Metroplex Challenge 2016

Top All-Around Competitors Go Head to Head at Metroplex

Top All-Around Competitors Go Head to Head at Metroplex

Fort Worth, Texas will play host to one of the biggest NCAA meets of the regular season this weekend - the Metroplex Challenge. The competition takes place

Jan 27, 2016 by Justine Kelly
Top All-Around Competitors Go Head to Head at Metroplex
Fort Worth, Texas will play host to one of the biggest NCAA meets of the regular season this weekend - the Metroplex Challenge. The competition takes place on Saturday and five teams will be competing: #2 Oklahoma, #6 LSU, #12 Stanford, #16 Missouri, and #36 Washington.
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These are some of the top teams in the country at the moment, so we’ll get to see great gymnastics from some of the best NCAA all-around gymnasts in the country. These gymnasts range from freshmen to seniors, and all have performed exceptionally well so far this season. Below, we’ve given you a preview of what all-around gymnasts to watch for at this competition.  

Elizabeth Price - Stanford


Class
: Sophomore
Current AA Ranking: #2
Highest all-around score this season: 39.55 (January 24th against Cal and San Jose State)
Top score this season: 9.925 on vault and bars

Former elite gymnast Elizabeth Price had only added back a few of her events in her freshman year following injuries, but she had them all back by NCAA Championships last year and put up big numbers. She has not disappointed so far this year as an all-around competitor for the Cardinals. In addition to being ranked #2 in the all-around, Price is also ranked #5 on bars and #11 on vault. She is solid on all four events, but we especially love watching her on bars, where she puts up difficult skills and has great execution. Check out her routine below from the NorCal Classic:



Keeley Kmieciak - Oklahoma


Class
: Senior
Current AA Ranking: #7
Highest all-around score this season: 39.5 (January 22nd against Iowa State & Arizona State)
Top score this season: 9.925 on bars

Keeley Kmieciak is in her final season with the Sooners and is competing in the all-around for the first time since her freshman year. She has been a huge asset to the team over the years, particularly on vault, bars and beam. She has added in floor this year and has done spectacularly well. In addition to her #7 all-around spot, she's also ranked #11 on beam and #15 on bars. Our favorite event to watch her on is bars, where she soars high in her release moves, has great form and regularly sticks her full in dismount. Check out her routine below:



Myia Hambrick - LSU


Class
: Sophomore
Current AA Ranking: #9
Highest all-around score this season: 39.45 (January 9th against Oklahoma)
Top score this season: 9.9 on beam and floor

Sophomore Myia Hambrick was heavily relied upon by the team last season in the vault and beam lineups. She impressed on both events, scoring a 9.95 twice as her career high on vault and a 9.9 twice as her career high on beam. Now she is up on all four events for the Tigers and proving to be a solid performer. We especially love to watch Hambrick on floor, where she exhibits lots of power - she opens with a double layout and ends with a double pike. Check out her routine below from LSU's opening meet against Oklahoma:



Chayse Capps - Oklahoma


Class
: Junior
Current AA Ranking: #15
Highest all-around score this season: 39.5 (January 22nd against Iowa State & Arizona State)
Top score this season: 9.925 on bars and beam

Junior Chayse Capps is in her first year as an all-around competitor, having just been added to the bars lineup. Last year, Capps appeared in the vault, beam and floor lineups, and put in big numbers for the Sooners, especially on vault and floor. Adding bars seems to have been no problem for her, and she already has a season high of 9.925. Our favorite event to watch her on is the balance beam, where she is currently ranked #5. She displays both strength and grace throughout this routine, and she proves that you can, in fact, dance on the beam. Check out her routine below from the opening meet against LSU:



Allison Northey - Washington


Class
: Senior
Current AA Ranking: #21 (tied)
Highest all-around score this season: 39.225 (January 9th against Ohio State)
Top score this season: 9.875 on floor

Allison Northey is in her final year with the Huskies, and she has been competing all-around for the team since her freshman year. Northey has career highs of 9.9 or above on every event, many of which were achieved last season. This year, Northey has been a reliable competitor for Washington on all four events, but she especially shines on beam and floor. She’s a confident beam worker who hits all of her skills with precision, and her floor tumbling is powerful. She’ll be one to watch as the season progresses.

Ashleigh Gnat - LSU


Class
: Junior
Current AA Ranking: #21 (tied)
Highest all-around score this season: 39.425 (January 9th against Oklahoma)
Top score this season: 10.0 on vault

Ashleigh Gnat has been a top competitor for the LSU Tigers since her freshman year. In her first season, she was consistently in the lineup on three events - vault, beam and floor. She added in bars last season and is now a solid all-around competitor for the team. Gnat’s best event this year is undoubtedly the vault. She performs the toughest vault in NCAA competition - a double twisting Yurchenko, and she does it beautifully. She scored the first 10.0 of her career last weekend when she stuck the vault. Fortunately for the Tigers, Gnat puts up big numbers on the remaining three events as well. Her career high on floor is a 9.975, and she has a career high of 9.95 on beam, which she’s achieved five times. In addition to ranking high in the all-around, Gnat is currently ranked #1 on vault and #4 on floor. Check out Gnat’s huge vault below:



Morgan Porter - Missouri


Class
: Freshman
Current AA Ranking: #29
Highest all-around score this season: 39.25 (January 10th against Lindenwood)
Top score this season: 9.875 on bars

Although it’s only her freshman season, Morgan Porter is already competing all-around for Mizzou, and it’s not hard to see why. Porter is a very consistent gymnast who puts up solid numbers on all four events. Porter’s highest scores come on bars, where she performs a sky-high Jaeger release and a double front dismount. Her season high of a 9.875 on the event came during her first meet against Illinois. Check out Porter’s bar routine below from last week’s meet against Georgia:


Fortunately, you don't need to wait for post-season to see all of these gymnasts competing in one room. Be sure to watch the Metroplex Challenge this Saturday at 6:45pm CST. FloGymnastics will be streaming the event LIVE. Be sure to join FloPRO for access to this and all live events, original documentaries, and technique videos.


Related: 
Inside their World: Mizzou Freshman Madeleine Huber
Metroplex Challenge LIVE on FloGymnastics