Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Tigers Leap In Point Standings, Gloria Johnson Honored

The LSU gymnastics team continued its mid-season surge with a huge point night last Friday against North Carolina and Illinois-Chicago. The Tigers scored a season-high 197.400 - the second highest team score in the country this season (Utah 197.525). As a result, LSU jumped 4 spots in the national point standings this week from 10th to 6th. LSU checks in just one-tenth of a point out of the top 5.

For her efforts in Friday's meet, LSU freshman sensation Gloria Johnson was honored as SEC Freshman of the Week for the second week in a row. Johnson competed in three events - vault, beam and floor - and won her first event title of her career by scoring 9.90 on vault. Johnson's 9.90 on floor was good enough to take third place in the event while her 9.80 on beam was good enough for fifth place.

So how exactly did the dramatic jump in the point standings occur? Let's break it down. As I explained in Friday's blog, the RQS system is now being used. Esentially, the RQS is comprised of a team's top 6 scores, three of which must be road scores. The highest of the six is dropped and the five remaining scores averaged to reveal the RQS. Each of the Division 1 gymnastics schools are then ranked from highest RQS (the #1 team) to lowest.

Entering Friday's meet, LSU carried the following scores for its RQS (in order of competition):
(road meet) Cancun Classic 194.900
(home meet) Georgia 195.950
(road meet) Kentucky 196.575
(road meet) Auburn 195.300
(home meet) Florida 196.800
(road meet) Alabama 196.625

The Florida score, being the highest, was dropped and remaining five averaged to get a week 7 RQS of 195.870. Now, with the new season high score from week 8, here are the scores that helped the Tigers reach an RQS o 196.250 and #6 in the country:

(home meet) Georgia 195.950
(road meet) Kentucky 196.575
(road meet) Auburn 195.300
(home meet) Florida 196.800
(road meet) Alabama 196.625
(home meet) UNC/UIC 197.400

The key difference? The difference between The Cancun Classic score and the Florida meet score is almost two full points, resulting in a nearly six-tenths rise in the average.

So why is this Friday's meet against Arkansas so important? Well, the Tigers' three road scores are locked into the RQS until the Centenary meet on March 13. So, the only way for LSU to continue its rise in the point standings (and enhance its post-season bid) is to beat one of the three home scores currently counted in the RQS.

For example, a 196.500 against Arkansas this Friday would increase LSU's RQS to 196.360 - which this week would've place the Tigers fourth in the country.

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