A Mainstream Sports Fan’s Guide to Choosing Which Gymnastics Team to Support

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It’s a truth universally acknowledged that sports are more fun when you have a team to root for (or against, as the case may be). We can’t tell all new college gymnastics fans who to support, but we can take some of the guesswork out of the equation for you.

Scroll down (or “control+F” if you’re tech savvy), find your favorite sports franchise, and find out which college gymnastics teams share the same vibe to know who to support as you learn your new favorite sport.

All-Time Greats

These storied programs are synonymous with the sport. Their recent records are immaterial—they started the conversation, so they’ll always be in the conversation.

MLB	NBA	NFL
Yankees, Red Sox, Giants	Lakers, Celtics, Warriors	Cowboys, Packers, Steelers

NCAA MBB	NCAA Football
North Carolina, Duke, UCLA	Alabama, Ohio State, USC

Alabama: Famed head coach Sarah Patterson not only led the Crimson Tide to six national titles during her 36-year tenure, she also helped put the sport as a whole on the map as an early Title IX advocate and marketing pioneer. Though the team hasn’t topped the podium since Patterson’s farewell season in 2012, it’s still consistently one of the top 10 programs in college gymnastics.
Georgia: The winningest program in NCAA history. The incomparable Suzanne Yoculan led the Gymdogs to 10 national titles between 1987 and her retirement in 2009. True, the program has been in something of a rankings freefall ever since, but it’s still drawing big crowds and top-rated recruits to Athens.
UCLA: The seven-time national champion is known for its viral floor routines and larger-than-life personalities. Under the leadership of Valorie Kondos Field (a.k.a “Miss Val”), the Bruins signed some of the biggest names in the sport, including Katelyn Ohashi, Jordan Chiles, and even Simone Biles. By all accounts, second-year head coach Janelle McDonald is rebuilding the brand after a turbulent few years.
Utah: Nine-time national champion Utah won the first-ever NCAA title back in 1982 and hasn’t missed the championship since. The Red Rocks haven’t won it all since 1995, but they’ve never placed lower than 10th either and regularly finish in the top three. Now head coach Carly Dockendorf has begun to steady the ship after a previous tumultuous preseason.

#Winning

“Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.” A legacy is all well and good, but these are the current teams to beat.

MLB	NBA	NFL
Dodgers, Astros, Rays	Warriors, Nuggets, Bucks	Chiefs, 49ers, Eagles

NCAA MBB	NCAA Football
Villanova, UConn, Gonzaga	Georgia, Oregon, LSU

Oklahoma: KJ Kindler and the Sooners have already joined the ranks of the all-time greats and show no signs of letting up any time soon. They closed out the 2023 season with their second consecutive national title, their sixth in nine years. In fact, Oklahoma has only finished off the final podium once since 2010.
Florida: The Gators (under then-head coach Rhonda Faehn) were the first team to capitalize on the opportunity in the post-Sarah and Suzanne era by winning three consecutive national titles. Current head coach Jenny Rowland has kept Florida in the title conversation—not to mention coaching Trinity Thomas to NCAA GOAT status—since assuming leadership in 2016, but has yet to see the team reclaim the top spot.
LSU: Previously the strongest program to have never won an NCAA title, the Tigers ripped off the band-aid in 2024 with its first natty and aren’t showing any signs of dropping off. Even before their national championship, LSU has always boasted tremendous fan support: It’s been setting college gymnastics attendance records since Livvy Dunne was in elementary school.
Michigan: The Wolverines have always been the face of Big Ten gymnastics, winning 27 conference championships since 1982. They also have the distinction of winning the Big Ten’s only NCAA title in 2021, now the second-youngest member of the exclusive NCAA champions club.

Faded Glory

Like the aforementioned Georgia Gymdogs, these teams seem to have fallen on hard times in recent years… Maybe they’re just biding their time?

