It’s NCAA gymnastics season and the leotards are as sparkly as ever. And with new designs comes your favorite series: Leotard Rankings! Each week we’re analyzing leotard debuts to find our weekly faves. There will be up to three points for design, up to one point each for fabric, sparkle, school spirit and uniqueness, and up to three points for overall appearance. This week Mariah, Emily M and Ian are joining our editor-in-chief, Elizabeth, to help judge.
Don’t agree with our ranking? Make your opinion heard by voting in the fan poll at the end of the article each week or voicing your thoughts on social media. And, wondering where the new NCGA and USAG team leos are? Check out our ranking of those leotards the week after each respective national championship at the end of the season.
Pittsburgh: 9.000
View pictures and a video of this leotard here.
Elizabeth: 10.000
Design 3.0/3, Fabric 1.0/1, Sparkle 1.0/1, School Spirit 1.0/1, Uniqueness 1.0/1, Overall Appearance 3.0/3
YES. PITT. I said it last week about Illinois’ leo, and I’m saying it again about this one: It may be a top 10 all-time design for me. The blue-yellow ombre is gorgeous, and I love how the chest sparkles and fabric pair up to create a sort of shimmery look. The back faux strap design is great, too. My first 10 of the season!
Mariah: 8.100
Design 2.5/3, Fabric 0.9/1, Sparkle 0.8/1, School Spirit 0.8/1, Uniqueness 0.7/1, Overall Appearance 2.4/3
I LOVE THIS! Give me yellow ombre all day! I love the colors and the overall design. The Pitt on the sleeve is a nice touch as well. I’m a bit indifferent on the back, but everything else is great!
Emily M: 9.000
Design 2.5/3, Fabric 0.9/1, Sparkle 0.8/1, School Spirit 0.8/1, Uniqueness 1.0/1, Overall Appearance 3.0/3
Oh, wow! The new Pitt colors are…tough for leo design. They’re just so vibrant. But this really uses them well. The yellow is away from everyone’s faces, which helps (I am a person who looks green when I wear bright yellow; it’s not cute). The ombre is lovely, and the sparkliness is just about right. My favorite part might be the “Pitt” down the upper arm.
Ian: 8.900
Design 2.8/3, Fabric .9/1, Sparkle 1.0/1, School Spirit .8/1, Uniqueness .7/1, Overall Appearance 2.7/3
Yes, yes, and yes! I absolutely love this color combination. Pitt knows how to do blue and yellow without making it muddy and boring. The one thing I would change is maybe cutting down on the ombre portions and keeping them fully yellow, this ombre kind of comes off as a little bit green.
Fisk: 7.600
View more images of this leotard here.
Elizabeth: 7.600
Design 2.4/3, Fabric 0.7/1, Sparkle 0.7/1, School Spirit 0.6/1, Uniqueness 0.8/1, Overall Appearance 2.4/3
I was wondering when we’d see another new Fisk leo. I’m pleasantly surprised! While I don’t like it quite as much as the debut blue, this Black Panther-inspired design really pops and is so sparkly. I love the strappy back, and the use of blue and yellow colored rhinestones is great, too, to incorporate school spirit while still staying on Black Panther theme.
Mariah: 6.600
Design 1.9/3, Fabric 0.4/1, Sparkle 0.9/1, School Spirit 0.5/1, Uniqueness 1.0/1, Overall Appearance 1.9/3
This is a very unique design, and I love the back. I typically love colored rhinestones on black fabric, but for some reason this particular black fabric seems strange to me up close. Overall, it’s a nice design and is completely different from the blue one Fisk debuted with. It’s nice to see a new team starting out with some variety.
Emily M: 9.500
Design 2.8/3, Fabric 1.0/1, Sparkle 1.0/1, School Spirit 0.7/1, Uniqueness 1.0/1, Overall Appearance 3.0/3
To me, this leo has only one flaw, and it’s the faux necklace along the neckline. Ditch that, go for just a high collar, and it’s a perfect 10.0. The ballet-like back! The colorful rhinestones! The meaningfully inspired pattern! The matte black! Checks just about every box.
Ian: 6.600
Design 2.1/3, Fabric .2/1, Sparkle .9/1, School Spirit .7/1, Uniqueness .8/1, Overall Appearance 1.9/3
I do really like a lot of the design elements here, but for some reason the matte black fabric just looks a little bit off to me. I love the use of sparkle, though, and obviously the homage to Black Panther.
