What a weekend!
Conference Championships did not disappoint! From the ACC to the Big Ten, we were on the edge of our seats from start to finish. It’s only right that we break down our top five moments and routines from the women’s side, while also highlighting a great weekend for the men.
5. Rutger’s Emily Leese – Floor
Two years ago, Emily Leese wasn’t able to compete on floor after suffering an Achilles injury the day before Big Tens. This year, she showed up and showed out.
4. Missouri’s Hannah Horton – Vault
The Tigers were on fire on vault! Hannah may have had a small hop, but I’d give her an extra .50 just for that celly.
3. Iowa’s Aurelie Tran – Beam
Aurelie took bronze with this stunning beam routine — calm, confident and completely locked in from start to finish. Iowa had a strong beam rotation in Session 2 of Big Tens, and this was a big part of it.
2. Clemson wins the ACC
Stanford came in as the favorite to take the ACC title again this year, looking to defend, but a rough vault rotation kept them from breaking 49 and opened the door. Clemson saw the opportunity and stayed consistent throughout. The leaderboard was shifting all meet, and in the end, it came down to a great fight from Clemson.
1. Selena Harris-Miranda – Bars (10.0)
Selena somehow finds her way into my top five every week, but WOW. This is easily the best bar routine I’ve seen this season — and that’s saying a lot. In a tight meet between No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 2 LSU, No. 3 Florida and No. 4 Alabama, the Gators needed someone to step up, and Selena delivered.
It wasn’t just bars either. Florida came out strong from the start and made it clear they weren’t going down without a fight. Starting on beam, where a lot of teams might fold under pressure, the Gators looked completely in control. As the No. 1 beam team in the country, they backed it up with 9.950s from Kayla DiCello and Selena Harris-Miranda, plus a 9.900 from Sky Blakely. On floor, Kayla DiCello, Selena Harris-Miranda and eMjae Frazier all went 9.900, adding to the momentum. A solid vault rotation and a stunning bar lineup sealed it for the Gators, who looked confident from start to finish.
MEN’S:
3. Army’s Maddox Pabellon – Pommel Horse
Army took the team title at USAG Collegiate Nationals, and a HUGE score from Maddox Pabellon was a major part of making that happen.
2. Michigan’s Carson Eshelman – High Bar
Michigan has a stacked bar line up, but this was textbook bar work. Did you see that triple back?
1. Francisco Velez Belendez – Rings
Oklahoma’s been dominating all season and it’s routines like this that make it clear why their No.1 in the national rankings.
NCAA News!
Road to Fort Worth!
Our NCAA bracket is live! Regionals will kick off on April 1 and we are so ready!
For the schedule and bracket, click here.
Sarahy Mora Rincon is a Communications and Media Arts & Design double major at James Madison University. The Richmond, Virginia native serves as president of JMU Club Gymnastics, where she helps lead the team and support its events, outreach, and involvement in the collegiate club gymnastics community.
Photos by Lloyd Smith for Inside Gymnastics
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