Today, we are continuing our series on the highest difficulty from last year's NCAA Super Six by taking a look at balance beam. As a reminder, we are ranking each team who competed at Super Six using the lineups from that competition. If you missed our ranking for uneven bars, check it out here.

The ranking is based on total number of E-skills, which are not super common on beam in the NCAA, as well as total connection bonus. Check out the full rankings below.

1. UCLA

UCLA is known for their gorgeous beam work, so it's no wonder their lineup from Super Six comes out on top. The Bruins tied with Alabama and Georgia for having the most E-skills in their lineup, but they win mainly on connection bonus. Sophina DeJesus and Katelyn Ohashi contributed the most on E-skills -- DeJesus performed a Gainer full off the end of the beam for her dismount, and Ohashi performed a layout to two feet as part of her tumbling series. On connection value, Ohashi, DeJesus and Nicki Shapiro contributed bonus. Ohashi had the most -- she got 0.30 from her tumbling series and another 0.20 for her dismount (back-handspring, layout step out, full twist). DeJesus also gained 0.40 in connection bonus for her front aerial to back tuck and her front toss to back-handspring. Check out Ohashi's routine from the Pac-12 Championships last year, where she scored a 9.9:

​Video via NCAA Gymnastics

2. Alabama

Like UCLA, Alabama also had two E-skills in their lineup on beam -- Aja Sims and Kiana Winston both performed double tuck dismounts. On connection value, Alabama ranked second, with four of its six gymnasts earning a bonus of 0.20. Nickie Guerrero got the bonus from her tumbling series (back-handspring, layout step out, layout step out), and Keely McNeer, Mary Lillian Sanders, and Winston all performed a front aerial to back-handspring combination.

3. Georgia

Along with UCLA and Alabama, Georgia is the third school to have had two E-skills in their lineup, and both of them are quite unique. Mary Beth Box performed a front aerial to scale, while Brittany Rogers performed a full twisting back-handspring. Check out Rogers' routine below from a meet against LSU, where she scored a 9.925: 

​Video via NCAA Gymnastics

For connection value, Georgia ranks No. 3, with three of its gymnasts collecting bonuses. Vivi Babalis performed a front aerial to layout step out, Ashlyn Broussard performed a one-armed back-handspring to layout stepout, and Brandie Jay performed a front toss to back-handspring. All of these combinations provided 0.20 in bonus connection points.

4. Florida

Florida's beam lineup only contained one E-skill, which came from freshman Alicia Boren on her double tuck dismount. They ranked No. 4 on connection value, which came from only two of their gymnasts -- Kennedy Baker and Peyton Ernst. Each gymnast received 0.20 in bonus, Baker from her front aerial to back-handspring combo and Ernst from her front aerial to back tuck combo.

5. Oklahoma

Oklahoma also only had one E-skill in their lineup, which came from Keeley Kmieciak, who performed a double tuck dismount. On connection value, they actually only had one gymnast who received bonus -- Natalie Brown. Brown performed a front aerial to two back-handsprings, giving her an extra 0.30 points.

6. LSU

Coming in last is LSU. Interestingly, LSU only had one gymnast in its lineup who added an E-skill and connection value. That gymnast was Sydney Ewing. Ewing performed a layout to two feet as part of her tumbling series -- an E-skill. For connection value, she received 0.20 bonus for the same tumbling pass, a back-handspring to layout.


Related:
Highest Difficulty in the NCAA Super Six: Bars
NCAA Preseason Madness: Florida, UCLA, Ohio State, Alabama, Utah, LSU!