Oklahoma: 7.275
View a video of this leotard here.
Elizabeth: 7.600
Design 2.4/3, Fabric 0.8/1, Sparkle 0.8/1, School Spirit 0.7/1, Uniqueness 0.7/1, Overall Appearance 2.2/3
This is so classic Oklahoma. I think this may be one of my favorite neckline cuts; not only does it eliminate mesh seams but it is flattering on everyone and gives the gymnasts an athletic look. I also love the all-crimson look with white detailing and shimmery mesh arms. My only issue is on the broadcast I noticed the neckline sort of sagging on some gymnasts, which didn’t look great.
Mariah: 6.600
Design 2.0/3, Fabric 0.8/1, Sparkle 0.7/1, School Spirit 0.7/1, Uniqueness 0.5/1, Overall Appearance 1.9/3
This is very Oklahoma. Overall it’s nice, but I don’t feel too strongly about the design. Like Elizabeth, I noticed the neckline sagging, and it really bothered me.
Emily M: 7.600
Design 2.0/3, Fabric 1.0/1, Sparkle 1.0/1, School Spirit 0.6/1, Uniqueness 0.5/1, Overall Appearance 2.5/3
This thing is so sparkly in motion, which is vintage Kindler-era Oklahoma. It’s a little on the boring side design-wise, but that holographic fabric really takes it up a notch. It’s unique compared to other teams, but not really in the Sooners’ closet.
Ian: 7.300
Design 2.4/3, Fabric .9/1, Sparkle .9/1, School Spirit .6/1, Uniqueness .5/1, Overall Appearance 2.0/3
OK, I like this a lot, but one of these days I would love to see Oklahoma go for a leo that’s full crazy, not just crazy stopping at the belly button. I’ve seen a few of these “ugly sweater pattern” type leos, and this one is better than a lot of those.
Greenville: 6.975
View a video of this leotard here.
Elizabeth: 7.400
Design 2.2/3, Fabric 0.8/1, Sparkle 0.7/1, School Spirit 0.6/1, Uniqueness 0.7/1, Overall Appearance 2.4/3
I love this! More teams should use dove grey. I love it paired with the orange ombre, and the simple design is flattering yet not boring. An overall good leo for Greenville!
Mariah: 6.100
Design 1.7/3, Fabric 0.8/1, Sparkle 0.5/1, School Spirit 0.5/1, Uniqueness 0.6/1, Overall Appearance 2.0/3
Overall, there’s a lot to like about this leo. I personally love grey, ombre, and matte fabric, so this design definitely checks some boxes for me. My only complaint is that I don’t like where the sleeves start on the front. It’s too jarring and looks a bit like an afterthought.
Emily M: 7.300
Design 2.0/3, Fabric 0.9/1, Sparkle 0.6/1, School Spirit 0.5/1, Uniqueness 0.8/1, Overall Appearance 2.5/3
Orange is a tough color, and I love the use against a matte grey look here. The orange pops so much, and the rest of the design really lets that do the talking. Really great execution on what I assume is a pretty tight budget.
Ian: 7.100
Design 2.0/3, Fabric .7/1, Sparkle .6/1, School Spirit .7/1, Uniqueness .6/1, Overall Appearance 2.5/3
A wholly OK leo! I like the color combination a lot, and the use of gray is appreciated and keeps this from feeling too Halloween-y. The sleeves feel like a bit of an afterthought, but I always appreciate a good ombre.
Florida: 6.650
View a video of this leotard here.
Elizabeth: 7.600
Design 2.3/3, Fabric 0.8/1, Sparkle 0.8/1, School Spirit 0.7/1, Uniqueness 0.6/1, Overall Appearance 2.4/3
While this looks like a combo of these two former Florida designs, I still like it—a shock, I know, considering I complain ad nauseam about Florida leos all looking the same. I like the back in particular, and I like the sleeves near the cuffs in theory but don’t feel like they were executed perfectly.
Mariah: 6.500
Design 1.9/3, Fabric 0.7/1, Sparkle 0.8/1, School Spirit 0.5/1, Uniqueness 0.5/1, Overall Appearance 2.1/3
I think this design is slightly more unique than most other Florida leos, but only slightly. I like the design on the front a lot, but I absolutely can’t stand the criss-cross detail on the sleeves. It just feels dated in comparison to the rest of the design.