MLB	NBA	NFL
Athletics, Giants, Yankees	Magic, Bulls, Spurs	Steelers, Patriots, Bears

NCAA MBB	NCAA Football
Kentucky, Indiana, Florida	Florida, Tennessee, Nebraska

Iowa State: Before KJ Kindler began building her dynasty in Norman, she led her alma mater to a Super Six final and residency inside the top 20—somewhere the Cyclones haven’t seen since her departure. After hitting an all-time low of No. 44 in 2023, the university hired former NCAA champion Ashley Miles Greig as the team’s new head coach despite her lack of any prior coaching experience (yes, you read that right). The Cyclones improved in 2024, but the jury is still out on this case.
Nebraska: After collecting 23 conference titles and qualifying to nationals 27 times, the Huskers quickly fell from title contention after the abrupt mid-season retirement of longtime head coach Dan Kendig in 2018 due to NCAA violations. Nebraska snuck back into the postseason in 2023 and climbed to the top 25 in 2024, again showing promise of relevance. While Husker football is still in dismay, the immediate future is bright gymnastics-wise.
Penn State: When Sarah Shire Brown assumed head coaching duties in 2017, she was tasked with rehabilitating the team’s culture—as well as its record—following a full-on mutiny against former coaches Jeff and Rachelle Thompson. Though the Nittany Lions have yet to claw their way back into the top 10, they are on the upswing and, most importantly, seem far healthier and happier.
Stanford: Once a staple of the top 10, the Cardinal has struggled to crack the top 25 since former head coach Kristen Smyth stepped down following a few bad seasons. Stanford has yet to fully recover under the leadership of famed alumna Tabitha Yim, but a recent surge in both recruiting and the rankings seems to indicate that things are getting back on track. A Cinderella run to nationals in 2024 has a lot of eyes on Palto Alto heading into 2025.

Haters Gonna Hate

Whether it’s because of cheating (real or imagined), scandals, athlete faux pas, annoying fan bases, or just good old-fashioned jealousy, you can justify disliking just about any team if you really put your mind to it! Every story needs a villain, and these are a few of the programs gym fans love to hate.

MLB	NBA	NFL
Astros, Yankees	Heat, Pistons, Lebron’s current team	Patriots, Cowboys, Jets

NCAA MBB	NCAA Football
Duke, North Carolina	Notre Dame, Alabama, USC

LIU: There’s been a suspiciously high incidence of turnover in the program’s four-year history: 11 retirements, nine transfers, three former coaches, and a partridge in a pear tree. That would be reason enough to warrant the side-eye, but the sheer volume of shady social media posts by former Sharks have left even the most charitable gym fans questioning the program’s leadership.
LSU: The Tigers have courted their fair share of controversy and criticism in recent years, but they’ve also taken heat over everything from being too heavily spray-tanned to having too much NIL success.
Oklahoma: Some OU antis claim it’s the gymnasts or the leos or the choreography or the two-pass floor routines that fuel their disdain. Others admit they’re just tired of seeing the Sooners win all the damn time. (See also: Florida)

Scrappy Underdogs

You just can’t help but root for some teams even when the odds are stacked against them (which they usually are).

MLB	NBA	NFL
Blue Jays, Phillies, Cubs	Kings, Pacers, Thunder	Cardinals, Bills, Colts

NCAA MBB	NCAA Football
Northwestern, Dayton, Wofford	Tulane, Arizona, Kansas State

Alaska: After their program was cut in 2020 following unprecedented budget cuts by Alaskan governor Mike Dunleavy, the Seawolves crowdfunded the $800,000 required to have their program reinstated. It doesn’t get any scrappier than that!
Iowa: After getting hosed in the 2021 postseason, the Hawkeyes came back with a vengeance in 2022 with a huge upset at regionals over No. 6 LSU to make the Sweet 16. Iowa City is home to many fan-favorite gymnasts, including a few new head coach Jen Llewellyn magically coaxed out of retirement, making the Hawkeyes easy to root for.
Washington: This was a program in flux during the late 2010s and early 2020s, as evidenced by its 34-position swing in the national rankings under three head coaches. Former Lindenwood head coach Jen Llewellyn assumed leadership of the Huskies in 2022 but recently left to helm the Hawkeyes, with former Iowa assistant Jessa Hansen Parker now leading the way in Washington. The Huskies are always scrappy, something they project to continue in 2025 with the latest leadership shuffle.

