FORT WORTH — Brynlee Andersen didn’t win an individual national championship Thursday in the semifinals of the NCAA women’s gymnastics championships.
The BYU gymnast didn’t shock the gymnastics world inside and out of Dickies Arena and walk away the best balance beam gymnast of the 2025 season.
But Andersen did put on a show at the highest level college gymnastics has to offer.
Andersen competed as an individual (she rotated with the Missouri Tigers) at the national semifinals and scored a 9.8250 on beam. That score was good enough to finish in a tie with five other gymnasts for No. 38 overall.
It was an experience that Andersen, only a sophomore, won’t soon forget.
“Honestly, it’s kind of crazy,” she told the Deseret News. “Missouri got up there (on the beam) and they really went lights out, so they set me up so good. It was a humongous moment and I am so thankful that I got this experience to move into my next year, to take it with me and learn from it. It was just crazy (competing at nationals), like nothing I’ve ever felt before.
She added: “I’m just so thankful for the opportunity. Like my coaches and my family, my friends, especially my mom, they just stuck with me the whole way, and I’m just so thankful.”
Andersen competed her routine after waiting through four complete rotations of the meet. Missouri finished the afternoon semifinal on beam and Andersen competed after the Tigers were finished.
That also meant she competed after Missouri’s Helen Hu, who won the national title on beam with a 9.9875.
Competing immediately after Hu was a unique experience. Hu’s routine brought a louder applause from fans in the arena than any other routine in either semifinal competition.
“I think there was just a lot of energy (in the arena) after Helen went,” Andersen said. “I had to just remember to breathe and calm down. I had to remember that I know what I’m doing. Trusting myself was very important."
Andersen wasn’t perfect. She had multiple balance checks during her routine that the judges took deductions for. Only two years through her collegiate career, though, Andersen proved she can compete alongside the best NCAA gymnastics has to offer and do so well.
She hopes, maybe even expects, to do so again in seasons to come.
“We’ll be back to nationals next year. Don’t worry, that’s the goal,” Andersen said. “My main goal right now is I want to be an All-American, so we’ll just keep training for that.”
Andersen has already etched her place in BYU gymnastics’ record books, though, as one of only 11 Cougars to qualify for and compete at the NCAA gymnastics championships.
