In a dual meet vs. No. 1 Oklahoma last Friday, Missouri’s Helen Hu delivered the first perfect score of the 2025 college gymnastics season. Though not as well known as some of her Olympic-level competitors, Hu is widely regarded as one of the country’s most talented gymnasts. Complete with balletic leaps, unique choreography, and a stuck gainer pike dismount, her routine received widespread praise.
And while fans waited three weeks for the first perfect score to drop, the second ten came just 24 hours after the first. On Saturday, Olympic gold medalist Jordan Chiles earned a perfect ten for her bar routine in UCLA’s win over Maryland. After weeks of impressively modest judging, NCAA Gymnastics’ perfect ten ‘drought’ had finally ended. However, if history is any indication, the drought could quickly turn into a monsoon of high scores.
When week one of the 2025 season saw zero perfect tens for the first time since 2021, gymnastics loyalists thought their prayers had been answered. With major judging changes implemented over the 2024 offseason, many wondered: had college gymnastics’ judging issues finally been eradicated?
Would perfect scores be reserved for the select few elite routines? After all, NCAA Gymnastics judges could now face demotion due to egregious scoring errors. With the new evaluation system in effect, fans hoped to finally see equitable, standardized scoring across the nation. However, while fans celebrated Hu’s and Chiles’ spectacular routines, their perfect tens could open the floodgates. Historically, when tens start flowing, their frequency only increases.
Crunching The Numbers:
In 2024, two perfect tens were awarded in week one of college gymnastics. In week two, there were four. In week three, a staggering nine tens were awarded. For the remainder of the 12-week regular season, no fewer than five tens were awarded every single weekend. In short, the scoring started slow, got its footing, and took off. By the end of the season, 87 perfect scores had been awarded.
While it’s not an exact science, it’s human nature. When higher scores start to fly at an SEC meet in Baton Rouge, judges at an Oregon State dual meet might be more inclined to award high scores. The online gymnastics community – though small, is vocal and dedicated. News (and perfect tens), spread like wildfire. Once the ice is broken, there’s rarely any going back.
Two days after Jordan Chiles nabbed her perfect ten on bars, the Utah Red Rocks posted a massive 197.950, tying Oklahoma for the nation’s highest score in 2025. The massive total surpassed the Utes’ previous season high by more than six tenths. They also set season highs on every single event.
Interestingly, they weren’t alone in setting records. All four teams in the field set season highs – and by whopping margins. The second place finisher, Southern Utah, bested their season high by 1.175. The third place finisher, Utah State, eclipsed theirs by a staggering 1.650. Fourth place BYU? They may have finished last, but they bested their season high by 1.125.
Did all four teams at the “Best of Utah” meet truly have their best meet (and by gigantic margins)? Or, was the judging to blame? While the meet’s results raised red flags, incredible routines and loose judging are not mutually exclusive. Ultimately, as long as judging is applied consistently and fairly, high scores aren’t an issue.
In addition to the new SCORE board and judging evaluation process, NCAA gymnastics uses a National Qualifying Score (NQS) to help level the playing field. Utilized to determine postseason rankings for teams and individuals, the NQS system averages a team’s six-best regular season scores, three of which must be from away meets. Most importantly, the NQS system requires that a team’s top score is dropped, effectively lessening the influence of an inflated score.
While systems like the NQS and SCORE board are steps towards improving gymnastics judging, time will tell if the new process makes a difference. With the floodgates opened after week three, the judges face their biggest test yet – will they hold the line or let the tens fly? Stay tuned.
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