Emily M: 7.600
Design 2.4/3, Fabric 0.8/1, Sparkle 0.7/1, School Spirit 0.5/1, Uniqueness 0.8/1, Overall Appearance 2.4/3
Aaaand a ballet-inspired back—insta-points. I like the effort to echo the back straps on the sleeves, though I agree with Elizabeth that something a little weird happened in the execution. I always like it when Florida uses black, though, since it really makes the blue pop. The simple neckline was smart given how much is going on in the rest of this one. Really solid.
Ian: 4.900
Design 1.7/3, Fabric .5/1, Sparkle .6/1, School Spirit .4/1, Uniqueness .3/1, Overall Appearance 1.4/3
I just can’t get behind this knowing that Florida has incredibly similar leos that fill the same niche as this one but do it better. It’s wholly palatable, but it also looks like every other Florida/Kentucky/UCLA blue and black leo.
Kentucky: 6.550
View images of this leotard here.
Elizabeth: 6.700
Design 1.8/3, Fabric 0.7/1, Sparkle 0.8/1, School Spirit 0.7/1, Uniqueness 0.7/1, Overall Appearance 2.0/3
I like this pretty well, especially the back, but I loved it especially on the broadcast. It looked so sparkly, and I can’t imagine what it looked like in person. I’m not a huge fan of this shade of blue paired with black in general, but I don’t dislike it in this application either.
Mariah: 6.700
Design 1.9/3, Fabric 0.6/1, Sparkle 0.9/1, School Spirit 0.5/1, Uniqueness 0.8/1, Overall Appearance 2.0/3
I’m not crazy about the front of this, but I don’t hate it. I think the criss-cross portion just starts lower on the chest than I would prefer. However, I love the back, and the sparkles were stunning on the broadcast. It’s definitely flashier than many of Kentucky’s other leos.
Emily M: 6.600
Design 1.7/3, Fabric 0.8/1, Sparkle 1.0/1, School Spirit 0.5/1, Uniqueness 0.6/1, Overall Appearance 2.0/3
The ballet-inspired back strikes again! The straps emphasizing the scalloped edges on the back is a good look, and I love the use of lighter blue crystals in addition to the standard clear; it really adds some depth. However, I’m very much not into this faux deep-v corset look on the front. The line of the mesh just does something weird to everyone’s shoulders.
Ian: 6.200
Design 1.4/3, Fabric .7/1, Sparkle .9/1, School Spirit .6/1, Uniqueness .6/1, Overall Appearance 2.0/3
I’m pretty torn on this one. One one hand, I am a big fan of the amount of sparkle going on here, along with the corset-themed back. I just don’t know if I can get past the big blue chest cavity.
Utah: 6.000
View an image of this leotard here and a video here.
Elizabeth: 7.100
Design 2.0/3, Fabric 0.6/1, Sparkle 0.7/1, School Spirit 0.9/1, Uniqueness 0.7/1, Overall Appearance 2.2/3
Overall, this is good. I don’t love how the leo sort of looks like a tank with the sleeves as an afterthought, but in motion, it has less of that effect. I love the back, though, and think the design there is so unique.
Mariah: 5.700
Design 1.3/3, Fabric 0.6/1, Sparkle 0.7/1, School Spirit 0.9/1, Uniqueness 0.8/1, Overall Appearance 1.4/3
I’m not a huge fan of this design. I think it’s certainly unique, but it looks too boxy and busy for my taste. However, they certainly aced it on school spirit with this one, and the amount of sparkle is great as well.
Emily M: 7.100
Design 2.1/3, Fabric 0.5/1, Sparkle 0.9/1, School Spirit 0.8/1, Uniqueness 0.8/1, Overall Appearance 2.0/3
This is one I want to like, but something in the execution misses for me. The use of straight lines throughout is unique and appealing, it’s a sparkle-burger, and it’s the perfect amount of black. What bugs me is the cut to mesh on the shoulders. It just totally chops off gymnasts’ lines for me. If those sleeves were solid, this would be a new favorite.
Ian: 4.100
Design .9/3, Fabric .3/1, Sparkle .7/1, School Spirit .6/1, Uniqueness .5/1, Overall Appearance 1.1/3
This doesn’t really make much of an impact on me whatsoever. It’s a bunch of lines. It’s fine I guess? No part of this really stands out in a positive way for me… It’s sparkly? Utah has a lot going for it, and I am seeing none of that represented.
Simpson: 5.975
View a video of this leotard here.
