Week 3 2026 CGA Power Rankings & Recap
By Peri Goodman, Isaac Erickson, and Peter Hristozov
This weekend delivered another strong slate of gymnastics, highlighted by ranked matchups, season-best performances, and major individual storylines as teams continued to solidify lineups early in the season. Three meets headlined the action, each offering competitive depth and results to change the power rankings. The Navy Open featured Springfield College and William & Mary traveling to Annapolis for an ECAC matchup, where Navy defended home turf behind strong performances on floor, pommel horse, and vault. At the Sam Mikulak Invitational, Penn State and Illinois went head-to-head in a tightly contested dual meet that ended in a 317.600 – 317.600 tie. Penn State earned the meet win by virtue of the highest single-event score of the competition, posting a 54.500 on vault, while Nathan Whitaker claimed the floor exercise title with a standout 14.55. Another highlighted matchup took place in Ann Arbor, where Michigan hosted Oklahoma in a highly anticipated showdown between two national title contenders. The Sooners secured the road victory, edging the Wolverines by 1.2 points in a meet that remained close through the final rotation. The Stanford Open welcomed California and Ohio State, highlighted by the return of Asher Hong after his injury at World Championships. Hong captured the all-around title along with event wins on parallel bars and rings. Additional standout performances from David Ramirez, Aaronson Mansberger, Akshay Puri, and Jasper Smith-Gordon rounded out a weekend defined by elite execution and narrow margins.
Hot Takes
WEEK 3 MEET RECAPS
Springfield College, William & Mary at Navy (Navy Open)
The ECAC weekend featured a three-team matchup at the Navy Open, where Navy defended home turf against Springfield and William & Mary. Navy controlled the meet from start to finish, posting a winning team score of 309.300, followed by Springfield at 302.80 and William & Mary at 291.350. Navy led the competition on three of the six events, taking floor exercise (52.050), pommel horse (51.850), and vault (54.900). Springfield countered with strong performances on rings and narrowly edged Navy on parallel bars, while William & Mary showcased depth with multiple podium finishes across events. Floor exercise was a tightly contested rotation, as Daniel Gurevich of Navy and Luke Tully of William & Mary tied for the event title with matching 13.550 scores. Another standout routine came from Navy’s Benjamin Thurlow Lam, who placed third with a 13.200 with a clean and controlled set. Navy senior Colby Prince made the floor lineup for the second time this season after debuting at the West Point Open, contributing a 12.950. On pommel horse, Navy freshman specialist Kody Tokunaga competed for just the third time in his collegiate career and placed third with a 13.200. His routine was highlighted by clean travel work into a controlled swing to handstand pirouette. The event title, however, belonged to Springfield’s Devon Felsenstein, who dominated the field with a 13.950, outscoring the next closest competitor by .750. Felsenstein has now delivered three consecutive weekends of high-level pommel horse performances. Peyton Cramer, who posted a 14.400 at last year’s NCAA Championships, appeared in the lineup for the third time this season but struggled with two falls, finishing with an 11.650. Springfield posted their strongest rotation of the meet on rings, recording a season-high 52.300. Blaise Rousseau led the way with a massive 13.700, showcasing strong strength elements and finishing with a beautifully executed, stuck tucked double-double dismount. Teammate Gustavin Suessfollowed with a 13.150 to take second, showing continued improvement on the event. Vault featured a tight race at the top, with the top three scores split among all three teams. Navy’s Matthew Petros delivered the standout routine of the rotation, sticking a Kasamatsu 1½ to earn a season-high 14.350 with minimal execution deductions. Evan Reichert andLuke Tully tied for second with 13.900s, Reichert competing a kaz full and Tully competing Yurchenko 2 ½.. Parallel bars was led by William & Mary, as the Tribe swept the podium. Mark Fu claimed the event title with a 13.000, followed closely by Nicholas Kosarikov with a 12.850 and Brayden Bates with a 12.800. Despite narrowly winning the parallel bars rotation over Navy, Springfield’s largest team deficit came on high bar, where they posted a 48.30 while missing sophomore star Kaleb Palacio. Depth became a key factor on high bar, echoing head coach Matt Davis’ emphasis that every athlete must be ready to compete. Sophomore Cameron Rhymes was inserted into the lineup for his first routine of the season and delivered, scoring a 12.650 and finishing with a high-flying triple back dismount. The high bar title went to Navy’s Matthew Petros, who capped off an outstanding meet with a 13.550. His routine featured clean Tak work, a laid-out Tkatchev, and a powerful, stuck double-double dismount. William & Mary followed close behind with Ricky Pizem scoring a 13.200 and Luke Tully earning a 13.150, marking the second straight weekend both athletes have posted 13-plus high bar scores. Tully closed out his weekend by winning the all-around with a 76.150, leading William & Mary across multiple events.
