March 5, 2021 – All the floors of Minnesota gymnastics were shaken up by a freshman. In its nearly 48 years of existence, the college’s gymnastics team earned its very first perfect 10 on the floor, thanks to Mya Hooten. In the meet against the University of Nebraska, the gymnast went on the floor to create history- the first ever perfect 10 on the floor in the program’s history. The Gophers won the meet with a score of 197.400-196.150. Four years later, the freshman has evolved into a senior and performed in her last meet. How did it go?

The semis of the 2025 NCAA women’s gymnastics championships – April 17 – Fort Worth, Texas. “One of the best gymnast in Minnesota history,” said the commentator as the AAI Award Nominee steadied herself for her floor routine. Having already secured 9 perect 10s on the floor so far in her life, she knew this was her time to shine. But what she followed her grand entry up with, truly no one saw coming. It was perhaps the highlight of Fort Worth for many ardent Mizzou fans.

The Minnesota gymnast, for her last collegiate performance, gifted the fans a little throwback moment, and let’s just say that hit the spot. She brought back the 2022 floor routine which has a unique story. Gophers’ assistant coach Geralen Stack-Eaton always wanted to choreograph a routine with a Beyoncé song. The then-Minnesota sophomore needed a new floor routine. So the coach proposed a floor routine with Beyoncé’s “Freedom” from her live performance at Coachella in 2018, it began with Hooten acting as a drum major on one knee with a whistle, followed by a dynamic diagonal sprint into a round off, back handspring, and a full twist in a tucked position. She then switched sides for a Popa and capped off her second pass with a front handspring and a piked full twist.

There is also a segment where she breaks the chain, followed by a bend and a few punches to the air. She then walks off, hitting her chest and her fist in the air. Another diagonal run across the floor completes her third pass – round off, back handspring, and a double tuck closes the routine.

“And that is a career for Mya Hooten, and what will it end with?” asked the commentator. It ended with a score of 9.8875 – the highest in the championship for floor exercise, as of now. Though some fans think that “Only 9.8875 for Mya Hooten is a crime.” What is interesting is that Mya was participating as an individual, as Minnesota didn’t qualify. Nevertheless, the goodbye has left the fans in tears.

Fans get emotional as Mya Hooten bids her farewell

Mya Hooten has had an amazing career with the Gophers, and when this fan says, “Mya Hooten, you are a STAR ⭐️” they do not lie. She is the best floor gymnast the university has ever gotten its hands on. She has earned nine perfect 10s in her career on floor, the most in Minnesota history. Neither a lie comes from the fan who said, “MYA HOOTEN! Best floor of the season for her!“. She was named to the WCGA Second Team All-American on Floor. She even posted a 9.900 on vault and 9.825 on the floor in the season-opener vs. CMU, winning event titles on both.

There is also so much love for the Gopher star. One fan said, “We’ll always love you Mya Hooten” while another said, “I LOVE YOU MYA HOOTEN! Forever a Floor Queen 👑”. Truly deserves the floor queen tag. I mean, she joined the university in 2021, and she has been on the WCGA First Team All-American on Floor since 2021. Other than that, she has also been the Big Ten Floor Champion (2022, 2023, 2024).

USA Gymnastics also took a moment to honor the gymnast. They tweeted, “Mya Hooten, you are a star. What a career!” and what a career indeed. Other than the floor, she has been the Big Ten champion on uneven bars for 2024 and Vault Champion for both 2023 and 2024, and these are only a few of her achievements. Nevertheless, the gymnast made her farewell great for herself and her fans by bringing back the 2022 routine. One fan voiced out on X, “MYA HOOTEN BRINGING BACK THE 2022 ROUTINE FOR HER SWAN SONG IM CRYING 😭😭“. I feel the hint of nostalgia added extra emotion to the farewell.