Elizabeth: 5.900
Design 1.8/3, Fabric 0.7/1, Sparkle 0.6/1, School Spirit 0.5/1, Uniqueness 0.5/1, Overall Appearance 1.8/3
Since this leo is a hand-me-down from Denver, I’m taking “era” completely out of my judging. I actually really like this design. The way the red lines connect the black parts on the back is clever, and the cut on the front is flattering. It’s not a modern look, but this is a good, simple, black leo to have in the team’s arsenal.
Mariah: 5.500
Design 1.6/3, Fabric 0.6/1, Sparkle 0.4/1, School Spirit 0.5/1, Uniqueness 0.7/1, Overall Appearance 1.7/3
This design is old-school enough that it feels unique compared to the current designs we see in NCAA, but it doesn’t come across too retro at the same time. I think a bit more sparkle would take it to the next level, but overall it’s a pleasant design.
Emily M: 6.000
Design 1.9/3, Fabric 0.5/1, Sparkle 0.4/1, School Spirit 0.5/1, Uniqueness 0.7/1, Overall Appearance 2.0/3
Listen, I really hate mid-body mesh cutouts, BUT since they move into the back and are part of the overall design here, I hate them less than usual. This back is so unique; my only wish is for a little more pizazz, but I’m assuming a small budget held Simpson back on the sparkle front—especially since this was a hand-me-down.
Ian: 6.500
Design 2.1/3, Fabric .6/1, Sparkle .6/1, School Spirit .5/1, Uniqueness .7/1, Overall Appearance 2.0/3
This is one that definitely appears better on video than it does in pictures, but overall I’m pretty pleased with it. It’s rather understated, but I like the elements that do appear, and it feels like a unique silhouette.
Arkansas: 5.800
View a video of this leotard here.
Elizabeth: 5.600
Design 1.6/3, Fabric 0.6/1, Sparkle 0.5/1, School Spirit 0.6/1, Uniqueness 0.6/1, Overall Appearance 1.7/3
This is kind of boring, and my biggest takeaway is that Arkansas is a SylviaP leo team now. I like the back, and I know the brand guidelines limit the design range a bit, but something to make it pop would have been nice.
Mariah: 5.800
Design 2.0/3, Fabric 0.6/1, Sparkle 0.5/1, School Spirit 0.5/1, Uniqueness 0.3/1, Overall Appearance 1.9/3
To echo Elizabeth here, I really like the back of this, but the rest is a bit boring. It looks a lot like some of their other leos but a smidge less interesting. My eyes may have been playing tricks on me, but during the broadcast, the top and bottom portions looked like slightly different shades of red.
Emily M: 6.100
Design 1.9/3, Fabric 0.5/1, Sparkle 0.5/1, School Spirit 0.5/1, Uniqueness 0.7/1, Overall Appearance 2.0/3
I will always give points for ballet-inspired backs, and this week that look was everywhere. This is on the basic side, but it is flattering and appealing. I like the mesh sweetheart neckline. To echo the other sentiments, though, it needs a little something more. White back straps, or a big “ARKANSAS” under the open back maybe?
Ian: 5.700
Design 1.9/3, Fabric .5/1, Sparkle .4/1, School Spirit .5/1, Uniqueness .4/1, Overall Appearance 2.0/3
Meh, it’s a pass for me. This kind of just looks like every UCLA leo mashed into one and turned red which, at the very least, is also mildly indicative of Arkansas as a team. The back is pretty, but the kelp leaves rhinestone pattern isn’t really doing it for me.
West Virginia: 5.475
View a video of this leotard here.
Elizabeth: 5.000
Design 1.7/3, Fabric 0.5/1, Sparkle 0.6/1, School Spirit 0.8/1, Uniqueness 0.6/1, Overall Appearance 1.8/3
This is pretty good. I’m not a fan of this color shade combo, but it’s what West Virginia has to work with, so I can’t complain too much. While the sparkles are good, the fabric and design as a whole sort of makes it look more like an early 2010s leo than a early 2020s one—a little dated.
Mariah: 5.100
Design 1.5/3, Fabric 0.5/1, Sparkle 0.5/1, School Spirit 0.5/1, Uniqueness 0.5/1, Overall Appearance 1.6/3
The mesh chest hole is a bit big for my liking, but overall it’s not a bad look. I think the amount of sparkle works well with the design, but there’s not much else that’s notable about it.
Emily M: 4.600
Design 1.0/3, Fabric 0.5/1, Sparkle 0.5/1, School Spirit 0.6/1, Uniqueness 0.8/1, Overall Appearance 1.2/3
Nope. Not for me. The colors work fantastically well, and I like the lines that so seamlessly tie the front and back together, but phew that chest hole.