Oklahoma at Michigan
This was an anticipated match-up as both teams were ranked in the top three in the CGA Pre-Season Polls, and the competition did not disappoint, coming down to the last athlete on the last event. The Wolverines dug themselves a bit of a hole, counting falls on their first event, the floor exercise. However, they recovered beautifully with a gigantic horse rotation anchored by Aaronson Mansberger’s 14.600 after a flawless and difficult routine. The Sooners also started great on the pommel horse, hitting four for four, and newcomer Colby Aranda led their rotation with a solid 14.100 and a great display of Sohn elements, travel elements, and single pommel work. Fuzzy Benas stood out on the floor exercise for the Sooners, nearly sticking every pass, including his double pike dismount and his super difficult back 2 ½ to double front connection. Both teams had solid ring and vault rotations. Akshay Puri led the Wolverines on rings with a great display of strength and a stuck full twisting double layout, landing him a 14.000 on the event. Charlie Larson’s stuck Yurchenko vault was near perfect and the best executed piece of gymnastics of the meet, earning him a 14.300. Junior Tas Hajdu led the Sooners on rings with a solid 13.750, displaying strong strength elements and a beautifully executed tucked double-double dismount. The Sooners started strong on high bar with Brandon Zapeda-Orth, who took the high bar title with a huge 14.150 and displayed a beautiful layout Tkatchev-to-Gienger connection. With a mistake in the middle of the lineup, Senior captain Kelton Christiansen stopped the bleeding with a clean and difficult high bar routine, including his Winkler release, Takamoto half to Gienger connection, and a stuck double twisting double layout dismount, for a 14.100. As Oklahoma was on highbar, Michigan was on parallel bars, keeping it close with strong performances from Solen Chiodi and Frederick Richard. Chiodi put up a 13.400, showcasing his beautiful Makuts without pause, while Richards scored a 13.550, showing off his Belle release. Two falls on the parallel bars for the Wolverines kept this meet really close, going into the last event. Pressure built going into the last event, but Michigan's first three guys on high bar had stellar performances, led by a 14.00 by senior Landon Blixt. Freshman Nathan Roman secured the road win for the Sooners on their last event, the parallel bars, with a beautiful and versatile parallel bar routine, also winning the individual title. Oklahoma ended up winning the meet with a 321.850 to Michigan’s 320.650.
Illinois, Penn State (Sam Mikulak Invitational)
This neutral site meet could not have been any closer, with Illinois and Penn State tying at 317.650 apiece overall, and a second team tie of 54.400 on rings for good measure. Sophomore Illini Nathan Whitaker posted his second career win on floor with a commanding five of six lines stuck earning a 14.550, leading teammate Garrett Schooley’s 13.950 as first runner up. Schooley would go on to win vault, throwing down a 14.400. The Illini tapped into Brandon Dang and Preston Ngai for another one-two punch on pommel horse in their final rotation, raking in 14.650 and 14.350, respectively. Lone all-arounder Sam Kaplan proved integral to the Illini parallel bars core, posting a 13.650 as his top event score of the day. Save Matthew Underhill’s rings and Shaun Smith’s stuck Kasamatsu 1 ½ vault, the Nittany Lions put up a clean though comparatively less flashy set of routines. As a team, they stayed calm and collected, with fewer outlying low scores than Illinois. Underhill now owns the highest score on rings so far in the current collegiate season, at 14.700. The two teams will face each other again this coming weekend, with both hungry for an outright win after 24 routines.
