With one more week of the regular season remaining, 36 NCAA women’s gymnastics teams have made some notable program history this year.
Notable enough to have some interesting people asking questions.
According to data compiled by Drew Porche, a consultant for College Gym News who provides statistics and research about NCAA gymnastics team scores, 36 teams have either set or tied their program record for national qualifying score, or NQS, this season.

That means that 36 teams — out of 87 across Division 1, D2 and D3 — have consistently been scored higher week-to-week, on the road and at home, this season than any other team in their respective schools’ history.
Included among that collection of teams are some notable programs: Oklahoma, LSU, Denver, Kentucky, Michigan State and Ohio State, to name a few.
The number of schools could potentially rise too with two more weeks of competition remaining that can be counted for NQS — one more week in the regular season, followed by conference championship weekend.
Women’s college gymnastics has never been more popular, but with the extreme high scores across the board even some coaches are wondering publicly whether or not something is wrong.
Case in point, Owen Field, an assistant coach at Florida, which is currently ranked No. 4 in the country, took to social media and suggested that real rule changes are needed going forward.
“High scores are fun and all,” he wrote, “but (in my opinion) this definitely adds to the discussion that it might be time for some legitimate rule changes.”
Field continued: “(Thirty-six) out of 87 programs setting scoring records is an eye catching and alarming statistic. Especially when you’re not just talking about max score (a single instance). You’re talking about NQS records (six scores factored in).”
Field noted that coaches talk frequently, privately, about over scoring in college gymnastics — “For the most part, WE ALL recognize things need to be improved,” he wrote — but deciding what to do is a different matter.
“Coming to an agreement on how we can do that is where there are a lot of varying opinions,” he wrote.
Frustration about scoring isn’t new, and following Field’s comments, former U.S. Olympian turned longtime college gymnastics analyst for ESPN Kathy Johnson Clarke revealed that she elected to retire after this season in part because of rampant scoring inflation and her appeals to curtail it proving little use.
“I tried and failed spectacularly well to inspire and initiate constructive critique and conversation about this dynamic, which is in great part why I’m signing off soon with a ‘good night, and good luck,’” she wrote. “I really do hope for the very best, as I LOVE NCAA Gymnastics!”
Field, for his part, did suggest a potential fix to inflating scoring. A fix centered on changes to NCAA rules, (aka code).
“I think changes on bars, beam and floor, similar to the Y1/1 start value change on vault could be beneficial,” he wrote. “In order for a routine to have the ability to score a 10, it should be exceptional. There’s nothing wrong with a perfectly done routine that contains slightly less difficulty being capped at a 9.95 or 9.9.”
Field also acknowledged that discussions have been had regarding the implementation of a review system for judges that would encourage and/or require them to take deductions that are currently in the rules. Deductions that are often ignored.
“This has been proposed,” he wrote. “Would be amazing to eventually form an independent review committee that evaluated all meets and judges throughout season.”
Whatever the solution, scoring in gymnastics has gotten out of hand in the eyes of many, including those in the sport itself.