NCAA gymnastics is hitting its stride, with the SEC gearing up to flex its regular-season muscles via a stacked conference schedule.
Fresh off a narrow 0.2-point loss to No. 1 Oklahoma last week, No. 2 LSU will host No. 3 Alabama on Friday night — with the Tigers bolstered after earning a season-high road score of 197.925 against the defending national champion Sooners.
Leading LSU's charge this year is all-around contender Kailin Chio, with the star sophomore not only earning the team's only perfect score of the season so far, but doing it four times, logging 10s on vault, floor exercise, and twice on the balance beam in the last month.
"She's just operating at such an efficient, consistent, extremely high level, and seems to really rise to the occasion in moments where we need her," Tigers head coach Jay Clark said of the nation's second-leading all-arounder.
The Crimson Tide will also come to play on Friday night, with Alabama's best chance to surpass LSU coming on the uneven bars, where junior Chloe LaCoursiere and freshman Azaraya Ra-Akbar currently top the event as the Nos. 1 and 3 gymnasts, respectively, in the country.
With seven of the eight top college gymnastics teams hailing from the SEC, the conference is looking strong in its hunt for a third straight NCAA trophy, with LSU snapping a nine-year SEC title drought in 2024.
Then in 2025, SEC debutants Oklahoma added to the conference streak, securing a seventh program NCAA championship after winning their first six national trophies as a Big 12 team.
How to watch Alabama vs. LSU gymnastics on Friday
The SEC gymnastics titans will meet in Baton Rouge on Friday night, with live coverage beginning when the teams take the mat at 9:30 PM ET on the SEC Network.
Olympic champion Laurie Hernandez is trading the balance beam for Broadway, debuting in the musical & Juliet this spring.
The two-time Olympic medalist will play the dance role of Charmion beginning March 17th. The limited Stephen Sondheim Theatre run marks a career milestone, after Hernandez conquered Season 23 of Dancing with the Stars.
"To make my Broadway debut in & Juliet is a dream come true," Hernandez said in a statement.
"The show is so much fun to watch as an audience member, and I can't wait to join this incredible cast and actually perform in the show each night."
Laurie Hernandez adds to her post-USA Gymnastics résumé
Laurie Hernandez first captured attention at the 2016 Rio Olympics as part of the "Final Five" US Women's Gymnastics team. She won a team gold medal and individual silver on the balance beam in Brazil.
She went on to make headlines several years later, detailing years of emotional and verbal abuse suffered under Team USA coach Maggie Haney in a New York Times interview. USA Gymnastics subsequently suspended Haney for eight years.
After retiring, she became a two-time New York Times bestselling author, Emmy Award-winning broadcaster, and UNICEF Ambassador. The 25-year-old went on to earn a degree from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts in drama and creative writing.
Hernandez's role in & Juliet was previously performed by social media star Charli D'Amelio. The production — which earned nine Tony Award nods — runs through June 14th.
The contested bronze medal from the 2024 Paris Olympics women's gymnastics floor exercise is heading back to court for fresh examination. The same controversy produced an iconic photograph of Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles honoring gold medalist Rebeca Andrade.
Switzerland's supreme court announced Thursday that judges have returned the gymnastics case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to review new evidence in what they termed highly exceptional circumstances. The ruling offers Jordan Chiles renewed hope of reclaiming the bronze medal initially awarded to her in Paris.
The issue centers on whether Team USA submitted a scoring appeal within the required one-minute deadline. Afterwards, Biles and Chiles created a celebrated Olympic moment at the gymnastics medal ceremony when both kneeled to honor Brazil's Andrade as she stepped onto the podium's top position.
Days after, Romania successfully appealed to CAS. The bronze medal was subsequently reassigned to Ana Maria Barbosu and presented to her in Bucharest, with the decision hinging on the US team's challenge.
The Swiss Federal Tribunal now wants CAS to examine recordings from the August 5th event that demonstrate the appeal meeting the deadline. The court indicated this evidence could likely sway the ruling in favor of Chiles.
Chiles' lawyer Maurice M. Suh expressed satisfaction with the decision, stating the video evidence conclusively supports his client's claim to the gymnastics bronze medal. He confirmed Chiles will vigorously defend her position during the review process, which could take at least one year to complete.
The 24-year-old UCLA gymnast has moved forward despite facing online criticism, some racially motivated, following the initial controversy. Chiles returned to the mat for UCLA while embracing opportunities with Dancing with the Stars, Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue, and NWSL side Angel City.
Gymnastics superstar Jordan Chiles might have already conquered the world, but she isn’t finished with the record books just yet.
