2022 NCAA Championships Preview
APRIL 15 & 16
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NORMAN, OK
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APRIL 15 & 16 I NORMAN, OK I
Tickets
After an exciting 2022 regular season and an eventful conference championship weekend, NCAA Championships are here. The Oklahoma Sooners will be the host as they, along with Michigan, will try to do everything in their power to dethrone Stanford. The Cardinal will be the heavy favorite, featuring one of the best rosters the NCAA has seen; the lineups will be so packed that National Team talent will be sitting on the bench.
Beyond the top three teams, Penn State, Cal, and Navy will all be jockeying for a spot in the team final as a top six team in the country. Additionally, a new face will enter the fold. Springfield has qualified to NCAAs as a team for the first team since becoming a Division III program back in 1995.
Read more for a full analysis of the teams competing this weekend and where the CGA expects each to finish. This year’s NCAA Championships predictions are based on the average individual rankings of three individuals:
Bailey Perez (former Stanford gymnast)
Ben Cooperman (former Penn State gymnast)
Max Soifer (former Washington gymnast)
1 - Stanford Cardinal
2022 HIGH/AVERAGE: 424.250/415.763
The Story So Far: Stanford has been dominant this year, featuring a different lineup almost every week as they interchange their plethora of national team talent. At MPSF Championships it all came together; Brody Malone competed in the all-around, scoring an 85.95 and leading his team to a season high 424.25. And it’s not just the 2020 Olympian that makes this team impressive, almost every routine that competed for them is seemingly capable of All-American status.
Who/What to Watch Out For: Of course the Cardinal are highlighted by the aforementioned Malone, who will look to defend his NCAA all-around title, but there are tons of other members on this roster to watch. The freshmen trio of Ian Lasic-Ellis, Khoi Young, and Taylor Burkhart will make big contributions. Star specialists are capable of NCAA event titles including Bryan Perla on floor, Curran Phillips and Blake Sun on p bars, amongst many others.
Best Case Outcome: NCAA Team Champions, Brody Malone as All-Around Champion, multiple event winners, and tens of All-Americans. The most dominant NCAA performance in recent memory would be no surprise.
2 - Oklahoma Sooners
2022 HIGH/AVERAGE: 417.300/411.163
The Story So Far: Earlier in the season, the Sooners had the opportunity to establish themselves at the top of the NCAA in a competition against Stanford, but they fell several points short. Since then, they have mostly remained in the number three ranking behind Stanford and Michigan with consistent scores around the 408 mark for the majority of the season. However, in typical form, they seem to be peaking at the perfect time and have overtaken Michigan for the number two spot heading into the postseason.
Who/What to Watch Out For: OU has three of the strongest all-arounders in the country between Vitaliy Guimaraes, Fuzzy Benas, and Raydel Gamboa. These three gymnasts will be carrying a heavy load and putting up big clean sets for the Sooners. As a whole, keep an eye out for their high bar run, where they are the number one ranked team on this event in the NCAA.
Best Case Outcome: At the MPSF Championship the Sooners proved that they are capable of putting up a huge team score. Their 417.30 is the best team score outside of Stanford this season, and it actually even tops a few of Stanford’s scores from earlier in the year. The best outcome for the Sooners is they have a perfect meet and take home another NCAA title, however, they will most likely need some help (falls from the Cardinal) for that to play out.
3 - Michigan Wolverines
2022 HIGH/AVERAGE: 413.350/410.675
The Story So Far: Coming off of their second straight Big Ten Championships victory, the Wolverines are poised to make a statement at NCAAs. This extremely talented squad has notably been missing one of its stars, Cameron Bock. If Bock is able to make it back into the lineup, Michigan is capable of exceeding its current season high score of 413.35 and has the ability to contend with Oklahoma for the second spot at NCAAs.
Who/What to Watch Out For: Paul Juda. If anyone is going to contend with two-time NCAA champion, Brody Malone, for the NCAA all-around title, it’s Juda. His clean and consistent gymnastics has been on display all year and he is primed for a strong NCAA performance.
Best Case Outcome: Michigan was not perfect at Big Ten’s but they were pretty close. With a clean 30 for 30 performance Michigan will put up a fight for second. Look for a battle between the Wolverines and the Sooners for the second spot behind Stanford.
