Olivia Dunne said it first and loud: NCAA gymnastics scoring has a serious problem. After all, just look at all the picture-perfect performances we have witnessed. But the score is anything but a ten. Now, California head coach Justin Howell is right there with her. Why? It all came down to the slimmest of margins—just one-tenth of a point. That’s what stood between the California Golden Bears and a spot at the NCAA Championships. One-tenth. The kind of margin that makes gymnasts, coaches, and fans alike want to pull their hair out.
The No. 6 Cal women’s gymnastics team finished just outside the cutoff, placing third with a razor-close 197.575. Despite a strong showing, it wasn’t enough to edge past the competition. The team poured everything into that Regional final, but in the end, the numbers didn’t land in their favor. Now, a few days later, head coach Justin Howell still isn’t holding back.
On April 10, the All Things Gymnastics podcast shared updates on X from Cal’s media availability, and head coach Justin Howell didn’t hold back. After going undefeated in the regular season and dominating their first year in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Golden Bears were aiming to return to the NCAA Championships, where they finished second last year. But in the Tuscaloosa Regional final, they came up just short—literally. Howell was honest about how frustrating the scoring felt, especially on beam.
From Cal’s media availability with Justin Howell, he said the team knew when Ondine was on beam that even if she got a 10 it wasn’t going to be enough to advance.
— All Things Gymnastics Podcast (@AllThingsGymPod) April 9, 2025
“From a scoring perspective, there were a lot of frustrating moments in that meet, and the beam was one of them,” he said. He further continued with, “In my opinion, we should have had some higher scores there.” Still, he reminded the team of what matters. “This is sports. And these moments hurt. And it should sting a little because you care about your team and this sport. But one competition and one tenth don’t define the entire season.” Cal scored a 197.575, finishing third behind No. 3 Florida (197.700) and No. 11 Alabama (197.675).
That’s one-tenth of a point away from advancing. In a sport that measures perfection by tenths, that stings. No. 14 Oregon State placed fourth with a 196.875. Spoken like a coach who knows his team gave it everything. And they did. Maddie Williams led Cal with a 39.600 all-around and top scores on bars and vault. Lauzon crushed the floor with a 9.950, and Cal had just won the semifinal with a 197.550.
On paper, they did everything right—except win on the scoreboard. But this whole scoring mess? Yeah, it’s not exactly breaking news. Olivia Dunne had already raised the red flag months ago.
Olivia Dunne speaks up about the energy shift in gymnastics
Back in January, Olivia Dunne had some thoughts after watching a college gymnastics meet that felt more like a snoozefest than a sporting event. The energy was off, the crowd was barely into it, and she wasn’t shy about calling it out. “If you want fans to enjoy the sport and increase viewership, you have to look at what makes the crowds go crazy!” she posted on X. Her point?
People love those perfect 10 moments—the kind that get fans on their feet and make clips go viral. But with new NCAA scoring guidelines rolling out, those 10s just became way harder to get. Under the updated system, judges now have stricter deductions and more emphasis on differentiating execution. The goal was to get scores to better reflect routine quality and reward precision.
But Dunne argued that this might be backfiring when it comes to fan engagement. “People understand what a perfect 10 is,” she said. “They want people who do things that look great to be rewarded.” Most fans aren’t analyzing to the point—they’re reacting to the big, exciting moments. With NIL deals booming and talks of revenue sharing on the horizon, she made one thing clear. What is it?
Well, gymnastics is no longer just a “non-revenue” sport. “The timing isn’t right,” she said of the scoring shift, pointing out how more eyes are on the sport than ever. Olivia Dunne’s built a massive following by understanding what draws fans in, and she’s not wrong—if the excitement dies, the audience goes with it. So yeah, the scoring might be more technical—but if it kills the fun? That’s a whole different problem.
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