California, Ohio State at Stanford (Stanford Open)
The Stanford Open was an exciting competition with a sold-out crowd, electric energy, and quality gymnastics. Thom Glielmi had two rotations of Stanford gymnasts competing, only one counting for their team score. Asher Hong made his first appearance of the season, winning the all-around with an 80.300, the parallel bars with a 14.050, and still rings with a 14.450. Hong’s all-around score is also currently the highest in the NCAA. Nick Kuebler had an outstanding competition, winning the floor exercise title and tying for the high bar title with a massive 14.600. Kuebler’s highbar featured clean and difficult Cassina and Kolman releases, and a beautifully stuck double-twisting double layout dismount. Cooper Kim was the gymnast that tied Kuebler with that 14.600 on high bar. His routine was just as exciting, with a beautiful and unique full Takamoto combination to a Winkler release. The Cardinal were not perfect here, with some difficulties on pommel horse, but they still won the meet and put up the nation's top score with a 326.450. The Ohio State Buckeyes were the third team competing, and they showed significant improvements in their team score from the last competition. Jesse Pakele was great on the floor exercise with his intricate connection passes, stylish flair, non-acrobatic, and a stuck double arabian half-out dismount, for a 13.85. David Ramirez has a solid showing in the all-around, placing second to Asher Hong with a 79.800. Ramirez’s day was highlighted by his 14.050 on high bar and a 14.250 on vault. Rameriz was also able to secure a Winter Cup spot with his all-around performance. The Buckeyes finished second at this competition with a 318.05. This was somewhat of a historic meet for the Cal Bears. Jasper Smith-Gordon put up a solid 14.550 vault with his well-executed Kasamatsu 1 ½ vault. This broke the Cal Program record on the vault. Another Cal Bear who broke a program record is Theodor Roald Gadderud on the parallel bars. Gadderud scored a 13.950 with difficult and unique underbar elements and a huge double front dismount. The Cal Bears came in 3rd with a 313.950, which was a solid score for them.
WEEk 3 conference outlook
Big Ten
The biggest storyline from the Midwest this week took place down in Florida, with Illinois and Penn State tied and ready to rematch in a few short days. Hit percentage will be the name of the game, so fans can expect continued specialist-heavy lineups and battles for every skill to earn credit. All scoring factors equal, Penn State has a slight advantage competing at home – something the Illini haven’t been afforded yet this season. Both of the above teams have similar event strengths and weaknesses when compared to the rest of the Big Ten, with the biggest improvements yet to come across all four routines on events that favor raw power: floor, vault, and high bar. Contrastingly, Ohio State’s strengths are those three events; either sharing the top spot or ranking second in the Big Ten across the three. David Ramirez and Kristian Grahovski presently average over 14 on vault, both being major players in the Buckeyes’ nationally fourth-ranked vault lineup. Michigan remains the only team in the conference to eclipse the 320 scoring benchmark after three weeks, with it being reached against national leader Oklahoma this past week at home. The Wolverines’ key to regaining the conference lead from Nebraska (who’s logged one meet thus far) will be figuring out what parallel bars will look like without heavy senior input from last season. The Huskers have a solid meet under their belt from week two, and now need to replicate it if they want to put up averages that can hold water against teams who’ve already had chances to lessen the weight of any missed routines.
MPSF
The MPSF Conference had a great showing this past weekend, with Oklahoma and Stanford winning their competitions and keeping their top two spots in the CGA Team Rankings. It is close at the top of the rankings, where Oklahoma is first with its 322.9 team average, and Stanford is second with their 322.433. Despite the rankings, Stanford put up a massive 326.45, which is the nation's top team score and what the other teams will be chasing as we move throughout the 2026 season. It definitely helped the Cardinal having Asher Hong back in the lineup, with his high difficulty all-around performance, also increasing the Cardinals’ difficulty greatly as they move throughout the season and closer to the NCAA Championships. Nick Kueblar has been consistently delivering clean and difficult performances on high bar, floor, and rings these past three weeks. His consistency is notable, and it will be exciting to see him at peak form later in the season. The biggest storyline this weekend was Oklahoma’s consistent performances, which broke Michigan’s win streak at home, where the Wolverines haven't lost since 2019. Nathan Roman secured the meet for the Sooners with a clutch parallel bar performance. Roman has received the CGA National Rookie of the Week Honor, which is huge for the freshman. This just helps build suspense and excitement for a great NCAA Championships, where the Wolverines will be seeking their vengeance. Oklahoma will have their first home meet this Sunday, against Greenville. The Sooner homecrowd is always electric and high energy, and it is definitely something Oklahoma is excited about. California’s Jasper Smith-Gordon and Theodor Roald Gadderud both set Cal program records in their respective events. Gordon's 14.55 on vault, and Gadderud’s 13.95 on parallel bars is promising for head coach Bryan Del Castillo so early in the season. Their performance at the Stanford Open was 4.25 points better than their home opener, so the Cal Bears are definitely trending up. Airforce did not compete this past weekend and will also not be competing this upcoming weekend. Out of the MPSF teams, only Oklahoma will be competing this upcoming weekend, so it will be interesting to see how these teams will look after having some time to reassess lineups, increase difficulty, and refine critical areas in their lineups.
