Upsets are one of the most exciting parts of college gymnastics: it’s thrilling to watch a top team be taken down by a surging underdog, or a high-potential lineup peak when a championship is on the line. The 2026 season was full of these surprise results that shifted rankings and impacted teams’ momentum – let’s take a look back at seven of the best ones.
Iowa changing Big Ten narratives with a win over Michigan State
During the 2025 season, the Big Ten had two clear leaders: Michigan State and UCLA. 2026 saw increased parity and plenty of upsets in the conference, starting early with Iowa beating Michigan State in week three. JerQuavia Henderson led the charge for the Hawkeyes with a solid all-around performance, capping off the meet with a 9.900 on floor. This win was the start to a strong season for this capable Iowa team, culminating with a fifth-place finish at the conference championship and a No. 17 final national ranking.
Georgia beating Alabama in Tuscaloosa for the first time since 2006
This classic gymnastics rivalry hasn’t been as hotly contested in the past few years, but with Georgia’s resurgence under co-head coaches Cécile Canqueteau-Landi and Ryan Roberts, there is once again tight competition between these two storied programs. The road win was made all the more impressive by the fact that major Georgia contributor Lily Smith suffered a season-ending injury the week before the meet. Even without their star, the GymDogs utilized their deep roster and strong freshman class to fight for the win, edging out the Crimson Tide by just 0.100.
Missouri’s highest-ranked win ever over Florida
In front of an electric home crowd, No. 7 Missouri took down No. 2 Florida for the highest-ranked win in program history. After Florida faced uncharacteristic struggles on bars in the first rotation, the Tigers capitalized on the opportunity to lead from start to finish and win by 0.700. A trio of 9.925s from Kaia Tanskanen, Ayla Acevedo, and Kennedy Griffin secured the win in the final rotation, leading to a 49.525 floor total that made for Missouri’s best performance on the event at that point in the season.
SEMO getting ahead of Texas Woman’s to take the MIC crown
Texas Woman’s enjoyed a dominant start to the season, beating multiple Division I teams such as Oregon State, Arizona State, and Arizona. The Pioneers entered the MIC conference championship as heavy favorites, but SEMO had other plans: the Redhawks put up a season-high 194.950 in the championship, taking advantage of the Pioneers’ mistakes on beam to take home their first conference title in 11 years. Taylor Ingle was key to the win, putting together a 39.275 performance that earned her the all-around and vault titles. Talk about rising to the occasion.
Clemson clinching its first ACC title ahead of Stanford and California
In only its third season, Clemson already has a long list of accomplishments as a program. At the top of that list has to be the 2026 ACC championship title, made all the sweeter by the fact that it was an upset over No. 7 Stanford and No. 14 California by the Tigers, who are ranked at No. 15. Cal held the lead through the first three rotations, but Clemson put the pedal to the metal as it headed to bars, putting up four scores of 9.900 to secure the historic win. It was a momentum-building moment that the Tigers carried with them through to the Baton Rouge regional semifinal, and now that they’ve experienced being the best in the ACC, they’ll want to feel that feeling again.
Ohio State upsetting Kentucky in its home regional semifinal
Ohio State was a solid team throughout the season, but its resume was lacking in big-name upsets before the Lexington regional semifinal. The Buckeyes pulled off their best vaults of the season, with sticks from Cameron Smith, Natalie Martin, Tory Vetter, and JJ Coleman, to surge ahead of Kentucky, who struggled on beam. Ohio State rose to the occasion to secure its position in the regional final, where it went on to put together a solid performance that earned a No. 16 final ranking. It’s worth mentioning that Kentucky was also upset by another Big Ten team in Rutgers, who finished the season at No. 26.
Minnesota’s legendary postseason run
A lot has been said already about Minnesota’s performance in the 2026 postseason, but it was too good to ignore. Corvallis was widely agreed to be the toughest regional, with UCLA, Alabama, and Utah contending for just two spots at nationals – but Minnesota wasn’t happy to be left out of that conversation, and dashed Alabama and Utah’s championship aspirations with a season-high beam rotation. The Golden Gophers did it again in the national championship semifinal, where they proved that they weren’t just happy to be there, but serious contenders that earned the right to compete alongside the best in the nation. With a closing bars rotation highlighted by career highs from Teryn Crump and Lacie Saltzmann, Minnesota beat out UCLA for a spot in Four on the Floor, where it went on to secure a program-best No. 4 final ranking.
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Article by Sophie Poirier
