All New! Della's Inside the MatchUp For February 28th!

28 Feb All New! Della’s Inside the MatchUp For February 28th!

Posted at 08:45h in 2025 NCAA Headquarters, News & Features by Della Fowler 0 Comments

By Della Fowler

Editorial Contributor

Introducing Della Fowler’s Inside the Matchup

Each week, Della will size up the competition and key matchups dominating Women’s NCAA Gymnastics in this all-new feature. Look for it each week on InsideGym.com and in a weekly video on YouTube! Here’s who we’re watching during Week 9!

Inside The Matchup, brought to you by Della Fowler & Inside Gymnastics Magazine

Meet of the Week: FRIDAY: Alabama at Arkansas 7:30 p.m. ET | SECN

Tell a friend to tell a friend, Alabama at Arkansas is our meet of the week! With only 8 tickets to the SEC Championship and 9 teams in the SEC, no one wants to miss it! As we stand right now the Crimson Tide would miss out on attending the championship, but there’s still a lot of season left to be had.

If we’ve learned anything this season, it’s that Bud Walton Arena is scary to enter as a visiting team. Fayetteville may as well be renamed Upsetville with the work the Gymbacks are putting in! Spirit is high with this team, as last week they took down another top 10 ranked team in Oregon State at the Metroplex Challenge. Count ‘em because that’s THREE teams in the top ten taken down by the skill and will of the Razorbacks. We already know that Joscelyn Roberson is a beast, but I think she’s got a breakout meet in the cards this week. Knowing what Josc is capable of, plus the energy of the Bud, I think she’s due and totally capable of averaging 9.9 on each event. Another key player for Arkansas will be Senior Kalyxta Gamiao, she is such a rock solid leadoff performer and she had top three finishes on both of her events last week.

However, Alabama wants to be at the SEC Championship as more than just the host team. Despite the loss to Auburn last week, the Tide set a season-high team score of 197.350 along with posting season-high rotation scores on bars, beam and floor. In the meet last week, the Tide had a slow start on vault. If they want to be successful in Arkansas, they need to come out SWINGING bars like their season depends on it, because it kind of does. Getting a jump on the meet is going to be crucial because both of these teams love to heat up as the meet goes on, the first rotation could be the difference maker. I’m watching Shania Adams, who hit a great 9.900 bars score last week – very closely. She is totally capable of building on this score to bring home the bacon in the ever important bar rotation. Lily Hudson and Gabby Gladieux are rock solid on their events, and will also be key in keeping the energy up until the very last routine is performed.

Must Watch Meets:

FRIDAY: Missouri at Florida 6:00 p.m. ET| SECN
FRIDAY: Oklahoma at Auburn 8:00 p.m. ET | SECN+
FRIDAY: California, Oregon State, UC Davis at Stanford 10:00 p.m. ET | ACCNX
SATURDAY: Maryland Big 4 Meet (Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota at Maryland) 6:00 p.m. ET| Big Ten Network
SUNDAY: Kentucky at Georgia 6:00 p.m. ET| SECN

FRIDAY: Missouri at Florida 6:00 p.m. ET | SECN

Remember how I said Florida eats up home meets? Well it’s coming into play again! The Gators struggled last week with injuries to Anya Pilgrim and Sloane Blakely. We are sending them all the best, but it is not panic time for the Gators. They have so much depth on their team that even with two of their strongest gymnasts out, they are capable of getting big wins. Keep an eye on Riley McCusker and Ly Bui, they both are due for a bounce back meet at home and are totally capable of getting big scores on the sheet. Selena Harris-Miranda is as strong as ever and we all know you can count on the CEO Leanne Wong.

The Mizzou Tigers are on a roll! Last week in their win over Georgia, they notched a season high team score of 197.425. Last week, they had 10 scores of at least a 9.900 to earn their best start to a season since 2009. 2009! Amari Celestine had herself a meet, tying her season bests on vault (9.900) and floor (9.950) and adding a 9.925 on bars. I mean this team is ROLLING! Their floor lineup is absolutely absurd and I am so excited to see how they do on the road. If they can get a big score in Gainesville, their NQS would push them even higher in the rankings!

FRIDAY: Oklahoma at Auburn 8:00 p.m. ET

Get ready for a showdown, because the No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners are heading into Neville Arena to face a red-hot Auburn team coming off a historic road win! The Sooners have been untouchable this season, holding onto the No. 1 ranking for eight straight weeks and leading the nation on vault, bars and floor. They just posted back-to-back 198+ scores and boast an NQS of 198.865—absolute dominance. With stars like Faith Torrez and Jordan Bowers leading the charge, this team has the firepower to take over any meet. But let’s not forget about Audrey Davis, Lily Pederson, and Addison Fatta, who are also ranked in the top 25 in the all-around. If Oklahoma does what they did last week—it’s going to be tough to take them down.

