It was in December 2024 when the LSU gymnastics fans received some rather unpleasant news, which concerned their star, Haleigh Bryant. A few days before the start of the NCAA season, she had a nasty fall during the Gymnastics 101 event while practicing on the vault. It was not just a slip; she developed Ulnar Collateral Ligament (UCL), which isn’t a piece of good news for anyone, let alone a person as active as Bryant. Spectators were left on the edge of their seats, waiting to see her bounce back on the mat.

And then on January 6, LSU Gymnastics coach Jay Clark provided the fans with what they had been craving: an update. A journalist asked the pressing question: What happened to Haleigh Bryant, and when is she coming back? The optimist in Coach Clark was quick to add, “We’ve made some significant progress, she… depending on how this week goes and yesterday went well, um, she will be available at least on balance beam. I don’t know that it’ll go any further than that this week.” And guess what? The moment everyone was waiting for came to reality!

Fast forward to January 11, and LSU Gymnastics lit up X with the big news: Haleigh Bryant is back! They shared a photo of her, announcing, “Hay back on beam. It’s a 9.75 for the senior.” A solid score and a promising start, right? You’d think fans would be over the moon, but surprisingly, the reactions were a mixed bag. Turns out, some expected an even more dazzling return.

One fan didn’t hold back, dropping a fiery comment: “W-F? There is no way Haleigh Bryant of all people got a 9.7. NO WAY! These judges are straight clowns. #LSU.” And well, it’s not just any gymnast that we are talking about here. It’s Haleigh Bryant, a 100 percent legend in the making. This is the same powerhouse who helped LSU snag their first-ever national championship, delivering one of the greatest seasons in not only LSU but the entire NCAA gymnastics history.

Of course, one must remember that she is now among the most adorned LSU gymnasts. She was crowned the 2024 NCAA All-Around Champion after a breathtaking all-around score of 39.7125 during the NCAA Semifinals. A score like 9.7 feels… off-brand for someone who’s made magic look like her default setting. Not surprisingly, fans are confused—it’s hard to imagine anything but perfection from a gymnast of her kind, and this was just the tip of the iceberg of the reactions from the angered fans!

Haleigh Bryant’s scores leave gymternet furious!

Another fan chipped in, “I don’t understand this score…. 9.8 minimum.” To think about it, this year’s NCAA Women’s Gymnastics season has already thrown us a shocking twist—no one scored a 10 in the opening week. Yep, you read that right! The 10.0 club is now void of any names for the first time in almost four years. In the last seasons, 10s were almost standard—71 in 2022, 84 in 2023, and even 87 in 2024. But in 2025? Till now, none. Even powerhouse teams such as Oklahoma or LSU couldn’t get those perfect 10s.

The real curveball? Judging. The Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) stirred things up last year with their Collegiate Judging Initiative (CJI). They presented the SCORE board, which is the eight experts whose primary goal is to reduce scoring variations. The performance of judges is now evaluated based on how well they align with certain set figures. Translation? Stricter grading, no extra credit, and a lot less 10s. Therefore, when Haleigh Bryant’s scores did not meet the fans’ expectations, the more rigid judging system kicked in. As one frustrated user perfectly summed it up: “We’ve stuck every landing and have gotten no higher than 9.85.”

Another fan joined in with, “i think that’s her lowest score for any event since 2023😭😭,” and to be quite frank, when you look at the numbers that Haleigh Bryant has been racking up, it is not hard to understand why fans are disappointed. When she scored a jaw-dropping all-around score of 39.7125 in the NCAA Semifinals, that score became the third-highest in LSU’s history at the NCAA Championships.

And the cherry on top? She was able to make history as the second gymnast in the entire program’s history to claim the NCAA All-Around Champion title after Susan Jackson. However, not all the fans were angry at the score sheets. For some, it was a beautiful feeling of relief because she was back. As one of the enthusiastic fans commented, “I missed Haleigh Bryant gymnastics 😍🐐👑.” Let’s be real, seeing Haleigh back on the mat is a vibe, and yes, fans were waiting for a comeback! What do you think of her return to the mat? Let us know in the comments!