4 - Nebraska Cornhuskers
2022 HIGH/AVERAGE: 410.500/406.925
The Story So Far: Heading into NCAAs as the fourth ranked team in the country and coming off of a runner up finish at Big Ten Championships, Nebraska has had a terrific season. After being poised to take a share of the Big Ten Regular Season Title, the Huskers lost a nail biter to the Buckeyes in Columbus. Shining specifically on pommel horse and high bar, this team has proven they are easily a top five team in the country. Their consistency has gone under the radar, having yet to fall below the 400 mark all season.
Who/What to Watch Out For: Sam Phillips has been impressive in the all-around this year, serving as the backbone of this team. But this group is deep and outside of rings, Nebraska has a five man lineup that can compete with the best on every event. Charlie Giles and Evan Kriley highlight an excellent pommel horse rotation while Giles will also vault, an event where the Huskers can score huge if they are on.
Best Case Outcome: A slip up from either Michigan or Oklahoma could open the door for a top three finish for Nebraska. Beyond that, this team has at least a couple of routines capable of All-American status on every event.
5 - Illinois Fighting Illini
2022 HIGH/AVERAGE: 416.00/403.038
The Story So Far: Illinois started off the season slow, only breaking the 400 mark one time before March. Things picked up for the Illini from there and they were even able to capture the third highest score by an NCAA team this season with a 416.00 after a 30 for 30 competition in Colorado Springs. However, at the B1G Championship they reverted to their early season ways and only posted a 396.95.
Who/What to Watch Out For: Pommel Horse is the event to be watching when Illinois is on it. It will serve as their make or break event. They have a deep lineup and even the highest team score of the season with a 69.70, but also have shown that when one gymnast is off, many of them follow. Individual wise, keep an eye out for Hamish Carter who has been stepping up big for the Illini in the all-around and Ashton Anaya who just landed the B1G individual rings title.
Best Case Outcome: If Illinois is able to land another 30/30 competition, they could find themselves as a top-three contender. However, based on their B1G performance, they are going to need to have some serious composure if they are going to make that happen.
6 - Ohio State Buckeyes
2022 HIGH/AVERAGE: 407.350/400.638
The Story So Far: This talented team has been all over the place this season. Some weekends they show why they took a share of the Big Ten regular season title. Other weekends they look like they could drop to as low as ninth in the country. Their Big Ten Championships performance was solid, but they have room to improve; and improve, they must, if they want to retain their spot in the top six and make it to NCAA finals as a team.
Who/What to Watch Out For: Jesse Tyndall is the star of this team. Ohio State rises and falls as Tyndall does. If he can put up big sets that produce big numbers, his team will likely rally behind him. Another routine to watch is Trevor Cummings pommel horse. After struggles at Big Tens, Cummings will want to show what he is capable of at NCAAs. He could challenge for the NCAA pommel horse title.
Best Case Outcome: A lights out day for Ohio State could place them as high as fourth in the country. Illinois has struggled with some championship inconsistency this year, and Nebraska has a lot of their top guys recovering from injury. Ohio State could edge past either of these teams as they did with Illinois at Big Ten Championships to take the fourth spot at NCAAs.
7 - Penn State Nittany Lions
2022 HIGH/AVERAGE: 401.800/397.125
The Story So Far: 2022 has been a disappointing season for Penn State. The roster features some of the most talented all-arounders they have had this century, yet a lack of consistency and a significant drop off from their usual dominance on rings has only allowed them to break the 400 mark twice this season. They finished in fifth place at Big Ten Championships but were redeemed by Chase Clingman’s winning pommel horse routine and also had freshman Josh Karnes finish second on p bars.
Who/What to Watch Out For: They have not been able to do it all year, but this pommel horse lineup is loaded with talent and capable of scoring a big number if they hit. Michael Jaroh and Matthew Cormier have struggled to hit routines in 2022 yet should be watched on day one. If they hit, Penn State may have a chance to sneak into day two.
Best Case Outcome: Chase Clingman is capable of winning an NCAA title on pommel horse, especially if he repeats his performance from Big Ten finals. It’s going to be very challenging for Penn State to wind up a top six team but it could happen if Illinois or Nebraska struggle. Beyond that, the Nittany Lions can secure a few All-American nods.
