20 NCAA Gymnasts to Watch in the 2026 Season
- Alyssa Klauminzer
- Jan 5
- 10 min read
It's the most wonderful time of the year: NCAA gymnastics season!
Every weekend from now through April will be back with flips, twists, and athletes taking sports to new heights. If you’re new to the sport or already love gymnastics but don’t know who to root for, here are 20 gymnasts to watch in the 2026 season!
Jordan Chiles is That Girl, and you knew this list had to start with her! Chiles is competing in her senior season (someone hold me), and just like on "Dancing with the Stars," she's going to put on a show every week. Her senior year floor routine is inspired by Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, and Tina Turner. In addition to her Olympic gold and silver medals, Chiles is the reigning NCAA uneven bars champion, 2023 NCAA uneven bars and floor exercise champion, 2023 NCAA all-around silver medalist, and she and the UCLA Bruins finished as the NCAA runners-up last year. Last year, she received All-American nods in the all-around and on vault and bars. Chiles leads a stacked Bruins team that's ready to defend their Big Ten title and win their first NCAA title since 2018.
Chiles' NCAA career highs: 9.975 on vault, 10.0 on bars (five times), 9.975 on beam, 10.0 on floor (six times).
Kailin Chio (LSU)
Kailin Chio took the NCAA by storm her freshman year. She is the best vaulter in the nation, scoring a 9.900 or higher 11 times, and is the reigning NCAA champion on the event. Chio also put up a 9.900 or better 10 times on all of the other events. In her first season, she was an All-American in the all-around and on vault. Now LSU's top all-arounder, Chio will be the rock for the Tigers and fill in the role previously occupied by stars Haleigh Bryant and Aleah Finnegan. I expect a Gym Slam (a perfect 10 on every event) in her future!
Nikki Smith (Michigan State)
Nikki Smith is one of the best gymnasts in Michigan State history. She is capable of putting up big scores on every event, and has been perfect on vault and floor. Last season, Smith scored a 9.900 or better nine times on vault, seven times on bars (including a near-perfect 9.975), once on beam, and eight times on floor. Smith holds the Spartans' program record for the highest all-around score with a 39.775. Now a senior, she and the Spartans are ready to continue on the rise and make their first Four on the Floor.
Skye Blakely (Florida)
Skye Blakely is back and better than ever! In her first season with Florida, she was only able to compete on bars while she recovered from an Achilles injury. Blakely represented the United States at the 2025 World Championships, where she competed on bars and beam. Now, she's back in action on vault and floor and ready to make her collegiate all-around debut. Blakely's events are packed with difficulty, and it will be so exciting to see her have a complete college season.
Blakely's NCAA career high: 9.950 on bars.
Makenna Smith (Utah)
Makenna Smith is coming off an incredible junior season in which she set or matched career high scores on three events and set a new personal best in the all-around. Smith is capable of putting up big scores on every event; last year, she scored a 9.900 or better six times on vault (including a near-perfect 9.975), five times on bars, four times on beam, and twelve times on floor (including a 9.975). Last year, she was an All-American in the all-around and on bars and floor. The Red Rocks graduated major contributors from last year's lineups, but Smith will continue to be a great asset on every event and will bring the energy to the Huntsman Center in her senior year.
Lily Pederson (Oklahoma)
Lily Pederson had an amazing freshman year for the Sooners. She competed in every meet, including the all-around in her first ten meets. Pederson hit the ground running for her NCAA career, putting up a 9.925 on vault and 9.950 in her first meet. She continued to be a key contributor for the Sooners, all the way through their national championship victory. Pederson scored a 9.900 or better five times on vault, nine times on bars, nine times on beam (including a 9.9375 in the national championships), and four times on floor. In her first year, she received All-American nods on vault and bars. Oklahoma is going to miss star seniors Jordan Bowers and Audrey Davis, but Pederson is going to be an important athlete to have in every event. And the best part is, as outstanding as she's already been, she still has so much room to grow!
Joscelyn Roberson (Arkansas)
Joscelyn Roberson was a star for the Razorbacks in her first NCAA season. She's always been powerful on vault and floor, but competing in college has allowed her to gain strength on bars, and she looks super confident on beam. Last year, Roberson had the best all-around score for a Razorback freshman with a 39.625. She scored a 9.900 or better once on vault and bars, eleven times on beam, and ten times on floor. And Roberson is just getting started in the NCAA! After her first season, Roberson returned to competing elite, and represented the United States at the World Championships, where she won bronze on vault.
Lily Smith (Georgia)
Lily Smith has been an incredibly strong competitor for the GymDogs. Her style is reminiscent of Nastia Liukin's: she has beautiful long lines and competes on beam and floor with elegance. In her sophomore year last year, she scored a 9.900 or better six times on bars, four times on beam, and ten times on floor, and was named an All-American on floor. Smith is both strong and graceful, and her artistry makes her a must-watch athlete in the NCAA.
Hannah Horton (Mizzou)
Hannah Horton is a powerful athlete, making her fun to watch on vault and floor, and she also flows and floats flawlessly on the uneven bars and received All-American nods on the event last year. In her sophomore year, she scored a 9.900 or better six times on vault, three times on bars, and four times on floor. Horton competed on vault, bars, and floor to contribute to Mizzou's historic third-place finish in the 2025 National Championships.