The UCLA star and Olympic gold medalist is officially on Gym Slam watch. According to a recent report from Forbes, Chiles is on the verge of becoming one of the few college gymnasts in history to record a Perfect 10 on all four apparatuses.
The senior already notched perfect marks on her signature events — bars and floor — for fifth-ranked UCLA. Now, Chiles is hunting an elusive 10.0 on vault and beam, intent on joining college gymnastics' most exclusive ranks.
Chiles came close to rounding out the Slam last weekend against Nebraska. That's when the 24-year-old received a Perfect 10 on vault and 9.90 on uneven bars, before posting a 9.975 on beam — a fraction of a point shy of her goal.
Only 15 gymnasts have achieved the Gym Slam, including legends Trinity Thomas, Maggie Nichols, and fellow Bruin Kyla Ross. The milestone would solidify her transition from an Olympic powerhouse to one of college gymnastics' greatest all-arounders.
After a decorated run at the Paris 2024 Games, Chiles returned to UCLA to finish second in both the Big Ten and NCAA all-around rankings.
Chiles will get another shot at history when UCLA visits East Lansing on Sunday to face Big Ten rivals No. 21 Michigan State. However, the pair's head-to-head history favors the Spartans, with the Bruins falling twice to their conference foes in 2025.
How to watch Jordan Chiles compete in UCLA gymnastics
No. 5 UCLA takes on No. 21 Michigan State on Sunday, January 25th at 1 PM ET, live on FOX.
Just one week into the 2026 NCAA season, UCLA women's gymnastics is the nation's No. 1 team for the first time since 2018, with senior Jordan Chiles — a two-time Olympic medalist in her final year of collegiate competition — leading the charge.
"It is really easy to be at the end of your career thinking, 'Okay, I am good with where I am at,' but they do not have that mentality," Bruins head coach Janelle McDonald said of her senior-heavy squad.
Winning the all-around in UCLA's January 3rd opening meet, Chiles is the current all-around No. 1, while also topping the rankings in the uneven bars, balance beam, and floor events, while sitting second in the vault.
"I've got the cutesy, I've done the hip hop," Chiles said of her updated senior floor routine. "This is more like the passionate, confident last year of being a Bruin."
Notably, Chiles and UCLA have a leg up in the scores-based national gymnastics rankings considering they began their 2026 NCAA campaign before most other top programs: Only 14 Division I squads — 10 from the Power Four conferences — have started their seasons so far.
This allowed the Bruins to lead the ranks before the rest of the field could earn any points to challenge UCLA's top spot — though that will change this weekend when the majority of the NCAA's gymnastics squads enter the fray.
Pitting some of the NCAA's best squads against each other, the annual Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad will officially kick off the 2026 season in style this weekend, welcoming 2025 champions Oklahoma, finalists UCLA and Utah, semifinalists LSU and Michigan State, and regional contenders Cal, Kentucky, and Michigan across two four-team sessions on Saturday.
How to watch UCLA at the 2026 Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad
The Bruins will aim to keep their No. 1 spot in the first session of Saturday's the 2026 Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad, where UCLA will battle Oklahoma, Utah, and LSU at 4 PM ET on ABC.
The second session will begin at 8 PM ET, when Michigan State, Cal, Kentucky, and Michigan will compete head-to-head, airing live on ESPN2.
No. 2-seed Oklahoma won their third NCAA gymnastics championship in four years on Saturday, topping fellow finalists No. 4 Utah, No. 5 UCLA, and No. 7 Missouri with an overall score of 198.0125.
With seven titles since 2014, Oklahoma regains its reputation as the sport's current dynasty, finishing atop the podium after falling short of a three-peat last year.
"Our theme wasn't redemption this year at all," Oklahoma head coach K.J. Kindler told reporters after Saturday's victory.
"Does it make it sweet? Yes, but this team was capable of this last year. We just failed. And people fail all the time. They fail every day. And we talk about [it] all the time that the glory is in getting back up again."
Freedom allowed Oklahoma to reclaim NCAA gymnastics crown
Last year, the then-defending champion Sooners stumbled in a shocking loss in the national semifinals, a fate the 2024 champion LSU squad similarly suffered last Thursday, when the top-seeded Tigers failed to advance to the final meet of 2025.
Between overcoming the semifinals hurdles themselves and seeing LSU ousted — arguably Oklahoma's biggest competition entering the weekend — the Sooners were able to breathe easier and enjoy their last competition of the season.
"After advancing, and we got to today, we were free," said senior Audrey Davis. "We had no weight on our shoulders. We were free to do our best gymnastics."
That freedom had the Sooners leading the charge, finishing their first rotation on beam tied with eventual runners-up UCLA before taking full control of the meet — Oklahoma grabbed a second-rotation lead on the floor and never relinquished it.