Ian: 6.700
Design 2.0/3, Fabric .7/1, Sparkle .6/1, School Spirit .8/1, Uniqueness .5/1, Overall Appearance 2.1/3
Overall, I’m a fan. When you look at this leo, you think West Virginia, even if it isn’t the most unique design out there. There is once again a bit of a weird chest cavity moment going on here, but the fact that it’s a different fabric than the rest of the leo makes it tolerable.
Alaska: 5.450
View a video of this leotard here.
Elizabeth: 5.800
Design 1.6/3, Fabric 0.6/1, Sparkle 0.4/1, School Spirit 0.8/1, Uniqueness 0.8/1, Overall Appearance 1.6/3
Tavia said it best in our leotard Slack channel: “They finally got a rhinestone budget and said, ‘Say less,’” which I think is so accurate. This isn’t the worst leo Alaska has, but it’s far from the best, too. Remove the sparkle design above the chest V, and it would be a great leo.
Mariah: 5.000
Design 1.2/3, Fabric 0.6/1, Sparkle 0.5/1, School Spirit 0.7/1, Uniqueness 0.8/1, Overall Appearance 1.2/3
There’s a lot going on here. If they deconstructed this leotard and turned it into about three separate designs, they would have some nice leos to work with. Overall, I think this design is just trying to be too many things at once.
Emily M: 6.400
Design 2.0/3, Fabric 0.5/1, Sparkle 0.6/1, School Spirit 0.8/1, Uniqueness 0.6/1, Overall Appearance 1.9/3
We’ve seen this design, a strappy back over a solid panel with the team name or mascot below, growing in popularity recently (see: LSU and Kyla Bryant’s nationals leo), but what really makes this one for me is the use of the school colors. Just those hints of the yellow and green on black really makes it stand out. I do agree with the others here that the chest swirlies in rhinestones is a lot, and to me the “UAA” on the sleeve in script doesn’t really fit the rest of the vibe of the design.
Ian: 4.600
Design .7/3, Fabric .5/1, Sparkle .7/1, School Spirit .6/1, Uniqueness .8/1, Overall Appearance 1.3/3
Politely, no thank you. There are like 15 too many things trying to happen here at once, between the bejeweled sternum, the script UAA on the sleeve, the strappy back, and the seemingly placed-on-at-the-last-minute green patches. I think if they toned this down like five notches it could be very pretty.
Utah State: 5.400
View images of this leotard here.
Elizabeth: 5.400
Design 1.5/3, Fabric 0.5/1, Sparkle 0.5/1, School Spirit 0.6/1, Uniqueness 0.6/1, Overall Appearance 1.7/3
It’s pretty boring, which makes me realize Utah State’s leo budget just must be super small since the pre-Kristen White era leo were all pretty minimalist, too. I think the back is my favorite part on this design, and the front does what it can with limited resources to be good. It’s already better than 90% of the old Aggie leos, so that has to count for something.
Mariah: 5.500
Design 1.7/3, Fabric 0.5/1, Sparkle 0.3/1, School Spirit 0.5/1, Uniqueness 0.5/1, Overall Appearance 2.0/3
This is very plain on the front, but I absolutely love the back. The way the mesh crosses over looks very elegant, and although simple, it may be one of my favorite open backs I’ve seen. I wish it just had a bit more sparkle.
Emily M: 5.100
Design 1.4/3, Fabric 0.5/1, Sparkle 0.4/1, School Spirit 0.5/1, Uniqueness 0.6/1, Overall Appearance 1.7/3
This is definitely on the simpler side, but you really can’t go wrong with a matte navy look for me. The choker collar lined with crystals elevates the front, and the lines on that open back are nice.
Ian: 5.600
Design 1.3/3, Fabric .4/1, Sparkle .5/1, School Spirit .6/1, Uniqueness .6/1, Overall Appearance 2.2/3
While it’s certainly simple, I do enjoy this a lot. I’m not sure if it was intentional, but the mountain-like motif with the rhinestones on the front is a nice touch for a school located in the mountains.
Fan Poll
Congrats to California for winning the Week 1 fan poll! Vote for your favorite from Week 2 here.
READ THIS NEXT: Leotard Rankings: Week 1
Article by Elizabeth Grimsley, Mariah Dawson, Emily Minehart and Ian LeWarn
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