But Auburn has other plans. The No. 11 Tigers are coming off their best performance of the season, dropping a 197.750 to take down Alabama for the first time EVER in Coleman Coliseum. This team is peaking at the right time, and with Sophia Groth, Alex Irvine, and Katelyn Jong stepping up, they are ready to put on a show at home. Auburn’s vault lineup tied a program record last week (49.500), and their beam team is legit, led by career-high performances from Paige Zancan and Olivia Ahern. The key for Auburn? Come out aggressive, keep the landings clean, and feed off the home crowd. If they can apply pressure early and keep up on vault and bars, they could make this meet VERY interesting. Buckle up—it’s going to be a good one.

FRIDAY: California, Oregon State, UC Davis at Stanford 10:00 p.m. ET

West Coast gymnastics is bringing the HEAT this week, and this quad meet is packed with star power. No. 5 California is riding high after breaking into the top five, and posted the highest score in ACC history to defeat Pitt 197.775-195.125. A big reason why? Mya Lauzon. She’s been on fire, delivering a stellar all-around performance last week with a 39.700 and proving that she’s one of the most complete gymnasts in the NCAA. They have a chance to clinch the regular season conference title outright with a win over Stanford so this meet is for all the marbles.

But let’s talk about Jade Carey. The Olympic gold medalist and Oregon State superstar has yet to lose an all-around title this season, and honestly, it’s going to take a lot to stop her. She’s ranked No. 1 in the NCAA all-around rankings for a reason—her execution is clinical, and she just does everything with ease. Although the Beavs had a rough meet placing 3rd behind Arizona and Arkansas at the Metroplex Challenge, they swept the event titles. If they can bounce back, there’s no reason they can’t put last weeks meet behind them and keep striving for #1.

I love this Stanford team, last week they posted a 196.925 over Clemson and I am so ready to welcome the cardinal to the 197 club!! They have so many key players that do such dynamic gymnastics. Anna Roberts is such a clean vaulter so expect to see her scoring big there. I don’t think I’ll ever tire of Ui Soma’s bar work. I mean she makes me want to hit the gym and swing with how easy she makes it look! Stanford is going to be hungry for revenge for their last meet against Cal and get a big ACC conference win under their belt.

With California looking to solidify their top-five ranking, Oregon State backing Carey with a strong squad, Stanford ready to play spoiler at home, and UC Davis bringing the energy this one’s going to be a grand ole time! Expect big scores, huge performances, and a whole lot of talent on display in Palo Alto.

SATURDAY: Maryland Big 4 Meet (Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota at Maryland) 6:00 p.m. ET | Big Ten Network

The Wolverines are rolling into College Park ranked in the top 20 on every event, with Carly Bauman and Jahzara Ranger leading the charge. They just put up huge numbers against UCLA, and with their vault and floor squads peaking, they’ll be gunning for the top spot. Michigan thrives in big meets and I really think they shake off early-season inconsistencies and dominate the Big Four!

A lot of that depends on the Golden Gophers though. The Gophers are on fire, fresh off a season-best bars performance (49.425) and powered by superstar Mya Hooten, who is undefeated on floor this season. With Ava Stewart and Emily Koch hitting career-highs last week, Minnesota is locked in and hungry to prove they’re the team to beat. They’ve got the talent, they’ve got the momentum—now it’s time to bring the heat in a big meet.

The Illini are tough, resilient, and ready to shake things up after a clutch win on Senior Day. Amelia Knight, Ruthuja Nataraj, and Chloe Cho are cooking with gas, and this squad knows how to grind out big scores under pressure. They might not be the favorites, but in big meets anything can happen.

The hometown Terps are fired up after a 195.750 win over Iowa and will be looking to feed off the energy of the XFINITY Center crowd. Sierra Kondo (9.950 on bars) and Natalie Martin (9.925 on vault) are stars on the rise, and Maryland is ready to prove they belong with the Big Ten’s best.

Isabella Magnelli - University of Kentucky

SUNDAY: Kentucky at Georgia 6:00 p.m. ET | SECN

Welcome to the top ten for the first time since 2020, Georgia! The GymDogs just dropped a season-best 197.350 and are peaking at the perfect time. Anya Turner (9.975 on beam) and Lily Smith (9.950 on bars) are stepping up in big ways, and Georgia hasn’t scored below 197 in three straight meets. They are finally starting to hit their stride and if they can play their cards right in the NQS game, we could very well see them at the National Championships.

The Wildcats are scorching hot, posting four straight 197+ scores and winning four event titles against the defending champion LSU. Isabella Magnelli (9.950 on beam) is so much fun to watch and approaches the beam with no fear. I was obsessed with Creslyn Brose’s 9.95 on floor last week, it was actually one of my favorite routines of the weekend. This squad has proven they can hang with the best and they’re bringing their A-game to Athens—can they take down the surging GymDogs on the road? This meet is going to be the perfect way to end your weekend on a high note!

Team Rankings Week 8

Look for Nate’s NCAA Notes each week and stay tuned to InsideGym.com and Inside Gymnastics magazine for spotlight features and interviews throughout the 2025 season!

Nate Salsman, Della Fowler, Megan Roth and Christy Sandmaier provide NCAA coverage for Inside Gymnastics.

Photos by Lloyd Smith for Inside Gymnastics magazine.