As for the rest of the field, Missouri earned a program-record third-place finish in their first-ever NCAA final, while nine-time champions Utah closed their season in fourth.
For Oklahoma senior Jordan Bowers, the final weekend of her collegiate career was one for the books.
In addition to the team title, Bowers won the individual all-around competition during Thursday's semifinals — a day that also crowned LSU’s Kailin Chio (vault), Missouri’s Helen Hu (beam), and UCLA's Jordan Chiles (uneven bars) and Brooklyn Moors (floor) as national apparatus champions.
"Just truly a fairytale ending," Bowers said on the ABC broadcast. "I'm so freaking proud of this team, and I'm so proud to be a Sooner."
Eight top squads are edging closer to Saturday’s 2025 NCAA gymnastics championships team trophy, with the pivotal semifinal round kicking off on Thursday afternoon.
No. 2-seed Oklahoma, No. 3 Florida, No. 7 Missouri, and No. 11 Alabama will hit the mat first, before 2024 winners and the 2025 bracket's No. 1-seed LSU goes to work to defend their title against No. 4 Utah, No. 5 UCLA, and No. 8 Michigan State.
The top two teams from each of Thursday's semifinals will advance to compete for the national title on Saturday.
Semifinal meets will crown individual NCAA champions
First, however, five individual NCAA trophies will be bestowed on Thursday night, as the semifinal meets will determine the 2025 all-around and event champions.
In addition to the athletes on the eight qualifying teams, four all-around competitors and 16 event specialists will join the race for solo NCAA hardware, with each earning an invite as the top performer in their respective category at one of the sport's four Regional tournaments.
These individual contenders will follow a qualified team's rotation schedule during their semifinal meet.
Leading the all-around pack is LSU star and 2024 individual champ Haleigh Bryant, though she'll face stiff competition in her bid for a back-to-back championship.
Standing in Bryant's path are Oregon State's Jade Carey, Arkansas's Joscelyn Roberson, Denver's Madison Ulrich, and Washington's Mary McDonough, alongside qualified team athletes like UCLA's Jordan Chiles — Carey’s 2024 Olympics teammate.
Bryant will also defend her shared 2024 vault title, though her co-champion on that event, Cal's Mya Lauzon, will instead compete for beam and floor hardware this week.
All other 2024 event winners are also back, with LSU's Konnor McClain and Florida's Leanne Wong seeking to repeat on beam and floor, respectively. Wong will also hunt another trophy on bars, alongside last year's co-champ, Utah's Grace McCallum.
How to watch the 2025 NCAA Gymnastics Championships
The first 2025 NCAA gymnastics semifinal starts at 4:30 PM ET on Thursday, followed by the second semi at 9 PM ET.
Live coverage of both semifinal meets will air on ESPN2.
On the heels of Unrivaled 3x3 Basketball's successful debut season, TIME honored league founders Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart as two of the year’s most influential people, with the WNBA superstars earning space on Wednesday's 2025 TIME100 List.
"Unrivaled makes female athletes think about everything differently," retired US soccer legend and Unrivaled investor Alex Morgan wrote in the pair's tribute. "It's not always just take the salary and sign on the dotted line and be happy. Sometimes you can just do it yourself better."
Other big names in women's sports also made the cut, including the most decorated gymnast in history, Simone Biles, and retired tennis superstar Serena Williams.
"She is both deeply human and undeniably superhuman — a combination that makes her impact profound," Biles's former USA teammate Aly Raisman wrote of the seven-time Olympic gold medalist. "She inspires us to believe that we, too, can persevere. That we, too, can shatter limits."
Citing Williams's extensive post-tennis resume, which includes significant investments into women's sports, retired US Olympic track star Allyson Felix sang the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion's praises in the 2025 TIME100 List.
"She continues to show that we, as athletes, are so far from one-dimensional," Felix wrote. "She could take a break from being in the public eye and raise her family. Instead, she continues to pave the way."
Toy titan Mattel is celebrating March 8th's International Women’s Day by launching a new Barbie Role Model line that features two famous athlete duos.
Highlighting the importance of female friendships, the brand has focused this year's campaign on 2024 Olympic gold medal-winning gymnasts Jordan Chiles and Jade Carey as well as Australian tennis icons Evonne Goolagong Cawley and Ash Barty.
Chiles and Carey also repped Team USA at the 2021 Tokyo Games, where Chiles helped the US take silver in the team competition, while Carey earned individual gold in the floor exercise.
"I’ve always been passionate about empowering the next generation of female athletes and I couldn’t be more grateful to be recognized as a Barbie as a Role Model this International Women’s Day with Jordan," said Carey.
