Surprises At The 2017 NCAA Conference Championships

Surprises At The 2017 NCAA Conference Championships

The 2017 NCAA gymnastics postseason began with a packed slate of conference championships that brought some thrilling and surprising moments.

Mar 21, 2017 by Keri Monstrola
Surprises At The 2017 NCAA Conference Championships
The 2017 NCAA postseason began with a packed slate of conference championships that brought some thrilling and surprising moments. Over the weekend, we saw program records set, first-time winners, shocking upsets, and much more. Let's take a look at some of the weekend's top surprises.


Washington Sets Program Record At Pac-12 Championships

The Washington Huskies posted a new program-record score of 197.10 en route to a third-place finish at the Pac-12 Championships on Saturday. They posted season-high scores on vault and beam, scoring a 49.30 and 49.425, respectively. The Huskies have proved to be strong contenders this season with new direction from first-year head coach Elise Ray, who was named the Pac-12 Coach of the Year. Washington will be looking for its first bid to nationals since 1998 when it hosts an NCAA regional on April 1.

[tweet url="https://twitter.com/UWGymnastics/status/843305710033149952" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]

LSU Wins SEC Championship

Although this is not a surprise to many, as LSU has been so dominant this season, it is astonishing that the Tigers had not won an SEC Championship since 1981. LSU came out from the start in dominating fashion on Saturday and showed determination to win. While having falls on bars and beam, the Tigers rallied back with five incredible scores and avoided counting any falls. Coach D-D Breaux was very emotional following the win, winning just her second SEC title in her time at LSU. Senior Ashleigh Gnat boosted the Tigers with a 10.0 on vault and a 9.95 on beam and floor.

[tweet url="https://twitter.com/LSUgym/status/843466897089875969" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]

Bowling Green's 2nd-Place Team Finish At MAC Championships

Bowling Green made a statement at the 2017 Mid-American Conference Championships with a strong team finish of 196.40, which was good for second place. The Falcons came up just one-tenth short of Eastern Michigan, which won the MAC Championship with a 196.50. BGSU put together its second-best score in school history with a 196.40 and earned its top team finish at the MAC Championships since 1987 as well. The Falcons also saw a great performance from Kayla Rosewho was the MAC floor exercise co-champion with a 9.95.

[tweet url="https://twitter.com/FalconGymn/status/843252782480183300" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]

UCLA's Lineup Shuffle, 3rd-Place Finish At Pac-12 Championships

As the defending champions, UCLA was one of the favorites to win Pac-12s heading into the competition but ended up finishing third. The talent on the team is incredible; however, the Bruins struggled to get the meet started on the road in Stanford, California, after four home competitions. They had some lineup changes throughout the meet, including Felicia Hano returning to the vault lineup. UCLA had a fall on the event and started the competition off with a 49.15. The Burins then saw troubles on bars as well and had to count scores of 9.6 and 9.75 for a 48.95 total. After a slow start on beam, UCLA was not able to make up enough ground to reclaim the title.

Yale Wins First-Ever ECAC Championship

The Yale Bulldogs won their first ever Eastern College Athletic Conference title with a season-high 194.60. Yale's Jade Buford was a big boost to the Bulldogs and was named the ECAC's Rookie of the Year, while head coach Barbara Tonry won Coach of the Year.

[tweet url="https://twitter.com/ECACSports/status/843179527979393024" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]


Honorable Mentions:

It was a surprise to many to see Oklahoma's Maggie Nichols remain out of the all-around during the start of postseason. Nichols has rested from the all-around for a couple meets to give her knee a break, but she is planning to be back in the all-around for regionals and nationals.

Michigan State has three seniors -- Elena Lagoski, Kira Frederick, and Nicola Deans -- who all tied for the Big Ten floor title. All three gymnasts' scores held up from the afternoon session to share the title with a 9.925 along with Michigan's Olivia Karas.


Related:
2017 NCAA Regional Assignments Announced
Social Media Roundup: NCAA Conference Championship Highlights
Kyla Ross, MyKayla Skinner Trade 10.0s At Pac-12 Championships