Flawless routines and perfect scores. Did you think this is all the NCAA Gymnastics season is about? Unfortunately not. Injuries and season-ending twists are a part and parcel of this mix too. And particularly, this season, the frequency of the latter has been astonishingly high. One after the other, colleges are losing star athletes on their rosters to ugly injuries and that’s exactly what’s happened to the Sun Devils now.

An ASU Sun Devil senior, Alexandra Theodorou, just posted a devastating update on her social media. The gymnast will have to exit this season already due to a string of unfortunate injuries that have troubled her for quite some time now. Already in her senior year, Theodorou was at the tail end of her NCAA gymnastics career. But, she’s decided to call it quits for now, forced by excruciating pain, “This is never the post I was expecting to make during my senior year,” she wrote.

Here’s what exactly happened to the star gymnast. “This summer I had ankle reconstruction surgery following a dislocation at the end of last season. Sadly at the beginning of this season, I have re-torn one of the ligaments in my ankle and have to undergo another reconstructive surgery in the coming weeks.” This means Alexandra Theodorou’s NCAA gymnastics season is over for now, but she showed a glimpse of enthusiasm for a new unveiling soon, “I can’t wait to step into a new role and cheer on the team for the rest of this season and enjoy every moment with them”

While we await more updates from Theodorou’s end, fans are certainly worried for her. And at the fact that a troubling pattern is coming to the fore. One of them reacted to the news with, “Omg I’m so sorry Alex proud of you, you’re amazing.” Sadly, Theodorou’s not alone. This season Auburn was struck with a similar fate as Olivia Hollingworth, who suffered a ruptured Achilles on the opening pass of her floor routine and had to be carried off the floor against Kentucky. Soon, on February 6, she updated the world that she was ready to wrap up her NCAA gymnastics season.

As unfortunate as Theodorou’s injury updates are, we always knew this is a possibility in sports, right? No wonder Trinity Brown faced the same fate. The month of February kick-started with really unfortunate news coming in for the Clemson gymnastics clan. Their star player, Trinity Brown, who scored a jaw-dropping 9.825 on the vault against the Pittsburgh Panthers, announced that she will sit out the rest of the season due to an Achilles tendon rupture too. Dispirited, she called this the ‘last thing she was expecting to post’ but again, injuries are never sidelined possibilities when you are an athlete, right?

After all, no one who steps on the mat is immune to the scare of injuries. But here’s how fans are reacting to Alexandra Theodorou’s season-ending update particularly.

NCAA gymnastics fans react to Alexandra Theodorou’s update

Some of the fans knew this was coming for the Sun Devils. But they weren’t ready, nonetheless. One of them had a sneak peek previously and reacted, “I gasped when she came out on crutches at their home opener this year and my heart dropped.” Aren’t we getting Déjà vu from the LSU’s Gym 1-1 exhibition meet where Haleigh Bryant ended up injuring her UCL during a vault routine that kept her away from the mat until recently? Well, yes. LSU has been one of those sides that battles this injury jinx, as Konnor McClain and Bryant both remained missing in action for long.

But that’s not it. Another fan chimed in with, “It’s too bad she hasn’t had the opportunity to do with her college career all that she could have. She was such a star level 10.” We absolutely agree! Alexandra Theodorou was claimed the 2023 Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll, the 2024 Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll, and the WCGA Academic All-American (2022, 2023, and 2024) among other accolades in her career. And how can we forget the way she steered ASU to a season-high vault score in 2023 thanks to her career-high vault routine? 

Yet some fans are speculating if Alexandra can return to NCAA gymnastics next year. A keen observer noted, “Eh, she specifically says her “season may be over”, not her “career may be over”. I could absolutely see her considering a fifth year.” Well, hopefully so! 2025 has been a difficult year for gymnastics stars. Not just in terms of injuries, but medical retirements. There have been athletes like Cameron Machado who announced their medical retirement this season due to recurring injuries. 

But the fact that Alexandra Theodorou showed the might to fight through her injury led a fan to write, “So impressed by your ability to persevere through it all!! You’re a rock star Alex!” But the concern now is, how will ASU thrive without her on the roster? Not just her even another one of their star gymnasts, has opted out this season. Jenna Timmons is currently battling a long-term injury-related complication concerning the left knee reconstruction she had in 2024.  

Hopefully, the rest of the team sticks together and makes ASU sail through the season. Until then, we’ll wait for Alexandra to announce the new role she dropped a hint about earlier. Are you excited about the same? Let us know below!