Status quos in NCAA gymnastics die hard. Though the past few years have seen the (slight) decline of Georgia's dynasty and the rise of championship hopefuls Oklahoma and Florida (both bolstered by the promise of big recruits during the next two years) the favorites for this year's men's and women's NCAA championships remain the same: Alabama, Utah, UCLA and Florida for the women; Oklahoma, Stanford and Michigan for the men.
Here's a look at the top 10 women's teams, based on preseason coaches poll rankings:
1. TEAM: UCLA Bruins
Top returners: Vanessa Zamarripa, jr. Samantha Peszek, so., Aisha Gerber, sr., Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs, sr.
Impact newcomers: Mattie Larson, fr., Cassie Whitcomb, fr., Ti Liu, fr.
Key losses: Sydney Sawa, so. (shoulder injury), Brittany McCullough (graduated)
Preseason outlook: Excellent. The 2012 Bruins are packed with talent in every class. Zamarripa’s return after missing all last season rehabbing a torn Achilles tendon gives them just one more fantastic gymnast. This deep and talented team will be exciting to watch all season, and on paper stands a very good chance of taking the NCAA team title.
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2. TEAM: Alabama Crimson Tide
Top returners: Geralen Stack-Eaton, sr., Sarah Demeo, so., Kim Jacob, so., Ashley Priess, sr., Diandra Milliner, so.
Impact newcomers: Kayla Williams, fr., Katelyn Clark, fr., Brooke Parker, fr.
Key losses: Kayla Hoffman (graduated)
Preseason outlook: Also excellent. Bama comes into this season riding the wave of being defending NCAA champions, and they still have tons of depth and new talent, including 2009 World vault champion Williams, who was one of the country's top recruits.
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3. TEAM: Florida Gators
Top returners: Mackenzie Caquatto, so., Ashanee Dickerson, so., Alaina Johnson, so., Marissa King, jr.
Impact newcomers: Kytra Hunter, fr., Kiersten Wang, fr., Rachel Spicer, fr.
Key losses: Maranda Smith, sr., Amanda Castillo, sr.
Preseason outlook: Season after season, the talented Florida Gators have peaked too early. This team, like many others it has fielded, has the potential to capture an NCAA title, but it remains to be seen if it can save its best for the end of the spring. But if not, there’s always next year, when Florida will welcome new recruits Bridget Sloan and Bridgette Caquatto.
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4. TEAM: Oklahoma Sooners
Top returners: Natasha Kelley, jr., Sara Stone, sr., Megan Ferguson, sr., Kayla Nowak, jr., Brie Olson, jr.
Impact newcomers: Rebecca Clark, fr.
Key losses: ?
Preseason outlook: Oklahoma is a well-balanced team that has the potential to go to the Super Six. One thing they lacked in 2011 was a top all-around gymnast, but they might find that in Clark, who formerly competed for GAGE.
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5. TEAM: Utah Red Rocks
Top returners: Corrie Lothrop, so., Stephanie McAllister, sr., Kyndal Robarts, sr., Mary Beth Lofgren, so.
Impact newcomers: Georgia Dabritz, fr., Becky Tutka, fr., Kassandra Lopez, fr.
Key losses: Gael Mackie (graduated)
Preseason outlook: Utah has fielded NCAA-worthy teams for the past 30-odd years, and this one seems to be no exception. The Red Rocks are aided by the return of Robarts for a fifth year after a knee injury took away her 2011 senior season. Other than that, look for the freshmen like Dabritz to get a lot of lineup time as Utah builds toward the future.
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6. TEAM: Nebraska Cornhuskers
Top returners: Lora Evenstad, sr., Brittany Skinner, jr., Kassandra Nathe, jr.
Impact newcomers: Jessie DeZiel, fr.
Key losses: Erin Davis (graduated), Maria Scaffidi (graduated), Britnee Habbib (graduated)
Preseason outlook: The surging Nebraska team was one of the surprises of the 2011 season, finishing fourth in the Super Six finals at the NCAA Championships. They lost three of their best to graduation at the end of last season, but have gained a gem in Pan American Games team member DeZiel. Coaches still have the faith, voting them sixth in the pre-season poll.
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7. TEAM: Oregon State Beavers
Top returners: Leslie Mak, sr., Makayla Stambaugh, jr., Olivia Vivian, sr.
Impact newcomers: Cerise Witherby, fr.
Key losses: Jen Kesler (graduated), Britney Ranzy (transferred to LSU), Stephanie McGregor (torn Achilles)
Preseason outlook: Oregon State has a good balance of talent and several all-around performers, but it will be hard for the school to replace the scores of Kesler on bars and Ranzy on vault, meaning coach Tanya Chaplin is likely to look to the underclassmen for big routines. Still, Oregon State is a determined school, and has not always gotten the recognition it deserves.
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8. TEAM: Stanford Cardinal
Top returners: Nicole Pechanec, sr., Alyssa Brown, sr., Ashley Morgan, jr.
Impact newcomers: Ivana Hong, fr., Samantha Shapiro, fr., Becky Wing, fr.
Key losses: Allyse Ishino (graduation)
Preseason outlook: Stanford has what is perhaps the best freshman class in the nation, composed of an Olympian (Wing), a World medalist (Hong) and one of the most graceful dancers in the U.S. (Shapiro). They were eliminated from last year’s NCAA Championships at Regionals, which was a huge upset, but don’t expect that to happen again.
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9. TEAM: Georgia Bulldogs
Top returners: Kat Ding, sr., Lindsey Cheek, so., Shayla Worley, jr.
Impact newcomers: Chelsea Davis, fr., Kaylan Earls, redshirt so., Sarah Persinger, fr.
Key losses: Cassidy McComb (graduation)
Preseason outlook: Georgia has been rebuilding since the departure of Courtney Kupets and Suzanne Yoculan three years ago, and has searched for the dynasty’s old magic. With powertumbler Earls back from a torn Achilles and fresh performances from Persinger and a hopefully healthy Davis, this season may be Jay Clark’s best yet as head coach.
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10. TEAM: Michigan Wolverines
Top returners: Natalie Bielstein, jr., Reema Zakaria, so., Katie Zurales, jr.
Impact newcomers: Annette Miele, fr.
Key losses: Kylee Botterman (graduated), Jordan Sexton (graduated), Sarah Curtis (graduated)
Preseason outlook: The Wolverines will be without NCAA champion Botterman and two other top upperclassmen guiding them this season. While that’s an undeniable loss, this small team (only 11 gymnasts!) still has a lot to offer.
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