Top Five NCAA Bar Swingers to Watch in 2017
Top Five NCAA Bar Swingers to Watch in 2017
Led by Madison Kocian, check out the top five NCAA gymnasts to watch on bars this season.
With two of the top three athletes on the uneven bars graduating last year and a strong freshman class coming in, the top group will be shuffling quite a bit. The freshman class boasts three world uneven bars finalists and an Olympic medalist. Expect a battle throughout the season to see who's at the top on bars. Here are the top five gymnasts who will make an impact on their teams this season.
Similar to Mykayla Skinner, Harrold has the potential to throw the big skills but lacks the consistency in hitting her routines. With collegiate gymnastics focusing more on hitting routines consistently, Harrold will have a chance to pull back some of the difficulty to put together the cleanest set. The 2013 World Championships bars finalist has a unique routine, which includes a Zuchold release. She nailed her set during LSU's intra-squad earlier last month and will look to continue the trend once the season starts.
Wofford spent her junior season atop the uneven bars rankings all season and finished tied for the top spot with a regional qualifying score of 9.950. She scored no lower than a 9.85 all of last season and scored a 9.9 or better in 13 out of 16 meets. Wofford tied her career-high 9.975 on March 4 against Arizona. She was the regional bars champion in the Iowa City regional. Her clean lines and ability to stick her full-twisting double back dismount helped propel the Sooners to a top ranking on bars to end the season.
Winston competed on the uneven bars in every meet last season for the Crimson Tide and scored a 9.8 or better in all but one of those meets. She had back-to-back scores of 9.975 to set a new career best. She was the SEC uneven bars champion as a sophomore after posting a 9.95. Winston combines extraordinary amplitude on her release skills with great form throughout her routine. She was Alabama's top bar worker and finished the 2016 season tied for eighth in the country.
After winning a silver medal on bars this summer, Kocian figures to be a key member of the Bruins bars lineup. She has clean lines, showed huge difficulty on the elite scene, and she was incredibly consistent throughout 2016. The defending Olympic silver medalist will surely be one to watch in the Pac-12 this year.
Shchennikova displayed plenty of potential as a senior elite but struggled with injuries throughout her elite career. She is coming off a recent shoulder surgery though and it isn't clear yet if the freshman will be competing at the start of the season. She has beautiful lines but wasn't quite able to put together a clean routine from start to finish during an injury-riddled elite career. If she can put together clean and consistent sets, she will help a Wolverines squad that was ranked seventh on bars last season.
Video via USA Gymnastics
Honorable mention: Maggie Nichols (Oklahoma), Alex McMurtry (Florida), Katytianna McMillan (Oregon State), Sarah Finnegan (LSU), Kyla Ross (UCLA), Nicole Lehrmann (Oklahoma)
Related:
Top Five Must-See Vaults for 2017 NCAA Season
Ruby Harrold (Freshman) -- LSU
Similar to Mykayla Skinner, Harrold has the potential to throw the big skills but lacks the consistency in hitting her routines. With collegiate gymnastics focusing more on hitting routines consistently, Harrold will have a chance to pull back some of the difficulty to put together the cleanest set. The 2013 World Championships bars finalist has a unique routine, which includes a Zuchold release. She nailed her set during LSU's intra-squad earlier last month and will look to continue the trend once the season starts.
McKenzie Wofford (Senior) -- Oklahoma
Wofford spent her junior season atop the uneven bars rankings all season and finished tied for the top spot with a regional qualifying score of 9.950. She scored no lower than a 9.85 all of last season and scored a 9.9 or better in 13 out of 16 meets. Wofford tied her career-high 9.975 on March 4 against Arizona. She was the regional bars champion in the Iowa City regional. Her clean lines and ability to stick her full-twisting double back dismount helped propel the Sooners to a top ranking on bars to end the season.
Kiana Winston (Junior) -- Alabama
Winston competed on the uneven bars in every meet last season for the Crimson Tide and scored a 9.8 or better in all but one of those meets. She had back-to-back scores of 9.975 to set a new career best. She was the SEC uneven bars champion as a sophomore after posting a 9.95. Winston combines extraordinary amplitude on her release skills with great form throughout her routine. She was Alabama's top bar worker and finished the 2016 season tied for eighth in the country.
Madison Kocian (Freshman) -- UCLA
After winning a silver medal on bars this summer, Kocian figures to be a key member of the Bruins bars lineup. She has clean lines, showed huge difficulty on the elite scene, and she was incredibly consistent throughout 2016. The defending Olympic silver medalist will surely be one to watch in the Pac-12 this year.
Polina Shchennikova (Freshman) -- Michigan
Shchennikova displayed plenty of potential as a senior elite but struggled with injuries throughout her elite career. She is coming off a recent shoulder surgery though and it isn't clear yet if the freshman will be competing at the start of the season. She has beautiful lines but wasn't quite able to put together a clean routine from start to finish during an injury-riddled elite career. If she can put together clean and consistent sets, she will help a Wolverines squad that was ranked seventh on bars last season.
Video via USA Gymnastics
Honorable mention: Maggie Nichols (Oklahoma), Alex McMurtry (Florida), Katytianna McMillan (Oregon State), Sarah Finnegan (LSU), Kyla Ross (UCLA), Nicole Lehrmann (Oklahoma)
Related:
Top Five Must-See Vaults for 2017 NCAA Season