Farewells, welcome back Jessica Taylor Price, and an NCAA preview

Happy Gymnastics Saturday! And my final Gymnastics Saturday.

That’s right, after four years, I am handing over — or should I say, handing back — the reins to a name that will ring familiar to fans of our sport. Jessica Taylor Price, this column’s originator, will begin writing it again come January, just in time for the NCAA season. 

It has been an honor to write here, in the company of so many other dedicated sportswriters. Gymnastics does not often receive the kind of coverage “major” sports do, and neither do women’s sports in general.

Finding a home like The IX, which values women’s sports and gymnastics and encourages us writers in our pursuit of the work, has been a privilege. I do not, and will not ever, take that lightly. 

For my last hurrah, I’m taking a look at what’s on tap for NCAA. I already did a state-of-the-union piece on the top teams, but this will be a broader overview. 

The Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) preseason rankings dropped this week. The top teams, as selected by the coaches who comprise the WCGA, are Oklahoma, LSU, Florida and UCLA. Oklahoma received 39 first-place votes, compared to LSU’s five and both Florida’s and UCLA’s four. Utah received one first-place vote and rounds out the top five. Missouri, in seventh place, also received two first-place votes. 

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Neither LSU nor Florida made it to Four on the Floor last year, and I admit I’m a bit surprised to see both teams ranked so high. LSU, of course, has a stacked roster headed into this season, but those gymnasts are untested in NCAA, and they did not make it to NCAA finals last year, crumbling in the semis. Florida always comes in strong, but can they hold on? They have not been able to for a few seasons, and also did not make it to Four on the Floor in April.

Missouri did make it as the Cinderella story of the finals, which I’m sure is how they garnered their two votes — but their grit is admirable, and I’d personally have put them a few spots higher. UCLA pulled out all the stops last season to finish in second just behind the Sooners, and that’s the result I wish I’d seen for them in the poll. That said, UCLA is a bit of a wild card at times and often hits its stride later in the season, so I understand this ranking a bit better. 

The other teams in the top 10 are Michigan State in sixth, Alabama in eighth, Kentucky in ninth, and Arkansas in 10th. I might have pushed Michigan State up a notch, but I’m glad to see Kentucky and Arkansas here after strong showings last season.

Auburn, Georgia, Stanford, Michigan, and Minnesota form the next tier of teams in spots 11-15. I am thrilled to see Georgia bumped this high; their results last year showed a coaching change for the better, and I expect to see them rise higher this year. Stanford has some standouts joining their team, including Ana Barbosu, and they, too, will rise, I think.

It’s a bit shocking to watch Michigan fall in the rankings after their 2021 win at NCAAs, but it is not undeserved. I hope they can pick it up this season. Minnesota is a perpetual striver, and they, too, are in the right spot (but I think they can wiggle upwards). 

In the inevitable slump that follows the holiday cheer, I love remembering that the NCAA season starts up that first dark, dreary, unlit weekend in January. It’s great to fire up YouTube TV and settle in for the season. I may no longer be writing about it here, but I sure will be watching — and reading Jess’s words — in this space, as I hope you will. 

Happy holidays, everyone. 

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Other gym news

College Gym News has a Judge’s Inquiry column on beam switch half leaps, and a feature on Illinois State’s new coaching staff. 

Check out the results of the Southeast Asian Games on The Gymternet. 

British Gymnastics bid to host the 2030 World Championships in Liverpool. 

Janelle McDonald did an interview with the Orange County Register about UCLA’s team this year. 

Five at The IX: Check out pre-season intrasquads and get excited! 

Watch Florida’s hype night here:

Watch Meet the Bruins:

Watch Georgia’s Gymdog Debut:

Watch the Michigan Blue & Gold Meet:

Watch Maryland’s Red vs. Black Meet: