CGA Postseason Preview 2024

 With the regular season concluded we have a lot to cover. It was an exciting season with no clarity as to which team is the dominant act heading into championship season. Here we’re going to cover end of season power rankings, regular season All-Americans, and a postseason preview.

POWER RANKINGS

Each week we’ll be releasing a “Power Rankings” that aims to provide a fluid picture of how each team across the NCAA is doing on a week-to-week basis and where we see them heading. The (+) or (-) next to each team relates to how far they rose or fell from the week before. 

This year’s Power Rankings are developed utilizing the NCAA coaches’ poll as well as input from major gymnastics publications including, Inside Gymnastics, Gymnastics Now, and Neutral Deductions. 

1. Stanford (-)

2. Michigan (-)

3. Oklahoma (-)

4. Illinois (-)

5. Nebraska (-)

6. Penn State (-)

7. Ohio State (-)

8. Cal (-)

9. Air Force (-)

10. Navy (-)

11. Greenville (-)

12. Springfield (-)

13. Army (-)

14. William & Mary (-)

15. Simpson (-)

The power rankings heading into conference championships remain unchanged. It has been an exciting year with no clear answer as to who will dominate in the post-season. With conference championships slated for this weekend, we’ll have a much better idea as to which teams are the cream of the crop and in contention for the coveted NCAA team title.

REGULAR SEASON ALL-AMERICANS

All-Around

1. Fuzzy Benas - Oklahoma

2. Taylor Burkhart - Stanford

3T. Brandon Nguyen - Stanford

3T. Tate Costa - Illinois

5. Sam Phillips - Nebraska

6. Michael Artlip - Penn State

7. Erich Upton - Air Force

8. Sam Kaplan - Springfield

Floor Exercise

1. Emre Dodanli - Oklahoma

2. Kameron Nelson - Ohio State

3. Connor McCool - Illinois

4. Landen Blixt - Michigan

5. Josh Karnes - Penn State

6. Taylor Christopulos - Nebraska

7. Nico Hamilton - Oklahoma

8T. Michael Fletcher - Illinois

8T. Zach Connelly - Greenville

8T. Jack Freeman - Oklahoma

8T. Sam Phillips - Nebraska

Pommel Horse

1. Brandon Dang - Illinois

2. Patrick Hoopes - Air Force

3. Ignacio Yockers - Oklahoma

4. Zach Nunez - Oklahoma

5. Cooper Giles - Nebraska

6. Parker Thackston - Ohio State

7. Peyton Cramer - Springfield

8. Khoi Young - Stanford

Still Rings

1. Asher Hong - Stanford

2. Javier Alfonso - Michigan

3. Ashton Anaya - Illinois

4. Mark Berlaga - Stanford

5. Donovan Hewitt - Ohio State

6. Tas Hajdu - Oklahoma

7. Luke Esparo - Penn State

8. Arun Chhetri - Stanford

Vault

1. Justin Ciccone - Ohio State

2. Amari Sewell - Illinois

3T. David Wolma - Michigan

3T. Logan Watterson - Greenville

5. Emre Dodanli - Oklahoma

6. Jasper Smith-Gordon - California

7T. Taylor Burkhart - Stanford

7T. Taylor Christopulos - Nebraska

Parallel Bars

1. Josh Karnes - Penn State

2. Khoi Young - Stanford

3. Fuzzy Benas - Oklahoma

4. Crew Bold - Michigan

5T. Logan McKeown - Michigan

5T. Evgeny Siminiuc - Michigan

7. Luke McFarland - Stanford

8. Will Hauke - Illinois

Horizontal Bar

1. Fred Richard - Michigan

2. Kelton Christiansen - Oklahoma

3. Jack Freeman - Oklahoma

4. Emre Dodanli - Oklahoma

5. Crew Bold - Michigan

6. Ryan Vanichtheeranont - Illinois

7T. Caden Spencer - Ohio State

7T. Zachary Tiderman – Nebraska

POST SEASON PREVIEW

In collegiate gymnastics we have three conferences, the ECAC on the east coast, the Big Ten in the Midwest, and the MPSF on the west coast. We’ll break down each conference and the key players coming into the post season. 

ECAC

Saturday, April 6th at 1pm ET

How to watch: Virtius

The ECAC has been controlled by Navy for the last five years and the Midshipmen look poised to continue their reign at this year’s championships. In historical fashion, Navy has had a whole of team approach with few all-arounders and few individual event specialists. Their star athlete is Isaiah Drake who has been a stalwart over the past three seasons. Matthew Petros has also had a big year and is coming off a strong performance at the ECAC championships. Look for these two to make waves this weekend.

Springfield has the strongest team since the beginning of the Matt Davis era in 2018. They are in a comfortable spot to qualify to NCAA championships as a team but cannot mess around at ECACs if they want to maintain their qualifying position. Sam Kaplan has been a standout performer for the Pride this year as an all-arounder. Another notable athlete is Peyton Cramer. His pommel horse performances have been elite this season and he has a strong shot at winning the ECAC pommel horse title. With a strong performance, Springfield could upset Navy and win the ECAC championship.

Greenville showed massive improvement in their second season as an NCAA squad. That improvement was also seen throughout the season scoring program highs regularly as the season progressed. Logan Watterson is a key player here. His vault is massive, and he collected multiple event titles. Jacob Foster and Landon Benas have led this team in scoring and will be the difference makers as this team threatens to overtake Springfield and dethrone Navy. Also on the line is a team qualification to NCAAs for Greenville. If the Panthers are able to stay ahead of Army, William & Mary, and Simpson they will make history by qualifying a team to NCAA championships for the first time in program history.

Army has also had a strong season in their first under JD Reive. The challenge that Army faces as the first seed out of an NCAA team berth to NCAAs is a testament to the strength of the ECAC conference this year. Freshman, Jaden Blank has put in work this season as an all-arounder and will challenge for the ECAC all-around title. His teammates Maddox Pabellon and Blaize Kennedy are strong gymnasts and will play a big role in the outcome for the Knights this weekend.

William & Mary sits solidly in the 5th spot in the ECAC. Grad Student Aidan Cuy is their key all-arounder. His performance will have a large impact on the Tribe’s team score. However, this sport is a team sport and Cuy’s teammates Gavin Zborowski looks to make some waves at his first ECAC championships. Ricky Pizem is also a key player especially on parallel bars and higher.

In their second year, Simpson has shown massive improvement on their first season. The Storm is led by Sterling Pariza, their top all-arounder who will contest for his spot on the podium at ECACs. Another routine to look out for from Simpson is Brian Rollinson’s rings. This strongman will put up a fight in the rings contest this weekend.

MPSF

MPSF Championships

Saturday, April 6th at 3pm ET

How to watch: Live Stream

The MPSF is made up of four teams, Stanford, Oklahoma, Cal, and Air Force. Each of these teams are in a safe spot to qualify to NCAA championships as a team. Last year Stanford claimed the MPSF title over Oklahoma and Air Force placed a comfortable third over Cal. This season, it seems that the MPSF title might be a much closer battle between Stanford and Oklahoma, and Cal and Air Force look to be highly competitive with each other.

Asher Hong is a clear front runner for the MPSF all-around title followed closely by OU’s Fuzzy Benas and The Cardinal’s Taylor Burkhart. Both Oklahoma and Stanford boast star studded rosters including some of the top gymnasts in the NCAA and the world. The list of world class athletes competing for these two schools is long - Ignacio Yockers, Emre Dodanli, Colt Walker, and Khoi Young are some of those gymnasts to name a few.

To build the excitement for this contest, this year’s MPSF conference battle is hosted by Oklahoma and the Sooners have not lost at home in over 17 years. This creates an added level of pressure for the Sooners who are going up against the defending MPSF champions and top ranked Cardinal.

Cal has a stronger team than last year, having lost no athletes to graduation last season welcoming back Darren Wong, and bringing in a strong freshman class. The Bears have broken the 400 mark this season and will look to do so again. Noah Newfield is the Cal gymnast to watch and has been for the last few seasons. This is his senior year and he’s poised for a strong postseason to wrap up his collegiate career.

Air Force also has a strong squad and is coming off a big win at the USAG championships. Senior Garrett Braunton had one of his strongest outings during event finals, capturing three titles. This is the kind of momentum that will benefit Air Force heading into this highly competitive conference championship. Patrick Hoopes, a newly minted USA national team member will also be in action and ready to help the Falcons claw their way up the rankings in the lead up to the NCAA championships.

BIG TEN

Big Ten Championships

Friday, April 5th at 8pm ET (AA & Team Finals)

Saturday, April 6th at 8pm ET (Individual Event Finals)

How to watch: Big Ten Network

The Big Ten undoubtedly the most competitive conference in the NCAA. Each team has a legitimate shot to win the title which will make for a gritty contest. Illinois and Nebraska shared this year’s regular season Big Ten title, but Michigan ranks first in the conference and hold the highest team score in the country this year. Ohio State beat Michigan earlier in the season, and before that Penn State took down the Buckeyes. It is truly anyone’s game.

Michigan is the defending Big Ten champion. Their dynamic duo of world team members Paul Juda and Fred Richard gives them an edge on the rest of the big ten field. Their supporting cast isn’t made up of slouches either. Crew Bold is a threat on four events and Javier Alfonso is a major factor on three events. Evgeny Siminiuc is the defending Big Ten parallel bars champion as well.

Nebraska and Illinois will give Michigan a run for their money. The Illini beat Michigan earlier in the season and have a home advantage, and Nebraska has come on strong in the back half of this season with the wind to their back after claiming a share of the Big Ten regular season title.

Taylor Christopulos and Sam Phillips, both talented and experienced all-arounders are set to lead the charge for the Huskers. For Illinois, Tate Costa and Michael Fletcher are ready to shine. Brandon Dang, Illinois’ pommel horse specialist will make an impact and Nebraska’s Chase Mondi, the newly minted rookie of the week is another gymnast to watch for the Huskers.

Like Nebraska, Ohio State has had a series of strong outings in the back half of the season and looks to make waves this weekend. Kameron Nelson has been the top scorer for Ohio State this year, and his performance will have a big impact on the final result for the Buckeyes. Parker Thackston has had a big year on pommel horse and will compete with the top ranked pommel horse workers which will certainly help Ohio State’s chances of taking home the title.

Penn State is led by national team member Josh Karnes. With untimely injuries to high impact athletes Penn State had a tough time during the back end of the season, but Freshman have stepped up their game to close the gap for the Nittany Lions. Luke Esparo has won a couple of weekly awards on the tail end of this season with strong rings and vault performances. With a full and healthy team coming into Big Tens, Penn State will be a team to watch out for.