NCAA Championships Prelims- Session 1 Preview

It's the most exciting part of the college gymnastics season and it's finally upon us- the 2014 NCAA National Championships! Now that Regionals is over and we know which teams have qualified, it's time to start thinking about who could realistically make the Super Six. We start with the first session which will include Oklahoma, LSU, Georgia, Michigan, Stanford and Illinois. Remember only the top three teams will advance. 

Oklahoma is in great shape to advance to the Super Six again this year. They've looked great all season long and average a 197.513!  The Sooners are pretty consistent across the board and are capable of scoring 49.500 or higher on every event. They will start on beam during prelims, which could be a big advantage. They will be able to get that event out of the way early and bring up the energy and finish strong on floor, vault, and bars. Baring any serious slip ups, Oklahoma should have no problem finishing in the top three and propelling themselves to the Super Six. They just need to be calm and cool like they usually are. 

The leaders: Taylor Spears who is capable of scoring 9.9+ on every event as well as Hayley Scaman who has scored three 10's this season (twice on floor, once on vault) 

LSU is in the same boat. They've had a phenominal season- averaging a 197.496 and have huge scoring potential thanks to the depth in their lineups. LSU's strongest events are vault and floor where they've scored nothing below a 49.400 all season. The Tigers will begin their prelim competition on a bye before heading to floor and vault. They will then go on another bye before ending the competition on bars and beam, where they are also capable of high scores.

The leader: Rheagan Courville placed 2nd AA at last years NCAA's and also took home the vault title. She has been ranked in the top 3 AA all season long.

Georgia is a strong candidate for the Super six, but not a lock. They have been good this season- they average a 197.029, but they have to be solid in order to fend off their other competitors...mainly Michigan who recently beat them for the Regional title. Georgia starts prelims on vault and will compete in the traditional "Olympic order" (vault, bars, beam and floor) which could be an advantage for them. At Regionals, Georgia had to make some lineup changes due to a minor injury from Brittany Rogers who only competed on bars. If Brittany is back strong for Nationals the Gym Dawgs can look to potentially post a high team total and make the Super Six!

The leader: Lindsay Cheek competes on vault, bars, and beam where she typically brings in scores of 9.9+ every week.

Stanford had a really impressive showing at Regionals last weekend where they posted a 197.275 which was their highest score all season and proved to be contenders this year. Stanford will start their quest on the floor and will end on a bye after beam. If Stanford wants to sneak into one of those three spots- they have to be better then they have been for most of this season. They only average a 196.400, which is significantly lower than the rest of their competitors. 

Michigan is coming into this meet looking for redemption. They haven't made the Super Six since 2011 and missed qualifying last year by just over 3 tenths. Michigan averages a 196.791 and is capable of scoring in the mid 197's if they hit. Michigan will have the same rotation order as last year, starting on bars and ending on a bye after vault. Similar to Regionals, the Wolverines will be looking to pick up some extra tenths wherever they can to make up for the lose of Austin Sheppard, who typically scores in the 9.95-9.975 range on vault and the 9.850-9.9 range on bars. They will also face the same challenge they've had all season long in the second roatation- the balance beam. When they hit, they have no problem scoring 49.300+, however they really have to minimize all those small bobbles and bring in some big scores. After the second roatation, we should have a good idea if Michigan is in it to win it!

The leader: Joanna Sampson is the reigning National Champion on floor! She will be looking to contribute scores over 9.9 on every event and hopefully snag that all around title as well. (She was 3rd last year!) 

Illinois has returned to Nationals for the second consecutive year which is a big accomplishment for them. Although they are a good team, I don't think qualifying to the Super Six is a very realistic goal for them at this point in time. They only average a 196.204, and don't have very much depth in their lineups. The Illini will start prelims on a bye before heading to bars, which is a good event for them to start on! 

The leader: Amber See, who is capable of scoring 9.9 or higher on vault, beam, and floor!