NCAA women’s gymnastics power rankings: Dust is settling as contenders solidify

Each week, Gymnastics Now will share our “Power Rankings“ for the top 10 women’s teams, providing insight into why certain teams are trending up and others trending down.

These rankings are purely subjective. A (+) or (-) next to each team will signify how far the team rose or fell compared to the previous week.

1. Oklahoma (-)

Two 198s in one weekend. The No. 1 ranked team in the country continues to post huge scores as we inch closer and closer to the postseason, and they’ve now been battle tested for regionals and nationals after two meets in the span of 48 hours – a 198.650 on Friday to beat Michigan and a 198.300 on Sunday to beat the field at Texas Woman’s quad meet. Plus, Ragan Smith’s perfect 10 streak on beam continues, and Audrey Davis finally got her 10 on bars. When you think they can’t get any better, the Sooners prove everyone wrong.

2. Cal (+1)

Cal is back in the No. 2 spot that they’ve held the majority of the season. The Golden Bears have had back-to-back stellar weekends, earning above a 198 two weeks in a row. eMjae Frazier was busting out near perfect routines on floor and bars, earning two 9.975s for her team. Frazier’s teammates Gabby Perea and Maddie Williams both scored 9.975s on bars as well to help their team beat Utah and claim at least a share of the Pac-12 regular season title.

3. Florida (+2)

The Florida Gators are continuing to climb their way up and find a consistent performance routine. The team, which has had an uphill climb all season long, seems to finally be settling in. They earned their second 198+ of the season and that was with Ellie Lazzari’s 9.500 on bars and a 9.200 on vault from Victoria Nguyen. However, high scores from LeAnne Wong and Anya Pilgrim, who earned a perfect 10 on floor helped the team earn their highest score this season.

4. LSU (-2)

LSU is one of the best teams in the country – we won’t argue that – but there’s a glaring stat that has us dropping them two spots this week: they’ve yet to hit the 198 mark on the road. That’s a feat the three teams ranked above the Tigers have achieved. And since the meets that matter the most – regionals and nationals – are on the road, LSU needs to prove it can hit that mark away from the PMAC, and do so consistently.

5. Kentucky (+3)

The Wildcats might have lost to the Gators, but they still had a great performance in Week 9, hitting the 198 mark for the first time ever and setting a new program record. The team had two perfect tens, one earned by Raena Worley on floor and one by Makenzie Wilson on vault. This was Kentucky’s best performance in 2024, and was Florida’s as well, so no need for the Wildcats to hang their heads – there’s a whole lot of season left.

6. Utah (-2)

There are a lot of moving pieces with this Utah team. For one, key contributor Amelie Morgan is still on her elite hiatus, which is a major loss on bars and beam for the Utes. Then there are injuries and unexpected inconsistency. Ultimately, while the Red Rocks are still among the best in the country, they’ve only hit 198 once this season, which was at home; they’re most consistently scoring around 197.700. While we certainly believe this squad hasn’t reached its full potential yet, a return to the Four on the Floor will prove to be a challenge in this strong field of contenders.

7. Michigan State (-)

The Spartans may have been added to our power rankings just in the last couple weeks, but they continue to prove themselves and earn their place. With stars like Nikki Smith (perfect 10 shoutout!), the Spartans are looking like primed to make an impressive postseason run.

8. Michigan (-2)

The other Mitten State team suffered a rough loss to Oklahoma by 1.325 points on the road, seeing them knocked down a couple pegs in our rankings The biggest highlight for the Wolverines in Week 9 was Sierra Brooks, who is crucial to this team with her great all-around performances.

9. Alabama (-)

Bama is on a rollercoaster ride this season. One of the best bars squads in the country, they put up a 49.200 against LSU – their worst event score of the meet. But across the board, an uptick in 9.9s is needed if the Tide wants to roll far in the postseason.

10. UCLA (-)

A 197.175 against Stanford saw the Bruins drop six-tenths in overall team score week-over-week. We’ve seen highs from this team in the 198s and lows in the 196s. While there are some inconsistency issues, their lineups have been in flux, so once things have settled, hopefully they can improve that consistency.