Back and Better Than Ever
Recapping Week 2 of the 2026 NCAA Gymnastics Season
NCAA gymnastics is so back, and already taking things to new heights. 83 of the 86 NCAA teams are back on the competition floor (with Utah State, William & Mary, and Utica yet to debut).
Week 2 of the 2026 season brought us more program records, program history, and perfection.
This is The Monday Dismount: let’s talk about last week in NCAA gymnastics!
Avery Neff Scores the First Perfect 10 of the Season
Sophomore Avery Neff drilled a beautiful Yurchenko 1.5 in the anchor position for Utah. Her vault was flawless (literally!), and she received the first perfect 10 of the season. This was also the first 10 of her career!1
Kayla DiCello Is So Back!
1,001 days after tearing her Achilles at the 2024 Olympic Trials, Kayla DiCello returned to competition. In her second season for Florida, three years after she made her debut, DiCello competed on vault, bars, and floor. She scored a 9.825 on vault and 9.900 on bars and beam for the Gators. Welcome back, Kayla!
Sophia Bell Makes Auburn History
Sophomore Sophia Bell made Auburn history in the Tigers’ first meet of the season. She competed a Yurchenko double full on vault, becoming the first Auburn gymnast to do so. The cherry on top? She stuck her vault for a 9.925, setting a new career-high!2
Michigan Sets New Program Record for Highest Season-Opening Beam Score
Michigan took first place in the second session of the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad this weekend. They went lights out on beam, scoring a 49.650 (the highest score on any event in the nation this season), and setting a new program record for their highest season-opening score on the event. Freshman Quincy Walters and juniors Ava Jordan and Kayli Boozer scored 9.950s, and graduate student Carly Bauman anchored with a 9.925.
Alabama Puts Up Highest Season-Opening Score in Program History
The Crimson Tide scored a 197.475, their highest season-opening score by .350, on the road against Clemson in their first meet of the season. Their program-record performance was highlighted by freshman Azaraya Ra-Akbar scoring a 9.975 on bars in her very first NCAA routine, a 9.925 on bars from junior Chloe LaCoursiere, a 9.900 on vault from freshman Jasmine Cawley, and 9.925s on balance beam from juniors Gabby Ladanyi and LaCoursiere.
North Carolina Sets New Program-Best Season-Opening Road Score Record
In 2025, the Tar Heels set a new program record for their highest season-opening road score in program history with a 195.225. This year, they shattered that record when they put up a huge 196.675 in their first meet of the season at Florida. North Carolina was highlighted by a 9.925 on vault from senior Kaya Forbes and a 9.950 on floor from freshman Sydney Seabrooks in her NCAA debut.
Ohio Gymnastics Recap
For my Ohio friends, let’s talk about Ohio’s four NCAA gymnastics teams!
No. 21 Ohio State hosted No. 12 Georgia for their first meet of the weekend on Saturday. The Buckeyes are a much stronger team this year, with key athletes returning from injury, standout transfers, and a great freshman class. Their meet was highlighted by 9.925s on floor from fifth-year Kaitlyn Grimes and sophomore JJ Coleman.
Gymnastics MACtion is back! Kent State and Bowling Green both made their season debuts this weekend. Kent State won their meet against Northern Illinois with a 195.350, their highest opening-score since 2004, and claimed the top spots on every event: sophomore Jersey Bingman won vault with a 9.875, senior Mya Migliore and sophomore Isabella Marques tied for first on bars with 9.800s, senior Heidi Schultz won beam with a 9.800, and senior Zoe Rankin won vault with a 9.875. While Bowling Green lost to Eastern Michigan, the team saw several athletes make event and collegiate debuts, and meet or set career-highs: freshman Natasha Lopez debuted on bars and beam, junior Nadia Parente made her debut on bars, sophomore Kayla Shaw matched her career-high on beam with a 9.675, and sophomore Emily Gianfrancesco set a career-high on floor with a 9.575.
Wilberforce, the third HBCU gymnastics team in NCAA history, competed against Fisk, Centenary College, and Greenville at the 2026 Bulldog Invitational. Wilberforce improved from last week and had five or six athletes competing on each event for complete team scores. Freshman Sydney Smith tied for first on bars and led the way for Wilberforce on vault, bars, and beam, scoring 9.425, 9.250, and 8.950, respectively, and sophomore Madison Kelly had the highest score on floor with an 8.975.
My Favorite Leos
Some of Clemson’s leos of the past were… different… but we’ve had sneak peeks of some beautiful ones that will be debuted in the Howell era. Their first new one of the season is “Enchanted,” an elegant, purple velvet leo. The leo may be simple, a stark contrast to the rather bold ones of the past two years, but it is simply stunning. Clemson is the only team with both orange and purple as colors, and they know how to embrace both and give both their own moments.
