The Weekly All-Around

Week 5, 2025

*After a week off, we get a look back at the last two weeks of competition for men’s gymnastics around the nation. 

Sooners earn a HUGE Victory

The biggest headline of the last few weeks has to be the performance by Oklahoma to defeat the four-time defending national champions. Last Saturday, the Sooners topped Stanford by a mere 0.250 - one of the closest Men’s NCAA competitions since these teams’ 2022 matchup, where OU won by 0.200. Floor, Pommel Horse, and High Bar were key events for Oklahoma in this competition, as they upped Stanford’s numbers by over 0.800 on each of these apparatus’. With all pommel horse scores ranging between 13.250 and 14.650, the Sooners are doing something right. With an impressingly-difficult regular season schedule, OU is happy to sit at 8-1 thus far, and they have another huge test this week with the Michigan Wolverines coming to town. 

Health is Key…

As expected, some NCAA teams are slowly working in some of their best athletes this season. All three Paris Olympians in the NCAA (Asher Hong, Fred Richard, and Paul Juda) are perfect examples of this. These athletes, along with many others, have intense competitive seasons outside of NCAA for their individual elite careers. Injuries and physical health are some of the hardest parts to navigate in this sport, and too many competitions can be a risk for any given athlete. With all of this said, these gymnasts are true difference-makers for their NCAA teams. When these guys are performing their best routines for their collegiate teams, it’s a thrill to watch and makes a key difference for their programs. As the season works through February, and into March and April, we’re sure to see some incredible NCAA gymnastics upcoming. 

GymACT Battle At The Top

Some may disagree, but it’s certainly arguable that the battle for the GymACT National Title is once again between Arizona State and Minnesota. These teams finished 1-2 at last year’s National Championships, and they have the highest peak and average scores thus far this season. The teams haven’t faced head-to-head yet, but we can compare their scores from the same week at different competitions.

Neither team competed in week 5, though week 4 saw both teams in action, where Arizona State threw out a massive 303.250. This is the single highest score of the season, and certainly defeated Minnesota’s score that week. Funnily enough, Minnesota’s season-high of 298.500 came in week 3 - a week Arizona State didn’t compete. Although, in week 2, Minnesota’s score topped ASU’s by nearly 8 points.  Just to make things even stranger, the week 1 scores for both teams were separated by just 0.500. Needless to say, lineup decisions will keep these teams tight all season long - but can anybody catch them? 

As a reminder, a key indicator to having an idea of National Championships results may come from the GymACT All-Stars Competition, where only the top 5 athletes in each conference will compete. It’s safe to expect a number of athletes from both Minnesota and Arizona State to qualify.

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Written by Aiden Whitehead

Principal Staff Writer for TURN

About Aiden

Hello gymnastics fans! I’m Aiden and I’m super excited to join the team at TURN as the 'Principal Staff Writer'. I began competing gymnastics at the age of six and immediately fell in love with the sport. I am currently in the midst of my senior season as a competitor, serving my third year as a team captain for the Georgia United GymACT team. Last December, I graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor’s degree in Sports Management, with Sports Media Certification as well. I've already acquired a few years of media experience, working a variety of roles with GymACT, Virtius, and Neutral Deductions. In addition to competing, I am an active women’s team coach at Oconee Gymnastics Center, as well as the Technical Director of the Georgia Men’s Gymnastics Judging Association. Evidently — even though I am competing, coaching, and judging — I can never get enough of this sport, so I’m excited to take this new role as well!