Baton Rouge, Louisiana – In a surprising turn of events, the first week of the 2025 NCAA Women’s Gymnastics season has started with no perfect tens recorded, a rarity not seen since February 2021. This shift in scoring patterns may indicate significant changes in the way judges are evaluating performances.
In recent years, perfect tens have become almost expected. In 2022, there were 71 perfect scores, which increased to 84 in 2023 and climbed to 87 in 2024. However, during the competition held at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on January 3, 2025, the top-ranked teams, including the No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners and No. 2 LSU Tigers, both achieved victory without any gymnasts scoring 10.0.
Notably, the defending NCAA Runner-Up California had their lowest opening score in four years, while the No. 10 UCLA Bruins, led by Olympic Champion Jordan Chiles, recorded their third lowest score in over 15 years. These results highlight a significant drop in scoring across the board, as only five gymnasts managed to achieve scores higher than 9.90 on floor exercises, a stark contrast to the 27 that did so in the same week last year.
This sudden change in scoring can be linked to the Collegiate Judging Issue (CJI) introduced by the Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association in May 2024. This new evaluation system aims to create a fairer scoring environment by closely scrutinizing the judges’ performance. An eight-person board will assess the consistency of judges based on how closely their scores align with a set target.
The absence of perfect tens has raised questions about the future of NCAA Women’s Gymnastics scoring. With a lineup of athletes that includes more than 15 Olympians, the talent is undoubtedly present. However, as the judging landscape evolves under new scrutiny, fans, coaches, and athletes alike are left wondering if this trend will continue into the second week of competition. Will the lack of perfect scores carry over next week? Only time will tell as the gymnastics community watches closely.
As the season progresses, teams will be looking to adjust and shine in upcoming meets. Stay tuned to see how the judging changes impact performances in this highly competitive sport.
