The 2025 NCAA gymnastics season is right around the corner, and the release of the WCGA Preseason Coaches Poll has set the stage for what promises to be another thrilling year. With reigning champions staking their claim, perennial powerhouses vying for redemption, and rising stars looking to shake up the rankings, there’s no shortage of storylines to dissect.
This week, the College Gym News staff sat down for a roundtable to unpack the poll. Who’s overrated? Who’s flying under the radar? And what can we expect from the teams vying for a spot in Fort Worth this April? From surprising rankings to bold predictions, we’re diving deep into what the coaches got right—and where they might have missed the mark.
What are your initial impressions when looking at the poll?
Elizabeth: I’m surprised the coaches had the guts not to just rank LSU first because it won the national title. I’m also a little surprised the Tigers only got six first-place votes. I thought it would get a few more at least. Aside from that, I was a little surprised to see North Carolina slide into the last regionals spot at No. 36.
KT: I immediately noticed that seven of the top 10 teams are in the SEC. I’m so interested to see how Oklahoma fits in on Friday Night Heights and I’m already looking forward to the SEC championship.
Julianna: I wasn’t too surprised to see Oklahoma in the top spot, especially with the trajectory it was on all last season until the final meet. However, I agree with Elizabeth: the reigning national champions only getting a handful of first-place votes was a little shocking. Everything else seemed to fall where I thought it might, especially with the rise in the rankings of several teams, specifically Georgia, UCLA, and Michigan from where each finished the 2024 season.
Naomi: I also wasn’t surprised to see Oklahoma in No. 1, but I was surprised by how overwhelming the consensus was when you take LSU’s strong roster into account. However, I don’t disagree with the majority of the coaches’ choices.
Mariah: I was surprised that LSU didn’t get more first-place votes, but I also ultimately ranked Oklahoma in the top spot, so I certainly understand their thought processes. I actually included all the same teams ranked in a relatively similar fashion for my own poll, so I’m not too surprised with the rankings.
Savanna: I think the only major surprise to me was the amount of variety among the teams receiving votes for first place. Oklahoma getting the most of those votes doesn’t surprise me, but the fact that it got almost three times as many votes as the other four teams combined was a little surprising.
Do you think the coaches got No. 1 right?
Elizabeth: Considering I ranked Oklahoma No. 1 in my own poll, I do!
KT: I do. LSU finished strong last season and isn’t losing too many routines, but taking into consideration Oklahoma’s freshman class, alongside their returning upperclassmen hungry for a final national championship, I don’t think you can rank OU any lower than the top.
Julianna: I do think Oklahoma being in that top spot is right. The Sooners were on such a hot streak last season, and with the truly unexpected ending of last year, I feel like this is Oklahoma’s redemption era.
Naomi: I do. I think OU’s performance in the national semifinals last year can be considered a fluke considering its other performances last season. The disappointment of 2024 will likely provide extra motivation for a revenge tour in 2025.
Mariah: As I said above, I also ranked Oklahoma in the top spot, so I obviously agree. The Sooners were dominant the entire regular season and there’s no reason to believe there will be another vault disaster to derail their path to victory.
Savanna: Even though I ranked LSU in the top spot in my poll, I do think the coaches got it right. Seeing the clips from the Sooners’ December intrasquad shows that they are back and better than ever.
What stands out to you most overall? Any surprises?
Elizabeth: I think what stands out to me most is the fact that the poll doesn’t have all that much drama. Sure, there is the random smattering of first-place votes, but they’re all for the top teams that have a realistic shot at winning. I think what actually stands out most is how close some of the point differentials are. Missouri and UCLA are only separated by one point, Kentucky and Arkansas by two, and Ball State missed out on the top 36 by only seven points.
Julianna: Nothing is too drastic; for the most part, this aligns with my own rankings from a few weeks prior. Something that stood out was Utah in fifth as it has been in that third spot for the past four years, but I do think Florida and California, the two teams ranked just above the Utes, will have an even stronger team than last season.
Naomi: If anything I was surprised by how unsurprised I was by this poll. North Carolina taking the last regionals place was the only thing that caught me a bit off guard, but it’s absolutely something that could happen.
Mariah: Overall, the rankings seem mostly as expected. The most unexpected part is probably the variety of teams that received points despite not being ranked. As much as I would love to see Alaska in the top 36, I don’t think that’s likely to happen.
Savanna: The top 10 is the most interesting part of this poll to me. Nos. 1-5 are pretty much on point, but 6-10 is where there could be some surprises. Missouri has a stellar incoming class of freshmen and transfers, while UCLA gets back a juggernaut in Jordan Chiles. While I wouldn’t be surprised to see the eight teams in the poll at nationals, I wouldn’t count out Missouri and UCLA.
Which of the teams that received votes but were not ultimately ranked do you think should have been in the top 36? Which team would you pull out to make space?
Elizabeth: I personally had San Jose State in the regionals picture, but that bubble is so tight between quite a number of teams that I think any number of reasonable combinations could be “right.”
Julianna: Ball State and San Jose State out of the top 36 is not something I would have thought after looking solely at the rankings last season. I wouldn’t necessarily pull out North Carolina in the 36th spot, but I was a little surprised to see the team after a lower finish for it last year.
Naomi: With the addition of Gustitus, I was surprised that San Jose State isn’t in the regionals picture. However, the bubble is so close that correctly predicting who makes regionals feels more and more like a coin flip.
Mariah: I included all the same teams in my own top 36, but I think that San Jose State and Central Michigan in particular are certainly contenders.
Savanna: I would probably take North Carolina out–even though I secretly hope it does very well–and replace it with either Ball State or San Jose State.
Finally, how does the poll differ from your own?
Elizabeth: It’s honestly pretty similar, which is interesting in and of itself, since the coaches poll is often a little funny in places. Generally, though, I noticed that Illinois is higher ranked and N.C. State and Penn State lower ranked than I ultimately had them.
Julianna: The two are pretty comparable, I really only had a few slight differences. My final four on the floor teams are the same, and with the exception of a couple teams, I had the same 36 making regionals.
Mariah: I included all the same teams, but I had Michigan and Kent State ranked quite a bit higher, and Illinois, Towson, and Washington lower. I also had Cal and Utah swapped for the team final. Other than that, they were shockingly consistent.
Savanna: My poll differs in a couple of different ways. I have Minnesota in the Sweet Sixteen, while the coaches have them just on the outside. I have Michigan State ranked lower than the coaches had it, but I would love to see the Spartans break through and surprise everyone to qualify to its first nationals.
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