College gymnastics is exciting, nerve-wracking, and often unpredictable. With the 2025 season behind us, let’s take a look at some of the moments that shocked fans and busted brackets.
Penn State freshmen stepping up in a big way
The Nittany Lions’ lineups took a massive blow after season-ending injuries to upperclassmen Ava Piedrahita, Amani Herring, and Jessica Johanson. It fell to the freshmen to fill those gaps, and they proved themselves up to the task. All five freshmen made lineups and contributed big scores throughout the season, with Elizabeth Leary making a major name for herself as an all-around threat. Despite adversity, the team qualified to regionals and put in a solid performance to finish the season ranked No. 25, confirming that Penn State’s future is in good hands.
After adversity, a record-breaking season for Rutgers
After head coach Umme Salim-Beasley was placed on administrative leave in January, things were looking uncertain for the Scarlet Knights. However, Anastasia Candia stepped up from her role as assistant coach to be acting head coach for the season, and the team thrived under her leadership. Rutgers finished eighth in a challenging Big Ten championship, qualified to regionals, and finished the season ranked No. 36 – its best result since 2014. Rutgers made the best out of a tough situation, proving that it can never be counted out. With Candia now having been named head coach of the team, hopefully, she can keep the positive momentum going into next season.
Mary McDonough’s breakout season
In 2024, McDonough was a consistent vaulter in Washington’s lineups but showed no other events as a freshman. This season, an injury-addled roster required numerous athletes to step up and compete more than they had in the past, and McDonough not only answered the call but became a true leader for her team. She competed in the all-around in all but one meet this season, and her NQS of 39.180 earned her an individual spot at regionals after the Huskies narrowly missed qualifying as a team. It’s almost unheard of for an individual at regionals to move on to nationals, but McDonough did just that after posting an impressive 39.425 in front of a home crowd. She was the sole Washington gymnast in Fort Worth, solidifying her place as a star for her team – and a fan favorite – going into the 2026 season.
Denver’s upset over Stanford in the regional semifinal
The Pioneers had a difficult start to their 2025 season – filling the gaps left by Jessica Hutchinson was always going to be a tall order, and with only a single freshman being added to the roster, the pressure was on for a big group of upperclassmen. The team’s scores were inconsistent through the first half of the season, but moments of brilliance showed potential for more. Denver certainly fulfilled that potential at the Utah regional, where it put up a 197.650 to defeat Stanford and advance to the final round. A trip to Fort Worth wasn’t out of the question either – the Pioneers put up a strong meet in the regional final and kept Utah and UCLA on their toes until the very last routine. Denver finished the season at No. 13 thanks to its ability to thrive under pressure.
La Crosse ending Oshkosh’s NCGA streak
Fresh off of winning the WIAC championship by nearly a full point, UW-Oshkosh entered NCGA nationals ready to fight for its fourth consecutive title. The competition proved to be tough, however, with many teams and athletes setting season highs. In the end, UW-La Crosse was victorious, taking home the prestigious title for the first time since 2016, with UW-Whitewater finishing second ahead of Oshkosh. This thrilling matchup highlighted the excitement of DIII gymnastics and the importance of peaking at just the right time.
No individual ties at nationals
Many fans will agree that this was the first year in a while that the individual national champions just felt right – all four apparatus winners are known for excellence in their event and put up memorable routines not only at the national championships, but all season long. In the all-around, an individual win was the perfect way to cap off Jordan Bowers’ storied career (before she went on to help Oklahoma win its seventh title the next day, of course). With no ties and no controversies, the gymternet was finally able to collectively agree on a result, and all five individual title winners are sure to go down in college gymnastics history.
LSU and Florida missing the national final
For the second year in a row, the reigning national champion has fallen short of advancing to the national final. Luck and timing were not on LSU’s side in Fort Worth, where the Tigers fell to UCLA and Utah in a stacked semifinal. It was a similar story for Florida, who was ranked No. 3 going into the championship and likely didn’t anticipate a semifinal upset by Missouri. This bracket-busting twist made for an unexpected national final, Missouri’s best result in program history, and the start of a redemption arc for LSU and Florida in 2026.
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Article by Sophie Poirier
i feel like alabama’s post season was also a huge surprise knowing the season they had up until that point and it gave me chills as a bama fan