“This one’s for a moment I’ll never forget.” Sitting on the beam, with the Big 10 Championship trophy in her hand, a Michigan State gymnastics star had posed for a lovely Instagram shot. That 2024 moment indeed belonged to her. After all, she’d sealed the first-ever Big 10 women’s gymnastics title for the Spartans with her beam performance. That too, right after a freak injury. That too just 15 minutes before the final warm-up. Despite that, she scored a solid 39.450 in the all-around. And now, once again in 2025, she’s done something equally (if not more) historic. Same apparatus, and an even bigger history!

March 22, 2025, the Big Ten Gymnastics Championships are on. Session 3 of the same featured a tussle between the big dogs: UCLA, Michigan, Michigan State, and Minnesota. But amongst all, Gabrielle Stephen did something that put all the other performances in the shade. Days after Stephen became the first MSU gymnast to receive First Team All-Big Ten honors in all 4 years of her collegiate career, she has now bagged a perfect score in a season where getting one is no less than a wonder!

Yes, as per the Big Ten Conference update, Gabrielle Stephen bagged the first-ever perfect 10 score for Michigan State Gymnastics in the Big 10 Championships session 3 this afternoon. And once again, the beam was her muse! After a graceful performance, the gymnast stuck her roundoff and double twist landing, which made the entire arena erupt into a deafening roar. Before today, Gabrielle’s career and season highs were both tied at 9.950. But today, she made history for MSU. And her performance? It was so clean and razor-sharp that the commentator remarked, “So pristine on her movements!” 

This happened to be the 7th perfect 10 on the balance beam this NCAA gymnastics season. But this one was hardly as nervy as Stephen’s beam performance last year. In 2024, as 5700 fans watched her in a packed arena, Gabrielle Stephen was responsible for delivering one last strong performance after her teammates had done their job and nearly secured the title. But it was going to be difficult. That’s because she had an injury right before. Two hours prior, Gabi was heading up the stairs for warm-up on the beam before their final. That’s when she cut her foot on a step.

“I looked down, and I could start to see blood trickling down from it.” The cut was, in fact, a huge slice on the side of her foot near the gymnastics star’s left big toe. The spot of the injury made it even more difficult, “It was right beside my nail, kind of almost cutting into my nail.” Naturally, for any athlete, this would have been their worst nightmare, minutes before the competition. Toes are used to grip the beam. And with this injury, it had changed it all for Gabi.

The injury restricted her practice. The Michigan State gymnastics star had said, “Going right into the beam warm up, I wasn’t able to warm up at normal pace, I was hopping in at random turns.” Every time she would look down, her wound was bleeding. But Gabrielle Stephen wouldn’t stop. She would get off, get the leg rewrapped, and continue until she got down and did the process all over again. She was even offered to stitch up the cut, but she didn’t budge. Even in such a condition, she had to anchor the beam performance for the Spartans last year. And she did. Not a perfect 10 like today, but it was enough to be an iconic show back then. She scored a 9.875 on vault, 9.800 on bars, 9.875 on beam, and 9.900 on floor.

Coming back to today’s performance, Gabi had much competition in the Perfect 10 department!

It’s raining perfect 10 in Big 10 gymnastics

One day, 4 perfect 10 scores. Yes, till now, there have been 4 perfect 10 scores recorded in the Big Ten Gymnastics Championships 2025. First, obviously, was Gabi Stephen, the opening scorer in the meet. She was followed by Ciena Alipio, the UCLA senior who bagged another perfect 10 on the beam in the same meet, taking the total count of beam perfect scores to 8 this season.

The next two came during the floor exercise finals. And interestingly, it was from the same session with UCLA. The third perfect 10 scorer of the afternoon was Brooklyn Moors, who took the tally of FX perfect 10s to 11 this season. This was shortly followed by Jordan Chiles, who added an 11th the same day. What a moment of redemption for them both!

And yes, when we talk of Jordan Chiles, there’s something that this Olympic gymnastics star shares with MSU’s Gabrielle Stephen. And that is the same role model. Yes! Apparently, both Jordan Chiles and Gabi Stephen have confessed to being inspired by Dominique Dawes, the veteran gymnastics star, in their own ways. Clearly, they share a lot. Talent, idols, and now perfect 10s!