Recapping The Action: NCAA Gymnastics Week 6

Recapping The Action: NCAA Gymnastics Week 6

Madison Kocian and Peng-Peng Lee grabbed their first career 10.0s in a big week for UCLA.

Feb 14, 2017 by Lauren Green
Recapping The Action: NCAA Gymnastics Week 6
Catch up on all the highlights from Week 6 of the NCAA women's gymnastics season, including four perfect 10s and two top-six teams being upset.

All of the 10.0s

Before this week, there had been no more than two perfect scores in a given weekend. That all changed in Week 6 with twice as many 10.0s being earned.

Alex McMurtry emerged with her first 10.0 of the season on Friday night in Florida's home meet against Georgia. McMurtry (and many of her Gators teammates) battled illness all week leading up to the meet. She anchored a stellar uneven bars routine for Florida with great ampitude on her release skill and a stuck full-in dismount.

​(Video courtesy of Florida Gators)

It is the second 10.0 by a Gator this season. Kennedy Baker grabbed a perfect 10 earlier this season on floor exercise.

Oklahoma freshman Maggie Nichols continued her tear through college gymnastics on Friday night against Auburn with her third 10.0 of the season, this time on floor exercise. Nichols has come close on floor twice this season with a pair of 9.975s. Her opening full-twisting double pike is the highlight of the exercise. She also showcases beautiful positions on all of her leaps and jumps and, of course, great landings on her tumbling.

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Nichols became the first Oklahoma gymnast to score a 10.0 on three different events. She is one 10.0 away from a "gym slam"--a 10.0 on each of the four events. Nichols is only missing a perfect score on the uneven bars. She has posted a 9.900 or better on all six routines this season. In fact, she's had just one score below 9.9 on any event this season: on vault during Friday's meet.

Perfection carried right on into Saturday as both Madison Kocian and Peng-Peng Lee picked up 10.0s in a huge uneven bars rotation for UCLA. The Bruins finished with a 49.725 team total, which was the third-highest bars score in program history.

Entering Saturday's meet against Stanford, Kocian had not posted a score higher than 9.875 in her five routines. She skipped straight past posting a score in the 9.900 range and went straight to a 10.0 with a solid routine. The defending Olympic silver medalist brings her elite polish and difficulty to the college scene. 

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For Lee, it marked the first perfect 10 in the redshirt senior's career. She has not scored lower than a 9.875 this season and has posted four scores above a 9.900. Her routine incorporates great difficulty with impeccable form. The highlights include her full-twisting pak salto and her Ray at the top of the routine.

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It marked the first time that two Bruins scored a perfect 10 on bars in the same meet.

Speaking of UCLA...

The Bruins put up the top score in the country with a 198.125, a half of a 10th higher than Oklahoma's score at Friday's Perfect 10 Challenge. While the scoring for UCLA was a tad on the high side, there were definite benefits that came out of the meet.

Athletes are getting healthy: Madison Preston made her first appearance since the second week of the season. Preston came up short on a landing on floor exercise against Oklahoma and has missed the last two meets. She was back just on vault but contributed a huge score of 9.950 for her Yurchenko full. Angi Cipra is back in the floor exercise lineup and competed on vault for the second straight week after missing the early part of the season with an ankle injury. As the Bruins start to get healthier, look out for the scores to just keep rising.

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Finding their landings: UCLA posted a season-high 49.500 on vault, thanks largely in part to the Bruins finding their landings on the event. Cipra, Preston and Kyla Ross all stuck their vaults for scores of 9.875 or better. Gracie Kramer competed her Yurchenko 1 1/2 for the first time and had a small hop on her landing to grab a 9.925. With Cipra and Preston back in the lineup and Kramer's upgrade, look for steady improvement from UCLA on vault.

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Can't miss thisKatelyn Ohashi pulled out her back handspring, back handspring, layout full with a solid landing.

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More history in Kentucky

Kentucky has had a season of program-record scores. The latest was a 197.475 against Alabama this weekend. It marked the first-ever win for the Wildcats against the Crimson Tide.

The biggest improvement for Kentucky came on the vault, where the Wildcats set a new season high with a score of 49.325. After struggling with its landings for much of the season, Kentucky started nailing its vaults, and the sticks were contagious. Kentucky posted five scores of 9.825 or better.

Mollie Korth had perhaps the biggest vault of the night with this gorgeous Yurchenko 1 1/2 with a stuck landing to score a 9.925.

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Korth has been stellar for the Wildcats all season but shined once again against Alabama. She posted three scores above a 9.9, winning both vault and uneven bars and sharing the title on floor. She also came away with her fifth all-around win of the season. She has combined great landings and technique with good difficulty in her young collegiate career. Her full-twisting double layout dismount on bars is one of the more rare dismounts in college, but Korth has an uncanny ability to nail her landing. 

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Oregon State edges Utah in tight contest

It was a tight one in Corvallis as Oregon State hosted Utah on Saturday afternoon. The Beavers edged the visiting Red Rocks by 0.025 on the final routine of the day. Kaytianna McMillan won the meet for Oregon State with a huge 9.925 on floor. 

(Video courtesy of Pac-12 Networks)

It was a close meet throughout with the Beavers holding a slim lead after the first two rotations. The two teams actually tied on both of their last two rotations. Both squads posted a 49.125 in the third rotation with Oregon State on balance beam and Utah on floor exercise. Both squads saved their best for last, posting a 49.300 on floor (OSU) and balance beam (Utah).

It was the second week in a row where the Red Rocks struggled a bit on the uneven bars with a team total of 48.975. Utah could not crack a score better than MyKayla Skinner's 9.825. Skinner came away with the title on vault with a 9.900 and tied McMillan for the all-around title with a 39.500.

Maddie Karr has breakout week as Denver hits 197 

Denver's Maddie Karr had a breakout performance this week with a career-high 39.675 in the all-around. Karr did not score below a 9.900 on any event and set new career-highs on uneven bars (9.900), balance beam (9.925), and floor exercise (9.950).

Karr's performance on floor exercise capped off an excellent meet for the freshman. She has a more dramatic and dynamic floor routine with floaty tumbling and great landings throughout.

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She was also incredibly solid on balance beam, where she has one of the more unique acrobatic series with a side aerial into a back handspring.

Denver set a new program record with a 49.400 on the uneven bars en route to hitting the 197 mark for the first time this season. The Pioneers are up to 11th in the national rankings.

News and notes:

Injury alerts: Washington's Kristyn Hoffa was forced to stop mid-floor routine for the Huskies with an apparent leg injury. She was carried off the floor and was reportedly seen walking around after the meet. There is no update on her injury at this time. Sydney Snead was back on uneven bars for Georgia after missing the last two meets with a nagging back injury. LSU sophomore McKenna Kelley also made her return after tweaking her back during warmups against Kentucky on Jan. 27. Elizabeth Price missed Stanford's meet against UCLA this weekend with a sprained toe. She was walking around in a boot, but there is no time table for her return.