The crowd roared as the senior women gymnasts entered the competition floor for the first rotation of the afternoon at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships. The meet, which took place at the SAP Center in San Jose from Aug. 24 to Aug. 27, was a crowning moment for the vying gymnasts — one that, for many, would mean the difference between making the national team and having to wait for the next national cycle. On the final day, the senior women gymnasts returned for their second and closing round of competition. With Olympians and emerging talent in the arena, stakes were high.

Simone Biles, Sunisa Lee, Jade Carey and Jordan Chiles (top to bottom) competed for Team USA at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics. Carey and Chiles are also Pac-12 gymnasts, attending Oregon State University and UCLA, respectively. Carey opted to represent the Beavers and Chiles represented her club team, World Champions Centre. Carey was also the Pac-12 all-around champion in both the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

This marked Biles’ second national competition after withdrawing from the 2020 Olympics. She competed in the 2023 U.S. Classic earlier this summer, where she placed first. 

Carey and Chiles were not the only NCAA gymnasts in the house — Kayla DiCello and Leanne Wong both attend the University of Florida. While Wong represented the Gators, DiCello returned to her club team, Hill’s Gymnastics.

All eyes were on 2020 Olympic all-around gold medalist Lee after her NCAA season at Auburn University was cut short due to a kidney-related issue. At the SAP Center, the Olympian only competed on vault and beam.

Biles placed first in the all-around with a total score of 118.450. Following her in second and third place were Shilese Jones and Wong, respectively. The senior women’s national team (right) consists of the top 10 finishers in the all-around.