NCAA gymnastics week 2's best vaulted expectations

The GIST: It may have been just the second weekend of 2023 meets, but the NCAA’s best vaulted expectations, with upsets and perfect 10s galore. Here’s who stunned, and not just because of their leos’ drip.

Sweeping up tens: Then–No. 5 Auburn executed stellar performances in the weekend’s Top 5 women’s dual meet, but the No. 2 Florida Gators fully swept the top of the podium. Leanne Wong stuck not one, but two perfect 10s on the bars and beam, claiming those events and the all-around, while fellow Gator Trinity Thomas owned the vault and posted a 10 on the floor. Thrice as nice.

• Not to be outdone, then–No. 26 Oregon State star Jade Carey flipped to her own pair of perfect scores on the vault and floor at Saturday’s Wasatch Classic, where the Beavers took second, overtaking then–Nos. 16 and 20, Iowa and Pittsburgh, respectively.

• The sixth moment of perfection on this weekend’s mat? Then–No. 6 Utah’s Kara Eaker, who put on a beam masterclass at the Best of Utah meet.

Teams tumbling: Falling behind two unranked squads was then–No. 35 Temple, while then-unranked Towson surprised by surpassing three ranked teams to debut in this week’s No. 26 spot. Sticking the rankings landing.

• On wobblier footing is the then–No. 10 LSU Tigers, who bookended the long weekend with losses by suffering an upset to No. 12 Kentucky on Friday and being edged out by No. 1 Oklahoma by just 0.150 points on Monday. Geauxing back to bed.

Elsewhere on the men’s mat: Though five squads of fellas began balancing a week early, the rest caught up this weekend. Friday’s West Point Open crowned the No. 2 Penn State Nittany Lions as the top squad for the ninth-straight year, as juniors Matt Cormier and Michael Artlip went one-two in the all-around.

• As for the rest of the field? No. 4 Nebraska and No. 8 Navy took team second and third, respectively, while host No. 10 Army eked out fourth just ahead of No. 9 Springfield.

• Over in the Midwest, No. 3 Illinois topped Saturday’s Windy City Invitational, with No. 5 Michigan and No. 7 Ohio State booking second and third on the six-team meet’s podium, respectively. Big fellas of the Big Ten.