Emotions have been overflowing for the past few days as the 22-year-old stalwart from the Oklahoma women’s gymnastics team has retired. Head coach A.J. Kindler got teary-eyed at the Saturday NCAA title, saying, “Like, it’s mind-blowing. We will miss them so much. I probably can’t talk about them too much—I’ll lose it,” she said, her voice getting thicker with emotions.  And why?

Jordan Bowers was in both the Elite and NCAA, but her Elite career had a premature ending because of a severe injury. She was not able to retire from the elite on her terms. In 2019, she suffered a harrowing spinal disc herniation and edema on her vertebrae, forcing her to sit on the sidelines for the rest of the season. It was so severe that doctors were also not sure whether she would be able to come back to the NCAA. 

However, everything went well, and she could at least return to the NCAA. Bowers won the 2025 NCAA All-Around Championship and finished as the runner-up on the floor. Now that her final college meet was over, she decided to give a heartfelt note to everyone who helped her become a champion. 

Bowers posted a carousel of pictures with her team, who are more like family now. With emotions pouring out from her words, she wrote a big letter to everyone who walked the path of success and hard work along with her. With Cody Johnson’s Rodeo playing in the post, the 22-year-old wrote, “ Dear Gymnastics, The final bo.w The past 20 years have been everything I could’ve dreamed of and more. From being a J.O. gymnast to qualifying as an Elite to competing for the United States of America to competing for the school of my dreams and representing the best University every single day, to then becoming a 4X National Champion with the best University and staff. This sport has taught me resilience, determination, patience, trust, love, and passion. I am beyond grateful for every single opportunity I have been given. To my family, thank you for always being there for me through it all.”

Then she addressed her teammates and thanked them for being her pillar. She showed her gratitude to them for being her motivation and pushing her to be better every day. “You are all family, and I am so proud to share all of these moments. Side by side.” For her coaches, Bowers had another emotional note where she thanked them for taking a chance on her when she was only 13.

She continued, “To my fiancé, thank you for always being there for me. Competing for the same University with you has been a tremendous experience, and I am so grateful that we can forever cherish those memories!” She signed off with her signature phrase, writing “I love you all so much. JB out.” 

Three national championships. One NCAA all-around victory. Despite a huge setback with injury, she built an unbreakable legacy. After six years of a premature retirement from elite gymnastics, look at how she signed off. In the Sooners’ legacy, she now ranks second only to Faith Torrez in the program’s MVP leaderboard, with an astounding career total of 673.675. On that note, let’s see how she cemented her name in the NCAA championships.

Jordan Bowers’ NCAA journey

Bowers competed in 3 NCAA championship finals, which include the 2025 championships where she won the all-around title, and her team, the Oklahoma Sooners, won their 7th national championship that same year.

Despite being there for 3 championship finals, her determination and amazing performance made her eligible for the 2025 Honda Sport Award for Gymnastics. 

For her final swan song, she dominated with an all-around score of 39.7125. It was not easy because her challenge was against an Olympic gold medallist and world-renowned gymnast, Jade Carey. But ultimately, she dominated and stood under the spotlights to receive one of the most prestigious awards in collegiate athletics.

Now that she is ending her gymnastics career on a high note, are you excited for her future endeavors?