What's up with NCAA gymnastics scoring this year? An anonymous judge explains - ESPN

Perhaps nothing drew more attention to NCAA gymnastics judging this season than the Tennessee Collegiate Classic in January. During one session, all four schools competing — Ball State, Kent State, Southeast Missouri and Wisconsin-Whitewater — set new program records for highest team score. Wisconsin-Whitewater set the all-time record for a Division III school at 194.450. Five gymnasts earned a perfect score — the first 10.0 for each of them — at the meet.

Thursday, April 18:
Semifinal I: 4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2 and ESPN+ (No. 2 LSU, No. 3 California, No. 7 Arkansas, No. 8 Stanford)
Semifinal II: 9 p.m. ET, ESPN2 and ESPN+ (No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 4 Florida, No. 5 Utah, No. 6 Alabama)

Saturday, April 20:
Team final: 4 p.m. ET, ABC and ESPN+
(The top four teams from semifinals)

While each of those teams would go on to have highly successful seasons, none would reach anywhere near those high scores for the rest of the year. Ball State scored a 198.025 that day in January, then averaged a 196.292 across the rest of the regular season, ending the season ranked 34th. The only other teams that scored about 198 were ranked in the top 12. Wisconsin-Whitewater averaged a 191.223 for the regular season — almost three points lower than that record-high mark.

Following the meet, College Gym News called the judging from the event a «disgrace» and said the current scoring system is «broken.» Rhiannon Franck, a former NCAA judge and another columnist at College Gym News, declared the event's judging «unethical.»

Throughout the NCAA season, judging has been a constant topic of debate as analysts like Bart Conner and Kathy Johnson Clarke, as well as coaches such as Florida assistant Owen Field, pondered overscoring and its ramifications.

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