NCAA Gymnastics Elite Eight Set for Fort Worth
The college gymnastics postseason continues as the Elite Eight is officially set.
The NCAA semifinals are in Fort Worth, Texas, on April 16, and the top two from each will compete for the national championship on April 18.
The No. 3 Florida Gators are advancing to the NCAA Championship for the 42nd time in the 44 years of the event’s history. In the Tempe Regional Final, the Gators had a meet-high 198.05. The Gators won by a margin of 0.3 over Georgia, which placed second to advance.
Florida won the floor and beam. Junior Kayla DiCello and senior Selena Harris-Miranda both scored 9.925 on beam. Harris-Miranda also had the event high of 9.975 on floor to nearly secure the Gym Slam, a 10 on each event in her career.
The Gators have a difficult next round with three historical programs and two SEC opponents on the slate.
Georgia punched its ticket to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2019 with a second place score of 197.75. The Bulldogs scored a meet-high 49.425 on the vault. Freshman Autumn Reingold tied her career-high 9.975 to help the Bulldogs second-best bars score of the season.
The Bulldogs are No. 1 all-time in team titles. Despite that, this is their highest postseason seed ever, as they seeks their first national championship since 2009.
The No. 2 Tigers hosted the Baton Rouge Regional and posted a region-high of 197.825. Sophomore Kailin Chio scored a perfect 10 on vault for the second consecutive week, and Kaliya Lincoln scored the first of her career on the floor exercise. This is the fourth straight year that the Tigers have made the NCAA Championship, as they look to repeat their 2024 national title.
Stanford came in second place in their region behind LSU with a score of 197.225. The Cardinal beat Clemson by a slim margin of 0.075, dominating the uneven bars with scores of 9.9 from senior Ava Sorrento, senior Anna Roberts and sophomore Ui Soma. This is the second time in three years that the Cardinal has made the NCAA Championship.
The other side of the bracket also consists of four top tier programs.
The top-seeded Sooners scored a 198.35 to win their region with the highest score in the final round of regional action. Senior Faith Torrez scored a perfect 10 on the beam in the final for the second year in a row. The Sooners won every single event to win by an overall margin of 0.9.
This is Oklahoma’s 16th straight NCAA Regional title and its 22nd straight appearance in the championship. The Sooners are looking like a new dynasty as they are attempting to go back-to-back for the second time in five years.
The Razorbacks, making their 10th NCAA championship appearance, scored a 197.45 to place second in their region. Arkansas gymnasts tied for first on the vault (Joscelyn Roberson) and floor (Lauren Williams).
The Bruins scored a region-high 197.725 to advance to Fort Worth. Senior Olympian Jordan Chiles had her eighth perfect 10 of the season in the anchor spot on floor to win it for UCLA. This is the 38th time the Bruins have placed for the national championship, as they look for the eighth NCAA Gymnastics Championship title in program history.
The Gophers placed second in the Corvallis Regional with a score of 197.625 for their first appearance in nationals since 2022. Minnesota and UCLA both won two events and advanced, knocking off the Utah Utes and No. 5 Alabama. This is the first time in Utah’s history that it will not compete in nationals. Minnesota had its best showing on the balance beam with a 49.525. Junior Jordyn Lyden won the beam and tied for first on uneven bars with scores of 9.950 on both.
Category: Feature Sports News, Gators Gymnastics, Gymnastics
