NCAA Gymnastics tends to emphasize execution over difficulty. The scoring is based on the 10.0 system from the J.O. Code of Points, and performing a clean routine that hits all the composition requirements is favored over throwing more difficult skills that might be a bit messy. That being said, many gymnasts will still include difficult skills and connections in their routines for bonus.

We are taking a look at the top teams from last season - specifically, those who competed at Super Six Finals - and ranking them on each event based on difficulty level. We're defining difficulty level as routines that have the most E skills (the highest level) as well as bonus connection value.

For calculating total team difficulty, we are looking at the lineups that were used in the Super Six Final. Today, we're analyzing the highest difficulty on uneven bars. Check out our rankings below, and stay tuned for our analysis on the other events in coming weeks!

1. Georgia

Georgia comes out No. 1 overall, mostly thanks to lots of E skills. Five out of six gymnasts in their lineup had at least two E skills. Brittany Rogers was at the top with three E skills - a Ricna, Van Leeuwen and double layout dismount. Gracie Cherrey, Brandie Jay, Rachel Schik and Natalie Vaculik all performed an E release move in addition to their E dismounts. The Gym Dogs also included bonus connections in all their routines, as most gymnasts at this level do, but Rogers included the most with her stalder to Ricna to Pak Salto combo plus her toe-on to Van Leeuwen. See Rogers' routine from a meet against LSU last season below:

​Video via NCAA Gymnastics

2. Florida

Coming in second place is Florida, who also threw a lot of E skills last season. Kennedy Baker, Bridgette Caquatto, Alex McMurtry and Bridget Sloan all performed an E release move (all Ray II's) in addition to their E dismounts. The Gators also had a few gymnasts who performed multiple combinations for connection bonus. Baker had two connections - an overshoot to Ray I, and a toe-on to double front dismount. Sloan competed a toe-on to overshoot to Ray I, and Bianca Dancose-Giambattisto performed a toe-on to Maloney to overshoot.

3. LSU

In third place is LSU. The Tigers did things a bit differently than Georgia and Florida last season - they got most of their difficulty from connections, where they ranked #1 out of the six teams. Only two of their gymnasts performed more than one E skill - Sarah Finnegan and Myia Hambrick. Every gymnast in their lineup during Super Six scored at least 0.20 in connection value in her routine. Jessica Savona scored the most with a Shaposh to Overshoot combo and a full pirouette to Tkatchev combo.

4. Alabama

Fourth place goes to Alabama, who got most of their difficulty from having E skills in their routines. Three gymnasts performed two E skills - Amanda Jetter (Ray II and double front dismount), Keely McNeer (Ray II and double layout dismount), and Kiana Winston (Ray II and double layout dismount). They were weaker as a team when it came to connection bonus, but Lauren Beers and Mackenzie Brannan both did some impressive combinations. Beers got +0.20 for her Maloney to Pak Salto, and Brannan got +0.20 for her toe-on to Jaeger and her toe-on to overshoot. Check out Beers' routine from the Super Six Finals:

​Video via NCAA Gymnastics

5. Oklahoma

In fifth place is Oklahoma, who did not use connection bonuses much but did have some E skills from their gymnasts. Like Alabama, three of their gymnasts performed two E skills - Ali Jackson (piked Jaeger and full twisting double back dismount), Keeley Kmieciak (Ray II and full twisting double back dismount), and Haley Scaman (piked Jaeger and full twisting double back dismount). With connections, five out of their six gymnasts got 0.10 in bonus.

6. UCLA

Last is UCLA, who comes in 6th place overall. Interestingly, they ranked No. 2 when it came to connection value, but last when it came to E skills. Out of the gymnasts in the lineup during Super Six, Peng Peng Lee was the only one who did more than one E skill - and she actually did three. Danusia Francis did not perform any E skills, but she got lots of connection bonus for her Maloney to overshoot to Ray I, and for her giant full to double pike dismount. In addition to her E skills, Lee also performed good combos, such as her toe-on to Bhardwaj and her toe-on to Van Leeuwen. Lastly, Katelyn Ohashi performed three skills in a row - a toe-on to overshoot to Ray I.

Full E-Skill Rankings:

1. Georgia
2. Florida
3T. Oklahoma
3T. Alabama
5. LSU
6. UCLA

Full Connection Value Rankings:

1. LSU
2. UCLA
3. Florida
4. Georgia
5. Alabama
6. Oklahoma


Related:
NCAA Preseason Madness: Florida, UCLA, Ohio State, Alabama, Utah, LSU!