January 24, 2025/ Midnight
Erie, Pa.–– Collegiate quads and invitational meets have commenced, and new conference matchups have begun for the 2025 NCAA women’s gymnastics season. The BIG10 welcomed its newest members previously from the PAC 12 UCLA and the University of Washington, the ACC with Stanford and Cal, the BIG 12 with Utah, Arizona, and Arizona State, and the SEC with Oklahoma.
The 2024 season ended with an unforeseen upset in the rankings, with an early elimination from the six–time national champions and recent collegiate gymnastics dynasty Oklahoma. This opened the door for a stacked LSU roster to snatch their first–ever national championship title.
Cal soared through the rankings all last season and quickly became a fresh threat within the PAC 12. The team finished third.
However, the new season brought a clean slate for Oklahoma. The Sooners have quickly regained their No. 1 seeding and currently lead the nation in team scoring. With yet another top three recruiting class and the return of All–American Audrey Davis, the Sooners entered this season on a revenge tour, also looking to make a name for themselves in highly coveted SEC territory.
What was considered most shocking to the college gymnastics community was the lack of perfect tens throughout the nation, especially within the first two weeks of competition. The first week of the 2025 season marked the first time in nearly four years since there was a perfect ten–less week regular season–opening week, the last time being February of 2021 (Price, 2025).
Teams across the country experienced low scoring, especially schools like Cal and UCLA. The first perfect ten wasn’t scored until January 17, when Mizzou faced off against Oklahoma. Helen Hu earned the first perfect ten of the 2025 season, as well as her first–ever career perfect ten on the balance beam. Hu’s perfect ten follows a year–long hiatus from the sport, after previously retiring after the 2023 season. Her perfect routine earned her SEC specialist of the week.
Although the 2025 season brings uncertainty and a newer era of overall judging, the competition is fierce and constantly evolving. Schools like Michigan State, Auburn, Ohio State, and Oregon State have opened their seasons off incredibly strong, entering the national rankings within the top 20, and even top 10. New conference schools are heightening the difficulty in conferences like the ACC and BIG10, ushering closer or more intense regular season meets between new foes.
The NCAA gymnastics championship will take place April 17–19 in Fort Worth Texas.