ECAC
William & Mary continues to work through early-season challenges as injuries have impacted lineup stability. Head coach Mike Powell acknowledged the situation, stating, “We still have a few short-term injuries that will impact the lineup for the next few weeks. But overall, it will come down to addressing consistency and execution for us over the coming weeks.” Despite currently sitting near the bottom of the ECAC standings with the lowest team scoring average, the Tribe has shown flashes of potential. Several returning athletes have provided solid routines across events, while freshman Nick Kosarikov has continued to emerge as a reliable contributor, consistently stepping into key lineups and delivering under pressure. William & Mary will look to turn those individual bright spots into team momentum as they travel to Springfield this weekend in search of their first win of the season. Springfield, however, appears to be finding its rhythm, showing improved scores and increased confidence through the first three weeks of competition. With both teams looking to establish consistency ahead of the conference championship stretch, the matchup shapes up to be one of the more compelling ECAC contests of the week. Army and Simpson were both off this past weekend and will remain off again in the upcoming week. Simpson was originally scheduled to host Army, but the meet was postponed due to weather and rescheduled for February 21. The extended break provides both programs valuable time to refine lineups, manage athlete health, and address execution details before returning to competition. Army’s next meet will come in Week 5, when they travel to face conference rival Navy, while Simpson will not compete again until Week 6. At the top of the ECAC, Navy continues to set the pace, averaging a 306.500 team score and ranking ninth nationally. Greenville remains close behind in tenth with a 306.325 average, while Springfield College sits eleventh at 303.283. All three programs have shown steady improvement through their first three meets, with scores trending upward as routines clean up and depth improves. As teams continue to fine-tune lineups and build consistency, the race toward the ECAC Championships remains wide open, with several programs positioned to make significant gains as the season progresses.
Apart from the spotlighted meets, the Collegiate Gymnastics Association announced its Hall of Fame Class of 2026, recognizing one of the most accomplished groups in program history. The class includes Bud Beyer, Jake Dalton, Abie Grossfeld, Yoshi Hayasaki, Bill Meade, Yul Moldauer, Charles Pond, Carlton Rintz, Makoto Sakamoto, Justin Spring, Clay Strother, and the 1940 Illinois team. Collectively, the inductees account for 47 national titles and 392 All-America honors, featuring two Nissen-Emery Award winners, four Olympians, and multiple athletes who later coached at the Olympic level. Looking ahead to week four, several key matchups are set to influence the rankings. No. 7 Illinois travels to No. 6 Penn State for a highly anticipated rematch following last weekend’s tie, while No. 3 Nebraska visits No. 5 Ohio State for a critical head-to-head. No. 15 William & Mary visits No. 11 Springfield for an ECAC showdown, and No. 10 Greenville faces a challenging road test at top-ranked Oklahoma. Stanford, Army, Simpson, California, Airforce and Navy will rest next week, setting the stage for a healthy and rested team to improve scores when they return. As the season progresses, execution and depth will continue to separate teams. With close results and standout performances already defining the year, the momentum continues to build heading into the next week of competition.
Week Four Schedule:
All Times EST.
Saturday, January 31st
2:00 pm Nebraska @ Ohio State - Live Stats | Live Stream
Sunday, February 1st
1:00 pm Illinois @ Penn State - Live Stats | Live Stream
1:00 pm William & Mary @ Springfield College - Live Stats | Live Stream
7:00 pm Greenville @ Oklahoma - Live Stats | Live Stream