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The NCAA Gymnastics 2025 season is off to a roaring start, and let’s say, LSU Gymnastics has been making serious waves early on. Starting their season with a sound victory against Iowa State on the 3rd of January, the Tigers were off to a good start. They continued this run, challenging giants such as Oklahoma, California, and Utah in the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad Session II. Though Oklahoma defeated LSU, they returned stronger than ever to beat California and Utah.

Just when you thought LSU was on a streak, they pulled off another win against Florida on January 17th. But hold up—just when you thought LSU was cruising, the unexpected happened. On January 24th, they faced off against the Arkansas Razorbacks, and this time the result was not what people had anticipated.

LSU Gymnastics took to X to share the final score from Fayetteville: “Final from Fayetteville”—LSU 196.600, Arkansas 196.875. The No. 2 ranked LSU team (4-2, 1-1 SEC) faced a tough loss against No. 14 Arkansas (3-4, 1-1 SEC) in their SEC road opener at Bud Walton Arena on Friday night.

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And the fans? Well, suffice it to say that they were not having it. They flooded the comments with frustration, one user even saying, “Congratulations to the judges for orchestrating this win for Arkansas – too many drastically underscored routines for LSU, unbelievable.” Despite the tough loss, LSU dialed the heat and snatched event titles in three areas.

Vault was Kailin Chio’s show with a 9.95, Konnor McClain hit bars for 9.925, and Aleah Finnegan blessed the beam with another 9.925. However, Joscelyn Roberson of Arkansas clinched the all-around title with a score of 39.350. And that’s just the start—fans weren’t done airing their frustrations anytime soon!

NCAA gymnastics’ scoring faces backlash!

What’s your perspective on:

Did the judges rob LSU Gymnastics, or is Arkansas just that good this season?

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Another fan couldn’t hold back, commenting, “Robbed, judges scoring LSU this year have been horrible, feel for the girls.” Seriously though, this year’s NCAA Women’s Gymnastics season already hit us with a huge twist—nobody even scored a 10 in the opening week! That’s right, the 10.0 club has been wiped clean for the first time in nearly four years. Last season, we saw 10s like they were going out of style—71 in 2022, 84 in 2023, and 87 in 2024.

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So what’s the deal? Well, it is judging. The Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) shook things up last year with their Collegiate Judging Initiative (CJI). They introduced the SCORE board, comprising eight experts whose main job is to smooth out scoring variations. Simply put, it means way stricter grading, no freebies, and fewer 10s. So when LSU’s scores didn’t hit the mark, it was clear the tougher judging system was in full effect. As one frustrated user perfectly summed it up, “What’s with the scoring this year? That was awful!”

While many fans felt the frustration, others were all about keeping the vibes high for LSU gymnastics. One fan wrote, “Head held high, ladies. It’s only January. 💜💛.” And honestly, they’ve got a point—the season’s still young, and the Tigers have plenty of time to bounce back as the meet goes on till April! Another fan added, “That’s okay, ladies. Bounce back next week we’re still just getting started!!” And next week? LSU’s hitting the floor against Missouri on January 31 in Baton Rouge at the Maravich Center. If there’s one thing we know, LSU gymnastics knows how to shake off a tough one and come back stronger.

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Did the judges rob LSU Gymnastics, or is Arkansas just that good this season?