One team that loves velvet leos is Michigan. They wore one this weekend, and while it’s not new, I’m so happy they brought it back. I already love the material, but combined with the mesh, the break in the middle, and the vertical lines of rhinestones, it’s truly beautiful (and even a Buckeyes fan has to applaud it!).
Week 2 Leaderboard
Team
1. Florida 197.725 avg
2. LSU 197.500 avg
2. Oklahoma 197.500 avg
4. Alabama 197.474 avg
5. Michigan 197.225 avg
6. Auburn 197.150 avg
7. Mizzou 197.063 avg
8. Georgia 197.000 avg
9. UCLA 196.988 avg
10. Arkansas 196.700 avg
All-Around
1. Jordan Chiles (UCLA) 39.650 avg
2. Kailin Chio (LSU) 39.600 avg
3. Chloe Cho (Illinois) 39.525 avg
4. Gwen Fink (North Carolina) 39.475 avg
4. Jasmine Cawley (Alabama) 39.474 avg
6. Madison Ulrich (LSU) 39.450 avg
6. Addison Fatta (Oklahoma) 39.450 avg
8. Gabby Gladieux (Alabama) 39.425 avg
8. Maggie Slife (Air Force) 39.425 avg
10. Delaynee Rodriguez (Kentucky) 39.400 avg
10. Ana Bărbosu (Stanford) 39.400 avg
10. Niya Randolph (Southern Utah) 39.400 avg
Vault
1. Paige Zancan (Auburn) 9.975 avg
2. Kaya Forbes (North Carolina) 9.925 avg
2. Faith Torrez (Oklahoma) 9.925 avg
2. Mikaela Pitts (San Jose State) 9.925 avg
2. Ashley Knight (North Carolina State) 9.925 avg
2. Sophia Bell (Auburn) 9.925 avg
2. Ly Bui (Florida) 9.925 avg
2. Shyla Bhatia (Denver) 9.925 avg
2. Hannah Horton (Mizzou) 9.925 avg
Bars
1. Azaraya Ra-Akbar (Alabama) 9.975 avg
2. Courtney Blackson (LSU) 9.950 avg
2. Chloe Cho (Illinois) 9.950 avg
2. Selena Harris-Miranda (Florida) 9.950 avg
5. Tonya Paulsson (Cal) 9.938 avg
Beam
1. Selena Harris-Miranda (Florida) 9.975 avg
2. Faith Torrez (Oklahoma) 9.950 avg
2. Kayli Boozer (Michigan) 9.950 avg
2. Ava Jordan (Michigan) 9.950 avg
2. Hannah Scheible (Oklahoma) 9.950 avg
2. Joscelyn Roberson (Arkansas) 9.950 avg
2. Kailin Chio (LSU) 9.950 avg
2. Quincy Walters (Michigan) 9.950 avg
2. Addison Lawrence (Mizzou) 9.950 avg
Floor
1. Cecilia Cooley (Denver) 9.975 avg
2. Lily Smith (Georgia) 9.950 avg
2. Sydney Seabrooks (North Carolina) 9.950 avg
2. Olivia Greaves (Auburn) 9.950 avg
2. Sophia Bell (Auburn) 9.950 avg
Tune In!
NCAA gymnastics is back in full swing, with 36 meets in Week 3! The week begins with the best of Utah (BYU, Southern Utah, Utah, and Utah State) tonight at 9 PM EST on ESPN+. Hamline takes on UW-Oshkosh on Thursday at 7 PM, 11 meets take place on Friday (including Alabama vs Florida at 7 PM on ESPN2, LSU vs Georgia at 7 PM on SEC Network, and Oklahoma vs Mizzou at 8:45 PM on SEC Netowrk), 11 more are on Saturday, and 12 meets are on Sunday (including Stanford vs North Carolina at 4 PM on ACC Network, and Auburn vs Arkansas at 6 PM on SEC Network). (So, if you need me this weekend, please look at this schedule first!)
Check out Road to Nationals for the complete list of meets, and check out individual teams’ athletic pages for streaming information!
Stay Connected
Thank you so much for reading and for your support! Follow me on X @alys216, Instagram @216alys, and TikTok @216alys for more content and to stay connected!
Comment below which gymnast(s) you’re most excited to watch this season!
Credit to ESPN Networks for the video of Neff’s perfect 10 on vault
Credit to Auburn Gymnastics for the video of Bell’s Yurchenko double full