As the process of preparing for the 2018 season forges ahead (next stop: team-by-team freshman previews), I have ranked the top 32 teams based on how they would score in a meet using only the routines that return from the 2017 season.
It’s a method of evaluating which teams are currently best suited to succeed in 2018 using proven routines already at their disposal, as well as how many useful routines teams will need to get from transfers and freshmen to replace some of the dumpier backup scores from last season. Are they already flush with 9.850s? Or would they have to count some 9.6s if the freshmen don’t come through?
RQSs are used when available. When not available, season average is used. Most teams do return at least five people who competed once on each piece last season to fill out a full event score, but if they lack a fifth score from 2017, scores from the previous season are used. For instance, Oklahoma returns only four people who competed on floor last season, but Alex Marks did compete floor in 2016 for 9.700, so that score is used. Those instances are marked by **.
When there are no scores from previous seasons to be used, event totals are filled out with a “replacement average,” the composite average of all gymnasts who competed that event for that team last season but didn’t make the final lineup. Basically, it’s an approximation of what a typical “replacement level” routine should score for that team on that event.
| 1. FLORIDA – 197.959 |
VAULT
McMurtry – 9.950
Slocum – 9.945
Boren – 9.925
Baker – 9.898
Hundley – 9.850
49.568
Chant – 9.831
Alexander – 9.804
Gowey – 9.800
Cheney – 9.750 |
BARS
McMurtry – 9.930
Hundley – 9.925
Baker – 9.880
Boren – 9.860
Gowey – 9.850
49.445
Chant – 9.820
McLaughlin – 9.800 |
BEAM
McMurtry – 9.925
Boren – 9.900
Gowey – 9.895
Hundley – 9.880
Baker – 9.855
49.455
McLaughlin – 9.845
Cheney – 9.735 |
FLOOR
Baker – 9.945
Boren – 9.945
Hundley – 9.885
Slocum – 9.870
McMurtry – 9.846
49.491
McLaughlin – 9.805
Gowey – 9.700
Chant – 9.338 |
The upcoming season looks like Florida’s best chance to win a title in the post-Rhonda era so far because they return every lineup routine from last season, as well as adding a few famous friends to the mix.
| 2. OKLAHOMA – 197.790 |
VAULT
Nichols – 9.955
Dowell – 9.935
Jackson – 9.900
DeGouveia – 9.830
Marks – 9.815
49.435 |
BARS
Nichols – 9.960
Lehrmann – 9.910
Dowell – 9.905
Catour – 9.900
Craus – 9.850
49.525 |
BEAM
Nichols – 9.955
Brown – 9.910
Catour – 9.880
Lehrmann – 9.855
Jackson – 9.825
49.425 |
FLOOR
Nichols – 9.965
Jackson – 9.960
Dowell – 9.910
Brown – 9.870
Marks – 9.700**
49.405 |
The departures of the Capps/Wofford/Jones crew mean that the defending champs do not return the same level of depth as Florida to fill out lineups and will need to come up with two new routines on each event to erase some of the entirely un-Oklahoma scores at the bottom of these lists.
| 3. LSU – 197.676 |
VAULT
Edney – 9.910
Hambrick – 9.905
Harrold – 9.890
Finnegan – 9.855
Priessman – 9.855
49.415
Kelley – 9.825
Cannamela – 9.820 |
BARS
Priessman – 9.925
Edney – 9.900
Hambrick – 9.885
Finnegan – 9.880
Harrold – 9.855
49.445 |
BEAM
Finnegan – 9.945
Hambrick – 9.900
Macadaeg – 9.900
Edney – 9.875
Li – 9.755
49.375
Priessman – 9.525 |
FLOOR
Hambrick – 9.930
Kelley – 9.925
Edney – 9.870
Finnegan – 9.866
Harrold – 9.850
49.441
Priessman – 9.685
Kirby – 9.625 |
LSU has a hearty-enough returning crop, though the lack of Gnat scores in particular drops them down to third in the returning rankings. That unflinching beam lineup will have to be reformulated a little this season with a couple new sets.
| 4. UTAH – 197.293 |
VAULT
Skinner – 9.925
Merrell-Giles – 9.855
Lewis – 9.850
Lee – 9.840
Roberts – 9.785
49.255
Tessen – 9.783
Schwab – 9.775
Muhaw – 9.705
McNatt – 9.688
Reinstadtler – 9.500 |
BARS
Skinner – 9.905
Lewis – 9.880
Lee – 9.845
Reinstadtler – 9.840
Merrell-Giles – 9.835
49.305
Schwab – 9.825
Tessen – 9.808 |
BEAM
Skinner – 9.900
Lee – 9.890
Reinstadtler – 9.850
Merrell-Giles – 9.840
McNatt – 9.838
49.318
Stover – 9.830
Schwab – 9.775 |
FLOOR
Skinner – 9.965
Lewis – 9.890
Reinstadtler – 9.875
Roberts – 9.845
Merrell-Giles – 9.840
49.415
Tessen – 9.825
Lee – 9.775
Schwab – 9.763 |
Utah fares quite well in returning routines, having lost only Baely Rowe’s sets from last season, and should have its pick of current routines and injury-comeback routines to fill out the majority of lineups without needing to expect too, too much from the freshmen. Continue reading 2018 Returning Routine Rankings →
