How close is Florida's Trinity Thomas to the NCAA's perfect 10 record?
Florida gymnast Trinity Thomas is the reigning NCAA all-around champion. She is a 27-time All-American. And, right now, she is fast approaching a major record: The most perfect 10s in NCAA history.
While the perfect 10 is long gone in Olympic gymnastics, it’s still going strong in NCAA competition, and on Friday, Thomas earned her fifth perfect score of the season. She now has 25 total, just three shy of the collegiate record of 28, held by UCLA’s Jamie Dantzscher and Kentucky’s Jenny Hansen.*
Will she break the record? With the season only at the midway point, it’s a safe bet to say yes. Here’s a look at Thomas’ perfect 10s in 2023:
No. 25: Perfect on beam — yet again
Thomas earned her third 10 of the season on beam in a dual meet against LSU, leaving no room for doubt with a stuck 1½ dismount. She also won the all-around title with a 39.85.
TRIN.0
🔹 @Gym_Trin‘s 6th 10.00 on beam!
🔹 25th 10.00 overall!📺 https://t.co/UYlgubVNi2 #GoGators | #WeChomp pic.twitter.com/aTnkvhocR2
— Gators Gymnastics (@GatorsGym) February 18, 2023
No. 24: A controversial 10
On Feb. 10, Thomas scored her second perfect mark of the season on beam, for a routine that most experts felt warranted a high score but not a perfect one, due to the small step on the dismount. (Thomas even posted, “It wasn’t” on Instagram.) While that beam score proved controversial, other experts thought she had deserved a perfect score earlier in the competition for her bar routine (9.95) or later on, for her floor set (9.975).
TRINITY THOMAS DELIVERS HER FIFTH PERFECT 10 ON BEAM 🤩@Gym_Trin | @GatorsGym pic.twitter.com/OZD29f43Hh
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) February 11, 2023
No. 23: Perfect 10 on vault
Thomas picked up her third perfect score on yet another event Jan. 27, earning one on vault for her stuck Yurchenko 1½.
Trinity Thomas with her 23rd PERFECT 10‼️ @GatorsGym pic.twitter.com/Nl6or9xhSN
— espnW (@espnW) January 27, 2023
No. 22: First floor routine, second 10
Thomas earned a 10 for her first floor routine of the season Jan. 13, as Florida topped Auburn 197.825-197.200.
Trinity Thomas with ANOTHER perfect 10 on the floor 🤩 #ThatsaW | @GatorsGym pic.twitter.com/b5Y11wRkKu
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 14, 2023
No. 21: Opening the season
Thomas wasted no time warming up to 2023: She earned a 10 (on beam, no less) in the first competition of the season, a quad meet at home Jan. 6.
*Editor’s note: Thomas opted to compete a fifth “COVID” year, while Dantzscher and Hansen each completed the record in four seasons. With competition schedules affected in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, it’s tough to directly compare these three gymnasts’ careers.