A group of national dark horse contenders wraps up the ESPN Collegiate Quad meets, potentially offering an early glimpse into who could be on the bubble for a postseason trip to Fort Worth. Unlike the rest of the Oklahoma City sessions, most teams in this meet didn’t compete in week one, making this their first chance to showcase what they’ve got.
The exception is UCLA, the only team that already competed, albeit with a slightly disappointing start. The Bruins placed third against two former Pac-12 foes after some mistakes cost them a higher finish and a top-10 team score. Olympic gold medalist Jordan Chiles returned to NCAA gymnastics with impressive 9.9s on vault and bars, though she skipped beam. Freshman Macy McGowan had a solid debut, earning 9.8s across three events, showing her potential to help UCLA stay in the nationals conversation.
Arkansas and Kentucky are both starting their seasons with high hopes for a trip to Fort Worth, driven by key new additions. The Razorbacks are particularly excited about Olympic alternate Joscelyn Roberson—reuniting with her former club teammate, Chiles—who is one of the most highly anticipated freshmen this year. Arkansas also brings in two transfers, Kaitlyn Ewald from Illinois and Mati Waligora from Alabama, who are…