On the Move

Already known for making postseason waves, these are the teams most likely to break into their first Final Four sooner rather than later.

MLB	NBA	NFL
Twins, Orioles, Diamondbacks	Pacers, Suns, Timberwolves	Jaguars, Lions, Bills

NCAA MBB	NCAA Football
Purdue, Creighton	Penn State, Missouri

California: The Golden Bears were this close to making the national final in 2023 and then this close to the title in 2024, and are projected to boast more depth and an even higher ceiling this year after adding more former five-star recruits to the roster. Not too shabby for a program that the university tried to cut only a little over a decade ago.
Kentucky: After winding up on the wrong side of the championship bubble for years, the Wildcats finally cracked the Elite Eight in 2023. With an outstanding freshman class plus a strong returning core, they have more than enough star power on the current roster to build on recent success and remain a darkhorse.
Michigan State: The Spartans’ recruiting has been red hot the last few seasons, as they’ve used a succession of former five-star recruits to skyrocket from “barely making regionals” to “Big Ten title threat.” The team has been living on the championship bubble, and—thanks to minimal roster turnover plus a strong freshman class—this may very well be the season it finally breaks through.
Ohio State: Recruiting has also been kind to the Buckeyes, establishing them as an early favorite for a postseason seed. Former five-star recruit Payton Harris returns for her junior season with individual nationals experience that could help propel Ohio State to Fort Worth as a team.

Sleeper Picks

If you like a good upset, then these teams will be right up your alley! Underestimate them at your peril—just ask their opponents.

MLB	NBA	NFL
Mariners, Phillies, Brewers	Kings, Pacers, Spurs	Broncos, Saints, Vikings

NCAA MBB	NCAA Football
Loyola, FAU, Butler	App State, North Carolina, Ole Miss

Denver: Despite landing in the top 15 for nearly a decade—including a fourth-place finish in 2019—the Pioneers still always seem to slide under the radar come postseason. Like it did a season ago, Denver has some key routines to replace, but it always seems to find away to stay in nationals contention, where it begins 2025.
Missouri: No team exemplifies “numbers don’t tell the whole story” more than the Tigers: They finished a program best fifth in 2022 and—despite finishing the year ranked 14th—narrowly missed a return trip to nationals in 2023. With the unretirement of Helen Hu, a bulk of last season’s roster returning, and lauded newcomers, Mizzou is poised to have yet another record-breaking season
Southern Utah: With five top-25 finishes since 2015, the Flippin’ Birds are a perennial sleeper pick, always finding a way to stay relevant. Niya Randolph is back for a sophomore season after a sneaky-good rookie campaign and is a non-Power Four conference gymnast to remember.

Best Rivalries

Just because win-loss records don’t affect rankings doesn’t mean gymnastics is all sunshine and rainbows. Every sport has its classic rivalries, and college gymnastics is no exception.

MLB	NBA	NFL
Red Sox and Yankees, Dodgers and Giants, White Sox and Cubs	Knicks and Nets, Bulls and Pistons, Lakers and Celtics	Cowboys and 49ers, Pats and Jets, Steelers and Ravens

NCAA MBB	NCAA Football
Duke and UNC, Indiana and Purdue, Kansas and Kansas State	Army and Navy, USC and Notre Dame, Michigan and Ohio State, Clemson and Carolina

