FINAL SEASON RANKINGS
2018 – 7th
2017 – 12th
2016 – 6th
2015 – 9th
2014 – 5th
2013 – 6th
2012 – 11th
2011 – 9th
2010 – 13th
2009 – 1st

THE STORY
Thus far, the story for Georgia has been the hacksaw taken to the roster following the 2018 season, trimming all but five essential gymnasts and bringing in as many new people as humanly possible. Kupets apparently took that assignment a little too seriously because she had the baby yesterday. Add her to the roster.

What’s also true amidst this reinvention, however, is that Georgia’s 2019 lineups will probably end up being more familiar than you’re expecting. The five who do return from last season are all multi-event contributors who will deliver over half the routines in 2019, potentially as many as two-thirds if the freshmen take some time to get going.

With all the most important routines returning along with expected lineup upgrades, hopes for Georgia’s 2019 performance are high. Georgia wildly exceeded expectations to finish 7th last season, and this year’s team is categorically better than that team, so why not improve on 7th?

At the same time, Georgia spent most ranking weeks last season languishing in the bad half of the teens. That, more than the final ranking of 7th, reflects the team’s prevailing 2018 quality, so while everyone expects big improvement in 2019, that improvement could come in the form of maintaining a ranking of 7th-9th all season long and jockeying for a spot at nationals.

And that would be a huge improvement. That would be a massive  sign of progress for a team that’s trying to return to the top echelon, though if you go only by final results, it may not seem like much of a change.

Vault proved to be Georgia’s weak event in 2018 in both depth and scoring potential, the team ultimately putting up a lineup of two nationally competitive vaults and just hoping to get by with three other scores. Because of those struggles, 2019’s vaulting looks to provide Georgia’s biggest single-event improvement. Rachael DTY Lukacs should become the strongest vaulter in the lineup almost immediately, allowing Sydney Snead and her 1.5 to be among the important vaults, rather than being the entire lineup. Continue reading 2019 Preview – Georgia Bulldogs →

FINAL SEASON RANKINGS
2018 – 4th
2017 – 2nd
2016 – 2nd
2015 – 10th
2014 – 3rd
2013 – 5th
2012 – 9th
2011 – 20th
2010 – 9th
2009 – 6th

THE STORY
Every team is always fighting against the concept of regression. The roster-building project is, at the very least, about making sure the level from the previous season is maintained. That’s no small task for the top teams. LSU has been a title contender for 5+ years now and has been the “if not Oklahoma, then…” team for the last three seasons.

But the piranhas have gathered. With UCLA’s upset victory last season and Florida nipping LSU for 3rd at Super Six, the collection of legitimate challengers is broadening. Maintaining that position as the #2 team in the country, let alone improving on it, is far from a given for LSU in 2019. We know that LSU will enter the season as one of the favorites to make the 4-team championship, but what role LSU plays in that top four is still uncertain. Is LSU the #2 team again, or is LSU the one in the danger spot that might get picked off by a surging underdog that we’re currently underestimating?

Decisive in that regard will be how well (and where) LSU can improve its scoring potential from 2018 in the face of losing five 9.9s and five of the best routines on the team. When you combine the introduction of Bailey Ferrer with the return of McKenna Kelley, LSU should be able to get close to that level again (better on some events, weaker on others, but the same kind of total scores), yet that’s sort of the minimum expectation for the roster-building project. That’s refilling the tank from a season that was excellent but ultimately did not produce the result LSU wanted.

To improve on last year’s scores, to get closer to winning a title, LSU will also have to see more from some of these sophomores, potentially making the leap from depth option to competition-ready 9.875. Is that possible?

LSU showed four 10.0 starts in its final vault lineup last season, a feat that should doable again this year. The big question, and it will be a theme across the four events, is whether someone new can replicate that potential 9.950 from Hambrick to avoid a dip. Continue reading 2019 Preview – LSU Tigers →