My Favorite Moments from the 2012-2013 College Gymnastics Season

Now that the 2012-2013 college gymnastics season is officially over, it's time to reflect back and remember some of the highlights from this season. In no particular order, check out some of my favorite moments.

Florida Gator's Domination

Photo Credit: Gator Zone

Probably the most expected answer, as it really was the main highlight of the season. The Florida Gator's had a phenomenal season remaining in the #1 ranked spot for majority of the year. They scored over a 198 in three of their regular season meets and showed everyone that they truly are one of the greatest gymnastics teams around. At the 2013 NCAA Gymnastics Championships, many people thought it was over when the Gators had to count a fall in their first rotation during the Super 6 competition. The Gators have come into Nationals as the favorite to win before, but have fallen short. So when they were forced to count a fall many people concluded it was over for them. But being the fighters they are, they came roaring back in their next 3 rotations scoring nothing below a 9.9 on the floor exercise and nothing below a 9.850 on the vault and bars. The Gators ending up winning their first National Championships with a huge score of 197.575, just 2 tenths ahead of the Oklahoma Sooners and that was with a fall. The freshman Bridget Sloan won the all around title with a score of 39.600 as well as the beam title. Junior Alaina Johnson won the uneven bar title. Talk about a stellar season! The team should be proud and they certainly seemed happy with themselves as they end the season ranked #1. It will be interesting to see which teams (if any) will be able to catch up and keep up with them next season.

Michigan Captains Deliver in NCAA Event Finals

Photo Credit: MGoBlue.com

After having one of their best seasons ever, the Michigan gymnastics team failed to advance to the Super 6 team finals after going through a tough qualifying session with three former national champions (UCLA, Utah, and Alabama) and the #2 ranked Oklahoma Sooners. Although they didn't advance, the team still managed to score well with a 196.850, just a little over 3 tenths behind two of the advancing teams. The Wolverine team captains Joanna Sampson (junior) and Katie Zurales (senior) represented the Maize and Blue to the best of their ability in the event finals and brought home some hardware. The duo tied for 3rd all around and each brought home an event trophy. Zurales ended her career on the balance beam performing one of her best routines ever for a score of 9.8875, which was good enough to tie her for 2nd. Sampson competed in both the vault and floor finals, and despite nailing her yurchenko full, she wound up tied for 14th in a field of impressive vaulters. (22 to be exact) Joanna ended her season on the floor exercise where she nailed her floor routine for a score of 9.9375 which was good enough for first place! As captains of the team, it was great to see both of them go out and hit. The Michigan Wolverines end the season ranked #7 which is their lowest ranking all season. (They spent most of the season ranked 3rd nationally) Watch out for the University of Michigan next year, because I have a feeling next season will be even better!

Alina Weinstein Breaks School Record

Photo Credit: FightingIllini.com

Alina Weinstein has been such a super star for the Illinois Gymnastics team, it's sad to see her go. Alina has not only had a tremendous season but an awesome career at the University of Illinois. She broke her school's record twice this season with her all around score of 39.600 and floor exercise score of 9.975 (which she has received twice), she even scored a perfect 10 on the vault during the regular season. At the Regional Championships, Alina won the all around title as well as the beam and floor titles, making her the first Illini gymnast ever to win 3 titles at a Regional Championships. At this same meet, Alina helped her team place 2nd and qualify to the NCAA National Championships as a team. She was also named Regional Gymnast of the year, a feat that has only been achieved by one Illini gymnast in their school history. Alina wrapped up her career at the NCAA Championships becoming an All American on the floor exercise and helping the Illinois team place 5th in their semi final with a score of 195.700, which is the highest score at the National Championships in Illinois program history! Alina qualified to event finals on the floor exercise where she didn't have her best routine, but still scored well with a 9.750.  I think it should also be noted that Alina has hit every floor routine this season and has scored over a 9.9 in 10 out of the 15 meets she's competed. With Alina's help, the Illinois Gymnastics team ends the season ranked 11th in the ration, which is yet another program record. Congrats on an amazing career Alina, you will be missed!

Fantastic Season for Minnesota

Photo Credit: Gophersports.com

The Minnesota Gymnastics team may not be ranked #1, but they certainly are ones to watch out for after the stellar season they have had! The Gophers started the season ranked 23rd in the pre season poll but quickly jumped to 11th once the season got underway. They've been ranked as high as 10th this season which happened after they beat the (at the time) #1 ranked Michigan in a tri meet. That was Minnesota's first time being ranked in the top 10 since 2002. The Gophers went on to post an impressive score of 197.175 at an away meet with the Florida Gators, that score was the second highest in program history! At the Big 10 Championships, the Gophers secured a 3rd place finish with a score of 196.775. The standout freshman Lindsay Mable was named Big 10 Freshman of the Year while head coach Meg Stephenson was named Big 10 Coach of the Year. Mable is the first Minnesota gymnast to accept this award since Gena Palm in 1989. At the Regional Championships, Minnesota qualified a full team to the NCAA Championships by placing second behind the University of Florida with a big score of 197.100. Mable placed 4th in the all around tying the schools record with a score of 39.600. Jenny Covers, a sophomore, tied for first on vault with a big score of 9.950. Minnesota ended their season with a trip to the National Championships for the first time since 2002. .The team placed 4th in it's semi final with a total of 196.375. The freshman duo of Lindsay Mable and Hanna Nordquist proudly represented the Gophers in the event finals. Mable tied for 4th on floor and 5th on vault while Nordquist had a fantastic beam routine that was good enough to tie for 2nd place! Nordquist's 9.8875 was the highest finish on any event for a Minnesota gymnast since Marie Roethlisberger in 1990! Minnesota ends their best season ever ranked at an impressive 8th in the nation. Congrats Gophers!

Lloimincia Hall on the Floor

Photo Credit: Unkown

The sophomore from LSU has become a fan favorite with her up-beat and fun floor routine. We give Lloimincia (or Mincie for short) props for showing off her personality and really drawing the crowd into her routine. Mincie has scored two perfect 10's this season on the floor and has won 14 individual floor titles so far in her career. Shout out to Lloimincia for being a great performer and making sure everyone is having a good time!

What were some of your favorite moments from this season? Comment below.