Alabama and Georgia: Yes, in gymnastics, too! For nearly three decades, SEC gymnastics was dominated by two of the sport’s most powerful women: Georgia head coach Suzanne Yoculan and Alabama head coach Sarah Patterson. So heated was this conference rivalry that ESPN made a documentary about it. It’s no secret that both programs have been in decline since the pair’s respective retirements (Yoculan in 2009 and Patterson in 2012). However, given the scorching recruiting we’ve seen over the last couple of years we’re hoping this rivalry is about to reignite.
Florida and LSU: The post-Sarah and Suzanne SEC has been dominated by the Gators and Tigers, as they’ve been swapping conference titles for the better part of a decade (less an Alabama upset or two). This rivalry is shaping up to be even fiercer than usual now that LSU has added its name to the list of champions, including the Gators.
Utah and UCLA: One of the annual matchups gymnastics fans are thrilled to see continue despite the teams departing for new and different conferences. These two led the Pac-12 since the Utes joined a little over decade ago, with most of their matchups coming down to the wire. Now we just hope that the Big Ten-Big 12 clash lives up to its Pac-12 glory days.

Bracket Busters

You never know which version of these teams will show up during the postseason, but you can always count on them to bring the drama.

MLB	NBA	NFL
Mariners, Diamondbacks, Rays	Heat, Raptors, Mavericks	Titans, Chargers, Seahawks

NCAA MBB	NCAA Football
Saint Peter’s, Nevada, Memphis	Boise State, UCF, Oklahoma State

Auburn: The Tigers followed up their historic fourth-place finish at the 2022 NCAA championships by flaming out in the first round of regionals in 2023. Oh, and let’s not forget they missed the 2021 postseason altogether due to COVID protocols. There’s more than enough talent on the roster to make some noise even after Olympic champion Suni Lee’s departure, but—with such a monumental loss—it’s tricky to predict exactly how Auburn will fare.
Eastern Michigan: Every couple of years, the Eagles have a breakout season, and it always seems to come out of nowhere. In 2016 and 2017 they finished No. 17 and No. 27, and in 2021 No. 32. Their other rankings in the interim have been in the 40s and 50s, missing the postseason entirely. You can just never be sure what kind of year Eastern Michigan will have.
N.C. State: The Wolfpack was the biggest loser of a new regional seeding format in 2021. Despite being ranked No. 26, it was relegated to a play-in. Still, it was victorious in that win-or-go-home match-up, then advanced out of the regional semifinal into the regional final, finishing the year at No. 15. In 2022, N.C. State got the reverse treatment, skipping the play-in despite a No. 30 ranking. Whenever there’s monkey business in regional seeding, the Wolfpack seems to be involved.
Oregon State: In the last decade, the Beavers have finished as high as No. 6, as low as No. 27, and pretty much everywhere else in between. Olympic gold medalist Jade Carey plans to take a step back from elite in 2025 to focus on college gymnastics, and the team also adds some pretty stellar newcomers. How will this season play out? Your guess is as good as ours, but the odds are in the Beavers’ favor.

Newbies

Want a fresh start altogether? Here are three of the newest programs the sport has to offer.

MLB	NBA	NFL
Mariners, Nationals, Las Vegas Athletics	Thunder, Hornets, Pelicans	Chargers, Rams, Raiders

NCAA MBB	NCAA Football
Queens, Lindenwood, Southern Indiana	Jacksonville State, Liberty, James Madison

Utica: The Pioneers’ debut season in 2024 was a strong one, qualifying a pair of athletes to the NCGA Championships and Grace Marra earning All-American status. That’s tough to do in a program’s debut season, just one positive sign of progress for this program.
Clemson: The Tigers met their high expectations in the program’s 2024 inaugural season, qualifying for regionals and finishing in the top 38. That’d be the equivalent of a Division II school transitioning to Division I and making March Madness the same year. The future is very bright for Clemson.
Wilberforce: We don’t know much yet about the newest collegiate gymnastics team, but the gymternet is collectively thrilled to see the continued growth of HBCU programs. After the dissolution of Talladega’s program after just one season, Wilberforce has become the new home for a few from the former roster, so expect a motivated squad in the premier season.

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Article by Claire Billman, Brandis Heffner, and Emily Minehart