bright spot. She lacked a little postural control on her stuck double layout dismount, but her handstands and releases were as precise as ever. 

Similarly, Williams’ dismount had the only glitch in an otherwise exceptional set, though she couldn’t overtake Carey for the Pac-12 title. The latter made headlines for her stellar floor routine (more on that below), but her floaty bars set deserves some attention, too. 

Towson was the big winner at EAGL championship, and Minervini walked away with a decisive and well-earned first place finish on bars thanks to her ever-impeccable technique and control. The sophomore is ranked fourth nationally and has only dipped into the 9.8s three times this year. 

Honorable Mentions: Anna Bramblett, BYU
Big 12s headlines have been understandably dominated by Oklahoma, but senior Bramblett stole a share of the spotlight in the first rotation. Her exemplary bars routine, punctuated by a textbook stuck double layout, snagged a 9.950 and put pressure on the rest of the rest of the field to measure up. 

Beam

1. Ragan Smith, Oklahoma, 10.000
2. Maile O’Keefe, Utah, 10.000
3. Faith Torrez, Oklahoma, 9.950
4. Abby Paulson, Utah, 9.925
5. Konnor McClain, LSU, 10.000
6. Luisa Blanco, Alabama, 9.950

The beam queens are all in top form heading into the postseason: O’Keefe notched the 15th beam 10.0 of her career while Smith earned her fifth in just the last seven weeks. The Sooner gets the edge this week as the broadcast angle showed an acro series lean from O’Keefe that was presumably unnoticeable from the judges’ point of view.

Part of what makes the Sooners and Red Rocks so impressive on this event is that their second-best beamers are also some of the best in the country. Paulson followed up her senior night 10.0 by hitting a pressure set after a leadoff fall while Torrez was rock solid per usual.

Rebounding from a fall in her collegiate beam debut, McClain has been generally excellent on the event this season. She was flawless in her SEC championship beam debut as her second perfect routine on the event topped a loaded field—including stalwart Blanco. Having dealt with some beam inconsistency on the elite stage, this championship showing bodes well for McClain, as well as LSU’s postseason prospects.

Honorable Mentions: Anya Turner and Lily Smith, Georgia
If not for McClain’s 10, the pair of Georgia freshmen 9.950s would’ve held up for the win despite being in the tighter-scoring early session of SECs. Former five-star recruit Smith and three-star walk-on Turner provide the Gymdogs reason to be optimistic about the future following their last-place finish as a team.

Floor

1. Raena Worley, Kentucky, 9.975
2. Mya Hooten, Minnesota, 9.950
3. Jade Carey, Oregon State, 10.000
4. Jordan Bowers, Oklahoma, 10.000
5. Gabby Wilson, Michigan, 9.950
6. Jocelyn Moore, Missouri, 9.900

Worley delivered in the clutch on floor at SECs. Set up by a strong 9.925 from freshman teammate Creslyn Brose, Worley’s near-perfect mark put the Wildcats into the lead after three rotations in New Orleans and earned her a share of the floor crown. Moore finished off the podium, but we’ll chalk her seemingly low 9.900 up to early session scoring, as it’s difficult to find a full-tenth’s worth of deductions in her performance.

Floor was the second Big Ten event title Hooten earned in her three-win evening. And, she’s decided to stick with the sophomore year music and choreography the used to help push the Gophers to a sixth-place finish at NCAAs back in 2022. Unsurprisingly, Wilson was another of the four gymnasts to tie for the floor title (Sierra Brooks and Skyla Schulte were the others), peaking at the right time to help lead the Wolverines on a postseason run.

Reigning Olympic floor champ Carey mic-dropped on her signature event at Pac-12s, casually upgrading her first pass to a full-twisting double layout—one of, if not the, hardest passes ever competed collegiately—and did so flawlessly for the sixth floor 10 of her career. After limiting her contributions on bars and beam in many meets during the regular season, it’s become clear that she’s still capable of turning up the intensity.

Finishing off the Big 12 championship was Bowers, whose third perfect score of the night earned Oklahoma the all-time best mark and earned herself a share of the conference crown alongside fellow Sooner Torrez. Her front double full to front tuck is one of the best in the game and looks as sharp as ever at the most important time of year.

Honorable Mentions: KJ Johnson, LSU
Like Moore’s routine, fans have been clamoring to know why Johnson’s performance didn’t earn a higher score. Her 9.975 was key in putting the Tigers on top of the SEC after trailing heading into the final rotation, as her full-in was crisp, leaps bouncy, and feet glued to the floor in every lunge. Our judging expert, Rhiannon, mentioned a potential deduction for her leap pass or her open full-in first pass, but even she’s hesitant to say those are deductions regularly taken in college competition. At least Johnson walked away with an SEC title for her efforts.