Anna Roberts (Stanford)
Anna Roberts is a strong and consistent competitor. In her sophomore season in 2024, she won the NCAA vault title. Now a senior, Roberts will continue to be a regular competitor for a strengthened Stanford team. Last year, she scored a 9.900 or better eight times on vault, six times on bars, twice on beam, and eight times on floor.
Gabby Gladieux (Alabama)
Gabby Gladieux is Alabama's strongest competitor, and her senior year will be her best one yet. Last season, she put up a 9.900 or better three times on vault, seven times on beam, and thirteen times on floor. She also had a streak of ten meets in a row with a score of 9.900 or better on the floor exercise. In 2025, Gladieux was named an All-American in the all-around and on vault, beam, and floor.
Chloe Cho (Illinois)
Chloe Cho was one of the best freshmen in the nation last year and was recognized as the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. In her first season, she scored a 9.900 or better twice on vault and bars and four times on beam and floor. She had the highest score for the Illini on bars, beam, and floor, and the second highest on vault. She is already a strong all-around competitor, and it will be exciting to watch her in the next three years of her collegiate career.
Skyelar Kerico (Penn)
Skyelar Kerico is one of the best gymnasts in Ivy League history. Penn's star senior owns thirteen of the highest all-around scores (including the top seven), five of the highest vault scores, four of the highest bars scores, five of the highest beam scores, and two of the highest floor scores in program history. Kerico was named the GEC Gymnast of the Year in 2024 and 2025. Last year, she scored a 9.900 or better twice on vault, four times on bars, twice on beam, and once on floor. She also set or matched her personal bests on every event last year, and set a new personal and program best all-around score with a 39.450 in the Pennsylvania regional finals.
Kerico's NCAA career highs: 9.925 on vault, 9.950 on bars, 9.925 on beam, 9.900 on floor.
Tory Vetter (Ohio State)
Tory Vetter has been a solid, standout athlete for the Buckeyes. Vetter was one of the best athletes for Ohio State in 2024, one of their best seasons in program history, and was their rock when injuries hurt their 2025 season. The Buckeyes are a stronger, rejuvenated team heading into this season, and Vetter will definitely continue to be a leader for the team. Last year, she scored a 9.900 or better twice on vault, bars, and beam, and five times on floor. I think Vetter has yet to see her highest scores! O-H!
Ella Cesario (Clemson)
Ella Cesario is making a change for her fifth year: she transferred to Clemson, but will remain under her coaches, Justin Howell and Liz Crandall-Howell, from Cal. At Cal, Cesario competed in the all-around, including at the 2024 National Championships, in which Cal had their program record second-place finish. Last year, she put up a 9.900 or better once on vault, three times on bars, twice on beam, and three times on floor.
Aurélie Tran (Iowa)
Aurélie Tran made an immediate impact for the Hawkeyes as a freshman. Tran was in the top five for the highest scores on every event for Iowa last season and had the highest bars score on her team. She scored a 9.900 or better four times on bars and twice on beam and floor, and competed in the all-around in every meet. Tran's incredible freshman campaign came right after the 2024 Olympics, where she competed for Canada and contributed routines on bars and floor towards the team's fifth-place finish.
Jahzara Ranger (Michigan)
Jahzara Ranger was named the MVP, alongside teammate Carly Bauman, for Michigan in just her first season. She was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week twice and won five individual titles last year. Ranger competed in the all-around her first five meets and was a regular contributor on vault, beam, and floor, putting up big scores for the Wolverines. She scored a 9.900 or better once on vault, three times on beam, and six times on floor.
Ava Stewart (Minnesota)
Ava Stewart was another amazing freshman in the Big Ten last year. She put up one of the top two scores for the Golden Gophers in all three of the events she competed in last year. She scored a 9.900 or better four times on vault and bars and twice on beam. Stewart is a two-time Olympian, having competed for Canada at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics; she competed in the all-around for the team qualification in Tokyo, and contributed scores on vault, bars, and beam for the team's fifth-place finish in the team finals in Paris. Stewart also has a bars dismount named after her in the elite gymnastics Code of Points!
Creslyn Brose (Kentucky)
Creslyn Brose is such a fun athlete to watch. She's cool, calm, and collected on the balance beam, and knows how to put on a show on the floor exercise. As a sophomore, she put up a 9.900 or better four times on beam and ten times on floor, including her first career perfect 10. Brose brings all of the energy and character to the floor, and it's without a doubt that her new routine will be just as exciting, if not more, to watch this season!
Paige Zancan (Auburn)
Last year, Paige Zancan had a breakout season. As a freshman, she only competed on beam, aside from two meets where she also vaulted. As a sophomore, she became more consistent on beam and set a new career high, and also became a regular competitor on vault and floor. She scored a 9.900 or better five times on vault (including a near-perfect 9.975), four times on beam, and twice on floor.
Also check out 20 freshmen to watch in the 2026 NCAA gymnastics season!
Follow the scores, stats, and rankings of NCAA teams and gymnasts this season using Road to Nationals.
Edited by: Kelly Cassette
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