"Together, we are so excited to showcase the limitless power of friendship to girls everywhere. I wouldn’t be here today without support and encouragement from great friends like Jordan."
Barbie honors First Nations Australian tennis stars
Former world No. 1 tennis stars and First Nations Australians Evonne Goolagong Cawley and Ash Barty also feature in the Barbie collection.
Barty retired in 2022 with wins in three of the four Grand Slams. Aboriginal sports legend Goolagong Cawley exited the sport in 1985 with 86 WTA Tour singles titles, including seven Grand Slam trophies.
"Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that I would be a Barbie myself," Barty told reporters. "I think it's just such an incredible experience to be a part of."
Another women's sports crossover for Barbie
This isn’t Barbie’s first foray into women’s sports. Past collections gave athletes like WNBA legend Sue Bird, Canadian soccer superstar Christine Sinclair, and tennis trailblazer Venus Williams the iconic doll's treatment.
Barbie also released lines in connection with the 2011 Women's World Cup. Additionally, the toy brand spotlighted women's sports with its 2023 Career of the Year collection. And late last year, Barbie partnered with the PWHL to release branded accessories representing the pro hockey league's teams.
"There’s no power or peace quite like knowing you have a support system of women behind you," remarked Chiles. "I hope that partnering with Barbie to celebrate the power of female friendship reminds the next generation of champions that we are stronger together."
Perhaps partially spurred by then-No. 17 Arkansas's upset win over reigning champion LSU last Friday, Tiger gymnast Livvy Dunne took to X on Sunday, expressing concerns about the state of NCAA gymnastics.
Citing "empty seats" at NCAA meets, the sport's NIL leader argued for more perfect scores to increase viewership. "People understand what a perfect 10 is and want people who do things that look great to be rewarded," she wrote. "Too many deductions… feels negative and loses the entertainment factor that draws the crowd in."
Dunne's comments were heavily critiqued by the gymnastics community. Afterwards, former three-time NCAA champion Morgan Belvedere chiming in to say "10s are earned, not given… The integrity of the sport should not be diminished for the sake of entertainment by giving out fake perfect scores."
The backlash of gymnastics perfection
Dunne is correct in noting that this season's judging has produced significantly less perfect 10s than in the past. In contrast, recent years saw record numbers of 10s awarded for sometimes controversially imperfect routines.
Prior to 2022, seasons typically finished with between 30 and 40 perfectly scored performances. That figure nearly doubled to 71 in 2022, followed by 84 and 87 awarded in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
Along with concerns about 10s becoming commonplace, experts, fans, coaches, and athletes have long raised flags about inconsistent scoring across the NCAA. For example, a full two-thirds of the perfect 10s awarded from 2023 to 2024 went to just 16 out of 63 Division I programs, all them representing the SEC or the former Pac-12.
Unlike many college sports in which rankings are determined by expert polls, NCAA gymnastics relies solely on scores. Point totals from meets directly determine rankings, conference titles, and subsequent postseason positioning. Therefore, establishing a scoring standard applicable across the entirety of competitions has long been at the forefront of discussion.
New SCORE board decreases perfect 10s
In the wake of these inconsistencies, a new gymnastics judging evaluation system was implemented this year.
Dubbed the SCORE board (Standardize Consistency in Officiating of Routine Evaluation), the system reviews judges' assessments. More accurate scoring can earn judges promotions and better assignments, like postseason meets. Scores further from the set standard could result in demotions.
The new evaluation system did result in markedly lower scores this season, ending a near-four year run of regular-season NCAA gymnastics weeks with at least one perfect 10. Though as judges have settled in to the new SCORE board era, point totals have risen.
However, first four weeks of 2025 competition have seen just two perfect 10s. No. 9 Missouri's Helen Hu earned one on beam, while No. 6 UCLA's Jordan Chiles was given a 10 on bars.
Scoring aside, NCAA gymnastics remains on the rise
While frustrations over college gymnastics scoring are nothing new, Dunne's claim that the issue is affecting the sport's outside popularity doesn't appear to hold true.
In fact, the sport is on the rise. With NIL helping to keep Olympians and other elite gymnasts on the college mat, the NCAA has been able to maintain slate of young international stars.
Between record-setting championship viewership and increasing national coverage, college gymnastics has recently stepped further into the spotlight. Even without perfect 10s, audience demand has fueled moves to larger venues as meets break attendance records — including at LSU's recent loss to the Razorbacks.
Where to watch NCAA gymnastics this week
This Saturday, Fox will air college gymnastics for the first time ever, broadcasting a Big Ten clash between No. 6 UCLA and conference leaders No. 5 Michigan State. Coverage starts at 5:30 PM ET.