8 - Navy Midshipmen
2022 HIGH/AVERAGE: 401.850/397.425
The Story So Far: The Midshipmen started out the season by bouncing up and down between the mid 380s to the high 390s, bringing to question how the end of their season would shape out. However, since mid-March, Navy has seemed to find their rhythm pushing above the 400 mark in back-to-back competitions.
Who/What to Watch Out For: Isaiah Drake and Josh Williams have been the biggest hitters for Navy this season. Drake has had a stellar freshman season, winning multiple titles including the all-around at the ECAC Championship. A strong competition from him will be essential for the success of Navy. Likewise, Williams will be counted on to put up two big scores on floor and rings for the Midshipmen.
Best Case Outcome: The best outcome for Navy is a season high day one competition that secures them a spot in the NCAA team finals. They have proved that they can score over the 400 mark, but that will be the bare minimum needed to make it to finals. If they fail to make it to team finals, they will be looking to send a few gymnasts to the event and all-around finals where they can walk away with a couple of all-americans.
9 - California Golden Bears
2022 HIGH/AVERAGE: 401.150/393.175
The Story So Far: Cal has shown the clean, competent, and consistent gymnastics that the Bears are known for. However, their start values are below the necessary level to challenge for a spot in super six unless other teams falter significantly.
Who/What to Watch Out For: Caleb Rickard, Yu-Chen Lee, and Noah Newfled have led this team all season. Rickard’s vault could catapult him to All-American status on the event, Lee will account for at least five scores for the bears, and Newfeld has a shot at placing top ten in the All-Around.
Best Case Outcome: The best outcome for the Bears is qualifying into the super six. This will require a 30 for 30 performance and other teams faltering. Inconsistency this year from the fifth and sixth ranked teams makes it challenging to predict an outcome, but if Cal does the gymnastics that they are capable of and every other team does too, then they will see themselves in a battle with Navy for eighth.
10 - Air Force Falcons
2022 HIGH/AVERAGE: 398.800/388.825
The Story So Far: After an extremely slow start to the year, Air Force hit their stride mid season and never looked back. Once they broke 380 on March 5th, the Falcons never dropped below this number and even floated in the 390s for a few meets. Some disastrous routines early in the season were to blame for the slow start but these have all since been forgotten.
Who/What to Watch Out For: Garrett Branton, along with Erich Upton and Oliver Zavel, form a fantastic trio that have led this team’s comeback. Air Force has been strong on floor this year where they head into Championships ranked number eight in the country.
Best Case Outcome: The Falcons can certainly finish top ten in the country if they execute and avoid significant errors. They have not done this since 2017 and Head Coach Josh Loeser would be thrilled to cap off 2022’s biggest turnaround. In such a deep field it is going to be tough, but Air Force may be able to secure an All-American nod.
11 - Army Black Knights
2022 HIGH/AVERAGE: 388.650/385.325
The Story So Far: Army has had an inconsistent season thus far, failing to break the 390 mark. They hit their season high on March 12th with a 387.50. Since then, they have peaked out at a 384.85 at the ECAC Championship where they took fourth.
Who/What to Watch Out For: Mathew Davis has led the Black Knights this season competing in the all-around. It can be counted on that the Nissen-Emery Award finalist will be looking to make one final mark on the competition floor this weekend. Jacob Nauman will also be looking to contribute big on floor and vault for Army.
Best Case Outcome: The best outcome for Army would come with them overtaking their ECAC rival, Springfield, and academy rival Air Force. They lost to Springfield at their conference championship so they will be looking to redeem themselves on day one of competition.
12 - Springfield Pride
2022 HIGH/AVERAGE: 387.050/381.638
The Story So Far: Springfield College has made history just by qualifying to NCAA Championships as a team. This is the first time the Pride has qualified as a team to NCAAs since becoming a DIII athletic department in 1995. No matter the outcome, Springfield will be celebrating this historic season.
Who/What to Watch Out For: This is one of the most talented Springfield teams in a long time. All-arounder and captain, Dominic Ramalho, has been great for the Pride this year. Also keep an eye out for Felix Kriedemann on pommel horse, parallel bars, and high bar.
Best Case Outcome: If the Pride can repeat their ECACs performance, they will be able to push up to 11th in the standings over Army. However, Springfield will be basking in the experience more so than worrying about their team outcome.