‘Beacon of goodness’: NCAA women’s gymnastics is booming

They’re certainly there now. LSU led the nation in average attendance (11,691) for the first time in program history while Auburn sold out every home meet this season. Michigan drew a record crowd (12,707) when Lee and the Tigers visited earlier this month. Arkansas moved a home meet to Bud Walton Arena — where the Razorbacks basketball team plays — for the first time when it hosted Auburn.

There have always been strong pockets of support, particularly in places UCLA, Oklahoma, Georgia, Alabama and Utah, but the growth is no longer limited to a select few. The decision by athletes like Lee and Carey — who won gold on floor in Tokyo — to join non-traditional powers helps.

So does aggressive on-campus marketing.

On random Thursday nights, 2011 world champion and 2012 Olympic gold medalist and current Arkansas head coach Jordyn Wieber walks along sorority row and invites young women to meets. She gets far more yesses than she used to.

“One of my major goals was to build the student fan base, at UCLA we had a huge student section,” Wieber said. “I looked at the marketing, how could we make these meets fun for someone who is 60 years old, a mom and dad, a young gymnast and a college student?”

While men’s gymnastics at the NCAA level is struggling to survive — there are currently only a dozen Division I programs — women are heading in the opposite direction. Long Island University came on board in 2020. Clemson is aiming for 2024. Fisk University will become the first historically Black college to field a women’s gymnastics team when the program launches next season.